# Best Star Trek episodes (orig. series)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 25, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047 "2005-04-25T17:07:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/1 "2005-04-25T17:07:38Z")
Riding a wave of nostalgia recently for James T. and the original phasa gangstas . . . but I know there are at least a few episodes I’ve never actually seen (e.g., “Amok Time”). Enhance my Netflix queue, Trekkie Dopers: your desert island list of the orig. episodes? (The only one I can identify by name as having seen–and more than a few times–is “City on the Edge of Forever.” Am still in awe of it every time I see it.) ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/2 "2005-04-25T17:22:27Z")
My personal favorite is “Errand of Mercy,” the episode that introduces the Klingons to the Trek universe. Kirk and Spock try to intervene when the planet of the pacifistic–and strangely complacent–Organians is taken over by the Klingons. I always enjoy how frustrated, and even contemptuous, Kirk gets while trying to stir up a rebellion among the Organians, who just don’t seem to care about being invaded. The ending, where he and the Klingon captain are practically buddy-buddy when they argue about their right to get into a war is priceless. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/3 "2005-04-25T17:26:52Z")
_The Troubhle With Tribbles_–fun, well written, & gives everybody a good line or two. Uhuru gets more lines here than in any other episode, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/4 "2005-04-25T17:30:40Z")
Er, would prefer only the vaguest of summaries, \*\*Miss Mapp. \*\*I’m old-fashioned with when it comes to spoilers. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/5 "2005-04-25T18:19:08Z")
1. The Trouble with Tribbles 2. The City on the Edge of Forever 3. The Menagerie 4. A Piece of the Action 5. Shore Leave ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/6 "2005-04-25T18:39:33Z")
“City on the Edge of Forever,” just for Kirk’s “Sophie’s Choice” dilemna. Second place goes to “The Trouble With Tribbles,” for sheer laugh-out-loud comedy. Nothing Harry Mudd does can compare to dumping a million tribbles on Kirk’s head. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/7 "2005-04-25T18:46:45Z")
“Mirror, Mirror” - The Counter-Universe episode, and Spock with a beard! “The Trouble With Tribbles” - Just plain fun. “The Enterprise Incident” - Romulans and treachery and good stuff like that. “Journey To Babel” - Spock and his father do some bonding. “A Private Little War” - If for no other reason than Spock’s concluding line! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/8 "2005-04-25T18:48:53Z")
Oops. Make that last one “Friday’s Child” ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/9 "2005-04-25T20:14:15Z")
Ok My Trek must see List Charlie X-- Early Star Trek with a nice creepy ending. Balance of Terror-- First real villians for The Federation are the Romulans Errand of Mercy – Klingon’s first introduced I MUDD - best Harry Mudd episode Trouble with Tribbles-- Classically funny The Tholian Web – Great McCoy Spock Dynamic, Interesting Peril. City on the Edge of Forever – Nuff said Arena – Kirk battling a giant rubber Lizard works better than it should Mirror Mirror – Loved the Mirror Enterprise. Space Seed – KHAAAAAAN! and for a hokey good time The Way to Eden Spock’s Brain Both are goofy but memorable in their sheer badness. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/10 "2005-04-25T21:00:16Z")
Most of my favorites have already been mentioned, but I’ll add _Devil in the Dark._ Spock gets to mind meld with a giant, acid-oozing slug and McCoy’s classic “I’m a doctor, not a plasterer!” ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/11 "2005-04-25T22:06:33Z")
“Mirror, Mirror” “The Trouble with Tribbles” “This side of Paradise” “The Immunity Syndrome” “Amok Time” “City on the edge of Forever” ---
**Author:** ![Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a8b319/32.png) [@Spatial\_Rift\_47](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spatial_Rift_47)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/12 "2005-04-25T22:10:50Z")
If you want to laugh _at_ the original series instead of with it (which can be as entertaining and in no way makes it any less of a great show), watch _Spock’s Brain_, unanimously voted the Worst TOS Episode Ever by the general consortium of worldwide Star Trek fans. I’ll add only _The Menagerie, Pts 1 and 2_ to the list of great episodes already posted. ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/13 "2005-04-25T22:32:55Z")
Most of my faves have been mentioned - Tribbles, City, Devil in the Dark, Enterprise Incident, Piece of the Action … But not Spectre of the Gun. I love Spectre of the Gun. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/14 "2005-04-25T23:53:46Z")
> [@Spatial Rift 47](#): > > If you want to laugh _at_ the original series instead of with it (which can be as entertaining and in no way makes it any less of a great show), watch _Spock’s Brain_, unanimously voted the Worst TOS Episode Ever by the general consortium of worldwide Star Trek fans. “Brain? Brain? What is brain?” I can’t hear you! _I can’t hear you! LA LA LA LA LAH!_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/15 "2005-04-26T01:00:10Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > “The Enterprise Incident” - Romulans and treachery and good stuff like that. Plus one extremely hot Romulan commander in a really tight dress. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/16 "2005-04-26T02:45:29Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Most of my favorites have already been mentioned, but I’ll add _Devil in the Dark._ Spock gets to mind meld with a giant, acid-oozing slug and McCoy’s classic “I’m a doctor, not a plasterer!” Bricklayer. He wasn’t a bricklayer. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/17 "2005-04-26T03:15:05Z")
\*For The World Is Hollow And I Have Touched The Sky The Paradise Syndrome The Enemy Within\* One McCoy vehicle, two Shatner… All three have them going beyond their character’s normal bounderies. Plus all the other ones listed. Face it, you’ll end up having to see every last one of them, good or not, because you are now hooked. Even the shows that are so terribly bad end up being fun to watch simply to work on your nitpicking skills. For these, try: \*Operation: Annihilate! The Alternative Factor The Apple\* ---
**Author:** ![empty\_filing\_cabinet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@empty\_filing\_cabinet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/empty_filing_cabinet)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/18 "2005-04-26T03:35:41Z")
The black/white refugee episode. The submarine vs. destroyer episode (based on Burt Lancaster’s Run Silent, Run Deep ?) Enterprise vs the Romulans and their cloaking device. The Romulans even have a periscope, too! ---
**Author:** ![Morgyn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morgyn/32/3041_2.png) [@Morgyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgyn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/19 "2005-04-26T04:45:51Z")
> [@JThunder](#): > > Bricklayer. He wasn’t a bricklayer. Many years ago I had a friend who wanted to write/see an operetta based on ST:TOS. He’d only come up with one line, though, and it was for McCoy, to wit: I’m a doctor, not a counter-tenor! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5ac83/32.png) [@The\_Mad\_Hermit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Mad_Hermit)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2005, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047/20 "2005-04-26T05:53:41Z")
I have to add “The Doomsday Machine” and “The Immunity Syndrome” for their space-monster-battling, scenery-chewing goodness. Watching William Windom ham it up with Shatner is a riot. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-star-trek-episodes-orig-series/301047.md?page=2)