For the English saying, see best of both worlds.

"The Best of Both Worlds" is a significant and highly regarded two-part episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation written by Michael Piller and directed by Cliff Bole . It first aired on July 1, 1990 as the third season finale and ended with a cliffhanger. It was concluded as the first episode in the fourth season on October 7 of the same year. Many fans regard it as the best episode of the show and the first major sign that the television series had come out of the shadow of its predecessor. It won Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series" and "Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series" and was nominated for two others.

The events portrayed in the episode were revisited in "Emissary" (the first episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) and Star Trek: First Contact. "The Best of Both Worlds" itself follows up on the Borg threat first indicated by the first season episode "The Neutral Zone" and later confronted in the second season's "Q Who?".

"The Best of Both Worlds" also originated the quote, "I am Locutus of Borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.", sometimes used in parodying Bill Gates, Microsoft and other institutions.

The Borg set out to assimilate Earth and dispatch a Borg Cube Ship to perform the task. As the Cube journeys to Earth, it encounters the Enterprise (NCC-1701-D). During the encounter they kidnap Captain Picard to assimilate him. This assimilation allows for better communication with Earth, as well as a greater understanding of humans.

Lt. Commander Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy ), an expert on the Borg, develops a plan to destroy the Borg's cube ship, leading to a cliffhanger that leaves in doubt the life of captured Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

When this attempt fails, Starfleet sends 39 ships to stop the cube at Wolf 359; but as the Borg assimilated Picard, his knowledge of Starfleet weapons and tactics allows the Borg to easily defeat the ships. The Cube continues to Earth after leaving the Starfleet fleet in tatters. However, the Enterprise crew manages to take Picard back from his Borg captors and in the process find a way to destroy the Cube and save Earth by "hacking" into the Borg Collective. In fact, Commander Data "puts them to sleep" by activating the standard regeneration cycle.

External link

• The Best of Both Worlds, Part I and The Best of Both Worlds, Part II at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek WikiWiki