Before 'Star Trek: Picard's third and final season debuts next year, here's a look at the greatest hits for each member of the Enterprise-D.
At this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Star Trek held a massive presence. From off-site events to the star-studded panel in Hall H, there was plenty for fans of the final frontier to enjoy. And one of the biggest announcements concerned the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard, which would reunite Patrick Stewart's titular captain with his crewmates from Star Trek: The Next Generation. While previous cast members including Brent Spiner's Data and Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan had major roles in the first two seasons, this marks the first time that the main cast of The Next Generation has been in a project together since Star Trek: Nemesis.
The Next Generation is well renowned for its ensemble cast, not only where the Star Trek franchise is concerned but in television history. Over the course of seven seasons, each character got plenty of chances to shine. Below is a list of episodes that put the spotlight on a crew member from the Enterprise-D; not only do these episodes showcase the individual character traits that made them such beloved science fiction icons, but it also challenged them in unique and refreshing ways. Hopefully, Season 3 of Picard will take the same route.
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It's a well-known fact among The Next Generation fans that the Enterprise-D wouldn't have survived as many clashes as it did if it wasn't for Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton). With his technical knowhow, the brilliant engineer pulled his crewmates out of the fire time and time again - and "The Enemy" put this to the ultimate test. When the Enterprise responds to a Romulan distress signal, La Forge is separated from the landing party and encounters a Romulan named Bochra (John Snyder). As if matters couldn't get worse, the planet they're on is bombarded by storms containing radiation that affects neurology, causing Bochra to suffer from injuries in his leg and Geordi's VISOR to short out. The best Star Trek episodes often use their conflict to hold up a mirror to society's problems and 'The Enemy' is no different. At this point in time, the United Federation of Planets and the Romulan Empire were not on the best of terms, so for a Romulan and a Starfleet officer to help each other was a big deal. Geordi also proves to be just as good with people as he is with machines, as he manages to convince Bochra to work with him to survive.
One of the biggest tropes in Star Trek is a character encountering their dual self. The Next Generation had multiple variations on that theme theme, whether it's Data and his evil twin Lore or Picard coming face to face with a younger version of himself, Shinzon (Tom Hardy). 'Second Chances' is the best example of this trope in TNG, as it put the spotlight on Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes). The Enterprise travels to a planet that Riker previously conducted a rescue mission on, but the crew is shocked to find that due to a teleporter incident there's an exact copy of Riker on the planet! 'Second Chances' is a standout episode because it's a true test of Frakes' acting skill. Not only does he have to play against himself, but he also managed to give present Riker and younger Riker - who ends up calling himself 'Thomas' - distinct personalities. Present Riker is more willing to think things through, while Thomas is more brash and confident. It is also the episode that started to expand upon the past relationship between Riker and ship counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), with the two finally tying the knot in Nemesis. And it also marked Burton's first time directing an episode, with his work feeling right at home with the look and feel of The Next Generation.
If you're a captain in the Star Trek universe, chances are you'll get the lion's share of episodes. And that certainly was the case for Picard throughout The Next Generation. 'Tapestry' is a standout due to its exploration of Picard's past and the experiences that shaped him into the captain fans know and love. After suffering a fatal injury, Picard is approached by the omnipotent Q (John de Lancie), who'd been a persistent thorn in his side since the series' beginning. Q takes Picard back in time to the night that he was stabbed through the heart, requiring an artificial replacement - which led to the accident in the present. It was quite the shock to learn that before he became the calm, composed leader of the Enterprise that Picard was a troublemaker; even more shocking is what happens when Picard manages to stop the accident from happening - anyone who's watched Star Trekor even It's A Wonderful Life can tell you that changing the past may not have the effect you'd hoped for. 'Tapestry's religious undertones - including Picard meeting Q in a white room and getting a second chance at life - also serve as a prelude to the work that writer Ronald D. Moore would do on his Battlestar Galactica reboot.
