Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series) The Best of Both Worlds: Part 1 (1990) User Reviews

This is the TNG you remember

[Mr-Fusion · 10/10 · 7 January 2017]

Talk about sending off your third season in a blaze of glory. The Borg is easily TNG's greatest enemy (to say nothing of its imaginative conception), and "The Best of Both Worlds' brings them to the forefront, wiping out colonies and attacking the Federation. But it opens with Riker's inner turmoil over accepting a captaincy and leaving the finest ship in the fleet. Meanwhile, Shelby's creating tension by assuming his role and subtly edging him out. This is great character drama.

Once the Borg make their move, it's all action, and it lays the groundwork for this crew's best movie ("First Contact"). It takes nerve to throw your captain to the hands of the enemy and then scrawl "To Be Continued".

Outstanding television.

10/10

At their best!

[gritfrombray-1 · 10/10 · 11 August 2009]

This episode started on a sombre note. The Borg were back. A Federation Outpost confirmed this and the Enterprise has an Admiral and a hotshot Lieutenant Commander with her eye on Riker's job on board as he has been offered his own command. To add insult to injury, she is in no way affected by Riker's usual charm and even sees through Riker's bluff at a poker game. The slow, and atmospheric build up in this is fantastic. The Borg are eventually encountered and their interests have changed. They order Picard to beam to their ship or they will destroy the Enterprise. Eventually he is abducted and Riker is thrown in at the deep end and put in command of Enterprise. His decisions at the onset are uncertain and is eventually able to mount a rescue plan, only to be thwarted by the Borg. When the away team return to the ship a new Borg Locutus, formerly Jean Luc Picard appears on screen and orders Riker to surrender, forcing him to make the ultimate decision, ending in one of Trek's best cliffhangers ever. Trivia fans should know George Murdock actor who played Admiral Hanson previously played Dr.Wilker in Battlestar Galactica and Elizabeth Dennehy is the daughter of actor Brian Dennehy and was my favourite to head up the Voyager cast....

Best cliffhanger in sci-fi

[hydrofilic · 10/10 · 4 December 2016]

A brash and ambitious Commander Shelby joins the Enterprise on a "recon" mission. But when the Enterprise arrives, it seems the Borg have destroyed a federation outpost... well ahead of Federation predictions.

And then things get worse when the captain is not only captured, but "converted" into a Borg.

In the final scene, Riker is "forced" to open fire on the enemy... his former captain.

This is one of the best cliff-hangers in my opinion... will Riker kill his former Captain? Will the Borg-Captain (Picard) destroy the Enterprise (and Riker/Shelby)? Or will the Enterprise geek-out a surprise to destroy the Borg? A great cliff-hanger... In My Humble Opinion...

The best of The Next Generation.

[russem31 · 20 April 2006]

ST:TNG:74 - "The Best Of Both Worlds, Part I" (Stardate: 43989.1) - this is the 26th and last episode of the 3rd season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

The Borg are back! The last time they were encountered was 7000 light years away in the 2nd season episode "Q Who?", with Starfleet thinking they'd have more time to prepare. Regardless, the Enterprise goes to intercept - with Elizabeth Dennehy as Commander Shelby. She has more than the Borg on her mind, wanting to replace Riker who has been offered command of the Melbourne. As tensions mount between Riker and Shelby, Picard is captured by the Borg!

Watch this part I of an exciting two part episode. You won't be disappointed.

Trivia note: Riker is offered his 3rd chance of commanding a starship. Also, we see the poker game again (this time Wesley joins in on the fun). And Whoopi Goldberg makes another appearance as Guinan.

The big decisions

[snoozejonc · 9/10 · 2 July 2021]

The starship Enterprise engages the Borg.

This is an exciting episode with strong character moments.

Part 1 of 'The Best Of Both Worlds' has one of the best character driven plots and probably the most memorable ending of TNG.

The majority of the focus is on a wonderfully tense dynamic between Riker and the ambitious Commander Shelby. These scenes help develop an excellent arc for Riker that builds towards a huge decision in the episode's final scene.

