Star Trek The Next Generation: Every Season Ranked

The Next Generation has the distinction of having the best finale in the Trek franchise to date. The final season of the show took its time in rounding out the stories of the main characters and there were missteps along the way.

Episodes like Sub Rosa, Emergence, Bloodlines and Interface do not show the series at its best, yet Dark Page, Parallels, The Pegasus, Lower Decks, Preemptive Strike and All Good Things all fall in the one season, blowing away any doubt over the quality of the show at that stage.

Here was a year that detailed endings. Troi and her mother finally become as close as they have ever been. Secondary crew members become heroes. Reality bending journeys take Worf into other universes and the wonderful Ro Laren depicts the true conflict that those officers of peace in the Galaxy must feel when they are duty-bound to turn a blind eye to suffering.

However, the show's finale is the pinnacle of the season and very nearly of the series altogether. This was a loving tribute to the show, using time travel to bring back old characters and visit future events. While Star Trek Picard has acknowledged (and undone) some of what was offered here, there are few shots in the Next Generation which can rival the final card game, played by the bridge crew for the last time as the Enterprise flies off into the unknown.

A wonderful ending for a wonderful series.