Throughout its seven seasons, Star Trek: The Next Generation had some of Star Trek’s best two-part stories. Following the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D, TNG began in 1987 with a feature-length premiere entitled “Encounter at Farpoint.” After its initial release, this premiere was broken into two episodes, making it TNG’s first two-part story. Two-part stories would become a staple of Star Trek moving forward, with nearly every season of TNG, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager incorporating them. TNG also established the practice of ending each season with a cliffhanger that was resolved in the first episode of the following season.

Star Trek: The Original Series had Star Trek’s first two-parter in TOS season 1, episodes 11 and 12, “The Menagerie.” These episodes included footage from the original unaired Star Trek pilot, “The Cage,” and introduced Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter), as well as several other elements that became important to the franchise. Star Trek: The Next Generation has ten two-part episodes, none of which rank among the worst episodes of TNG. With two episodes, these stories have more room to breathe and can easily incorporate stories for multiple characters without feeling overstuffed. Here are all 10 TNG two-parters, ranked from worst to best.

All of the main characters of Star Trek: The Next Generation get their moment in the spotlight, and these are the Enterprise-D crew’s best episodes.

10 “Encounter At Farpoint”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episodes 1 & 2

“Encounter at Farpoint” is not a bad Star Trek story, but it pales in comparison to the phenomenal television that Star Trek: The Next Generation would produce in later seasons. Still, none of those later stories would exist without the history established in TNG’s feature-length season premiere. Captain Picard leads the first mission of the newly commissioned USS Enterprise-D, as the crew investigates Farpoint Station and encounters the powerful entity known as Q (John de Lancie). With a quick cameo from Admiral Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), “Encounter at Farpoint” ushers in a new era of Star Trek, introducing the world to a new Enterprise crew who would become just as beloved as the original.

9 “Gambit”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7, Episodes 4 & 5

When the USS Enterprise-D crew members hear that Captain Picard has been killed while on an archeological dig, they set out to discover the truth. During the investigation, Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) is captured by the same mercenaries who had captured Picard and faked his death. Picard and Riker then secretly work together to infiltrate the mercenary crew, eventually discovering the ancient Vulcan artifacts the mercenaries have been searching for. “Gambit” is an incredibly fun two-parter, but it has few lasting implications, and the story probably could have been trimmed down to fit in one episode.

8 “Birthright”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episodes 16 & 17

In “Birthright, Part I,” Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) and Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) both set out to learn more about their fathers. After an energy discharge strikes Data, he begins experiencing bizarre dreams, in which he encounters his creator, Dr. Noonien Soong (Brent Spiner). Worf’s story follows the Klingon warrior as he investigates an ultimately false claim that his father is alive in a Romulan prison camp. “Birthright, Part II” focuses entirely on Worf, as he teaches the young Klingons in the prison about Klingon culture. While Data and Worf’s stories are both interesting, the two episodes of “Birthright” feel more disparate than other two partners, and some of the questions raised in “Part I” go unanswered.

7 “Descent”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episode 26 & Season 7, Episode 1

When the Starship Enterprise encounters a strange group of Borg, Data experiences anger for the first time. At the end of “Descent, Part I,” Data’s evil brother, Lore (Brent Spiner), reveals himself to be the leader of this Borg group, and Data and Lore declare their intent to destroy the Federation. Later, Data’s morality subroutines are reactivated, releasing him from Lore’s control. He then turns against Lore, just as Riker and Worf arrive with a group of rebel Borg led by Hugh (Jonathan Del Arco). “Descent” marks an important step in Data’s journey to explore his humanity, and follows up on Hugh’s story that began in TNG season 5, episode 23, “I, Borg.”

As one of Star Trek’s most iconic villains, the Borg have made many appearances in various franchise projects over the years since their introduction.

6 “Time’s Arrow”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episode 26 & Season 2, Episode 1

In a classic Star Trek time travel story, Data, and later more of the Enterprise-D crew, travel back in time to 19th-century Earth after they discover a 500-year-old version of Data’s disembodied head buried in a cavern. In the past, Data encounters future Ten Forward bartender Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg), as well as American author Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain (Jerry Hardin). “Time’s Arrow, Part I,” ends with Captain Picard and his crew about to join Data in the past. While this may not be the most exciting cliffhanger, the 19th-century misadventures of Data and Mark Twain, in particular, make for some incredibly fun moments.

