It worked well, because apparently Decker didn't know Spock was half human. Had he known, he might have called Spock's hand. Well, that is how I see it.
I just love Kirk's gutsiness to a superior officer in this episode: "So you're the lunatic trying to destroy my ship!" That whole tense scene is just great.
@@stocksd6 Spock relieving Commodore Decker has to be one of the most satisfying moments in TOS history. I have sympathy for Decker because of what he’s been through. He’s a broken and traumatized man. But, at this moment, he’s being a full A-hole and Spock rightfully put him in his place.
Doomsday Machine was one of my favorites. Also anything featuring Mark Lenard! I was privileged to see Mr Lenard and Walter Koenig perform a one-act play at a convention in 1979. Mark Lenard so totally became his character that I forgot who I was watching. RIP Mark Lenard.
My favorite episodes of TOS is A Taste Of Armageddon. The concept of a computer generated war which has all the deaths of a normal war but with none of the destruction just fascinated me. On paper it seems more efficient and less costly but what happens when you are chosen to walk into a disintegration chamber for execution all because a computer said you were in certain area during said simulated attack.
That's the episode I show to TOS first-timers. If they love it, we can remain friends. If they merely like it, we can remain acquaintences. If they think it's silly, they are forgotten. 😉
@@charlesheck6812 Tough break for him. The episode is far superior to his original concept, which I think involved drug trafficking and addiction on the Enterprise. And it won the 1968 Hugo Award.
Mirror, Mirror and Amok Time are two of my personal favorites. Honorable mentions would be Journey to Babel, Whom Gods Destroy, Return of the Archons, and The Enterprise Incident.
"Mirror, Mirror" would be in my top five. "Corbomite Manuever" is also quintessential Star Trek. "This Side of Paradise" and "The Spectre of the Gun" are also favorites.
For a third season episode, "Spectre Of The Gun" manages to stand out. I think filming it as they did, with sets missing walls and such, added greatly to it's success. It gave it a surrealist feel.
@Charles Ross I dont think it was a smoke bomb. It was some sort of knock out gas. When it failed to work, Spock figured out what was happening, and how to defeat their alien captors.
It still blows my mind that the episode the "corbomite manoeuvre” was the first episode filmed. Can you imagine that? Out of the starting gate, "corbomite manoeuvre”-- so well acted, so well directed and so iconic? First. Episode. flmed.
"He knows, Doctor. He knows." Chilling, and one of the best lines of the entire series. "In another reality, I could have called you friend." is another personal favorite.
Oh yes - you almost hurt for the fact that Kirk and Lenard's character in Balance of Terror had been born to be adversaries. They were cut from the same cloth and both were tributes to their species.
@@sevenbarkFunny you should mention a throw rug ... because when the guy who designed the Horta showed it to Gene (L. Coon or Roddenberry, I forget) the thing accidentally fell on him like a throw rug, and he ended up wearing it as the creature!
I don't think it really reflects the black-white conflict in America, or South Africa for instance. But it does seem to apply to the Israel-Palestinian conflict where both sides really hate each other, though they are Semitic peoples who are related to each other despite the passage of nearly two thousand years. I thought it in-your-face or over-the-top when I first saw it, so could understand if people put it on their worst list.
@@sandal_thong8631 What I really love about it is the Klingon captain knows what he wants (peace) but is trapped by being loyal to his side and a sense of duty. How many Russians would love to oppose Putin but then would be seen as traitors.
@@jlamm2223443 There are no Klingons in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield." It's the episode where Commissioner Bele is tracking down Lokai to bring him back to their planet. One is black on the right and white on the left, the other is the opposite. Kirk, Spock and Scotty threaten to destroy the Enterprise by self-destruct until Bele releases the ship from his control.
@@sandal_thong8631 oh yes, another of my favorites I was thinking about. Yes, just look at Ireland and the massive standard of living increase since the peace between Protestants and Catholics. We get so hung up on the differences between us. A great episode.
Exactly. Another low budget casualty of the 3rd season (the whole thing was confined to the Enterprise) and had to rely heavily on expository dialogue to explain what was happening on the planet below, but it really stirred the imagination.
I really think that the very best Star Trek TOS episode is The Enterprise Incident … 3rd season episode with Joanne Linville playing the lady Romulan commander … who we just lost not too long ago at age 94! Also, I would add Journey To Babel as well! Both immensely exciting and poignant episodes! 🖖
Totally agree that The Enterprise Incident should make the list. Four of my top five (not in order necessarily) are The City on the Edge of Forever (of course), Balance of Terror, The Enterprise Incident, and Space Seed. I haven't chosen a fifth yet - my guess is that later today one will pop into my mind and I'll think "Oh, yes - of course. That one." Journey to Babel is certainly a possibility.
You know, I just couldn't stand how in the Next Generation and beyond portrayed all Romulan females as these clones with that awful bobbed wig. Why couldn't they have taken inspiration from Joanne Linville's portrayal?
That was a fun one, but they were writing it while filming it, so it's amazing it came together. I love how Kirk thinks Spock is massaging his back, but when he finds out it's the yeoman, he tells her to stop. She was supposed to be interested in Kirk, not McCoy, but they gave Kirk Ruth to spend time with instead.
I'm just dropping a line to say thank each of you for posting all these brilliant lists. When growing up in school, proudly wearing a Trek shirt would get you called a nerd or worse. My mother couldn't wash mine fast enough. I secretly knew all of you were watching these with me. It wasn't until my first convention in 76 that I knew I wasn't alone. Great episodes and a truly wonderful and highly inspirational fan base. Thank each of you for sharing.
I was 12 years old in 66'. We had a rocket & space club. Then Star Trek appeared and it was terrific. Instant Trekkies! We'd gather and munch JiffyPop popcorn and watch Kirk, Spock & McCoy save (fill in the blank) every week...right on schedule.
Mirror, mirror should be on the top five! Not only a great episode, but showed the casts versatility of acting to each of their savage character's alter egos! Spock was never any cooler or menacing, than with the beard! Honorable mention: "Specter of the Gun!"
My grandmother wasn't a Trek fan at all, but she loved the character of Sarek, after she watched my VHS videocassette of "The Search for Spock" with me, which she gave me for my (16th?) birthday.
I based a college paper on the dwarf who was telepathically controled. The Enterprise landing party suffered the same fate until they developed the same power. I wrote a seven page essay on Nano the dwarf in Valpone by Ben Johnson which exceeded the script lines of the character. My paper was primarily based on the attitude of the dwarf in this episode. I not only got an A on my paper, the professor wrote the compliment, "You have educated me." That is high praise from a man who held a Doctorate in English to a high school dropout!
My No. 1 episode is "Errand of Mercy," which is not without its flaws. I like the idea of an apparently "stagnant culture" turning out to be possibly the most advanced in the galaxy.
This is also my #1 pick. I only wish they had a longer more reflective scene where the Federation/Kirk was forced to acknowledge how ridiculous, insulting, and colonizing their offer of help was. The very last episode "Turnabout Intruder" is the best in respect to crew loyalty. Even though it was framed as a mutiny, his officers were willing to risk everything for their captain. It wasn't the worst way to end the show. 😔
Yes, that's one of my favorite episodes too, although the plot if flawed. There's no way Kirk AND Spock would leave the Enterprise during a war. They would instead send a couple of higher level crewmen to conduct diplomatic negotiations.
Two things about that episode, first, Why would such an advance species, Spocks compares us as amoebas to them, possibly care that humans and klingons are warring? That would be like two germs fighting for us. Also, why would such advance beings still be tied to their home planet? Would they not be like the Q species in the later Next Generation?
I liked Where No Man has gone before. That phaser rifle was iconic, the story was great at getting into the minds of Kirk and Gary (ESP DNA was a unique angle), and that Delta Vega base drawing took the imagination to new places.
Where no man has gone before is no1 for me for its dark tone and sense of slowly mounting dread. Kelsos esp strangulation, kirks gravestone and mitchells death haunted me as a kid when i first saw it in the 60s. It was lke a damn horror movie!
My favorite episode is "The Doomsday Machine and 'City on the Edge of Tomorrow is a close second. Both were written by Sci Fi authors and could easily have been transposed to another crew and portray universal themes and weaknesses of humans.
You should read Harlan Ellison's original script for "City". Had Star Trek had a bigger budget and no network censors, it would have been mind-blowing.
IMHO, “The City…” is exceptional in that it teaches the lesson that if you could travel back in time and make changes that you think would improve your life, that’s not the case. Brilliantly done. My favorite however is The Changeling. Awesome on so many levels!
On TOS we all have our favorites. But have our preferences changed over the years? The one thing that has not changed over the years about City on the Edge of Forever was the grief at the end. Still hits me even while watching this video.