At the same time there is a lot of Borg exposition that sets the scene well and establishes them as plausible threat.

It is also a memorable episode for Captain Picard as it kicks off one of his most famous arcs that follows him through the series, plus a movie and the recent Star Trek: Picard show.

The visuals at the time were fantastic and still hold up to today's standard. The Borg effects, makeup and costumes are some of the most memorable of the franchise. The opening opening matte backdrop and reveal are also very good. All this is enhanced by a very dramatic and effective soundtrack.

All performances are excellent with all characters having moments to contribute. Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes and Elizabeth Dennehy standout.

This is often mentioned as the greatest TNG episode. It certainly is one of the strongest and on first viewing it works fantastically well, particularly when it was first broadcast. However, I find that it's key moments do not have the same clout on a repeat viewing.

Captain Riker take a seat.

[thevacinstaller · 10/10 · 21 March 2021]

The atmosphere work and eerie musical score in the beginning of this episode are an early sign that something big is about to happen.

I especially enjoyed the borg portrayal as being a force of nature completely immune to diplomacy and force. Not knowing or understanding their motivations make them all the more frightening as an antagonist.

I enjoyed the character of Shelby and how she is a female version of Will Riker ---- hungry for promotion and eager to standout. A major part of this episode is Riker working through the conflict of who he is now and what he perceives he should be.

It is tricky to review one part of a two part episode but it is inconceivable that this one does not earn a 10. Superb pacing, compelling personal conflicts, great soundtrack, a guinan downer of a pep talk, and a tireless antagonist who tells you that your death is irrelevant ---- you are going to serve them. Picard is assimilate and humanity is completely screwed --- enjoy your three months of summer until part 2 comes out. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SEASON 3 as a whole:

• Overall a score of 7.6 out of 10. An improvement from 7.04 for season 2.
• Five 9 out of 10's
• Two 10 out of 10's.
• 7.6 does not sound like a high number but that does not reflect my enjoyment of this season. Writing, Guest Stars, Soundtrack, Camera angles and special effects, main cast performance, challenging episodes all improved greatly over season 2. We even get BARCLAY --- the man himself. I can overlook a bunch of 6 out of 10's if I get seven masterclass episodes in a season.
• I was surprised with how much enjoyment I got out of 'The High Ground', maybe it's because I am becoming an old man? My perspective and what I find compelling change as the years go by.

A Season Finale for the Ages

[Samuel-Shovel · 10/10 · 15 November 2019]

In "The Best of Both Worlds" the Enterprise comes across a remote Federation outpost totally devastated and almost completely annihilated. Everyone's hunch is the Borg. A hotshot commander in charge of Borg defense comes aboard the Enterprise to try to prepare the Federation for an inevitable confrontation. She's gunning for a first officer's position. And with Riker offered up the captain's chair of the Melbourne, she sees an opportunity on the Enterprise.

The Enterprise runs across the Borg vessel. The Borg wants Picard aboard their cube and tries to entrap the starship. Some quick thinking from Lieutenant Shelby helps the ship escape. The crew recoups in a nebula before being flushed out and the attack by the Borg resumes. It beams aboard and takes Picard by force. Riker chase's the cube as they head towards Earth. An away team beams over and finds Picard to be assimilated and now the mouthpiece of the Borg. The group heads back to the Enterprise and prepares to blow up the cube as the season ends.

Classic. What an absolute classic. Everything about this is great, from the reintroduction of the Borg to the power struggle between Riker and Shelby. The acting, set design, plotting, it's all top notch. The best episode of TNG to this point.

A stunner of an ending that was never equaled!

[garrard · 10/10 · 19 March 2007]

"The Best of Both Worlds, Part I" ranks at the top of list of best of the series. Fans of the episode are pretty knowledgeable of the story, aware that this is the second time that the valiant Enterprise crew encounters the malevolent Borg. The Federation has been preparing for the eventual meeting with the species but is unprepared when the Borg board the Enterprise and abscond with the Captain (Patrick Stewart).

