Episode:107
Lonely Among Us

Jack's Rating:

An alien entity possesses Dr. Crusher, Worf, and Picard while the Enterprise is transporting delegates from two feuding planets.

Features:
Stardate: 41249.3
Air Date: 11/02/87
Director: Cliff Bole

Jack's Review
This one feels like a classic Trek story. Data doing his Sherlock Holmes is a blast.

Episode:110
Hide and Q

Jack's Rating:

Q returns to the Enterprise to tempt Commander Riker into joining the Q Continuum with the lure of Q's powers.

Features: The Q Entity
Stardate: 41590.5
Air Date: 11/23/87
Director: Cliff Bole

Jack's Review
Totally a killer episode! This one shows off Jonathan Frakes' acting skills very well. Who wouldn't be tempted to use that much power if we were given it?

Episode:125
Conspiracy

Jack's Rating:

The strange behavior of high-ranking officers, which earlier prompted the investigation of the crew (in "Coming of Age"),?leads Picard to uncover a conspiracy within Starfleet.

Features:
Stardate: 41775.5
Air Date: 05/09/88
Director: Cliff Bole

Jack's Review
You know, I never was a fan of the uber-conspiracy stories....but wow this one works! It's creepy and strange from start to finish....and that effect...you know the one I mean....I remember watching this one in college and my friends and I all looked at each other with our mouths hanging open. The only thing I dislike about it....they never came back to this storyline again.

Episode:212
The Royale

Jack's Rating:

Riker, Worf, and Data investigate a structure on an icy gas giant. Inside, they find a casino reconstructed from a bad Earth novel.

Features:
Stardate: 42625.4
Air Date: 03/27/89
Director: Cliff Bole

Jack's Review
The Royale has the the charm of a classic original series episode. It's downright silly at times but so much fun. The light-hearted premise makes it easy to watch and fun to rewatch. Over the years this one has become one of my go-to episodes.

Episode:220
The Emissary

Jack's Rating:

Worf's former lover comes aboard Enterprise to help deal with a cryogenically frozen Klingon crew from 70 years in the past.

Features: The Klingons
Stardate: 42901.3
Air Date: 06/29/89
Director: Cliff Bole

Jack's Review
Ah, Susie Plakson. How much different the show would have been has they let K'Ehleyr stay on board. This episode is another well above average season two outing.

Episode:302
The Ensigns of Command

Jack's Rating:

Data must persuade a stubborn colony to evacuate their homeland under threat of a powerful and mysterious race.

Features:
Stardate: 43133.3
Air Date: 10/02/89
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:311
The Hunted

Jack's Rating:

A genetically modified soldier reveals the social problems of a world hoping to join the Federation.

Features:
Stardate: 43489.2
Air Date: 01/08/90
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:314
A Matter of Perspective

Jack's Rating:

Riker is accused of murder, and the holodeck is used to reconstruct the events from different perspectives.

Features: The Holodeck
Stardate: 43610.4
Air Date: 02/12/90
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:321
Hollow Pursuits

Jack's Rating:

Lt. Barclay's use of the holodeck as an escape interferes with his duties. Meanwhile, the Enterprise suffers from mysterious and random malfunctions.

Features: The Holodeck
Stardate: 43807.4
Air Date: 04/30/90
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:326
The Best of Both Worlds (Part I)

Jack's Rating:

Picard is kidnapped by the Borg, who begin their invasion of Federation space.

Features: The Borg
Stardate: 43989.1
Air Date: 06/18/90
Director: Cliff Bole

Jack's Review
One of, if not the, most iconic Star Trek episodes in the entire franchise. This one moves The Borg to the top villan in the show while also starting the cliffhanger series endings we get each following season. I typically don't list this as a favorite but after several viewings it has moved into my must-watch episodes.

Episode:401
The Best of Both Worlds (Part II)

Jack's Rating:

Picard is rescued from the Borg as the Enterprise races to save Earth. A great number of Starfleet ships are destroyed by the lone Borg ship, although an away team finally rescues Picard. Data interfaces with the half-Borg Picard and finds a way to shut down the Borg ship.

