Same as the TOS thread. Give me your best TNG episode and why.
For me the best all around episode is the Chain of Command 2 parter (part 2 really) IT was the birth of the Cardasians as a “real” enemy. It’s as good as a Ds9 episode.
The Riker and troi with Jerico stuff is as good as the torture picard stuff.
If you exclude the top 5 that people will mention, I have always been very partial to, “Data’s Day.” Endearing episode, borderline cute but gets away with it. Last moment when the Captain and Riker are visibly tired and hand the command over to Data, as Data calls out, “Nightwatch” and the lights go dim you feel like you have a new insight into the ship itself and daily life.
‘Inner Light’ is an amazing 45 minutes.
Details please
UGH! I’m in the middle of a frak party and stuff. Besides we’ve been down this road before. Alright you got me. I love talking about Trek
Inner Light has an incredible script, mapping out the lifetime of a man. The production and makeup is top-notch. You feel the passage of time. Picard grows old before your eyes. The score for the episode is endearing and moving. Picard’s final moment with the flute is awesome. One life is important.
inner light is my number 2. And I don’t realy like Picard. That is just good film makeing!
Inner Light.
I loved the concept of Picard living an entire lifetime in a few minutes.
I was very moved when Picard regains consciousness again in his life on the Enterprise. He’s a bit confused, he says, “I am Jean Luc Picard, and this is the Enterprise.” He realizes he is back in his old life that he thought he had lost.
At the end, I was even more moved, when Picard standing by a window in his quarters, looks at the flute his is holding and suddenly brings it to his chest and holds onto it tightly, feeling intensely the life he had just spent. Chokes me up every time.
My favorite that isn’t one of the obvious is The Nth Degree. This is where Barclay is knocked out by an alien probe. When he awakens everything seems normal but as the show goes on he shows heightened intelligence, artistic skills and charisma. Who can forget when Barclay puts the moves on Deanna? I love when he integrates himself into the ship and the idea that there are aliens who explore the galaxy by sending out probes so others can find them. 
Ugh… Can’t pick just one…
Gotta go with Sins of the Father as one of my favorites, but it’s kind of obvious…
Other less obvious goodies are:
The Most Toys because of the development of Data’s personality and hints at the potential for an emotional edge to him.
A Matter of Honor for showing providing insights into Klingon culture and showing Riker’s ability to be bad [sorrybarb].
Tapestry where Q gives a Picard a chance to clean up his messy past which just leads to the unraveling of his life.
Lower Decks for the view of Enterprise life from the supporting players.
Justice - I don’t know, must be the intangibles I guess… 
I actually enjoyed Tapestry a lot too… I think without that episode Picard wouldn’t feel so human.
If we are talking about episodes often overlooked, I would have to mention The Defector - Sort of a standard Star Trek idea, but just great execution. Had enough twists to keep it unpredictable, without being confusing. Also a great performance by the guest stars, James Sloyan and Andreas Katsulas as the Romulan Commander.
There’s another episode I think is one of the best, actually it a 2-parter, “Best of Both Worlds.” It was a great season cliff-hanger. I was on my feet shouting at the TV at the end of Part 1. Damn good episodes.
I ca’t recall the titles but I have two:
The one where he lives a lifetime in an extinct culture in a matter of minutes and has the flute at the end.
When he is captured and tortured by the Cardassians and is tested for breaking by telling his captor how many lights does he see.
Inner Light
Chain of Command, Parts 1 & 2
There are many episodes I simply haven’t seen; it’s like any time I find a station it’s on, I get lots of Seasons 1 and 7 and then the show disappears, only to be found on some other channel.
But I do like, “I, Borg” quite a bit, as well as “The First Duty” (a great episode for Wil Wheaton) and, as far as “space anomaly of the week” episodes go, “Cause and Effect.”
Thank you, its been a while since I’ve been a regular viewer.
No prob. It’s a talent. I could be a circus freak at a Star Trek convention. Now that’s saying a bunch.
But then you repeat yourself…
I gotta go with that one. This is besides the usual top five, like Solai said, that everyone likes (which, if I remember the Top 5 Fans’ Choice marathon the week before the TNG finale, were: “Relics,” “The Inner Light,” “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” and “The Best of Both Worlds I & II.”) “Cause and Effect” is just a brilliant episode (by a writer who later disappointed me), clever in the way it progresses the drama by increments every time the loop repeats, raising the suspense as we hang on to see if/how the crew will figure it out. Plus, it focuses on Beverly Crusher, which aside from being good on the eyes, is a nice departure from having one of the science/tech head characters who usually deal with these anomaly-of-the-week episodes.