# Star Trek: The Next Generation season 5

The fifth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation commenced airing in broadcast syndication in the United States on September 23, 1991, and concluded on June 15, 1992, after airing 26 episodes. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Starfleet starship Enterprise-D.
The premiere episode resolves the cliffhanger from the previous season, revealing the mysterious Romulan commander to be the daughter of the Lt. Tasha Yar from the alternate universe created in the third season episode "Yesterday's Enterprise".
This season sees Picard have some of the more memorable experiences of the series, such as learning to communicate with the heretofore unintelligible Tamarians ("Darmok"), overcoming his dislike of children when he is trapped along with three children after the Enterprise-D is struck by a quantum filament ("Disaster"), and meeting with Ambassador Spock on Romulus in "Unification". Most notably, in "The Inner Light", he experiences 40 or so years of life as an iron weaver on an extinct alien world after an encounter with a probe launched before the destruction of that world.
Michelle Forbes joined the cast as Ensign Ro Laren, a Bajoran officer who was initially conceived to be one of the main characters in the upcoming spin-off Deep Space Nine. Wesley also makes a few appearances in this season when he saves the Enterprise from an alien game which was actually a mind-control device ("The Game"), and later at Starfleet Academy when he participates in a coverup of the circumstances surrounding the death of one of his classmates ("The First Duty").
The season ends with the discovery of Data's head in a cave under San Francisco which had been sealed for 500 years, and eventually with Data, Picard, La Forge, Troi, Riker and Doctor Crusher trapped in 19th century Earth ("Time's Arrow").
The logo as seen in the opening credits has a minor change this season only, as it has rear shadows. During production of this season, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry died of cardiac arrest. Production on the episode "Hero Worship", directed by Patrick Stewart, was halted when news reached the set.

## Cast

* Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard
* Jonathan Frakes as Commander William T. Riker
* Brent Spiner as Lt. Cmdr. Data
* Gates McFadden as Dr. (Cmdr.) Beverly Crusher
* LeVar Burton as Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge
* Marina Sirtis as Counselor (Lt. Cmdr.) Deanna Troi
* Michael Dorn as Lt. Worf

## Recurring characters

* Majel Barrett – Computer voice (7 episodes)/Lwaxana Troi (1 episode)
* Michelle Forbes – Ensign Ro Laren (6 episodes)
* Patti Yasutake – Ensign Alyssa Ogawa (5 episodes)
* Colm Meaney – Transporter Chief (Lt.) Miles O'Brien (4 episodes)
* Sheila Franklin – Felton (4 episodes)
* Brian Bonsall – Alexander Rozhenko (4 episodes)
* Whoopi Goldberg – Guinan (4 episodes)
* Rosalind Chao – Keiko O'Brien (3 episodes)
* Denise Crosby – Commander Sela (3 episodes)
* Wil Wheaton – Wesley Crusher (2 episodes)
* Ashley Judd – Ensign Robin Lefler (2 episodes)
* Leonard Nimoy – Ambassador Spock (2 episodes)

