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The Best Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation!

Binge this in 5d 15h•Peaking at 9.4/10

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 25 - The Inner Light
    9.4/10(9393 votes)

    #1 - The Inner Light

    S5:E25

    Stardate: 45944.1. Picard awakes to find himself living in a small village where he is a well-known member of the community who is suffering from a delusion of being a starship captain.

    Director:Peter Lauritson
    Writers:Peter Allan Fields, Morgan Gendel

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  2. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 1 - The Best of Both Worlds (2)
    9.2/10(6151 votes)

    #2 - The Best of Both Worlds (2)

    S4:E1

    Stardate: 44001.4. Riker must pull out all the stops in order to save Earth from a Borg invasion being lead by none other than Locutus - otherwise known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

    Director:Cliff Bole
    Writer:Michael Piller

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  3. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 Episode 25 - All Good Things...
    9.1/10(9886 votes)

    #3 - All Good Things...

    S7:E25

    Stardate: 47988.0. Shortly after Picard is diagnosed with a long-term, potentially debilitating brain disorder, he starts experiencing bizarre shifts into three main time periods: 25 years into the future, a few days before the Enterprise-D is sent on its mission to Farpoint station, and the present. Picard realizes that Q is behind these shifts through time. Stardate: 47988.1. After his encounter with Q, Picard assembles the senior staff, and wonders if Q is actually giving him a chance to save humanity by showing him that the spatial anomaly also exists in the past. As they talk, the ship reaches the Neutral Zone, then Picard returns to the future, where Beverly's ship is also on the edge of the Neutral Zone. He convinces a reluctant Worf to accompany the group into Klingon territory, and then travels to the past, where he orders the crew into the Devron system.

    Directors:Winrich Kolbe, David Carson
    Writers:Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga

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  4. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 18 - Cause and Effect
    8.9/10(5482 votes)

    #4 - Cause and Effect

    S5:E18

    Stardate: 45652.1. While exploring the Typhon Expanse, the Enterprise is caught in a time warp in which they are repeatedly destroyed while colliding with another starship.

    Director:Jonathan Frakes
    Writer:Brannon Braga

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  5. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Episode 11 - Chain of Command (2)
    8.9/10(4600 votes)

    #5 - Chain of Command (2)

    S6:E11

    Stardate: 46360.8. Picard is captured and tortured by the Cardassians, while Riker tries to prevent a Federation attack on Cardassia.

    Director:Les Landau
    Writer:Frank Abatemarco

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  6. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Episode 26 - The Best of Both Worlds (1)
    8.8/10(69 votes)

    #6 - The Best of Both Worlds (1)

    S3:E26

    Stardate: 43989.1 An Starfleet expert on the Borg, Lt. Cmdr. Shelby, is assigned to the Enterprise to investigate the disappearance of a Federation colony. Picard is abducted by the Borg and assimilated into the Collective, which forces Riker to attempt a rescue mission.

    Director:Cliff Bole
    Writer:Michael Piller

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

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  7. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 23 - I, Borg
    8.8/10(4965 votes)

    #7 - I, Borg

    S5:E23

    Stardate: 45854.2. An injured Borg is discovered and brought back to the Enterprise where he is 'repaired' by Dr. Crusher and befriended by Geordi, who names him 'Hugh.' Soon, Hugh starts showing signs of individuality while Picard must choose between destroying him or returning him to the collective.

    Director:Robert Lederman
    Writer:René Echevarria

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  8. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Episode 15 - Tapestry
    8.8/10(4918 votes)

    #8 - Tapestry

    S6:E15

    Stardate: Unknown. A mortally wounded Picard is forced into re-living a time of his life when he was back in Starfleet Academy, with the intervention of Q.

    Director:Les Landau
    Writer:Ronald D. Moore

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  9. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 Episode 11 - Parallels
    8.8/10(4428 votes)

    #9 - Parallels

    S7:E11

    Stardate: 47391.2. Worf returns from a Klingon competition to find that he is shifting through different realities.

    Director:Robert Wiemer
    Writer:Brannon Braga

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  10. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 2 - Darmok
    8.7/10(5854 votes)

    #10 - Darmok

    S5:E2

    Stardate: 45047.2. Picard must find a way to communicate with the newly discovered Tamarians, who speak entirely in metaphors, when a Tamarian Captain is brutally killed.

    Director:Winrich Kolbe
    Writers:Joe Menosky, Philip LaZebnik

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  11. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 Episode 15 - Lower Decks
    8.7/10(4784 votes)

    #11 - Lower Decks

    S7:E15

    Stardate: 47566.7. Four young ensigns compete for a promotion that only one of them will receive. However, they are soon placed on a top secret mission that places some of their lives in danger.

    Director:Gabrielle Beaumont
    Writers:René Echevarria, Brannon Braga, Jeri Taylor

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  12. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 Episode 9 - The Measure of a Man
    8.6/10(71 votes)

    #12 - The Measure of a Man

    S2:E9

    Stardate: 42523.7. When Data's rights as a sentient individual are placed under trial, Starfleet forces Riker into a position where he must prove that Data is only an Android.

