10 Best Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes To Hook New Fans

Not only is Star Trek: The Next Generation a worthy successor to Star Trek: The Original Series, but it also produced some of the best science fiction television of all time. Following the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise-D, TNG picks up about 100 years after TOS and introduces the world to a whole new cast of characters. Over the course of TNG's seven seasons, its characters would come to be just as beloved and almost as iconic as Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy).

Whether the episode of the week was exploring what it means to be human with Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) or celebrating radical empathy with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), TNG always had something important to say. For those who have yet to watch TNG, starting the seven-season, 178-episode show might seem daunting, and the shaky TNG season 1 may not be enough to entice viewers to continue watching. However, TNG produced some truly phenomenal episodes throughout its seven seasons, many of which could captivate even the most skeptical viewer.

One of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s earliest episodes, "Where No One Has Gone Before" hints at the great sci-fi show TNG would become and tackles some very Star Trek ideas. When a Starfleet propulsion expert and his assistant visit the Enterprise, they inadvertently catapult the ship to the very edge of the universe. Not only does this episode literally take the crew where no one has gone before, but it also discusses complex metaphysical ideas and includes some truly stunning visuals. “Where No One Has Gone Before” also introduces the Traveler (Eric Menyuk), a fascinating character who will become important to the future of the young Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton).

The Enemy (TNG Season 3, Episode 7)
Geordi gets trapped in a cave with a Romulan.


Star Trek loves a story set in a cave, and TNG's "The Enemy" finds Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) stuck in a cave with one of the Federation's most notorious enemies. While Geordi and the Romulan, named Bochra (John Snyder), are forced to work together to make it off the planet alive, Captain Picard works to prevent an escalation of hostilities with a Romulan Commander. Despite the obvious tension between the Federation and the Romulans, Picard and La Forge both keep their heads, understanding that the situation is bigger than just them. "The Enemy" contains solid performances from everyone involved, and includes a classic sci-fi plot with a quintessentially Star Trek message.

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