Having finally reviewed every last moment of Star Trek: The Next Generation, from the series pilot, Encounter At Farpoint, to the final frame of Nemesis, I began to reflect on the best moments of the series. My initial intention was to compile a “Top Ten” list of episodes. The episodes that represent the pinnacle of TNG.

But that’s been done before.

So what I’ve decided to do is to condense the entire run of TNG into a single season, and a single film. In other words, if you wanted to fast-forward through the series, and spend the equivalent of a single season doing so, which episodes are “must see”? The result is the Star Trek: The Next Generation Essential Season – a compilation of 26 episodes that cover the finest moments of TNG. I tried to select entries that reflect the main character and story arcs of the series, as well as a few of the most prominent “standalone” installments.

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Series Overview

As I reflect on the seven season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the most prominent thought I have is that this series is greater than the sum of its parts. I have analyzed, reviewed and evaluated every episode. And yet, if you averaged out each episode’s grade, I am certain that the result would not represent the measure of success that this series achieved. Which means, of course, that there is something more to TNG – something that mere statistics cannot tell us. So what is it? What distinguishes Star Trek: The Next Generation?

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