Your 5 Most Underrated Eipsodes

[Mojochi]

I mean there is plenty of great stuff, that gets praised & debated often, like the Klingon & Borg Arcs. Some episodes that continue the characters' developments, like especially Data, some of the two-part episodes, & even some often noted stand alone episodes. However, what episodes do you consider quality TNG, that don't get much word of mouth?

I'd say, my picks would be

The Enemy - Perhaps the best episode to feature Geordi prominently & a quite powerful way to portray Worf. Great metaphors for loyalty, prejudice, compassion, and reason
Conundrum - A simple plot experiment, done quite excellently. They really do explore the characters in a way they couldn't' have done, under any other circumstance
The Defector - One of my favorite guest actors of the entire series. It really is a powerhouse of an episode
Clues - The perfect TNG mystery, with the ultimate suspect
Allegiance - Such intrigue, & suspense, but with so much well played comedy too

Edit: Oops. typoed the title. lol

 

[Admiral Shran]

1.) The Defector - James Sloyan is also my favorite TNG one-shot character. Like you said, a powerhouse episode all around, especially when the Klingon ships de-cloak at the end.

2.) The Most Toys - This episode contained the single most important step Data EVER took in his quest for humanity. At the end, he was able to overcome his programming and serve justice on Fajo. Any Human Being in that situation would, at the very least, be tempted to do the same. Add to that the fact that Data was able, and willing, to lie right to Riker's face about it, only serves to further show he's more than he was when the episode started.

3.) Ensign Ro - They finally introduced some much, much needed conflict into the show with this episode. The character of Ro herself is well acted and well conceived. Not to mention the fact that it introduces the Bajorans, much to DS9's later benefit.

4.) Starship Mine - It's Die Hard on the Enterprise, how can you not love it. And, we got to see Picard kick some ass.

5.) Masks - Yes, Masks. I love this episode. It's nothing but an exotic adventure story with no morality tale component, but that's why I love it. It's nice to just have fun every now and then. That, and the atmosphere of this episode is amazing, perfectly spooky and mysterious.

Just for fun.... my 5 most overrated episodes....

1.) The Inner Light
2.) Yesterday's Enterprise
3.) Who Watches the Watchers
4.) Darmok
5.) Lower Decks

 

[DevilEyes]

The Wounded
The Defector (if more people start naming it, I guess it will mean it's not that underrated after all )
Second Chances (one of the most interesting episodes as if posed some great questions about personal identity)
Ensign Ro (basically all the Bajoran/Romulan/Cardassian episodes, which are among my favorites, seem less well regarded than the Q/time travel episodes)
Face of the Enemy

The most overrated episode: Cause and Effect. It's boring.
I wasn't aware that Who Watches the Watchers was particularly highly rated?

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Don't know about five, but Lessons is one of the best Star Trek episodes ever in my opinion.
Disaster is hugely entertaining: Keiko giving birth, Data getting his head removed, Ro losing her temper with Troi. Great stuff.

 

[Mojochi]

Great choices. I never really considered "The Wounded" to be all that underrated. I always figured it rated highly with both TNG & DS9 fans, being that it features prominently, both Marc Alaimo & Colm Meaney. It seems to be the very birth of DS9 in a way

As for Yesterday's Enterprise being overrated, I'm afaid I agree. It's great sci-fi, a solid premise, & even ground breaking Star Trek, in some ways, but in my opinion, the guest actors, on the whole, were rather weak, especially Denise Crosby, who in my opinion gave an unremarkably superficial performance. I'd say the ENT-C Captain gave the best performance of the guests, & it wasn't as good as it could've been, on top of it being rather brief

 

[DevilEyes]

Great choices. I never really considered "The Wounded" to be all that underrated. I always figured it rated highly with both TNG & DS9 fans, being that it features prominently, both Marc Alaimo & Colm Meaney. It seems to be the very birth of DS9 in a way

I don't know, it always seems that it's highly rated by DS9 fans, but not so much by the wider audience/public. Maybe it's rated by TNG fans on this forum, but TNG fans here are more likely to be hardcore Trek fans in general and possibly DS9 fans as well. I've never seen it mentioned in any of those "Best TNG episodes" lists that various websites and magazines make, it's usually: The Best of Both Worlds, The Inner Light, Tapestry, Yesterday's Enterprise, All Good Things, The Measure of A Man, Darmok... and a Klingon episode (probably Sins of the Father) may sneak in.

 

[Lor'Vela]

1) Where No One Has Gone Before - S1 standout for me. Very "Trek" like episode, exploring the great unknown and excellent musical themes as well.

2) Tin Man - Seems to attract a lot of hate. Again, has a "Trek" quality to it; good story and enjoyable episode, IMO.

3) A Matter of Perspective - Never seems to get mentioned. The episode deserves a little more than that. Good mystery episode; resolved well.

4) A Matter of Time - Excellent guest star. It's too bad ENT missed the opportunity here.

5) Force of Nature - A hated episode, apparently, but I like watching it nonetheless.

 

[Joeman]

I've been living in my own little Star Trek world for a long time, and I'm pretty new to these forums, so I don't yet have a firm grasp on what the most universally liked and disliked episodes are. But going on the little bit I've read around here so far:

The Royale - Haven't really seen anyone else say they like it, although I'm sure you're out there somewhere. I always loved it. It reminded me of old Trek, plus had a touch of a Twilight Zone feel to me.

Tin Man - I've seen a little trashing of this one. Was always a favorite of mine. It was most likely better back then than it is now, but I still love it.

Time's Arrow, Pt. II - Read several negative things on this one. I enjoyed it. I actually scored Part II a little higher than Part I.

The Neutral Zone - Now I know I've seen this one trashed plenty. It's a sentimental favorite, which I've explained in at least two other posts. Not going to bore anyone with all that again.

