Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) anchored every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but some episodes provided him with more of a spotlight. Over the course of TNG’s seven seasons, Picard, the Captain of the USS Enterprise-D, made a name for himself as a diplomatic leader who tried to solve problems with words before resorting to violence. Although he had a very different command style than Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek: The Original Series, Picard proved to be a worthy successor as Captain of the Enterprise.
While some episodes of TNG feature Picard more than others, Patrick Stewart never fails to deliver a captivating performance. Whether he’s commanding the Enterprise during a battle or negotiating for peace between alien species, Captain Picard almost always seems to know what to do. And if Jean-Luc is unsure know how to proceed, he will replicate a cup of hot Earl Grey tea and figure out a solution. Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard has become ingrained not only in Star Trek history, but in pop culture in general, and here are 10 of his best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
10 The Battle (TNG Season 1, Episode 9)
Although the first season of TNG is generally regarded as its weakest, there are a few bright spots throughout the season. In “The Battle,” a Ferengi vessel contacts the Enterprise and offers Captain Picard the “gift” of his former ship, the now derelict USS Stargazer. Throughout the episode, Picard experiences headaches and hallucinations, eventually believing himself to be back on the Stargazer during a battle with the Ferengi. While the Ferengi still don’t quite work as believable antagonists, “The Battle” offers insight into Picard’s life before he became captain of the Enterprise and Patrick Stewart delivers an engaging performance.
9 Starship Mine (TNG Season 6, Episode 18)
The TNG season 6 episode “Starship Mine” is basically Die Hard in space with Captain Picard in the position of John McClane. When the Enterprise is evacuated for scheduled maintenance, a group of thieves disguised as workers attempt to steal trilithium from the ship’s warp core. Picard winds up facing the thieves alone, playing a game of cat and mouse throughout the ship. Over the course of the episode, Picard makes use of various weapons, including Lt. Worf’s (Michael Dorn) crossbow, creates traps to take out the thieves, and crawls through numerous Jefferies tubes. “Starship Mine” is simply a fun episode of Star Trek that gives Picard a chance to play the action hero and Stewart rises admirably to the occasion
8 The Drumhead (TNG Season 4, Episode 21)
After a suspicious explosion goes off on the Enterprise, Starfleet Command sends retired Admiral Norah Satie (Jean Simmons) to investigate the supposed sabotage. Eventually, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) discover that the explosion was simply an accident. But Admiral Satie has already found one Romulan collaborator among the Enterprise crew and she continues her witch hunt. Satie questions the loyalties of Captain Picard because of his time as Locutus of Borg, and Picard gives one of his best speeches about the dangers of fanaticism and paranoia. And man, can Patrick Stewart deliver a speech.
7 Tapestry (TNG Season 6, Episode 15)
When Captain Picard apparently dies after being shot by a terrorist, he wakes up in a strange, all-white realm where Q (John de Lancie) waits for him. Picard expresses regret about his past actions and Q gives him the opportunity to go back in time and change them. Picard arrives in the new, alternate future to find that he never made it beyond the rank of junior lieutenant. Picard realizes that the near-death experience from his youth had a profound effect on the way he lived his life, and he asks Q to return him to his original timeline. Magic always happens when Picard and Q share a scene, and Stewart and de Lancie’s performances make “Tapestry” one of TNG’s finest hours.
6 Chain of Command (TNG Season 6, Episodes 10 & 11)
In one of Star Trek’s darkest storylines, Captain Picard is captured by the Cardassians while on an undercover mission. The second hour of “Chain of Command” finds Picard at the mercy of the Cardassians and subject to various forms of torture and intense interrogation. It’s rare to see Captain Picard shaken and this episode nearly breaks him. Stewart’s performance really sells Picard’s torment, making “Chain of Command, Part 2” a particularly difficult episode to watch. The late David Warner also turns in a sinister performance as Picard’s Cardassian tormentor, Gul Madred. Ultimately, the story demonstrates Picard’s strength and his loyalty to Starfleet and his crew.
5 Darmok (TNG Season 5, Episode 2)
“Darmok” puts Captain Picard in a particularly tricky position as he cannot rely on his skills with words or the competence of his crew to find a way out of his situation. When the Enterprise makes contact with a Tamarian ship, they find themselves unable to communicate with the mysterious alien species. The captain of the Tamarian ship, named Dathon (Paul Winfield), beams himself and Picard to a nearby planet where Picard eventually realizes that Dathon is not his enemy. Though the episode ends with Dathon’s tragic death at the hands of a creature on the planet, “Darmok” is one of Picard’s finest hours as he relies on his patience and intelligence to understand the Tamarian’s way of speaking.
4 The Best of Both Worlds (TNG Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1)
“The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1” ended TNG season 3 on an iconic cliffhanger that remains one of the best television cliffhangers of all time. In TNG’s third season, the show had finally found its footing and begun producing some truly fantastic science fiction television. Patrick Stewart delivers a great performance, as usual, and since Stewart’s contract was up at the end of TNG season 3, fans genuinely did not know if Picard would make it out of that Borg Cube. Picard’s transformation into Locutus of Borg not only made for a memorable visual, but also had a major impact on Picard as a character. The repercussions of Picard’s assimilation would be felt in Star Trek: First Contact and continue through Star Trek: Picard season 3.
3 All Good Things… (TNG Season 7, Episode 25)
In the feature-length finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Jean-Luc Picard finds himself jumping through time to three different periods of his life – past, present, and future. Picard reunites with Q, who reveals that the trial for humanity that began in “Encounter at Farpoint” never really ended and that Picard is being tested again. Throughout the series, Q has grown rather fond of Picard, so he helps him solve this particular puzzle by sending Picard through time. In the end, Picard passes Q’s test and returns to the present where he sits down with his crew for a game of poker for the first time. “All Good Things…” serves as a wonderful conclusion to TNG, bringing the entire story full circle with another appearance of Q and his courtroom.
2 Family (TNG Season 4, Episode 2)
Set immediately after the events of “The Best of Both Worlds,” “Family” is one of the few episodes of TNG that follows up on a previous episode. After Picard’s encounter with the Borg, he travels to his family’s vineyard in Le Barre, France. As Jean-Luc reconnects with his older brother, Robert (Jeremy Kemp), he struggles to come to terms with his time as Locutus. Captain Picard always keeps his emotions locked up tight, so it’s jarring to see him break down. “Family” is a quieter episode of Star Trek, with no space battles or galaxy-threatening conflicts, and it helps to ground the character of Picard. Patrick Stewart is a true tour-de-force in this episode, brilliantly capturing Picard’s complicated feelings of guilt and fear after his assimilation.
1 The Inner Light (TNG Season 5, Episode 25)
“The Inner Light” is widely regarded as one of Star Trek’s best episodes in what is perhaps TNG’s best season. Patrick Stewart delivers a standout performance as Picard experiences an entire second lifetime in a matter of minutes. Picard lives a life as Kamin, with a wife and children, eventually discovering that his experience is the result of a probe that was sent out a millennia ago by the people of the planet Kataan. When the people of Kataan realized that their sun was going to go nova and render their planet uninhabitable, they placed their memories within a probe to preserve their species.
After Picard wakes up back on the Enterprise, the crew brings the probe aboard to find a flute inside that Kamin often played. “The Inner Light” ends with the now iconic scene of Captain Picard playing a song he learned as Kamin. This episode is truly heartbreaking in the best possible way and allows Patrick Stewart to play a very different version of Picard. “The Inner Light” remains a shining example not only of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but of the vital, human stories at which Star Trek excels.
