Top 10 TNG Episodes

[dupersuper]

I'll have to check IMDB to sort through them...

 

[Qonundrum]

Another infrequently mentioned early gem. I may watch this one again later. I’ve been thinking about the Bynars lately. They would have made interesting background characters in Engineering.

It's next on my list too. On Blu-Ray for the best experience as well...

I bet the Bynars' leader is named John... or as far as silly in-jokes could go...

It's topical in a nerdy sort of way (limiting its discussion to "groups of 8- or 16-bits"), but that was the real life standard for consumer electronics of the time (mainframes did more, whee!) and still not much of a nitpick given the sheer originality and freshness of the tale. None of the nitpicks amounts to much in my book, given how well this episode holds together and how novel it truly is. Solar flares being a semi-recurring theme in season 1 (but never being any less of interest regardless of story they're used in), too much of the story was thought out and well-put together. It's a legitimate classic IMHO.

And they're not the Borg! Another race of symbiotic cybernetic organisms, which took a comparatively benign turn, resorting only to machinenapping and not any actual destruction.

 

[1001001]

Hmm...

All Good Things...
The Best of Both Worlds
Yesterday's Enterprise
Q Who?
The Defector
Data's Day
Tapestry
Disaster
The Offspring
Who Watches the Watchers

 

[Arpy]

I watched “11001001, “Contagion,” and “The Dauphin” last night. What a great universe that early TNG was.

 

[Qonundrum]

Fascinating list. I never liked “The Royale” — too TOS-y, but it’s interesting to see it here. And “Time Squared” is under appreciated, like a lot of earlier episodes.

Time Squared is definitely underappreciated. It may have been an influence for "Cause and Effect" as well.

"Royale" took me a while to warm up to as it is a bit oddball and not quite the usual Trek trope, but it grew on me... and one thing I really appreciated from it is the nasty fate accorded the hapless astronaut.

RIKER: Yes. I write this in the hope that it will someday be read by human eyes. I can only surmise at this point, but apparently our exploratory shuttle was contaminated by an alien life form which infected and killed all personnel except myself.

RIKER: And for the last thirty eight years I have survived here. I have come to understand that the alien contaminators created this place for me out of some sense of guilt, presuming that the novel we had on board the shuttle about the Hotel Royale was in fact a guide to our preferred lifestyle and social habits. Obviously, they thought this was the world from which I came.

RIKER [OC]: I hold no malice toward my benefactors. They could not possibly know the hell they have put me through.

RIKER: for it was such a badly written book, filled with endless cliché and shallow characters. I shall welcome death when it comes.

Dang. That's a twist for a utopian universe, aliens accidentally contaminating everyone (save for one, somehow) and out of guilt try to make up for it by recreating a book... a book the hapless human hates despite having brought it along with him! (So it's not as much his favorite-ever book but one an acquaintance, friend, and/or lover recommended he read and opted to do so on this particular three-hour shuttle tour...)

Data re-balancing the dice's center of gravity was another nice touch. The episode does put a twist on "fish out of water" trope and not in the cornball "Let's figure out another reason to get them to 20th century Earth to wonder how everyone survived." Which isn't a bad trope, but "Royale" is striving to do more and different and like or dislike aside, it's a novel attempt... sorry for the unintentional pun...

I haven’t watched Unnatural Selection since it aired. The very definition of dull and derivative, which are two things I always grated against with TNG. Hated, hated HATED it. Do I need to re-evaluate?

C’mon guys, Datalore is a terrible pile of shit.

"Datalore" has a plot loaded with corny shit and shitty corn, but it's the incidental music, direction, lighting, atmosphere, and Brent Spiner being the sheer star of the show as Lore that elevate such a hit-or-miss script into the "above average" category. That's my reason. By all accounts I'd agree the episode is trash, and it is scripted so poorly in the most hubris- and hackneyed-laden attempt to make Wesley look bright by dumbing down every single adult... but everything else beyond that rocks. Even Worf didn't stand a chance. And who couldn't like Lore's threat of having Wesley shriek? (The writing wasn't all bad, and the choice of verbiage used really sells the horror angle of becoming a human torch well. And did I mention how awesome Brent Spiner is in it?)

