Star Trek The Next Generation: Every Season One Episode Ranked From Worst To Best

This is episode marks the true birth point for the character of Q, as he is already a bit removed from the rather mean spirited individual introduced in Encounter at Farpoint. Here, the focus moves from Picard to Riker.

Everyone gets something to do in this episode, raising the quality overall. Jonathan Frakes gets to show off a little more range here, expressing his frustration with being given the powers of the Q but being unable to use them. Levar Burton gets to act without his visor, marking one of only two times he is see with his natural eyes in the series' run.

John de Lancie returns as Q, ever the mischief maker, though in this interpretation the Q Continuum seem to have a far more active interest in events. He is tasked with tempting the crew and when he fails, he is recalled while crying for a second chance. It is a far cry from the Q that would come to flout the rules of later appearances.

The episode mostly stands up to rewatch, despite Roddenberry's disappointment with Maurice Hurley's contribution to the script. He rewrote it to such an extent that Murley requested his name be removed from the final episode, insisting a pseudonym be used instead. By all accounts, the Next Generation's first year was an interesting place to work!