Gallery: The Best and Worst of *Star Trek: The Next Generation'*s Sci-Fi Optimism
01startrektng-apestry
The bright futurism of *Star Trek: The Next Generation,* the award-winning sci-fi series that warps into its 25th anniversary Friday, was so unique that the show probably wouldn't get the command to engage today. "There is not a new hopeful, optimistic vision of the future that I am currently aware of," veteran Star Trek: The Next Generation writer (and *Battlestar Galactica* rebooter) [Ronald Moore](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronald_Moore) told Wired by phone. That shiny outlook, on display throughout seven alternately brilliant and bombed seasons, powered the show into our collective consciousness. "I'd argue that in the last few decades in America, when people are asked what they hope the future will look like, they still turn to Star Trek," Moore said. "They hope we put aside our differences and come together as humanity, that we rise above war, poverty, racism and other problems that have beset us. They hope that there's a future where we set off into the galaxy to have peaceful relations with other worlds." Still, some of [Star Trek: The Next Generation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation)'s 178 episodes stand taller than others. We've beamed up our picks for the best and worst episodes (and feature films) in the gallery above for Trekkies (and Trekkers) to dissect, and tagged them with our own "Make it so?" ratings. Give them a level-one diagnostic and add your own picks in the comments section below for a shot at winning a *Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season One* Blu-ray collection. __Above:__ Computer, Identify Episodes: The Q Files ---------------------------------------- Otherwise known as the six best episodes starring the franchise's [omnipotent trickster Q](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Q_(Star_Trek)), a character whose evolution is intertwined with Next Generation's DNA. The Q Files range from theatrical debut episode "[Encounter at Farpoint](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Encounter_at_Farpoint_(episode))" to the moving closure of the two-part series finale "[All Good Things](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/All_Good_Things..._(episode))." There are also stops off at the Borg-birthing "[Q Who](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Q_Who_(episode))," the hilarious "[Deja Q](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Deja_Q_(episode))," the Robin Hood-inspired "[Qpid](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Qpid_(episode))" and [Capt. Jean-Luc Picard](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Picard)'s afterlife fable "[Tapestry](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Tapestry_(episode))." __Report!__ According to Moore, who co-wrote "All Good Things," the Hugo-winning series closer "turned out beautifully, and it had no right to!" Meanwhile, "Tapestry" offered Picard, played by Shakespearean actor [Patrick Stewart](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_Stewart), the chance to overwrite his violent history, even though, as Moore explained, "our past mistakes are what make our present lives possible." The results are *Star Trek* canon. __Treknobabble?__ Philosophical. The inscrutable Q are godlike jerks who love to mess with humanity's heads, hearts and lives. But they're also a reliable *deus ex machina* whose morality plays and cosmological inquiry keep The Next Generation much smarter than today's undead cultural programming. __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 13!
02startrektng-unification
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Unification' ----------------------------------------- __Report!__ Star Trek: The Next Generation had uneven luck crossing characters over from the original series, save for this Season 5 two-parter featuring [Spock](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Spock). A still-topical political thriller about overlords and insurgents, "Unification" showed -- unlike other attempts, like Scotty's episode "[Relics](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Relics_(episode))" as well as the series' debut feature film [Star Trek: Generations](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Generations) -- what good programming could come from Star Trek's temporal merges. __Treknobabble?__ Metafictional mindmeld. The most impressive technology in "[Unification](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unification_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation))" is Picard himself, who serves as a memory transference conduit between Spock and his father Sarek, who madly passes in the episode, wracked with illogical emotion. Impossible to confirm Sarek noticed the real torch being passed from the original series' most notable character to the leader of its next-gen crew. __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 8!
