Today (noon, Ch. 13), KSTU-Ch. 13 airs a five-hour "Star Trek: The Next Generation" marathon of the episodes voted the most popular by the fans. Here are the episodes the seven main "Next Generation" actors chose as their personal favorites:
Patrick Stewart (Capt. Jean-Luc Picard): " `The Offspring' because it represents the things that we have always tried to do on `The Next Generation.' Also, it has another brilliant performance from Brent Spiner, matched by an equally fine performance by Hallie Todd and because it marked the first opportunity given by the studio for one of us to direct an episode, which Jonathan Frakes did outstandingly."Jonathan Frakes (Commander William Riker): " `The Offspring' would have to be one of my favorite for obvious reasons. And I liked `11001001' because I got to play music in New Orleans. I also liked `Best of Both Worlds, Part 1 and 2' - they are the best examples of science fiction television I can imagine."
LeVar Burton (Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge): "For obvious reasons, `Second Chances' and `The Pegasus,' the episodes I have directed, occupy a special place in my heart. Most memorable . . . crawling around the mud pit trying to find the VISOR in the episode called `The Enemy' comes to mind. All in all, though, I would have to say some of the Holodeck shows are among my most favorite episodes. In particular, `Elementary, Dear Data,' `Q-pid' and `Hollow Pursuits.' After wearing our `spacesuits' day in and day out and being so serious so much of the time, it was always fun to put on those great costumes and play!"
Michael Dorn (Lt. Worf): "My two favorite episodes are `The Drumhead' - it was a good courtroom drama - and `Firstborn,' because in it I was able to do everything I ever wanted to as Worf. The episode has drama, danger and sensitivity."
Gates McFadden (Dr. Beverly Crusher): "I liked `The Host' because it introduced a very different species and asked the question `What is love?' in a very different way. The most fun I've ever had was directing `Genesis,' and I loved any moment that I was able to do comedy. And I'm sure the last episode will be the most memorable."
Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi): "My favorite episode was `Face of the Enemy' because it was not a `girlie' episode. Any one of the crew could have been transformed into a Romulan. Troi was chosen because she was an empath, not because she was female. The fans seem to agree. It was the highest-rated episode last season."
Brent Spiner (Lt. Commander Data): "My most memorable moment was sitting across the table from Stephen Hawking in the episode, `Descent, Part 1.' "