Earlier this month Patrick Stewart announced that he is going to reprise his role of Captain Picard for a new series. Like many Trekkies, I have mixed feelings about this reprisal because he seemed to warn us about the new conditions of his character. It was reminiscent of Mark Hamill's thoughts about the "new" Luke Skywalker in the weeks prior to the release of "The Last Jedi." But I wanted to prepare myself for the new incarnation of his character.
As I rewatched dozens of "Next Generation" episodes on Netflix and researched the Next Generation's "historically" greatest episodes I realized that I'm not on the same wavelength as most of the critics and fans. For me, some of the best episodes involve tour de force performances from guest stars, and they don't advance the narrative of any of the main characters. They're not as "meaningful" (or whatever) to the canon-- they're just entertaining as hell.
10: The Game (Season 5, Episode 6)
A stunningly gorgeous and magnetic twenty-three-year-old Ashley Judd guest starred in this creepy and dark episode. It's one of "Next Generation's" few horror themed shows, and one of just a couple of great shows from season five. It's a great allegory to drug abuse. We've all seen intelligent and formerly dependable friends and acquaintances fall prey to hard drugs and drag other people into it with them.
9: The Arsenal of Freedom (Season 1, Episode 20)
Trekkies who are reading this list might ask, "WHAT?" when they see this selection, but I stand by it. It's haunting and super dark fare from the late, great writer Maurice Hurley. Yes, the captain's presence on the planet seems contrived, and yes, the lighting on the Enterprise's bridge seems to be as dim as the cavern on the planet, and yes, the cast's acting was mechanical at the time because they never really settled into their roles during season one. BUT the story and the late, great Vincent Schiavelli's tour de force performance renders it a classic.
8: Conspiracy (Season 1, Episode 24)
It's another horror-themed episode that the crew pulled off very well. Next Gen's writers didn't fashion it as a horror originally. They wanted to show a more practical conspiracy in which some of the admirals rebelled through their own free will. Trek creator Gene Rodenberry altered that storyline because he believed that they wouldn't have that sort of chaos within the federation. Who knows if it would have been even better as a drama, but I know that it succeeded in its own right. I read that it was the most popular and discussed episode during '88.
7: Family (Season 4, Episode 2)
One can only appreciate this episode's greatness completely if he has seen the previous "The Best of Both Worlds" episodes. As many of you know, Captain Picard was forcefully "assimilated" into the Borg collective, then he was extracted by his crew. This episode was his return to humanity. It's one of the many episodes in which Patrick Stewart demonstrated that he is the best actor in the history of the Trek franchise. It was also almost quashed in preproduction by Gene Rodenberry himself because he objected to Picard's family feuds. He believed that humans' future is harmonious and halcyon. Unlike his preproduction issues with "Conspiracy," he lost this battle.
6: Cause and Effect (Season 5, Episode 18)
It's a dark and mysterious episode that begins with the most gripping opening sequence in Trek history: the Enterprise exploding as Picard yells, "ALL HANDS, ABANDON SHIP!!!" Everyone is on top of his game in terms of the acting, and the story is airtight. Look for Kelsey Grammer to make his legendary, brief and unfortunately only Trek cameo near the end of this show.
5: Relics (Season 6, Episode 4)
James Doohan, Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelley made appearances on the show as their longtime original series characters. Although Spock's mind meld with Picard in his final scene on Next Gen was very memorable, I think that most Trekkies agree that James Doohan's reprisal of Scotty was the best way to close out the original '60s series-- on TV, anyway. The story was solid, and Doohan combined wit, good humor and likeability to his old role without missing a beat. I just wish that Gene Rodenberry had been alive to witness it. He died almost exactly one year before this episode aired.
4: The Most Toys (Season 3, Episode 22)
In this show, Saul Rubinek delivered one of the most impressive acting performances that I've ever seen on a television show, and the most impressive performance that I saw a guest star deliver in Next Generation history (although I must mention that Daniel Davis was brilliant as Professor Moriarty as well). It's a well-written story that revisits the concepts that were explored in the season two show "The Measure of a Man:" is Data a sentient, autonomous being who is worthy of organic beings' respect? Although "Measure of a Man" explored that question in a more cerebral way, and I considered adding it to this top ten list, I must state that this show is just much more fun, damn it.
3: The Inner Light (Season 5, Episode 25)
When you read the fans' account of this episode you will probably read, "THE BEST TV SHOW I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE." Um... That praise is overly effusive to me. However, I must admit that it has clearly moved a lot of people. It's probably the most soulful episode of the show, and although there are a few cracks in the supporting cast's acting Patrick Stewart more than compensates for it by doing his thing at an optimal level. A must see.
2: The Best of Both Worlds (Seasons 3 & 4, Episodes 26 & 1)
Even if you're just a casual Star Trek fan you've probably overheard nerds discuss these episodes at length, and you've probably seen the great movie "First Contact," which was the ultimate conclusion to all of their Borg encounters. So a detailed description isn't really necessary. I love these episodes and "Family" (which immediately followed this crisis) because Picard, who seemed almost infallible is rendered vulnerable and afraid. It's when fans really started to admire him.
1: All Good Things (Season 7, Episode 25)
THEY STUCK THE LANDING! Wow. This episode reminds me so much of "Infinity War" in terms of how its writers aptly melded together bits from past seasons and many characters into a seamless whole. It's a difficult task to pull off, but they nailed it. I almost included "Encounter at Farpoint" just because I admire John de Lancie's acting as the Q entity so much. Gene Rodenberry personally created Q when Paramount demanded that he lengthen the first episode's script, and he personally cast de Lancie in the role. Brilliant.
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