Yes. And there are several books, an excellent graphic novel published by IDW, and even an audiobook, where you can check out Ellison’s original version if you’re interested.
Yes. I own a special edition book devoted to the episode, and actually signed by Ellison. It has several versions of the script bound in it, and one of them is his original screenplay. It was indeed very different. McCoy wasn't the character that filled his "slot" in the story. It was just a standard red shirt, and in fact that crewman was having a drug addiction problem. So it touched on social issues the final broadcast show did not.
I was the most rabid fan of this show back in the 70s and I watched the original run on television when it first aired. In my old age one of my top favorites is Metamorphosis. I love this episode- all three main crewmembers of the Enterprise are first rate here, as is Glenn Corbett’s performance. I love this episode!
@@sandal_thong8631 I beg to differ. It's a great episode and Khan was a great villain just in that show, movie aside. It's definitely in my top five list. But, tastes vary, so... fair enough. I'm not going to say you're "wrong." I just disagree.
Wow, all these are favourites of mine too. There are many others I like too:- "The Corbomite Maneuver" "The Naked Time" "Arena" "Tomorrow is Yesterday" "Space Seed" "Errand of Mercy" "Mirror, Mirror" "The Trouble with Tribbles" (How could you not include this one?) "Journey to Babel" "A Piece of the Action" "Assignment: Earth" "Spectre of the Gun" "The Enterprise Incident" "The Tholian Web" "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky "
My dad was a chemistry professor at a small university when I was a kid, and I still remember how excited he got when he saw what was coming in Arena (the gunpowder recipe) before anyone else did and before it was fully revealed. 🙂
I feel like Journey to Babel should be in the top five. It was the first episode to really delve into Federation socio-political affairs, establish and display it's founding races, revealed critical elements of Spock's backstory, and was just generally good. Honorable mention to The Tholian Web just because Tholians are an awesome race.
Loved the Andorians in Journey to Babel. Especially the one played by Reggie Nalder. He spoke with an accent, which makes sense since Federation "English" (or whatever their language would be) was not his first language. More TV/movie aliens should have accents.
A much better episode than "Amok Time" that used some of the same music for the interaction between Mr. Spock and his mother, Amanda. It also has a space battle, which when I was younger considered those the most interesting _Star Trek_ episodes.
I've got one spot in my top 5 still unassigned, and Journey to Babel is definitely a candidate for that slot. There are a few other possibilities, though, so I'm still mulling them over.
"Journey to Babel" has the most enjoyable finish, where Dr. McCoy quiets everyone and breaks the fourth wall with "Well, what do you know? I finally get the last word!"
Aside from being arguably the best TOS episode, City on the Edge of Forever also holds the distinction of being the first tv show to speak what was then considered too profane for prime-time - the word "Hell" - spoken by Kirk at the end. Possibly not the very first, but early enough to have raised Spock"s eyebrows.
That was a pretty stupid rule, even for that time, considering the double-standard that you could say "devil" (e.g., "What the devil are you doing here?") but not "hell".
Amazing that after 5 years your video still garners comments. I enjoyed your vid and also the opinions of the audience. My favorite episodes as a kid were any that I got to watch on a buddy's color TV! I was 8 when TOS debuted and any discussion about this most iconic series is a wonderful walk down memory lane. My favorites have changed as I've aged. As a kid it was 'The Doomsday machine' but the last 40 years or so it's been 'The Menagerie'. And obviously, 'The Cage'. I'll always feel that the original Star Trek was just too far ahead of its time to be a huge success during its network run. Thank goodness for syndication and the devoted fans who made that possible.
That was definitely a FUN episode. I wouldn't put it on any "best" lists, but it was certainly entertaining. The ridiculous musical theme they'd play when the "attractive women" came on-screen was just so hilarious. 🙂
I have a top 10 list but I cheated. No Trouble with Tribbles, because it's universally loved I feel I don't need it to take up a spot. And then I have 2 tied for 1st. Because it's my list and I can do what I want. So, there are 12 episodes, sue me. Balance Of Terror in number 1, no reasons needed and Who Mourns for Adonais, reasons needed. As most of us probably went thru a Greek Mythology phase you can appreciate the love just for that reason. Apollo's dialogue. Everything he says is so awesomely melodramatic that you can take it as complete comic cornball as well as beautiful poetry. Michael Forrest. The looks, the voice, the delivery. C'mon. Leslie Parrish, "Yes you are beauty. But like Artemis, the bow arm should be bare." Her shoulders imprinted on me as a young fellow and to this day it's something I still notice. 56 now. The music and sounds effects. Utterly epic, haunting, brilliant. Perfection. The story: a lost and lonely God visited by his children. "Would it have hurt us, I wonder, to have gathered just a few laurel leaves...." "Hera was first. She stood before the Temple and spread herself upon the wind. Thinner and thinner until only the wind remained."
If you can watch City on the Edge of Forever and still get wound up after watching it for the 20th time, I'd have to agree, yes...best episode. But Doomsday Machine solely for W. Windom's performance make it a close 2nd. Looks like we agree!
The Star Trek episode where a planet is ruled by a regime resembling the Nazis is called "Patterns of Force", I thought could also be listed in the top 5.
Trekkie since 1974 from NY here who's Dad took him to the Star Trek Trading Post in 1974 at age 8. Dead on! Except drop the Ultimate Computer for Mirror Mirror.
I definitely think The Ultimate Computer should be dropped. I would go with The City on the Edge of Forever, Balance of Terror, The Enterprise Incident, and Space Seed as four of my five. I haven't made a final decision on #5 yet. Mirror Mirror is on the candidate list, though, along with Journey to Babel, The Galileo Seven, and possibly Amok Time. And of course we could VERY easily do a "five worst episodes" discussion too - there was definitely some cheese in that show. 😐
Oh my God, Tomorrow is Yesterdays was terrible. The way they resolved all the problems at the end was one of the most broken and pathetic "time travel resolutions" in history. There were holes in all that you could sail a battleship through. I don't object to the premise, and honestly there probably WASN'T a really tight good way to resolve it. But surely they could have done better than that. Assignment Earth was more sound insofar as time travel issue resolution went. And... Teri Garr. ;-) I wish they'd made the spin-off with Gary Seven and Miss Lincoln. Unfortunately, though, Garr hated the experience of making that episode, and stated later she was glad the show didn't "take off," because she really didn't want anything to do with Roddenberry and Star Trek ever again. Apparently Roddenberry demanded that her skirt be shortened for the episode, and she was really misput about it. At the time, though, there just wasn't much she could do - it was a very different time in Hollywood and in the whole world, for that matter.
@@hungrydragonvsfrightendhob7799 I hate to say that MIRI was such a bad episode, I refuse to watch it. I have tried many times but end up changing the channel.
@@maxpeck1387 I understand that. It's not the best, I'll agree with you there. The only real good thing about it is the dynamic between Spock and McCoy toward the end. That's really one of the only reasons I watched it.
Favorites.. Patterns of Force This Side of Paradise City on the Edge of Forever The Omega Glory Balance of Terror Doomsday Machine Least favorite Turnabout Intruder The Children shall Lead .
I'm more of a Group A type selector. To pick one above the others is often difficult and this circumstance is no different. I would submit as many as 10 episodes in Group A. Having stated that I must however confess that as a young boy in the 60's it was The Doomsday Machine for which I remember most. There was something different about it that is difficult to articulate even today. Perhaps it was the high level of drama and superior acting. It was truly a great episode and unforgettable. It's no surprise to me that it is almost always in someone's top 10.
I read that the late great D.C. Fontana had to do a rewrite in her teleplay of The Ultimate Computer making it more understandable from the original story. I also love The Doomsday Machine a great episode.
Wes, I can't really argue with your summation of TOS, but it does make a difference if you grew up with it before the first 6 movies and TNG. My essential point is that I don't quite believe that TNG (as strong as that show could be and as consistent as it could be at times) could have spawned the franchise (if it was the original ST show) in the same way that TOS did. The budget cuts and production crew changes did heavily impact TOS (as much as the limitations of the format that you have pointed out). I also can't ague with your episode selections in this video.
Yes, it's a nostalgia heavy series (as they all are, to some degree). I agree that TOS was a good template for going forward, and all the post-TOS series are a variant of the original.
Yeah, it's hard to imagine any such scenario. I mean, would Martin Landau have been as famous at playing Mr. Spock? He almost got the part. He would have brought something to the performance. But would he have been the phenomenon Nimoy became? And what if Jeffery Hunter had remained? Without Shatner, would Star Trek be Star Trek? There are so many intangibles that can never be known for sure. Everything fell into place just right. Maybe in some parallel world, it's a whole different story!
