The BEST episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1

Every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1!

A century after Captain Kirk's five year mission, the next generation of Starfleet officers begins their journey aboard the new flagship of the Federation. Commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard the Galaxy class starship Enterprise NCC-1701-D will seek out new life and new civilizations - to boldly go where no one has gone before.

Last Updated: 9/16/2026Network: SyndicationStatus: Ended
Encounter at Farpoint (2)
star
8.01
616 votes

#1 - Encounter at Farpoint (2)

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 9/28/1987

Directors: Corey Allen
Watch Now:Apple TV
Encounter at Farpoint (1)
star
7.75
2657 votes

#2 - Encounter at Farpoint (1)

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 9/28/1987

Stardate: 41153.7 The new captain of the recently built U.S.S. Enterprise-D, Captain Jean Luc Picard, takes the crew on their first mission: to discover the secret of Farpoint Station. During their journey, they encounter an omnipotent being known as Q, who accuses humanity of barbarism, and places them on trial. Jean-Luc must prove otherwise, or the human race will be annihilated.

Directors: Corey Allen
Watch Now:Apple TV
Where No One Has Gone Before
star
7.72
1766 votes

#3 - Where No One Has Gone Before

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/26/1987

Stardate: 41263.1 The Enterprise is flung across space into a distant galaxy billions of light years away when a propulsion engineer, and his mysterious companion, attempt to re-design the ship's engine systems.

Directors: Ron Bowman
Watch Now:Apple TV
Hide and Q
star
7.58
1543 votes

#4 - Hide and Q

Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/23/1987

Stardate: 41590.5 Q places the senior crew of the Enterprise in a war game that pits them against a boar-faced, Napoleonic enemy.

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Datalore
star
7.52
1516 votes

#5 - Datalore

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 1/18/1988

Stardate: 41242.4 The crew of the Enterprise find android parts that are identical to Data's while they are exploring his homeworld. When assembled, an 'evil' twin of Data is created and named 'Lore'.

11001001
star
7.38
1511 votes

#6 - 11001001

Season 1 - Episode 15 - Aired 2/1/1988

Stardate: 41365.9 While undergoing repairs, the Bynar Engineers steal the Enterprise to save their planet from destruction.

Directors: Paul Lynch
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Battle
star
7.37
1538 votes

#7 - The Battle

Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/16/1987

Stardate: 41723.9 The Ferengi hand over an old ship which Picard once captained: the U.S.S. Stargazer. However, a mind altering device that has been planted on board alters Picard's mind to make him think that he is reliving a past battle, and the target is the Enterprise.

Watch Now:Apple TV
Conspiracy
star
7.34
1676 votes

#8 - Conspiracy

Season 1 - Episode 25 - Aired 5/9/1988

Stardate: 41775.5 The strange behavior of high-ranking officers leads Picard to uncover a twisted alien conspiracy within Starfleet.

Directors: Cliff Bole
Writer: Tracy Torme
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Arsenal of Freedom
star
7.32
1577 votes

#9 - The Arsenal of Freedom

Season 1 - Episode 21 - Aired 4/11/1988

Stardate: 41798.2 The crew encounters bizarre phenomena while searching for the missing U.S.S. Drake.

Lonely Among Us
star
7.25
1547 votes

#10 - Lonely Among Us

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 11/2/1987

Stardate: 41249.3 Picard's mind is taken over by an energy field that the Enterprise passes through.

Directors: Cliff Bole
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Neutral Zone
star
7.24
1763 votes

#11 - The Neutral Zone

Season 1 - Episode 26 - Aired 5/16/1988

Stardate: 41986.0 A derelict satellite is found with cryonically frozen humans aboard as the USS Enterprise is sent to investigate the destruction of outposts near Romulan space.

Directors: James L. Conway
Coming of Age
star
7.19
1578 votes

#12 - Coming of Age

Season 1 - Episode 19 - Aired 3/14/1988

Stardate: 41416.2 While Wesley takes the entrance exam to Starfleet Academy, the Enterprise is investigated by the Inspector General's office and Picard's competency is questioned.

