Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994)
Episode:301
"Evolution"
Jack's Rating:
Nanites escape Wesley's lab and form a collective intelligence, threatening an astrophysicist's only chance at performing a stellar experiment.
Features:
Stardate: 43125.8
Air Date: 09/25/89
Director: Winrich Kolbe
Episode:302
"The Ensigns of Command"
Jack's Rating:
Data must persuade a stubborn colony to evacuate their homeland under threat of a powerful and mysterious race.
Features:
Stardate: 43133.3
Air Date: 10/02/89
Director: Cliff Bole
Episode:303
"The Survivors"
Jack's Rating:
The Enterprise investigates the last two survivors of an annihilated world, as the entire surface has been transformed to dust except their one little garden and house.
Features:
Stardate: 43152.4
Air Date: 10/09/89
Director: Les Landau
Episode:304
"Who Watches the Watchers"
Jack's Rating:
Deanna and Riker must rectify the damage done when two primitives from Mintaka III catch glimpse of a Federation observation team and eventually conclude that Captain Picard is a god.
Features:
Stardate: 43173.5
Air Date: 10/16/89
Director: Robert Wiemer
Episode:305
"The Bonding"
Jack's Rating:
A mysterious entity seeks to comfort a boy who has lost his mother in an accident on its planet.
Features:
Stardate: 43198.7
Air Date: 10/23/89
Director: Winrich Kolbe
Episode:306
"Booby Trap"
Jack's Rating:
The Enterprise falls victim to an ancient booby trap set to snare starships; while in an effort to find an escape, Geordi finds himself falling for the holodeck's representation of a famous Federation engineer.
Features:
The Holodeck
Stardate: 43205.6
Air Date: 10/30/89
Director: Gabrielle Beaumont
Episode:307
"The Enemy"
Jack's Rating:
Geordi is trapped on a harsh planet with a hostile Romulan, and the two must work together to survive.
Features:
The Romulans
Stardate: 43349.2
Air Date: 11/06/89
Director: David Carson
Episode:308
"The Price"
Jack's Rating:
Troi falls in love with a charismatic negotiator who vies for rights to a wormhole. But several different groups are after the wormhole as it may be the only known stable wormhole in existence.
Features:
The Ferengi
Stardate: 43385.6
Air Date: 11/13/89
Director: Robert Scheerer
Episode:309
"The Vengeance Factor"
Jack's Rating:
Riker exposes an assassin in the midst of critical peace talks.
Features:
Stardate: 43421.9
Air Date: 11/20/89
Director: Timothy Bond
Episode:310
"The Defector"
Jack's Rating:
Determined to avert a war, a Romulan officer defects to warn Picard of his Empire's invasion plans.
Features:
The Romulans
Stardate: 43462.5
Air Date: 01/01/90
Director: Robert Scheerer
Episode:311
"The Hunted"
Jack's Rating:
A genetically modified soldier reveals the social problems of a world hoping to join the Federation.
Features:
Stardate: 43489.2
Air Date: 01/08/90
Director: Cliff Bole
Episode:312
"The High Ground"
Jack's Rating:
Dr. Crusher is kidnapped by terrorists who want the Federation to get involved in their struggle.
Features:
Stardate: 43510.7
Air Date: 01/29/90
Director: Gabrielle Beaumont
Episode:313
"Deja Q"
Jack's Rating:
The Q Continuum strips Q of his powers, and dumps him aboard the Enterprise.
Features:
The Q Entity
Stardate: 43539.1
Air Date: 02/05/90
Director: Les Landau
Episode:314
"A Matter of Perspective"
Jack's Rating:
Riker is accused of murder, and the holodeck is used to reconstruct the events from different perspectives.
Features:
The Holodeck
Stardate: 43610.4
Air Date: 02/12/90
Director: Cliff Bole
Episode:315
"Yesterday's Enterprise"
Jack's Rating:
The Enterprise-C arrives from the past, causing a shift in reality and the return of the deceased Tasha Yar.
