Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Episode List
After seeing countless threads in /r/startrek debate watch guides for TNG, I thought that I’d actually write mine down. The goal of the episode list is to give “a complete experience” as it relates to the entire show. It includes what I consider to be the best episodes while also including episodes that follow some of the non-regular but still recurring characters to fill in what would otherwise be storyline gaps.
The opposite of Jumping the Shark and Seasonal Rot, Growing the Beard is the definitive moment when a series begins to become noticeably better in quality. This often involves a new writer or other creative person coming on board.
Fire up season 3 and you’ll see that Riker has grown a full beard. And along with that marked increase in facial hair, there is a marked increase in the quality of the episodes. They just keep coming! By the halfway point of Season 3, it almost feels like you’re watching a different show. That’s what they mean by Growing the Beard. Season 3 also brought executive producer Michael Piller who assembled one of the finest writers’ rooms in science fiction history. The bridge crew got crisper uniforms that required frequent use of the Picard Maneuver. Simply put, almost all the episodes are strongly watchable with only a handful that I might consider skipping on a rewatch. Meanwhile, Yesterday’s Enterprise and The Best of Both Worlds are widely considered among the best episodes in the entire franchise.
Watch These Episodes
Who Watches the Watchers
Way up there on my all-time list, it’s one of the greatest Prime Directive episodes ever.
The Enemy
A tense Romulan standoff built around a genuinely uncomfortable moral question. Worf is handed a choice the show refuses to make easy for him, and it sticks with you.
The Defector
A tight Romulan thriller that opens with Data performing Shakespeare and somehow only gets better from there. One of the best examples of TNG trusting you to sit with an unresolved question.
Deja Q
John de Lancie is a delight here and the premise finally gives him something to play other than smug. It also delivers one of Data’s best moments in the entire run of the show.
Yesterday's Enterprise
This episode is an absolute masterpiece and it’s a feat of writing and editing to execute this story in 42 minutes. High stakes in a terrible war on an alternate timeline, yet with a familiar face back on the bridge.
The Offspring
Jonathan Frakes’ first time in the director’s chair and he absolutely nails it. A Datasode with real emotional weight, and the ending landed harder than I expected it to.
Sins of the Father
The Klingon politics episode that nearly everything else builds on, right through to DS9. A great Worfisode that hands him a brother, a homeworld and a whole lot of trouble.
Captain's Holiday
Lighter fare and a welcome change of pace, with Picard thoroughly out of his element. It also introduces a guest character worth remembering, because she turns up again.
Hollow Pursuits
Introduces Barclay, who goes on to become one of the most durable recurring characters in the franchise. Filled with cringe and quite a few laughs, it’s also a surprisingly kind episode about not fitting in.
The Most Toys
A genuinely dark Datasode with a wonderfully hateable guest villain. The last act asks a question about Data that the show is smart enough not to answer too neatly.
Sarek
Patrick Stewart gives what might be the finest single scene of acting in the whole series. It also reaches back to the original series in a way that pays off again a couple of seasons later.
The Best of Both Worlds Part 1
Still the best cliffhanger in Star Trek, this is one of the most memorable moments of television in my entire life. As the last scene wrapped and “TO BE CONTINUED…” came up on screen, my brother and I looked at each other in dismay as we realized it would be a solid three-plus months before Part 2 would even air. That was a long summer.
A perfect episode in every way and Ron Jones especially should get credit for composing his ass off with a score that really drives home the weight and stakes of this episode. The cliffhanger conclusion would also set a new standard for Star Trek series throughout the Golden Era.
Honorable Mentions
A Matter of Perspective
A solid Rikersode, although the assault accusations are complex especially given modern sensibilities on the topic. What I think is great is the use of the Holodeck to reconstruct each party’s recollection of the disputed events.
Tin Man
A quiet one about a living ship and a telepath who can’t turn it off. Uneven in spots, but the central idea is lovely and Data gets a lot out of it.
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