When a rescue team, headed by Commander Shelby (guest Elizabeth Dennehy), beam onto the Borg cube, they make a frightening discover: the captain has become one of the Borg collective, a revelation that takes the viewer totally by surprise. Realizing that there is nothing to be done, the team departs, leaving their beloved leader behind.

The now-Borg Picard gives an ultimatum to acting captain Riker (Jonathan Frakes) to be "aasimilated." Riker is then torn between his loyalty to his friend and his Star Fleet responsibilities.

This makes the ending, leading to the concluding installment, the first and best of the season-ending cliffhangers.

Favourite 2 part episode of TNG

[ChloeODonnellDublin · 10/10 · 1 November 2018]

I could write such a long review of this but after reading the others, I just echo the repeated sentiments that this is truly some great TV! I remember being gutted that it was the end of the series and we, here in Ireland, had to wait months to see the 2nd part - but it was so worth it.

Patrick Stewart is fantastic and the story is gripping. I still remember the shock of what happens when I saw it that very first time....

I feel if I write any more, I will only start to drop spoilers without realizing it. I always loved the episodes with the Borg, and if you haven't see this, watch it. Resistance is Futile!

Best Episode Ever!

[chrischanwasframed · 10/10 · 23 June 2022]

Now that is how you do a To Be Continued! Wow! This is an amazing cliff hanger, even though I have already seen it, it still hits hard. This episode is kind of a slow build, most of the first half is about setting the stage, but things really get exciting in the second half, and by the climax I was on the edge of my seat. All of the characters are great in this, but, I think I'd say Riker is the MVP. When the pressure is on he shows that he would make a great Captain in his own right. They don't make tv shows like this any more. The Borg are terrifying villains. I love it.

A Great "Cliffhanger" Exceeds Part 2 although there is less action

[mike48128 · 10/10 · 21 April 2016]

Like "The Empire Strikes Back" Part 1 exceeds Part 2 because we truly don't know what's going to happen next. It's much more suspenseful. I believe that the writers almost painted (wrote) themselves into a corner. Sure Part 2 has more "phaser and dog fight" action. Here the viewer gets to go inside one of the most complicated interiors ever used in a sci-fi series. Some of it is probably duplicated by either mirrors or mattes, but it seems to go on into infinity. We get a real "Cooks Tour" of the whole place. We get altered humanoids that plug into the circuits like cell phones. Why Picard's old uniform would be saved in an IKEA-inspired dresser is beyond me. The Borg costuming is amazing and very intricate. "Frankenstein's Monsters" of the future. The shape and design of The Borg Cube Spaceship looks entirely wrong on purpose. A clunky square goes against all the engineering design principles of conventional streamlining. Part 1 is a real "cliffhanger",while Part 2 is more predictable as it all must come to a logical conclusion. Both parts together set the framework for the movie "First Contact" with the incredible evil Borg Queen.

Season Three

[zkonedog · 9/10 · 5 July 2019]

The first two seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation ranged (in quality) from dreadful to uneven. There were some good stories being told and the characters were progressing somewhat, but nowhere near on a consistent basis. Fortunately, this Third Season is where Next Generation establishes itself as a very quality product.

Perhaps the biggest difference in this season is that there is a noticeable decrease in "clunker" episodes, as there really aren't any eps that are truly atrocious (a fairly common occurrence in the previous campaigns). Clearly, the writing was improved.

Another thing I liked about this season was that the stories were so varied. From single-arc mysteries to Data (Brent Spiner) creating offspring to over-arcing Roman plots, Season Three had a little bit of everything in a very nice mix. Of course, the return of the Borg at the end of the season may be the highlight, as Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) faces his greatest challenge yet. Basically, some great diverse storytelling and pacing.

