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 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…
Relics (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Season six's first real "hit" exhibits the usual strengths and weaknesses to be expected from a Ron Moore TNG episode: a fairly thin plot featuring somewhat underdeveloped sci-fi concepts, paired…
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…
Chain of Command: Part I (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
Reversing the usual trend for TNG two-parters, "Chain of Command" gives us a part one that, whatever its merits, is definitively overshadowed by an absolute standout of a part two.…
Chain of Command: Part II (⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑)
This episode is widely regarded as one of TNG's most impressive, and rightly so. The scenes between Picard and his Cardassian torturer, Gul Madred, are disturbing, compelling, and complex, and…
Aquiel (⭑⭑)
Whatever it was that the writers were going for with "Aquiel," it seems to me that it didn't quite come together. The episode has assorted flaws, but the main one…
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…
Birthright: Part I (⭑⭑⭑)
This is kind of an oddball of an episode. I usually remember it mainly as "the Data dreaming one," probably because that story thread is the one that interests me…
Birthright: Part II (⭑⭑⭑)
Without a doubt, "Birthright" is TNG's oddest two-part episode. Instead of one story split over two episodes because it was clearly too big to fit into a single one, it…
Lessons (⭑⭑⭑)
Sigh. I remember really liking this one years ago. I always had issues with its ending, but I fully expected to be charmed enough by the rest of it, even…
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…
Suspicions (⭑)
This is a bad episode, and pretty much nothing about it works (or even particularly makes sense). There are, alas, worse episodes of TNG, and I even considered giving this…
Rightful Heir (⭑⭑⭑)
You can't help but to admire the ambition of this episode, which plunges Worf into a crisis of faith, then immediately confronts him with an apparent miracle, and has him…
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…
Descent: Part I (⭑⭑⭑)
And so, we come to TNG's fourth and final cliffhanger season finale. I'll be saving most of my my big-picture thoughts about "Descent" as a two-parter, and its place in…
Descent: Part II (⭑⭑)
Part two of "Descent"—and, by extension/as a result, the entire two-parter—is a mess on pretty much every level. It began (in the first half or so of part one) as…
Liaisons (⭑⭑)
Zzzzzzzzzz--snort-ugh, wha? Oh...uh, is the episode over? Sorry; I must have dozed off. Okay, no, but seriously: Is this one even for real? The writers went back to that lamest…
Interface (⭑⭑)
"Interface" strikes me as a classic case of the writers being hard up for new episode ideas. It is an episode built upon two main "hooks" that want to make…
Phantasms (⭑⭑⭑)
I'm not sure how much I really have to say about "Phantasms." It's...fine. I mean, it's not too hard to imagine what was going through Brannon Braga's mind when he…
Dark Page (⭑⭑)
TNG's final trip down Lwaxana Lane™ is fairly painless, as these things go, but (surprise) still isn't actually very good. The closest the show ever came to making an actually…
Attached (⭑⭑⭑)
I like "Attached." I always have. I want it to be much better than it is, but even so, I do enjoy it. (I guess you could say that I'm...attached…
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…
The Pegasus (⭑⭑⭑⭑)
"The Pegasus" is easily the best episode of the first half of season seven. I've always remembered the one-two punch of "Parallels" and "The Pegasus" as a mid-seventh-season high point,…
Homeward (⭑⭑)
"Homeward" is, on one hand, a throwback to early TNG's penchant for often-inept attempts at prime directive stories, and on the other, a continuation of season seven's obsession with introducing…
Sub Rosa (⭑)
And so, we come to the episode in which Crusher gets sexually assaulted by a ghost, then promptly falls in love with "him." Oof. Season seven of TNG has more…