The Next Generation Is The Most Star Trek-Worthy Show, But Only If You Follow One Rule

Star Trek: The Next Generation It's the perfect binge-watch, but not all seasons are created equal. With his series debut in 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced the world to an all-new Enterprise crew led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Long before binge-worthy television became the norm, TNG It was one of the most watched television programs of its time. Throughout TNG's For seven seasons, the crew members of the USS Enterprise-D became as beloved as Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew.

The modern television landscape is significantly different than it was in the 1980s and 1990s, with much more emphasis on serialized storytelling. Star Trek: The Next Generation told mainly episodic stories, restoring the status quo at the end of almost every episode. Despite this, the show lends itself to binge-watching thanks to one main element – ​​the characters. From Lieutenant Commander Data's (Brent Spiner) quest to be human to Q's (John de Lancie) frequent visits to the Enterprise, many of the TNG's the characters had storylines that spanned all seven seasons of the series.

The Next Generation Is the Best Star Trek Show to Binge-Watch

TNG has some of Star Trek's most beloved and celebrated episodes

While Star Trek modern shows on Paramount+ can tell more serialized stories than Star Trek: The Next Generation, they still release their episodes weekly. This allows fans to speculate and theorize between episodes and build anticipation for each week's new story. TNG originally followed this model, but can now be enjoyed in one sitting. binge eating TNG allows viewers to see the small ways characters grow throughout the series and the ways in which some later stories reflect earlier ones. Plus, modern viewers don't have to wait months after the season finale to see the conclusion.

With unique stories, strong performances and Star Trek characteristic optimism, Star Trek: The Next Generation is the perfect show to binge-watch at the start of a new year. Iconic episodes like "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "The Best of Both Worlds" remain some of the Star Trek best hours, but Captain Picard and his Enterprise crew make up for it TNG's more mediocre appealing episodes. Yet, TNG It struggled to find its footing in the first two seasons, as writers came and went with surprising regularity and characters weren't yet fully established.

Star Trek: The Next Generation is only worth it if you start with season three

Aside from a few early episodes, Season 3 is when TNG becomes great

Although there are a few episodes throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation Seasons 1 and 2 are worth watching, the truly binge-worthy television doesn't begin until the third season. At this point in the show, TNG had mostly found its balance and consistently delivered solid episodes with strong stories. All of the main characters have been established and found their places on the crew of the Enterprise-D. From Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) as Chief Medical Officer to Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) as Chief Engineer, TNG season three makes the best use of its Enterprise crew.

Not only did TNG's The writers and producers have a better understanding of what they wanted the show to be in season three, but the actors also had a better understanding of their characters. With the characters and their dynamics established, TNG I had more freedom to play with genres and different types of narrative. While TNG It wasn't perfect from Seasons 3 to 7, but it ended up delivering some of the best sci-fi television of all time. With its cast of incredibly compelling characters and captivating stories, Star Trek: The Next Generation remains perfect for modern binge-watching.