Ten Favorite Star Trek TOS Episodes (1 Viewer)

[Lord Dalek]

I think its surprising that Tribbles has little to no love (even it is overrated crap we're all sick and tired of).

...also HAHAHA I'm the only guy on the face of the Earth who likes Mark of Gideon!

 

[Carabimero]

Regarding The Trouble with Tribbles--in my view, Star Trek is not a comedy, and Kirk is an out-of-character jerk for the whole episode. I understand Tribbles are cute and such, but it was never even close to one of my favorite episodes.

 

[younger1968]

Regarding The Trouble with Tribbles--in my view, Star Trek is not a comedy, and Kirk is an out-of-character jerk for the whole episode. I understand Tribbles are cute and such, but it was never even close to one of my favorite episodes.

I can understand some people have different view of Tribble episode as it was more of a comedy. However, it did have some good moments, like when Scotty was asked who started the fight and he told he was. Kirk then responded what started the fight and Scottie said they insult us. Scottie then describes the fight started because they insulted the Enterprise not the Captain. I still think that was one the best scene.
There were some other comedic relief scatter throughout the Star Trek and it was time appropriately in many episodes. There was scene were spock shows emotion and McCoy response was funny!!

I have seen many list, especially in Canada. Spacecast did a marathon a few years ago and their #1 episode was Mirror, Mirror. I like Mirror, Mirror, but it would not be one of my top 10 episodes.

 

[younger1968]

We could also talked about the top 10 episodes based on their digital re-mastering.
1. Doomsday Machine
2. Enterprise Incident
3. Tholian Web
4. Tomorrow is Yesterday
5. Balance of Terror
6. Arena
7. City on the edge of forever
8. Piece of the action
9. Errand of Mercy
10. Assignment:: Earth
The best episodes for digitally re-mastering are those with many outside pictures. I have both the re-mastered and un-mastered star trek. I have a hard time watching the un-mastered episodes now as i like the upgraded images. I guess each of us will have our own preferences for episodes and that is what is good about these forums as they allow us to express our opinion!

 

[Jack P]

I think its surprising that Tribbles has little to no love (even it is overrated crap we're all sick and tired of).
...also HAHAHA I'm the only guy on the face of the Earth who likes Mark of Gideon!

Tribbles is comic gold at its finest. I don't see anything extrordinarily out of character unlike other Trek comedies like "A Piece Of The Action". The bar fight with its great Jerry Fielding score is a classic.
WIth "Mark Of Gideon" you just can't get past the absurdity of an overly crowded planet having the space to build an exact duplicate of the Enterprise.

 

[Lord Dalek]

Originally Posted by Jack P /t/321396/ten-favorite-star-trek-tos-episodes#post_3937019
WIth "Mark Of Gideon" you just can't get past the absurdity of an overly crowded planet having the space to build an exact duplicate of the Enterprise.

Compared to Spock's Brain, its not THAT absurd.

 

[bryan4999]

Tribbles is comic gold at its finest. I don't see anything extrordinarily out of character unlike other Trek comedies like "A Piece Of The Action". The bar fight with its great Jerry Fielding score is a classic.
WIth "Mark Of Gideon" you just can't get past the absurdity of an overly crowded planet having the space to build an exact duplicate of the Enterprise.

As a kid, the green faces in the viewer always freaked me out and the image still give me chills.
I enjoy the Tribbles episode, but not one of my top 10. I really enjoyed David Gerrold's book about writing the episode and all the great backstage info he included.

 

[Carabimero]

I agree the scenes with Scotty in TRIBBLES are among TOS at its finest. I also agree that Gerrold's book on the making of the show is indispensable.
I could easily list another ten episodes as my favorites.

 

[Kevin L McCorry]

"Where No Man Has Gone Before"
"What Are Little Girls Made of?"
"Arena"
"Space Seed"
"City On the Edge of Forever"
"Mirror, Mirror"
"Spectre of the Gun"
"The Tholian Web"
"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
"All Our Yesterdays"
Many runners-up. Mainly from the first and the third season, the latter of which was mostly what I saw first. In terms of concept, third season is the boldest of the three. And the Kirk-Spock-McCoy trio's relationship is at its best there in many episodes. The second season is vastly overrated, in my opinion. The tone shift after the first season is readily apparent, with Kirk and company cracking jokes at end of episodes where millions are wiped out, several women are knifed to death, etc.. And I don't like episodes with little or no spatial sci-fi in them (all of those Earth parallel stories). "A Private Little War" and "Friday's Child" would probably be my least favorite episodes (action aplenty and a great performance by Morgan Woodward as Captain Tracey make "The Omega Glory" somewhat enjoyable). "The Trouble With Tribbles" is too comedic and vastly overrated. Likewise "Amok Time" and "Journey to Babel". And I don't care for most of the music that was written for Season 2. Season 3 had the best music, by and large, though Season 1 had some great action tunes and pre-commercial stings.

