Star Trek: The Original Series

 Star Trek: The Original Series

Star Trek: The Original Series, or TOS as some may call it, covers 78 episodes over a period of 3 seasons. Everyone agrees that while Season 1 may be great, it tends to suffer from a low budget. Season 2 follows through with more writing and "weirdness" that would tantalize your senses. And as the show was about to be canceled but later brought back with the help millions of letters came a third season. It is too bad they managed to lose a lot of their creative writers and motivation for the show from all those on-set disputes. Because of this, many of the episodes from Season 3 rank near the bottom of my list. If you want to know which episodes, go ahead and scroll down below.

Top 10 Worst Episodes:

1. Turnabout Intruder (S3E24): For some reason it doesn't surprise me that the very last episode of the series happens to be the very worst. When a show runs out of ideas, they usually resort to either time travel or body swapping. Since Star Trek is only capable of making one of those worthwhile to watch, this episode simply is too painful to watch.
2. The Alternative Factor (S1E27): The idea of two people from parallel universes fighting for dominance is a strange concept. It just so happens that "everything will blow up" if one succeeds. Between the dreadful special effects and the drawn-out tussles, I was skipping ahead in the episode to see if anything interesting panned out. It never did.
3. The Way to Eden (S3E20): The only thing a person needs to say here is "space hippies" to get an awful reaction. This episode is hard to watch from the way it slowly degrades into a horrible musical as you slowly watch them take over the ship.
4. And the Children Shall Lead (S3E4): It can be very hard to watch any Star Trek episode when children are involved, but the original series isn't able to give them justice. Instead of using any of the hundred security precautions taken in the series, the crew of the Enterprise let the kids run around their ship as an evil being dressed in a circus tent influences their thinking. I don't know why the officers don't just stun them when they use their hammering motion and weird nursery rhymes to take over the ship.
5. Omega Glory (S2E23): The original idea and the surprise twist of how an entire crew turned into dust was an interesting one. It is too bad that the second half of the episode devolves into this idea of a savage civilization that worships founding documents of America. It only gets worse when Kirk must fight over, in standard hand-to-hand combat, whether he is an angel sent down to guide them.
6. The Empath (S3E12): This episode poses an interesting concept just like the others. The problem occurs when you are forced to watch a mute wistfully stare at the main three members of the show for extended periods of time. When you realize that their torture is some drastic test to see if a person would initiate a self-sacrifice from a couple of egotistical aliens, the whole plot falls apart.
7. Mark of Gideon (S3E16): The setup for the mystery of the episode is a good one. But like many James Bond villains, the resolution of the antagonists stretches way beyond my suspension of disbelief. You mean to tell me that a civilization could grow to the point of constantly bumping into other people with no disease, refuse to use any sort of birth control, keep a steady amount of food for everyone, have no one leave the planet and completely prevent anyone from landing, build an exact replica of the Enterprise close enough to fool Captain Kirk, and decide that somehow the rare disease that Kirk recovered from would be introduced in the world as a way to curb the population problem instead of the typical degradation of killing each other as humans would normally wind up doing? Ridiculous.
8. Miri (S1E8): I applaud the writers in developing a science-fiction version of Peter Pan. But since we are dealing with children here, I have to put it on the list. To believe that a bunch of kids could survive for a couple hundred years without any sort of proper supervision is laughable. How exactly did they survive without the need of searching for food outside the city all this time? If they explained it in the episode, I clearly missed it. I might have enjoyed it more if the kids didn't repeat dumb words from their under-developed brains like they were some mystic chants that magically gave them everything they wanted.
9. Paradise Syndrome (S3E3): There are a lot of reasons why I hate this episode. It is hard for me to believe Captain Kirk becoming some sort of medical god for a bunch of Native Americans all while gaining amnesia. Unfortunately, the focus of this episode is merely that. To make matters worse, he is given a wife that becomes pregnant with his child but is eventually stoned to death while taking a stand with someone that never stated he was a god. I guess there is supposed to be some sort of symbolism in there... somewhere.
10. Assignment Earth (S2E26): I thought long and hard whether I should stick this episode in the 10th worst episode. I actually thoroughly enjoyed the episode. The issue that I have is that it does not fit in the Star Trek universe. The episode is a pilot pitch for another show the writers wanted to sneak in at the end of the season when finding out about their cancellation. Because of this, I had to include it in the list.

Popularity: Would there be anything you would be familiar with if you never watched a single episode from the original Star Trek series? Could you describe what a tribble is or who Khan was if I asked you? If you were in my position, you too would probably know at least some aspects of the show. The so-called "fan favorites" of the series popped up as subtle references in shows like Futurama, Family Guy, or the Simpsons. Content was also remade and rebooted in video games and movies. Despite my feelings on how well the episode actually performed, I'm going to list down below some of the most highly ranked episodes and where I personally remember seeing its reference made.

