The Naked Now (⭑)
Everything about this episode is ill-conceived: ripping off the plot of an original series episode; doing so in the very first post-pilot episode of the new series; having all the…
Where No One Has Gone Before (⭑)
Though considerably better than the three previous episodes, this one is nevertheless still really bad. It lacks the sort of fantastically ill-conceived premise that ruined all three of the post-pilot…
Lonely Among Us (⭑)
Despite suffering from some of the same fundamental problems as many of the other episodes of the season, this baby immediately strikes one as a very different sort of terrible…
Hide and Q (⭑)
This is hands-down the worst Q episode ever; much of Q's material here is so bad that not even John de Lanci can make watching it non-painful, and the premise…
11001001 (⭑⭑⭑)
This is unquestionably the best episode of the first season—so much so that it’s actually hard to wrap one’s brain around its presence in the same season of the same…
We’ll Always Have Paris (⭑⭑)
Way back in my early teens, when TNG was originally airing (and when its first-season episodes were about all I knew of the show), this one was one of my…
The Neutral Zone (⭑)
This is another episode that (like "We’ll Always Have Paris") I remember quite liking as a 14-year-old, so it pains me a bit to slam it too harshly—but this one,…
Elementary, Dear Data (⭑⭑⭑)
This is one of the first genuinely good and flat-out enjoyable episodes of the series (notably, only the second one that I have rated above two stars). Its main weakness…
The Schizoid Man (⭑)
The third of the four early-second-season Data-focused episodes, this one is, alas, a complete bomb. Its few paltry redeeming features are these: 1. Dr. Selar, though the reason why she…
Unnatural Selection (⭑⭑)
My main overall reaction to this episode is that it's a fundamentally forgettable one. While not entirely without merits, it needed a lot of work before it could qualify as…
Time Squared (⭑⭑)
This episode wants really badly to be a good one, and significant portions of it are really engaging. It has an intriguing story idea, really great visual effects, and some…
Q Who (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
I said in my review of "Pen Pals" that most of the best and worst episodes of this season are clustered together in its final third. Nothing illustrates this better…
Evolution (⭑⭑⭑)
With the start of season three, TNG finally attains its full maturity. As with "The Child," I can't really discuss this episode without also offering some broader observations—this time about…
Deja Q (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This pure classic is unique among TNG's Q episodes in that it's the only one that's actually fundamentally about Q; rather than serving as a foil, a guide, or a…
Yesterday’s Enterprise (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
What an absolutely fantastic episode this is! A true classic, beyond any doubt. I almost don't even know where to begin in talking about it. Despite the many cool ideas…
The Offspring (⭑⭑⭑)
Argh. How does one rate an episode that entangles a delightful and moving story with an ill-conceived and irritating one? I so very, very much want to like this one.…
Transfigurations (⭑⭑)
Unfortunately, the last "regular" episode of season three (prior to the grand finale) is a lackluster offering. "Transfigurations" combines a nonsensical sci-fi premise with a narrative structure reminiscent of some…
The Best of Both Words: Part II (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
There is a conventional wisdom—not universally agreed upon, by any means, but certainly subscribed to by many fans—according to which this second half of TNG's epic two-part Borg extravaganza does…
Remember Me (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This is a delightful episode that I have always really liked. It's also one of a depressingly tiny number of episodes with Dr. Crusher as the featured character, and it…
Future Imperfect (⭑⭑⭑)
This episode had great potential, and most of it is quite enjoyable, but its ending is a pretty big disappointment, and ultimately there's just not enough "meat" here to make…
The Loss (⭑⭑⭑)
"The Loss" is a little-loved and admittedly fairly mediocre episode for which I nevertheless have always had a bit of a soft spot. It suffers both from Marina Sirtis's limitations…
Clues (⭑⭑⭑)
I don't especially like this episode, but I'm not sure that I can adequately justify my reaction to it. I also have a somewhat different relationship to this one than…
Night Terrors (⭑⭑⭑)
There are some really cool ideas at the heart of this episode, and parts of it have always worked for me, but there is also a lot of missed potential…
Identity Crisis (⭑⭑)
This episode has multiple flaws, but I've always felt that its #1 problem is simply that it is unbelievably boring. It's got a sci-fi premise about weird, basically invisible aliens…
The Host (⭑⭑)
Season four has some great episodes, and I think of it as a good season of TNG overall, but there's no denying that its latter third contains a dismayingly long…
A Matter of Time (⭑⭑⭑)
In a nutshell, "A Matter of Time" is an episode that I have always more or less liked but that I have never felt particularly strongly about. It's funny; three-star…
Conundrum (⭑⭑⭑)
I enjoy this episode, and I remembered it fondly enough that I imagined possibly giving it four stars, but after re-watching, I can't justify that. Its plot doesn't hold up…
Power Play (⭑⭑⭑)
I find "Power Play" to be a surprisingly compelling episode given its limited ambitions and lack of anything that could be called "depth." It doesn't really try to be anything…
Cause and Effect (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
"Cause and Effect" is an undeniable TNG classic. It's always been one of the first episodes that come to mind when I reminisce in a general way about TNG in…
The Perfect Mate (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
I have always loved this episode. My fondness for it has never blinded me to the problematic aspects of its premise, which do need to be factored into any overall…