12 Most Beloved Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes

When Picard denies Q’s request to join the crew as a guide, Q transports the Enterprise to the edge of the galaxy where they come into contact with an implacable race of cybernetic beings.

This is the first appearance of the famous Borg and they are an immediate standout. They communicate with terse directives not wasting any effort on useless words. Their ship is a unique square industrial design revealing that they are a race with zero regard for aesthetics and who simply focus on functionality. Most importantly, they're terrifying because they can’t be reasoned with and attack with the single-minded objective of assimilating other species into their own collective.

For the first time in the entire series, we get a sense that the Enterprise is outmatched and helpless. The performances convey a sense of genuine fear we have never seen from the characters before. Every single attempt they make to outrun or fight the Borg is futile. The action scenes have a relentless tension as the Borg slowly but surely gain ground, proving retreat is futile.

Amidst all this mayhem, Q continually mocks Picard and the crew for how helpless they are until Picard is begging him for help. It's Q at his most unnerving and John De Lancie hits just the right notes of malevolence and glee at proving how weak, clueless, and insignificant Picard and the Enterprise are.

Overall, Q Who is a jolt to the senses efficiently introducing an iconic race that would eventually become the premiere nemesis of the Federation.