Star Trek: The Next Generation: Season 3
1989 · 26 episodes · ★ 7.2
What Season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation
The USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D travels through the Alpha and Beta quadrants of the Milky Way in search of unknown worlds and new civilizations. It was built to explore and to engage in diplomacy, and its weapons are activated only when there is no other choice. Leading the ship is Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, a man who prefers reflection and philosophy to direct action. This season, the Ferengi kidnap Troi and Riker, Data becomes a father, and a time jump brings Tasha Yar back to the present. The storylines pit the crew against the Sheliak, the Romulans and other highly advanced species.
Season 3 Episodes
3x01 Evolution
Stardate: 43125.8. A system-wide computer malfunction places the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise in grave danger while they are escorting a scientist to a star in the process of exploding.
Directing: Winrich Kolbe · Writing: Michael Piller · Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Ken Jenkins, Scott Grimes, Mary McCusker
3x02 The Ensigns of Command
Stardate: 43133.3. A human colony is forced to evacuate a planet when the original inhabitants return and threaten the colonists with annihilation if they do not leave within four days.
Directing: Cliff Bole · Writing: Melinda M. Snodgrass · Starring: Colm Meaney, Mark L. Taylor, Grainger Hines, Eileen Seeley
3x03 The Survivors
Stardate: 43152.4. The Enterprise discovers a planet that has had all life eradicated, except for two mysterious residents and their home, which has been left in perfect condition.
Directing: Les Landau · Writing: Michael I. Wagner · Starring: John Anderson, Anne Haney, Michael Braveheart, Natalie Wood
3x04 Who Watches the Watchers
Stardate: 43173.5. An away team inadvertently breaks the Prime Directive and reveal themselves to a primitive culture on Mintaka III, causing the inhabitants believe that Captain Picard is a God.
Directed by: Robert Wiemer · Written by: Richard Manning, Hans Beimler · Starring: Kathryn Leigh Scott, Ray Wise, Pamela Adlon, Lois Hall
3x05 The Bonding
Worf and Wesley must help a 12 year old boy cope with the death of his mother; an archaeologist killed during an away mission to a deserted planet.
Directed by: Winrich Kolbe · Written by: Ronald D. Moore · Starring: Colm Meaney, Gabriel Damon, Michael Braveheart, Susan Powell
3x06 Booby Trap
Stardate: 43205.6. While investigating an ancient ship left adrift in space, the Enterprise accidentally trips the ancient booby trap that disabled the old vessel over 1000 years ago.
Directing: Gabrielle Beaumont · Writing: Michael I. Wagner, Richard Danus, Michael Piller · Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Gibney, Colm Meaney, Julie Warner
3x07 The Enemy
Stardate:43349.2. A blind Geordie is trapped on a hazardous planet with a paranoid and severely injured Romulan. In orbit, a Romulan Warbird is preventing the Enterprise from attempting a rescue mission.
Directed by: David Carson · Written by: David Kemper, Michael Piller · Starring: Colm Meaney, John Snyder, Andreas Katsulas, Michael Braveheart
3x08 The Price
Stardate: 43385.6. The Enterprise hosts the negotiations for the rights to a newly discovered, stable wormhole to the Delta Quadrant. One of the negotiators, Devinoni Ral, becomes attracted to Deanna Troi, but he holds a dubious secret.
Directed by: Robert Scheerer · Written by: Hannah Louise Shearer · Starring: Kevin Peter Hall, Colm Meaney, Elizabeth Hoffman, Castulo Guerra
3x09 The Vengeance Factor
Stardate: 43421.9. The Enterprise crew tries to mend the relationship between a race known as the Acamarians and a faction known as the Gatherers.
Directing: Timothy Bond · Writing: Sam Rolfe · Starring: Marc Lawrence, Nancy Parsons, Lisa Wilcox, Stephen Lee
3x10 The Defector
Stardate: 43462.5. A defecting Romulan warns the Federation about an impending attack by the Romulans, who are secretly establishing bases within the Neutral Zone.
