Star Trek: The Next Generationseason 6 continued the show’s impressive run, delivering another 26 episodes of high-quality science fiction television. At this point,TNGwas at the height of its popularity, and the rest of the 1990s would be full ofStar Trekcontent, fromStar Trek: Deep Space NinetoStar Trek: Voyagerto theTNGfilms.Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crewgot more character development inTNG’slater seasons than its earlier ones, and the show’s sixth season continued to dive deeper into its characters.
Star Trek: The Next Generationalso experimented more with genre in its sixth season, delivering some of the series' most unique episodes. From the incredibly fun “Starship Mine” to the incredibly disturbing “Frame of Mind,“TNGseason 6 is full of some of the series' most memorable moments.As usual,Captain Picard gets some particularly great stories, starring in his own version ofDie Hardand staying strong during brutal Cardassian torture. Season 6 has some ofTNG’sdarkest stories, but remains one of the series' strongest seasons.
10"Rascals”
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 7
Based on its premise alone,Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “Rascals” could have easily crashed and burned, butthe episode actually works far better than it has any right to.When a transporter malfunction transforms Captain Picard, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg), Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), and Keiko O’Brien (Rosalind Chao) into adolescents, their fellow crew members struggle to take them seriously.
The 12-year-old versions ofTNG’scharacters are portrayed by: David Tristan Birkin (Picard), Isis Carmen Jones (Guinan), Megan Parlen (Ro), and Caroline Junko King (Keiko).
Despite their appearance as 12-year-olds,Picard and his young crew members still help save the daywhen Ferengi pirates take over the USS Enterprise-D. In a particularly hilarious moment, the young Picard pretends to be the son of Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) to fool the Ferengi. With strong performances from all of the child actors,“Rascals” is an incredibly fun episode ofStar Trekthat offers fascinating insight into the show’s characters.
9"Second Chances”
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 24
When the USS Enterprise-D visits the planet Nervala IV,they find an exact duplicate of Will Rikerwho has been stranded alone on the planet for eight years. This Riker, who chooses to go by his middle name, Thomas, had been accidentally left behind after a transporter malfunction created a second Riker. Thomas Riker has more in common with the Will of eight years ago, and still harbors feelings forCounselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis).
Thomas and Deanna briefly rekindle their romance before Thomas eventually decides to accept a posting on another Starfleet ship. “Second Chances” serves as a compellingcharacter study of Will Rikerandoffers more insight into his previous relationship with Counselor Troi.It’s a fun episode that continues to be referenced in modernTrekshows likeStar Trek: Lower Deckson Paramount+.
8"Face Of The Enemy"
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 14
In one ofCounselor Troi’s bestStar Trekepisodes, Deanna finds herself aboard the Romulan Warbird Khazara, having been surgically altered to look like a Romulan. With help from her Betazoid empathic abilities,Troi must then navigate an intense situation aboard the Romulan shipas she helps an important Romulan defect to the Federation.
“Face of the Enemy” was originally going to star Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), but the storyline better suited Troi’s empathic abilities.
Counselor Troi often deserved better onStar Trek: The Next Generation,and “Face of the Enemy” proves she should have been given the spotlight more often.Marina Sirtis delivers a solid performance as Troimust continue to adapt to her ever-changing situation. In the end, the Enterprise-D arrives to help the Romulan Vice Proconsul successfully escape and rescues Troi just in time.
7"Starship Mine"
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 18
AsStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 6 experimented with different genres, the show embraced the action genre, delivering its own take onDie Hard. With the USS Enterprise-D docked for scheduled maintenance,Captain Picard finds himself alone on the ship facing off against a group of mercenaries.As a deadly baryon field sweeps through the Enterprise, Picard must thwart the thieves and contact his crew aboard the nearby Remmler Array.
Meanwhile, the array’s staff members take the Enterprise crew hostage until they are able to escape just in time to save Picard’s life. With a fun mix of action and humor,“Starship Mine” finally gives Captain Picard the chance to be a true action hero. The episode may not offer profound commentary on what it means to be human, but “Starship Mine” illustrates the ingenuity and courage of Picard and his crew.
6"Ship In A Bottle"
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 12
Four years after his introduction inStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 2, episode 3, “Elementary, Dear Data,” Professor James Moriarty (Daniel Davis) returns in “Ship in a Bottle.” Despite his promises, Captain Picard has still not found a way for Moriarty to exist outside of the holodeck, sothe Sherlock Holmes villain takes matters into his own hands.Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) soon discovers that Moriarty has created an elaborate holodeck recreation of the Enterprise to trick Picard into giving him the ship’s access codes.
