Star Trek: The Next Generation
Classic
Drama
Science Fiction
Cerebral
Uplifting
Long CommitmentThe review
Star Trek: The Next Generation is the rare sequel that outgrew its predecessor, and is now routinely ranked among the greatest television shows ever made — a landmark of 1980s/90s syndicated drama and of the genre at large. Its engine is its ensemble: Patrick Stewart's Shakespearean gravitas made Captain Picard one of TV's defining commanding officers, Brent Spiner's Data became the show's philosophical heart, and the crew around them (Frakes's Riker, Burton's Geordi, Dorn's Worf, Sirtis's Troi, McFadden's Crusher, Wheaton's Wesley) developed rare ensemble chemistry. Its defining stance was optimism — a utopian future in which humanity solves problems through reason, diplomacy, and moral inquiry rather than force — delivered through allegory rather than didacticism.
The show is episodic and dialogue-driven, favoring ethical debate over action set pieces, and critics are nearly unanimous that this formula took time to work. The first two seasons are widely considered rough, uneven, and tonally uncertain, including a few episodes the cast and crew later disowned; the series hit its stride in season three and stayed there for years. The recurring criticisms that dogged even its prime are the "planet of the week" structure, heavy technical jargon, and the occasional sterility of its conflict-free utopia — the same warm humanism that gives the show its identity sometimes drained tension from its drama.
Where critics genuinely split is on the early seasons and on whether the show's cerebral optimism is inspiring or bloodless compared to the original series' roguish energy; there is far less disagreement that its best hours — a man living an entire lifetime in a single moment, a courtroom trial over whether a machine is a person, a season-ending cliffhanger that has never been bettered in franchise history — are among the finest television the genre has produced. Recognition was unusually broad for a syndicated series: multiple Emmy wins, the first Outstanding Drama Series nomination ever for a syndicated program, two Hugo Awards, a Peabody, and a finale, "All Good Things...," that is routinely cited as one of the best series endings ever broadcast — the show unquestionably stuck the landing.
Seasons
- Season 1
Season 1 (1987–88): The show's roughest stretch — uneven and tonally uncertain, with several episodes that critics and cast alike later disowned, including one racial misstep now widely cited as the franchise's most embarrassing hour. Still, it established the ensemble, introduced Data and Q as instant icons, and closed with "The Big Goodbye," the franchise's first holodeck story and its only Peabody Award winner.
- Season 2
Season 2 (1988–89): A writers' strike shortened the year to 22 episodes and Diana Muldaur's Dr. Pulaski filled in for Dr. Crusher, but the season introduced the Borg — still the franchise's most chilling antagonists — and delivered "The Measure of a Man," the Data-personhood courtroom drama many critics call the show's first genuinely great episode. It ended with a widely derided clip show, the clearest sign of the quality gap about to close.
- Season 3
Season 3 (1989–90): The creative turning point. With a new head writer, the show stepped out of the original series' shadow for good, delivering a run of acclaimed episodes — "Yesterday's Enterprise," "Sins of the Father," and the season-ending "The Best of Both Worlds, Part I," a cliffhanger routinely ranked among the greatest in television history.
- Season 4
Season 4 (1990–91): Opened with the record-setting resolution of the season 3 cliffhanger and kept the momentum: deepening Klingon politics around Worf, the emotionally resonant "Family," and the McCarthy-era allegory "The Drumhead." Dr. Crusher returned, and the show settled into a confident, high-quality stride.
- Season 5
Season 5 (1991–92): Frequently ranked the show's best — a peak run including the Hugo-winning "The Inner Light," the language-and-communication puzzle "Darmok," the time-loop mystery "Cause and Effect," and the moral dilemma "I, Borg." It aired through creator Gene Roddenberry's death in October 1991, his creation reaching its height just as he died.
- Season 6
Season 6 (1992–93): A darker, more experimental year: the acclaimed "Chain of Command" two-parter showcasing Stewart's range, the legacy-guest "Relics," the fan-favorite "Tapestry," and the season-opening two-parter "Time's Arrow." Even its lesser episodes showed a mature show willing to take risks.
- Season 7
Season 7 (1993–94): An uneven final season that nonetheless stuck the landing spectacularly — "All Good Things...," the Hugo-winning two-hour finale, is widely considered one of the best series endings ever broadcast and earned TNG its historic Outstanding Drama Series nomination. The year also offered "Lower Decks," a perspective-flipping episode that later inspired a beloved animated spin-off.
Who it's for
Viewers who want optimistic, idea-driven science fiction — philosophical and ethical questions worked through character rather than spectacle. Fans of ensemble drama, thoughtful allegory (personhood, identity, faith, justice, the ethics of interference), and episodic viewing who are willing to commit to a long series. Families and older kids, given its TV-PG rating and largely non-graphic action.
Who it's not for
Viewers who want fast-paced serialized storytelling, gritty realism, moral ambiguity of the antihero kind, or modern production polish will bounce off. The dated 80s/90s effects, technobabble-heavy dialogue, and slow, talky middle stretches test patience, and anyone who can't tolerate a rough first two seasons before the show finds itself may quit early. Those who need their sci-fi tense or cynical should look elsewhere. — Mild action violence (phaser fire, hand-to-hand combat) · Disturbing imagery — body horror in Borg-centric episodes · Mild sexual content (mostly innuendo, occasional themes) · Dark themes in select episodes (torture, existential threats, death and loss)
Birds of a feather...
- TVStar Trek (1966)
Shares Star Trek's utopian humanism and episodic moral-allegory structure; like TNG, it resolves conflict through reason, dialogue, and ethical reflection, and both explore personhood and justice through speculative scenarios. Its Kirk/Spock/McCoy dialectic mirrors TNG's philosophical debates.
95% - TVDoctor Who (1963)
Both are character-driven, optimistic sci-fi about principled, non-violent protagonists and companions who solve moral dilemmas through curiosity and compassion rather than force. They share a humanist belief that understanding and kindness can defeat tyranny, and a structure that mixes episodic adventure with slow-burning character growth.
85% - TVStar Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993)
As DS9's parent series, TNG presents the utopian Federation that DS9 deliberately tests. Watching them together illuminates DS9's critique of Roddenberry's optimism, making this a meaningful complement.
75% - TVStar Trek: Starfleet Academy (2026)
Set in the same utopian universe, it continues the franchise's optimism-under-threat premise, but adopts a YA boarding-school frame and serialized relationship arcs rather than TNG's standalone philosophical episodes. Fans of TNG's institutional idealism may find the shared DNA, though the tonal register-switching is a deliberate contrast.
65% - TVBonanza (1959)
Like TNG, it's an episodic drama built on moral dilemmas resolved through dialogue and collective conscience, with an idealistic, problem-solving family/team. Both use allegory to address contemporary social issues and emphasize law tempered by compassion, making the Western a surprisingly close tonal cousin.
60%