03startrektng-firstcontact
Computer, Identify Episode: Star Trek: First Contact ---------------------------------------------------- __Report! Wait, isn't that a movie?__ Yes, [Star Trek: First Contact](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_First_Contact) is the series' finest and best-selling feature film. But it is also the blockbuster culmination of various episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation dedicated to the cybernetic collective called the [Borg](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borg_(Star_Trek)), whose dehumanizing assimilation rampages gave the series its most compelling antagonist. Notable episodes include the aforementioned "Q Who" as well as two-part Season 3 finale, "[The Best of Both Worlds](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Best_of_Both_Worlds_(episode))," which set the stage for the series exponential growth in popularity, according to *Next Generation* writer Ron Moore. "After that, suddenly *we* were Star Trek," he said. "We were true bearers of the torch." __Treknobabble?__ The feature directorial debut of [Jonathan Frakes](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Frakes), who played Commander Riker in the series, First Contact was the first franchise film to eschew miniatures and fully embrace CGI. It is likely no accident that the film's Borg Queen evokes [H.R. Giger's iconographic Xenomorph](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenomorph_(Alien)) from the [Alien franchise](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alien_franchise). Giger was reportedly pursued for First Contact, but his demands were too astronomical for the film's producers and designers. __Make it so?__ Make it so, warp 8!
04startrektng-innerlight
Computer, Identify Episode: 'The Inner Light' --------------------------------------------- __Report!__ Named after a song by the Beatles about the mind-body merge, "[The Inner Light](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Inner_Light_(episode))" found Captain Picard immobilized by a nucleonic beam to the brain that forced him to live out a full life on a planet annihilated by drought. That violation turns empathic when Picard finds no way out, has children and nearly loses his mind. (His spiritual hangover from the imprisonment dramatically rerouted his character's trajectory in Season 5.) __Treknobabble?__ Beatlemaniacal. Written by George Harrison and inspired by the [Tao Te Ching](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching), the song "The Inner Light" features lyrics like, *Without going out of your door/You can know all things on earth/ Without looking out of your window/ You can know the ways of heaven*. Meanwhile, the episode's writer [Morgan Gendel](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Morgan_Gendel) admitted he borrowed from "[The Inner Light](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Inner_Light_(song))" and reportedly once said he "thought it would be fun to give every *Star Trek* episode I wrote a title that's from a different, obscure Beatles song." __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 11!
05startrektng-datasday
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Data's Day' ---------------------------------------- __Report!__ Sentient android [Data](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_(Star_Trek)) remains one of *Star Trek'*s most enduring characters. Masterfully inhabited by actor [Brent Spiner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brent_spiner), the character's Pinocchio perspective has given the series many memorable episodes, including this temporal snapshot of his singular life. __Treknobabble?__ "A day in the life of the *Enterprise,* told through Data's eyes," is how the episode's writer Ron Moore describes "[Data's Day](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Data's_Day_(episode))." "I gave him a cat, and made him tap dance. I was really intrigued by the notion of what 24 hours on the *Enterprise* would be like. I loved that episode." __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 8!
06startrektng-offspring
Computer, Identify Episode: 'The Offspring' ------------------------------------------- __Report!__ The most moving of all of Star Trek: The Next Generation's Data-centric episodes, "[The Offspring](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Offspring_(episode))" is firmly pro-(artificial) life. Data's unilateral procreation of his android child Lal is most notable for being one of the only moments in series history that Data frustrates Captain Picard to exhaustion. Its ending serves up one of The Next Generation's most tearful moments. __Treknobabble?__ Lal chooses her own gender and appearance, but actress Whoopi Goldberg demanded sexual neutrality in the script during a hilarious scene in which her character, Guinan, advises [Lal](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Lal) on human sexuality. The episode marked Jonathan Frakes' television directorial debut -- maybe that's why Lal molests his character, Riker, with an unsolicited kiss in another great scene. __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 13!
