Fanfic Recs / Star Trek: The Next Generation

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth being encased in a comet for here.

These are recommendations made by Tropers for Star Trek: The Next Generation fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.

An index of all Star Trek Fanfiction Recommendations pages can be found here.

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Authors and Websites

General Fics

Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.

Enterprise Squared by Bob Regent

• Recommended by Judge King
• Status: Complete
• Sypnosis: What if the Enterprise C was unable to return to the past? What does the reality of a war torn Federation really look like?
• Comments: Not that good, has spelling errors, clunky dialogue and tense confusions.

The Finest In The Fleet by DataLady91

• Recommended by Across The Stars
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: A tribute poem to the crew of the Enterprise-D. She will always be "the finest ship in the fleet."
• Comments: Normally I'm leery of poems of any sort, but I took a chance on this one. It's actually pretty darned good. A must-read for any TNG fan.

A 62-Day Study of the Human Grieving Process by sloanesomething

• Recommended by sabrina, Nightsky
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Data, after Tasha's death.
• Comments: A short fic, but one of the best (if not in fact the best) portrayals of Data's character (and more importantly, his thought processes) I've ever come across. Love, love, love.
• Update: Can still be found via Waybackmachine. Added link.

Yesterday's Enterprise by RocketMedic

• Recommended by Gentlemens Dame 883
• Status: Dormant
• Synopsis: In another universe, the Enterprise-C gets destroyed by Klingons before it can enter the rift back into its own time. Picard decides to tell the Temporal Prime Directive to sod off and has the D go back into the past to Set Right What Once Went Wrong. Every decision has consequences, however, and though the war he intended to avert is successfully prevented, it starts to come out that a vast conspiracy was responsible for plunging the galaxy's powers into war, one that will brook no interference.
• Comments:

Gotor: The Most Powerful Being Who Ever Lived! by Galaxy 1001 D

• Recommended by Andariel
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: It's a trek through time as the officers of two Enterprises confront Gotor: The Most Powerful Being Who Ever Lived!
• Comments: Hilarious one-shot that takes place in both the Original Series and the Next Generation

Remembrances by Lorraine Anderson

• Recommended by Nakuyabi
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: While on shore leave as the Enterprise undergoes some routine maintenance, Captain Picard's old academy friend Admiral Travis enlists him to solve a mystery involving an attempted murder-and-replacement scheme at the academy... while posing as Wesley Crusher's roommate.
• Comments: This piece finally puts the Forgotten Phlebotinum from "Rascals" to good use, although the "Regenerative Transportation" Starfleet developed from that incident turns out to come with a few drawbacks that keep it from being used permanently. As an additional in-joke, Jean Luc specifically poses as his nephew Rene. (Both the rejuvenated Jean Luc and his nephew were played by the same actor, David Birkin.)

The Not Quite SHODAN series by Hiver

• Recommended by FPS Canarussia
• Status: Ongoing
• Synopsis: An average 21st century person wakes up to find out their life is a lie, and they are an experimental AI created shortly after the end of the series. Everything they know about Star Trek comes from the Federation's popular media. This series, with its ninth book being updated once every two days as of May 12th, covers the life of a fully sophontic AI in the Federation, and its effect on Star Fleet and the galaxy.

Laid Bare by sixbeforelunch

• Recommended by Flying Raven
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Deanna Troi discoveres a psychological mystery affecting all the Vulcans on the ship.
• Comments: Has some really good twists and turns, and takes an interesting look at how Vulcan psychology could work.

Crossover Fics

Genetic Drift - or - Grades of Shay

• Recommended by Screwy Sqrl
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Between the departure of Dr. Pulaksi and the return of Dr. Crusher, this Star Trek: The Next Generation / The Muppet Show crossover fanfic premiered in the very early days of the internet (1989!) when the new Doctor on the Enterprise is Doctor Bob. Very Silly.

Conquest by Michael Wong

• Recommended by ham-peas, Baron Praxis
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: A Starfleet cruiser chases a Jem'Hadar attack ship into a stable wormhole, whose other end turns out to be "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away."
• Comments: Written by the proprietor of a rather comprehensive Star Wars/Star Trek comparative-analysis site, this fic takes an unstinting look at far-reaching consequences of cross-pollination between those two worlds. It's not always nice, but it's always plausible and generally compelling, with a twist ending that's both initially astonishing and, on reflection, utterly inevitable. Strongly recommended.
  • I'm going to have to De-Rec this fic. Many of the Star Trek characters act incredibly out-of-character, and, given the current state of what's canon in Star Wars, the battles shouldn't even go remotely like this.

