Top 10 Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

10. Q Who

Q, an omnipotent being that enjoys toying with the Enterprise crew, transports the ship all the way to the Delta Quadrant, a previously unexplored region of the galaxy. Two years away at maximum warp from the nearest Federation Starbase, Picard decides to take advantage of the situation and explore the sector. His curiosity however brings him up against an enemy more powerful than anything they have faced before, the Borg! A collective hive mind of cybernetic organisms that wishes to assimilate all life and my favorite Star Trek villains.





9. Unification

Now Star Trek: The Next Generation is my favorite Star Trek TV series but Spock is my favorite character. So then, you can imagine my joy when Spock appeared in this double episode of Next Generation. Spock is suspected of betraying the Federation as he is seen on the planet Romulus, at the heart of the Romulan Empire. Captain Picard and Data go on an undercover mission to figure out what is really going on. The episode brings my favorite characters, Data, Picard and Spock together in one place. It even ends with a mind meld between Picard and Spock!

8. Measure of a Man

Is Data simply a machine? Or can he be classified as a sentient life form? In this episode Picard and Data must prove that he is a life form or he will be classified as property of Starfleet and be deconstructed. This episode tackles the difficult question of what defines life and what is it to be alive? This episode was also said to be Brent Spiners favorite.







7. I, Borg

The Enterprise finds a Borg survivor of a ship crash known as 'Third of Five'. The crew plan to implement a virus into him and send him back to the Borg collective were the virus will hopefully destroy them. However during his stay on the Enterprise Third of Five begins to show signs of independence due to him being separated from the collective. He is given the name Hugh by Geordi La Forge and later classifies Geordi as his friend. When he begins to say 'I' instead of 'we' and seems unwilling to assimilate, Picard must reconsider his decision to use him as a weapon of mass destruction.






6. Timescape 

Picard, Troi, La Forge and Data return on a shuttlepod to find the Enterprise frozen in time, in the middle of a Romulan attack. But all is not as it seems as they attempt to save the Enterprise from the Romulans and a warp core breach that threatens to destroy the ship. 
  
  





 5. The inner light 

When the Enterprise encouters an alien probe Picard is rendered unconscious. He wakes up on a planet and finds he has a wife and that his experiences on the Enterprise were all just a dream. He lives and grows old on the planet, teaching himself to play a flute and raising a family. Eventually he awakes on the Enterprise and finds that the alien probe was built by a man on a dying world to share his experiences. Picard lived decades of the mans life in twenty minutes while he was unconscious. The episode ends with Picard alone in his quarters with only a flute to remind him of his experiences.

4. All Good Things...

... must end, even Star Trek: The Next Generation. This legendary series finale serves as a satisfying end to the greatest TV series of all time. Picard finds himself jumping between the present, the past and the future. The episode ends with Picard joining poker night for the first time, saying that he should have done so a long time ago.









3. Chain of Command 

Star Trek fans will know it simply from 'there are four lights!'. Captain Picard is captured by Cardassians (not Kardassians) while on a secret mission for the Federation. Picard is brutally tortured by the Cardassians, who are looking for information from him. His torturer use a technique were a mans will is broken to the point  were he believes everything he is told, even when it is clearly wrong. He is told that there are five lights, even when there are clearly four, and every time he disagrees he is punished. Very emotional stuff.

2. Yesterdays Enterprise

Of course it was going to be on the list. The Enterprise-D encounters a temperol anomaly and the Utopia Star Trek future that we know and love is altered when the Enterprise-C emerges from the past. In this warped Star Trek timeline the Federation is at war with the Klingon empire and only Guinan remains aware of the previous timeline. Two Enterprises, an alternative timeline, a crew member back from the dead, a temperol anomaly and Klingons, what more do you want?







1. Best of Both Worlds

Every true Star Trek fan has seen this. This two part episode was not only the best episode of The Next Generation but it also had the best cliffhanger in TV history. Captain Picard is captured by the Borg and assimilated. He becomes Locutus of Borg and begins an invasion of Alpha Quadrant, sector 001, otherwise known as Earth!

"I am Locutus of Borg. Resistance is futile. Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward you will service us"


 

 

Top Ten Video Games

Today I'm going to run through my top ten list of video games. It should be noted that these are simply my opinion and therefor the list is limited to games I have played.

10. Tetris

It may be an old game but it's certainly a good game. It's a classic, everybody has played Tetris.  It has certainly stood the test of time as it's as addictive today as it was back in the cold war. The game is so good it even has a syndrome named after it known as the Tetris effect. People who play Tetris for prolonged amounts of time begin to see Tetris blocks in their everyday life due to hallucinations. Awesome, right?





9. Halo 3

Ah, 2007, back when I had both a PS3 and an x-box 360. Now I never actually completed the game so maybe it shouldn't be here but from what I saw it was an amazing game. If Assassin's Creed hadn't been released the same year I never would have put Halo 3 on hold and I may have considered paying to get my X-Box fixed after it broke. The game still looks beautiful today and has an awesome setting that attracted the Star Trek nerd within me instantly. If I had completed it, it might have been further up on my list. Perhaps some day I'll buy a 360 again, sit down and plow through the Halo series.

8. Assassin's Creed: Revelations 

Revelations isn't my favorite of the franchise but it's still an amazing game. Yes it added some annoying features to the series, like tower defense and first person block puzzles. But who didn't cry at that ending. The game served as a farewell to the two protagonists of the games, Ezio and Altair, and it was an excellent going away party that made me sad to see the characters go.



7. Civilization V

If you're a fan of strategy games than chances are you've already played this. Civilization has always been a good franchise and one of my favorites. Civilization V is in my opinion the best of the lot and if you're a fan of the genre it's hard not to recommend.





6. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves 

Uncharted is an awesome franchise that looks and feels fantastic. The graphics in this game are still today one of the best I've seen. Ever. I don't know how Naughty Dog does it but they made one beautiful game. Well not just one, the entire series looks great. The action is fun and the only complaint I have is Nathan Drake isn't exactly as hot as Lara Croft.



5. Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
I had a few concerns when Ubisoft announced Brotherhood would be coming out only a year after Assassin's Creed II. I was pretty sure it was going to ruin the series just after it started getting good and my worries only grew when it was announced it would feature multiplayer. I was pretty sure the game would suffer from Call of Duty's disease, a short story and a repetitive multiplayer full of dicks. I was proven wrong however as the game turned out to be a worthwhile entry to the series that continued the story of my favorite character in gaming, Ezio Auditore Da Firenze. 

4. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

This game revolutionized action adventure games and forever changed the genre. This was one of the first games I ever played and is still my favorite PS2 game today. It was praised around the world and for good reason. It featured fun platforming and the ability to turn back time.Sure the combat was annoying but everything else was amazing. Plus no Prince of Persia, no Assassin's Creed. It's just a shame Disney tainted the memory of this legendary game with their crap movie.


3. Infamous 2

If you're a superhero fan, like me, then you'll love this game. Taking place a month after the last one, questionable superhero Cole Macgrath flees to New Orleans, sorry I mean New Marais, in order to upgrade his powers so that he can defeat ultimate supervilliain, the Beast. The game features a karma system that allows you to be either a shinning beacon of hope or a superpowered jackass. It has two very different endings, both of which made me cry more than any other game, except maybe Revelations.

2. Assassin's Creed II
In my mind Assassin's Creed II is the perfect sequel. It improved everything good about the first game and ditched every negative aspect. The game features a new protagonist, Ezio Auditore, a young Florentine nobleman that discovers his Assassin heritage and goes out for revenge against the Templars that killed his family. The game has one of the biggest surprise endings ever, that left me begging for more. Ezio, despite leaving the series in Revelations, is still my favorite video game character ever. Plus how many games let you beat the shit out of the pope?
1. Assassin's Creed III   

Assassin's Creed III introduces yet another protangonist into the series, Ratonhnhaké:ton or Connor Kenway if you prefer. Ratonhnhaké:ton may not be the charismatic ladies man Ezio was but he is still an amazing character. He fights for justice and his people, the Mohawks. I couldn't help but connect with the character and care about his village and of course the Templars plotting to take control of America. It was also great to finally see the 21st century Assassin, Desmond Miles actually do something after only viewing his ancestors memories in the previous five games.