## Episodes

In the following table, episodes are listed by the order in which they aired.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | Prod. code | Nielsen rating |
| 101 | 1 | "Redemption, Part II" | David Carson | Ronald D. Moore | September 23, 1991 (1991-09-23) | 201 | Unknown |
| The Klingon Civil War comes to a conclusion. ||||||||
| 102 | 2 | "Darmok" | Winrich Kolbe | Story by : Philip LaZebnik and Joe Menosky Teleplay by : Joe Menosky | September 30, 1991 (1991-09-30) | 202 | Unknown |
| Picard must learn to communicate with an alien captain who speaks in metaphors before a dangerous beast kills them both. Guest star Paul Winfield as Dathon. ||||||||
| 103 | 3 | "Ensign Ro" | Les Landau | Story by : Rick Berman & Michael Piller Teleplay by : Michael Piller | October 7, 1991 (1991-10-07) | 203 | 11.6 |
| After an attack on a Federation outpost, Picard is sent to locate a Bajoran terrorist with the help of Ensign Ro Laren. ||||||||
| 104 | 4 | "Silicon Avatar" | Cliff Bole | Story by : Lawrence V. Conley Teleplay by : Jeri Taylor | October 14, 1991 (1991-10-14) | 204 | 12.0 |
| With the help of a scientist whose son lived on Data's homeworld, the crew attempt to communicate with the Crystalline Entity. ||||||||
| 105 | 5 | "Disaster" | Gabrielle Beaumont | Story by : Ron Jarvis & Philip A. Scorza Teleplay by : Ronald D. Moore | October 21, 1991 (1991-10-21) | 205 | 12.3 |
| The Enterprise is heavily damaged after being hit by a space anomaly, trapping Picard in a turbolift with three children and others in various locations. Command of the bridge falls to Counselor Troi who feels ill-prepared, more so when the threat of a warp core breach endangers the Enterprise. ||||||||
| 106 | 6 | "The Game" | Corey Allen | Story by : Susan Sackett & Fred Bronson and Brannon Braga Teleplay by : Brannon Braga | October 28, 1991 (1991-10-28) | 206 | 13.4 |
| Wesley visits the Enterprise and finds the crew addicted to a mind-altering computer game. Guest star Ashley Judd as Robin Lefler. ||||||||
| 107 | 7 | "Unification, Part I" | Les Landau | Story by : Rick Berman & Michael Piller Teleplay by : Jeri Taylor | November 4, 1991 (1991-11-04) | 208 | 15.4 |
| Spock is reported to have defected to the Romulans. Picard and Data travel to Romulus in a cloaked Klingon vessel to investigate. ||||||||
| 108 | 8 | "Unification, Part II" | Cliff Bole | Story by : Rick Berman & Michael Piller Teleplay by : Michael Piller | November 11, 1991 (1991-11-11) | 207 | 15.4 |
| Spock attempts to unify the Vulcans and Romulans in peace but falls into a Romulan trap. ||||||||
| 109 | 9 | "A Matter of Time" | Paul Lynch | Rick Berman | November 18, 1991 (1991-11-18) | 209 | 13.9 |
| An apparent historian from the 26th century visits the Enterprise while they help a planet prevent a nuclear winter. Guest star Matt Frewer as Berlinghoff Rasmussen. ||||||||
| 110 | 10 | "New Ground" | Robert Scheerer | Story by : Sara Charno & Stuart Charno Teleplay by : Grant Rosenberg | December 30, 1991 (1991-12-30) | 210 | 11.9 |
| Worf tries to be a father to his son, Alexander, while the Enterprise helps to test a new propulsion technology. ||||||||
| 111 | 11 | "Hero Worship" | Patrick Stewart | Story by : Hilary J. Bader Teleplay by : Joe Menosky | January 6, 1992 (1992-01-06) | 211 | 12.7 |
| Data saves the life of an orphaned boy who begins to emulate him. ||||||||
| 112 | 12 | "Violations" | Robert Wiemer | Story by : Shari Goodhartz & T. Michael and Pamela Gray Teleplay by : Pamela Gray & Jeri Taylor | January 27, 1992 (1992-01-27) | 212 | 12.1 |
| A telepathic alien traveling aboard the Enterprise telepathically assaults Troi and invades the minds of Beverly Crusher and William Riker. ||||||||
| 113 | 13 | "The Masterpiece Society" | Winrich Kolbe | Story by : James Kahn and Adam Belanoff Teleplay by : Adam Belanoff and Michael Piller | February 3, 1992 (1992-02-03) | 213 | 12.0 |
| The Enterprise helps a far-flung eugenic human colony avoid destruction but upsets its delicate balance by ending 200 years of isolation. ||||||||
| 114 | 14 | "Conundrum" | Les Landau | Story by : Paul Schiffer Teleplay by : Barry Schkolnick | February 10, 1992 (1992-02-10) | 214 | 12.2 |
| The crew's memories are mysteriously erased. They soon discover that they are being manipulated into taking part in a war. ||||||||
