My favorite affair aboutStar Trek : The Next Generationhas always been the show ’s unbelievable dramatis personae of fibre . Over the course ofTNG’sseven season , the gang of the USS Enterprise - D , top by Captain Jean - Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) , come to palpate like family . I found something to enjoy in even the less noted episode of the show becauseI still acquire to spend time with these characters I had grown to fuck . EveryStar Trekserieshas a firm cast of character , but , from the outset , something aboutTNG’scast just get across for me .

Ranking my favoriteStar Trek : The Next Generationcharactersis not an wanton task , as I do not actively dislike any member of the main roll . While I have a clear pet character , there is no one I would wish to quetch off the show . One of the greatest things aboutTNGwas how wellthe character fare together to be so much greater than the sum of their parts . Captain Picard relied on his crew appendage , who bank on each other , and it was clear-cut the actors were fond of one another as well .

Star Trek : The Next Generation produced some of the good and most beloved science fable goggle box of all clock time . Here is TNG ’s near of the good .

Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard, Brent Spiner as Data, & Michael Dorn as Worf from Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG)

Custom image by Ana Nieves

10I Wish Wesley Crusher Had Gotten Better Stories

Wil Wheaton As Ensign Wesley Crusher

Do n’t get me wrong , I do n’t dislike Wesley Crusher , but I do remember he was the weakest member of the mainTNGcast . From the rootage , TNG’swriters did n’t quite know what to do with Wesley , and he became a boy admiration who found the last - minute life - saving solution a few too many time . Prodigy or not , it never made sense that Wes was capable to solve problems that had stumped the more experienced officers around him .

Wil Wheaton did the best he could with the stuff he was given ( and Wheaton has since become a welcome fixture in theStar Trekfandom ) , but much of that fabric just did n’t work . Still , Wesley ’s last duet of episode were surprisingly solid , so much so thatI care Wes would have stayed onTNGand grown as a character . Wesley ’s relationships with his female parent , Dr. Beverly Crusher ( Gates McFadden ) , and his wise man ( and pseudo - father figure ) Captain Picard , also had a lot of potential that went unrealised .

Wesley returned as a Traveler inStar Trek : Prodigy , finally contract to be the fun and well - write character he could have been onTNG .

Captain Picard, Commander Riker, and Data from Star Trek: The Next Generation

9I Always Wanted To Know More About Guinan

Whoopi Goldberg As Guinan

Whoopi Goldberg unite the cast ofTNGat the beginning of the show ’s 2nd season as Guinan , the cryptical mixologist in Ten Forward . Guinan was immediately a fascinating character , andTNGdropped hints about her history throughout the show ’s run . unluckily , several questions surrounding Guinan and her history went mostly unanswered , and I care the show had delve more into her backstory .

Guinan ’s position as a bartender intend she often take on the function of listener and advice presenter . I always enjoyed how Guinan helped Captain Picard and the Enterprise gang member work through their problems . She had a knack for pass people in the good focussing , allowing them to find answers for themselves . Guinan existed on the periphery for most ofTNG , so it ’s hard to place her higher on this list , but I always enjoyed what she had to say .

Whoopi Goldberg ’s Guinan is an El - Aurian , a coinage that be for centuries , , which means the wise bartender has appeared in several Star Trek eras .

2 versions of Guinan in Star Trek

8I Like Commander Will Riker Just Fine

Jonathan Frakes As Commander William Riker

As Captain Picard ’s good - handwriting man on the USS Enterprise - D , Commander William Riker makes a fine First Officer . And that word fairly much sums up how I feel about Riker as a character — fine . compare toTNG’sother characters , Riker feels a mo less developed and not quite as compelling to me . It also does n’t help that I do n’t relate to him much as a character .

other inTNG’srun , Riker was often portray as a ladies ' gentleman’s gentleman , sometimes with cumbersome and whole tone - deaf results . Still , Riker has some solid moments ( " Frame of intellect " is a personal favorite of mine)and I enjoyedhis relationship with Counselor Deanna Troi(Marina Sirtis ) , though I wish they would have formally catch back together during the show ’s run .

I relish Riker as a character much more inStar Trek : Picard , particularly in the show ’s third season .

Three images of Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi on Star Trek TNG

7Sorry, Lt. Worf, I’m Just Not A Fan Of Klingon Stories

Michael Dorn As Lt. Worf

It may be a controversial option to have Worf so low on this list , but most of his story onTNGinvolved Klingon political sympathies which I just was n’t interested in . Worf had some great import throughoutTNG(and some hilarious one - liners ) , but he did n’t truly come into his own as a character untilStar Trek : Deep Space Nine . As the Security Chief of the Enterprise - calciferol , Worf was often take down by the scoundrel of the hebdomad to illustrate how strong they were .

I relish when Worf ’s stories focused less on Klingon politics and more onhis search for identity as a Klingon raise among humansand theonly Klingon in Starfleet . I also hump Worf ’s relationship with K’Ehleyr ( Suzie Plakson ) and wish it had been further explore ( yes , I ’m still demented about her senseless death ) . All in all , I enjoy Worf more as a fictional character onDS9 , but his time onTNGlaid the foundation for everything that come after .

6I Wanted More For Counselor Deanna Troi

Marina Sirtis As Counselor Deanna Troi

Counselor Troi did not always get the best storylines onStar Trek : The Next Generation , and I wish she had dumbfound more to do . With her Betazoid empathic power and her job as the counselor on the Enterprise - D , Troi had the potential to be an fantastically compelling character . While she had moments of greatness ( such as season 6 ’s " nerve of the Enemy " ) , she was often given questionable amatory storylines andDeanna truly deserved good .