Fans of The Next Generation are often split on Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and her presence on the ship. Some feel that she could have used more to do - even McFadden herself has been open with her criticisms of the show. And while it's true that the good doctor didn't have as much standout episodes as her fellow crew members, 'Remember Me' puts her at the spotlight and lets her shine. After her son Wesley (Wil Wheaton) conducts an experiment with a warp bubble that goes horribly wrong, crew members start disappearing one by one until Dr. Crusher is the only person left on the Enterprise. In the same vein as 'Second Chances', 'Remember Me' is an acting showcase for McFadden. She gets to display a wide range of emotions as Beverly deals with the crew's disappearance: confusion as it starts happening, desperation when she and Picard are the only two remaining members of the Enterprise (she even pleads for him to remember the crew in the episode's best scene) and determination as she tries to work her way back to the crew. Even the last-minute deus ex machina of the mysterious being known as the Traveler (Eric Menyuk) doesn't demolish a harrowing hour of television.
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Like Dr. Crusher, Deanna Troi didn't have many standout episodes at the beginning of The Next Generation. She was more or less regulated to the damsel in distress status, and her role on the ship more or less boiled down to 'sensing the bad guy with her psychic powers'. All of that makes 'The Loss' a refreshing episode, especially when it comes to the main conflict. The Enterprise is beset by a group of two dimensional creatures who drag the ship toward a cosmic string - which will rip it in half! And the creatures have also mysteriously cut off Troi from her empathic abilities, resulting in a myriad of mood swings: one minute she's begging Picard to take her off active duty, the next she's snapping at La Forge and Data. It's a far cry from how composed Troi usually was in previous episodes, but it also lets Sirtis have a little fun with the character.
Data's quest to learn more about humanity led to some of the series' best moments and even fueled a large part of Picard's first season. In "The Offspring", he creates an artificial daughter named Lau (Hallie Todd) in order to learn more about human relationships Lau quickly adapts to life on the Enterprise, showcasing a firmer grasp on human behavior than Data did. But tragedy strikes when she suffers a failure in her positronic brain. This episode is a key example of what makes The Next Generation a top-tier Star Trek show. It has hilarious moments - such as Data giving Riker the 'fatherly' talk when Lal kisses him - and an emotional ending, as Data has stored his daughter's memories within his own neural net. It also marks the first episode that Frakes directed; the Next Generation alum would go on to direct other Star Trek projects including the stellar Star Trek: First Contact. And Data would later create more daughters in the form of twins Soji and Dahj (Isa Briones), who became an integral part of Picard.
One of the biggest surprises The Next Generation contained when it first aired was the addition of the Klingon Worf (Michael Dorn). After years of Klingons locked in battle with the Federation, now the two powers were allies - and this provided The Next Generation with plenty of opportunities to explore Klingon culture. The first example comes in "Sins of the Father", as Worf challenges the Klingon High Council when they deem his father to be a traitor. This episode is the first look into the Klingons' culture, particularly their dedication to maintaining honor. Much like the samurai of old, Klingons place honor above all else and view the loss of that honor as a crime worse than death. Even Worf's own brother Kurn (Tony Todd) winds up shunning him at the episode's end. 'Sins of the Father' helped flesh Worf out from 'the guy who usually gets thrown around by the villain of the week' to a deeper, more layered character, and future episodes would continue to explore his Klingon heritage and how he balanced it with his Starfleet career.
There is perhaps no Star Trek character more divisive than Wesley Crusher, but 'Final Mission' serves as his finest hour. After being accepted into Starfleet Academy, Wesley joins Picard on a rescue operation. However, things go catastrophically wrong - they crash-land on a desolate moon, and Picard is wounded while trying to save Wesley. The younger Starfleet officer must do everything in his power to keep the captain alive until help comes. 'Final Mission' takes a page from 'The Enemy's book, putting the focus on a certain character and how they fight to survive in an unforgiving environment. It also adds a new layer to Wesley and Picard's relationship, leading to an emotional ending when the two part ways.
The second season of Picard saw the former Starfleet captain encounter his old friend Guinan in the past and present. But that wasn't the only time that happened. 'Yesterday's Enterprise' throws the Enterprise through an event horizon, altering time and resulting in a world where the Federation is at war with the Klingon Empire. It falls to Guinan to convince Picard not to go to war. While the episode is more regarded for how it gave Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) a proper send-off, Goldberg's performance is just as much of a hook. She knows Picard on a level that few people do, and her plea to him to set things right ranks in my favorite Star Trek scenes. It's no wonder 'Yesterday's Enterprise' is often considered to be one of the best episodes of The Next Generation.
Collier is a contributor to Collider. He also writes for /Film and But Why Tho? A Geek Community. In his spare time, he likes to read comics, play card games, and even write his own scripts. He has approximate knowledge of many things, all of them related to various forms of pop culture.
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