Directors: Mike Vejar
Writer: Sandy Fries
Justice
star
7.18
1335 votes

#13 - Justice

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 11/9/1987

Stardate: 41255.6 Picard is forced to choose between friendship and the Prime Directive when Wesley Crusher is sentenced to death for accidentally breaking the law on Rubicon III.

Directors: James L. Conway
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Big Goodbye
star
7.16
1449 votes

#14 - The Big Goodbye

Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired 1/11/1988

Stardate: 41997.7 Picard, Dr. Crusher and Data are placed in great danger when the holodeck malfunctions while they are running a Dixon Hill program, which pits them against 1940's mobsters.

Writer: Tracy Torme
Symbiosis
star
7.14
1579 votes

#15 - Symbiosis

Season 1 - Episode 22 - Aired 4/18/1988

Stardate: Unknown Picard attempts to break an ancient co-dependency between two species on one planet without violating the Prime Directive.

Directors: Win Phelps
Watch Now:Apple TV
The Naked Now
star
7.14
2183 votes

#16 - The Naked Now

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 10/5/1987

Stardate: 41209.2 The crew of the Enterprise are infected with a virus they contracted while examining the mysterious deaths of the entire crew onboard the Starship Tsilkovsky.

The Last Outpost
star
7.13
1787 votes

#17 - The Last Outpost

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/19/1987

Stardate: 41386.4 A powerful entity disables the Enterprise and a Ferengi ship. Their only means of escape is if they can correctly answer the riddles he asks.

Home Soil
star
7.09
1456 votes

#18 - Home Soil

Season 1 - Episode 18 - Aired 2/22/1988

Stardate: 41463.9 The members of an away team investigating the death of an engineer encounter vengeful microscopic life forms.

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When the Bough Breaks
star
7.02
1445 votes

#19 - When the Bough Breaks

Season 1 - Episode 17 - Aired 2/15/1988

Stardate: 41509.1 The children of the Enterprise, including Wesley Crusher, are abducted by a race of sterile people who are unable to have children of their own.

Directors: Kim Manners
Too Short a Season
star
6.96
1390 votes

#20 - Too Short a Season

Season 1 - Episode 16 - Aired 2/8/1988

Stardate: 41309.5 The aging and terminally ill Starfleet Admiral Mark Jameson, who is negotiating the release of hostages, suddenly begins growing younger through an unexplained phenomenon.

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Code of Honor
star
6.96
1648 votes

#21 - Code of Honor

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/12/1987

Stardate: 41235.25 Tasha Yar must fight for her life, and a vaccine, to save a race of people when she is kidnapped and forced to battle with her abductor's wife.

Directors: Russ Mayberry
Heart of Glory
star
6.94
1174 votes

#22 - Heart of Glory

Season 1 - Episode 20 - Aired 3/21/1988

Stardate: 41503.7 Two Klingons, rescued by the Enterprise, try to take over the ship.

We'll Always Have Paris
star
6.92
1463 votes

#23 - We'll Always Have Paris

Season 1 - Episode 24 - Aired 5/2/1988

Stardate: 41697.9 Picard meets an old flame, whose husband has created a haywire dimensional experiment.

Directors: Robert Becker
Angel One
star
6.81
1483 votes

#24 - Angel One

Season 1 - Episode 14 - Aired 1/25/1988

Stardate: 41636.9 The Enterprise discovers the male crew of a crashed Federation freighter are hiding as fugitives on the planet Angel One, which is dominated and ruled by women.

Directors: Michael Rhodes
Watch Now:Apple TV
Haven
star
6.80
1308 votes

#25 - Haven

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/30/1987

Stardate: 41294.6 Lwaxana pays a surprise visit to the Enterprise and announces the pre-arranged marriage of Deanna to the son of her late husband's best friend.

Writer: Tracy Torme
Watch Now:Apple TV