5 “Unification”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5, Episodes 7 & 8

When Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is reported missing, Captain Picard takes the Enterprise-D to investigate his last known location – Romulus. Picard and Data then disguise themselves as Romulans, eventually finding Spock working underground on a “personal mission of peace” to reunite the Vulcans and Romulans. Spock gets great moments with both Data and Picard in “Unification.” He and Data speak about their opposing desires – Spock wants to be logical without emotion, while Data wants to feel emotions. Picard shares the news that Spock’s father, Sarek (Mark Lenard), has passed away, and Spock later mind melds with Picard to experience the memories Sarek had previously shared with the Captain.

4 “Redemption”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 26 & Season 5, Episode 1

Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, Worf often struggles to reconcile his Klingon heritage with his duties as a Starfleet officer, and that struggle comes to a head in “Redemption.” With the looming threat of a Klingon civil war, Worf and his brother Kurn (Tony Todd) help install Gowron (Robert O’Reilly) as the Klingon Chancellor, angering Lursa (Barbara March) and B’Etor (Gwynyth Walsh) Duras. Although Picard cannot get involved in the fighting, he does assemble a group of ships to create a blockade between the Klingon and Romulan border (including the USS Sutherland under the command of Data). Not only do both parts of “Redemption” have some tense action sequences, but they also offer a glimpse into Klingon culture and more insight into Worf as a character.

3 “Chain of Command”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6, Episodes 10 & 11

In one of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s most harrowing stories, Captain Picard is kidnapped by Cardassians while on a covert mission. Although Picard is subjected to various forms of torture at the hands of Gul Madred (David Warner), he defiantly refuses to break. Patrick Stewart and David Warner both deliver powerhouse performances, making it impossible to look away any time the two are onscreen. ​​​​​ Ronny Cox, too, delivers a solid performance as Captain Edward Jellico, who commands the Enterprise while Picard is being held captive. As Jellico’s command style is vastly different from Picard, he and Riker butt heads and he eventually relieves Riker of duty.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard anchored every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but some episodes let him take more of a spotlight.

2 “All Good Things…”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7, Episodes 25 & 26

Star Trek: The Next Generation’s two-part finale brilliantly wraps up the series, while bringing the entire story full circle. Q returns to continue humanity’s trial, but this time he helps Captain Picard jump through time to find a way to stop a potentially catastrophic anomaly. Picard jumps from the present to the past just before the Enterprise-D investigated Farpoint Station, to an alternate future where he works on his family’s vineyard. After Picard successfully solves Q’s riddle, he finally joins his crew members for a game of poker, in an iconic final scene that was recreated for the finale of Star Trek: Picard season 3.

1 “The Best of Both Worlds”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1

“The Best of Both Worlds” is often cited as one of Star Trek’s best stories for a reason. When Captain Picard is assimilated by the Borg, Commander Riker takes over command of the Starship Enterprise and must face off against his former Captain. The effects of Captain Picard’s assimilation and the subsequent Battle of Wolf 359 continue to reverberate throughout the Star Trek universe. Star Trek: Picard season 3, in particular, references Picard’s time as Locutus of Borg and brings back Admiral Elizabeth Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy), who first appears in “The Best of Both Worlds.”

The “To Be Continued” at the end of “The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1” remains one of the best television cliffhangers of all time, and it established the Star Trek tradition of season-ending cliffhangers. The second part of the story may not be as tension-filled as the first, but it does a good job of wrapping up the story in a satisfying way. Although TNG rarely followed up on specific stories, the episode that directly follows “The Best of Both Worlds,” entitled “Family,” shows the aftermath of Picard’s assimilation and how profoundly it affected the usually unflappable Enterprise Captain. “The Best of Both Worlds” remains one of Star Trek: The Next Generation’s finest hours, and it established a tradition of Star Trek two-parters that produced some truly amazing episodes.