Star Trek episodes to watch before Star Trek: Picard (UPDATED)

[Brian G Turner]

An interesting video on YouTube suggesting a dozen Star Trek episodes across The Next Generation and Voyager to watch before Picard is released:

I think most of us old-timers might remember most of those - but, even still, I may have to rent these to prep my kids for it, as they've never seen any TNG!

Anyway, for the episode themselves he suggests:

[EDIT: Have updated the list as he's missed some out, including the first encounter with the Borg!]

Star Trek: The Next Generation

1. The Measure Of A Man (Season 2, Episode 9)
2. Q-Who (Season 2, Episode 16) - The first encounter with the Borg
3. The Enemy (Season 2 Episode 7)
4. The Defector (Season 2 Episode 10).
5. The Best Of Both Worlds (Seasons 3 & 4, Episodes 26 & 1)
6. Family (Season 4, Episode 2)
7. Unification (Season 5, Episodes 7 & 8)
8. I, Borg (Season 5, Episode 23)
9. Descent (Seasons 6 & 7, Episodes 26 & 1)
10. All Good Things... (Season 7, Episodes 25 & 26)

Star Trek: Voyager

11. Scorpion (Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1)
12. The Gift (Season 4, Episode 2)

 

[BAYLOR]

In know this is wild speculation but , why do I get the feeling that this woman that Picard has taken upon himself to help is possibly his daughter ?

 

[Narkalui]

@BAYLOR She is or she isn't, as the wise man said

 

[Culhwch]

Eh, I haven't seen much Trek outside some of the TNG movies and a handful of DS9 and Voyager eps (they play Voyager in the afternoon here at the moment so they're generally on in the background while I cook dinner, and I periodically look at the TV and wonder what the hell is going on....). I still think I'll probably manage without doing homework first!

 

[Brian G Turner]

Watched the first one on the list, The Measure of a Man, and was worried it would be too slow to engage my kids - but it was a very well-scripted and intelligent episode that went down well.

Am hoping they'll also enjoy the two-part Borg episode we're starting tonight.

 

[Elckerlyc]

Ha! I watched that 2-parter a few days ago. Still worth watching.

 

[Narkalui]

I rewatched some of the best ones about a year ago and they do stand up well

 

[Brian G Turner]

Actually, I've rescheduled the Borg episodes for Friday and Saturday night - instead we watched The Defector from Season 3, mostly because I think the kids needed a little more grounding in the characters and series, before jumping into the really dramatic stuff.

Besides, it starred Andreas Katsulas - the actor behind G'Kar in Babylon 5 - as a Romulan officer, and I knew they'd like that.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Watched the first Borg 2-parter, and am a little disappointed to find this isn't the first time the Enterprise crew have encountered the Borg. Apparently this was in "Q Who" (Season 2, Episode 16) and would recommend watching that first before "Best of both worlds", in order to provide some context and better sense of expectation and tension.

EDIT: Have also added 2 more episodes from Season 2 between Q-Who and Best of both Worlds, so as to show time passing between the first and second Borg encounters.

 

[StilLearning]

I very much agree about watching Q-Who first. It is one of my favourites. Although the pacing is a bit uneven and the special effects look a bit dated today, it very effectively puts across the idea that the galaxy contains some very strange and scary things indeed - and that, no, the federation isn't ready to deal with them, and no amount of 'evolved sensibility' can hide the fact that Q correctly calls them arrogant in their approach to exploring the universe. It almost has the feel of a horror movie, or Lovecraftian short story, as the Borg systematically cut the Enterprise and her crew to bits (literally at one point). The scene with the two Borg scouts in Engineering really captures the mood of the whole episode and many of the best borg episodes in all the following Star Trek cannon - as Q puts it "Not a he, not she, not like anything you've ever seen: An enhanced humanoid".

 

[DannMcGrew]

Well, I guess I'm ready. I just finished watching all of the suggested episodes.

Engage!