‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Retro Recap – ‘The Best of Both Worlds’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve talked at length about how season three of Star Trek: The Next Generation was a game-changing year for this franchise and understandably so. Because this is indeed the year that TNG was regarded by many as top-tier science fiction, the kind that was fearless in taking risks with its characters and its storytelling. A fact that is outright reinforced by the quality writing that season three offered up, since every single story in year three does a phenomenal job of exploring the human condition in a bold and dynamic manner. But truly, what put this franchise on the map wasn’t its exploration of ‘what if?’ or its intimate examinations of our humanity. No, instead, what gave TNG its bold reputation… was the season three finale.

For ‘The Best of Both Worlds’ featured the return of the mysterious Borg and well, how this episode played out and the cliffhanger that it left us what is what brought about the reputation in question. Because in many ways this particular tale made it clear that science fiction didn’t have to always play it safe. That it could in fact, take some risks with the storytelling and add a sense of danger to a universe that is often comfy, and that it was okay to make the audience uncomfortable and worried. Because doing so would put the audience on an actual emotional roller coaster, one that they would be invested in from beginning to end and all of this was made possible by the simplest of storytelling decisions.

In that, this is a tale that removes the invincibility cloak that hangs over Starfleet. After all, this is an organization that beats the odds at every turn, regardless of how great or how dangerous. So, to see the crew of the Enterprise take a beating from the Borg and be forced to run and hide in Federation space is a striking decision to say the least. One that truly does add that sense of danger since they are finally facing off against an invincible foe that will indeed find a way to confront them at any moment. And of course, the decision to have Captain Picard be captured by the Borg only adds to the dangerous vibe surrounding this tale, since it more or less signaled the fact that no one was safe in this story. 

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Which is another ambitious storytelling decision for certain. Because in the Star Trek Universe and science fiction in general, the leads are normally safe. For they are the heroes of the story and while they can be pushed and challenged and have brushes with death, we expect to see them on the series week in and week out. So, to see Locutus of Borg standing before the crew and demanding they surrender, was shocking to say the least. Because in that moment, no Trekker/Trekkie had a clue if Captain Jean-Luc Picard was ever going to sit in the captain’s chair ever again, and that sense of the unknown and the fear it produced was refreshing and powerful and brilliant and it truly meant that the series or television would never be the same again. 
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Because in many ways, the ‘TO BE CONTINUED…’ that pops up at the end of this tale would revolutionize storytelling for certain. For up until that point, season finales were indeed designed to wrap up the year in order to clear the slate for a forthcoming season. But now, stories could leave the audience hanging and leave them hungry for more and that likely means that this particular tale gave birth to the modern T.V. cliffhanger, a device that other big sci-fi shows such as Battlestar Galactica (which was written and run by TNG alum Ronald D. Moore) would use on a consistent basis. Making this finale transcendent in many ways since science fiction really didn’t have that kind of influence upon the industry until this episode came along.

But it just speaks to how good and how powerful this episode truly is and it really is quite impressive how well this tale holds up after all these years. Because everything in this finale is still brisk and clean and the big moments still send chills down your spine. Which means that this one was in fact… a perfect Star Trek tale. Because not only does it offer action and adventure and big challenges for the crew of the Enterprise to overcome, but it’s also filled with quality character growth, as evidenced by Will Riker’s journey in this tale and really in this end, this is one iconic tale for certain. One that leaves you hungry to continue the journey to see how Captain Riker will outsmart the Borg, regardless of how many times you’ve seen this episode and that is truly, quite the storytelling accomplishment. Until next time.  

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