 

[Walter Kittel]

I'm really enjoying reading everyone's reactions to the episodes. Some random thoughts...

"A Private Little War" and "Friday's Child" would probably be my least favorite episodes (action aplenty and a great performance by Morgan Woodward as Captain Tracey make "The Omega Glory" somewhat enjoyable). "The Trouble With Tribbles" is too comedic and vastly overrated.

I on the other hand have always liked the parallel Earth stories. Morgan Woodward's performance was a big part of why The Omega Glory made my list. I'm a little surprised at some of the reactions to the The Trouble with Tribbles episode. It didn't make my list, for some of the same reasons listed, but nevertheless I've always enjoyed it; in no small part for Mr. Scott's scenes. Happy to see some love for The Enterprise Incident. The finale with Spock and the Romulan commander has always been one of my favorite Spock character moments. "Military secrets are the most fleeting of all. I hope that you and I have exchanged something more permanent." I debated putting both The Changeling and The Ultimate Computer on my list (isn't one rogue intelligence enough?)
- Walter.

 

[Jason_V]

We just finished TOS-R last week, so most of the episodes are fresh in my mind right now. There hasn't been a lot of change in my favorites over the years, but here they are in no particular order:

1) Let That Be Your Last Battlefield: it is heavy handed, but I admire what the production did on such a reduced budget.
2) Day of the Dove: another heavy handed ep, obviously, though it remains relevant today.
3) Trouble with Tribbles: I still get a good laugh over it.
4) The Doomsday Machine: maybe the best episode of the entire series (for me)...
5) The Tholian Web: third season at its arguably best.
6) Shore Leave: whimsical, fun music, outdoor locations and a sense of dread.
7) Arena: what a wonderful beginning to the episode capped with the Gorn!
8) Mirror, Mirror: well, duh...
9) Court Martial: Trek's first court episode...still the best.
10) The Cage: as goofy as it is after watching the entire series, it has a lot of intelligent elements and lays the groundwork for everything that comes afterward.

 

[Sky Captain]

Worst episode for me is "Patterns Of Force". The premise is even dumber than anything Lost In Space did and is an example only of a studio trying to save on the budget by getting use out of Hogan's Heroes costumes that were available.

I disagree-Patterns Of Force is a reminder of why there is a Prime Directive, and why it must be followed to the letter. It's also a reminder that no matter what, we must not forget how ethnic cleansing can start or happen in/between civilizations.

 

[PianoPlayer]

"The second season is vastly overrated, in my opinion. The tone shift after the first season is readily apparent, with Kirk and company cracking jokes at end of episodes where millions are wiped out, several women are knifed to death, etc..

Glad somebody else feels this way. A lot of fans think season two is on par with season one. It is not. The second season has a higher-than-deserved reputation because of classics like "Mirror Mirror" and "The Doomsday Machine," to name a couple. But there are plenty of lackluster season two shows, especially after the departure of Gene Coon as producer.
For me, season two feels too sitcom-ish and season three is too heavy-handed -- season one strikes just the right balance between drama and lighter moments. Really, there's only one really lousy episode in the first season -- "The Alternative Factor" -- and even THAT has nice outdoor cinematography and the memorable image of Uhura shouting "Captain, fire in engineering! Situation: critical!"

 

[Ockeghem]

I can't name my top ten, as I pretty much like all 79 episodes. And I think I'm one of those rare fans of Trek that likes all six series (TOS, TAS, TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT) and all eleven films, each for different reasons. I'm also a huge fan of The Way To Eden, for reasons discussed in other Trek threads.

 

[Jack P]

I disagree-Patterns Of Force is a reminder of why there is a Prime Directive, and why it must be followed to the letter. It's also a reminder that no matter what, we must not forget how ethnic cleansing can start or happen in/between civilizations.

Just being a historian by trade, the idea that *any* supposedly well-respected historian would try to duplicate a "benevolent" Nazi Germany has zero credibility. Are Academic standards in Federation Academies that bad? And the idea that the ship can just happen to scrounge up a Nazi colonel's uniform for McCoy is even sillier than all the extra wardrobes the castaways had on Gilligan's Island.
Rant over, but I had to get that out of my system as to why I can't stand the episode.

