I, Borg (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
When I saw "I, Borg" for the first time, back when it originally aired, I considered it to be the best episode TNG had ever given us. I wouldn't go…
The Next Phase (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Another classic of late-fifth-season TNG, "The Next Phase" has always struck me as iffy in the sci-fi logic department but really solid in terms of character and tone, and just…
The Inner Light (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Many fans, myself included, rank "The Inner Light" at or near the very top of their personal lists of overall best TNG episodes. This is an absolute masterpiece that puts…
Time’s Arrow: Part I (⭑⭑⭑)
I have so many mixed feelings about this episode that it's hard to know where to begin. It strikes me as fundamentally ill-conceived on some levels, and most of its…
Time’s Arrow: Part II (⭑⭑⭑)
I'm not sure if I should count "Time's Arrow" among the TNG two-parters whose second parts fail to live up to the first, or not. I mean, I do for…
Realm of Fear (⭑⭑⭑)
"Realm of Fear" works reasonably well as a character story, but its plot is decidedly unsatisfactory. There are some good Barclay moments here, and watching this always-fun and always-relatable minor…
Man of the People (⭑)
What we have here is a god-awful piece of trash. It would maybe be going a little too far to say that it feels like a first-season TNG episode that…
Schisms (⭑⭑⭑)
This is the third episode that I've rated with three stars so far this season, and each has been wildly different. The season premier was half-baked, frivolous fun; "Realm of…
True Q (⭑⭑)
This is the worst Q episode since season one's "Hide and Q," with which it has entirely too much in common. To be fair, it's not nearly as bad as…
Rascals (⭑⭑⭑)
"Rascals" is an episode with a beyond-absurd premise and an insultingly implausible plot, but one that somehow manages to be entertaining enough that I actually don't hate it. When you…
The Quality of Life (⭑⭑⭑)
I've now given three-star ratings to a full two thirds of the nine sixth-season episodes that I've reviewed so far, culminating with this one. This wasn't the first time that…
Ship in a Bottle (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This is a unique and fun episode that, while never as impactful on subsequent viewings, is a real mind-bender the first time you see it (or it was for me,…
Tapestry (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
"Tapestry" may be my personal pick for all-time favorite TNG episode. A philosophical exploration of how our pasts (including the parts of them that we're least proud of) shape us…
The Chase (⭑⭑⭑)
I can't give "The Chase" more than three stars, but I actually enjoyed it somewhat more than I expected to on the rewatch immediately preceding the writing of this review.…
Frame of Mind (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Poor Commander Riker! Two and a half seasons after "Future Imperfect," he once again finds himself trapped in an illusory scenario that has him running around in reaction-mode for most…
Second Chances (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
"Second Chances" is, in many ways, my kind of Trek. It starts with an awesomely out-there sci-fi premise (the transporter creates a duplicate of one of the main characters!), and…
Timescape (⭑⭑⭑)
"Timescape" is a pretty solid three-star offering about which I have a few minor quibbles but no major complaints, apart from some very general here's-why-I-don't-enjoy-it-more type observations. For the most…
Inheritance (⭑⭑⭑)
I have very mixed feelings about "Inheritance." On one hand, it's a competently executed and emotionally compelling story that focuses on one of my favorite characters, and it raises an…
Parallels (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
When you watch the first third-plus of season seven of TNG sequentially, "Parallels" is like a light shining at the end of a long, dark tunnel. By general agreement, the…
Masks (⭑)
I scarcely know what to say about this one. I knew it was bad, but it's somehow actually much worse than I even remembered. It has no point and makes…
Genesis (⭑⭑)
In my mind, "Genesis" is the ultimate Braga-run-amuck episode. It's his usual "weird shit goes down aboard the Enterprise" schtick, but with the last shreds of logic and restraint thrown…
Emergence (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Even more so than the handful of episodes immediately preceding it, "Emergence" is explicitly an end-of-series episode; "Journey's End" and "Firstborn" wrap up the show's treatment of specific secondary characters,…
All Good Things… (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
One of the biggest paradoxes of TNG is that it was a show that, at face value, no one would have expected to come up with a really satisfying, pull-the-whole-show-together…