@@billanthony7896 I always thought that Jeffery Hunter played Captain Pike more like Hamlet while William Shatner played Captain Kirk as more of a Henry V kind of guy.
As someone who watched TOS during its original run as a preteen and loved the first few movies, I have NEVER been a big fan of TNG. I couldn't "bond" with most of the characters and many of the stories elicited nothing but eye rolls from me. I more or less stopped watching after the first half of the first season. I have, over the years, caught up with the entire series and I enjoyed the TNG movies to varying degrees. However, I never would have become a lifelong fan of Star Trek if TNG had been the first ST series I had ever seen. TOS rules!!
Having seen 'The Enemy Below', a great movie with Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens, helps me appreciate even more 'Balance of Terror' which is based on this movie.
I can watch all of these and not worry about them. The two that I will dive for the remote are "And the Children Shall Lead" and "The Way to Eden". They just annoy me to no end.
Space: 1999 was dead on arrival! As to Fred Freiberger, he's too easy a scapegoat for what happened in season 3. And he arguably saved another of my favorite series, The Wild Wild West!
Devil in the Dark is #1 in my mind insomuch that as a kid it taught me to not judge something until you fully understand it. That stuck with me my entire life.
I don't like Teri Garr because she usually plays a ditz, like the woman who got locked in the bathroom for 20 minutes during a party in the movie _Tootsie._ Not worthy of the nomination, but thank goodness she didn't win Oscar for best actress! But she also said she didn't like _Star Trek,_ sci-fi or its fans. Maybe she was abused on the set, like Grace Lee Whitney? Perhaps when Shatner passes, more will come out.
For me, "The Corbomite Maneuver" is #1. I think you must acknowledge that the music in this episode and in "The Doomsday Machine" put these episodes over the top--brilliant scores. I would say Doomsday would be my #2 but I cannot stand the CGI remake, it looks so cartoonish. I don't care that the original Constellation was a model kit you could buy in a toy store, the whole effect seemed more real to me! I would also have added "Where No Man Has Gone Before" to this list.
Mariette Hartley. Yes, please. Of course, the way they had the mere fact that Spock had gone back in time "undo" his whole Vulcan psyche was... well, it was lame. But it's awfully common to see time travel done very, very wrongly in science fiction.
@Paul Kryder According to Memory Alpha website, the voice of Trelane's mother was that of Barbara Babcock, who appeared in the TOS ep "A Taste of Armageddon".
Well I'm not surprised. I figured, "City on the Edge" would be #1. While I disagree, but at least you put my #1 episode as #2. The Doomsday Machine in my opinion was by far, the best episode of all The Original Star Trek series. And I also loved the design of the machine. I saw no flaws with it all. But everyone has their own opinion.
Yeah, Who Mourns... was a good episode. And you're right - it did have a "haunting" aspect to it. Apollo's sadness at the end. But, if I recall correctly, he wasn't perishing - he was going to join his brethren - his family - wherever they had gone. That wasn't an altogether bad thing. This same idea came up in Babylon 5. Spoilers - stop reading now if you haven't seen the show. All of the "old ones" - the first beings that had risen to intelligence and civilization in the universe - had gone "somewhere else," except for two races (and a couple of outlier individuals). They felt they were remaining behind to watch over the young races, but the upshot was that we younger races had "grown up" and were ready to live on our own. In the show's climax those remaining old ones went to join the others - it was clear they weren't ceasing to exist. Just ceasing to be HERE.
I respect your listing, and I do agree that most of the best episodes came from Season 1 (it also had the best version of the opening credits theme IMHO) and while I enjoy the episodes you picked my personal top 5 would be. #5. Errand of Mercy #4. Space Seed #3. Balance of Terror #2. Mirror Mirror #1. City On the Edge of Forever Each were varied but they explored the values of these particular subject in a mature and realistic way, and featured some of the best characters.
IMO, Mirror Mirror and The Menagerie should have been on the list. Drop the Ultimate Computer for its cartoonish psychologically unhinged computer inventor character.
Wrong, you are missing the deeper meaning of the episode "The Ultimate Computer". It has to do with "Racism" . Remember this was in 1968. Even though it was set in the future, the series dealt with problems of the time. Calling Dr. Daystrum, the "boy" wonder. Get it!
trha2222 I do not think so I guess the writer didn't even realize it himself. And I will stick by what I said. Dr. Daystrom a black man being called a "boy genius". That phrase was an absolute dog whistle of the time. Nice try though. That episode was written by DC Fontana, a woman. Lawrence wolf is the author
@@5argetech56 - Star Trek had supposedly evolved beyond racism, so I'm not sure your conclusion is valid. He was called the "boy" genius because he had done all his great work at a very young age. As the story made clear, he'd spent the rest of his life trying to achieve greatness again. The M-5 was his first major achievement since his youth as a young scientist. If he was played by an Italian, Indian, or Chinese Actor, would we even be discussing the term "boy?" I think not.
I agree with all 5 episodes. However, I would have a 3-way tie for # 5. The Devil in the Dark is tied with The Enterprise Incident (the only choice from Season 3) and The Gamesters of Triskelion. Monique Pettijohn as Shawna's little speech at the end after Kirk and the crew beam up to the Enterprise is truly classic. I have "something in my eye" every time I watch that episode. I would like to see "Mirror" Kirk fight in the arena.
I agree. "The Gamesters of Triskelion" is a very underrated episode. The tie at # 5 is definite. I'd also like to see "Mirror" Kirk fight in the arena, That is what makes the episode "The Way to Eden" terrible because The Enterprise has to chase the "One" group into Romulan space and no Romulan ships are guarding the border.
The 2nd Star Trek pilot "Where no man has gone before" was clearly the best of all the episodes. Both Nimoy and Shatner were flawless. Great plot,great script, and great acting.
To each his own. Being 62, I have my favorites too. And they extend to the last episode. I was always sad to see Jeffrey Hunter step away from the cast. He could have brought tremendous dialogue to the script. But this is a good post. As J.S. Bach set the standard for classical music over the next 150 years, so the Star Trek series of the 60's set the standard until today. Arthur C. Clark and others clearly plagiarized the wit and intelligence of Star Trek's script writers.
Mozart kicks Bach's hiney. Bach was plenty good, of course, but you can just HEAR the math in his music. It's "too perfect" - almost predictable. Mozart startles and surprises and the result is pure musical bliss.
The Devil in the Dark is my favourite ever TOS episode. I am a huge monster-on-the-loose fan for one thing, especially in a claustrophobic setting; and the ending of this episode is just awesome - and delivered a mind-blowing lesson for a 5-year-old monster-on-the-loose fan like me when I first saw this sometime in the early 70s. When I picked up TOS all over again as a much older adult (probably 20+ years later), this was the episode that had stayed with me. And "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer" is possibly the best TOS line ever for McCoy.
I agree with you about This Side of Paradise. It had the potential to be number one. City focussed on a truly wonderful woman. Paradise focussed on an ideal society. The problem was that the hippy commune LSD dropout model really wasn't a model for utopia. The intellectual society of the Cloud Minders with the LSD theme may have worked better.
My favorite episode was S1.E26 Errand of Mercy. I loved the smugness of the Organians as Kirk though he was saving them, and Kor though he was enslaving them.
The late John Colicos never got the credit he deserved for basically designing the original look of the Klingons. It was his thought that they should look like Mongols. They wanted Kor to return in Tribbles and Day of the Dove, but sadly, Colicos was unavailable for both episodes.
Yes, I forgotten about spots having his brain removed. As a small kid seeing it when it first came out it was pretty groundbreaking as far as making me think about something like that. And Dr McCoy facing the danger of receiving the information into his head of how to do the replacement surgery that almost killed him. And then before the surgery was complete he was forgetting what to do. Pretty handy stuff for a small kid to watch. I loved every second of it! 👍🏻
Yes - it's one of the most visceral stories ever told as far as I'm concerned. Not just the best Star Trek episode - honestly it's one of the best TELEVISION SHOW EPISODES ever made.
I'd rather not have to choose only five top episodes, but your list is pretty damn good. I'd swap The Immunity Syndrome for The Ultimate Computer, and maybe This Side of Paradise for Devil In the Dark, but both of your choices there are excellent. Honorable mentions would be Mirror, Mirror, The Corbomite Maneuver (early but very clever, with good original effects), The Naked Time (because it's brilliantly eccentric, and it helped define Spock as a secretly tortured being, smothering his emotions rather than not having them, and showing the level to which Kirk LOVES his ship over anything), and The Menagerie 2-parter (for presenting The Cage story while cheaply and fairly seamlessly integrating it into a STAR TREK TOS format. I like the fun ones like The Trouble With Tribbles or the drama of an episode such as Tomorrow Is Yesterday, too, so it's hard to choose favorites, even while admitting there were quite a few mediocre or bad ones, too.
