# Worst epsisode of star trek **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 12, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964 "2016-02-12T20:27:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/21 "2016-02-12T21:55:51Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > This one wasn’t one of my favorites either. How do Darmok and his people handle math? Not a lot of metaphors in math. Can you imagine the engineering tests on that world? Hallendra, when the cheat notes flew. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/22 "2016-02-12T21:57:47Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > To be fair, the evil 20th century capitalist was the first person to spot that the Romulans were lying. No, he was the first person to say it out loud. Everyone else on the bridge had the sense and discipline to keep their yaps shut so Picard could work. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/23 "2016-02-12T22:24:36Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > To be fair, the evil 20th century capitalist was the first person to spot that the Romulans were lying. > > For worst TOS, I’ll join the consensus and say “Spock’s Brain” for TOS though it’s so campy I can’t really hate it. I feel the same way about the space hippie episode which only a Herbert wouldn’t like. A lot of first season TNG was pretty terrible, especially the gender roles episode and the one where Wesley was sentenced to death for trampling some flowers. Okay, we just watched the space hippies episode, and the thing is - it’s really a good episode! Except that the hippies are written so amazingly, dully, stupidly. But it’s a strong episode about ideas, if it weren’t written with this weird blind spot towards those characters. ---
**Author:** ![akrako1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@akrako1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akrako1)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/24 "2016-02-12T22:34:21Z")
Tuvix. Mic drop. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/25 "2016-02-12T22:59:06Z")
TNG Masks, Genesis, and The Game. Horrible horrible episodes. much worse that Spock’s Brain. Genesis is even worse than Voyager’s Janeway/Paris Slug Baby episode. yes, worse than that! > [@ivylass](#): > > This one wasn’t one of my favorites either. How do Darmok and his people handle math? Not a lot of metaphors in math. Can you imagine the engineering tests on that world? I always take it that everyone not in the upper class uses full sentences. We only see the command staff. The “face” of the Children of Tam is the proud, metaphor-weilding aristocracy. The general worker drones, low class people, talk like we do. It’s the blind spot of the CoT than they don’t see this as a problem. In other words, sentences are for _children_. Proper adults speak only in metaphor. ---
**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:** [February 12, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/26 "2016-02-12T23:03:26Z")
TNG: “Family.” It was hated when it came out and the producers learned a lesson. Unfortunately, it was the wrong one. They thought the audience didn’t want to see character-based stories, just space battles. But the audience would have been happy with this sort of b story if it wasn’t utter crap. What with the mud wrestling scene between Picard and his brother (you knew they were brothers because Picard had an English accent and his brother has a French one), and an attempt to boldly use every cliche ever used in the history of storytelling, it was appallingly terrible. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/27 "2016-02-12T23:14:09Z")
> [@akrako1](#): > > Tuvix. Mic drop. I liked this one. It gave me a lot to think about. Does the captain have the authority to essentially kill someone in order to bring two other people back to life? ---
**Author:** ![DeptfordX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DeptfordX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeptfordX)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/28 "2016-02-12T23:40:46Z")
Next Generation. The Child. Troi gets pregnant from space magic. The pregnancy takes 36 hours. The child grows to an adult in about 48 hours then dies to save the crew from a menace it’s presence creates. It is never referenced again. I saw it when it first came out and can remember feeling distinctly aggrieved over the episode not just being bad, but an insulting waste of time. ---
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/29 "2016-02-12T23:42:02Z")
TNG _Code of Honor_. The one where the Enterprise goes to the planet of the offensive African stereotypes, and the big black warrior-leader of the planet wants to kidnap and marry Tasha Yar because she’s a beautiful white woman. _Shades of Grey_ may have been a pointless clips episode, but at least it wasn’t blatantly racist. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2016, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/30 "2016-02-12T23:56:43Z")
You’re kidding me?!? We’re talking worst Trek ever and no one has yet mention TOS _ **The Way to Eden** _ aka The Space Hippies?!?!! Far worse than Spock’s Brain, Omega Glory, Alternative Factor etc. Those had some incredulous plot twists, but c’mon? Space Hippies?!? It was the closest [Star Trek came to this…](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUhTw5Zzzjo) > [@Cardigan](#): > > Darmok and Jalad at Tenagra Worst?! That’s one of the best\*!!\* ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/31 "2016-02-13T00:08:01Z")
“Assignment: Earth” I could never stand Teri Garr, and found Gary Seven a bore. Can’t believe he nearly got his own show. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2016, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/32 "2016-02-13T00:11:26Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > You’re kidding me?!? We’re talking worst Trek ever and no one has yet mention TOS _ **The Way to Eden** _ aka The Space Hippies?!?!! Post #3. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/33 "2016-02-13T00:23:37Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > The Infinite Warp episode of THAT ONE SHOW where two people become space slugs and mate. > > Pencils down, thread over. Not only that, but one of them was the Captain. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/34 "2016-02-13T00:30:30Z")
_checks Memory Alpha_ TNG, Symbiosis. Drugs are bad, mmkay?! Crack is Whack! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/35 "2016-02-13T00:48:47Z")
Why does this topic keep popping up once a year or so? Do the worst episodes change on a rotating basis? 😕 Besides, everyone knows it’s a tie between “Plato’s Stepchildren” and “Is There No Truth In Beauty?” ---
**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:** [February 13, 2016, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/36 "2016-02-13T00:57:07Z")
No we don’t. That’s why it keeps popping up! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/37 "2016-02-13T01:38:55Z")
> [@ElderSign](#): > > [ex-astris-scientia.org](http://ex-astris-scientia.org) says > > TOS: The Omega Glory, The Alternative Factor I think an interesting premise was hiding within the mess that **TAF** came out as. That you would have two men who are virtual carbon copies of each other from parallel universes, where one goes insane from the revelation that he has a double, could have been worked into something pretty awesome by the right people. Unfortunately, they had Kirk and Spock behave like total idiots and give this madman the run of the ship, where he (and he) promptly steals some vital dilithium crystals, and then the scriptwriters declare that, no, matter and antimatter meeting won’t explode, unless the two lumps of it are _identical_. 😕:smack: (Kirk and the planet he landed on (in the other universe) should have instantly gone kablooey.) That, and that the actor playing the twins was a very late addition, and, while he did well considering the circumstances…I’ll just say that, unlike some of the other stinkers here, in other circumstances it could have been one of the best eps of TOS (and likely was, in another universe…). ---
**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:** [February 13, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/38 "2016-02-13T01:42:26Z")
Shades of Grey - a clip show ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Me](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mr.Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Me)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/39 "2016-02-13T01:51:18Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The one where a female’s brain was transferred into Kirk’s body and William Shatner had to pretend to behave like an overemotional woman, coz that’s what they’re all like, apparently. I was going to say _Catspaw_, but apparently I had repressed my memory of ever watching _Turnabout Intruder_. Wasn’t that the last episode? Talk about going out with a whimper. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2016, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964/40 "2016-02-13T02:01:04Z")
_Catspaw_, with Korob and Sylvia and their black cat. I think it was suppose to be a Halloween episode. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-epsisode-of-star-trek/745964.md?page=3)