Essential TNG Season 2. Daniel, Darren and Phillip continue the proud Trek.fm "essential" tradition of breaking down a season of their favorite series, sorting through which episodes should be officially kept. The trio begins, reluctantly, with "The Child" and makes their way through Next Gen's too short a season, all the way to "Shades of Grey." There are quite a few 2-1 votes for whether an episode is considered "essential" in this installment - that is, whether it embodies the spirit of TNG or sets up much-needed elements for later Next Gen or later parts of the subsequent Trek series. Earl Grey discusses when Lwaxana Troi should "officially" show up, whether "Q Who?" should be "very essential" or "most essential," and if Worf's "two bridges?!?!" must officially be retired. Season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation suffered from a series of writer strikes and bad plots, along with captivating stories ("The Measure of a Man"), new characters (e.g., Guinan and Dr. Pulaski), and promotions for our crew. Join Earl Grey as they hold up season two to the "essential" winnowing process. CHAPTERS Episodes (00:05:09)The Child (Yes) Where Silence Has Lease (No) Elementary, Dear Data (Yes) The Outrageous Okona (No) Loud As A Whisper (Yes) The Schizoid Man (No) Unnatural Selection (No) A Matter Of Honor (Yes) The Measure Of A Man (No) The Dauphin (No) Contagion (Yes) The Royale (No) Time Squared (No) The Icarus Factor (Yes) Pen Pals (Yes) Q Who (Yes) Samaritan Snare (Yes) Up The Long Ladder (No) Manhunt (Yes) The Emissary (Yes) Peak Performance (Yes) Shades of Gray (No)12 Yes / 10 No Final Thoughts (00:54:59) HOSTS Daniel Proulx, Phillip Gilfus, & Darren Moser PRODUCTION Darren Moser (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Michael E Hueter  (Associate Producer) Stephen Boyd (Associate Producer) Ron Saarna (Associate Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager)