Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Good Parts

Someone sent me this piece about how to watch Star Trek: The Next Generation in 40 hours. I think this is bad advice and does a disservice to much of the depth of the series. If 40 hours is as far as you’re invested in TNG, I’d probably say don’t even bother.

BUT

That’s really far from saying you have to watch the entire thing. There’s a lot of filler, a lot of cruft, a lot of mediocre episodes. This is my attempt to put together a list of episodes I think you should watch.

I think if you get through that 40 hours list and decide you really like TNG, you’ll be sad you skipped ahead. If you get 40 hours through my list (which gets you roughly through season 4) and decide you don’t like it, the rest of it isn’t going to sell you.

Individual commentary about why I picked these is coming, but in the meantime, here’s the list.

** These episodes are maybes. If you’ve watched this far, a few more hours won’t kill you. They’re borderline, but there are things I like about them.

*** This is episode is included out of spite. It’s so bad it is required viewing.

Season 1:

1. S1E01: “Encounter at Farpoint”
2. S1E03: ”The Naked Now”
3. S1E06: ”Where No One Has Gone Before”
4. S1E09: “The Battle”
5. S1E10: “Hide and Q”
6. S1E13: “Datalore”
7. S1E18: “Home Soil”
8. S1E19: “Coming of Age”
9. S1E20: “Heart of Glory”
10. S1E22: “Symbiosis”
11. S1E23: “Skin of Evil”
12. S1E24: “Conspiracy”
13. S1E25: “The Neutral Zone”

Season 2:

1. S2E03: “Elementary, Dear Data”
2. S2E08: “A Matter of Honor”
3. S2E09: “The Measure of a Man”
4. S2E13: “Time Squared”
5. S2E14: “The Icarus Factor”
6. S2E16: “Q Who”
7. S2E20: “The Emissary”
8. S2E21: “Peak Performance”
9. S2E22: “Shades of Gray”

Season 3:

1. S3E04: “Who Watches the Watchers”
2. S3E10: “The Defector”
3. S3E13: “Deja Q”
4. S3E14: “A Matter of Perspective”
5. S3E15: “Yesterday’s Enterprise”
6. S3E16: “The Offspring”
7. S3E17: “Sins of the Father”
8. S3E18: “Allegiance”
9. S3E19: “Captain’s Holiday”
10. S3E21: “Hollow Pursuits”
11. S3E23: “Sarek”
12. S3E26: “The Best of Both Worlds, Part I”

Season 4:

1. S4E01: “The Best of Both Worlds, Part II”
2. S4E02: “Family”
3. S4E03: “Brothers”
4. S4E04: “Suddenly Human”
5. S4E05: “Remember Me”
6. S4E06: “Legacy”
7. S4E07: “Reunion”
8. S4E11: “Data’s Day”
9. S4E12: “The Wounded”
10. S4E14: “Clues”
11. S4E19: “The Nth Degree”
12. S4E20: “Qpid”
13. S4E21: “The Drumhead”
14. S4E26: “Redemption, Part I”

Season 5:

1. S5E01: “Redemption, Part II”
2. S5E02: “Darmok”
3. S5E03: “Ensign Ro”
4. S5E04: “Silicon Avatar”
5. S5E05: “Disaster”
6. S5E06: “The Game”
7. S5E07: “Unification, Part I”
8. S5E08: “Unification, Part II”
9. ** S5E09: “A Matter of Time”
10. S5E16: “Ethics”
11. S5E17: “The Outcast”
12. ** S5E18: “Cause And Effect”
13. S5E19: “The First Duty”
14. S5E20: “Cost of Living”
15. ** S5E21: “The Perfect Mate”
16. S5E23: “I, Borg”
17. S5E24: “The Next Phase”
18. S5E25: “The Inner Light”
19. S5E26: “Time’s Arrow, Part I”

Season 6:

1. S6E01: “Time’s Arrow, Part II”
2. S6E02: “Realm of Fear”
3. S6E04: “Relics”
4. S6E05: “Schisms”
5. ** S6E06: “True Q”
6. S6E08: “A Fistful of Datas”
7. S6E10: “Chain of Command, Part I”
8. S6E11: “Chain of Command, Part II”
9. ** S6E12: “Ship in a Bottle”
10. S6E15: “Tapestry”
11. S6E17: “Birthright, Part I”
12. S6E18: “Birthright, Part II”
13. S6E20: “The Chase”
14. S6E21: “Frame of Mind”
15. S6E23: “Rightful Heir”
16. S6E24: “Second Chances”
17. S6E25: “Timescape”
18. S6E27: “Descent, Part I”

Season 7:

1. S7E01: “Descent, Part II”
2. S7E08: “Phantasms”
3. S7E11: “Parallels”
4. S7E12: “The Pegasus”
5. ** S7E13: “Homeward”
6. *** S7E14: “Sub Rosa”
7. S7E15: “Lower Decks”
8. S7E16: “Thine Own Self”
9. S7E17: “Masks”
10. S7E20: “Journey’s End”
11. S7E21: “Firstborn”
12. S7E24: “Preemptive Strike”
13. S7E25: “All Good Things…”