The Best of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' - 'All Good Things...'

Written by John Edward Betancourt

So we have come to the end of the line when it comes to the discussion of my favorite episodes from Star Trek: The Next Generation, so it only seems fitting we discuss the one that I found the hardest to watch and the one that I never wanted to end.  

I'm talking of course about the epic series finale.  After seven years of captivating my imagination on Saturday nights, the bad news finally arrived, the show would be wrapping up its historic run and moving into motion pictures. Now I say epic, because the finale pulled out all of the stops this time around for 'All Good Things...' which is most certainly an appropriate title.  

In this final episode, Captain Picard has noticed something terrifying and strange. He is jumping through time. On a moment's notice, he is moving from the past and the present and the future and with good reason. There is an anomaly that appears in all three segments of time, growing larger in the past. But as Picard works to figure out why he is shifting through time and the nature of the anomaly, he is greeted by an old friend, Q, who informs Picard that the Continuum is now prepared to render its final verdict on humanity, and this anomaly and Picard will decide mankind's fate. 

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This was a hard one to watch. Because I knew that in two hours time, a show that had formed my childhood, and had taught me so many good things about who we are and what we could be would be ending. Sure there were no major character deaths or earth shattering revelations, it was simply goodbye and this is one of those times I simply did not want to say farewell. 

However, this was a beautiful way to end the series and one that brought everything around full circle. The stakes were high, Q was back and heck, so was Tasha Yar and most importantly we saw an earth shattering idea that perhaps this crew would not be family in the years to come. It was a fascinating dynamic to throw in there because we were so used to enjoying the bond between this intrepid crew and in many ways Picard not only saved all of humanity...but his family as well.  

It was a beautiful and proper send off for a show that captivated our imagination and I would be lying to all of you if I told you that my eyes weren't full of tears as I watched the show end as it always did, with a beautiful exterior view of the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D, with the knowledge that this was the last time I would ever enjoy that image on television.  

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