Star Trek: The Next Generation: Evolution

"Evolution" is the first episode of season three of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation and the forty-eighth episode of the series overall (forty-ninth if one counts the two-part pilot episode "Encounter at Farpoint" as two episodes). Combining the episode count of all Star Trek-related TV shows to date, it is the 156th episode of the entire franchise. This episode was directed by Cliff Bole and written by Melinda Snodgrass. It first aired in syndication in the United States on September 23rd, 1989.