Star Trek: EVERY Season Ranked Worst To Best

The second year of the Next Generation suffered from some issues that affected its overall quality. The writers strike hit, meaning that not all of the scripts could be finished in time and some had to be recycled. The season opener, The Child, was a recycled plot from the abandoned Star Trek: Phase II project.

However, with the exception of episodes like The Child and the hastily thrown together Shades of Grey, the season holds up well. The Measure of a Man remains one of the finest hours of Patrick Stewart that Star Trek had to offer and Q, Who? gave us the Borg.

Season Two also introduced Dr. Pulaski. She was brought in after Gates McFadden was fired after the end of season one. While Pulaski was an interesting character, she was let down by the writing for the season, never truly allowing audiences to warm to her. Also, Diana Muldaur never really clicked with the rest of the cast. When the season ended and producer Maurice Hurley left, she quit.

A far more successful addition to the cast was that of Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan. She was a true movie star at the time and she requested a part be written for her, which producers initially thought was a joke. She managed to have her friend LeVar Burton, which whom she had worked on Roots, relay the message to them that she was serious.

With the fact that Guinan has been confirmed to be returning for Picard's second season, let that be a testament to how beloved this character became.