Arguably The Best Season of Star Trek: The Next Generation

[@SaltpeterTaffy]

My favorite context-free line in all of TNG happened in this season. Dr. Crusher: "Computer...what is the nature of the Universe?" Computer: "The Universe is a spheroid region 705 meters in diameter."

[@jameslauder3984]

Seems a lot bigger from inside.

[@danielbyrne5402]

Same, it taught be the different meaning/context of the word nature and how to use it

[@danielbyrne5402]

My favourite line that I use alot is the villains who twirl their mustache line, it applies to left wingers of today (not of the 90s)

[@bumblebee9337]

You could substitute Ukraine for Universe and receive a similar answer.

[@danielbyrne5402]

@@bumblebee9337 other way round

[@grandmufftwerkin9037]

We didn't really understand how good we had it during the 1990's when it came to Star Trek. TNG, DS9, and VOY all running during that decade.

[@anthonylogiudice9215]

Voyager was the first miss and the beginning of Star Trek's decline.

[@geraldthompson4633]

For sure! The good old days

[@Preyhawk81]

@@anthonylogiudice9215 yep i skipped season 1-3 because of boringness

[@prolamer7]

@@anthonylogiudice9215 BS it was low point but recoverable.... nothing like today unwatchable ....

[@geraldthompson4633]

@John Doe another favorite of mine…one of the few movies that went to the small screen successfully

[@Tillman581]

You are INCAPABLE of that level of INCOMPETENCE! Love that line.

[@jaysgamingcorner8539]

There are quite a few fantastic episodes in this season, but The Drumhead, to me, stands above the rest. It is just as relevant now, maybe more, than it was then.

[@jamessatter7418]

The Drumhead is the best episode of the series.

[@jaysgamingcorner8539]

@@jamessatter7418 You may be right. It's certainly top 5.

[@lknanml]

Epic season for sure... I was a live prop in the 90s. I wanted to be on STNG but it just never happened. I was able to get into Star Trek Insurrection running around the village all night while they showered us with cork rocks and all the things we could trip on or fall in to get wet. Ran across the bridge and boom. Now I am soaking wet and covered in cork dust for the rest of the very cold night. Got to meet most of the cast. About as down to Earth as people who pretend they work in space get. I highly recommend the experience even if you don't want to act. I never wanted to act. I just liked the process of how movies were made and being a part of it was fun. Head up. Onset explosions are loud as F!@#...... Crashed a ship into a base in Babylon 5. Worfs brother was the captain. Tony Todd. Another down to Earth guy with a SERIOUS trunk full of scripts. Like full. But yea those explosions are real. Left ear was ringing when we rammed our shipt into the station. (it was a green tennis ball taped to a string) Learn to walk softly. Wood sets and a heavy step. Boom Boom Boom. CUT. Crap!!! They won't say it but I am totally at fault for that cut. YOU. COME HERE. CRAP. They will say it........ And that's how I learned to walk like a ninja in space on a star ship.........

[@Andrew--S]

"Remember Me" is like cancel culture where everyone but me doesn't have a memory of people who got cancelled

[@qgamer2266]

😂😂🤣🤣

[@davejones9469]

More like they all live in pocket universes that will eventually implode, except with hilarious results irl.

[@Pondimus_Maximus]

🖖🤣

[@CatsClaw44]

What?

[@chainsawsubtlety9828]

Picard's "THAT IS NOT A CRIME, WORF!", might be my favorite line in the whole series. The character of Capt. Picard would be ashamed of what Star Trek, Patrick Stewart and his own character have become. Or, what they have been forced to be by talentless hack-activists.

[@TheFtm22]

100 percent #NotMyPicard

[@danielcraig9666]

Patrick Stewart was only willing to destroy his own character.

[@TheFtm22]

@@danielcraig9666 he promised that in the Vanity Fair interview. Like I said #NotMyPicard .

[@Dharzjinion]

Word!

[@Scottlp2]

Check out ST SNW: likable characters, TOS like humor that works, and only minimal and easily ignored wokeness.

[@GKHTS]

I laughed so hard when Warf smashed Jordy's mandolin because while watching I was thinking of the scene in Animal House that they spoofed.