I think I have to agree with all of your picks. You might have mentioned some Honorable Mentions too. The Gorn one was pretty clever IMHO. And that one with everyone being drunk and the ship ending up flying back in time was pretty mesmerizing and exciting for a young grade schooler like I was when the episode first came out. Also, the ending of "Obsession" where I thought Kirk was going to die, but Spock's calmness while cross-circuiting to B saves the day, made that a very memorable one. I would put "Amok Time" as number 6 on your list. The battle music alone was captivating (I still like listening to it), and again, for a six year old, how in the world did Kirk make it out alive on that one? I mean we all saw he was dead. I was more shocked than Spock! Oh, and there was that one where you had that all-powerful deep-voiced monster man about to destroy the Enterprise, and it turned out to be Ron Howard's little kid brother who looked my age. And then there was "The Menagerie" where Roddenberry was, almost miraculously, able to make some more money off the failed pilot, including a "To Be Continued" that had me on the edge of my seat for a week, and almost crying at the end when it was revealed that Spock was willing to risk his own life for the love and compassion he had for his first captain, Pike. (I still get misty when I think about that last part of that episode.) Later on I realized there was a lot more to the plots than I realized at the time, but for a kid, it was like rocketing out into unknown space once a week. Maybe you should do a BEST 6 through 10 list for next time.
While much lighter fare, "A Piece of the Action" is an absolute remote drop. Spock finally gets into character at the end, and his 1930's era, gangster dialect kills.
Balance of Terror is by far the best. Whatever the one with the kids... Tell em Jim, tell em Jim, bump bump on the head bump bump is the worst. Hell will be not-stop viewing of this episode. Miri. Just shoot me already.
Though it's a bit heavy-handed in its messaging, 'Let That be Your Last Battlefield' has always been a favorite of mine. In no particular order, 'Mirror Mirror', 'Errand of Mercy', 'Balance of Terror', and 'City on the Edge of Forever' (of course) round out my top 5.
The Ultimate Computer, Metamorphosis, Mirror Mirror, City on the Edge of Forever and Balance of Terror. Fav TOS ever... A piece of the Action looked like the most fun for the actors along with anything with Harcourt Fenton Mudd, while Trouble with Tribbles was the funniest.
@@thepenskyfile I wish they would have made another "Mirror " episode - or expanded "City on the Edge of Forever" further - it was too bad it ended only after 3 seasons - they literally had potential to " reach the stars" Thanks for doing these - absolutely love them!!! God bless Cheers!
Good list! I remember how mind blowing it was watching the series as a 10 year old boy. It influenced me so greatly, I became an engineer. Bit of trivia: City on the Edge of Forever was written by Harlan Ellison.
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Check out our Star Trek podcast at thepenskypodcast.com!
"Vulcans never bluff."
That line alone should have carried The Doomsday Machine to the top spot.
It worked well, because apparently Decker didn't know Spock was half human. Had he known, he might have called Spock's hand. Well, that is how I see it.
No. I don't suppose it did.
I just love Kirk's gutsiness to a superior officer in this episode: "So you're the lunatic trying to destroy my ship!" That whole tense scene is just great.
@@stocksd6 Spock relieving Commodore Decker has to be one of the most satisfying moments in TOS history. I have sympathy for Decker because of what he’s been through. He’s a broken and traumatized man. But, at this moment, he’s being a full A-hole and Spock rightfully put him in his place.
Doomsday Machine was one of my favorites. Also anything featuring Mark Lenard! I was privileged to see Mr Lenard and Walter Koenig perform a one-act play at a convention in 1979. Mark Lenard so totally became his character that I forgot who I was watching. RIP Mark Lenard.
Wish his great talent was given bigger features in his lifetime….a loss to us beyond his presence !!!
My favorite episodes of TOS is A Taste Of Armageddon. The concept of a computer generated war which has all the deaths of a normal war but with none of the destruction just fascinated me. On paper it seems more efficient and less costly but what happens when you are chosen to walk into a disintegration chamber for execution all because a computer said you were in certain area during said simulated attack.
Yes! I always tell people about this one. I found it fascinating.
This too was a good one.
"Sir, there is a multi-legged creature crawling on your shoulder."
It is the first appearance of cyberwarfare in science fiction.
I saw this episode as a kid and the story stuck in my mind for years. Great episode.
How William Windom did not get an Emmy, I will never understand.
He was excellent for sure
Try fickle assed voters!
Can't argue there.
Definitely deserved it.
Dude gave it 110 %.
City on the Edge of Forever is the standard by which all sci-fi should be measured. It was a perfect episode.
it’s too bad Harlan Ellison’s original vision wasn’t brought to the screen though… He was super pissed about its changes.
That's the episode I show to TOS first-timers. If they love it, we can remain friends. If they merely like it, we can remain acquaintences. If they think it's silly, they are forgotten.
😉
@@eracer1111Amen. I'm going to start doing that, would save so much time and trouble.
@@charlesheck6812 Tough break for him. The episode is far superior to his original concept, which I think involved drug trafficking and addiction on the Enterprise. And it won the 1968 Hugo Award.
absolutely correct - thanks for saying so!
I think 'The Menagerie' belongs on this list. It even won awards.
That would be a better choice than _The Devil in the Dark._
Absolutely!
Oh yes the menagerie keeps me glued to the tv
Completely agree. It's always been my favorite episode.
Mirror, Mirror and Amok Time are two of my personal favorites. Honorable mentions would be Journey to Babel, Whom Gods Destroy, Return of the Archons, and The Enterprise Incident.
"Mirror, Mirror" would be in my top five. "Corbomite Manuever" is also quintessential Star Trek. "This Side of Paradise" and "The Spectre of the Gun" are also favorites.
For a third season episode, "Spectre Of The Gun" manages to stand out. I think filming it as they did, with sets missing walls and such, added greatly to it's success. It gave it a surrealist feel.
Shore Leave, The Return of the Archons as well. Love those!
@@CeeLiberty Love Finnegan. Tremendous performance.
@Charles Ross I dont think it was a smoke bomb. It was some sort of knock out gas. When it failed to work, Spock figured out what was happening, and how to defeat their alien captors.
It still blows my mind that the episode the "corbomite manoeuvre” was the first episode filmed.
Can you imagine that? Out of the starting gate, "corbomite manoeuvre”-- so well acted,
so well directed and so iconic?
First. Episode. flmed.
"He knows, Doctor. He knows." Chilling, and one of the best lines of the entire series. "In another reality, I could have called you friend." is another personal favorite.
Oh yes - you almost hurt for the fact that Kirk and Lenard's character in Balance of Terror had been born to be adversaries. They were cut from the same cloth and both were tributes to their species.
The Horta looked like the pizza they served at school
lol! I remember thinking it looked like a throw rug draped over my mom's canister vacuum cleaner - I mean, it even had a fringe around the edge!
@@sevenbarkFunny you should mention a throw rug ... because when the guy who designed the Horta showed it to Gene (L. Coon or Roddenberry, I forget) the thing accidentally fell on him like a throw rug, and he ended up wearing it as the creature!
More like Pizza the Hutt in Spaceballs. Only drier and more foam-rubbery.
@@ebinrock It was just as silly as Spock's Brain was but I enjoyed both of them !
I like "Let that be your last battlefield". It completely captures what was going on at the time, and now. So great.
I don't think it really reflects the black-white conflict in America, or South Africa for instance. But it does seem to apply to the Israel-Palestinian conflict where both sides really hate each other, though they are Semitic peoples who are related to each other despite the passage of nearly two thousand years. I thought it in-your-face or over-the-top when I first saw it, so could understand if people put it on their worst list.
@@sandal_thong8631 What I really love about it is the Klingon captain knows what he wants (peace) but is trapped by being loyal to his side and a sense of duty. How many Russians would love to oppose Putin but then would be seen as traitors.
@@jlamm2223443 There are no Klingons in "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield." It's the episode where Commissioner Bele is tracking down Lokai to bring him back to their planet. One is black on the right and white on the left, the other is the opposite. Kirk, Spock and Scotty threaten to destroy the Enterprise by self-destruct until Bele releases the ship from his control.
@@sandal_thong8631 oh yes, another of my favorites I was thinking about. Yes, just look at Ireland and the massive standard of living increase since the peace between Protestants and Catholics. We get so hung up on the differences between us. A great episode.
Exactly. Another low budget casualty of the 3rd season (the whole thing was confined to the Enterprise) and had to rely heavily on expository dialogue to explain what was happening on the planet below, but it really stirred the imagination.
