The Best Original Star Trek Episode

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 Which was the episode or I think it was a movie where there was a “genesis probe” that would land on a planet and make it habitable for humans? My all time favorite episode was the original with Kahn, and when they come out with the “Wrath of Kahn” movie I was delighted. What a great repeat! I don’t know the name of the original Kahn episode.

OK - thanks so much for the list of episode descriptions! I now know the episode was called Space Seed - had no idea!

Space Seed: While on patrol in deep space, Captain Kirk and his crew find and revive a genetically engineered world conqueror and his compatriots from Earth's 20th century.

Yeah - I only voted for one too as I took favorite literally.

[easysurfer]

The battle scene in "Balance of Terror" reminds me a lot of the battle scene in "Wrath of Khan".

[Souschef]

One of my favorites that was not on the list was Metamorphasis.

[harley]

I only voted for one because I can't read directions, so it was City on the Edge of Forever. Had I voted for more, I would have voted for Mirror, Mirror and Let That Be Your Last Battlefield. My other two favorites weren't on the list - Charlie X and I, Mudd.


As far as the comment about Shatner being a lousy actor, you obviously haven't seen "Dodgeball, A True Underdog Story". He was robbed by not getting an Oscar for that one. And a similar Role in "Miss Congeniality".

[Gumby]

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6miths So many good ones but I think of all my favourite is 'Let That Be Your Last Battlefield' with Frank Gorshin (The Riddler) and Lou Antonio (Cool Hand Luke and many, many others). I think that the moral of the story is just as apropos today as it was less than a year after the assassinations of MLK and RFK.

My favorite as well.

[Chuckanut]

If you want more ST:TOS you might check out this site on YouTube. They are not bad, IMHO.

https://www.youtube.com/user/StarTrekContinues

[scrabbler1]

To me, "Spock's Brain" was the second worst episode. "Shore Leave" was the worst, and one I refuse to watch whenever it airs, and that goes back 30 years.


I know Tribbles and City on Edge are two big favorites, but for me they aren't. Middle of the pack, maybe. Last Battlefield I don't care for very much, either. although I did like Frank Gorshin; I kept expecting him to say, "Riddle me this, Captain Kirk....." LOL


As for how we know the plots from the episode titles so well, perhaps some of you happen to own a book I own about the series. "The Star Trek Compendium" is a large, paperback book I bought at a Star Trek convention back in the 1989 which has descriptions and some back-stories about all the episodes. (They have one for TNG, too.)

[easysurfer]

I also like the episode where everyone on the landing party rapidly gets old except Chekov.

[Texas Proud]

Quote:

Originally Posted by easysurfer I liked "Spock's Brain". Though must admit, the part where Bones fixes his brain was a bit hokey. Everyone has their favorites and least favorites and I respect different opinions. Hope I don't get jumped on as I know the Tribbles one was a classic and great for cute and clever but for me, definitely not one of the top.

I agree that the Tribbles was a very weak show. I would be placing it as one of the worst 5 on my list.

[MuirWannabe]

I favor the ones most mentioned as well.
Don’t know the title, but the one with Apollo wanting the crew to worship him was silly. But there’s a line where he introduces himself as the god Apollo. And then Checkov yells ‘and I am the czar of all the russias’. That always cracked me up.

Another one that wasn’t great but had one interesting notion. When Dr Daestrom has his new supercomputer take over the Enterprise. I think the notion that computers could control things at that level and replace the need for humans on a starship was fairly forward thinking for its time.

[audreyh1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuirWannabe I favor the ones most mentioned as well. Don’t know the title, but the one with Apollo wanting the crew to worship him was silly. But there’s a line where he introduces himself as the god Apollo. And then Checkov yells ‘and I am the czar of all the russias’. That always cracked me up. Another one that wasn’t great but had one interesting notion. When Dr Daestrom has his new supercomputer take over the Enterprise. I think the notion that computers could control things at that level and replace the need for humans on a starship was fairly forward thinking for its time.