Directed by: Robert Scheerer · Written by: Ronald D. Moore · Starring: Andreas Katsulas, Simon Templeman, John Hancock, James Sloyan
3x11 The Hunted
Stardate: 43489.2. A potentially new member of the Federation enlists the help of the Enterprise to track down a wanted criminal who has a reputation for his excessive violence. However, the fugitive's actions may not be of his own will.
Directed by: Cliff Bole · Written by: Robin Bernheim Burger · Starring: Jeff McCarthy, Colm Meaney, James Cromwell, J. Michael Flynn
3x12 The High Ground
Stardate: 43510.7. Dr. Crusher is abducted by a group of terrorists while delivering crucial medical supplies to a planet ravaged by civil war.
Directed by: Gabrielle Beaumont · Written by: Melinda M. Snodgrass · Starring: Christopher Pettiet, Kerrie Keane, Richard Cox, Marc Buckland
3x13 Déjà Q
Stardate: 43539.1. A Calamarian starts attacking the Enterprise while seeking revenge on a powerless Q.
Directing: Les Landau · Writing: Richard Danus · Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, John de Lancie, Richard Cansino, Corbin Bernsen
3x14 A Matter of Perspective
Stardate: 43610.4. Riker is accused of murder when a scientist is killed in an explosion. Picard must recreate the recent events in the holodeck to prove his commander's innocence.
Directed by: Cliff Bole · Written by: Ed Zuckerman · Starring: Mark Margolis, Colm Meaney, Craig Richard Nelson, Gina Hecht
3x15 Yesterday's Enterprise
Stardate: 43625.2. A rift in the space/time continuum brings the U.S.S. Enterprise - C forward into the 24th Century, and alters the timeline. In this future, the Federation is at war with the Klingons, Tasha Yar is on the bridge, Worf did not join the Federation, and only Guinan's unique perception of reality may restore the timeline.
Directed by: David Carson · Written by: Richard Manning, Ira Steven Behr, Ronald D. Moore · Starring: Denise Crosby, Whoopi Goldberg, Christopher McDonald, Tricia O'Neil
3x16 The Offspring
Stardate: 43657.0. Data becomes a father when he creates a Soong-type android in the form of a daughter named Lal. Issues are complicated when Lal starts showing signs of a more evolved consciousness, including the ability to feel emotions, which attracts the attention of Starfleet scientists who want to take her away from Data and examine her advanced systems.
Directed by: Jonathan Frakes · Written by: René Echevarria · Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Judyann Elder, Nicolas Coster, Hallie Todd
3x17 Sins of the Father
Stardate: 43685.2. Worf is reunited with his long-lost brother when their father is charged with treason for helping the Romulans. Together they make an appeal to the Klingon High Council to challenge the charges, and have them revoked.
Directing: Les Landau · Writing: Ronald D. Moore, W. Reed Moran · Starring: Charles Cooper, Majel Barrett, Patrick Massett, Tony Todd
3x18 Allegiance
Stardate: 43714.1. Picard is secretly abducted and switched with an alien double. The crews' suspicions are raised when he starts exhibiting unusual behaviour, and is relieved of command.
Directing: Winrich Kolbe · Writing: Richard Manning, Hans Beimler · Starring: Reiner Schöne, Michael Braveheart, Joycelyn O'Brien, Jeff Rector
3x19 Captain's Holiday
Stardate: 43745.2. While on vacation on Risa, Captain Picard encounters two Vorgons from the 27th Century who claim they are searching for a powerful weapon hidden somewhere on the planet.
Directed by: Chip Chalmers · Written by: Ira Steven Behr · Starring: Jennifer Hetrick, Max Grodénchik, Deirdre Haj, Karen Landry
3x20 Tin Man
Stardate: 43779.3. The Enterprise encounters a 'living' ship in the Neutral Zone, and risks breaking the Romulan Federation alliance in order to bring it into contact with a Betazoid emissary.