I really think that the very best Star Trek TOS episode is The Enterprise Incident … 3rd season episode with Joanne Linville playing the lady Romulan commander … who we just lost not too long ago at age 94! Also, I would add Journey To Babel as well! Both immensely exciting and poignant episodes! 🖖
I believe the episode is "The Enterprise Incident" which would later inspire the podcast "Enterprise Incidents with Scott and Steve".
The Enterprise Incident is my favourite episode too. Classic!
Totally agree that The Enterprise Incident should make the list. Four of my top five (not in order necessarily) are The City on the Edge of Forever (of course), Balance of Terror, The Enterprise Incident, and Space Seed. I haven't chosen a fifth yet - my guess is that later today one will pop into my mind and I'll think "Oh, yes - of course. That one." Journey to Babel is certainly a possibility.
You know, I just couldn't stand how in the Next Generation and beyond portrayed all Romulan females as these clones with that awful bobbed wig. Why couldn't they have taken inspiration from Joanne Linville's portrayal?
My personal favorite is Shore Leave. The idea of finding a world where your fondest wishes come true, on a whim.
That was a fun one, but they were writing it while filming it, so it's amazing it came together. I love how Kirk thinks Spock is massaging his back, but when he finds out it's the yeoman, he tells her to stop. She was supposed to be interested in Kirk, not McCoy, but they gave Kirk Ruth to spend time with instead.
A Theodore Sturgeon script
I'm just dropping a line to say thank each of you for posting all these brilliant lists. When growing up in school, proudly wearing a Trek shirt would get you called a nerd or worse. My mother couldn't wash mine fast enough. I secretly knew all of you were watching these with me. It wasn't until my first convention in 76 that I knew I wasn't alone. Great episodes and a truly wonderful and highly inspirational fan base. Thank each of you for sharing.
Thanks for watching!
I too grew up up the show in the 70’s and felt pretty lonely in my love for the show. At least with my friends. My parents loved the show.
I was 12 years old in 66'. We had a rocket & space club. Then Star Trek appeared and it was terrific.
Instant Trekkies! We'd gather and munch JiffyPop popcorn and watch Kirk, Spock & McCoy save (fill in the blank)
every week...right on schedule.
Mirror, mirror should be on the top five! Not only a great episode, but showed the casts versatility of acting to each of their savage character's alter egos! Spock was never any cooler or menacing, than with the beard! Honorable mention: "Specter of the Gun!"
Yes, that was one of the best too! Top 5!
The actor who was the Romulan returned as Spocks dad!
My grandmother wasn't a Trek fan at all, but she loved the character of Sarek, after she watched my VHS videocassette of "The Search for Spock" with me, which she gave me for my (16th?) birthday.
I based a college paper on the dwarf who was telepathically controled. The Enterprise landing party suffered the same fate until they developed the same power.
I wrote a seven page essay on Nano the dwarf in Valpone by Ben Johnson which exceeded the script lines of the character. My paper was primarily based on the attitude of the dwarf in this episode.
I not only got an A on my paper, the professor wrote the compliment, "You have educated me." That is high praise from a man who held a Doctorate in English to a high school dropout!
My No. 1 episode is "Errand of Mercy," which is not without its flaws. I like the idea of an apparently "stagnant culture" turning out to be possibly the most advanced in the galaxy.
Prilavolus
Oh YES!!! That is a marvelous episode.
This is also my #1 pick.
I only wish they had a longer more reflective scene where the Federation/Kirk was forced to acknowledge how ridiculous, insulting, and colonizing their offer of help was.
The very last episode "Turnabout Intruder" is the best in respect to crew loyalty. Even though it was framed as a mutiny, his officers were willing to risk everything for their captain. It wasn't the worst way to end the show. 😔
Yes, that's one of my favorite episodes too, although the plot if flawed. There's no way Kirk AND Spock would leave the Enterprise during a war. They would instead send a couple of higher level crewmen to conduct diplomatic negotiations.
Two things about that episode, first, Why would such an advance species, Spocks compares us as amoebas to them, possibly care that humans and klingons are warring? That would be like two germs fighting for us. Also, why would such advance beings still be tied to their home planet? Would they not be like the Q species in the later Next Generation?
Mine too. The trick ending is phenomenal. I also like A taste of Armageddon, and Whom God's Destroy and The Squire of Gothos, just for fun!
I love "The Tholian WEB" for the interplay between Spock and Bones when Kirk is missing in innerspace.
I liked Where No Man has gone before. That phaser rifle was iconic, the story was great at getting into the minds of Kirk and Gary (ESP DNA was a unique angle), and that Delta Vega base drawing took the imagination to new places.
it wasn't ESP DNA it was ESP IQ
Where no man has gone before is no1 for me for its dark tone and sense of slowly mounting dread. Kelsos esp strangulation, kirks gravestone and mitchells death haunted me as a kid when i first saw it in the 60s. It was lke a damn horror movie!
Oh! I forgot...Those glowing silver eyes.
Yet the Enterprise crossed the galactic barrier two more times and nobody got godlike powers.
I really love The Menagerie - it's a brilliant 2 part episode.
An interesting side note on that episode. The aliens were portrayed by female actors. An inexpensive "special effect" that paid dividends.
@@billanthony7896 Exactly. A truly, yet subtle, 'alien' effect was achieved. Brilliant.
With you all the way to Talos IV, Austin Dyer!
I thought they were midgits
@@billanthony7896 though in the original pilot, the Talosians had male voices.
God bless Desilu studios,the great writers,and the greatest cast ever assembled before a TV camera.
Mirror Mirror is my favorite. I like how a beard makes Spock evil. 🖖
That's such a TV trope. Garthe Knight from Knight Rider, anyone?
Not evil, just more cynical, as revealed by the ending.
@@ebinrock Knight Rider was cool! Kit lives!
@@salt_factory7566 very so true! 🖖
My favorite episode is "The Doomsday Machine and 'City on the Edge of Tomorrow is a close second. Both were written by Sci Fi authors and could easily have been transposed to another crew and portray universal themes and weaknesses of humans.
That's "The City on the Edge of Forever."
You should read Harlan Ellison's original script for "City". Had Star Trek had a bigger budget and no network censors, it would have been mind-blowing.
City on the Edge of Forever still packs an emotional punch. I'm surprised you didn't mention it was written by acclaimed SF author Harlan Ellison
Who in typical HE fashion bitched about how Hollywood treated him and his amazing script unfairly. He cashed the check, though.
IMHO, “The City…” is exceptional in that it teaches the lesson that if you could travel back in time and make changes that you think would improve your life, that’s not the case. Brilliantly done.
My favorite however is The Changeling. Awesome on so many levels!
TOS is a hard watch?? TOS is better on its worst day than any of the garbage being vomited forth by “new” Star Trek or Disney Star Wars.
Agreed.
Your logic is flawless.
“Hard Watch???” The narrator obviously never tried to choke down “The Acolyte!!!”
I concur.
No trouble with tribbles? It's a classic Trek story Kirk actually has to do his job.
No, I think it's a pretty middling episode. It's more iconic than good.
The Pensky File youre wrong. Its wickedly funny
Agree old friend..has to be in the top 5.
@@sugarnads I concur. One of the best of the entire series.
a fan wrote that David Gerrold
Decker's compulsive fidgeting with computer cassettes reminds me of Humphrey Bogart's character in "The Caine Mutiny".
Mr. Windom would be pleased to know that. That was a conscious acting choice.
On TOS we all have our favorites. But have our preferences changed over the years? The one thing that has not changed over the years about City on the Edge of Forever was the grief at the end. Still hits me even while watching this video.
If I remember correctly, the final version of "The City on the Edge of Forever" was quite a departure from Harlan Ellisons' original story.
Yes. And there are several books, an excellent graphic novel published by IDW, and even an audiobook, where you can check out Ellison’s original version if you’re interested.
Yes. I own a special edition book devoted to the episode, and actually signed by Ellison. It has several versions of the script bound in it, and one of them is his original screenplay. It was indeed very different. McCoy wasn't the character that filled his "slot" in the story. It was just a standard red shirt, and in fact that crewman was having a drug addiction problem. So it touched on social issues the final broadcast show did not.
I was the most rabid fan of this show back in the 70s and I watched the original run on television when it first aired. In my old age one of my top favorites is Metamorphosis. I love this episode- all three main crewmembers of the Enterprise are first rate here, as is Glenn Corbett’s performance. I love this episode!
‘The Immunity Syndrome’ is most definitely in my Top 5.
The top three are absolutely correct and in the proper order. Great List.
What no Space Seed were talking about the episode that featured the only Villain to make it into the Movies Khan
Has to be in the top 5 for sure.
It doesn't hold up very well. If he'd never been in the movies, it wouldn't be considered a good episode.