[@freedone.]

Sorry... :)

[@bumblebee9337]

"Fixed it for you."😂

[@i_kill_for_zardoz]

I gave my love a cherry...

[@chrisgenson2278]

On a related note, "Sir, I protest! I am not a merry man!". Worf had some of the best lines.

[@charlesvan13]

Was the mandolin made of holomatter?

[@pianotm]

QPid has my favorite moment in the entirety of Star Trek. Worf: "Captain, I MUST protest. I am NOT a Merry Man!"

[@brandoninsley7887]

I've been re-watching TNG and working through season 4. My appreciation for the moral and philosophical aspects of the show grows every time I watch it. The Drumhead, in particular, tackles a topic that seems even more relevant in the present day. The episode aired over 30 years ago, and we were blessed with lines such as, "villains who twirl their moustaches are easy to spot. Those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well-camouflaged." If only some of us knew now what we knew back then.

[@MaestroDrake]

"Shut up! Close your mouth and stop talking!" -Director Johnathan Frakes

[@godzillafan4033]

The Drumhead is one of my favorites. Picards speech while he is on the stand is fantastic. When Picard gets on his soapbox it is a thing of beauty.

[@dsc4178]

The Wounded was my favourite. Picard's line about "one chain link forged" is always timely.

[@chrisbullard5901]

“Identity Crisis” is the episode I most remember from Season 4, along with the follow-up, “The Nth Degree”. There were a lot of good, subtle horror touches in TNG when done right.

[@meggubravo8373]

I remember the most the one before Identity Crisis Night Terrors I remember the most mainly because of that one scene in the morgue where all the corpses sit up around Beverly Gives me chills every time

[@brettcooper3893]

It seems, even though it never occurred to me until seeing your summaries, that Season 4 had really upped the creepy-factor. Some really unnerving and creepy episodes.

[@RoboSantasRevenge]

Yes! I’m surprised Dave didn’t bring this up. The middle of the season has three episodes in a row that are pretty creepy and a little disturbing at times: “Night Terrors”, “Identity Crisis”, and “The Nth Degree”. The middle one is one of Geordi’s best episodes, with a great sci-fi mystery that unfolds, and the way Barclay ends up transforming himself into a man-machine hybrid by the end of the third one always kind of creeped me out. That episode lets the actor show some good range, too.

[@davejones9469]

"Schisms" was the one that bugged me most. Their creepy clicking noises are unsettling, and I personally have...issues with medical care and equipment. I've actually been restrained on a bed not dissimilar to the operating tables in the show. That and the experiment where they replaced a guy's blood with plastic was pretty horrific, even by Trek standards.

[@RoboSantasRevenge]

@@davejones9469 Yeah, “Schisms” is another great episode, a very memorable one for its creepy/disturbing factor.

[@GreyhawkGrognard]

"Family" is my favorite episode of TNG. It's all character, no SFX at all. Love it.

[@MrGrantNewlands]

Great Season. Picard and his brother, the Drumhead Trial both excellent. The Wounded episode with Maxwell and O'Brien has some of the best dialogue and grit of any Star Trek episode. Ps. I'd like to think Maxwell was commanding a capital ship during the Dominion war. :)

[@TedBackus]

ive been watching TNG since the early 90's when i was a teenager, My dad & i would watch every week as it aired & order pizza. sometimes i will watch it now & it brings me back every time i see it, despite 30+ years having passed since then. its funny how a show can be so important to people

[@robvegas9354]

Absolutely amazing run of episodes. They found their feet in season 3 and then turned it up to 11 on this lot. Super entertaining and must watch TV

[@eddstarr2185]

The high praise you give to Season 4, Dave, is the result of hard work, careful planning and the patience required for character building. Season 4 of The Next Generation happened when fans experience a "comfort" with everyone involved on camera, and behind the camera as well. It was all an enjoyable commonality that's rare in television. Given the current changes in TV production, and changes in the general audience as well, we may never see the likes of Star Trek: TNG S4 again, (hope I'm wrong!).

