ALL SCI-FI

[Gord Green]

Best 'Star Trek' episodes

©Bettmann //

It's hard to think of a more everlasting and impactful science fiction property than "Star Trek." In 1966, what is now known as "Star Trek: The Original Series" premiered on NBC, the brainchild of creator, writer, and executive producer Gene Roddenberry. What made "Star Trek" unique for its time was its devotion to an optimistic vision of society, one where human civilization has moved past war and poverty, boldly going "where no man has gone before."

This utopian future was reflected by a diverse cast, with the crew of the USS Enterprise including a woman of African descent (Nyota Uhura, played by Nichelle Nichols) and an Asian man (Hikaru Sulu, played by George Takei). Starting in Season Two, "Star Trek" added a Russian character (Pavel Chekov, played by Walter Koenig) during a real-life period of tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The cast was headlined by William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as First Officer Spock, and DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard McCoy.

Unlike the campier and fantastical sci-fi fare of the 1960s—like "Lost in Space"—"Star Trek" tackled issues not limited to racism, sexism, and nationalism, with episodic stories that served as allegories for present-day issues. One of the most commonly cited groundbreaking moments in "Star Trek" was a kiss between the characters of Kirk and Uhura in Season Three, one of the earliest on-screen interracial kisses.

While the original "Star Trek" was marred with low ratings on NBC, fan mail campaigns kept the show alive for 79 episodes until its eventual cancellation in 1969. However, the series found new life in syndication in the 1970s, and the property has since grown into a multimedia franchise that includes more than 25 television shows and theatrical movies. The latest to join the lineup, the TV movie "Star Trek: Section 31," hit Paramount+ on Jan. 24, 2025, and sees Michelle Yeoh reprise her role from "Star Trek: Discovery," Empress Georgiou.

In addition to the continuing series and films, many storylines from the original "Star Trek" still hold up today. Shatner and Nimoy have both praised the 1967 episode "The Devil in the Dark," according to a November 2024 article from CBR, while "Star Trek" writer Ronald D. Moore cites 1966's "The Conscience of the King" as one of his favorites.

Many choose :City on the edge of forever:.

What is yours???

_________________
There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[mach7]

Hmmm, My favorite Star Trek episode.

Thats a complex question.

From my comments in "The Devil in Dark" thread:

"One of the reasons for this episodes popularity, I feel,
Is that it is the 1st time in modern science fiction where we
see the evolution from a monster that MUST be killed to
understanding the motives and having empathy for a
different life form.

Basically this is the same story as "The Man Trap" but due
to Gene Coon's well crafted story it has a very different feel and outcome. It kind of defines the Star Trek morality."

Others I really like are "Return of the Archons".
Kirk talking down a computer is always fun! and in the '60s
(now also) losing ones job to a computer was a real fear.

"The Changeling" follows this theme to a slightly different degree.

"Balance of Terror" is excellent also.
As is "Errand of Mercy"
Both show the conflict of Duty vs morality.