I'm not going to summarize or review specific episodes here, but suffice it to say that Season Three is when Next Generation really makes the leap from "not sure this is ever going to come around" to "this is quality television". I hate to point fingers or cast aspersions, but the common rhetoric for this change is that Gene Roddenberry was less involved in the scripts by this time. While Roddenberry was a great world-builder (not unlike George Lucas of Star Wars fame), his week-to-week scripts or ideas tended to be rather pompous or high-minded. They either really worked or crashed-and-burned magnificently. So, while the decline of Roddenberry was obviously something that no one in the Trek universe wanted to see happen, it may have unintentionally allowed the show's writers to "loosen the bonds" a bit, working out for the better.

Bottom Line: If you can hold out until this Third Season, you'll become hooked on Next Generation, as this is when the character development and stories finally entertain on an almost every-episode basis. My exact star rating would be 4.5.

Where is the Battle Crew ?

[makiefer · 7/10 · 10 October 2023]

It's not credible that Starfleet hasn't got a seperate war crew. Picard and his crew are explorers. So far, it only ever got to posturing weapons, never actual battles. We are talking Starfleet's flagship here. And an outpost does get destroyed as a warning, at the very beginning of this episode. If you ignore that flaw, then current staff should be trying to leave. Again - they were warned by the enemy, the Borg. Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge is visually impaired and should have the best excuse to drop his golden jacket. At least for now. A war crew like Peter Weller's crew in Star Trek Into Darkness would normally try to save the day here.

A Senior Trekker writes.....................

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 16 January 2022]

New uniforms, new credit sequence and Doctor Crusher returned to us but was Season 3 of The Next Generation really as good as we remember? Some of that enthusiasm may have have been generated by relief that the series had not been cancelled but the 1990's also heralded an era of considerably more stability behind the scenes. Senior Trekker will continue to score every episode with a 5.

I vividly remember the impact that this episode had on fans who had no widespread access to the internet and a very real fear that TNG could still be cancelled without allowing them any resolution of Captain Picard's fate. The wait was made even more difficult by the magnitude of the threat and the high quality of this cliff-hanger, something not usually done in television series of the time.

It was an outstanding piece of Science Fiction story telling, helped rather than hindered by some rather unprofessional bitching aboard the Enterprise. The character of Shelby, so memorably played by Elizabeth Dennehy, was remarkable in her assertiveness and occasional insubordination and, even at the time, Riker appeared pretty stolid in comparison. Audiences were divided on her merits but she had a remarkable amount of support, with numerous book and comic tie-in mentions. In fact I think that in another part of the Star Trek universe she even got her own ship.

Thirty years later, in a world where most organisations have outwardly accepted women in command positions, a certain class of misogynist troll would probably have fixated on her in the way that they do on real life women in leadership roles.

By the way, on re-viewing, we can hear Captain Picard refer to his old friend Admiral Hanson as "JP", a clear forerunner to the use of "JL" for Picard in the 2020 series of the same name.

A must-see for fans.

[planktonrules · 10/10 · 17 November 2014]

The away team beams down--only to discover that the city they went to see is gone! And, by gone, I mean that there is a giant crater where the place USED to be...! The Federation thinks this is the work of the Borg--as who else could do this?!

Soon, the ship is visited by a high muckity muck from the Federation as well as a young hot-shot, Commander Shelby--who is being assigned as #3 on the Enterprise. Well, she'll be needed, as when the Borg attack, they take Picard and now Riker is in charge. Can they reclaim the Captain and how will Shelby deal with the Borg when she and an away team beam aboard their vessel? Unfortunately, it looks like getting Picard back isn't gonna happen, as when they see him, he's all covered in mechanical crap, as he's been altered and is now one of the Borg.

This is the first part (and a season cliffhanger) of a wonderful and incredibly exciting two-part series on the Borg. This is a sure sign that the series has FINALLY hit its stride and its a sign of better and better shows starting with season four. A must-see.

memory

[Kirpianuscus · 15 March 2020]

The shock to the images of kidnapped Picard and his birth as Locutus were a shock at that time. The episode remains, in my case, exemplary portrait of dictatorship. And a great exercise of build of tension. After decades, I feel the cold metal and the blank terror and the asimmilation of a great character in an universe in which the individuality is lost. So, a special episode.

