List of My Favorite and Least Favorite Episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series (Plus, a Bonus) · 4:42pm Mar 21st, 2020
Aloha, my friends.
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another post.
Today, following my review of "Star Trek: The Original Series", as well as on "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", I have decided to give you all my lists of what my favorite and least favorite episodes of the former show were.
I realize that I had obviously meant to post this a long time ago, but, I figured it wouldn't hurt to wait until after my reviews on the films were up and ready for the world to see.
Anyway...
In the times I had watched the series, I couldn't help but find some episodes that particularly stood out to me. Not just the episodes that I didn't like, but ones that I found to be awesome more than any other.
The only other time I did this sort of thing was with episodes of "Wordgirl", so this is something I find myself to still be pretty new at.
This first list that I'm showing here is of what my favorite episodes are, which I'm happy to refer to as the "Noteworthy Nineteen":
1. "Shore Leave" (Season 1, Episode 15): Being a successor to rather serious predecessors, this episode was one that I found to be deeply refreshing. It had a remarkable amount of humor and wit, and there was a brilliant unpredictable nature to it.
2. "Tomorrow is Yesterday" (Season 1, Episode 19): The episode was not only an awesome time travel story, but it was amazingly well-worked. The humor that it had was hilarious, and there was a ton of emotions and high stakes that made it so compelling.
3. "Space Seed" (Season 1, Episode 22): Of course I enjoyed this episode. The character of Khan Noonien Singh was an excellent villain, and Ricardo Montalban did an astonishing job portraying the character. Plus, the story was nicely-done, and the rest of the ensemble portrayed their characters perfectly.
4. "The Devil in the Dark" (Season 1, Episode 25): The story of the episode was all-out exceptional, and the moral it had was a deeply meaningful one to live by. Plus, the acting and characters were excellent too.
5. "The City on the Edge of Forever" (Season 1, Episode 28): This is another episode that, like so many others, I deeply enjoyed. The story that it had was compelling to a tee, having dynamic drama, emotion, and heart, which is accompanied by surprising wit and humor. The character development of Kirk, and the developing romance between him and Edith Keeler were among some of the highest of the episode's elements.
6. "Amok Time" (Season 2, Episode 1): I can definitely see why Leonard Nimoy named it one of his favorites. It was fun seeing an episode that explored the culture of Spock's homeworld, and it had astounding writing, direction, and performances to boot.
7. "Mirror Mirror" (Season 2, Episode 4):The episode as a whole was awesome! The story and direction were extremely well-played, the acting, characters, and character development were terrific, everything! Along with that, the concept was one that I don't think has been explored until that episode came along, and it was nice to see Scotty and Uhura have larger roles.
8. "Catspaw" (Season 2, Episode 7): When my mother and I watched this episode on Halloween night, we found it to be unexpectedly perfect for the occasion. It was astoundingly unpredictable, thrilling, and surprising, the direction and writing were extraordinary, and the character of Sylvia was the best Star Trek villain since Khan Noonien Singh. Plus, Antoinette Bower gave an excellent portrayal of the character.
9. "I, Mudd" (Season 2, Episode 8): One of the funniest episodes ever. Along with that, it gives great exploration on the difference between man and machine, and why we shouldn't be so reliant on machines to do everything for us.
10. "Metamorphosis" (Season 2, Episode 9): The story was something that I found to be unique, fresh, complex, and very well-thought. The relationship and development of Zefram Cochrane and the "Companion" was my favorite part of the episode.
11. "Obsession" (Season 2, Episode 13): The episode was an amazingly thrilling and emotional one. It was also nice to explore Kirk's past and background some, and his test of character was great too.
12. "A Piece of the Action" (Season 2, Episode 17): This episode was another one of the funniest I had ever seen, and the performances of Shatner and Nimoy as Kirk and Spock were all-out fun. In addition, there was a great amount of thrills and action to accompany the humor, and the portrayals of the rest of the ensemble were entertaining as well.
13. "Return to Tomorrow" (Season 2, Episode 20): In most Star Trek episodes, the godlike beings would often serve as antagonists who either treat humans like toys or something else. However, this episode is an exception. The characters of Sargon, Thalassa, and Henoch had roles that made them so unique, and the performances of William Shatner, Diana Muldaur, and Leonard Nimoy as the beings were in the bodies of Kirk, Ann Mulhall, and Spock were awesome. Plus, James Doohan did an incredible job providing the actual voice of Sargon, and the story and themes of the episode were excellent.
14. "By Any Other Name" (Season 2, Episode 22): The Kelvans were wonderful additions to the franchise, and the performances of their portrayers were sensational. Especially Warren Stevens as Rojan. Additionally, the story was something that I found to be uniquely and unexpectedly fresh, and the comedy it had was fun.
15. "Day of the Dove" (Season 3, Episode 7): The story and direction of this episode was all-out thrilling, action-packed, and carried a great moral about hatred, racism, and prejudice. Along with that, the performances of the ensemble were splendid.
