Kyle Minor

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I dig time travel and alternate universe stories, and TNG had some greats...

Time Squared - Season 2
Trek has done a ton of time travel stories, but this I think was the first
TNG story. A shuttle with a dying Picard shows up outside the ship... but
Picard is right there! Turns out he's from 6 hours in the future, and the
crew has to figure out what sent him there and destroyed the ship before
time catches up with them.

Remember Me - Season 4
I always loved the Beverly Crusher eps, especially after she stopped looking
like a clown with PMS in that first season. This one has her trapped in a
world where people keep disappearing, and the only one who can save her is
her then-disarmingly adorable son, Wesley. Awwww.

Future Imperfect - Season 4
Sort of a time-travel episode, where Riker gets zapped, and wakes up in Sick
Bay to find 16 years have passed and he is Captain of the Enterprise. A
really twisty turny ride where you never know what to expect... which is a
hallmark of the episodes that Frakes directs. Plus we get a peek at the
future look of Starfleet communicator badges!

Clues - Season 4
The whole crew gets zapped and are out for 30 seconds. But why is Data
covering up the fact that they were out for a much longer time? A great
mystery that keeps you wondering up until the very end. A great episode for
first time Trek watchers!

Cause and Effect - Season 5
Any episode that begins with the ship being blown to bits has my vote! When
the ship is whole again after the first commercial break, you realize
something is up... guess what? Time Travel! A neat neat story, and the
solution they come up with is equally cool. And look! Kelsey Grammer as a
Kirk-era captain!

Time's Arrow, Parts 1 & 2 - Season 5-6
Time Travel! Yay! Guinan and Data's head in 19th Century San Francisco!
Yay! And a very very logical reason for Picard to finally go on an away
mission. Yaaaaay! Definitely a favorite.

Timescape - Season 6
More time stuff... and a mystery to solve to boot! Picard, Data and Troi
return to the ship in a runabout, only to discover the Enterprise exploding
and a Romulan Warbird firing... all frozen in time. What the?

Parallels - Season 7
What's the next best thing to time travel? Why, alternate universes of
course! Seeing all the alternate versions of the crew and whatnot was great
fun, and trying to figure out what the hell was going on was even better.
One of the greats!

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Mysteries that we as viewers have to puzzle out get me pretty excited, too.
Moody, spooky episodes that keep you on the edge of your seat...

Conspiracy - Season 1
Absolutely the coolest ep of the first season, Riker and the gang discover a
race of little crab/hellgrammite type aliens have taken over Starfleet
command. In the absolutely grossest gross-out moments of grossness, Riker
almost has to eat the crunchy bug things the aliens make their host bodies
eat, but he phasers the Starfleet Admiral who is host to the Mother
creature, and his body explodes with mucous and alien parts and human parts.
Blech! Cool!

Data's Day - Season 4
I love slice-of-lifers and this one is classically written. Data has to
convince Miles and Keiko to get married. Plus a Romulan murder mystery and
Dr. Crusher tap-dances! Woo hoo!

Night Terrors - Season 4
"Eyes in the dark. One moon circles." What is the answer to this riddle?
With everyone in the crew slowly losing their minds, it's up to Troi figure
everything out. Bonus: Troi's rump-up floating in the astral plane.
Wheeee!

Schisms - Season 6
Suuuuper spooky episode featuring alien abduction and experimentation on the
crew. The scene in the holodeck when all the apparent abductees are
reconstructing the room where they were dissected is extra creepy.

Phantasms - Season 7
Data has nightmares of being disassembled, Crusher drinks from a straw
stuck in Riker's skull and Troi turns into a delicious cellular peptide cake
with mint frosting. Hilarity ensues in this actually pretty creepy episode.

Genesis - Season 7
Picard and Data battle a crew all devolved into earlier forms of life.
DeannaFish! Ogawa the Orangutan! Worf the big scary thing... and in scene
that made me jump out of my freakin' skin... Barclay the Spider-thing!
Bleah! This one is really really scary!

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And of course, there are some episodes that are great just for the beefcake
factor alone...

Ensigns of Command - Season 3
Data tries to convince a colony of humans to leave before an alien race
destroys them "reclaiming" the planet as their territory. I really only
like this one, because the rebellious leader of the colony, named Gosheven,
is totally sexy.

Captain's Holiday - Season 3
Picard in a Speedo. Make it so.

The Drumhead - Season 4
Evil Admiral Satie bitches her way through this episode trying to find some
imagined traitor aboard ship. The real reason to watch... the adorable and
oh-so-tender half-human half-Romulan Crewman Simon Tarses. *sigh...*

I, Borg - Season 5
Finally a "human" face put on the Borg... and what a cute face it is:
Jonathan Del Arco as Third of Five, aka "Hugh." So what if he's got chalky,
dry skin and a pincher that comes out of his skull... I think he's
*dreamy*...

Bloodlines - Season 7
Two words: Jason Vigo. Purrrrrrrr....

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And I can't forget my fightin' femmes fatale...

Ensign Ro - Season 5
Just because it introduced one of my favorite characters, Ro Laren. We
learn that Bajorans use their family name first -- I've always thought that
was a cool aspect. Dunno why. I've heard they wanted Ro to be the Bajoran
cast member on DS9, but the actress had no interest in it, so they went with
Nana Visitor's Kira Nerys. I think things worked out well, don't you?

