Star Trek: TNG – The Essential Season
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.
Admittedly, I’ve had to cheat (just a little, though) in order to finalize the list. I’ve combined a number of two-part episodes into a single entry. In my defense, TNG set a precedent for extra long episodes with Encounter At Farpoint and All Good Things. And in the spirit of those two episodes, I have treated a few two-part installments as just one entry.
Along with each episode, I’ve included a short review and explanation as to why the episode has made it into the “Essential Season.” The list will be presented in two parts, representing the first and second halves of the Essential Season.
Without further ado, I present the Star Trek: The Next Generation Essential Season, Part 1:
Filed under: Commentary, TNG Reviews
I extremely enjoyed reading this post and think that the idea of “essential seasons” is a fantastic way to look at the impact of the series. I was especially surprised with the fact that one of the main thematic lines of the show was Wesley’s journey, something I hadn’t realized until after I read what you wrote.
On other “essential seasons”, I have two comments: Good luck making a single season out of DS9 when you get to it, and would you please do one for TOS?
I really enjoyed watching TOS, even to the point that it passed TNG (the Star Trek I was raised on) in my order of greatest Star Treks. I think readingwhat you haad to say about the five year journey (even though they only showed three of them) would be a wonderful way to look at the series as a whole.
Oooo… one problem with this season… NOT ENOUGH DATA!
Thanks for making this list. I just finished watching “Encounter at Farpoint Station,” but I hardly have the time to devote to the entire series, so this should help a lot. If I have time, I might go watch the episodes I missed.
I agree with Aiden though, you should definitely do one for The Original Series.
This is such a good idea and so useful for understanding and seeing the essentials and the impacts of the show. Quite a lot of these themes such as Marquis, Cardassia were passed through to the other shows but the basis was here and its great to be able to watch their creations. Obviously there are other episodes that people would class as a must watch and also impacting, such as ones you mentioned when comparing episodes like the Romulans or Prime Directive, and rhere are some just enjoyable ones but I do really like this and being able to see the key eps!