Directed by: Robert Scheerer · Written by: David Bischoff, Dennis Bailey · Starring: Colm Meaney, Harry Groener, Michael Cavanaugh, Peter Vogt
3x21 Hollow Pursuits
Stardate: 43807.4. A nervous and insecure officer, Lt. Reginald Barclay, places the Enterprise in great danger when he neglects his duties in Engineering, and instead spends his time acting out his fantasies on the holodeck.
Directing: Cliff Bole · Writing: Sally Caves · Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Colm Meaney, Dwight Schultz, Charley Lang
3x22 The Most Toys
Stardate: 43872.2. The crew are shattered by the apparent death of Data in a shuttle explosion, and are prevented from carrying out a detailed investigation when Starfleet gives them orders for a new mission elsewhere. However, the crew don't realize that he was actually abducted and placed on display as part of a collection of rare and valuable items held by a disreputable character.
Directed by: Timothy Bond · Written by: Shari Goodhartz · Starring: Colm Meaney, Nehemiah Persoff, Saul Rubinek, Jane Daly
3x23 Sarek
Stardate: 43917.4. Spock's Vulcan father, Sarek, boards the Enterprise to negotiate political relations with the Legaran. However, Sarek has contract Bendii syndrome, which causes a Vulcan to gradually lose control, and become overpowered with emotions.
Directing: Les Landau · Writing: Peter S. Beagle · Starring: Colm Meaney, Rocco Sisto, Joanna Miles, Mark Lenard
3x24 Ménage à Troi
Stardate: 43930.7. Riker and Deanna, both on shoreleave, are unexpectedly joined by Deanna's mother, Lwaxana, on Betazed. Shortly, all three are kidnapped by the Ferengi who want to study Lwaxana's telepathic abilities.
Directed by: Robert Legato · Written by: Susan Sackett, Fred Bronson · Starring: Majel Barrett, Ethan Phillips, Carel Struycken, Rudolph Willrich
3x25 Transfigurations
Stardate: 43957.2. Dr. Crusher becomes attracted to an injured alien with mysterious powers, who is being tracked down by his government like a wanted criminal.
Directed by: Tom Benko · Written by: René Echevarria · Starring: Colm Meaney, Julie Warner, Charles Dennis, Mark LaMura
3x26 The Best of Both Worlds (1) Season Finale
Stardate: 43989.1 An Starfleet expert on the Borg, Lt. Cmdr. Shelby, is assigned to the Enterprise to investigate the disappearance of a Federation colony. Picard is abducted by the Borg and assimilated into the Collective, which forces Riker to attempt a rescue mission.
Directing: Cliff Bole · Writing: Michael Piller · Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Elizabeth Dennehy, Colm Meaney, George Murdock
Season 3 Cast
Wil WheatonWesley Crusher26 episodes
Michael BraveheartCrewman Martinez (uncredited)12 episodes
Majel BarrettEnterprise Computer (voice) / Lwaxana Troi6 episodes
Eben HamKlingon Council Member4 episodesAll Seasons
Season 11987 · 25 ep. · ★ 6.6
Season 21988 · 22 ep. · ★ 6.7
Season 41990 · 26 ep. · ★ 7.2
Season 51991 · 26 ep. · ★ 7.1
Season 61992 · 26 ep. · ★ 7.2
Season 71993 · 25 ep. · ★ 6.8Where to Watch Season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation
It is currently not available on the major streaming platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes are in Season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation?
Season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation has 26 episodes.
When did Season 3 of Star Trek: The Next Generation air?
Premiered on September 25, 1989.
Where to Watch Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3
Currently not available on the major subscription platforms (availability may vary by country).
What is the best episode of Season 3?
According to the TMDB audience rating, episode 3x26, «The Best of Both Worlds (1)», with a 8.9.