With shows such as Star Trek: The Next Generation wove complicated narratives throughout its seven seasons and featured compelling story arcs.
From brief, two-episode arcs to lengthy Shakespearean epics, the variety of storylines presented in the series kept things fresh and gave fans something to look forward to each week.
Barclay's Social Anxiety
Originally starting as a one-off character, Lieutenant Reginald Barclay's unique social struggles made him an instant hit with fans. Debuting in the episode "Hollow Pursuits", Barclay is seen to be a man who struggles with social interaction and uses the holodeck as a way to avoid confronting his fears.
He would reappear periodically throughout the series, and each time he did he got the opportunity to overcome certain phobias. Starfleet officers are often shown to be confident and outgoing, but Barclay was an interesting reverse of that idea, and he allowed the writers to explore concepts like mental health and anxiety through him.
Ro Laren's Time On The Enterprise
Generally regarded as one of the best Star Trek: The Next Generation characters introduced after the first season, the hot-headed Bajoran Ro Laren shook things up when she ed the Enterprise crew. Coming to serve with a heaping helping of baggage thanks to a court-martial, Laren didn't take long to chafe against Starfleet authority, especially Captain Picard.
First appearing in the fifth-season episode "Ensign Ro", fans were given a few chances to learn about the young officer throughout the final three seasons. With Star Trek: Deep Space Nine overlapping with the final season of TNG, Laren became embroiled in the overarching Maquis storyline. Fans were given a final, but not satisfying, conclusion to her arch when she left to the terrorist group.
Holodeck Consequences
The franchise's innovative holodeck has led to some great Star Trek episodes, and it also posed quite a few moral quandaries for the audience in TNG. Told over the course of two disparate episodes, the trials and tribulations of the hologram version of Professor Moriarty made for fascinating TV.
First seen in the episode "Elementary, Dear Data", the ruthless evildoer was made all the worse when he was programed to defeat Data. Though he was vanquished, it was revealed in "Ship in a Bottle" that he had somehow gained consciousness and was suffering in holographic captivity. The arc was opened and closed over the course of two episodes, but it was nevertheless one of the most interesting storylines involving the ethics of technology.
Wesley Crusher's Coming Of Age
From the outset, Dr. Crusher's only child was introduced as a precocious tween who seemed to get on Captain Picard's nerves by simply existing. However, Wesley continued to appear in the series and began to flex his prowess as a student that seemed a shoo-in for top of his class at Starfleet Academy.
While on the Enterprise he earned his Ensign status and in the episode "Final Mission" he was shown to have gained the respect and mentorship of the previously antagonistic captain. Over the course of the series Crusher grows to be moralistic above all else, and in "The First Duty" it is obvious that he learned from his experience on the Enterprise and had become a man of principle.
Romulan Escalation
Over the course of some of the best Romulan episodes of Star Trek, the dastardly cousins to the Vulcans repeatedly proved to be an antagonist to the Federation, even if they did so subtly. While never quite friendly with their long-time enemies, it is clear throughout the series that their violent ambitions escalated.
From their standoffish first appearance in "The Neutral Zone" through controversial actions like in "Future Imperfect", the Romulans continued to creep closer and closer to full-scale war with the Federation. It was only touched on briefly throughout, but two-part episodes like "Unification" showed that there were very tense negotiations happening to prevent war, but the Enterprise was mostly busy with other things.
Riker And Troi's Relationship
Throughout seven seasons of TNG, fans were treated to a will-they-won't-they of epic proportions regarding Commander Riker and Deanna Troi. The gallant first officer and brilliant ship's counselor came to the show with a checkered past, and fans were slowly let in on what brought them together and eventually drove them apart.
While it was clear that they would always be Imzadi, the Betazed word for beloved, they alternated between being cool towards one another and being fiercely jealous of each other's love interests. The films and canon novels would eventually show that the pair got married, but episodes like "Second Chances" were really where their love story played out best.
Picard's Borg Trauma
One of the reasons that many fans consider Captain Picard to be the best Star Trek captain is that he was an emotionally complicated figure and tried to balance his ions with his sense of duty. After being assimilated by the Borg in "Best of Both Worlds", Picard carried that difficult trauma with him forever.
While the Enterprise only encountered the Borg a handful of times after the seminal two-part episode, Picard was always at the center of the stories because of his time as Locutus. "I, Borg" was a brilliant window into Picard's mindset, and he shows who he really is by not destroying the collective. The film First illustrated however that he was still very much affected by his collective experience.
Data's Quest For Humanity
The android Data grew throughout the show from a mere synthetic humanoid into a full-fledged person with wants and desires. Introducing Data's existential crisis in the episode "Measure of a Man" the writers on TNG never missed an opportunity to explore Data's quest for humanity.
The perennial fish-out-of-water, Data still managed to integrate himself into the society of the Enterprise and adapted himself well to new social situations. Though many thought him incapable of humanity, episodes like "Descent" showed that Data was slowly developing the ability to feel, and there are innumerable examples of his friendliness and caring nature as well.
Q And Captain Picard
The omnipotent being known simply as Q could presumably do anything with his unlimited time, and yet he showed again and again that he was most interested in Captain Picard. From the very first episode "Encounter at Farpoint", Q was frequently on hand to pester the captain and endanger the Enterprise.
Whether it was silly tales like "Q-Pid" or more serious journeys like "Tapestry" the common denominator was always Q and Captain Picard. The most obvious reason for this is that Picard never gave into Q's wishes, and defeated him with the one weapon that Q never possessed--humanity.
Worf, Son Of Mogh
Worf was not only the center of TNG's best ongoing storyline, but his longtime battle with his Klingon heritage continued well into DS9. Being the only Klingon in Starfleet, Worf was already an outcast from his community, but the soured reputation of his family name made things worse.
Mimicking the best Shakespeare tragedies of old, Worf's lengthy saga has many ups and downs. At the center is a troubled person who wants only to be accepted by his race, and do his duty to Starfleet. "Sins of the Father" introduces the conflict well, and each season of the show is dotted with amazing Klingon tales that add depth to the arc. Left on shaky ground after TNG, Worf's journey went on to be an amazing storyline on DS9 as well.