[@tenmilesky7331]

Another welcome, and very well produced, season review! Season 4 will always be one of the show's triumphs and I’ll never forget watching it week after week in its first run. As always, your recaps deserve 👍👍, though every time I end up wishing one more minute was spent on each episode.

[@SpywareEverywhere]

As a kid, my first memories of the series were season 3. That last episode with the Borg that picked up again in season 4 was all that we kids talked about all summer.

[@XKS99]

Season V has Darmok, Redemption, Unification and Ensign Ro. It is not as consistent as Season IV, but the highs are higher and it’s my favourite.

[@420Gold]

Season 4 is spectacular! The show hits its stride in season 3 and never looks back. 5, 6, and 7 just maintain the greatness!

[@twelve11]

TNG, DS9 and VOY all had phenomenal season three's. Revisit those episodes time and time again

[@MegaKnight2012]

The Borg are some of my favorites in Star Trek, in large part because it weirdly feels like some of the most accurate hacking depicted in sci-fi. When they get Locutus back on the Enterprise, Data figures out a way to use Picard's link to the Borg to mess with their system, though like most sci-fi hacking, this results in an explosion.

[@justanotherlikeyou]

Personally liked Night Terrors myself. I felt it did horror right for Star Trek. At least until Enterprise's episode of the mad Vulcans which was awesome.

[@TheLadsBandLive]

I love they took that cast photo at space JC Penny's.

[@stue2298]

Looking back we where spoiled with great TV show in the 90s. If we only had the quality of writing today with the money out into modern day shows.

[@Mrs.Grave5433]

If only.

[@famalam943]

Just imagine how much better Next Gen would have been with Ron Jones throughout

[@OrbitalHUB]

Jones also scored 'Ducktales' to great effect.

[@GrahamNificent]

Thank you for your comments about The Drumhead. Gotta rewatch that one soon.

[@Sly88Frye]

There were a lot of episodes from season 4 that I hadn't seen before until I binged TNG on Netflix years ago. I was truly amazed on that episode when Picard was on trial near the end. It totally reminded me of how things are today and honestly I mean I was only a child in the 90s and I really did not remember things being like they are now back in the 90s like at all so much like how so many Star Trek shows have found ways to unintentionally predict the future in terms of technological advances such as touchscreens and cell phones, it was like it predicted our own future and virtue signaling and politics and wrongful accusation and the guilty until proven innocent mob mentality that we sadly have nowadays

[@Jimmer93]

Peak Trek! Damn those were the days!

[@RRTNZ]

Dave, you legend ! Have to say seasons 3-5 are peak TNG. While season 3 is my favourite overall, Reunification has to be my favourite episode. Still season 4 had more than its fair share of compelling stories.

[@flyingrobotduck]

Both 4 and 5 are probably the best seasons, there are some truly great episodes in both. There are a lot of great Star Trek videos on this channel. You should consider putting them all in a Playlist to make them easier to find.

[@robboyte1101]

The Worf line for this season has to be in "Q-pid": "Captain, I protest. I am NOT a merry man!"

[@aylmer666]

Captain I protest. I am NOT a Merry Man!

[@joelellis7035]

Most meme worthy quote from Qpid: Worf - "Sir! I must protest! I am not a merry man!"

[@mikeshadez]

Love those quotes (with the first link)and (villians that twirl their mustaches are easy to spot), yep this was the best season.

[@n7565j]

I just finished this season this morning!!! How nice of you to post this today 🙂

[@ThatGuyWhoLivesinChina]

Thank you. Another excellent review. Please keep them coming.

[@TheWhiteTrashPanda]

Can we take a moment to appreciate how phenomenal an actor Brent Spiner actually is? How many people can play 3 different roles all interacting with each other on screen simultaneously, and actually keep them separate?

[@PoeCasey]

"Remember me" was the first episode I ever saw. I was hooked immediately.

[@udim7284]

CLUES!!! yes!!! one of my top 5 TNG episodes. very underrated. the twist in the end was awesome. 'YOU DID! sir...'

[@Carnage1975]

I just started watching season 4 yesterday for the tenth time. Every 6 months I rewatch the whole series of next gen and voyager. It peaked back then for sure,

[@gedias1]

The Drumhead had zero special effects. It was all story, and beautifully written.

