Does anybody have a TNG watching guide?

[conuly]

E, quite rightly, thinks Riker is attractive, but that show has too many crap eps, especially in the first two seasons. Unlike with Voyager, I don’t know which ones to avoid by title!

Comments

[calimac]

"The Inner Light" and "All Good Things" are the episodes which won Hugos. But that's about all I can tell you. My luck with TNG at the time was not good. Every time I turned it on, there was another episode with Q in it, whom I got tired of after "Squire of Gothos" in TOS.

[conuly]

Q is much more palatable on Voyager, at least.

[julian]

Ones I would absolutely avoid in S1: Code of Honor, Justice, Angel One, and maybe Symbiosis (it sounds dire, but I don't remember watching it).

I don't remember S2 well enough to recommend ones to steer away from.

[austin_dern]

Symbiosis is the one where the one planet is making the other labor for it in exchange for the drug that relieves the symptoms of a global disease. It's a bit above average for season one and has a clever resolution but it's still not one of the show's highlights.

For a quick guide I'd just skip ahead to the third season, when they really get things together. It's still an episodic show, like the original series; you can just dip in. If the teaser doesn't catch any interest, skip it. There's two hundred of the things.

[chanter1944]

Symbiosis is rubbish, agreed. It's the 'very special after school special, don't do drugs' ep. :s

[conuly]

On the other hand, it did have an intensely plot-relevant revisit on Lower Decks.

[topaz_eyes]

You definitely want to skip S2e1, "The Child."

[ioplokon]

I feel weird picking out bad episodes... On the good side, I remember my friend had a box set of the Borg episodes & remember it being all or mostly good, so that might work.

[ckd]

Star Trek: The Next Generation In 40 Hours is a pretty good guide to the key episodes.

[frandroid]

When I begrudgindgly (that's a better spelling for that word!!!) decided to watch Voyager, I knew I couldn't watch it all, so I found a meta-episode guide, listing star rankings from 6 different guides and compiling an average ranking. So I only watched episodes that were 3 stars or higher. Then I circled back to watch some essential stinkers like Threshold (which I still remembered from watching it in original broadcasting...)

I can't find such a thing now so you might have to compile it yourself. :P

[conuly]

Threshold is not essential. I wouldn't even call it canon, and no, I don't care that they referenced it on Lower Decks!

[frandroid]

It's an essential car wreck of an episode. :)

[selenak]

S2 of TNG musts, imo: Measure of a Man (famously the script was written by a fan who then became a professional, Melissa Rosenberg), and this ep often ends up on people's favourte Trek episodes), Q Who (introducing the Borg, who arguably were rarely as creepy again; I know you don't like Q, but unlike his s1 outings, I think this shows what can be done with the character, the Patrick Stewart/ John de Lancie chemistry is off the charts, and the Q - Guinan old enemies interaction is ever so intriguing; and Emissary (has nothing to do with the DS9 pilot, this one features ST's first interesting and well played female Klingon, K'eyhlar, as the titular character).

[jo]

Season 1 of TNG is largely forgettable, IMO, but there are a few episodes that maybe should be watched because they introduce characters or storylines that get picked up again or referenced in better episodes from later seasons. For example:

Datalore (ep 13): which introduces Data's "brother" Lore, who is a recurring character in the series, and also in Star Trek: Picard.

The Neutral Zone (ep 26): while the Enterprise actually meet the Borg in season 2 (Q Who), this is the first episode to introduce the Borg threat. It brings the Romulans back into Trekdom, and features Mark Alaimo (Gul Dukat) as the Romulan commander.

Where No One Has Gone Before (ep 6): avoid if you hate Wesley Crusher, but it is a key episode in Wesley's evolution and introduces what will become his final arc. The Traveller is introduced and comes back in a couple of later episodes.

11001001 (ep 15): introduces Minuet, who would go on to be the mother of Riker's son in another life.

The Big Goodbye (ep 12): avoid if you hate holodeck episodes, but it introduces Picard's Dixon Hill program, which is revisited in the series, and also in First Contact.

Heart of Glory (ep 20): first major reboot of the Klingons (notwithstanding Worf, of course).

For season 2:

Measure of Man (ep 9): just generally one of the best episodes of the entire series.

Matter of Honor (ep 8): Riker participates in an officer exchange program and serves on a Klingon cruiser. If you don't like Klingons, maybe not your cup of tea, but the officer exchange program comes up again in another season.

Time Squared (ep 13): pretty good episode dealing with doppelgangers, bending space-time, and the choices we make, but these ideas are much better handled in later episodes.

Q Who (ep 16): We meet the Borg!

The Emissary (ep 20): Already mentioned by someone -- and K'eyhlar returns later in the series. Key to Worf's evolution.

[andrewducker]

Skip anything scoring under a 6?
https://www.ratingraph.com/tv-shows/star-trek-the-next-generation-ratings-3498/