#8 Q Who, season 2
This is a pivotal episode that changed everything for the series. After evolving the Klingons into allies, the show flailed about helplessly for a primary adervsary. The early concept of Ferengi was an unmitigated disaster. Troll-like, garden-gnomish; like children outfitted for Halloween. Cowardly whips and jumping about like nymphs in a Shakespearean play, there was no way to take them seriously as a nemesis. Q himself was only a little better. They probably could've done well with him as the enemy for a while, but at this point he was mostly comical and far too charming. Instead they use him as a catalyst for this adventure and end up not only validating Q as a powerful, formidable character, but they hit upon the turning point that, I think, saved the entire TNG project.
It broke the budget for the second season, but it paid out like a slot machine. Who could fail to be intrigued by a cyborg similar to a Terminator coming aboard the Enterprise, not to attack, but to start downloading all of their data banks as reconnaissance?... in your face reconnaissance that required no sneaking or guile. Their emotionless behavior is mesmerizing. This is the fear they wanted to strike into people's hearts from the beginning with the Ferengi, but they were still thinking along the line of TOS... aggressive war-like races. I'm not sure which writer(s) hit on a cold, machine intelligence as the best way to go, but he, she, or they nailed it. It actually fit in perfectly with the dawning of the computer age here in real life. Out-gunned, the Enterprise runs. And they can't outrun for long either. One of the most intense scenes ever is when they zoom in on the Borg Cube repairing it's damage while it's quickly catching up to them. I think this is another influence of Star Trek II. This is a no-win situation and there really is no doubt about it. They're obviously outmatched and would most certainly be toast quickly and mercilessly. I think this influence is part of what makes this such a great episode. The hopelessness is palpable.
The Borg then evolved over the series which kept it interesting and fun to watch. This is a huge episode and worthy of being in any Top 10 list.
I also have 10 honorable mentions to match my top ten favorites, so I'll throw one in every day that I post a top ten episode. These aren't ranked.
Relics, season 6
Not in my favorites because transporter science is always lovably dubious and the Dyson Sphere was as well. But I love the warm, fuzzy nostalgia with one of the best Star Trek characters ever created. Scotty is still 100% Scotty with Doohan playing him the same way he did throughout TOS and the movies... with that air of melodrama that was so distasteful in the first two seasons of TNG, but perfectly normal when exhibited by anyone from the original cast. Trapped in a transporter to escape a disaster, the crew finds him and releases him. He is bewildered to discover that 75 years have passed. The disparity of years and fifth-wheel dejection he feels is relatable. But he gets to prove himself again as a miracle worker and they couldn't have found a better way to work in the bridge of the original Enterprise on the holodeck.
Of all the transitioning mechanisms between TOS and TNG, this one, after six seasons,was the smoothest. I've made the comparison a lot on how TOS was much more simplistic/immature and it's in this episode that my view is supported. You can see the difference in the attitude of the two different shows. The personality of Scotty represents the playfulness of TOS and how it belonged to a time when stories could be played out like games. Geordi's personality was more serious and represented the way the stories had matured and how the stakes of the games had risen. And it was the most effective passing of the torch between the two if you ask me. McCoy in the first episode was sentimental. The movie, Star Trek Generations, was a nice gesture. But this episode featuring the two engineers of the Enterprises was the best bridge between what was and what was to be.
It was a wonderful send off to the character of Montgomery Scott. So much love for this episode!
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