Every Season of Star Trek: The Next Generation Ranked

Kevin

Star Trek: The Next Generation is now considered one of the crown jewels of the franchise, but it didn’t start that way. A new crew on a new Enterprise, boldly following in the footsteps of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy? Fans weren’t exactly convinced.

Of course, that changed. Over time, Picard, Data, Riker, Worf, Troi, Crusher, La Forge, and the rest of the Enterprise-D crew became legends in their own right, proving that Star Trek could move beyond its original icons without losing what made it special.

So, let’s see how all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation stack up when ranked. I’ll also include some of my favourite and least favourite episodes for each season. No charge.

Going into this, I was very confident about which seasons would land at the bottom, but once those were out of the way… things got much harder. I can’t tell you how many times I switched the rest around, which is probably the best evidence that this show had some truly excellent seasons.

And away we go — or should I say, make it so.

7. Season 1

It’s no secret that Star Trek: The Next Generation got off to a shaky start, and the first season is definitely rough. Episodes like the truly awful Code of Honor drag things down in a big way.

The problem is that the execution is often stiff. The characters haven’t fully settled yet. Picard can feel stern to the point of coldness; Riker is still finding his charm; Troi is underwritten; and Wesley is frequently used in ways that annoy more than endear.

Many of the episodes feel cobbled together from leftover scripts from The Original Series, and that doesn’t do the new show any favours, as it can’t help but feel like a knockoff at times.

It’s not all bad, though. There’s a real sense of wonder and optimism in these stories, and it’s fascinating to see the 24th-century world start to take shape. It was also shocking to see Tasha Yar killed off in Skin of Evil. This was due to Denise Crosby wanting to leave the show, but it does show how perilous these missions could be.

Favourites: Heart of Glory, Conspiracy, Datalore
Least Favourites: Code of Honor, Angel One, Justice

6. Season 2

The second season, while still uneven, begins to show signs of greatness. The characters start to settle in, Worf is in charge of security, Geordi is officially the head of engineering after a revolving door of chief engineers in the first season, Riker grows a beard, and all is right with the world.

There’s more confidence on display here as the show delivers its first truly great episode, The Measure of a Man, in which Data is at the center of a legal battle to determine whether he is a sentient being or property of the Federation.

This season also introduces the Borg in Q Who, who would go on to become one of the biggest threats to the Federation.

Behind the scenes, there was a lot of turmoil. Gates McFadden, who portrayed Dr. Beverly Crusher, was fired from the show and replaced by Diana Muldaur as Dr. Katherine Pulaski. She was a fine character, but it never felt like she gelled with the cast, and her needlessly abrasive attitude toward Data was awkward.

This season also took place during the 1988 Writers Guild strike, which made it the shortest of the series. And then there’s Shades of Grey, the infamous clip show finale that might be one of the worst episodes of the entire franchise.

Still, the second season deserves credit for pushing the series forward, with some essential episodes that mark a major step toward maturity. It’s just not quite there yet.

Favourites: The Measure of a Man, Q Who, A Matter of Honor
Least Favourites: Shades of Grey, Up the Long Ladder, The Child

5. Season 7

While it would have been great for the final season of The Next Generation to be among the show’s best, that’s sadly not the case. By this point, the show knows exactly what it is. The cast is comfortable, the production is polished, and the series can still deliver emotionally satisfying television, but it’s clear that they’re beginning to run out of road.

While there are some momentous highs — All Good Things still stands as one of the best series finales in my opinion — there are far too many episodes that are merely okay. Few are outright disasters — okay, maybe Sub Rosa, where Dr. Crusher has sex with a ghost — but they don’t come close to matching the series at its height.

There was still plenty of experimentation happening. Parallels revolved around Worf jumping through many alternate universes, the characters “de-evolved” in Genesis, and Lower Decks focused on a group of junior officers instead of the main cast. That episode went on to inspire the premise and title of the animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks.

The production team was also stretched pretty thin at this point. Deep Space Nine was in its second season, Voyager was in development, as was the first TNG movie, Star Trek Generations.

Season 7 certainly isn’t a bad season, but it feels like a show reaching the end of its natural lifespan. Thankfully, All Good Things sends the crew of the Enterprise-D out on an incredibly high note. The sky’s the limit.

Favourites: All Good Things, Parallels, The Pegasus
Least Favourites: Force of Nature, Sub Rosa, Masks

4. Season 6

Season 6 is one of the most polished and ambitious seasons of The Next Generation, with some absolute standout episodes. The two-part Chain of Command gives Picard one of his most intense and defining stories, and Patrick Stewart absolutely kills it with his performance — “There are four lights!” remains one of Picard’s defining moments.

Tapestry brings back Q, and it’s not just for cosmic mischief, but for a deeply personal exploration of regret, identity, and the choices that shaped Picard’s life.

