Many fans will say that Star Trek: The Next Generation took a big leap forward in season 3, but some episodes can still be skipped over entirely. While TNG's first two seasons had some hidden gems, the third showed a marked improvement in of overall quality. The show felt more sure of itself, and the actors better understood their characters. From "The Offspring" to "Yesterday's Enterprise" to "The Best of Both Worlds," Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3delivered some of the series' most iconic and beloved episodes. g1v4t

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds repeated two great, groundbreaking character ideas that originated on Star Trek: The Next Generation. After being introduced in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, Anson Mount's take on Captain Christopher Pike became so popular that he went on to lead his own spinoff series as Captain of the USS Enterprise. Set just before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series,Strange New Worlds may take place about a century before Star Trek: The Next Generation, but the show nevertheless draws inspiration from the adventures of the USS Enterprise-D.

Scotty (James Doohan) was treated better on Star Trek: The Next Generationthan any other Star Trek: The Original Series guest star. Captain Montgomery Scott appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 6, episode 4, "Relics," after having survived for 75 years in a transporter pattern buffer. Scotty was rescued by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D, and the former Chief Engineer spent time aboard Picard's Galaxy Class starship.

Star Trek: Enterprise's finale episode adopted an ambitious but divisive approach to wrapping up the show, but the presence of elements from Star Trek: The Next Generation made the installment more worthwhile. All four seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise chronicle Starfleet's formative years as Scott Bakula's Captain Jonathon Archer took the Enterprise NX-01 deeper into space than humanity had ever ventured. Set at the earliest point in the Star Trek timeline, Enterprise needed to carefully consider its storylines so it didn't clash with in-universe events that hadn't yet happened.

Star Trek fans may not want to it it, but one of the biggest criticisms of a character from The Next Generation is 100% correct. Captain Picard and Data were some of the franchise’s most beloved characters. However, not everyone on board the Enterprise was popular. In issues 3 and 4 of Marvel’s Deep Space Nine comic, Doctor Pulaski returns, and proves some of her critics right about her.

Thanks to Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) in Star Trek: Picard, Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) had two "sons" he didn't know about. Throughout most of Star Trek: The Next Generation's seven-season run, Picard made his discomfort around children quite clear, and he never showed any particular interest in having children of his own. So when Ferengi Daimon Bok (Lee Arenberg) showed up in TNG season 7, episode 22, "Bloodlines," and announced his intentions to kill Picard's son in revenge, the Enterprise-D captain was more surprised than anyone.

Following its inconsistent first season,Star Trek: The Next Generationimproved somewhat in season 2, but still delivered several episodes worth skipping. Following the continuing adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his USS Enterprise-D crew, TNG season 2 began showing hints of the show's true potential. "The Measure of a Man," for example, had a profound impact on the characters while also being an amazing episode in its own right. Another excellent episode, "Q Who," introduced the Borg, laying the groundwork for some of TNG's best stories moving forward.

Star Trek really needs to stop wasting one of The Next Generation’s most underrated species. The franchise has featured a number of telepathic or psychic races over the years, such as the Betazoids. The Next Generation’s fifth season introduced another: the Ullians. Despite the Ullians’ intriguing abilities, they were never seen on-screen again, but 1998’s Star Trek: Deep Space Nine #15 showed the species’ vast potential.

Star Trek: Lower Decks introduced a multiverse problem that had previously been faced on Star Trek: The Next Generation. When mysterious quantum fissures started popping up throughout the galaxy inStar Trek: Lower Decks season 5, the USS Cerritos was asked to investigate. Captain William Boimler (Jack Quaid) and his crew of "interdimensional castaways" on the starship Anaximander discovered the cause of the fissures, but the Cerritos ultimately helped save the day.

Star Trek: The Next Generationseason 7 may not be as highly regarded as the previous seasons, but it still includes some solid episodes. After six seasons with over twenty episodes each, many shows would have run out of steam, but TNG delivered some of its most unique episodes in its final season. Not all of the risks taken in TNG season 7 paid off, but Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D crew still made even the mediocre episodes watchable.