The coziest ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ episodes to watch
With winter on the wing and the spring thaw a while away yet, it’s time to cozy up by the fire with some hot cocoa and a fuzzy blanket. For TV fans, it also means finding the perfect cozy series and/or episode to watch. From the Great British Bake-Off to Hilda, there are so many TV offerings to give you a warm and fuzzy feeling.
One of our favorite series here at Film Daily is Star Trek: The Next Generation. Star Trek: TNG has had many great episodes from terrifying to hilarious to downright Shakespearean. Sometimes, the gambit runs through many emotions and kinds of stories over the course of one episode.
With the weather turning colder and the days shorter, Star Trek fans are looking for those perfect episodes to cozy up with. Lucky for you, we have the five coziest Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes to watch. So beam up some hot cocoa and set phasers to maximum coziness before checking out these episodes.
“The Offspring” (S3E16)
By season three of Star Trek: TNG, the show had hit its stride. “The Offspring” may be an odd choice to call “cozy”, but it definitely inspires some warm feelings in any who views it. Data (Brent Spiner) builds a daughter, who he named Lal (Hallie Todd).
The resulting episode is an examination of personhood and parenthood. Spiner gives an incredibly tender performance. His scenes with Todd are definitely very moving. The ending, however, may ruin the cozy vibes and send you into tears.
The message of “The Offspring”, however, will be one that will keep you warm. In that, the ones we love will forever live our in our hearts, even if our time with them is brief. That warmth can drive away the coldest of days. This was also the directing debut of Jonathan Frakes, who nailed it.
“Data’s Day” (S4E11)
Data may not have understood the human condition entirely, but episodes with the focus on his studies into humanity and emotions consistently leaves you with the warm fuzzies.
“Data’s Day” is equal parts one of the funniest and most heartwarming episodes of Star Trek: TNG. With the wedding of Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) and Keiko Ishikawa (Rosalind Chao) along with the birth of a baby, “Data’s Day” has the android favorite musing on love and belonging.
At the end of the episode, Data says, “There are still many human emotions I do not fully comprehend – anger, hatred, revenge. But I am not mystified by the desire to be loved – or the need for friendship. These are things I do understand.” Maybe, in the end, that’s all you need to know to be human (or understand them).
“Tapestry” (S6E15)
It’s amazing how one event can set the course of your whole life. Change it, your life just looks very different indeed. Nothing showcases that more than the events of “Tapestry”.
Star Trek: TNG staple Q (John de Lancie) allows a supposedly deceased Picard (Patrick Stewart) to go back in time and change a pivotal moment in his life. This moment, however, turns out to help make Picard the man he is today. Eventually, Picard accepts that his regrets and triumphs make the tapestry of who he is.
The coziness from this episode comes from Picard making his own peace with his past. Yes, he has regrets, but he wouldn’t change them because he likes the man he is today.
“All Good Things…” (S7E25, S7E26)
Weird to put a series finale into the cozy column when they usually leave fans in buckets of tears. The whole finale of Star Trek: TNG is truly one of the best series finales out there. Picard finds himself slipping through time experience the past, present, and future out of order.
Now, this is all a trick by Q, but it turns out to be a heartwarming way to end the series. There’s a lot of great throwbacks and see the bridge crew together in advanced age is very sweet.
Then, of course, there’s the famous ending of Picard joining the senior bridge crew poker game, wanting to be amongst his friends. That’s definitely the epitome of coziness, being around those who love you and who you love.
“The Inner Light” (S5E25)
“The Inner Light” is one of the best episodes of Star Trek: TNG. Period. Do not pass go. Do not collect 200 dollars.
“The Inner Light” is like if Star Trek went Studio Ghibli. When Picard is struck by an alien probe, he wakes up in a world called Kataan as a man named Kamin. He lives, loves, and loses all over the course of 40 years, living a happy life as the planet dies around him. The episode is full of an almost deceptive gentleness, staying with you long after it’s completed.
This is the perfect episode to watch all warm in your blanket. The warmth will definitely stay with you in the best way after.