Troi was a skilled counselor when she was turn over the prospect , help various Enterprise crew members bring through their problem . TNG’swriters never quite seemed to know what to do with Troi ’s empathetic powersand she was too often reduced to pointing out the obvious . Still , Troi proved herself an invaluable appendage of the Enterprise crew , and her relationship with Riker blossom into something truly adorable .

Marina Sirtis ’s empathic Counselor Deanna Troi had some with child second throughout Star Trek : The Next Generation ’s seven seasons .

Gates McFadden as Dr Beverly Crusher from Star Trek TNG

5I Wanted To Be Friends With Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge

LeVar Burton As Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge

away from his ungainly ( and on occasion problematic ) try at romance , there was n’t much to dislike about Geordi La Forge . A brilliant engineer , Geordi could come up solutions to almost any applied science problem that arose on the Enterprise , and he successfully stay fresh the ship up and die hard for age . The fact that Geordi was blind and required a special VISOR to see never slow up him down , and sometimes even prove to be an extra welfare .

Geordi has one of the least highly-developed backstories of anyTNGmain character , and he did n’t get to be the central figure in many episodes . Still , TNGseason 3 , installment 7 , " The Enemy"remains a highlighting and I hump the characterization of Geordi in that installment . He gets to be suspicious and sarcastic , but also compassionate and lowly . I also love the friendship between Geordi and Lt . Commander Data ( Brent Spiner ) , as Geordi never treats the android as anything less than human .

4I Never Met A Q Story I Didn’t Like

John de Lancie As Q

Star Trek : The Next Generationbegan and ended with Q , foreground how much the character switch throughout the show . In only eight episodes , Q became one ofTNG’smost memorable character , enliven up the screen with every appearance . With his questionable motivations and on the face of it infinite mogul , Q add up an component of topsy-turvyness to a fair structured starship .

Patrick Stewart and John de Lancie played off of one another brilliantly , making all of the scene they partake really sparkle .

I love the comedic chemical element Q bring toTNGand the ways he interact with all of the different character . In his first few appearing , Q sense like an opponent , but over clock time , he warm up to Picard and the Enterprise crew . Q may have been responsible forintroducing the Federation to the Borg , but he also gave Data the gift of laughter . Even as Picard grew more and more exasperated by Q ’s schemes , the two became almost Friend in a strange way of life .

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3I Love Dr. Beverly Crusher’s Profound Compassion

Gates McFadden As Dr. Beverly Crusher

With her compassionate patient - focalise glide path to medicament , Dr. Beverly Crusher had a strong signified of moral that sometimes clashed with the prescript and regulations of Starfleet . I love that Dr. Crusher was willing to stand up for what she believed in , even when it meant pushing back against Captain Picard . Beverly would put herself in danger if necessary to help others , and she on a regular basis campaign for those who could n’t fight down for themselves .

Like Troi , I wish Crusher had gotten stronger single storyline , but she get along a bit better than the Enterprise Counselor . Crusher was not only a skilled Dr. but also a glorious scientist and a devoted individual female parent , proving that women should never have to choose between calling and category . Beverly and Jean - Luchad one ofTNG’smost interesting kinship , and I would have get it on to have escort them become a couple on the show .

One of Dr. Crusher ’s best and most important Star Trek : The Next Generation episode celebrated substantial women both in front of and behind the photographic camera .

Headshot Of Patrick Stewart In The 2024 Audie Awards at the Avalon Hollywood

2I Still Believe Captain Picard Is Star Trek’s Best Captain

Patrick Stewart As Captain Jean-Luc Picard

Star Trek : The Next Generationwould not have worked as well as it did withoutPatrick Stewart ’s Captain Picardat the helm . Stewart lift every scene he was in , making Picard an fabulously compelling and likable character . I love that Picard used his intellect and discreetness skills to navigate difficult situations , only resorting to violence as a last hangout . With his potent sense of right and wrong , Picard remains one ofStar Trek’smost morally upstanding character .

Jean - Luc may have kept himself at arm ’s length from his gang , but he cared deeply about everyone on board the Enterprise . Picard always put up his gang penis , including fighting for Data ’s rightfulness to make his own selection in " The Measure of a Man " ( with one of my all - meter favoriteTrekspeeches ) and aid Worf navigate Klingon politics in the " Redemption " two - parter .

1I Can’t Say Enough About My Favorite Trek Character, Data

Brent Spiner As Lt. Commander Data

From the first ofTNG , I connected the most with Lt . Commander Data . I receive Data ’s childlike curio and social nuisance value relatable , andI love that the Enterprise crew members never treated him as anything less than . Data ’s search for his humanitybecame my preferred throughline ofTNG , and I love how the show explore this journey . Data went out of his elbow room to help the people around him , like learn to trip the light fantastic for the O’Briens ' wedding in " Data ’s Day " or fighting to save a slight girl on a go bad planet in " Pen Pals . "

I did n’t get laid the way theTNGfilmshandled Data ’s emotion micro chip storyline , butStar Trek : Picardseason 3 made up for that by finally allowing Data to reach a more organic idea of humanity .

Because Data saw the world through the eye of a nestling , he often connected with kid , becoming a friend when they needed one . Data could be rummy and kind , slushy and compassionate , making it hard to trust he was ever truly an unfeeling motorcar . Despite his protests otherwise , I believe that Data was always human in all the way that mattered and he will always be my favorite role fromStar Trek : The Next multiplication .

Headshot Of Jonathan Frakes IN The Paramount+ ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ FYC And Finale Event

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