And then there’s Relics, which brings back James Doohan as Scotty in a way that isn’t just nostalgic but also surprisingly melancholy, reflecting on age, usefulness, and change. This is also one of the few episodes that I recall buying on VHS back in the day.

Other episodes serve as character showcases, with Riker questioning his sanity in Frame of Mind, and Troi cosmetically altered to look Romulan in the espionage thriller Face of the Enemy. The series also attempts to explain why so many alien races look similar to one another with The Chase.

But, for every standout, there’s an episode like Man of the People or Aquiel that feels forgettable at best. Still, the highs are excellent, and the season deserves credit for continuing to take risks this late in the show’s run. By Season 6, The Next Generation could easily have coasted, but instead, it was still finding new ways to challenge its characters.

Favourites: Relics, Chain of Command Parts I & II, Tapestry
Least Favourites: Man of the People, Rascals, Aquiel

3. Season 3

Season 3 is where The Next Generation truly becomes The Next Generation. The improvements are dramatic: the writing takes a big leap forward, the characters become more natural, and the show finally feels fully distinct from The Original Series.

There are some truly excellent episodes that define the series’ identity. The alternate history of Yesterday’s Enterprise, the deeply emotional story of The Offspring, the exploration of Klingon culture and politics in Sins of the Father, and, of course, The Best of Both Worlds. That episode introduces a horrifying new aspect of the Borg: assimilation. And the ending, in which Picard becomes Locutus of Borg and Riker orders their new weapon to fire on the Borg cube, is Star Trek‘s greatest cliffhanger.

Beyond the wonderful episodes, this season is when the ensemble really clicks. The characters have become like family. The weakness of this season, if it has one, is that it’s still a season in transition. A few episodes are merely okay, but the leap in quality from Season 2 to Season 3 is impossible to ignore.

Favourites: Yesterday’s Enterprise, The Best of Both Worlds, Sins of the Father
Least Favourites: The Price, The Vengeance Factor, Ménage à Troi

2. Season 4

Season 4 begins with the conclusion of The Best of Both Worlds, one of Star Trek’s most defining moments, but I’ve come to appreciate the following episode just as much. Family finds the Enterprise undergoing repairs at Earth, but it’s Picard dealing with the trauma of his experience with the Borg that places it on another level. Together, those episodes prove that TNG can do both spectacle and consequence, and that’s a big reason Season 4 remains one of the show’s strongest years.

By this point, The Next Generation is operating at an extremely high level, and the show has figured out how to balance thoughtful sci-fi, character drama, and moral dilemmas while expanding the world.

There are some terrific character-focused episodes here. Data’s Day gives us a charming look at life aboard the Enterprise through Data’s eyes, while Brothers digs into his relationship with his creator, Dr. Soong, and his evil twin, Lore. Worf gets a major showcase in Reunion, which deepens the Klingon political storylines and introduces his son, Alexander.

The season also delivers one of the show’s most memorable political thrillers with The Drumhead, starring the iconic Jean Simmons. With a story about paranoia, fear, and how easily justice can be corrupted, it’s one of those episodes that feels very specifically Star Trek, but also timeless.

Favourites: The Best of Both Worlds Part II, The Drumhead, Redemption Part I
Least Favourites: Suddenly Human, The Loss, Night Terrors

1. Season 5

And here we are. Season 5 might be the most consistently strong season of The Next Generation. By this point, the show is fully confident in what it does best, and there’s a sophistication to the storytelling that makes even many of the smaller episodes feel thoughtful and well-crafted.

This is the season that gives us The Inner Light, a beautiful, devastating story that follows Picard through an entire lifetime worth of love, family, and loss in the span of a single episode. It’s exactly the kind of high-concept emotional sci-fi that TNG could do better than almost anyone.

There are plenty of other standouts as well. Darmok is a brilliant example of Star Trek taking a simple sci-fi concept — a species that communicates entirely through metaphor — and turning it into something moving and unforgettable. “Shaka, when the walls fell!” Cause and Effect is a clever time-loop story, I, Borg complicates the Borg by introducing Hugh, and The First Duty gives Wesley one of his strongest episodes by forcing him to confront a serious moral failure.

In Unification, Leonard Nimoy returns as Spock, which could have easily felt like empty fan service, but instead becomes a thoughtful story about diplomacy, legacy, and the future of Romulus and Vulcan. Little did we know at the time, but this story would echo through later stories, from J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek to the future of Vulcan and Romulus explored in Star Trek: Discovery.

Favourites: The Inner Light, Darmok, Cause and Effect
Least Favourites: Imaginary Friend, New Ground, Cost of Living

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As I mentioned at the top of the article, this ranking was much more difficult than I imagined. Once The Next Generation found its footing, it delivered season after season that could easily take the top spot. Even its weaker years have memorable moments and episodes that helped shape what Star Trek would become.

That’s my ranking, but this is definitely one of those shows where every fan is going to have a slightly different order. So, how would you rank all seven seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation? Let me know your list in the comments.