What's the Best Single Disc of Star Trek? (TNG Edition)

You know what, I need a distraction. When I feel this way (it has been happening more and more since, oh, November), my go-to strategy is "watching Star Trek." And no, not on Paramount Pus, the most awful streaming service ever created (I have given up cataloging the multifarious ways it can break on me, and I am only still subscribed because I split it three ways), but on disc. 

Taste the rainbow of actually good Star Trek!

Brief Physical Media Interlude

Optical discs are little miracles, really. You buy a thing once, do not pay a recurring subscription fee, and you now own, in essential perpetuity, a nigh-on perfect copy of the thing you love, in this case, Star Trek TOS-TNG-DS9-VOY-ENT. The Blu-Ray discs of TOS-TNG-ENT are gloriously good in terms of both video (1080p with cleaned up special effects) and audio (DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 channel audio mixes). Even the DVDs of DS9 and VOY are pretty good, with Dolby Digital 5.1 channel audio mixes and video that... well, it's better than the original broadcast and certainly better than the absolutely horrid streams on Paramount Plus. And the movies have finally been released in very good form in the 4K UHD disc versions now available. The optical disc releases of Star Trek are basically the best thing Paramount has ever done with the franchise, if you ask me, at least since the 90s.

Back to the show

So I was watching Star Trek with my son, and he wanted to watch "The Wounded," S4E12. Great, good taste, little one. But popping in the disc (Season 4 Disc 3), I was like "Damn! This is a killer disc!" It includes (with our ratings in parenthesis):

S4E11    Data's Day            (8)
S4E12    The Wounded       (9)
S4E13    Devil's Due           (6)
S4E14    Clues                     (7)
S4E15    First Contact         (10)

Now, maybe you will say "but there is only one "10" rated episode. True enough. But this disc has no stinkers (I love "Devil's Due" and view it as a wonderful TOS-style throwback) and it has one truly quintessential TNG episode in "First Contact." Then you've got: the "Piller Filler" smorgasbord "Data's Day;" anti-war/racism meditation "The Wounded" (which introduces the decidedly pink Cardassians with Marc Alaimo in the guest spot); and the fun mystery romp "Clues." It's got entertainment in spades, variety in tone, and excellence in execution (like most of season four). You could pop this disc in and make a day of it.

Kevin's Pick

S3E20 Tin Man                (6)
S3E21 Hollow Pursuits  (10)
S3E22 The Most Toys   (8)
S3E23 Sarek           (8)
S3E24 Menage a Troi    (3)

So if I'm putting on a whole disc, it's for background comfort. I'm folding laundry or grading papers or something. This disc (Season 3, Disc 5) is great because it runs the gamut. Tin Man is also a TOS throwback of a story. Hollow Pursuits, The Most Toys, and Sarek are all classic episodes. If we were grading them again, I think Most Toys might actually get a 5 from me for Saul Rubinek alone. And yes, Menage a Troi is a bad episode, but it's delightfully bad. It's bad with a big, bold smile on its face. And I love Lwaxana even when she is...not being served well by the script, let's call it. This is the quintessential TNG disc because it contains the good, the bad, and importantly, the cheesy. Tin Man and Menage are a lost style of episode in modern Trek. They wear their hearts and lunacy, respectively, on their sleeves. I can watch Menage and shake my head at how bad it is, but it's my bad show, not someone else's. This one is the disc I can take an edible and enjoy a rainy Saturday afternoon. There are better episodes, but when I watch those, it's because I want to watch that episode. This is the nice, comforting sampler platter.

Honorable Mentions

Another disc Kevin and I batted around was Season 3, Disc 3:

S3E11

The Hunted

(5)

S3E12

The High Ground

(4)

S3E13

Deja Q

(10)

S3E14

A Matter of Perspective

(8)

S3E15

Yesterday's Enterprise

(10)

Which is an interesting case, because of course it has two "top ten" type episodes, and personal favorite of mine "A Matter of Perspective." It's the other two that complicate the case. Both are fairly memorable and not by any means bad, they're just not great. "The Hunted" of course has James Cromwell being tall and vaguely villainous as per usual, and "The High Ground" is an episode that has grown in my estimation since being exposed to incessant seasons of glib, violent, idea-free "Star Trek" from Kurtzman and his company of trained typewriting howler monkeys.

Another disc we discussed was Season 5, Disc 1, containing:

S5E1

Redemption, Part 2

(8)

S5E2

Darmok

(8)

S5E3

Ensign Ro

(7)

S5E4

Silicon Avatar

(10)

S5E5

Disaster

(7)

This disc is a "high batting average" disc. It only has one ten, but never dips below a seven. Is it hampered by having a part two? Perhaps. Which also perhaps hamstrings Season 4, Disc 1, despite containing two of my very favorite episodes, "Family" and "Remember Me":

S4E1

Best of Both Worlds, Part. 2

(8)

S4E2

Family

(10)

S4E3

Brothers

(7)

S4E4

Suddenly Human

(4)

S4E5

Remember Me

(10)

Conclusion

Is anyone still reading our blog? Who can say. Does anyone still use physical media? Is that even less likely? Either way, we welcome comments nominating other favorite discs of TNG. Here, for $h!#$ and giggles, is the entire list, broken up by disc. Enjoy!