@@sandal_thong8631 I beg to differ. It's a great episode and Khan was a great villain just in that show, movie aside. It's definitely in my top five list. But, tastes vary, so... fair enough. I'm not going to say you're "wrong." I just disagree.
Khan was a great villain. Space Seed, though, was NOT a great episode.
Wow, all these are favourites of mine too. There are many others I like too:-
"The Corbomite Maneuver"
"The Naked Time"
"Arena"
"Tomorrow is Yesterday"
"Space Seed"
"Errand of Mercy"
"Mirror, Mirror"
"The Trouble with Tribbles" (How could you not include this one?)
"Journey to Babel"
"A Piece of the Action"
"Assignment: Earth"
"Spectre of the Gun"
"The Enterprise Incident"
"The Tholian Web"
"For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
"
All good choices!
Wow, now there's a list! 👍🏻🖖
My man gave a season's worth of episodes for his list xD
lol looks like it would have been easier if you told us the episodes you dont like lol
My dad was a chemistry professor at a small university when I was a kid, and I still remember how excited he got when he saw what was coming in Arena (the gunpowder recipe) before anyone else did and before it was fully revealed. 🙂
I feel like Journey to Babel should be in the top five. It was the first episode to really delve into Federation socio-political affairs, establish and display it's founding races, revealed critical elements of Spock's backstory, and was just generally good. Honorable mention to The Tholian Web just because Tholians are an awesome race.
Loved the Andorians in Journey to Babel. Especially the one played by Reggie Nalder. He spoke with an accent, which makes sense since Federation "English" (or whatever their language would be) was not his first language. More TV/movie aliens should have accents.
Agreed ...alot going on in this episode!!
A much better episode than "Amok Time" that used some of the same music for the interaction between Mr. Spock and his mother, Amanda. It also has a space battle, which when I was younger considered those the most interesting _Star Trek_ episodes.
I've got one spot in my top 5 still unassigned, and Journey to Babel is definitely a candidate for that slot. There are a few other possibilities, though, so I'm still mulling them over.
"Journey to Babel" has the most enjoyable finish, where Dr. McCoy quiets everyone and breaks the fourth wall with "Well, what do you know? I finally get the last word!"
1. The City on the Edge of Forever
2. Mirror, Mirror
3. A Taste of Armageddon
4. Amok Time
5. The Trouble with Tribbles
Aside from being arguably the best TOS episode, City on the Edge of Forever also holds the distinction of being the first tv show to speak what was then considered too profane for prime-time - the word "Hell" - spoken by Kirk at the end. Possibly not the very first, but early enough to have raised Spock"s eyebrows.
Get the hell outta here!
That was a pretty stupid rule, even for that time, considering the double-standard that you could say "devil" (e.g., "What the devil are you doing here?") but not "hell".
it is hard to believe everything in 'City on the Edge of Forever' all happened in the length of a typical episode
Same with "The Inner Light" from TNG.
Amazing that after 5 years your video still garners comments. I enjoyed your vid and also the opinions of the audience. My favorite episodes as a kid were any that I got to watch on a buddy's color TV! I was 8 when TOS debuted and any discussion about this most iconic series is a wonderful walk down memory lane. My favorites have changed as I've aged. As a kid it was 'The Doomsday machine' but the last 40 years or so it's been 'The Menagerie'. And obviously, 'The Cage'.
I'll always feel that the original Star Trek was just too far ahead of its time to be a huge success during its network run. Thank goodness for syndication and the devoted fans who made that possible.
Season 1, episode 19, Tomorrow Is Yesterday. I like the time travel aspect of it.
The most humorous episode imo was "A Piece of the Action"
That was definitely a FUN episode. I wouldn't put it on any "best" lists, but it was certainly entertaining. The ridiculous musical theme they'd play when the "attractive women" came on-screen was just so hilarious. 🙂
Great episode for 45 minutes. The last 15 minutes, though, is deadly dull. "Alright, Spocko, cover him!"
I have a top 10 list but I cheated. No Trouble with Tribbles, because it's universally loved I feel I don't need it to take up a spot.
And then I have 2 tied for 1st. Because it's my list and I can do what I want.
So, there are 12 episodes, sue me.
Balance Of Terror in number 1, no reasons needed and Who Mourns for Adonais, reasons needed.
As most of us probably went thru a Greek Mythology phase you can appreciate the love just for that reason.
Apollo's dialogue. Everything he says is so awesomely melodramatic that you can take it as complete comic cornball as well as beautiful poetry.
Michael Forrest. The looks, the voice, the delivery. C'mon.
Leslie Parrish, "Yes you are beauty. But like Artemis, the bow arm should be bare."
Her shoulders imprinted on me as a young fellow and to this day it's something I still notice. 56 now.
The music and sounds effects. Utterly epic, haunting, brilliant. Perfection.
The story: a lost and lonely God visited by his children.
"Would it have hurt us, I wonder, to have gathered just a few laurel leaves...."
"Hera was first. She stood before the Temple and spread herself upon the wind. Thinner and thinner until only the wind remained."
If you can watch City on the Edge of Forever and still get wound up after watching it for the 20th time, I'd have to agree, yes...best episode. But Doomsday Machine solely for W. Windom's performance make it a close 2nd. Looks like we agree!
Yes, two of the best, still on my derby, along with the Amok time, naked time, tomorrow is yesterday, and of course Menagerie 1and 2. That is, my DVR.
I agree
Agreed. Ms. Collins was so beautiful in that role.
Windom was awesome.
The Star Trek episode where a planet is ruled by a regime resembling the Nazis is called "Patterns of Force", I thought could also be listed in the top 5.
The Menagerie. The only two part episode of TOS which incorporates the original pilot with Jeffrey Hunter. This my all time favorite.
Was that Jeffrey Hunter in prosthetic makeup in "The Menagerie"? If not, it should have been.
@@ebinrock The wheelchair bound version of Pike was portrayed by Sean Kenney. Jeffrey Hunter was unavailable at the time.
Trekkie since 1974 from NY here who's Dad took him to the Star Trek Trading Post in 1974 at age 8.
Dead on! Except drop the Ultimate Computer for Mirror Mirror.
I definitely think The Ultimate Computer should be dropped. I would go with The City on the Edge of Forever, Balance of Terror, The Enterprise Incident, and Space Seed as four of my five. I haven't made a final decision on #5 yet. Mirror Mirror is on the candidate list, though, along with Journey to Babel, The Galileo Seven, and possibly Amok Time.
And of course we could VERY easily do a "five worst episodes" discussion too - there was definitely some cheese in that show. 😐
The Corbonite Maneuver was actually seeking out new life.
My favorite episode was going back in time to Earth and beaming up capt. Christopher.
Oh my God, Tomorrow is Yesterdays was terrible. The way they resolved all the problems at the end was one of the most broken and pathetic "time travel resolutions" in history. There were holes in all that you could sail a battleship through. I don't object to the premise, and honestly there probably WASN'T a really tight good way to resolve it. But surely they could have done better than that.
Assignment Earth was more sound insofar as time travel issue resolution went. And... Teri Garr. ;-) I wish they'd made the spin-off with Gary Seven and Miss Lincoln. Unfortunately, though, Garr hated the experience of making that episode, and stated later she was glad the show didn't "take off," because she really didn't want anything to do with Roddenberry and Star Trek ever again. Apparently Roddenberry demanded that her skirt be shortened for the episode, and she was really misput about it. At the time, though, there just wasn't much she could do - it was a very different time in Hollywood and in the whole world, for that matter.
Wonderful! Thank you for this!! 🚀
The tholian web is one of my favorites and would have replaced the city on the edge of forever
You do realize that the " City on the edge of forever" was shot in Mayberry, the only thing missing was Sheriff Taylor and Deputy Fife.
So was "Miri". If you look closely it's the same streets Andy and Barney roamed. It was very strange to me when I recognized it.
@@hungrydragonvsfrightendhob7799 I hate to say that MIRI was such a bad episode, I refuse to watch it. I have tried many times but end up changing the channel.
@@maxpeck1387 I understand that. It's not the best, I'll agree with you there. The only real good thing about it is the dynamic between Spock and McCoy toward the end. That's really one of the only reasons I watched it.
@@maxpeck1387 What?? "Bonk bonk on the head, bonk bonk" 😄
Charlie X was great. The ending was great. I wanna stay stay stay stay stay.
Not shown: Charlie uses his special purpose on Yeoman Rand,
For me, City on the Edge Forever, was the only Star Trek that was like a soap opera. Very unique.
I'd give that award to This Side Of Paradise!
Favorites.. Patterns of Force This Side of Paradise City on the Edge of Forever The Omega Glory Balance of Terror Doomsday Machine Least favorite Turnabout Intruder The Children shall Lead .
I'm more of a Group A type selector.
