Star Trek The Next Generation: Every Season Ranked

2. Season 3

Star Trek The Next Generation Data Lal
CBS

This is the year where things really started to take off for the Next Generation. The uniforms were updated and the writing staff changed over, with both Michael Pillar and Ronald D. Moore joinging. Maurice Hurley left the show along with Diana Muldaur, leaving the door open for Gate McFadden to return.

The episodes took on a more emotional drive, with Sins of the Father, The Offspring and Sarek displaying this best. Characters like Kurn and Barclay were both introduced and Tasha Yar returned in the series' highlight Yesterday's Enterprise.

The end of the third season also saw not only the first cliffhanger in Star Trek history but the assimilation of Captain Picard by the Borg. While today this is simply part of Trek lore, this was a monumental step at the time. For all intents and purposes, they killed Picard and the show went off the air for months, leaving audiences crying out for more. Season three gave us The Enemy and The Defector, furthering and heightening the Romulan threat throughout the year.

This was the year when the Next Generation came into its own. From year three on, it was already snapping at the heels of the Original Series as the stronger of the two iterations. Episodes such as The Offspring displayed to audiences just how much they had really come to care for the crew and The High Ground showed that the show was bold enough to deal with controversy head on. The Next Generation had landed and it was here to stay.

Contributor
Contributor

Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"