[@hellper198]

I will definitely watch Season 4 again. Thank you.

[@rtstrong]

absolutely correct about season 4. it was definitely the apex of the series. and the banger quote by Worf, "I AM NOT A MERRY MAN!"

[@IdealX-fr4eg]

I'm glad you talked about drumhead. I watched that recently and realized he was speaking about our current climate. When she losses it and becomes unraveled I still almost felt bad for her..

[@Koryn_99]

Modern Star Trek drove me to The Orville, then The Orville season 3 drove me back to TNG.

[@infinitelybanta]

Is it bad? I only watched the first season, I liked it, but it really did just feel like a weird Star Trek mashup without the benefit of decades of existing continuity.

[@dee-taylor]

@@infinitelybanta It's mediocre with some serious cringe moments. Season 2 was far better, season 1 is better too I think.

[@correlian1155]

There are some spectacular moments in the season. My hope is that st:snw will continue to improve. .....hope, that is something I did not expect from modern st

[@indiansfaninpa]

@@infinitelybanta Season 3 of "The Orville" isn't bad, but it is different. The serious and even dark themes are quite a jarring contrast to the first two seasons, which came off as a lighthearted parody of ST:TNG. My biggest complaint about "The Orville" now is that still too often, I find myself saying, "Star Trek already did it!"

[@carlinthomas9482]

I'm really enjoying your review of the Star Trek TNG series. I hope you do more in the future. 👍

[@MLPDethDealr32]

Best parts of " The Wounded" to me are the following: "i hate what i became because of you Cardassian" Obrian singing The Minstral Boy and Maxwell's response after : Im not gonna win this one am i chief. Of course in the end i tend to think he was proven right with Cardassia rearming and joining the Dominion. I love that they follow on this later in Ds9 with the episode "Empok Nor" where we get Garak calling out Obrian as the " Hero of Cetlik III".

[@BELCAN57]

"I am NOT a Merry Man!"

[@DukeQuakem]

Sir, I protest. I am not a merry men!

[@markequinox]

Holodeck scene in ‘Schisms’ (season 6) is still terrifying to me.

[@tokenblack7983]

God damn that episode was good!!

[@tokenblack7983]

They’re trying to figure where they went for the experiments right? It’s been awhile

[@tokenblack7983]

They’re trying to figure where they went for the experiments right? It’s been awhile

[@meggubravo8373]

What about Night Terrors from this season The scene in the morgue where the corpses sit up around Beverly

[@edwardmemwah1610]

"Data's Day" and and "In Theory" are a great pair of lighthearted episodes to introduce the uninitiated to Star Trek.

[@richtea615]

It's staggering to me how the Patrick Stewart from 30 years ago compares to the one we have now. It's like he didn't learn a thing.

[@tulinfirenze1990]

Missed two of my all time favourite episodes! "Data's Day" and "Night Terrors". Shame.

[@mall3t0ftruth46]

Yesterday's Enterprise one of my favorites.

[@MrCrazyrob666]

Ah Dave..... We never saw anyone with more drive, courage and determination than Jean Luc Picard and there is no way in hell that he would "assist" the Borg. I want that clear!

[@AndrewLoukidis-jr2bp]

That was crushing when Picard breaks down with his brother

[@taopilot2669]

I like how they aired "Brothers" next after "Family". At the end of "Brothers", when Crusher tells Data that brothers forgive, you can see in Picard's eyes that he's thinking back to just seeing his brother one episode ago.

[@infinitelybanta]

The line at the end of “Future Imperfect” that Riker says to the alien child, who is a basically just a dude with a crappy rubber mask in a shiny robe, always makes me laugh. “You’ll always be Jean-Luc to me.”

[@bobbybee2975]

I think I saw every episode of that season. Never watched religiously but TNG was great and I did catch it on occasion plus I remember all these episodes based on your description. They were great.