To pick one above the others is often difficult and this circumstance is no different. I would submit as many as 10 episodes in Group A.
Having stated that I must however confess that as a young boy in the 60's it was The Doomsday Machine for which I remember most. There was something different about it that is difficult to articulate even today. Perhaps it was the high level of drama and superior acting. It was truly a great episode and unforgettable. It's no surprise to me that it is almost always in someone's top 10.
Probably a top-three episode.
The Balance of Terror is The Enemy Below taking place outer space.
I read that the late great D.C. Fontana had to do a rewrite in her teleplay of The Ultimate Computer making it more understandable from the original story. I also love The Doomsday Machine a great episode.
William Windoms acting-perfect-“ there was a 3rd planet, but not anymore!”
Fantastic review man 👍I have liked subcribed and will definitely watch again! Keep up the good work 👍
Thank you very much!
Wes, I can't really argue with your summation of TOS, but it does make a difference if you grew up with it before the first 6 movies and TNG. My essential point is that I don't quite believe that TNG (as strong as that show could be and as consistent as it could be at times) could have spawned the franchise (if it was the original ST show) in the same way that TOS did. The budget cuts and production crew changes did heavily impact TOS (as much as the limitations of the format that you have pointed out). I also can't ague with your episode selections in this video.
Yes, it's a nostalgia heavy series (as they all are, to some degree). I agree that TOS was a good template for going forward, and all the post-TOS series are a variant of the original.
Yeah, it's hard to imagine any such scenario. I mean, would Martin Landau have been as famous at playing Mr. Spock? He almost got the part. He would have brought something to the performance. But would he have been the phenomenon Nimoy became? And what if Jeffery Hunter had remained? Without Shatner, would Star Trek be Star Trek? There are so many intangibles that can never be known for sure. Everything fell into place just right. Maybe in some parallel world, it's a whole different story!
I agree, saw the original ones when they came out, in b and w with analog shaky pic. But I was still impressed.
@@billanthony7896 I always thought that Jeffery Hunter played Captain Pike more like Hamlet while William Shatner played Captain Kirk as more of a Henry V kind of guy.
As someone who watched TOS during its original run as a preteen and loved the first few movies, I have NEVER been a big fan of TNG. I couldn't "bond" with most of the characters and many of the stories elicited nothing but eye rolls from me. I more or less stopped watching after the first half of the first season. I have, over the years, caught up with the entire series and I enjoyed the TNG movies to varying degrees. However, I never would have become a lifelong fan of Star Trek if TNG had been the first ST series I had ever seen. TOS rules!!
I cant stop thinking about them now....THANKS ALOT!! 🤦🏻♂️😁
Catspaw
Assignment Earth
Having seen 'The Enemy Below', a great movie with Robert Mitchum and Curt Jurgens, helps me appreciate even more 'Balance of Terror' which is based on this movie.
I can watch all of these and not worry about them. The two that I will dive for the remote are "And the Children Shall Lead" and "The Way to Eden". They just annoy me to no end.
Two often overlooked episodes involving character development are ‘The Galileo Seven’ (command) and ‘The Empath’ (sacrifice).
The Empath is the absolute worst episode of them all, in my opinion.
@@TrussttN01 Agreed.
@@TrussttN01 That would be "Spock's Brain"...rock bottom Trek...
@@Rick-mx5kh. That one is just as bad 😂. They were obviously in bad need of good writers by that point.
The Corbemite Maneuver.
I am afraid that much of the blame for the difficulties in season 3 may rest with the producer who went on to kill off Space 1999.
Space: 1999 was dead on arrival! As to Fred Freiberger, he's too easy a scapegoat for what happened in season 3. And he arguably saved another of my favorite series, The Wild Wild West!
Devil in the Dark is #1 in my mind insomuch that as a kid it taught me to not judge something until you fully understand it. That stuck with me my entire life.
That's enough right their to justify the show's run. We can get those lessons from the strangest places.
@KipIngram right?!
Five great choices. I also like the one with Gary Seven and the delightful Terri Garr.
Assignment Earth
I don't like Teri Garr because she usually plays a ditz, like the woman who got locked in the bathroom for 20 minutes during a party in the movie _Tootsie._ Not worthy of the nomination, but thank goodness she didn't win Oscar for best actress!
But she also said she didn't like _Star Trek,_ sci-fi or its fans. Maybe she was abused on the set, like Grace Lee Whitney? Perhaps when Shatner passes, more will come out.
"Delightful" indeed - Teri Garr made "teenage me" very, VERY happy when I first saw that episode. 🙂
The lighting on TOS is so great. Kudos to the DP and gaffers.
There was one with two guys, faces painted black and white on opposite sides. I remember that one most of all.
Its goofy but I also love that one.
"Let that be your last battlefield" is the name of that one.
It was about bigotry...
@@keithbrown8814Can't see you see? Don't you have eyes? I'm black on the right side. Loki is black on the left side.
Yes, it's certainly memorable. But also a terrible, terrible "hit us over the head with a baseball bat" episode. Way too heavy-handed to suit me.
For me, "The Corbomite Maneuver" is #1. I think you must acknowledge that the music in this episode and in "The Doomsday Machine" put these episodes over the top--brilliant scores. I would say Doomsday would be my #2 but I cannot stand the CGI remake, it looks so cartoonish. I don't care that the original Constellation was a model kit you could buy in a toy store, the whole effect seemed more real to me! I would also have added "Where No Man Has Gone Before" to this list.
imagine the full length movie that could have been made from that story of The City on the Edge of Forever?
All Our Yesteryears ... who doesn't love Mariette Hartley dressed in bearskins and rocking in a cave!
Mariette Hartley. Yes, please. Of course, the way they had the mere fact that Spock had gone back in time "undo" his whole Vulcan psyche was... well, it was lame. But it's awfully common to see time travel done very, very wrongly in science fiction.
Superb list of top eps. However, my personal favorite is "The Squire of Gothos" with the memorable, flamboyant performance of William Campbell.
It's a great episode indeed
Yes, and I just realized something... he probably spawned "Q"?? Cool! Thanks for that lol 👍🏻🖖🏼
@Paul Kryder June Lockhart only had two daughters.
@Paul Kryder According to Memory Alpha website, the voice of Trelane's mother was that of Barbara Babcock, who appeared in the TOS ep "A Taste of Armageddon".
Well I'm not surprised. I figured, "City on the Edge" would be #1. While I disagree, but at least you put my #1 episode as #2. The Doomsday Machine in my opinion was by far, the best episode of all The Original Star Trek series. And I also loved the design of the machine. I saw no flaws with it all. But everyone has their own opinion.
My favourite episode of the best Star Trek series ever created: The Menagerie parts 1 & 2.
nice place you have here Captain Pike
I concur with this list, though, for some reason, I have a soft spot for 'Who Mourns for Adonais?', which I found very haunting.
Yeah, Who Mourns... was a good episode. And you're right - it did have a "haunting" aspect to it. Apollo's sadness at the end. But, if I recall correctly, he wasn't perishing - he was going to join his brethren - his family - wherever they had gone. That wasn't an altogether bad thing.
This same idea came up in Babylon 5. Spoilers - stop reading now if you haven't seen the show. All of the "old ones" - the first beings that had risen to intelligence and civilization in the universe - had gone "somewhere else," except for two races (and a couple of outlier individuals). They felt they were remaining behind to watch over the young races, but the upshot was that we younger races had "grown up" and were ready to live on our own. In the show's climax those remaining old ones went to join the others - it was clear they weren't ceasing to exist. Just ceasing to be HERE.
I respect your listing, and I do agree that most of the best episodes came from Season 1 (it also had the best version of the opening credits theme IMHO) and while I enjoy the episodes you picked my personal top 5 would be.
#5. Errand of Mercy
#4. Space Seed
#3. Balance of Terror
#2. Mirror Mirror
#1. City On the Edge of Forever
Each were varied but they explored the values of these particular subject in a mature and realistic way, and featured some of the best characters.
Your 5 can’t go wrong! That’s about like picking the best jazz singer between Sarah-Ella-dinah & Billie!
I would have included "Arena" here as well.
IMO, Mirror Mirror and The Menagerie should have been on the list. Drop the Ultimate Computer for its cartoonish psychologically unhinged computer inventor character.
Wrong, you are missing the deeper meaning of the episode "The Ultimate Computer". It has to do with "Racism" . Remember this was in 1968.
Even though it was set in the future, the series dealt with problems of the time. Calling Dr. Daystrum, the "boy" wonder. Get it!
trha2222 I do not think so I guess the writer didn't even realize it himself. And I will stick by what I said. Dr. Daystrom a black man being called a "boy genius". That phrase was an absolute dog whistle of the time. Nice try though. That episode was written by DC Fontana, a woman. Lawrence wolf is the author
I really liked the Daystrum character.
