Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Episode 26

This tense, tightly written episode has it all: memorable moments, great guest stars, amazing special effects, a great score, and the most amazing finish to any Trek episode ever. Writer Michael Piller and director Cliff Bole deserve special credit. Each scene is perfectly written and executed, ratcheting up the tension and building up the story like a symphony.

While the focal point of "Best of Both Worlds" is Picard, it's actually a Will Riker episode. Thanks to the addition of spitfire Lieutenant Shelby (expertly played by Elizabeth Dennehy), Jonathan Frakes (Riker) is able to take his character to places Number One has never been before. But like the best Star Trek films, the episode finds something for all the regulars to do, and uses each of their characters well. Throw in guest appearances by Guinan (Whoopie Goldberg) and Admiral Hanson (played by George "God" Murdock) and you've got arguably Star Trek's finest hour.

This is the episode that blew away the world. It was written, produced, and performed with such tension, adrenaline, and shock unlike anything ever seen before in the Star Trek franchise. Only in key scenes of perhaps Dallas, and Twin Peaks, can you compare the cliff-hanger shock at its end.





For me, this is the episode that made me shelve all my criticisms and comparisons of "The Next Generation" to the classic "Star Trek". I've been an unfaltering fan since this one aired that spring, and the following summer was abuzz with conversations with friends about its possible outcome.





I like this episode better than any Star Trek movie. I'm sure there are lots who'll agree with that.

No doubt the best episode of "Star Trek: The Next Genaration." Everything works in this episode. From the terrific suspense, the amazing thrills and the excellent acting by the top notch cast, this episode is almost guaranteed to entertain. As spectacular as the special effects are and menacing a villan as The Borg are, there is something else that makes this episode the best of the series. The fantastic and very well written scenes between Johnathan Frakes and Elizabeth Dennehy. They both give excellent performaces (The best of the series for Frakes.) which stand the test of time. Series classic.

This was the best episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation I ever watched. They really surprised us when they showed it was only part one of a two-parter, with part two beginning the next season. The Enterprise has their second encounter with the Borg a year after Q introduced them, and this time they've abducted Picard and assimilated him into... Locutus of Borg! To be continued... This episode really helped TNG to emerge from the shadow of the original Star Trek and now it's considered one of the finest. I really recommend this to all the Trekkies everywhere. Resistance is futile.

The away team beams down to Jouret IV only to find a colony located on the planet is gone. Admiral Hanson & Lt. Commander Shelby have a theroy on what happened. They suggest the cause is the Borg. Admiral Hanson informs Capt Picard, that Riker has been offered to be the Captain of “The Melbourne”. The Away team beams down to Jouret IV, again to confirm it was the Borg at work. The Borg has destroyed numerous Federation ships. They confront “The Enterprise”. They kidnap Picard. I rate this one a 10.0 great for a great storyline. To be continued.

This is the second episodes featuring the Borg and one of the best episodes ever made in Star Trek history. Picard himself is assimilated by the Borg and the federation’s attempt to stop the Borg and get him back seems impossible. One of the best season finally ever made troughout history of all tv shows!

I remember watching this episode when it was new! I watched this show with my family...I remember my parents going crazy at the end! I thought this episode was just priceless...somewhere deep inside me I always waits for the good guy to become the bad guy and that happened in this episode when Picard became a borg! The last scene still makes me a little weepy cause it is still just so powerful to watch the reactions of the crew when they see their beloved captain in the hands of their great nemisis the borg! And not just captured mind you...he was assimilated! He became the borg! I still love this episode and will ALWAYS love this episode! It is what made this show great!

Words cannot begin to describe how good this two part episode is. ST:TNG got off to a rough start with the show struggling to find it's ground in the first two seasons. By the third season it had reached a consistent enough quality to be regarded as a worthy follow up to the original series from the 1960s.





But it got better. Series Three gave us some of the most memorable Star Trek episodes ever, as well as some of the best science fiction in general, most notably the Tasha Yar comeback episode Yesterday's Enterprise and the hilarious Q story Deja Q.





But despite the quality of those episodes the series had yet to peak. The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1 builds up to the best cliff-hanger I have ever seen on a television show. It's hard not to talk about why the 'to be continued...' works so well without giving it away, suffice to say, if you haven't seen this episode yet, i implore you to watch it.

The best SF episode ever made!





The best scenario ever written! Finally the big conflict with the Borg, and what a conflict. The entire basic of the Borg civilization are explained in these two episodes. A single Borg cube rakes havoc in the hart of the federation and the battle at Wolf 539 where the federation loses its entire fleet is incredible. Picard gets captured and turned into a drone and leads the Borg attack. These episodes are the building blocks for half of the Voyager series, many of the fallowing TNG episodes and the VIII Star trek movie. These episodes are what’s SF all a boat.

The Enterprise is sent to investigate the disappearence of a federation colony. Lt. Cmdr. Shelby is invited to join the Enterprise due to the experience on the Borg. Little did they know that Borg was not only present but planning an invasion of Earth. This episode was absolutely fantastic and thrilling to the last miniute. I enjoy anything that involves the Borg so as soon as they appeared i knew it was going to be good. I highly recommend this episode to any sci fi fans out there as you will not be disappointed. It is must watch t.v Chris out

One of the best Star Trek episodes and two parters of all time. Talk about cliff hangers, this was a special one that was totally fitting to lead into the following season. It was a terrific episode to leave you waiting until season 4 and had dire situations. I thought that everything was well written and it was a well acted show. My favorite part of this episode would have to be the very end where Captain Picard approaches the viewing screen as a new member of the collection, named the Borg. It was chilling and a fresh angle that never was used before. This was a great episode and an all time classic. Thank you.

In many ways, this is a better "movie" than of the 4 TNG films that appeared in theatres. Michael Piller, who wrote this episode, did an expert job - primarily in part 1 - of introducing many different ideas in 45 minutes and weaving them all together. The away team on the decimated planet, Shelby and Riker's sparring, the low-key conversation between Picard and Guinan, and the stunning conclusion - it's tough to believe how much they managed to pack in!





It's tough to find anything to criticize in this episode. Probably the best two-parter in the history of TNG, though Chain of Command from season 6 comes close.