Summary

• Star Trek: TNG offered groundbreaking sci-fi stories, captivating new and old fans with Captain Picard's adventures.
• Iconic episodes like "The Best of Both Worlds" and "The Inner Light" solidified TNG's place in TV history.
• TNG's legacy lives on in modern shows like Star Trek: Picard, revisiting the foundational stories from TNG.

Throughout its seven seasons, Star Trek: The Next Generation delivered some of the greatest science fiction stories of all time, and narrowing the list down to a top twenty-five is no easy feat. Following the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D, TNG picked up about a century after the end of Star Trek: The Original Series. TNG may have gotten off to a rocky start with its first season, but the show quickly found its footing and ultimately delivered more hits than misses.

Captain Picard and his crew went on to captivate an entirely new generation of Star Trek fans, eventually becoming just as popular as their predecessors, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Not only did TNG usher in a golden age of Star Trek, but it also laid the groundwork for everything that came after. Even today, shows like Star Trek: Picard have continued to revisit many of the stories that began on TNG. Star Trek: The Next Generation would not have endured so long if it hadn't delivered so many incredible and groundbreaking episodes of television. Here is the very best of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

25 "The Most Toys"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 22

When Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) is kidnapped by Kivas Fajo (Saul Rubinek), the android does his best to fight back against the morally bankrupt collector. Because Fajo faked Data's death, Picard and the USS Enterprise-D crew mourn their fallen friend, until they begin to suspect that something is amiss. Meanwhile, Fajo tries even Data's patience, threatening to kill his own assistants to force Data to comply.

In the end, the Enterprise returns to rescue Data, but not before he apparently fires a phaser at Fajo, which the android's programming should prevent. With his obsession with hoarding priceless artifacts and disregard for humanoid life, Fajo is one of TNG's most despicable one-off characters, played to slimy perfection by Saul Rubinek. "The Most Toys" offers insight into Data, as another step on the androids's journey to become human.

24 " Me"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 5

In one of Dr. Beverly Crusher's (Gates McFadden) best episodes, the USS Enterprise-D's Doctor ends up in an inexplicably shrinking universe. As Dr. Crusher goes about her day, she notices that various Enterprise offers keep disappearing. When she raises her concerns, however, she discovers no record of these officers exists. Eventually, she and Captain Picard are the only ones left aboard, with Picard assuring her that this is how it has always been.

Dr. Crusher declares: "If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe," and she sets about trying to solve the problem.

Meanwhile, aboard the real Enterprise, Ensign Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) and the rest of the crew work to stabilize the warp bubble that Beverly has become trapped in. With some help from the Traveler (Eric Menyuk), they eventually succeed, and Dr. Crusher jumps back to the real universe.

23 "Frame of Mind"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 21

In one of TNG's most unsettling episodes, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) finds himself questioning his own reality when he wakes up in a mental institution. Riker goes from portraying a mental patient in a play on the Enterprise to actually being a mental patient himself. As strange aliens try to convince Riker that he dreamt up the Enterprise, Riker struggles to claw his way back to reality.

Eventually, Riker shatters every fake reality, finding himself on an operating table with a strange device attached to his head. After being rescued by the Enterprise, Riker learns that he had been captured while on a covert mission by aliens trying to gain information about the Federation. Jonathan Frakes delivers a stellar performance here, and the episode uses cool shatter effects to add to the strangeness of it all.

22 "Redemption"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 26 & Season 5, Episode 1

In this Klingon-centric two-parter, the USS Enterpris-D visits the Klingon homeworld of Qo'noS to see Gowron (Robert O'Reilly) be installed as Chancellor of the Klingon High Council. With the Klingons on the brink of a civil war, Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) takes a leave of absence to urge his brother Kurn (Tony Todd) to back Gowron. When Captain Picard speaks out in favor of Gowron, Lursa (Barbara March) and B'Etor (Gwynyth Walsh) ​​​​​begin preparing for civil war.

Captain Picard assembles ships to create a blockade between the Klingon and Romulan border to prevent the Romulans from aiding the Duras sisters. Commander Sela (Denise Crosby), the half-Romulan daughter of Tasha Yar, tries to find a way around the blockade, but Data thwarts her plan from his position in command of the USS Sutherland. The Duras sisters back off from their attack and escape before Worf can apprehend them.

21 "Sarek"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 23

Although Star Trek: The Next Generation distanced itself from Star Trek: The Original Series, this mindset was beginning to shift by the end of TNG's third season. In the aptly titled "Sarek," Mark Lenard returns to portray Sarek, the Vulcan father of Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Soon after Ambassador Sarek boards the USS Enterprise-D, the crew begin experiencing uncharacteristic spikes in emotion.

