Great, Overlooked TNG Episodes

I liked Masks, Tin Man and Loud As A Whisper

 

Pen Pals (for Prime Directive debate), Peak Performance, The Dauphin, Time Squared. I'd say Q Who, but that gains m ore respect daily.

 

"We'll Always Have Paris" is my favourite Picard show. Just can't say enough good about it. I love the story and how stylised the FX are and just everything about it. Yet, all I ever come across is praises for "Inner Light" and shit like that.

"Too Short A Season" is another one of my personal favourites. I like Admiral Mark Jameson, a lot. I thought the actor playing him was a little too stereotypical with his decrepitude and related mannerisms, at times. But as a young Man, especially, he was cool. His story was interesting, enough. The episode itself, though, suffered from too much obvious thrift.

 

"The Arsenal of Freedom" — This would've made a really great TOS episode. I can easily see Kirk, Spock and McCoy in place of Picard, Data and Crusher.

 

Some great episodes on your list. Although a few I really would not characterize as overlooked.
The Defector is a fantastic episode. With a stunning pre B5/G'kar performance from Andreas Katsulas. It had a huge impact on defining the new Romulans.
The Wounded - A great episode, while not in the top 5 easily in the top 10. And perhaps the most directly and indirectly referenced episode in TNG. DS9 begins here. Everything that becomes DS9 starts with this episode.
The Drumhead - If this isn't in a top 5 list it's because Best of Both Worlds gets counted as 2 and bumps it to 6. Once again one that has lots of little subtle references and world building that play out throughout the series. This defines Data. And by extension defines The Doctor, and Vic Fontane.
The Pegasus - Aside from the awful references to it in "These are the Voyages" this is another series and franchise defining episode. It defined and explained part of the tension between the Federation and the Romulans. It explained the rules. It had real tension, real fear over violating those. (The fed's gave up Cloaking Tech. After thinking long and hard on why the Feds would be so paranoid about violating that treaty I remembered. Romulan ships do not use Anti Matter Warp Cores. They use controlled Singularities. Black holes. Unstable and dangerous. The Federation traded cloaking to keep the Romulans from developing Anti Matter Cores. Once you see it it all makes sense.)

 

"Family" is a masterpiece.

Never mentioned because it's the epilogue to BOBW, and it's a much different kind of episode for TNG or even Trek in general. But it's brilliant from start to finish.

 

You're not alone in those, in fact "Devil's Due" was the highest rated episode of the season. The Chase is prototypical Trek. The Mask is a fantastic episode that appreciates science, knowledge, and cultural understanding.

RAMA

 

Most of the episodes you guys mention here resonate with me as well, so I think as a whole y'all are on to something.

 

I really like "The First Duty". I don't know if it's considered a good episode or is down in the pits with the rest of the Wesley episodes, but I don't see it mentioned too often and indeed hasn't been put forward in this thread yet.

 

Does 'Data's Day' count or is that too popular? Because I absolutely love that episode.

It is a one-off for the entire franchise, how it is narrated from the perspective of one character throughout, and it is simultaneously hilarious and fascinating all at the same time.

Again, I do not know if it counts, but 'The Next Phase' is one of my favourite episodes...of the franchise. Now it isn't top ten or anything silly like that but I love it. It's a Trek twist on a classic 'what if no one could see you' tale & I think [as usual] Michelle Forbes is brilliant.

 

Data's Day was a lot of fun, but overall barely rates a B.

Next Phase also - good story, decent if somewhat predictable plot, unmemorable execution.

 

I think a number from the early years are quite overlooked, I really like "Where No One Has Gone Before," "Lonely Among Us," "The Big Goodbye," "Datalore," "Coming of Age," "The Icarus Factor" and "Time Squared."

From the latter years, I really like "The Outcast," both parts of "Birthright," "Dark Page" and "Attached" although those are more controversial, more love it or hate it, rather than overlooked.

 

Face of the Enemy.

