Star Trek: All 7 seasons of The Next Generation ranked from worst to best

6. Season 2

Season 2 boldly strides forward, taking what worked in Star Trek: The Next Generation's wobbly first season, and improving upon everything else, injecting a newfound strength and energy into its episodes and adventures.

The show's creative engines were clearly revving up at this point, as notably improved storylines and character arcs began to warp their way out of the turbulent space season 1 was flying around in. This was the season when the crew of the USS Enterprise truly started to feel like a family - each member more fleshed out, finding themselves, than before.

The introduction of Whoopi Goldberg's enigmatic Guinan added a layer of mystical wisdom to Ten Forward, while Dr. Pulaski's presence, though divisive among fans, brought a different dynamic to the medical bay. Episodes like "The Measure of a Man" and "Q Who?" shone with the kind of moral complexity and daring storytelling that would come to define the series. This was TNG starting to find its voice, a voice that whispered of greater things to come, even as it occasionally stumbled over some awkward dialogue and less-than-stellar plots.

We said that The Next Generation was slowly building towards greatness, and this was an important step on that journey, bringing it closer to its destination.