REVIEW 2022

[iamirwar · 10/10 · 31 August 2022]

Another commission offered to Riker. Will he accept? The USS Melbourne. "Its his if he want's it." This is the third time, we've pulled out the Captain's chair for Riker, he just won't sit down.

Down on Jouret IV, something has destroyed an entire community. We have a cute blonde in Commander Shelby. Please don't kiss her, Riker. She's after your job.

Shelby is an expert on the Borg, so things are looking up. But as with most TNG of this period, it's a slow burner which tends to be focussed on the clash of personalities that exist between Riker and Shelby. This is a two-parter season finale, so we can be sure it's building towards a climax of some sort.

We do encounter the Borg, who surprisingly, are only interested in Captain Jean-Luc Picard. No requests for assimilation YET. No threats of resistance being futile YET. This is the second time that the Enterprise has experienced the Borg drone (Q Who?) but this time the ship manages to escape thanks to the intervention of the career driven Commander Shelly. The Enterprise soon finds refuge in the Paulson Nebular which should provide a screen against the Borg ships sensors, Captain.

The story seems to be caught between the ongoing battle between Riker and Shelby and the Battle between the Enterprise and the Borg. Maybe that's why its the best of both worlds... Anyone for a cliff-hanger... step forward Locutus.

Super Segue into the Next Generation of Episodes

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 20 August 2014]

The Borg are such a juggernaut. When one fights an enemy in war, one generally has an adversary that may be irrational, but that plays by some kind of rules. The Borg is a bee colony and it's a self sustaining entity. The entire colony has one purpose: to absorb everything in its path and make itself stronger. Intellect is of no use unless it helps the collective learn something. All sentient life is meaningless. They are the dead look in the shark's eye. As we will see later, they do speak and threaten. "Resistance is useless" is the response to all. In this episode we realize that the Federation has been anticipation this threat for a long time and decides to send its full arsenal at the Borg. The results of that and the future of Picard are the issues in the first half of this episode. At this point, the show kicked into a different gear, putting great stresses on all involved and confronting an entity that would haunt, not just the people in this series, but the Voyager crew as well.

Shelby as an expert

[Mopface · 8/10 · 21 September 2020]

Is anyone bothered by the (non) fact that Shelby is such a Borg "expert"? She really doesn't seem to be. Plus being so insufferably arrogant.

The greatest two parter in television history

[xzgdqbntxd · 10/10 · 9 August 2023]

This is it folks. The greatest part one of a two part cliffhanger in television history. Everything about this episode changed tv forever. The scope, the music, the acting, the menace, the special effects. It has it all. Not only that, but this episode spawned other great tng episodes (Family right after this one for example), plus the best TNG movie, and some of the best content on voyager (and mostly gave us Seven, the best part of voyager). Before BOBW, no one had ever seen a cliffhanger as crazy on tv as this one. I remember seeing this when o was 10 years old and my jaw was on the floor!!!!!

Head to head with the Borg

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 19 February 2019]

In this episode the Enterprise gets assigned a new officer Commander Elizabeth Dennehy who is on board as an expert on the Borg. Because the Borg are headed to to the Terran system or in plain English, Earth and we've got no way to stop them as of yet, just some delaying tactics that the Enterprise in previous encounters have devised.

Dennehy is an ambitious sort and she and Jonathan Frakes get on each other's nerves. Still when there's a job to do they manage to overcome.

The episode ends on a real cliffhanger after the encounter with the Borg.

We Are the Borg Resistance is Futile!

[jseph1234-262-617488 · 10/10 · 21 July 2022]

What else is there to say about this episode. Its probably the Single Most Remembered Episode in Star Trek History

The First time I watched this back in 1990 , I was genuinely terrified because of the depiction of this race of Automatons. Nearly on the level of the first time I saw "Alien" in 1980.