16. "The Tholian Web" (Season 3, Episode 9): The episode had tons of creative dialogue, powerful performances, and great character development. As a plus, the story and direction was extremely well-worked, providing an enjoyably unpredictable and emotional experience.
17. "The Empath" (Season 3, Episode 12):The character of Gem was such a unique guest character of the series, and Kathryn Hays's ability to make the character so alive and three-dimensional as a silent person was incredible. Plus, the rest of the ensemble portrayed their characters marvelously, and the story and direction was tremendous.
18. "The Lights of Zetar" (Season 3, Episode 18): I'm not sure if this episode's the most popular or not, but I thought it was brilliant. The storytelling was nicely done, the performance of Jan Shutan as Lt. Mira Romaine was wonderful, and the romantic subplot between Mira and Scotty was deeply sweet.
19. "All Our Yesterdays" (Season 3, Episode 23): Another beautifully-made time travel story, and there was a great amount of emotion, thrills, and high stakes along the way. To top it all off, the character development of Spock was outstanding, and so was the developing romance between him and Zarabeth.
This next list here showcases what my least favorite episodes of the series were, which I've referred to as the "Sapheaded Seven":
1. "The Alternative Factor" (Season 1, Episode 27): The premise of the episode was intriguing, and the performance of Robert Brown as Lazarus was quite powerful. However, the episode as a whole was baffling and extremely muddled, and the moments with Kirk and Lazarus in the dimensional corridor were painfully disorienting. The unhappy ending certainly didn't help any, that's for sure.
2. "The Apple" (Season 2, Episode 5): The premise of the episode, while not uncommon in the series, was handled rather poorly. The beginning was interesting, but the episode as a whole was boring and felt like it was just going through the motions. The native characters were also not very tolerable.
3. "Who Mourns for Adonais?" (Season 2, Episode 2): The performance of Michael Forest as Apollo was incredible, and so was the romance between Apollo and Carolyn. But, the tactics that Kirk and the others used to try to get Apollo to let them leave were ones that I felt to be cruelly mean-spirited, and its message was not only morally incorrect, but criminally wrong.
4. "A Private Little War" (Season 2, Episode 19): It has an intriguing and well-thought story, and there was even nicely done high stakes. Although, the character of Nona was extremely creepy, and there seemed to be so much intensity and sexual tension between Nona and many of the male characters that it got more dark and less fun.
5. "Spock's Brain" (Season 3, Episode 1): I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with this episode. It has its entertaining moments to hold it up, such as the ending. Unfortunately, the concept as a whole was a lot more ridiculous than great, and the villains were cringy and too much like overgrown children without their parents.
6. "And the Children Shall Lead" (Season 3, Episode 4): Similar to "Spock's Brain", I don't think the episode's a complete waste. But, the children characters were extremely annoying, along with the voice of Gorgan. The premise as a whole wasn't very well-played either.
7. "The Way to Eden" (Season 3, Episode 20): The songs that were played in the episode had a great sense of fun, and it was nice to explore Chekov's past some. However, the hippie characters were infuriating, and the concept was rather dumb.
As a bonus to you all, I'd like to show you guys the latest paint-by-number I did, which I completed from February 27 to March 19, 2020.
So, what do you guys think? Of these lists and the painting?
And as a bonus, it sets up for what many agree (and rightfully so) to be the best Star Trek movie of all time.
Yup.
I kinda wish Star Trek would use the Mirror Universe more often. But then, I guess the concept would grow stale after a while, to say nothing of Star Trek: Discovery's kinda botched use of it.
YES. This episode is absolutely hysterical in all the best ways.
Yup. In general, I think the Klingons are more interesting when they're not just the bad guys of the week and are actually a bit more complex and understandable.
This right here is probably my favorite episode of TOS. The mystery of the Defiant, the unique situation of Kirk being all but absent, the enigmatic Tholians, it all just works. And it also got a sequel/prequel in the form of the Star Trek: Enterprise two-parter "In a Mirror, Darkly", showcasing exactly what happened to the Defiant after it disappeared into interphase. She wound up in the 22nd century Mirror Universe, where she was taken by the mirror versions of Enterprise's cast and used to not only put down an alien uprising but to also conquer the Empire itself.
Outside of the dazzling appearance of the Zetarians, I thought this one was just okay-ish. But that's just me.
Aside from these, I'd also add "Balance of Terror", "The Doomsday Machine", and "The Ultimate Computer" to my list of favorites.
And nice painting.
5225164
Thanks.
What’d you think of what my least favorite episodes were?
5225166
What is there to say? I think you're on point here.
5225168
I’m glad you liked it.
And, out of curiosity, how interested would you be in creating your own post of what your favorite and least favorite episodes of the show are?
5225180
Eh, probably not.
By the way, have you ever considered reviewing the original Superman films?
5225182
Not all the time. I’m interested, but there are other things I want to review first.
I agree with your comments about the episode featuring Appolo was a most superfluous and offensive episode.
No love for "The Trouble With Tribbles"?
5225390
It’s a great episode, just not enough for me to consider it a favorite. A pretty funny one too.
The primary reason why this is one of my favorite episodes.