Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode Ratings Heatmap
1987 · 7 Seasons · 176 Episodes · Overall Score: 7.0/10 (176 rated)
Season 6 holds the highest collective average score across the series.
Season 6 Details →Lowest score variance (σ = 0.53), maintaining an average of 6.6.
Complete Episode Rating Matrix
Interactive score chart by season and episode number. Darker green indicates higher ratings; amber and red denote lower reception.
| Episode | Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6 | Season 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ep 1 | 6.8 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 8.7 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 7.3 |
| Ep 2 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 8.1 | 6.9 | 6.3 |
| Ep 3 | 5.2 | 8.0 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 5.5 | 6.1 |
| Ep 4 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 8.0 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.7 | 7.2 |
| Ep 5 | 7.3 | 6.3 | 6.1 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 7.3 |
| Ep 6 | 6.1 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 6.3 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 7.1 |
| Ep 7 | 5.9 | 6.2 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 6.3 |
| Ep 8 | 6.5 | 7.5 | 6.1 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 6.8 | 7.0 |
| Ep 9 | 6.9 | 8.8 | 6.4 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 7.2 | 6.6 |
| Ep 10 | 6.1 | 6.1 | 8.0 | 5.7 | 6.3 | 7.7 | 7.2 |
| Ep 11 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 8.2 | 8.1 |
| Ep 12 | 7.3 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 7.9 | 5.9 | 8.0 | 7.7 |
| Ep 13 | 5.8 | 7.3 | 8.0 | 6.9 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 6.7 |
| Ep 14 | 7.2 | 5.9 | 6.5 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 4.8 |
| Ep 15 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 7.8 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 8.1 |
| Ep 16 | 6.3 | 8.4 | 7.8 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 7.0 | 7.4 |
| Ep 17 | 6.8 | 6.5 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 5.6 |
| Ep 18 | 6.8 | 6.1 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 8.3 | 7.4 | 6.2 |
| Ep 19 | 7.0 | 5.7 | 6.7 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 6.7 | 6.2 |
| Ep 20 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 5.7 | 7.5 | 6.0 |
| Ep 21 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 8.0 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 6.3 |
| Ep 22 | 6.6 | 3.5 | 7.1 | 6.8 | 6.0 | 6.6 | 6.4 |
| Ep 23 | 6.4 | – | 7.4 | 6.2 | 8.4 | 6.9 | 6.3 |
| Ep 24 | 7.4 | – | 6.0 | 7.3 | 7.8 | 6.9 | 7.2 |
| Ep 25 | 7.2 | – | 6.7 | 6.9 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 8.4 |
| Ep 26 | – | – | 8.9 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | – |
| Season Avg | 6.6 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
Ratings Analysis & Trajectory
Across 7 seasons and 176 episodes, Star Trek: The Next Generation has earned an overall series rating of 7.0 out of 10. The series displays remarkable consistency across its narrative arc, maintaining reliable ratings from premiere to conclusion.
The single highest-rated hour of television in the series is Season 3, Episode 26 ("The Best of Both Worlds (1)"), rated at an extraordinary 8.9/10 with 77 ratings. Conversely, the lowest-rated installment is Season 2, Episode 22 ("Shades of Gray"), landing at 3.5/10.
The most precipitous single-episode shift occurred in Season 2 between Episode 21 ("Peak Performance", 7.4) and Episode 22 ("Shades of Gray", 3.5), a swing of 3.9 points.
Top 10 Highest Rated Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation
| Rank | Episode | Title | Score | Votes | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Season 3, Ep 26 | The Best of Both Worlds (1) | 8.9 | 77 | Jun 18, 1990 |
| #2 | Season 2, Ep 9 | The Measure of a Man | 8.8 | 81 | Feb 13, 1989 |
| #3 | Season 4, Ep 1 | The Best of Both Worlds (2) | 8.7 | 69 | Sep 24, 1990 |
| #4 | Season 5, Ep 25 | The Inner Light | 8.5 | 74 | Jun 1, 1992 |
| #5 | Season 3, Ep 15 | Yesterday's Enterprise | 8.5 | 71 | Feb 19, 1990 |
| #6 | Season 2, Ep 16 | Q Who | 8.4 | 72 | May 8, 1989 |
| #7 | Season 7, Ep 25 | All Good Things... | 8.4 | 60 | May 23, 1994 |
| #8 | Season 5, Ep 23 | I, Borg | 8.4 | 59 | May 11, 1992 |
| #9 | Season 5, Ep 18 | Cause and Effect | 8.3 | 60 | Mar 23, 1992 |
| #10 | Season 6, Ep 11 | Chain of Command (2) | 8.2 | 55 | Dec 21, 1992 |