If you can get over the kidnapped counsellor bit (the telepathy would be useful to an intelligence officer) you have a glimpse at defectors from both sides, bit of intrigue, and N'Vek was an interesting character.

 

I agree, "Ensigns of Command" is great, I loved the relationship between Data and the native girl, and how Picard chose the species that were in hibernation to arbitrate the dispute. There was one really bad performance in that episode by the colony leader on the planet, but I am pretty sure that was dubbed over.

"A Matter of Perspective" is a brilliant, well executed and underrated episode. I was on the edge of my seat from start-to-finish. The depositions on the holodeck were really neat, and all the plot threads came perfectly toghether at the close of the episode.
There was one weird moment though, after Manua's deposition, where Troi tells Riker that Manua was being truthful. This is never really explained, and it was never made clear what really happened between Manua and Riker in his quarters.

 

Memory Alpha confirms your suspicion, Gosheven's lines in 'The Ensigns of Command' were dubbed afterwards.

 

I think half the second season is overlooked and underestimated.

 

I've always loved "Disaster". Picard's interaction with the kids is excellent stuff, and it gives Troi something different to do by giving her a go at command.

 

Starship Mine - my favorite episode
Suspicions
Descent
Phantasms
Devils Due
The Next Phase

just a few underrated episodes that quickly came to mind....IMO from season three on there are few (some, but not many) episodes I dont like or hate...so most of the episodes from season 3 on that arent considered 'favorites' could be considered overlooked lol

 

I didn't see "Schisms" going the alien abduction route when I first watched it. The story felt a little too much like pop-culture of the 90s (X-Files, UFOs, etc). But it was done really well. Very creepy.

"Clues" having a rogue Data was great, and I love these mysteries.

"The Pegasus" really had a good dilemma between Riker's orders and his loyalty to his Captain.

 

I love the premise of this thread. "Half A Life", "Ship In A Bottle", and "Face Of The Enemy" are all episodes that for me could be on every best-of list, but I feel I rarely see them mentioned when people are discussing their favorites.

I think "Where Silence Has Lease" is a great example of a really creepy, frightening, deep-space-menace episode. I'm also a fan of "Power Play"... I love the possessed-crewmember trope, and this is probably my favorite execution of that idea. I also agree with those who mentioned "The Next Phase", love that show.

Are "Remember Me" and "Clues" overlooked? I always thought those episodes was widely beloved, but maybe I'm just projecting my own positive feelings.

Wow, we have very similar taste -- I love all of these, with two exceptions... "Masks", which I remember not liking, and "Matter Of Perspective", which I can't remember anything about at all. I see a lot of others have also mentioned "Matter Of Perspective", that is definitely one I'm going to rewatch and see what I think of it now...

 

Contagion is the only underrated episode or at least the most underrated episode on your list. It gets no love because people hate on season 2 for a few bad episodes but its one of the best episodes. I loved the long dead empire on the planet and the conflict between the two malfunctioning ships. So another vote for Contagion.

Encounter at Farpoint - I just rewatched and its a really solid start. Q and Picard scenes are gold. Yar was annoying and so was troi but the rest are okay. Yar was never good but she didn't do much in this episode. The Farpoint station plot was a good mystery and I think the FX still hold up pretty well. It gets no love because of the shit stream that came after but it was a good start to a great series.

Where No One has Gone Before - again gets little love because of being in the first season. The FX were great, the illusions people had were interesting and fun. Little bit of wesleys great! But wasn't as bad as other wesley stuff. I do like the Traveler character.

Loud as a whisper - I really liked Riva and the ending. One of the only good Tori episodes.

In Theory - Data dates someone wtf?? This was a really interesting episode. The plotline of the ship phasing through things was great too. Its one of the few episodes where we actually see data's limitations and how he really isn't as human as he sometimes seems.

Rightful Heir - I don't know how underrated it is but its one of my all time favorites. Khalas' speech at the end almost brings me to tears. One of the best Klingon episodes.

Where Silence has lease - another good spooky episode.