    Director:Robert Scheerer
    Writer:Melinda M. Snodgrass

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  13. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Episode 15 - Yesterday's Enterprise
    8.5/10(62 votes)

    #13 - Yesterday's Enterprise

    S3:E15

    Stardate: 43625.2. A rift in the space/time continuum brings the U.S.S. Enterprise - C forward into the 24th Century, and alters the timeline. In this future, the Federation is at war with the Klingons, Tasha Yar is on the bridge, Worf did not join the Federation, and only Guinan's unique perception of reality may restore the timeline.

    Director:David Carson
    Writers:Richard Manning, Eric A. Stillwell, Trent Christopher Ganino, Ira Steven Behr, Ronald D. Moore, Hans Beimler

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  14. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Episode 4 - Relics
    8.5/10(4538 votes)

    #14 - Relics

    S6:E4

    Stardate: 46125.3. Montgomery 'Scotty' Scott is discovered suspended in a transporter beam 75 years after he disappeared. After the Enterprise crew re-materialise him, he has a hard time adjusting to the new society.

    Director:Alexander Singer
    Writer:Ronald D. Moore

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  15. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Episode 12 - Ship in a Bottle
    8.5/10(4212 votes)

    #15 - Ship in a Bottle

    S6:E12

    Stardate: 46424.1. While performing holodeck maintenance, Barclay accesses the stored hologram of Professor Moriarty, who wreaks havoc on board the Enterprise.

    Director:Alexander Singer
    Writer:René Echevarria

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  16. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Episode 25 - Timescape
    8.5/10(3892 votes)

    #16 - Timescape

    S6:E25

    Stardate: 46944.2. Picard, Geordi, Troi and Data return from a Federation conference to find the Enterprise frozen in time and under attack from a frozen Romulan Warbird.

    Director:Adam Nimoy
    Writer:Brannon Braga

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  17. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 Episode 12 - The Pegasus
    8.5/10(3934 votes)

    #17 - The Pegasus

    S7:E12

    Stardate: 47457.1. Riker is placed on a covert mission to find the missing starship he was once a member aboard, but the mission holds a secret that could destroy the peace treaty between the Federation and the Romulans.

    Director:LeVar Burton
    Writer:Ronald D. Moore

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  18. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 21 - The Drumhead
    8.4/10(4861 votes)

    #18 - The Drumhead

    S4:E21

    Stardate: 44769.2. Picard is accused of treason when an explosion aboard the Enterprise is investigated by a ruthless and paranoid Starfleet Admiral.

    Director:Jonathan Frakes
    Writer:Jeri Taylor

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  19. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 26 - Redemption (1)
    8.4/10(3957 votes)

    #19 - Redemption (1)

    S4:E26

    Stardate: 44995.3. Worf must choose between his people and the Federation when a civil war threatens to destroy the Klingon Empire.

    Director:Cliff Bole
    Writer:Ronald D. Moore

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  20. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 1 - Redemption (2)
    8.4/10(3999 votes)

    #20 - Redemption (2)

    S5:E1

    Stardate: 45020.4. Picard suspects a Romulan influence in the recent Klingon civil war, and must force the Federation to intervene before the Empire collapses.

    Director:David Carson
    Writer:Ronald D. Moore

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  21. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 Episode 16 - Q Who
    8.3/10(64 votes)

    #21 - Q Who

    S2:E16

    Stardate: 42761.3. Q hurls the Enterprise into the Delta Quadrant and introduces the Federation to a powerful new enemy that may destroy the Alpha Quadrant: The Borg.

    Director:Rob Bowman
    Writer:Maurice Hurley

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  22. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 2 - Family
    8.3/10(5065 votes)

    #22 - Family

    S4:E2

    Stardate 44012.3. Picard meets with his older brother in France, and contemplates resigning his Starfleet commission after his ordeal with the Borg. Worf's adoptive parents spend time with their son on the Enterprise, and succeed in embarrassing him in front of his crewmates.

    Director:Les Landau
    Writer:Ronald D. Moore

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  23. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 7 - Reunion
    8.3/10(4300 votes)

    #23 - Reunion

    S4:E7

    Stardate: 44246.3. Picard is asked to choose between two candidates to succeed the current Chancellor of the Klingon High Council as the new ruler of the Empire. Worf is disturbed by unexpected news when he is paid a visit by his former lover.

    Director:Jonathan Frakes
    Writers:Thomas Perry, Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga

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  24. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 8 - Unification (2)
    8.3/10(4060 votes)

    #24 - Unification (2)

    S5:E8

    Stardate: 45245.8. Picard and Data find Spock and discover the reason behind the secret meetings. However, a darker scheme planned by the Romulans is also uncovered in the process.

    Director:Cliff Bole
    Writers:Rick Berman, Michael Piller

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  25. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 24 - The Next Phase
    8.3/10(4011 votes)

    #25 - The Next Phase

    S5:E24

    Stardate: 45092.4. While the Enterprise helps a Romulan science vessel, an accident occurs which forces Geordi LaForge and Ro Laren slightly out of 'phase', causing them to become undetectable to everyone but each other. As a result, the crew thinks they are dead and make arrangements for their funerals, even though they are closer than the crew realise.

    Directors:David Carson, Robert Lederman
    Writer:Ronald D. Moore

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Inner Light" is the best rated episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation". It scored 9.4/10 based on 9393 votes. Directed by Peter Lauritson and written by Peter Allan Fields, Morgan Gendel, it aired on 6/1/1992. This episode scored 0.2 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Best of Both Worlds (2)".