Best and worst TNG seasons according to IMDB episode scores

[Agenda]

Cause I was bored, I decided to see what the best TNG seasons were according to how imdb.com users scored the individual 176 episodes.

The highest rating for an episode was 8.7 (Tapestry, Best of Both Worlds Part 1, Yesterday's Enterprise, Cause and Effect). I didn't know Tapestry was that highly thought of. The lowest rating - by leaps and bounds - was Season 2's Shades of Gray with a 3.6. To put in perspective how low that is, the next highest rating after that was Sub Rosa with 5.2.

Overall, season 6 had the highest average score, followed by 5,4, and 3. Season 7 was below average, and seasons 1 and 2 were clearly the worst.

Average score by season:

Season 6: 7.669
Season 5: 7.527
Season 4: 7.488
Season 3: 7.465
All seasons: 7.294
Season 7: 7.196
Season 2: 6.823
Season 1: 6.792

 

[MakeshiftPython]

The overall score is pretty accurate to me. Though I never rated the episodes within the seasons, I'd rank the third season best.

 

[Lance]

I agree with that list of the averages per season. S6 has always struck me as possibly being TNG's strongest, the stories that year seemed to be so rich. S7 always seemed a little tired and deflated to me in comparison, which is likewise reflected in the above result.

 

[Trek Survivor]

It seems to follow the majority mindset, but it doesn't match mine - I rate seasons 2-3 as the best.

 

[jimbotron]

The only thing surprising here to me is that 6 is on top. I feel season 3-5 is the strongest era of the show.

 

[tomalak301]

It will be interesting watching people's comments during the Season 6 rewatch to see how good it is. I've always liked Season 6, but would probably rank it 4th behind Seasons 4, 3, and 5. There were many great episodes that year, but there were also crap episodes like Man of the People and Rascals.

I would have thought the average score for season 3 would have been higher.

 

[jimbotron]

There were many great episodes that year, but there were also crap episodes like Man of the People and Rascals.

And Aquiel and Birthright Part 2. Yuck.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Season 3 may literally be an example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts...or the average of its parts in this case.

 

[Lance]

There were many great episodes that year, but there were also crap episodes like Man of the People and Rascals.

And Aquiel and Birthright Part 2. Yuck.

While I don't disagree, IIRC I think that at the time there was a general feeling among the community that S6 was 'the strongest yet'. Stories like Birthright, Second Chances, Relics, Chain Of Command, I recall them as all being very well received among the fanbase at the time. I seem to recall there being a perception among fandom that the series was being very brave and doing some powerful, risky stories unlike anything it had tackled before.

However it does surprise me, if that poll above truly reflects the revision that no doubt comes from years of fan reflection after-the-fact, that S6 is still coming out on top. My perception is that the tides have shifted and that most people now seem to accept S3-S5 as having been TNG's best years.

(I still hold the view that S6 was very strong, but the series was definitely out of steam by season 7 on the whole, that one really felt like it was going through the motions except for one or two bright spots.)

 

[sadsquid]

That list is almost exactly how I would rank the seasons (the only difference being, I would put Season 5 in 4th place rather than 2nd). Season 6 has a lot of really great episodes, some being among my all time favourite TNG episodes (Tapestry, Chain of Command, Frame of Mind) and even the episodes most people consider 'lesser' episodes (Aquiel, Birthright, Rascals) I quite liked. Man of the People was the only stinker of the season IMO.

 

[MakeshiftPython]

People consider "Birthright" one of the lesser episodes? News to me.

 

[Agenda]

When Man of the People is the worst episode, it must be a pretty good season. Rascals was just for fun and the dog thing saved Aquiel from sucking. However, I wouldn't say season 6 was my fave.

I did a little thing where I took the top 30 TNG episodes and broke it down by season. Season 5 accounted for 9 of them while Season 6 had 7. Seasons 3, 4, 7 each had 4. Season 2 fittingly had 2 and Season 1 had 0, ha. So when it comes to top quality Trek, Season 5 is hard to beat, while Season 1 is bitter dregs.

 

[jimbotron]

People consider "Birthright" one of the lesser episodes? News to me.

Birthright 1 and 2 seem like polar opposites. I enjoy part 1 - the time on DS9 and Data's story. In part 2, Worf comes off like an a-hole the whole episode, and it feels like 40 minutes of filler. Part 2 is regularly criticized.

 

[tomalak301]

I was just thinking, there are shots in TNG that makes me excited that it's getting the remastered treatment and Birthright I will have one of those shots. One of my favorite scenes in all of TNG (And maybe all of Star Trek) was the Data Dream sequence at the end of the episode. To see that in HD, floating through space going through that purple nebula will be beautiful. I honestly can't wait for that.

 

[jimbotron]

I was just thinking, there are shots in TNG that makes me excited that it's getting the remastered treatment and Birthright I will have one of those shots. One of my favorite scenes in all of TNG (And maybe all of Star Trek) was the Data Dream sequence at the end of the episode. To see that in HD, floating through space going through that purple nebula will be beautiful. I honestly can't wait for that.

Not to mention shots of DS9 and the sets in HD. When season 6 comes out, that will be the first episode I watch.

 

[ALF]

Sounds accurate... Tapestry is a hell of a lot of fun, perhaps the best TNG: Q outing. Great rewatch value... and I must have seen it at least 50+ times by now!

 

[Mojochi]

I'd say that maybe season 6 beat out 3, 4, & 5 mostly because it's one of the more widely recognized seasons. The show was at the height of its popularity about then

I tend to feel 3 & 4 were full of the best productions they ever did. I rank then best to worst as 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 2, 1, but that's not to say that I particularly hate any of the seasons

 

[Shon T'Hara]

I don't consider Shades of Grey a real episode, so I'd knock it off the list and put Sub Rosa in it's rightful position in last place.

 

[jimbotron]

I don't consider Shades of Grey a real episode, so I'd knock it off the list and put Sub Rosa in it's rightful position in last place.

Sub Rosa is so cheesy at least I can laugh at it. "DINNAE LIGHT DAT CANDLE!" I consider The Outrageous Okona the worst episode because nothing about it is redeeming.

Painfully dull guest lead, and the humor was appalling.

 

[ALF]

I agree The Outrageous Okona is stupid, bit at least it's not a clip show.