"Unnatural Selection" is a guilty pleasure. Its positives are Pulaski's character development, her scenes with Data, and taking a good concept from a poorly-written episode (TOS "The Deadly years") and trying to make it more plausible than magical considering TOS did the old "inject this and you'll look studly again in 30 seconds." trick. IMHO, it succeeded. Compared to drek like "The Naked Now", which - beyond Geordi and Yar having a couple good but brief scenes (but not the one where she drunkenly drools over then bangs Data) - this episode is the first that innovates rather than coasts on derivative aspects. TNG would do this from time to time, as would DS9 ("Starship Down" > TNG's "Disaster" for the same reason, though when I first saw the former I called it derivative of "Disaster" as well. It did take a re-viewing... but you really don't need to. For me it was luck. I think I was bored or drunk or waiting for not-yet-ex to call from his weekend visit with a friend who came into town that he hadn't seen in years... )

I watched “11001001, “Contagion,” and “The Dauphin” last night. What a great universe that early TNG was.

"Dauphin" is another that grew on me a lot. Great scenes with Worf. A very refined coming of age story for Wesley. Everyone's treated as a character, even Wesley is a character and not Space Wonderboy...

 

[NCC-73515]

Rewatching S1 as well now XD

 

[Vger23]

The Dauphin is an episode that, by all rights, I should loathe….but I just don’t. It’s played so earnestly by the young actors, and it has some heartfelt moments in it that work for me.

 

[Vger23]

Another infrequently mentioned early gem. I may watch this one again later. I’ve been thinking about the Bynars lately. They would have made interesting background characters in Engineering.

The Bynars seem ripe for an appearance on Lower Decks. I bet they could mine some humor out of that species.

 

[dupersuper]

Ok: in no particular order I'll go:

The Measure of a Man
The Best of Both Worlds/Family
Who Watches The Watchers
Data's Day
The Wounded
The Drumhead
Ethics
Unification
Darmok
The Offspring

Honorable mentions/episodes I love that could easily be in my top ten if you asked me another day:

Encounter at Farpoint
Big Goodbye
Coming of Age
Heart of Glory
Conspiracy
A Matter Of Honor
Q Who
The Emissary
Evolution
The Ensigns of Command
The Survivors
The Enemy
The Defector
Deja Q
Yesterday's Enterprise
Hollow Pursuits
The Most Toys
Sarek
Brothers
Suddenly Human
Legacy
First Contact
The Nth Degree
Qpid
The Mind's Eye
Ensign Ro
Silicon Avatar
Disaster
The First Duty
I Borg
The Inner Light
Relics
Chain of Command
Face Of The Enemy
Tapestry
The Chase
Timescape
Parallels
The Pegasus
Lower Decks
Pre-emptive Strike
All Good Things...

 

[Herbert]

Fascinating list. I never liked “The Royale” — too TOS-y, but it’s interesting to see it here. And “Time Squared” is under appreciated, like a lot of earlier episodes.

That's one of the problems with TNG, especially in later seasons, Not TOS-y enough at times. They drifted away from the let's explore space theme to let's come up with dramatic storytelling stuff that could have been inserted into any of a number of non-ST type shows.

 

[Oddish]

Dupersuper has it right. There are far more than 10 top-tier episodes. And, my favorites change from time to time. There may even be a few I haven't seen in awhile, and have forgotten how good they are.

 

[Vger23]

That's one of the problems with TNG, especially in later seasons, Not TOS-y enough at times. They drifted away from the let's explore space theme to let's come up with dramatic storytelling stuff that could have been inserted into any of a number of non-ST type shows.

