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The Best Episodes of NOVA Season 17

Every episode of NOVA Season 17 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of NOVA Season 17!

Binge this in 18h 20m•Peaking at 8.1/10

PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA demystifies science and technology, and highlights the people involved in scientific pursuits.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    NOVA Season 17 Episode 15 - Earthquake!
    8.1/10(23 votes)

    S17:E15

    NOVA looks at the high-stakes quest to predict earthquakes. Despite past disappointments, geologists still hope to divine the clues that precede nature's ultimate upheavals.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  2. NOVA Season 17 Episode 3 - Disguises of War
    8.0/10(8 votes)

    S17:E3

    Sixty-five years after attempts to ban them, chemical weapons pose more of a threat than ever. NOVA looks at the problem of controlling substances that are easily produced and cruelly effective.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  3. NOVA Season 17 Episode 18 - We Know Where You Live
    8.0/10(8 votes)

    S17:E18

    Ever wonder how junk mail finds you? NOVA investigates the hidden world of direct marketing, pointing out how advertisers know a lot more about us than we think.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. NOVA Season 17 Episode 10 - The KGB, The Computer and Me
    7.9/10(203 votes)

    S17:E10

    This documentary covers the surprising tale of an average systems administrator who stumbled upon a KGB spy operation. Clifford Stoll carried out one of the first successful digital forensics investigations by tracking down Markus Hess, a KGB hacker, after noticing a discrepancy in the logs of a University of California computer.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. NOVA Season 17 Episode 12 - To Boldly Go...
    7.9/10(10 votes)

    S17:E12

    NOVA chronicles the Voyager space mission—from Earth to the ends of the solar system. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and dozens of moons star in this epic voyage of exploration. Actor Patrick Stewart hosts.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. NOVA Season 17 Episode 7 - The Genius That Was China: Empires in Collision
    7.8/10(8 votes)

    S17:E7

    NOVA examines the extraordinary transformation that propelled Europe outward into the world from the 15th to 18th centuries, while China remained the insular middle kingdom. Part two of a four part series.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  7. NOVA Season 17 Episode 11 - Neptune's Cold Fury
    7.7/10(9 votes)

    S17:E11

    NOVA visits Neptune, the planet that took Voyager 12 years to reach. Mysteries abound in and around this big, blue world at the outer limits of the solar system. Actor Patrick Stewart hosts.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  8. NOVA Season 17 Episode 14 - The Blimp is Back!
    7.7/10(10 votes)

    S17:E14

    NOVA examines the troubled past and promising future of blimps, zeppelins, cyclocranes and other species of airships. There's life in the old gasbags yet.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. NOVA Season 17 Episode 1 - Poison in the Rockies
    7.4/10(8 votes)

    S17:E1

    NOVA reports on the 100-year-old legacy of pollution from mining that poisons the once-pristine waters of the Rocky Mountain states. Acid Rain and economic development also contribute to stress on the West's scarce water supply.

    Director:Christopher 'Toby' McLeod
    Writer:Christopher 'Toby' McLeod

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  10. NOVA Season 17 Episode 6 - The Genius That Was China: Rise of the Dragon
    7.2/10(8 votes)

    S17:E6

    China in the 13th century was the richest, most powerful, most technologically advanced civilization on earth. NOVA looks at how China achieved what it did, and what in Chinese politics, culture and economy kept it from doing more. Part one of a four part series.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. NOVA Season 17 Episode 2 - Race for the Top
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S17:E2

    Using some of the largest machines ever built on earth, American and European physicists race to discover one of the most fundamental and most elusive objects in nature—the top quark.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. NOVA Season 17 Episode 4 - The Bomb's Lethal Legacy
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S17:E4

    NOVA examines an alarming nuclear waste problem at the Hanfrod Nuclear Reservation in eastern Washington state, where 45 years of mismanagement in the nuclear weapons industry will cost billions to correct.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  13. NOVA Season 17 Episode 5 - The Big Spill
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S17:E5

    Covering last year's Exxon Valdez oil spill from an unexplored angle, NOVA focuses on how technology failed in preventing, containing and cleaning up the Alaskan disaster.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. NOVA Season 17 Episode 8 - The Genius that Was China: The Threat from Japan
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S17:E8

    Ever wonder how junk mail finds you? NOVA investigates the hidden world of direct marketing, pointing out how advertisers know a lot more about us than we think.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. NOVA Season 17 Episode 9 - The Genius That Was China: Will the Dragon Rise Again?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S17:E9

    NOVA covers China's long road to economic and technological equality with the West, punctuated by frequent setbacks such as the 1989 massacre of pro-democractic demonstrations in Beijing. Part four of a four part series.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. NOVA Season 17 Episode 13 - Poisoned Winds of War
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S17:E13

    Sixty-five years after attempts to ban them, chemical weapons pose more of a threat than ever. NOVA looks at the problem of controlling substances that are easily produced and cruelly effective.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. NOVA Season 17 Episode 16 - Killing Machines
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S17:E16

    Robotic weapons that seek out and destroy ships, planes, and other targets are the wave of the future. NOVA questions whether their proliferation may spell an end to superpower invincibility.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. NOVA Season 17 Episode 17 - Can the Elephant Be Saved?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S17:E17

    Is the ivory ban in the elephant's best interest? NOVA looks at the controversial strategies to save the world's largest land animal from extinction.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  19. NOVA Season 17 Episode 19 - In the Land of the Llamas
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S17:E19

    NOVA profiles the llama, alpaca, vicuna and guanaco of South America. At one time nearly extinct, these four members of the camel family are exceptionally well adapted to life in the beautiful high Andes.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  20. NOVA Season 17 Episode 20 - What's Killing the Children?
    0.0/10(0 votes)

    S17:E20

    NOVA tracks a mysterious disease that suddenly and fatally attacks the children of a small Brazilian town. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta are called in to crack the case.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Season 17 Ratings Summary

"Earthquake!" is the best rated episode of "NOVA" season 17. It scored 8.1/10 based on 23 votes. Directed by Unknown and written by Unknown, it aired on 11/6/1990. This episode is rated 0.1 points higher than the second-best, "Disguises of War".