Drew07startrektng-fistfulofdatas
Computer, Identify Episode: 'A Fistful of Datas' ------------------------------------------------ __Report!__ A postmodern Western romp featuring Data in multiple roles (and genders), "[A Fistful of Datas](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/A_Fistful_of_Datas_(episode))" finds a pitch-perfect Worf and Troi stuck in an "ancient West" simulation that becomes too real. Like Joss Whedon's Firefly and Bruce Campbell's The Adventures of Brisco County Jr., it's a rousing example of what happens when sci-fi and Westerns collide. __Treknobabble?__ Holography. It's central to Star Trek: The Next Generation's plots and characters, who flock to the *Enterprise'*s Holographic Environmental Simulator to complicate their lives and sometimes jeopardize the known universe. The [holodeck](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Holodeck)'s ability to conjure from available data any historical period or theoretical possibility makes it the site of many of the series' greatest moments. (Ask [Stephen Hawking](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking), who in the episode "[Descent](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Descent_(episode))" held his own in poker against Data, a wound-up Sir Isaac Newton and a laid-back Albert Einstein.) __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 10!
08startrektng-chainofcommand
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Chain of Command' ---------------------------------------------- __Report!__ Initially split into two parts to save money, "[Chain of Command](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chain_of_Command_(Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation))" remains one of The Next Generation's most topical, daring and humane episodes. After Captain Picard is captured on a black-ops mission and replaced by a Starfleet tyrant played by RoboCop's underrated [Ronny Cox](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Ronny_Cox), he's horrifically tortured until his crew can retrieve him. __Treknobabble?__ Enhanced interrogation. Patrick Stewart stripped nude and studied [Amnesty International](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amnesty_International) videos to prepare for the episode's disturbing torture scenes. Determined to move beyond dialog to turn torture's brutality into family viewing, he matched wits against fellow Shakespearean and Star Trek great [David Warner](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/David_Warner), who also starred in the Star Trek films [The Final Frontier](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_V:_The_Final_Frontier) and [The Undiscovered Country](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_VI:_The_Undiscovered_Country). __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 13!
09startrektng-yesterdaysenterprise
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Yesterday's Enterprise' ---------------------------------------------------- __Report!__ Many of Star Trek: The Next Generation's greatest episodes involve time travel, alternative history and other temporal disturbances. In this memorable episode, the *Enterprise* crew is transformed into a militarized unit after encountering a temporal rift, with the prematurely killed but virally rebooted [Lt. Natasha Yar](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Natasha_Yar) back on board in place of the franchise's honorable [Worf](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Worf). The slipstreaming worsens when an earlier-class *Enterprise* arrives, only to be told it must return to its inevitable doom, taking Yar with it so the show can go on. __Treknobabble?__ Alien intuition. The *Enterprise'*s mysterious bartender [Guinan](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Guinan), one of the series' lasting characters, solves the time-space conundrum posed by "[Yesterday's Enterprise](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Yesterday's_Enterprise_(episode))." "All of the pieces came together," episode writer Ron Moore said. "It was dark and interesting, and everyone had a ball making it." __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 8!
10startrektng-causeffect
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Cause and Effect' ---------------------------------------------- __Report!__ One of The Next Generation's most fascinating slipstreaming episodes, "[Cause and Effect](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Cause_and_Effect_(episode))" catches the crew in a haunting temporal causality loop, which always ends with the *Enterprise'*s annihilation. Mixing poker and probability into its continuum analysis, it manages to replicate the same sequences and events without redundancy, which is a mathematical triumph of TV in any age. __Treknobabble?__ Predestination paradoxes. "Cause and Effect" puts the *Enterprise* crew through a particularly vicious circle. Yet it still manages to be one of the series' quietest, most cerebral episodes, and gives ship doctor [Beverly Crusher](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Beverly_Crusher) a rare chance to shine as a sci-fi detective. __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 13!