Lost in the Woods by Ardwolf.

• Recommended by SAMAS
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Shortly after introducing Picard to the Borg, Q has enough of his attitude and decides to test his compassion by sending him to a universe where compassion is in short supply: The Firefly 'Verse.
• Comments: Seconded, this is excellent and captures the voice of the characters perfectly.

No Good Deed Also by Ardwolf.

• Also Recommended by SAMAS.
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Serenity's luck never goes well for long, and after that huge piece of luck running into the Enterpise, it comes back to bite him big time. Meanwhile, Picard has to answer for his actions in the 'Verse, and discovers the true meaning of Q's actions.

Task Force 43 by Zcenicx

• Recommended by Judge King
• Status: Dormant
• Sypnosis: A Starfleet Task Force is thrown into the Babylon 5 universe.
• Comments: A really good fic that will definitely take several days to read.
  • YMMV on that one. While the opening chapters are good, and deal with a lot of the problems that Starfleet would encounter as they try to set up a new colony, it eventually settles into Invincible Hero status, bordering on Omnicient Morality Licence over everyone in the Babylon 5 universe, which isn't what Babylon 5 is about. Babylon 5 is about ordinary people struggling to survive in a world fantastic and amazing. Will they have flaws? Yes, but that makes them interesting. The Federation has virtually no flaws, and it gets really, really tiring to read page after page of how awesome everything in the Federation is compared to anything in the B5 universe.
  • I second the recommendation. The Federation does come up as superior, but they are pretty much at the level of First Ones in the B5 universe. The difference is that they try to respect the rights and sovereignty of the less-advanced races. Some of the Federation characters even see their inability to stay isolated and neutral as a failure on their part. So, yeah, YMMV.
  • Thirded. The Federation is only so OP because they exist out of context in Babylon 5. Which is the entire point of a crossover. Also, the First Ones are hilariously primitive compared to most sci-fi universes and Star Trek is one of the most powerful. Plus, the Federation is morally superior. They've worked very hard to earn it, too and also had the advice of the Vulcans, whom humanity had quickly grown to respect a great deal. Babylon 5 has asshole precursors and a certain rubber forehead species that nearly come within the gravity well that is Eldar arrogance.

Serenterprise-D by inlovewithnight

• Recommended by Calatoria
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: The Enterprise picks up a rather lost Serenity after it comes out of a wormhole. Hilarity Ensues.
• Comments: Adorable and funny. The characterization is brilliant, and the comparisons drawn between members of the different crews are so perfect you wonder why they didn't occur to you before.

The Best In Space by MShades

• Recommended by Thunderchin
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: A crossover with Portal 2 where the Enterprise encounters a strange orb-like artifact from 21st century Earth.
• Comments: Five chapters, each corresponding to the segments as if broken by commercial breaks. Each character is presented and acts as if this were an actual episode of the show. If Portal 2 existed back in the day, and Valve Software felt up to it, this actually COULD have been an episode.

The Quandary of DisQord by Kane Magus

• Recommended by roguehistoria
• Status: Complete
• Crossover with: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
• Synopsis: This is a Star Trek: The Next Generation / My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic crossover fic (though it's mostly just a My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fic since none of the Star Trek: TNG cast except for Q show up, though a few are briefly mentioned). The frame story is set immediately after the TNG season 3 episode "Deja Q." The story being told to Q2 (who is simply called "Q" rather than "Q2" in the fic itself) by Q is about Q's existence as Discord from his first arrival thousands of years before the events depicted in the play in "Hearth's Warming Eve" up to the end of "The Return of Harmony."

Where Nopony Has Gone Before by Kane Magus

• Recommended by roguehistoria
• Status: Complete
• Crossover with: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
• Synopsis: This is a direct sequel to the previous fic The Quandary of DisQord and is, of course, another Star Trek: The Next Generation / Friendship is Magic crossover. This time, however, Q has decided to bring the crew of the Enterprise-D along for the ride as well.

