The Best of Both Worlds--
This has really withstood the test of time and is as good as it was 17 years ago It was Trek's first cliffhanger and I would argue the best cliffhanger in tv history.
I always looked forward to it cycling through during syndication and I always knew when I was fortunate enough to stumble across it because of the instantly recognizable teaser with the establishing shot of the Enterprise entering orbit of Jouret IV overlaid with Picard’s log followed by the away team beaming down to New Providence colony to learn the fate of its inhabitants only to discover in a shocking visual- the colony was gone all that was left was a massive crater.
This was the episode that cemented me as a Michael Piller fan. He was such a great writer and he was able to come up with one of the few "perfect" and I do mean "perfect" episodes in existence. He came up with a storyline that resonated on every level with the viewer with the flawless depiction of a near Armageddon with all the necessary and desired elements one would expect to see in such a situation. That included a worthy enemy capable of upping the stakes to epic proportions in the form of the Borg, my favorite Trek race/villian.
I mean how many races have that kind of impact after only one brief appearance. Sure they might not be the first cybernetic race in science fiction but Hurley must be applauded for doing something original with them making them such a fascinating group with quite intriguing characteristics and unique behavior. They weren’t quite like anything I personally had seen before. And Piller realized they shouldn't be tinkered with much so he simply expanded on what Hurley had established and added one of the most intriguing and frightening new elements to them with the idea of assimilation.
And the scene that does this so effectively is the one where the Borg escort Picard to the central chamber of the cube and the Collective and Picard have that unforgettably chilling exchange where they reveal a fundamental part of humanoid existence-death- doesn’t exist. The idea that the Borg would even deny death as a release from the horrors of assimilation is just a downright disturbing prospect to consider and Stewart's reaction says it all.
Also making BoBW just that more effective, Piller knew full well that the audience would be clamoring for the Borg right away but he wisely didn’t cave into that pressure choosing instead to wisely postpone the confrontation with the Borg for just a while longer to allow our anticipation of the encounter to build but the scenes leading up to the inevitable confrontation were just as engrossing.
The atmosphere was outstanding. I especially love the presentation where Hanson communicates to the senior staff of the the Lalo's encounter with the cube.
The delayed encounter was well worth it when the moment finally arrives for the engagement between the 1701D and the cube signaled by that unforgettable score with the sight of the Borg vessel barely visible soon filling the screen revealing the chilling sight of the cube in all its intimidating glory--quite a powerful image conveying perfectly the sensation of confronting evil incarnate.
The episode had some great battlescenes. I thought it was so cool seeing the Enterprise throwing everything it had at the cube--phasers, photon torpedoes, the discharge from the deflector, the cat-and-mouse in the nebula etc. It just made it all the more special given TNG's judicious use of action and space battles.
The Picard/Guinan scene is wonderfully done and works in its own right but als serves as a nice counterpoint to the scene between Riker/Guinan in the second half. I loved all the approproate historical allusions. It also showcased what I love so much about Guinan. She was both reassuring and optimistic in one sense when telling Picard that humanity would survive and rebuild but also pragmatic in that she doesn't raise any hopes of a victory or promise that any rebuilding of human civilization would be easy. And that was something else I loved the whole fatalistic attitude that permeated the two hours.
Other great moments--the presentation of Picard’s reveal of having been assimilated with the side profile, Shelby’s initial look of horror or Worf’s “He is a Borg” or Beverly thinking of recovering him to Wesley holding his head down or Riker's difficult decision to order Worf to fire.
I truly believed the man I knew was gone forever. Back then assimilation wasn't portrayed as being reversible. That cliffhanger ending was perfect. I wasn’t happy having to wait until the fall. It was a long summer. I just anxiously awaited the premiere.
One can debate whether the Borg over the years became a pale shadow of themselves but here they were at their zenith. They were an unstoppable lethal juggernaut who acted with impunity. This episode put Trek and TNG on the map in a way that it hadn't before and allowed the show to move out of TOS' shadow once and for all.
By the way I actually consider Part I and Part II to be one epic episode but for the purposes of the poll I voted for Part I.
As for the other choices:
Unlike TNG where I agree with BoBW being the show's nominee I disagree with the other shows but in my opinion even if the best of the other shows IMO had made it they still couldn't beat BoBW. It is the best TNG episode, best Trek episode and I almost want to say it is the best hour of tv I've ever seen.
I'm shocked that "Observer Effect" was ENT's winner. It was good but certainly not great and most certainly not excellent or a classic especially when ENT had episode like Twilight, Azati Prime, The Council, The Forge.
Living Witness is an alright episode but I think there were better VOY episodes. I guess my second choice would be The City on the Edge of Forever.
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