11startrektng-phantasms
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Phantasms' --------------------------------------- __Report!__ One of The Next Generation's most surreal episodes, the dark "[Phantasms](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Phantasms_(episode))" finds Data beset by recurring nightmares that seemingly erase the boundaries between reality and reality. Or is that wish-fantasy? Ask [Sigmund Freud](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud), who holographically co-stars in the episode. __Treknobabble!__ "Phantasms" is one of the few times that The Next Generation successfully fused psychedelic imagery and body horror, a merge that was more familiar in its '60s predecessor. The true phantasms of the episode, though less visceral than the alien worms of "Conspiracy," are arguably just as creepy. __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 12!
12startrektng-conspiracy
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Conspiracy' ---------------------------------------- __Report!__ A violent and visceral episode from a show that rarely went there, "[Conspiracy](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Conspiracy_(episode))" remains controversial. Inspired by 20th-century Earth President Ronald Reagan's [Iran-Contra scandal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_contra), the episode features a high-level Starfleet command conspiracy that threatens to unravel the Federation. __Treknobabble?__ Body horrific. "Conspiracy" is really about parasitic aliens that possess humans and freak out viewers. Thanks to its exploding heads and creepy worms, it is the only episode to be chopped by the BBC and pre-warned in Canada. The controversy caused by the polarizing episode, as well as its unresolved resolution, would make an excellent point of departure for a future feature film, were someone like J.J. Abrams intercepting this communication. __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 10!
13startrektng-whowatchers
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Who Watches the Watchers' ------------------------------------------------------ __Report!__ In 1989, "[Who Watches the Watchers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Watches_the_Watchers)" rebooted Juvenal's famous Latin query, "*[Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quis_custodiet_ipsos_custodes%3F),*" just like Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' epochal 1986 comic, [Watchmen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchmen). The *Star Trek* episode placed its science superheroes in a threatening light, as one of Starfleet's hidden surveillance outposts studying developing humanoids malfunctions and puts the franchise's [Prime Directive](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Prime_Directive) in jeopardy. Captain Picard's decision to shatter his godlike myth among the natives just seems to make things worse. __Treknobabble?__ Metafictional. Despite the episode's philosophical exploration of anthropology and religion, its lasting geek appeal is embodied by RoboCop's unhinged [Ray Wise](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Ray_Wise) (above), who would soon lose his damn mind as Laura Palmer's deranged father in David Lynch and Mark Frost's [Twin Peaks](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twin_peaks), another legendary television series. __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 11!
Drew14startrektng-frameofmind
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Frame of Mind' ------------------------------------------- __Report!__ Commander Riker (played by Jonathan Frakes) carried no episodes as ably as this metafictional mind-wiper, which found him careening between Dr. Crusher's play about an insane man and actual insanity. "[Frame of Mind](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Frame_of_Mind_(episode))" is perhaps The Next Generation's darkest episode. __Treknobabble?__ "I thought it was interesting how 'Frame of Mind' used a play as a bridge to drive Riker between reality and madness," Ron Moore said of Brannon Braga's powerful script, which was lauded by Frakes. "I thought it was great fun, with an interesting story structure." __Make it so?__ Engage, warp 8!
15startrektng-codehonor
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Code of Honor' ------------------------------------------- __Report!__ Although The Next Generation typically tackled race and species relations with sensitivity, its first season was not so successful. Especially "[Code of Honor](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Code_of_Honor_(episode))," in which the leader of all-black planet Ligon refuses to allow access to a badly needed plague vaccine until Natasha Yar battles his woman to the death for his hand in whatever. Honestly, we should just stop there. __Treknobabble!__ Gene Roddenberry fired the episode's original director, Russ Mayberry, who ultimately carries in *Trek* lore the distinction of shepherding what Jonathan Frakes called at a 2007 convention, "a racist piece of shit" — a sentiment shared by most of the cast. __Make it so?__ Belay that order, indefinitely!