With help from Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), Dr. Crusher eventually realizes that Sarek is suffering from Bendii syndrome, a Vulcan degenerative neurological disease. As Sarek is set to attend an important conference, Captain Picard offers to share a mind meld with the elderly Vulcan to shoulder some of his strongest emotions. Picard suffers through Sarek's feelings of regret and loss, in an incredibly emotional scene performed beautifully by Patrick Stewart.

20 "Reunion"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 7

Previously introduced in TNG season 3, episode 20, "The Emissary," Worf's former flame K'Ehleyr (Suzie Plakson) returns in "Reunion" with a big surprise for the Klingon security officer. Since their last encounter, K'Ehleyr has given birth to Worf's son, Alexander (Jon Paul Steuer), and kept the young Klingon a secret from his father. Worf wonders why Alexander is not more interested in Klingon culture and worries that his son will be negatively affected by the dishonor on his name.

Meanwhile, Captain Picard works with K'Ehleyr to investigate a Klingon political matter that ends up getting her killed. Worf then avenges her by killing her murderer, the Klingon Duras (Patrick Massett). Despite only appearing in two episodes, K'Ehleyr was one of TNG's best guest stars, thanks in large part to the energy Suzie Plakson brought to the character, making her death all the more tragic.

19 "The Wounded"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 12

When the USS Phoenix suddenly goes rogue and begins attacking Cardassian vessels, the USS Enterprise-D is ordered to track it down. Cardassian Gul Macet (Marc Alaimo) comes aboard the Enterprise to assist, creating a tense environment with Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney), who served during the Cardassian War. Captain Benjamin Maxwell (Bob Gunton) of the Phoenix insists that the Cardassians are preparing to attack, but O'Brien eventually convinces him to stand down.

In the end, Captain Picard suspects that Maxwell may have been right, and he warns the Cardassians that they will be under close observation. "The Wounded" is notable not only for being the first episode to focus on Chief O'Brien but also for introducing the Cardassians. The Cardassians would, of course, go on to become the main villains on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Marc Alaimo would return as Gul Dukat.

18 "Brothers"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 3

When Data suddenly takes over the Starship Enterprise single-handedly, he flies the ship to the home of his creator, Dr. Noonien Soong. Soong reveals that he is dying, so he triggered a homing device implanted within Data's positronic brain so that he could give the android an emotion chip. Unbeknownst to Dr. Soong, Lore was also summoned and he soon arrives, tricking Soong into giving him the emotion chip.

"Brothers" marks a particularly devastating moment in Data's journey to become human.

Lore then injures Soong and leaves the deactivated Data to be found by the Enterprise crew. Upon being reactivated, Data comforts Soong as he dies, and although Data protests he will not be able to mourn his creator, Soong disagrees. "Brothers" marks a particularly devastating moment in Data's journey to become human, and Brent Spiner carries the episode, doing triple duty as Data, Lore, and the elderly Dr.Soong.

17 "Disaster"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 5

When most of the USS Enterprise-D's main systems suddenly shut down, crew get trapped all over the ship. Captain Picard ends up with an injured ankle, stuck in a turbolift with three young childen, while Counselor Deanna Troi finds herself in command on the bridge. Riker, Data, and Worf are all in Ten Forward with a very pregnant Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao).

Troi handles herself well in command, ultimately making the call that helps save the ship. Worf hilariously helps deliver Keiko's baby, as Riker and Data head to engineering to regain control of the Enterprise. Picard encourages the children trapped with him to work together, as they make their way out of the turbolift. Every main character gets something to do in "Disaster," and the end result is at times charming, funny, and heartwarming.

16 "Relics"

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 4

The USS Enterprise-D responds to a distress call to find the USS Jenolan, a transport ship that has been missing for 25 years. While investigating the ship, Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) finds an intact life signal stored in one of the transporter's pattern buffers. He restores the pattern, discovering it to be Captain Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), former Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise.

Many other Star Trek characters have been saved by transporter pattern buffers over the years.

Scotty eagering explores the Enterprise-D and her new technology, but soon finds himself out of his depth. Scotty confesses to Captain Picard that he feels like a relic of the past, but the engineer's knowledge of old-school Starfleet technology later comes in handy. When the Enterprise gets trapped in a Dyson sphere, Scotty and Geordi work together to save the day. Scotty then sets off in a shuttle to continue his "retirement" from Starfleet.