Features: The Borg
Stardate: 44001.4
Air Date: 09/24/90
Director: Cliff Bole

Jack's Review
A masterful ending to a great story. The full circle aspect is terrific and after watching several times you'll realize this is a Riker story more than the Borg or Picard. We see Riker questioning his place and his motivation, become Captain and then end up right where he belongs by the end.

Episode:405
Remember Me

Jack's Rating:

After an apparent failure of a warp-field experiment, people begin to disappear from the Enterprise with only Dr. Crusher remembering they ever existed.

Features:
Stardate: 44161.2
Air Date: 10/22/90
Director: Cliff Bole

Jack's Review
This one is just terrific fun. A great mystery in the finest Trek fashion that works into a wonderful twist. Gates McFadden is even better than usual in this one as well. I remember seeing this one when it first aired and it stuck with me for years. On my first complete binge-watch of the series, I waited patiently to see this one again and I was not disappointed. While it didn't make my top 10 TNG episodes, I can tell you it was a close call.

Episode:415
First Contact

Jack's Rating:

Riker is hospitalized during a botched pre-first contact mission. Xenophobia results in increasing hostility toward his presence.

Features:
Stardate: Unknown
Air Date: 02/18/91
Director: Cliff Bole

Jack's Review
An excellent episode specifically because of Caroline Seymour. Her wide eyed wonder as the lead warp scientist is terrific.

Episode:420
Qpid

Jack's Rating:

Q returns to test Picard's love for an old flame.

Features: The Q Entity
Stardate: 44741.9
Air Date: 04/22/91
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:426
Redemption (Part I)

Jack's Rating:

Worf leaves the Enterprise to fight on behalf of Gowron in a Klingon civil war.

Features: The Klingons The Romulans
Stardate: 44995.3
Air Date: 06/17/91
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:504
Silicon Avatar

Jack's Rating:

The crew, with the help of a scientist whose son lived on Data's home world, attempt to communicate with the Crystalline Entity.

Features:
Stardate: 45122.3
Air Date: 10/14/91
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:508
Unification (Part II)

Jack's Rating:

Spock attempts to unify the Vulcans and Romulans in peace, but falls into a Romulan trap.

Features: The Romulans
Stardate: 45245.8
Air Date: 11/11/91
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:521
The Perfect Mate

Jack's Rating:

Picard forces himself to resist the charms of a female empathic metamorph, who is sent to marry an alien leader as a peace offering.

Features: The Ferengi
Stardate: 45761.3
Air Date: 04/27/92
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:602
Realm of Fear

Jack's Rating:

Barclay must overcome his fear of the transporter to solve a mystery.

Features:
Stardate: 46041.1
Air Date: 09/28/92
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:613
Aquiel

Jack's Rating:

Geordi falls for an alien Starfleet officer who is suspected of murder.

Features: The Klingons
Stardate: 46461.3
Air Date: 02/01/93
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:618
Starship Mine

Jack's Rating:

Thieves attempt to steal trilithium from Enterprise during a Baryon sweep at the Remmler Array, and the lone Enterprise crewman onboard must thwart them.

Features:
Stardate: 46682.4
Air Date: 03/29/93
Director: Cliff Bole

Jack's Review
A terrific episode that turns into a rather hilarious "die hard in space" romp. The acting by Brent Spiner in this one is a blast. Just plain fun from start to finish.

Episode:622
Suspicions

Jack's Rating:

Dr. Crusher risks her career to solve the murder of Ferengi scientist Dr. Reyga and vindicate his research.

Features: The Klingons The Ferengi
Stardate: 46830.1
Air Date: 05/10/93
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:702
Liaisons

Jack's Rating:

Worf and Troi reluctantly play host to two Lyraan ambassadors, while Picard crashes in a shuttle with another Lyraan. He is rescued by a human female who exhibits strange behavior.

Features:
Stardate: Unknown
Air Date: 09/27/93
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:718
Eye of the Beholder

Jack's Rating:

Deanna investigates the suicide of a crewman and uncovers a murder that took place during construction of the Enterprise.

Features:
Stardate: 47622.1
Air Date: 02/28/94
Director: Cliff Bole

Episode:723
Emergence

Jack's Rating:

The Enterprise becomes an emergent intelligence.

Features: The Holodeck
Stardate: 47869.2
Air Date: 05/09/94
Director: Cliff Bole