A Fistful of Datas - Along with here, I've read a lot of negative stuff on this one at imdb as well. While many Trek fans seem to distance themselves from holodeck episodes, I tend to gravitate to them (in general). I thought this was a fun episode.

TNG is the only one of the Trek series that I watched beginning to end as it unfolded. I actually had to wait week to week to see what happened, as well as waiting months for the conclusion of cliffhangers. Even though it ranks in 4th place of all the series for me now, it's still a sentimental favorite. I have fond memories of watching certain episodes with friends as they originally aired, and I think that's why I love episodes that most others think are crap. That's the excuse I'm going with anyway.

On a side note, Shran and I would likely drive each other crazy watching TNG. All 5 of his most overrated eps are absolute favorites of mine. I don't know if we'd agree on much of anything.

 

[Tulaberry whine]

In no particular order:

The Offspring - this episode seems to get lost in the shuffle, probably because it comes right after Yesterday's Enterprise. However, it it has some lovely, very human moments that are often missing from the somewhat sterile life aboard Enterprise D and really, its only downside is the old 'evil admiral' acting as a catalyst.

Power Play - Not an original premise to be sure, but a fun episode with several least likely characters running amok. I thought Marina Sirtis did a surprisingly good job as the leader of the bad guys.

Peak Performance - The premise is incredibly weak and has holes big enough to fly a starship through, but it's fun seeing Picard and Riker go head to head.

Cost of Living - Okay, so the main plot is yet another tired 'Enterprise mysteriously malfunctions' snooze fest. But the B plot with Lawaxana and Alexander is utterly delightful and in the stuffy old world of TNG a much needed breath of fresh air.

Tin Man - I'm another fan of this episode. Okay, so it's not really about the TNG characters, but it's a good old fashioned romp and effectively ratchets up the tension as the episode unfolds.

 

[Mr Troi]

I loved The Enemy and I think it does seem to get overlooked in Favourite Episode threads. It would easily make my top 10.

 

[dominion_ruler]

"The Host" - I've heard a lot of people annoyed by this episode, but i found it very thought provoking IMHO

"The Royale" - I thought the idea behind the aliens finding the book and believing it to be a guide to our way of living was interesting and made sense to me.

"In Theory" - Again I think I've heard on more than once occasion it was an annoying episode, but I enjoyed Data's role in this episode, trying to have a romantic relationship.

"Schisms" - I may be mistaken, but I think this is the one that dealt with abductions of various crewmembers. This one was very chilling, and exciting to watch.

"Attached" - Picard and Beverly would just never come out with their feelings, but this episode forced it out of them - an entertaining yet interesting watch

 

[ChadHydro]

In no particular order:

Schisms - Kind of a creepy episode, I like it.
Tapestry - "Is there a Jeeeen Luke Picerd here?"
Future Imperfect - It's fun to watch Riker squirm
Deja Q - Guinan stabbing Q in the hand with a fork, priceless
Parallels - Good Worf episode

 

[Mojochi]

Schisms! I love that episode! It does get over looked a bit. It really did the perfect job of reenacting the abduction plot device. That wonderful scene with the subconscious memory retrieval, was one of the most chilling they ever did

 

[Admiral Shran]

On a side note, Shran and I would likely drive each other crazy watching TNG. All 5 of his most overrated eps are absolute favorites of mine. I don't know if we'd agree on much of anything.

JOEMANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

 

[Joeman]

On a side note, Shran and I would likely drive each other crazy watching TNG. All 5 of his most overrated eps are absolute favorites of mine. I don't know if we'd agree on much of anything.

JOEMANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!

Hehe exactly.

"WHAT??! How could you NOT like The Inner Light?! WHY I OUGHTA...!"

 

[Danny99]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "The Hunted"

The first act alone with Roga Danar eluding the Enterprise and the "What the f-bomb?" look on Data's face as he does had me hooked.

 

[Admiral Shran]

"WHAT??! How could you NOT like The Inner Light?! WHY I OUGHTA...!"

Never said I didn't like The Inner Light, just said it's highly overrated. It's good, but it's not the best thing to ever happen to humanity, like some claim.

 

[Too Much Fun]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned "The Hunted"

The first act alone with Roga Danar eluding the Enterprise and the "What the f-bomb?" look on Data's face as he does had me hooked.

HELL YES. I'm usually the one to mention that episode in threads like this, but you beat me to it this time. It is definitely one of my top 5 favourites overall, not just top 5 underrated. I think it has a perfect combination of action and insightful and intriguing conversations, two of the things I appreciate most in a good Star Trek episode. Other favourites not so frequently listed in 'best episodes of all time' lists:

"Time Squared" - No matter how many times I see it, I always find it to be one of the most captivating mystery stories in the whole series. Picard's disgust at his clone's cowardice always amuses me as well.

"Lessons" - My favourite Picard romance. Such a sweet story that I smile all the way through.

"Deja Q" - Brilliant mix of comedy and thoughtful philosophy, with conversations between Q and Data that are a joy to watch...an almost perfect episode, except Corbin Bensen's scene and performance are terrible.

"Devil's Due" - Picard's stubborn rejection of Ardra is hilarious and her hopeless attraction to him is too. Has some of my all time favourite Picard irritated lines: "Have Data come in a shuttle and fetch me!", "I find you crude and obvious!" .

 

[Joeman]

Never said I didn't like The Inner Light, just said it's highly overrated.

That you did. Noted.

It was more about the joking around than the actual statement. Should have chosen my words more carefully.

 

[T.D. Possum]

I'm not sure if these have been underrated 'round these parts, but here are five favorites of mine I rarely see in the top ten lists:

The Survivors
Eye of the Beholder
Frame of Mind
Night Terrors
The Perfect Mate