#36 in T. V. Guide All-Time television episodes and rightfully so!

Should be even better.

[wwcanoer-tech · 8/10 · 18 January 2022]

It's disappointing that even when writing a major season cliffhanger that there's several situations that appear ridiculous.

Beginning with the opening scene! It's ludicrous that the Enterprise doesn't detect a huge crater where the town should be and then "coordinates show that your in the center of town" when they are clearly on the edge of town. Why did the writers chose this obvious nonsense? Do they have that low an opinion of the viewer's intelligence? Why would it not be as compelling for the sensors to show a crater where the town should be, have them say "impossible, we need to see this" and purposefully set them on the edge of the crater.

When hiding in the nebula, the Borg start sending charges but Picard does absolutely nothing to evade them! Then they come out of the nebula on the same side as the Borg ship! So, they are portraying Picard as stupid. Any 8 year old would know to move to the far side of the nebula and then, if that didn't work, to exit on the far side of the nebula, hoping that the nebula blocks them for as long as possible. They could even leave a probe in the nebula that emulates an emission from the ship in the hopes that the Borg still sense that they are there.

Then in the Borg ship, after destroying a few power nodes, each member just stands there, each firing on an approaching Borg. WHY? Their task is to destroy nodes. We should see them continuing to try to destroy as many nodes as possible, trying to move from one node to another ahead of the reacting drones. Wouldn't that chase be more compelling? They could be in two groups and one group's phasers stop working and the second group saves them. They could also be transported from node to node. This movement also makes it more reasonable that they run into Picard/Locutus. (The Enterprise could try to transport nodes off of the ship or transport explosives into the nodes, but that's not as interesting. Or transport approaching drones into space.) When they transport off the ship, they should have tried to transport Picard and failed.

Even the final scene is clunky. Geordie says that they have maybe only a minute before the cube regains warp, then they stand around debating if they should destroy the cube to save the human race or save one captain. It was a silly debate. Far more appropriate would be if they were all struggling to find a way to save Picard within the time that they had, with all knowing that they must sacrifice him. Then, with only seconds left, they stop to listen to the Borg. What could the Borg possibly say that would convince Riker not to try to destroy them?! I understand that we need to see Picard as Locutus but then they needed to give more time to destroy the ship.

For example, while the team is trying to destroy more power modules, they encounter Locutus, who contacts Enterprise and the away team sees him talk while on the cube while Riker sees him on the viewscreen. Locutus could then say that their attempts at sabotage are futile, we are Borg, etc. Just before opening the channel Riker would have asked Geordie if the weapon is ready, he responds "I just need another 30 seconds". During the video call, Geordie silently informs Riker that the weapon is ready, Riker tells Warf to beam back the away team, Riker asks Warf if he can beam Picard out of there yet, to which Warf says "no, I still can't get through the force field", Data might say "their Borg repairs are 98% complete" then Riker says "Fire" to horrified looks of the away team and bridge crew realizing that they are killing Picard.

It was a good episode but with a little more thought it would have been even better.

Missing Data???

[llewellynf1974 · 5/10 · 15 April 2021]

How convenient that right at the moment when The Borg beam aboard the Enterprise and kidnap Picard...Data is not there. With the strength of 100 men, he could have given the Borg a good fight...such a huge plot hole...

Even If You Don't Like Science Fiction, This Is Fun!

[julieb-35-327991 · 10/10 · 17 August 2023]

As a cultural touchstone, TNG and, in particular this episode, were THE water cooler talk at my office during the original run. "Resistance is futile" is still one of my favorite sayings. I was in my twenties when it first aired; now in my early sixties, I feel sad when younger generations don't understand favorite paraphrases such as, "They were Borg'd." And I do say things like that. Everyone should "engage" in this series, second in importance only to the original series. Both series were helmed by the visionary Gene Rodenberry. Science fiction is not my preferred entertainment genre, but this series and this episode are so worthy!