| 115 | 15 | "Power Play" | David Livingston | Story by : Paul Ruben and Maurice Hurley Teleplay by : René Balcer and Herbert Wright & Brannon Braga | February 17, 1992 (1992-02-17) | 215 | 13.2 |
| Troi, O'Brien, and Data are possessed by entities who want control of the ship. ||||||||
| 116 | 16 | "Ethics" | Chip Chalmers | Story by : Sara Charno & Stuart Charno Teleplay by : Ronald D. Moore | February 24, 1992 (1992-02-24) | 216 | 12.6 |
| Worf becomes paralyzed, possibly for life, and asks Riker to assist him in the Hegh'bat ceremony, a Klingon suicide ritual. Dr. Crusher consults a risk-taking researcher to save his life. ||||||||
| 117 | 17 | "The Outcast" | Robert Scheerer | Jeri Taylor | March 16, 1992 (1992-03-16) | 217 | 12.3 |
| Riker falls in love with an androgynous alien during their efforts to rescue others of the same race who were trapped in "null space". ||||||||
| 118 | 18 | "Cause and Effect" | Jonathan Frakes | Brannon Braga | March 23, 1992 (1992-03-23) | 218 | 13.0 |
| The Enterprise becomes stuck in a time loop but the crew retain some memory of previous instances. Guest star Kelsey Grammer as Morgan Bateson. ||||||||
| 119 | 19 | "The First Duty" | Paul Lynch | Ronald D. Moore & Naren Shankar | March 30, 1992 (1992-03-30) | 219 | 12.1 |
| Wesley is questioned over a Starfleet Academy flight training accident. Guest star Ray Walston as Boothby. ||||||||
| 120 | 20 | "Cost of Living" | Winrich Kolbe | Peter Allan Fields | April 20, 1992 (1992-04-20) | 220 | 11.7 |
| Deanna's mother, Lwaxana, arrives to marry a man she has never met. Worf has difficulty rearing Alexander, which is exacerbated when Lwaxana takes the boy under her wing. ||||||||
| 121 | 21 | "The Perfect Mate" | Cliff Bole | Story by : René Echevarria and Gary Perconte Teleplay by : Gary Perconte and Michael Piller | April 27, 1992 (1992-04-27) | 221 | 10.8 |
| Picard forces himself to resist the charms of a female empathic metamorph who is sent to marry an alien leader as a peace offering. Guest star Famke Janssen as Kamala. ||||||||
| 122 | 22 | "Imaginary Friend" | Gabrielle Beaumont | Story by : Jean Louise Matthias & Ronald Wilkerson and Richard Fliegel Teleplay by : Edithe Swensen and Brannon Braga | May 4, 1992 (1992-05-04) | 222 | 12.1 |
| A child's imaginary playmate takes on a physical form and threatens the well-being of the Enterprise. ||||||||
| 123 | 23 | "I, Borg" | Robert Lederman | René Echevarria | May 11, 1992 (1992-05-11) | 223 | 12.8 |
| The Enterprise rescues a Borg survivor, whom Geordi names 'Hugh'. Picard plans to upload a destructive computer virus to Hugh so the virus will spread throughout the collective when Hugh is sent back. ||||||||
| 124 | 24 | "The Next Phase" | David Carson | Ronald D. Moore | May 18, 1992 (1992-05-18) | 224 | 11.7 |
| A transporter accident traps Geordi and Ensign Ro out of phase with normal space. While the others plan their funeral, Geordi and Ro must find a way to reverse the process and save the Enterprise from destruction. ||||||||
| 125 | 25 | "The Inner Light" | Peter Lauritson | Story by : Morgan Gendel Teleplay by : Morgan Gendel and Peter Allan Fields | June 1, 1992 (1992-06-01) | 225 | 11.1 |
| A space probe creates a telepathic tether to Picard and causes him to experience, in twenty-five minutes, a lifetime as a married man on a world that was destroyed a millennium ago. ||||||||
| 126 | 26 | "Time's Arrow, Part I" | Les Landau | Story by : Joe Menosky Teleplay by : Joe Menosky & Michael Piller | June 15, 1992 (1992-06-15) | 226 | 11.8 |
| A 500-year-old artifact is uncovered on Earth: Data's severed head. The Enterprise investigates alien involvement in Earth's past and Data fulfills his destiny. ||||||||

## Reception

In 2019, CBR rated Season 5 of Star Trek: The Next Generation as the third best season of all Star Trek seasons up to that time, and the most highly ranked season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

## Footnotes

* 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 "Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings – Seasons 5–6". TrekNation. Archived from the original on October 5, 2000. Retrieved December 22, 2013.
* ↑ "Every Star Trek Season of TV Ever, Ranked from Worst to Best". January 4, 2019.