 

[Sky Captain]

John Gill was trying to stabilize Ekosian society by introducing a movement with a strong leader ethic, as explained; he just chose the wrong one, and he also was in violation of the Prime Directive.
As for the uniform that McCoy had, it's been explained that they have a historical section, and replicators; presumably, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy wore what the replicators made for them based on orbital scans and historical research, just like in the episode 'The Return Of The Archons'. Nice try, and thanks for playing, but I stand by what I say.

 

[Jack P]

s for the uniform that McCoy had, it's been explained that they have a historical section, and replicators; presumably, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy wore what the replicators made for them based on orbital scans and historical research, just like in the episode 'The Return Of The Archons'. Nice try, and thanks for playing, but I stand by what I say.

So how come the replicator didn't give them an Air Force uniform to infiltrate the base in "Tomorrow Is Yesterday?" (which was made *after* "Archons" so the defense of they hadn't invented it yet, doesn't fly like why didn't they use the shuttlecraft to rescue the stranded crew in "Enemy Within")
And sorry but Gill in choosing Nazi Germany right down to the uniforms is only demonstrating he has zero competence as a historian and never should have been allowed into any respectable academy if he actually believed it could work on ANY kind of planet on a theoretical basis. I'm challenging the premise of the episode that this guy was supposedly a "brilliant" historian.

 

[BobO'Link]

I'm really enjoying reading everyone's reactions to the episodes. Some random thoughts...

"A Private Little War" and "Friday's Child" would probably be my least favorite episodes (action aplenty and a great performance by Morgan Woodward as Captain Tracey make "The Omega Glory" somewhat enjoyable). "The Trouble With Tribbles" is too comedic and vastly overrated.

I on the other hand have always liked the parallel Earth stories. Morgan Woodward's performance was a big part of why The Omega Glory made my list. I'm a little surprised at some of the reactions to the The Trouble with Tribbles episode. It didn't make my list, for some of the same reasons listed, but nevertheless I've always enjoyed it; in no small part for Mr. Scott's scenes. Happy to see some love for The Enterprise Incident. The finale with Spock and the Romulan commander has always been one of my favorite Spock character moments. "Military secrets are the most fleeting of all. I hope that you and I have exchanged something more permanent." I debated putting both The Changeling and The Ultimate Computer on my list (isn't one rogue intelligence enough?)
- Walter.

I never cared much for those parallel Earth stories. They always felt like too much of a cop out, a story written for another show that was tweaked a bit to make it work for ST.
I've pretty much always liked The Trouble with Tribbles simply for the *reactions* of the Enterprise crew towards the Klingons and the reactions of the Klingons to the Tribbles. Like others have said, Scotty is superb with his defense of the Enterprise. Kirk's reaction to his comment is priceless!
IMHO the Romulans are vastly under-represented in many lists as well as in the number of episodes in which they appear. There is so much potential just waiting to be mined. To me they always seemed a far greater threat than the Klingons as they could easily infiltrate Star Fleet and become part of the crew on a starship. A line from Spock about them says it all: "If the Romulans are an offshoot of my Vulcan blood--and I think this likely--then attack becomes even more imperative. Vulcan, like Earth, had its aggressive, colonizing period, and if they have retained that martial philosophy... then weakness is something we dare not show."

 

[Ockeghem]

... "Tomorrow Is Yesterday?" (which was made *after* "Archons" so the defense of they hadn't invented it yet, doesn't fly like why didn't they use the shuttlecraft to rescue the stranded crew in "Enemy Within")

Jack,
First, I am not disputing any of your points.
Question: Is production of an episode synonymous with having been made? If so, then I believe that Tomorrow Is Yesterday was made before Return Of the Archons. If I'm wrong, that's fine. But my videos are numbered by production order, and it shows that Return Of the Archons came after Tomorrow Is Yesterday.

 

[Bob_S.]

Here's mine:
1. Arena
2. Amok Time
3. Doomsday Machine (imo William Window gave one of the best acting performances in all of Star Trek)
4. Mirror, Mirror
5. Where No Man Has Gone Before
6. The Cage
7. Metamorphosis
8. The Ultimate Computer
9. Operation Annihilate (here's one that hasn't been mentioned yet)
10. Balance of Terror
One thing I've noticed: A Piece of the Action never seemed to be that popular let alone in anyone's top ten - until Star Trek IV came out. Then it seemed more and more fans were putting that in their top ten. I'm guessing since ST:IV had alot of humor in it and POTA was kind of similar? I've never cared for too much humor in Star Trek. That might be one of the reasons why ST:IV is my least favorite ST movie.