 

[Claudia]

Best of Both Worlds
The Measure of a Man
The Inner Light
Cause and Effect
All Good Things
The Offspring
The Drumhead
Lower Decks
Ensign Ro
Q Who

 

[Oddish]

Interesting bit of trivia regarding an episode we're seeing a lot of here... "The Offspring" was the directorial debut of Jonathan Frakes, who is now considered one of Trek's best directors.

 

[Arpy]

Interesting bit of trivia regarding an episode we're seeing a lot of here... "The I Offspring" was the directorial debut of Jonathan Frakes, who is now considered one of Trek's best directors.

Yeah, that one of those punch to the gut episodes. The Offspring, The Defector, Lower Decks, The Outcast. Great episodes.

Oh and The Perfect Mate had a moment like that. The rest of the episode aside for a moment, when Kamala says that she’ll be the perfect bride for Alrik of Valt now for the rest of her life because she’s fully bonded to Picard (having been accidentally awakened early) and that’s the kind of woman she is now…the tragedy for her is something else.

 

[Vger23]

The Offspring is definitely a top episode, and a rare example of a Data episode that I like.

 

[donners22]

I'm in the course of a TNG re-watch now, and have found that a number of episodes don't hold up nearly as well as I remembered. Keeping it to those I know have stood the test of time:

- All Good Things
- Yesterday's Enterprise
- The Inner Light
- Q Who
- The Best of Both Worlds pt 1
- Ship in a Bottle (which I consider terribly underrated)

 

[Arpy]

I'm in the course of a TNG re-watch now, and have found that a number of episodes don't hold up nearly as well as I remembered. Keeping it to those I know have stood the test of time:

- All Good Things
- Yesterday's Enterprise
- The Inner Light
- Q Who
- The Best of Both Worlds pt 1
- Ship in a Bottle (which I consider terribly underrated)

Which don’t hold up as well? One I watched previously (after Vger23’s criticism ) was “Datalore” and found it kind of a stinker. As a kid I found the planet Data was from pretty interesting. That slab he was found on. The expansive underground lab. The fiendishness of Lore selling them out to the Crystalline Entity. And how evil he was in the cargo bay threatening to turn Wesley into a Roman candle in front of his mother.

But you never really buy it, ya know? It should be obvious Lore’s a problem. And it just never makes sense that no one sees that. Especially the Shut up, Wesley scene…like, what was going on there exactly?

 

[Arpy]

Okay, here’s my attempt at a Bottom 10 list, in no particular order:

1. Encounter at Farpoint
2. Code of Honor
3. Loud as a Whisper
4. Shades of Gray
5. Imaginary Friend
6. Man of the People
7. Force of Nature
8. Homeward
9. Sub Rosa
10. Bloodlines

Dishonorable Mentions:

1. Lonely Among Us
2. Home Soil
3. In Theory
4. Aquiel
5. Emergence
6. The Royale

Re The Royale, every time I think of that cowboy at the casino my eyes roll, hard, but all this love for the episode, I may have to give it a rewatch.

I almost didn’t include Sub Rosa on the list…it’s so bad it’s enjoyable in its own way…but I remember watching it first run, and, well, Jesus that was wrong. Encounter at Farpoint, it’s length worked against it.

 

[donners22]

Which don’t hold up as well?

A lot, unfortunately. It's been a struggle of a re-watch, with a lot of skipping. A few which I remember as being particularly good which I disliked this time:
- The Wounded. Picard is an absolute fool for letting Maxwell keep his command in the circumstances, and the ending makes no sense - Maxwell is in his ready room (not on the bridge) in a moment of crisis, and Picard beams onto the bridge and casually walks in while nobody on the Phoenix reacts.
- Captain's Holiday. TNG Ferengi are painful to watch. I remembered them working better in a light episode like this, but cringed through every Sovak scene.
- Qpid. The scenes before Q turns up are just awful, and they don't get much better once he does appear (merry man line notwithstanding).