[@barry1369]

Suddenly Human isn’t that good but the scene where he breaks down as all the memories come back to him was a really powerful scene. As someone who went through quite a lot of stuff when I was younger that really hit me

[@goneguy9442]

Whenever I revisit this show I seem to pick episodes from this season. The first two seasons has many dull episodes with irritating New Age music and esoteric touchy-feely themes. The last season had strong episodes of course but a few too many were not terrific. I’m with you in this one. Season four has many runs on the board.

[@keithtorgersen9664]

O’Brien’s dialogue with the Cardassian in 10-forward is also poignant. “It’s not you I hate, Cardassian. I hate what I became because of you.”

[@BonzoKilbourn]

A Dave Cullen sighting? Christ on a bike, I can barely believe.

[@tenmilesky7331]

Elaborate?

[@BonzoKilbourn]

@@tenmilesky7331 Dave's other channel was killed on YT cause YT didn't like what he was saying. He doesn't post as much on this one.

[@tenmilesky7331]

@@BonzoKilbourn Ohhh; wow. Thanks for the info. Not sure what we'd all do without the almighty censorship to keep us safe.

[@battleofwills7189]

Data, as Friar Tuck, being shot with a bow and arrow. Still hilarious.

[@greenarrow219]

I have been watching ST Enterprise, I really love that series. Shame it didn't continue a few more seasons and focus back on exploration.

[@neodigremo]

The part in the Wounded where Picard reams out the Cardassian Captain, saying Maxwell was right, is truly joyous to behold. It shows the Picard we all loved, willing to negotiate and do what he must but with with steel underneath. Picard has so many moments of non physical badassery and this Season is the one where they came into their own. Plus everyone got a little more rounded and a little more developed. Late TNG/DS9 is truly the Apex of Trek

[@anonygent]

I could see the clues Maxwell was laying out for Picard, so I was happy to see Picard take it seriously and not just brush it off. I wonder what would have happened to Maxwell's top officers.

[@senorpepper3405]

Night terrors was one of my favorites. I was probably 10 or so when I saw it and it was scary to me😂

[@OrbitalHUB]

I was 10 too...as they piece It together in the holodeck...those ((Clicks))

[@senorpepper3405]

@@OrbitalHUB that was schisms. Night terrors was when they happened upon a star ship where the crew was all slaughtered. Slowly the enterprise crew start hallucinating and going through what the previous crew went through, according to their logs. Only 1 guy is left alive and only troi can talk to him and he keeps saying the same thing over and over. The part I'll never forget is dr crusher makes a temporary morg in the shuttle bay and she's alone messin with her tricorder when all 20 bodies(or whatever it was) sit up. Schism was a good episode. Cuz you're like, what is goin on?

[@migueltrujillo8929]

The episode that was really loopy that made no sense to me as a kid was "Frame of Mind."

[@senorpepper3405]

@@migueltrujillo8929 that one was trippy

[@FatNorthernBigot]

TV Sci-fi doesn't get better than this. In retrospect, we were spoilt. Great idea to review the whole series. 👍

[@agronopoulus]

Totally agree with you. Season four was indeed the best with some really excellent epidodes, like family and brothers, but specially the Klingon civil war episode Redemption. Nice video! Keep it up!

[@garym6315]

Got to say, I REALLY enjoy these short appreciation videos you've been doing. I kinda drifted away from your channel, not because it was bad but because once you've heard the criticism of Star Trek Discovery, modern Doctor Who etc, then you don't need to hear it from multiple others. On the other hand, positive appreciation of the past is what fandom was all about and it is that common love that brought us together.

[@sludgeentertainment1003]

they really look good in the future for being that much older

[@jeffh3649]

Dave, KZbin doesn't wven recommend your videos on my home page any more. I didn't even realize you were still uploading.

[@rocix.1647]

Thanks Dave I really appreciate these TNG retrospectives. I'm doing a rewatch right now, sparked by your season 3 review. So many little gems that I missed. Thanks for occasionally posting on KZbin.

[@edwardmemwah1610]

The three Geordie-centric episodes from season four are my all-time favorites: "Galaxy's Child," "Identity Crisis," and "The Mind's Eye." The 'romance' of "Galaxy's Child" is so awkward and creepy. "Identity Crisis" actually scared me as a kid and I love the use of the Holodeck as an investigative tool. "The Mind's Eye" is a tight thriller and, especially when combined with "Identity Crisis," tackles the themes of violation and body horror better than "The Best of Both Worlds," IMHO.