16startrektng-justice
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Justice' ------------------------------------- __Report!__ Another high-concept Season 1 episode examining capital punishment, "[Justice](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Justice_(episode))" is one of The Next Generation's worst episodes ever. Its idyllic society is stuffed with soft-core blondes, whose skimpy costumes had no business being seen this side of the '70s on sci-fi television. Populated with, ahem, shimmering balls of athletic and alien origin, it's an episode only worth screening if you're stoned on campy utopias. __Treknobabble!__ Performus interruptus. Despite its hard bodies, "Justice" is something of a disembodied mess. Perhaps because the California water-reclamation plant at which it was filmed was repeatedly buzzed by airplanes from the Van Nuys municipal airport, with the noise causing full scenes to be dubbed in post-production. __Make it so?__ Belay that order, indefinitely!
17startrektng-angel1
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Angel One' --------------------------------------- __Report!__ The Next Generation's probing of sexuality included a perhaps unhealthy share of misdiagnoses, especially in its first season. "[Angel One](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Angel_One_(episode))" stood out for its female-dominated society and analysis of capital punishment, but it ended up being just another planetary outpost where alpha male Riker gets laid — by said society's elected leader no less — without much difficulty. The episode's overdone, draped costumes and blond male servant Trent didn't help, nor did the fact that most of the planet was lily white. __Treknobabble!__ Gender disorder. While the episode might be notable for its feminist ambition, which has something to do with Riker [mansplaining](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Mansplain) the pitfalls of capital punishment to women, it's also fierce with fashion. Many of its [Xanadu](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanadu_(film))-like costumes were eventually successfully auctioned off to fans. __Make it so?__ Belay that order!
18startrektng-schizoidman
Computer, Identify Episode: 'The Schizoid Man' ---------------------------------------------- __Report!__ An exploration of terminal disease and mind-machine transfer, "[The Schizoid Man](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/The_Schizoid_Man_(episode))" was inspired by an episode of the same name from '60s sci-fi television classic [The Prisoner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_prisoner). In fact, that show's iconoclastic creator and star, [Patrick McGoohan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrick_McGoohan), was supposed to star as the *Star Trek* episode's genius cyberneticist [Dr. Ira Graves](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Ira_Graves). That missed opportunity still haunts this uneven episode, especially when Graves downloads himself into Data's positronic brain and wreaks havoc on the *Enterprise.* __Treknobabble!__ Intertextuality. Compared to the paranoid android of The Prisoner's "The Schizoid Man," Star Trek: The Next Generation's core dump doesn't compute. It is, however, the only episode in which no one from the landing party is fully human. __Make it so?__ Belay that order!
19startrektng-aquiel
Computer, Identify Episode: 'Aquiel' ------------------------------------ __Report!__ To his dismay, [Geordi La Forge](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Geordi_La_Forge)'s love life suffered from engine failure for the full run of Star Trek: The Next Generation. But nowhere more than in this faulty reboot of a film noir classic. __Treknobabble?__ System crash. *The Next Generation* scribe Ron Moore called "[Aquiel](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Aquiel_(episode))" a low point for him and co-writer Brannon Braga. "We thought we were going to do an intriguing murder mystery patterned after Otto Preminger’s Laura, but it just misfired," Moore said. "We didn’t know what the hell we were doing, when it got right down to it." __Make it so?__ Belay that order, temporarily!
20startrektng-insurrection
Computer, Identify Episode: Star Trek: Insurrection --------------------------------------------------- __Report! Wait, isn't that a movie, too?__ As mentioned earlier, some Star Trek: The Next Generation films would have worked better as episodes. Despite its natural beauty, environmental awareness, political commentary and Fountain of Youth intrigue, [Star Trek: Insurrection](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Insurrection) remains somewhat lifeless compared to its Borg-infested predecessor, First Contact. __Treknobabble!__ Geeks could argue that The Next Generation's final feature, [Star Trek: Nemesis](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek:_Nemesis), is worse than Insurrection. But Nemesis stars The Dark Knight Rises' [Tom Hardy](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Tom_Hardy) as Picard's evil clone [Shinzon](http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/Shinzon). __Make it so?__ Belay that order, except on rare occasions.
