so was anyone going to tell me that Qpid (TNG: 4x20) acknowledges, in plain text, that all the things Picard "hates" about Q are the same things that make him attracted to Vash, or were you all just going to let me sit there in front of my TV like a fool with my jaw on the floor from this point until the credits rolled
Someone did a guide like this for Elliot and Olivia from Law and Order and I’ve been thinking about these two lately so here we are.
This guide is obviously coloured by my personal opinion and some of the things are really subtle, but there’s also way less to get through here than something like SVU.
Of course, there are still many good episodes of TNG that don’t revolve around Picard and Crusher, but for the purposes of this guide, I tried to stick to the important ones or ones with some good interactions. Also, feel free to suggest things I may be missing.
SEASON 1
1x01/02 - Encounter at Farpoint
1x03 - The Naked Now
1x05 - The Last Outpost
1x07 - Lonely Among Us (This is on here for one scene really)
1x09 - The Battle (This one doesn’t really have moments between them as much but it’s got some good Picard backstory)
1x12 - The Big Goodbye
1x19 - Coming of Age (Again, mostly here for one scene where Beverly is being interviewed)
1x21 - The Arsenal of Freedom
1x24 - We’ll Always Have Paris
Due to a conflict between Gates McFadden and a writer on the show, Beverly doesn’t appear in season 2. It is said she took the position to head Starfleet Medical on Earth. However, due to a huge fan campaign led by Patrick Stewart himself, Gates came back in season 3 and stayed for the rest of the series.
I’d suggest watching 2x17 - Samaritan Snare as it gives some really good Picard backstory, but for P/C purposes, that’s the only one that’s necessary.
Season 3
3x01 - Evolution
3x05 - The Bonding (No moments here exactly, but the themes present are super important to their relationship)
3x12 - The High Ground
3x18 - Allegiance
3x23 - Sarek (This is here for the mind meld scene, which I think speaks to their relationship, but is also one of the best scenes in the entirety of Star Trek)
3x26 - The Best of Both Worlds Part I (This is mostly here for a specific brief scene, but the events of this episode really affect Picard so it’s important)
Season 4
4x01 - The Best of Both Worlds Part II (Here for continuity purposes)
4x02 - Family (No specific scenes but the storylines here are very much important)
4x05 - Remember Me
4x09 - Final Mission
4x20 - Qpid
4x21 - The Drumhead (This is here specifically because of the trial scene where Jonathan Frakes made some really interesting directorial choices)
4x23 - The Host
Season 5
5x12 - Violations (Massive warning for what is essentially mind rape in this episode)
5x18 - Cause and Effect
5x19 - The First Duty
5x21 - The Perfect Mate
5x25 - The Inner Light
Season 6
6x10/11 - Chain of Command, Part II & II (Massive warning for psychological and physical torture)
6x15 - Tapestry (Mostly here for Picard backstory purposes)
6x19 - Lessons
6x20 - The Chase (This is specifically here for the last scene where again Jonathan Frakes makes some interesting directorial decisions)
6x22 - Suspicions
6x25 - Timescape (This is here for a specific interaction between Deanna and Picard)
6x26 - Descent Part I
Season 7
7x01 - Descent Part II
7x08 - Attached (If you are only going to watch one episode about these two, this is the one to watch)
7x14 - Sub Rosa (This episode is atrociously bad but there’s still some good PC content here)
Alrighty! So this idea has been in my head for a good few months now. I watch Star Trek a bunch anyway, but I found that when I would be feeling unwell or a little bit down I found myself re-watching the same few episodes over and over, so I decided to make it into a list!
I've been working on it for a good few weeks, and it's about as finished as I can get it, as I don't know all the Treks equally. So I'm posting it as is, and if anyone who knows some of the shows better, I'm more than happy to take suggestions to add to it!
(Edit 08/11/21: Now includes episodes from Lower Decks)
the juxtaposition of star trek episodes is so funny. like you'll go from a serious episode directly into a light-hearted one or vice versa. i think my favorite example of this is in tng where episode 4x20 is like, ah man, ah jeez, q is back on the enterprise! he's causing havoc as usual--this time he's making the crew go outside and LARP robin hood! what zany shenanigans will follow? and then you go directly into 4x21 which discusses mccarthyism and the dangers of bias and paranoia in the courtroom and the exploitation of the justice system