Features:
The Klingons Time Travel
Stardate: 43625.2
Air Date: 02/19/90
Director: David Carson
Jack's Notes
An absolute masterpiece of storytelling. I have listed this as my favorite episode several times and it still stands in my top 5. When Star Trek gets time travel right it really gets it right.
Episode:316
"The Offspring"
Jack's Rating:
Data creates a young android, which he considers his daughter, "Lal". But a Starfleet admiral arrives demanding she be removed from the Enterprise.
Features:
Stardate: 43657
Air Date: 03/12/90
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Episode:317
"Sins of the Father"
Jack's Rating:
Worf goes on trial to prove his father's innocence after the Klingon High Council declares that Worf's father is a traitor, and worked with the Romulans all along.
Features:
The Klingons
Stardate: 43685.2
Air Date: 03/19/90
Director: Les Landau
Jack's Notes
Among the best Klingon episodes in Trek. Tony Todd is, as always, incredible as Kurn. This episode shows one of the reasons I dislike the Generations film. Picard kicks the crap out of two assassins....but he can't whip Malcolm McDowell?
Episode:318
"Allegiance"
Jack's Rating:
Aliens kidnap Picard and replace him with a duplicate, who sends the Enterprise to a pulsar. Meanwhile, the real Picard and three other captives try to escape from their prison, but one of them turns out to be Picard's captor.
Features:
Stardate: 43714.1
Air Date: 03/26/90
Director: Winrich Kolbe
Episode:319
"Captain's Holiday"
Jack's Rating:
Picard is convinced to take some much needed shore leave, but gets wrapped up in a woman's treasure hunt.
Features:
Time Travel The Ferengi
Stardate: 43745.2
Air Date: 04/02/90
Director: Chip Chalmers
Jack's Notes
I have watched this episode countless times and I never realized that is basically a Dixon Hill mystery. Totally film noir. Probably why I enjoy it so much.
Episode:320
"Tin Man"
Jack's Rating:
A gifted telepath whom Deanna Troi once treated as a patient comes aboard to establish first contact with an unknown vessel near an unstable star before the Romulans do.
Features:
The Romulans
Stardate: 43779.3
Air Date: 04/23/90
Director: Robert Scheerer
Episode:321
"Hollow Pursuits"
Jack's Rating:
Lt. Barclay's use of the holodeck as an escape interferes with his duties. Meanwhile, the Enterprise suffers from mysterious and random malfunctions.
Features:
The Holodeck
Stardate: 43807.4
Air Date: 04/30/90
Director: Cliff Bole
Episode:322
"The Most Toys"
Jack's Rating:
An obsessed collector is determined to add Data to his private collection of unique items.
Features:
Stardate: 43872.2
Air Date: 05/07/90
Director: Tim Bond
Episode:323
"Sarek"
Jack's Rating:
The Enterprise hosts Ambassador Sarek, but his deteriorating mental health causes unforeseen problems.
Features:
Stardate: 43917.4
Air Date: 05/14/90
Director: Les Landau
Episode:324
"Menage a Troi"
Jack's Rating:
The Ferengi kidnap Deanna, her mother and Riker.
Features:
The Ferengi
Stardate: 43930.7
Air Date: 05/28/90
Director: Robert Legato
Episode:325
"Transfigurations"
Jack's Rating:
The Enterprise rescues a humanoid with amnesia and incredible healing powers.
Features:
Stardate: 43957.2
Air Date: 06/04/90
Director: Tom Benko
Episode:326
"The Best of Both Worlds" (Part 1)
Jack's Rating:
Picard is kidnapped by the Borg, who begin their invasion of Federation space.
Features:
The Borg
Stardate: 43989.1
Air Date: 06/18/90
Director: Cliff Bole
Jack's Notes
One of, if not the, most iconic Star Trek episodes in the entire franchise. This one moves The Borg to the top villan in the show while also starting the cliffhanger series endings we get each following season. I typically don't list this as a favorite but after several viewings it has moved into my must-watch episodes.