2001 A Space Odyssey was published in 1968, so it was contemporary.

Yeah - computers taking over humans and even going rogue. Not too unique - part of the contemporary sci fi genre.

[cooch96]

What always strikes me is how elegant the titles are of that series. Like tiny poems.

Maybe it’s just me.

[easysurfer]

I apologize if this was already mentioned, but I also like the one where the landing party was forced to re-live the gunfight at OK corral again and again. Was another chance to see Spock doing his mind meld thing .

[dixonge]

Last link didn’t work. Trying again...well, no, that didn’t work either! Is there some secret to getting YouTube videos to play here?

https://youtu.be/OptLgGtZ9_E

[easysurfer]

I don't know the titles to all the episodes, but read the episode where they Jame Bond type agent from the future visits to save earth was planned as of spin off tv show, but that never took off. That episode has a very young Terri Garr playing the bank secretary. Also, casting was between her and Dawn Wells (from Gilligan). Fun trivia.

[scrabbler1]

Easysufrer, the titles of the two episodes are:


"Assignment: Earth" is the time-travel episode which includes a young Teri Garr as a secretary to the alien time-traveler posing as an earth man.


"Spectre of the Gun" is the episode which tries to recreate the gunfight at the O.K. Corral.


The above 2 episodes ran consecutively, although several months apart because Assignment: Earth was the Season 2 finale and Spectre began Season 3, Star Trek's final season.


"The Deadly Years" was the episode where Kirk and other landing party members rapidly grow old except for Chekov.




MuirWannabe, "Who Mourns for Adonais" is the (somewhat silly) episode where Apollo wants everyone to worship him.




One thing Star trek was good at back then was featuring some beautiful women in guest roles, sometimes wearing skimpy outfits. Think about Angelique Pettyjohn in "Gamesters of Triskelion", Sherry Jackson in "What are Little Girls Made of?", and former Miss America winner Lee Meriwether in "That Which Survives."

[MuirWannabe]

Quote:

Originally Posted by audreyh1 2001 A Space Odyssey was published in 1968, so it was contemporary. Yeah - computers taking over humans and even going rogue. Not too unique - part of the contemporary sci fi genre.

In retrospect, I agree with you. Not as unique as I was thinking.

[MuirWannabe]

Another one I liked was called The Changeling. I think.

A space probe called Nomad gets its mission confused and thinks it should kill all biological life forms. The logic Kirk uses to win the day is pretty good.

The first Trek movie had a somewhat similar plot, but I thought the series version was much better.

[Cessna152]

Quote:

Originally Posted by cooch96 What always strikes me is how elegant the titles are of that series. Like tiny poems. Maybe it’s just me.

Not just you. I ran across the same thing when I recently watched the old "Route 66" series - the episode titles were by turns elegant, poetic, and down-right baffling:

"A Lance of Straw"
"The Strengthening of Angels"
"The Beryllium Eater"
"A Fury Slinging Flame"
"How Much a Pound Is Albatross?"

Even though Star Trek and Route 66 would seem to be different genres, I found them to have a great deal in common - a new location each episode with a new set of problems to be resolved (or not) by the main characters.

Sadly, no way could I start a new thread asking for everyone's favorite Route 66 episodes and expect more than one or two responses.

This Star Trek fan does recommend Route 66 to other Star Trek fans. All Route 66 episodes filmed on location - no Hollywood back-lots. If you enjoy traveling you should enjoy seeing America as it was 50+ years ago, before the (then new) interstates and television completed the homogenization of American culture.

(For the record, the two most memorable episodes I have of Route 66 are titled "A Month of Sundays" and "Even Stones Have Eyes".)

[DrRoy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MuirWannabe Another one I liked was called The Changeling. I think. A space probe called Nomad gets its mission confused and thinks it should kill all biological life forms. The logic Kirk uses to win the day is pretty good.

+1. "Your logic was impeccable, Captain. We are in grave danger."