Without a doubt for me, TNG reigns supreme.

While the various spin-offs that came after were interesting and I definitely dug DS Nine and Voyager, to me they didn't have the range that TNG does -- and that's why there are TNG movies and none from the other spin-offs. TNG has a set of characters that are interesting and engaging in a hopeful sense. While the conflicts on DSN were deep and interesting between the subjugator Cardassians and the oppressed Bjorans, it meant that the characters on DSN carried all this emotional baggage. Some of them were very dark, even when they didn't want to be. Many struggled with themselves and with their lots as members of the DSN crew.

Meanwhile, the air of TNG is always one of hope, of looking to the future. Almost every episode that I've seen (admittedly, my knowledge of TNG is imperfect because the DVDs are so damned expensive) deals in some way with Data's quest to better himself -- indeed it becomes central to the progression of the entire show. Couple with this a captain in Picard that had all the best qualities of Kirk with none of the ladies' man goofiness, and a crew whose nature was at all times upbeat and light-hearted, and I think you have the clear winner: the true realization of what Star Trek and its ideals could accomplish.

Asker's Rating:

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