Top 10 Fan Episodes:

1. The City on the Edge of Forever (S1E28): Although not officially the last episode of the first season, the film crew surely decided to go out with a bang. It was the most expensive episode costing $245k over the average $190k per episode budget. It also seemed to be the episode that sparked heavy debate with the writers, one being the refusal of drugs being part of the 23th Century according to Roddenberry. Amusingly, the concept of drug abuse was only added to the franchise in Star Trek: Picard after his death. Although widely-praised as the best episode of the series, this episode was only mildly entertaining to me and probably wouldn't make my top 20 list. Though it did make another appearance in Star Trek: Discovery two-parter "Terra Firma Part 1" (S3E9) & "Terra Firma Part 2" (S3E10) which was an awesome surprise to me.
2. The Cage (S1E0), The Menagerie Part 1 (S1E11), The Menagerie Part 2 (S1E12): The original pitch of the series to the producers didn't go so well. What really happened is highly debated and skewed from both sides. Whatever it was, they decided to squeeze in the footage from the original pitch into two episodes mid-way through the first season. We managed to get the concept of the Orion slave girl that is referred to in Star Trek: Enterprise many times, especially in "Borderland" (S4E4). Captain Christopher Pike gets a clean reboot, in spectacular fashion, starting in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery to the extent of revisiting the planet in "If Memory Serves" (S2E8).
3. The Balance of Terror (S1E14), The Enterprise Incident (S3E2): As much as we know about the different factions of the Star Trek universe, there aren't many episodes that feature them. For example, The Borg are only shown in six episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In Star Trek: The Original Series, there are four episodes that show Klingons and a mere three episodes where we meet the Romulan. Yet in the first season, we are introduced to a ton of things from the concept of the Neutral Zone to the philosophy of their culture. We are shown the Romulan Bird of Prey, their weaponry, and their famous cloaking device. "The Balance of Terror" is brilliant for watching how Captain Kirk properly reacts to each and every situation as he meets them head-on. Watching the counter-scheme of Kirk and Spock in "The Enterprise Incident" is also worth a watch.
4. The Trouble with Tribbles (S2E15): Now I've done it. We all know what this episode is about. And like the bartender in this episode, you too can feel ripped-off by officially owning one today. Chocked full of memorable quotes and fun, this episode is full of chaos that somehow all works out in the end. Although tribbles was featured again in Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS) "More Tribbles, More Troubles" (S1E5), you might better recall the fuzz-balls when Star Trek: Deep Space Nine went back in time for the franchise 30th Anniverary in "Trials and Tribble-ations" (S5E6). Amusingly, the debate they have on why Klingons of that era carry humanistic characters right before the bar fight scene is further expounded upon in Star Trek: Enterprise two-parter "Affliction" (S4E15) & "Divergence" (S4E16).
5. Space Seed (S1E24): You might not be able to tell from the title alone, but this is the episode Khan first appeared in. If you don't know who that is, I'm not sure where to begin. The first half of the episode is devoted to finding out who this person is while the second half is how he takes over the ship (because something or someone usually does in almost every episode). I personally hate this episode, not because how he managed to learn everything about the Enterprise in such a short time, but how he managed to seduce the ship's historian in giving him exactly what he needed. The idea of Captain Kirk just letting them all free on a planet also seems very out-of-place. Though the "sequel" of the episode - with the actor reprising his role as Khan - was made 15 years later in the movie Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (you know, the one where Spock dies). The character was also rebooted - with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the role - in the modern movie of Star Trek Into Darkness.
6. Mirror Mirror (S2E4): One thing the Star Trek universe likes to play with is the notion of traveling between dimensions, but what would happen if some of the crew entered a universe where everything was the complete opposite. Instead of the peaceful nature of the Federation, you were part of a cruel and sadistic empire where Captain Kirk has a lover and Spock grows a goatee. Although this concept wasn't really highlighted in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine sports a whopping five episodes that touches on the "Mirror Universe" over several seasons. Star Trek: Enterprise also dives right in with their polar opposites near the end of its lifespan in “In a Mirror, Darkly, Part 1" (S4E18) & "In a Mirror, Darkly, Part 2" (S4E19). Of course, it is Star Trek: Discovery that decides to go into it full-force with the idea of a science vessel and existing characters from parallel worlds that can break through all timelines and dimensions.
7. The Tholian Web (S3E9): A big chunk of the previously mentioned Star Trek: Enterprise episodes and "Future Tense" (S2E16) expound more on the race that is shown in this Star Trek: The Original Series episode. The main plot of the episode revolves around The Enterprise being slowly pulled into a space distortion when Captain Kirk gets trapped while attempting to figure out what happened to a fellow Constitution Class ship. Although the main story doesn't quite weave together with the sub-plot, we do get to see a very cool ship tactic from the Tholian ships. In Star Trek Online, these ships, race, and stasis ability was recently added to the game.
8. Arena (S1E18): There is a certain amount of charm when you see the writers put so much effort in establishing a decent script that eventually gets butchered from poor budgeting and bad acting. Since most of the episodes in the first season covers that category, nothing out-beats watching the scene of Captain Kirk fighting a Gorn on a desert planet. The struggle was replicated in Family Guy during "The Kiss Seen Around the World" (S3E8). And yet contrary to the common trope, it is surprising that Captain Kirk does not rip his shirt off in this episode like what is seen in many other episodes. Whether Captain Kirk could actually build a cannon or not is a debate for another day.
9. Journey to Babel (S2E10): Captain Kirk might not be known as a diplomat, but he is forced to carry quite a few of them across space in this episode. Meanwhile, we get a preview of the four founding species of the Federation - Humans, Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites. At least there aren't any fish people. The biggest revelation is learning about Spock's parents, including the certain condition his father Sarek is in. The original actor - Mark Lenard - returns to reprise his role in several of the Star Trek movies and before the character's death in Star Trek: The Next Generation "Sarek" (S3E23) & "Unification" (S5E7). However, the character's portrayal is quite different while watching Star Trek: Discovery. We also learn about Spock's sehlat pet that later appears in the second episode "Yesteryear" of Star Trek: The Animated Series.
10. Amok Time (S2E1): There are quite a few people that I know that would say that this episode was great to watch. What I found was greatly exaggerated. Perhaps it had to do with the strange behavior Spock was showing to the crew or maybe how the story evolved to the point where Captain Kirk had to fight him. Naw, it has to be that cheesy battle music. The good news is we get bombarded with new material about the Vulcans when it comes to their planet, culture, and dress. Pon farr gets referenced a lot in the franchise, including Tuvok in "Body and Soul" (S7E7) of Star Trek: Voyager.