Disaster - Season 5
Though it also features Ro Laren, Troi ends up taking charge in this very
cool story where the crew is separated in three parts of the ship, and
Deanna has to step up to the plate, despite that negative Nelly Ro.

The Game - Season 5
An alien video game takes over the crew... but the best bit is Wesley and
Ashley Judd as Robin Lefler saving the day. That Ashley! She sure is a
cutie! (This episode almost belongs in the beefcake category owing to how sexy Riker is when he first plays the game. His reaction when the pleasure centers of his brain are stimulated is almost indescribably hot. The tight shot on his face makes sure you have a front row seat. Mm! Thank you director Corey Allen!)

Face of the Enemy - Season 6
My gurrrl Troi kicks some aaayyusss! Seeing that opening scene of her
catching a glimpse of her Romulan-ized face is priceless.

Sub Rosa - Season 7
Beverly inherits a haunted house in Scotland... er, I mean, some planet that
looks a lot like Scotland. An alien phantom lover who does her right! A
cute ep for the interplay between Bev and Deanna, and Beverly looks aMAYzing
in it. Love the hair, but you're boyfriend's so shallow I can see through
him.

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And of course, some are just plain well-told tales...

The Best of Both Worlds, Parts 1 & 2 - Season 3 - 4
The first cross-season cliffhanger/season premiere two-parter for Trek.
Locutus of Borg, Wolf 359, and a story that would effect the Trek universe
for years to come. A milestone!

Family - Season 4
In this follow-up episode to "The Best of Both Worlds," the now de-Borg'd Picard goes back to France to visit his brother and hopefully come to terms with what he became and did as Locutus of Borg. His brother isn't very sympathetic, but it turns out it's just what Picard needs. If ever you needed proof that Patrick Stewart is a great actor, see this episode.

A Fistful of Datas - Season 6
Of all the many episodes that showed off the amazing talent of Brent Spiner,
this one has to be one of my favorites. Spiner plays _several_ characters
here, and you're always convinced they are Data with different programming.
Favorite line: TROI: "You're supPOSED to call me 'Durango!'"

Second Chances - Season 6
Two Rikers for the price of one in this actually very moving story. I also
find the physics behind it quite interesting.

Attached - Season 7
Crusher and Picard are on the run on an alien world that looks a lot like
the desert outside LA, and are linked by devices in their brains. They hear
each other's thoughts and Beverly discovers more than just what Jean-Luc
wants for breakfast. Shame on you!

Lower Decks - Season 7
We practically get to see a whole new cast, as we explore the lives of the
ship's Junior officers, including future Voyager crew member Taurik (later
called Vorik), Nurse Ogawa, the sweet Sito Jaksa from "The First Duty" and
the roguish and undeniably sexy Sam Lavelle (rrrrrooowwl). A very nice
story that doesn't exactly end happily, but great performances are given by
all.

Thine Own Self - Season 7
Data is trapped on a primitive planet with no memory of who he is. A peek
into what science around the time of the Renaissance must have been like is
quite interesting, and this "first contact" story is very well told.

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Finally, in descending order, here are my TNG Top Six:

# 6 ) Tapestry - Season 6
My favorite of all the Q episodes, who I usually find pretty annoying.
Picard discovers that one's life is like a tapestry... tug one thread that
you don't like, and everything else comes unraveled. The lesson: you *are*
the sum of your parts -- and more. A real journey of self-discovery told in
a perfectly touching way. Five stars!

# 5 ) Darmok - Season 5
An amazing story, and well well told. Picard is abducted by a race of
aliens with a language deemed untranslatable. In the end, the unbelievably
clever Picard manages to figure out how the language works, but will he be
in time to save relations between the two races? LOVE the ending of this
where the aliens officially accept a new term into their language. A
brilliant look at why universal translators won't always work.

# 4 ) Chain of Command, Parts 1 & 2 - Season 6
You want drama? You want acting? You want Picard stripped to the waist and
sweaty? YOU GOT IT! Some really fine acting here by all involved. Captain
Jellico makes for a great villain-who's-really-a-good-guy, and you just
really really hate those Cardassians.

# 3 ) Yesterday's Enterprise - Season 3
Time travel, pathos, alternate universes, great lighting, hot costumes,
subtle acting, a tie to past continuity and the icing on the cake: the sexy
sexy Castillo. This one's got it all! I especially love the return of
Denise Crosby and how her character handles the events.

# 2 ) All Good Things, Parts 1 & 2 - Season 7
The big finale! I don't know about you, but I think this has to be one of
this show's shining moments. An intricate tale with lots of
characterization, just enough special effects sequences, ties to the entire
continuity of the show, and a beautiful ending that summed up all that was
good about the show to begin with. The finales of DS9 and VOYAGER were OK,
but didn't hold a candle to this one. This is the kind of final show every
fan wishes for. Thanks Paramount!

# 1 ) The Inner Light - Season 5
An alien probe implants the memories of an entire lifetime of one man's life
into Picard, who is forever changed by the experience. Wonderfully written,
and tenderly acted by Patrick Stewart. TV at its finest, really.

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"Goodbye, Jean-Luc. I'm gonna miss you... you had such potential. But then again, all good things must come to an end.."
- Q