[@lchpdmq]

Loved the show but looking back whenever it got preachy it was planting the seeds for the craziness today

[@maolsheachlannoceallaigh4772]

Always thought "Locutus" was a strangely poetic name for the Borg to come up with.

[@simonday935]

This is excellent. Thank you.

[@khyronkravshera7774]

In Clues, the ships data also said only 30 seconds had passed. It was a experiment of Dr Crusher that actually showed 24 hours had passed.

[@Illasera]

Family , an excellent episode , displays the merits of both conservatism and progression and ofcourse, family, the most important thing.

[@halley4032]

Great review, Dave. Just noticed that actor David Birkin, who played Jean Luc's young nephew in 'Family', later played a young Jean Luc in Season 6 "Rascals" 😁😁

[@Willpower-74205]

"Reunion" was one of the highlights for me. Worf's agony after losing K'Eleyr still gets me. Getting revenge against Duras is always great to watch, bat'leth sticking out of his chest and all. One of Worf's best episodes. 🖖😎👍

[@projektkobra2247]

"I Am Not Spock." -Leonard Nimoy "I Am DEFINITELY Not Picard." -Patrick Stewart

[@lighthousefilms5530]

Such great memories

[@Archie2c]

Family is my favorite Episode. Patrick nailed it.

[@ClatyonSilvey]

Another great video! You got me wanting to watch TNG again.

[@DaystromDataConcepts]

I remember with eager anticipation waiting for the next VHS tape of TNG to be released here in the UK back in the day. I'd head out to W.H Smiths and seek out the latest tape with a new pair of episodes. I'd save the new tape to Friday night after I returned from a few drinks at my local and would then lose myself in the fantastic stories that the likes of season 4 had. Oh, what fond memories of a time where TV, and Star Trek in particular, was so much better than most of the stuff we have today. This was a time when real, talented writers who understood the universe in which their stories were set as well as the characters, came up with amazing stories. Now, the writing abilities of so much out there is governed by woke politics and, of course, the writing suffers terribly. [Long sigh] i really miss the 90's. BTW, my favourite episode of all of TNG is seasons five "The Inner Light". This is a truly profound and moving story that had me thinking about what I'd seen for days afterward. All this walk down memory lane only serves to highlight the garbage that is supposedly Star Trek today. Oh, and the 90's also saw the excellent Babylon 5 too. Didn't episodic TV seem far superior back then?

[@SumDumGy]

That would be his *uncle* Renee.

[@Protonoto1]

I love the two drumhead speeches by Picard. It is so true in today's climate.

[@slade52]

I love Clues as well. Especially the scene when Picard finally puts together what has happened and exclaims "Here we are again..." The realization of his own tenacity to solve a mystery always makes me chuckle.

[@InJeffable]

I agree. Mad respect for what was done with season 3, but season 4 is my favorite too. I like the episode Clues, and The Drumhead is excellent, but Redemption is my favorite of the season. I love the political intrigue with the Klingons (also one of my favorite things about Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country). It all makes for such a fascinating personal journey for Worf and elevates his character to new heights.

[@FinanceMan]

Gotta love the witch hunts episode. Definitely applies to today

[@djb1317]

Quite interesting that the people behind Trek of today are absolutely the types Picard is referring to

[@FinanceMan]

@@djb1317 yeah :/

[@renzo2447]

Data's day is for sure my favorite episode In the whole show. The tap dancing between him and crusher was so epic

[@jameslauder3984]

The Drumhead reminds me of the January 6th committee.

[@Xpector2001]

Totally agree! But for me one of the the best episodes is : Where Silence Has Lease from season 2. I am not saying is the best ...but is in the top 10 .

[@rfletch62]

STTNG, and DS9 were at the apex of Star Trek on tv. Now, we're in the Mariana Trench with Picard and STD.

[@vintageMIDI]

Bought S3 & S4 on your recommendation. Can't wait to hear about S5 and S6!