Quandary by Lady Anatar

• Recommended by fruitstripegum
• Status: Complete
• Crossover with: Tenchi Muyo!
• Synopsis: The U.S.S. Enterprise has been volunteered to escort an honored scientist to a meeting of the top minds of the Federation. However, in transit, they find that she holds astounding ties to their greatest nemesis.

Add Review

A Captain and a Madman by Raziel Lord Of Squirrels

• Recommended by Mondegreen
• Status: Complete
• Crossover with: Doctor Who
• Synopsis: When a strange, blue box appears in the middle of Federation territory, motionless and without power, it's up to the crew of the Enterprise D to determine just who its strange occupant is... and if he is friend or foe. Even as that very madman wonders just what kind of reality he's found himself in... and if he really wants to find his way back...
• Comments: One of the best Doctor Who/Star Trek crossovers I have ever read. We see the Doctor interacting with multiple generations of Star Trek are covered (save for Deep Space One), and there's plenty of great humor sprinkled throughout the story. The story itself is compelling and well written, and the ending may or may not count as a Tear Jerker.

Shipping Fics

Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

Rollercoaster (Mistress Scribbles) (AU, with some torture)

• Recommended by Blossom Morphine
• Status: Complete
• Pairing(s): Data/Yar
• Synopsis: In which Tasha never had the bridge dropped on her, and her relationship with Data throughout the series. "Fate conspired differently. Death passed Tasha by. Given the time to evolve, a relationship she'd dismissed as a one night stand became the most complicated love affair she'd know. Series of stories spanning the show & movies."
• Comments: Complete with 61 chapters and will be followed up with a sequel, it's an addictive fic, with a great deal of character study, and touching in how vulnerable Data and Yar interact but never OOC. One moment fluffy bordering on crack, the next, heart breakingly tragic. I cannot recommend this enough. Also has a sequel.
  • YMMV on this. I personally can't second the rec, and feel this reviewer put it best:
    "[T]his story seems to mistake nastiness for sexual tension. Tasha is a selfish, petty, spiteful, caustic harpy who makes absolutely everything about her and eternally plays the victim. [...] Data you have as a true automaton (but only when it comes to romance) in a way that - even if I bought that he has no emotions and nothing like emotions - doesn't fit at all with his canon character. [...] These people are awful, this isn't romantic."

Big Doors by EstellaDoreaBlack (AU)

• Recommended by Hallwings
• Status: Complete
• Pairing(s): Data/Yar
• Synopsis: An Alternate Universe Fic where Tasha Yar is saved by Data on Vagra II, and subsequently focuses on their relationship afterwards. This would be followed by a prequel, Perfectly Logical, which focuses on Tasha's time at Starfleet Academy, as well as her relationships with father-figure Tuvok and Academy classmate Tom Paris, plus two sequels—To The Journey, focusing on Data and Tasha's relationship from the end of TNG through the Dominion War and its aftermath (By the way, Data lives in this version.), and Isn't She Lovely, dealing with their relationship post-Nemesis.

Misc.

Tough to categorize.

TNG Season 8, a parodic Twitter feed

• Recommended by Mag Flare
• Status: Ongoing
• Synopsis: Based on the premise that an entire (super-long) eighth season of TNG was scripted but never aired, this Twitter feed summarizes the plots of dozens of never-before-seen episodes.
• Comments: Hilarious and tone-perfect. Each character's traits are exaggerated for comedic effect, but every 140-character block manages to capture essential truths about TNG. Example:
  "A planet of suspicious docents abduct Riker for their museum of amazing men. Geordi and Data are too excited to sleep at their sleepover."
  • It should be noted it became Ascended Fanon in a sense, as an officially licensed book was released, while the creator, a certain Mike McMahan, went on to create Star Trek: Lower Decks!

One Friendship by monkee

• Recommended by Starwolf
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: Zefram Cochrane and Lily Sloane talk after the Friendship One probe is launched.

We Have Engaged The Borg: The Oral History of the Battle of Wolf 359 by The Wolf 359 Project

• Recommended by Lt_Fedora
• Status: Complete
• Synopsis: An expansive 500-page volume covering the Battle of Wolf 359 and its preceding events from "The Best of Both Worlds." It describes the battle from multiple viewpoints, including Starfleet and Federation leadership, survivors of the battle, log entries, with both canon and original characters talking about the battle.