Star Trek: The Next Generationmakes for the perfect binge-watch, but not all of the seasons are created equal. With its series premiere in 1987,Star Trek: The Next Generationintroduced the world to an entirely new Enterprise crew led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Well before binge-worthy television became the norm,TNGwas one of the most-watched television shows of its time. Over the course ofTNG’sseven seasons, thecrew members of the USS Enterprise-Dbecame just as beloved as Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew had been.
The landscape of modern television is significantly different than it was in the 1980s and 1990s, with much more emphasis on serialized storytelling.Star Trek: The Next Generationtold mostly episodic stories,restoring the status quo by the end of almost every episode. Despite this, the show lends itself to binge-watching thanks to one major element — the characters. FromLt. Commander Data’s (Brent Spiner)quest to be human to Q’s (John de Lancie) frequent visits to the Enterprise, many ofTNG’scharacters had plotlines that spanned all seven seasons of the show.
The Next Generation Is The Best Star Trek Show For Binge-Watching
TNG Has Some Of Star Trek’s Most Beloved & Celebrated Episodes
WhileStar Trek’smodern shows on Paramount+may tell more serialized stories thanStar Trek: The Next Generation,they still release their episodes weekly. This allows fans to speculate and theorize in between episodes and builds anticipation for each week’s new story.TNGoriginally followed this model, but can now be enjoyed all at once.BingingTNGallows viewers to see the small ways the characters grow throughout the seriesand the ways some later storylines reflect back on earlier ones. Plus, modern viewers do not have to wait months after the season-ending cliffhanger to see the conclusion.
25 Best Star Trek: TNG Episodes Of All Time
Star Trek: The Next Generation produced some of the best and most beloved science fiction television of all time. Here is TNG’s best of the best.
With unique storylines, strong performances, andStar Trek’scharacteristic optimism,Star Trek: The Next Generationis the perfect show to binge-watch as a new year begins.Iconic episodes like “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and “The Best of Both Worlds” remain some ofStar Trek’sfinest hours,but Captain Picard and his Enterprise crew make evenTNG’smore mediocre episodes compelling. Still,TNGstruggled to find its footing in its first two seasons, as writers came and went with surprising regularity and the characters had yet to be fully established.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Is Only Worth Binging If You Start On Season 3
Aside From A Handful Of Early Episodes, Season 3 Is When TNG Becomes Great
While there are a handful of episodes throughoutStar Trek: The Next Generationseasons 1and 2 that are worth watching, the truly binge-worthy television does not begin until season 3.By this point in the show,TNGhad mostly found its footingand consistently delivered solid episodes with strong storylines. All of the main characters had been established and had found their places among the crew of the Enterprise-D. From Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) as the Chief Medical Officer to Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) as the Chief Engineer,TNGseason 3 makes the best use of its Enterprise crew.
“Encounter at Farpoint”
“The Measure of a Man”
Season 2, Episode 16
“Q Who”
Not only didTNG’swriters and producers have a better grasp of what they wanted the show to be by season 3, but the actors also had a better grasp of their characters. With the characters and their dynamics established,TNGhad more freedom to play around with genre and different kinds of storytelling.WhileTNGwas not perfect from season 3 through season 7, it ultimately delivered some of the best science fiction television of all time. With its cast of incredibly compelling characters and captivating storylines,Star Trek: The Next Generationremains perfect for modern binge-watching.