Cliches: I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the so-called cliches of the series weren't as dominant as others made them out to be. A lot of them had to do with what was expected during that time of age between 1965 and 1970. Instead of using discs, they use portable punch cards to access their computer database. Beautiful babes glistening behind a slightly blurry filter, actively seeking out a romantic partner, was definitely big in the majority of the episodes. Ironically, they didn't always chase after Captain Kirk. As charming as he thinks he is with the number of times his shirt gets ripped off, James T. Kirk wasn't always the best captain. I'd have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed my time watching Montgomery Scott take acting captain of the Enterprise when the away team were stuck down on the planet. Although Kirk's voice pausing did get noticeably worse in the third season, it wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated. I found it ultimately intriguing the number of times they used creative film techniques like background colored lamps or lights that only covered the actor's eyes during specific scenes. Though the sound effects can get drastically louder than anything else in the series. Spock was way funnier than I imagined and had a few more mystical Vulcan techniques other than the "Neck Pinch" and "Mind Meld" to his arsenal.

Tropes: Despite these moments, the other things people told me to expect were all pretty spot-on. Death was a prominent feature with powerful beings wiping out billions of people off planets, ships losing their entire crew manifest, and a lot of people from the Enterprise losing their life (with a lot of them wearing red shirts). Nearly every episode had some sort of god-like entity or planet mirroring some aspect of Earth's culture. What I did not expect to see was Majel Barrett Roddenberry (who later played as Lwaxana Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation) sneak back into the series or lose out on Grace Lee Whitney who played as a wonderful officer in the first season. The entire history of Roddenberry, both positive and negative, is a fascinating one that I just don't have the time to fully detail in my review. However, there are still a few episodes I'd like to point out that I enjoyed despite their shortcomings down below.

Top 4 Recommended Episodes:

1. The Corbonite Manuever (S1E10): Season One was filled with episodes that didn't really grab my attention, that is until we finally encountered another vessel in outer space. This is one of those moments where you get to see the bridge crew in action like Star Trek: Bridge Crew did for Virtual Reality. This is when you get to see Captain Kirk using every single one of his brain cells to out-play a force too powerful for the Enterprise to overcome. The trouble comes with the oddball ending, but at this point almost every episode had a weird denouement that plays out at the end.
2. The Doomday Machine (S2E6): So what happens when The Enterprise meets something much more powerful than them when Kirk isn't at the helm? This episode parallels the story of Moby Dick when a madman takes a puny ship in search for revenge against a giant beast. It also shows off what happens when rank is pulled and Captain Kirk is left flying blind on a stranded vessel. I only vaguely remember reviewing this episode when stumbling across an unusual similar situation in Star Trek Online. What is portrayed in the show was way cooler than I originally anticipated.
3. The Devil in the Dark (S1E25): I don't think it was possible to play Star Trek Online without having a little Horta pet following you around. As much as I want to criticize the episode for what they used to replicate the aliens, I applaud it for its creativity in setting-up a scene deep inside a mine and developing a mystery you can get behind. Although I don't remember much of the dialogue, I do remember being impressed with the posed morality questions.
4. A Piece of the Action (S2E17): Every now and then there is an episode that is clearly meant to be a "fun" episode. And there are times other than "Plato's Stepchildren" (S3E10), which is widely-known for its controversial interracial kiss, where the actors go all out with their roles. This time around the officers are caught in the middle of a Mafia War. The story is weak and how things eventually progress is boring, but there is something fascinating to watch when Kirk and Spock get into character with their professional attire and machine guns wrapped around their arm.

Other Notations: "The Lights of Zetar" (S3E18) specifically names a place to go for knowledge as Memory Alpha - name of the Fandom Wiki. A large part of the first season finale of Star Trek: Lower Decks references the computer in "The Return of the Archons" (S1E22). Pavel Chekov doesn't appear in the first season of Star Trek: The Original Series.

 

8-17-2021