Captain Picard uses Moriarty’s own idea against him, tricking the holodeck villain into believing he has indeed traveled into the real world. In the end,Moriarty and his companion fly off in a shuttlecraft to explore the galaxyin a realistic simulation, all the while believing that they have escaped their holographic confines. “Ship in a Bottle” is another fun episode that provides a fascinating exploration of holodeck technology and a niceconclusion to Moriarty’s story.
5"Timescape"
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 25
When Captain Picard, Data, Troi, andLt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton)return to the Enterprise after attending a conference,they find the ship frozen in time,apparently locked in a battle with a Romulan warbird. Wearing armbands to counteract the temporal effects, Picard, Data, and Troi beam over to the Enterprise to find the ship’s crew frozen alongside numerous Romulans, with the warp core mid-breach.
Leonard Nimoy’s son, Adam Nimoy, directed “Timescape” after previously directing “Rascals,” his only twoStar Trekdirecting credits.
Picard and his crew eventually discover that aliens from trans-dimensional space inadvertently caused the disaster. Picard, Data, and Troi then get to work on the Enterprise to prevent the impending warp core breach andrescue the Romulansfrom their damaged warbird.“Timescape” has some cool visuals of the Enterprise and its crew frozen in time,and the episode maintains suspense as its mystery unfolds in an interesting way.
4"Relics"
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 4
Aside from a brief cameo by DeForest Kelley inStar Trek: The Next Generation’sseries premiere, Gene Roddenberry mostly wantedTNGto separate itself fromStar Trek: The Original Series. This unofficial rule became more relaxed as the series went on, andTNGseason 6 saw the return ofJames Doohan as Captain Montgomery Scott.The Enterprise finds Scotty’s transporter pattern stored in the pattern bufferof a Federation transport ship that went missing 75 years before.
After Geordi restores Scotty’s pattern, the formerEnterprise Chief Engineerstruggles to acclimate to the 24th century.In the end, however, Scotty’s expertise helps save the day,and he departs the Enterprise aboard a shuttlecraft to explore the galaxy. It’s always great to see aTOScharacter return to the franchise, and Scotty’s return is incredibly well done, complete with a heavy dose of nostalgia.
3"Frame Of Mind"
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 21
Inone ofStar Trek’smost disturbing episodes,Commander Riker finds himself locked in a mental institution and unsure of his own sanity.“Frame of Mind” begins with Riker performing a play on the Enterprise about a man in an asylum, only for him to soon find himself in that same situation. The doctors at the institution attempt to convince Riker that his life on the Enterprise is merely a hallucination.
In the end, Riker shatters multiple false realities until he finally breaks through to the real world. He finds himself on an operating table as a prisoner of aliens who have been manipulating his mind to gain information about the Federation. With its unique shattering effects and unsettling storyline,“Frame of Mind” is unlike any otherStar Trekepisode,and the story provides a fascinating look at Riker’s character as he refuses to accept the false realities.
2"Tapestry"
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 15
Another particularly uniqueStar Trekepisode, “Tapestry” also plays with reality, this time in the mind of Jean-Luc Picard. WhenPicard is badly wounded on a mission,he awakens in a strange white realm accompanied byJohn de Lancie’s Q. Although Q tells Jean-Luc that he’s dead, the Enterprise captain questions Q’s assertion, saying he refuses"to believe that the afterlife is run by you."
The original storyline for “Tapestry” included more events from Picard’s past in the style of Charles Dickens’A Christmas Carol.
Q gives Picard the chance to correct a past regret from his time as a Starfleet cadet, but after Jean-Luc corrects the supposed mistake, he finds his life drastically altered.Picard realizes how much his near-death experience as a cadet shaped him,and he wakes up on the Enterprise unsure if Q was just part of a dream. “Tapestry” takes advantage of how well Patrick Stewart and John de Lancie play off one another, and delivers a fascinating story that offersinsight into Jean-Luc’s past.
1"Chain Of Command"
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episodes 10 & 11
In one ofStar Trek’smost brutal storylines,Cardassians capture Captain Picard and torture him for informationwhileCaptain Edward Jellico(Ronny Cox) takes command of the Enterprise. When Picard is captured by Cardassians while on a covert mission, he’s brought before the intimidating Gul Madred (David Warner). As Madred torments Picard, the Enterprise captain refuses to break, but he comes closer than he has likely ever been.
The storyline is one of the most difficult Star Trek stories to watch, but Patrick Stewart and David Warner make it impossible to look away.
Commander Riker’s conflict with Captain Jellico on the Enterprise has its moments, but it’s the showdown between Picard and Madred that makes “Chain of Command” so captivating. The storyline is one of the most difficultStar Trekstories to watch, but Patrick Stewart and David Warner make it impossible to look away. Picard’s admission that he was on the verge of breaking is truly heartbreaking and helps cement “Chain of Command” as the best storyline ofStar Trek: The Next Generationseason 6.