S1E1	Encounter at Farpoint	8
S1E2	The Naked Now	5
S1E3	Code of Honor	2
S1E4	The Last Outpost	6
S1E5	Where No One Has Gone Before	8
S1E6	Lonely Among Us	4
S1E7	Justice	4
S1E8	The Battle	7
S1E9	Hide and Q	8
S1E10	Haven	5
S1E11	The Big Goodbye	6
S1E12	Datalore	4
S1E13	Angel One	2
S1E14	11001001	8
S1E15	Too Short A Season	5
S1E16	When The Bough Breaks	6
S1E17	Home Soil	5
S1E18	Coming of Age	6
S1E19	Heart of Glory	6
S1E20	Arsenal Of Freedom	6
S1E21	Symbiosis	5
S1E22	Skin of Evil	6
S1E23	We'll Always Have Paris	6
S1E24	Conspiracy	10
S1E25	The Neutral Zone	6
S2E1	The Child	6
S2E2	Where Silence Has Lease	6
S2E3	Elementary, Dear Data	8
S2E4	The Outrageous Okona	4
S2E5	Loud As A Whisper	5
S2E6	The Schizoid Man	7
S2E8	Unnatural Selection	6
S2E9	A Matter of Honor	4
S2E10	The Measure of a Man	9
S2E11	The Dauphin	6
S2E12	Contagion	10
S2E13	The Royale	5
S2E14	Time Squared	6
S2E15	The Icarus Factor	6
S2E16	Pen Pals	7
S2E17	Q Who	10
S2E18	Samaritan Snare	4
S2E19	Up The Long Ladder	4
S2E20	Manhunt	4
S2E21	The Emissary	8
S2E22	Peak Performance	8
S2E23	Shades of Gray	2
S3E1	Evolution	8
S3E2	Ensigns of Command	6
S3E3	The Survivors	7
S3E4	Who Watches the Watchers	8
S3E5	The Bonding	5
S3E6	Booby Trap	8
S3E7	The Enemy	6
S3E8	The Price	6
S3E9	The Vengeance Factor	5
S3E10	The Defector	8
S3E11	The Hunted	5
S3E12	The High Ground	4
S3E13	Deja Q	10
S3E14	A Matter of Perspective	8
S3E15	Yesterday's Enterprise	10
S3E16	The Offspring	8
S3E17	Sins of the Father	9
S3E18	Allegiance	6
S3E19	Captain's Holiday	7
S3E20	Tin Man	6
S3E21	Hollow Pursuits	10
S3E22	The Most Toys	8
S3E23	Sarek	8
S3E24	Menage a Troi	3
S3E25	Transfigurations	5
S3E26	Best of Both Worlds, Part 1	10
S4E1	Best of Both Worlds, Part. 2	8
S4E2	Family	10
S4E3	Brothers	7
S4E4	Suddenly Human	4
S4E5	Remember Me	10
S4E6	Legacy	4
S4E7	Reunion	7
S4E8	Future Imperfect	7
S4E9	Final Mission	6
S4E10	The Loss	6
S4E11	Data's Day	8
S4E12	The Wounded	9
S4E13	Devil's Due	6
S4E14	Clues	7
S4E15	First Contact	10
S4E16	Galaxy's Child	6
S4E17	Night Terrors	5
S4E18	Identity Crisis	4
S4E19	Nth Degree	9
S4E20	Qpid	8
S4E21	Drumhead	7
S4E22	Half a Life	10
S4E23	The Host	6
S4E24	Mind's Eye	8
S4E25	In Theory	6
S4E26	Redemption, Part 1	8
S5E1	Redemption, Part 2	8
S5E2	Darmok	8
S5E3	Ensign Ro	7
S5E4	Silicon Avatar	10
S5E5	Disaster	7
S5E6	The Game	6
S5E7	Unification I	9
S5E8	Unification II	6
S5E9	A Matter of Time	6
S5E10	New Ground	5
S5E11	Hero Worship	6
S5E12	Violations	5
S5E13	Masterpiece Society	7
S5E14	Conundrum	7
S5E15	Power Play	7
S5E16	Ethics	6
S5E17	The Outcast	5
S5E18	Cause and Effect	10
S5E19	First Duty	9
S5E20	Cost of Living	2
S5E21	The Perfect Mate	8
S5E22	Imaginary Friend	4
S5E23	I Borg	9
S5E24	The Next Phase	8
S5E25	The Inner Light	10
S5E26	Time's Arrow, Part 1	8
S6E1	Time's Arrow, Part 2	8
S6E2	Realm of Fear	6
S6E3	Man of the People	4
S6E4	Relics	8
S6E5	Schisms	6
S6E6	True Q	6
S6E7	Rascals	6
S6E8	Fistful of Datas	5
S6E9	Quality of Life	5
S610	Chain of Command I	8
S6E11	Chain of Command II	10
S6E12	Ship in a Bottle	8
S6E13	Aquiel	4
S6E14	Face of the Enemy	6
S6E15	Tapestry	10
S6E16	Birthright, Part I	5
S6E17	Birthright, Part II	4
S6E18	Starship Mine	8
S6E19	Lessons	9
S6E20	The Chase	6
S6E21	Frame of Mind	9
S6E22	Suspicions	6
S6E23	Rightful Heir	7
S6E24	Second Chances	8
S6E25	Timescape	6
S6E26	Descent, Part 1	6
S7E1	Descent, Part II	4
S7E2	Liaisons	4
S7E3	Interface	5
S7E4	Gambit, Part I	8
S7E5	Gambit, Part II	7
S7E6	Phantasms	6
S7E7	Dark Page	2
S7E8	Attached	8
S7E9	Force of Nature	4
S710	Inheritance	8
S7E11	Parallels	9
S7E12	The Pegasus	10
S7E13	Homeward	5
S7E14	Sub Rosa	4
S7E15	Lower Decks	10
S7E16	Thine Own Self	6
S7E17	Masks	4
S7E18	Eye of the Beholder	8
S7E19	Genesis	7
S7E20	Journey's End	6
S7E21	Firstborn	6
S7E22	Bloodlines	4
S7E23	Emergence	5
S7E24	Preemptive Strike	6
S7E25	All Good Things...	10