@@5argetech56 - Star Trek had supposedly evolved beyond racism, so I'm not sure your conclusion is valid. He was called the "boy" genius because he had done all his great work at a very young age. As the story made clear, he'd spent the rest of his life trying to achieve greatness again. The M-5 was his first major achievement since his youth as a young scientist. If he was played by an Italian, Indian, or Chinese Actor, would we even be discussing the term "boy?" I think not.
Do you know who DC Fontana is. Plus remember the show was made during a time where there are a lot of social issues. One of them was racism.
'Day of the Dove' is always overlooked.
Honorable mention
We don't overlook it - we forget it on purpose. 😐
I agree with all 5 episodes. However, I would have a 3-way tie for # 5. The Devil in the Dark is tied with The Enterprise Incident (the only choice from Season 3) and The Gamesters of Triskelion. Monique Pettijohn as Shawna's little speech at the end after Kirk and the crew beam up to the Enterprise is truly classic. I have "something in my eye" every time I watch that episode. I would like to see "Mirror" Kirk fight in the arena.
I agree. "The Gamesters of Triskelion" is a very underrated episode. The tie at # 5 is definite. I'd also like to see "Mirror" Kirk fight in the arena, That is what makes the episode "The Way to Eden" terrible because The Enterprise has to chase the "One" group into Romulan space and no Romulan ships are guarding the border.
Angelique Pettyjohn
Yes, thanks for the correction and the comment, I appreciate it.
The 2nd Star Trek pilot "Where no man has gone before" was clearly the best of all the episodes.
Both Nimoy and Shatner were flawless.
Great plot,great script, and great acting.
And awesome that they got Gary Lockwood from 2001: A Space Odyssey!
However, unfortunately, the rest of the crew were pretty forgettable.
To each his own. Being 62, I have my favorites too. And they extend to the last episode. I was always sad to see Jeffrey Hunter step away from the cast. He could have brought tremendous dialogue to the script. But this is a good post. As J.S. Bach set the standard for classical music over the next 150 years, so the Star Trek series of the 60's set the standard until today. Arthur C. Clark and others clearly plagiarized the wit and intelligence of Star Trek's script writers.
Mozart kicks Bach's hiney. Bach was plenty good, of course, but you can just HEAR the math in his music. It's "too perfect" - almost predictable. Mozart startles and surprises and the result is pure musical bliss.
The Devil in the Dark is my favourite ever TOS episode. I am a huge monster-on-the-loose fan for one thing, especially in a claustrophobic setting; and the ending of this episode is just awesome - and delivered a mind-blowing lesson for a 5-year-old monster-on-the-loose fan like me when I first saw this sometime in the early 70s. When I picked up TOS all over again as a much older adult (probably 20+ years later), this was the episode that had stayed with me. And "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer" is possibly the best TOS line ever for McCoy.
Here’s my list:
1. City on the edge of forever
2. This side of paradise
3. All our yesterdays
4. Mirror, Mirror
5. The Corbomite Maneuver
This is a good one.
I agree with you about This Side of Paradise. It had the potential to be number one. City focussed on a truly wonderful woman. Paradise focussed on an ideal society. The problem was that the hippy commune LSD dropout model really wasn't a model for utopia. The intellectual society of the Cloud Minders with the LSD theme may have worked better.
My favorite episode was S1.E26 Errand of Mercy. I loved the smugness of the Organians as Kirk though he was saving them, and Kor though he was enslaving them.
The late John Colicos never got the credit he deserved for basically designing the original look of the Klingons. It was his thought that they should look like Mongols. They wanted Kor to return in Tribbles and Day of the Dove, but sadly, Colicos was unavailable for both episodes.
You forgot Spock's Brain. A classic.
You are spot on. 😊
Brain!? What is Brain??? Not know Brain! ! !
Yes, I forgotten about spots having his brain removed. As a small kid seeing it when it first came out it was pretty groundbreaking as far as making me think about something like that. And Dr McCoy facing the danger of receiving the information into his head of how to do the replacement surgery that almost killed him. And then before the surgery was complete he was forgetting what to do. Pretty handy stuff for a small kid to watch. I loved every second of it! 👍🏻
"the givers of pain and delight" Best stoner episode
That's not funny!
The City on the Edge of Forever makes me cry every time.
Such an amazing episode. It's all drama, very little sci-fi.
Yes - it's one of the most visceral stories ever told as far as I'm concerned. Not just the best Star Trek episode - honestly it's one of the best TELEVISION SHOW EPISODES ever made.
I'd rather not have to choose only five top episodes, but your list is pretty damn good. I'd swap The Immunity Syndrome for The Ultimate Computer, and maybe This Side of Paradise for Devil In the Dark, but both of your choices there are excellent. Honorable mentions would be Mirror, Mirror, The Corbomite Maneuver (early but very clever, with good original effects), The Naked Time (because it's brilliantly eccentric, and it helped define Spock as a secretly tortured being, smothering his emotions rather than not having them, and showing the level to which Kirk LOVES his ship over anything), and The Menagerie 2-parter (for presenting The Cage story while cheaply and fairly seamlessly integrating it into a STAR TREK TOS format.
I like the fun ones like The Trouble With Tribbles or the drama of an episode such as Tomorrow Is Yesterday, too, so it's hard to choose favorites, even while admitting there were quite a few mediocre or bad ones, too.
Thanks Chris!
yes the Immunity Syndrome the giant virus in space is pure science fiction unlike knock offs on planets full of Nazis and romans
I think I have to agree with all of your picks. You might have mentioned some Honorable Mentions too.
The Gorn one was pretty clever IMHO. And that one with everyone being drunk and the ship ending up flying back in time was pretty mesmerizing and exciting for a young grade schooler like I was when the episode first came out. Also, the ending of "Obsession" where I thought Kirk was going to die, but Spock's calmness while cross-circuiting to B saves the day, made that a very memorable one. I would put "Amok Time" as number 6 on your list. The battle music alone was captivating (I still like listening to it), and again, for a six year old, how in the world did Kirk make it out alive on that one? I mean we all saw he was dead. I was more shocked than Spock! Oh, and there was that one where you had that all-powerful deep-voiced monster man about to destroy the Enterprise, and it turned out to be Ron Howard's little kid brother who looked my age. And then there was "The Menagerie" where Roddenberry was, almost miraculously, able to make some more money off the failed pilot, including a "To Be Continued" that had me on the edge of my seat for a week, and almost crying at the end when it was revealed that Spock was willing to risk his own life for the love and compassion he had for his first captain, Pike. (I still get misty when I think about that last part of that episode.)
Later on I realized there was a lot more to the plots than I realized at the time, but for a kid, it was like rocketing out into unknown space once a week.
Maybe you should do a BEST 6 through 10 list for next time.
I've always like Spock more than Kirk. As such, my top two would be Galileo 7, All Our Yesterdays. Beyond that maybe conscience of the King.
While much lighter fare, "A Piece of the Action" is an absolute remote drop. Spock finally gets into character at the end, and his 1930's era, gangster dialect kills.
Balance of Terror is by far the best.
Whatever the one with the kids... Tell em Jim, tell em Jim, bump bump on the head bump bump is the worst. Hell will be not-stop viewing of this episode. Miri. Just shoot me already.
I agree. Miri would be in the bottom ten along with the first episode--that stupid salt sucking monster.
Miri was pretty bad. 😐
Though it's a bit heavy-handed in its messaging, 'Let That be Your Last Battlefield' has always been a favorite of mine. In no particular order, 'Mirror Mirror', 'Errand of Mercy', 'Balance of Terror', and 'City on the Edge of Forever' (of course) round out my top 5.
For me: Mirror, Mirror; The Trouble with Tribbles; Plato's Stepchildren; City on the Edge ... ; Devil in the Dark - not necessarily in that order.
The Ultimate Computer, Metamorphosis, Mirror Mirror, City on the Edge of Forever and Balance of Terror. Fav TOS ever...
A piece of the Action looked like the most fun for the actors along with anything with Harcourt Fenton Mudd, while Trouble with Tribbles was the funniest.
Man, you're missing Mirror, Mirror. Great video though.
Thanks Peter! Mirror, Mirror is a runner up. Likely spot 6 or 7 for myself.
@@thepenskyfile I wish they would have made another
"Mirror " episode - or expanded "City on the Edge of Forever" further - it was too bad it ended only after 3 seasons - they literally had potential to " reach the stars"
Thanks for doing these - absolutely love them!!!
God bless
Cheers!
Good list! I remember how mind blowing it was watching the series as a 10 year old boy. It influenced me so greatly, I became an engineer. Bit of trivia: City on the Edge of Forever was written by Harlan Ellison.