star trek top ten episodes

The Top 57 Episodes of ‘Star Trek,’ Ranked From Great to Perfect

First, let’s be clear: Ranking the best “Star Trek” episodes is a silly thing to do. To date, the longest-running American TV franchise has aired a gargantuan 890 episodes and counting, starting with the original series in 1966. Since then, at least one “Star Trek” TV show has aired (or streamed) every decade, totaling 11 so far (with more on the way ). Choosing the best episodes within such a boundless, occasionally contradictory storytelling galaxy seems about as wise as cheating when playing poker with a Klingon.

On the other hand, there may be no more time-honored tradition among “Star Trek” fans than a vigorous debate over what constitutes the best of the franchise. (Best series ? Best captains ? Best starships ? Best aliens ? Best uniforms ? They’ve all been ranked multiple times !)

In that spirit — and to commemorate the 57th anniversary of “Star Trek” on Sept. 8 —  Variety ’s resident “Trek” geeks have ranked the top 57 episodes of all time, across the franchise.

Creating our list required some deep-dish nerdiness in its own right: We compiled a long list of episodes from each series that we felt deserved to be on the final ranking. Then we created our own individual rankings — and promptly realized our taste was quite divergent. To reconcile our lists, we adopted the approach of the great movie ranking podcast, Screen Drafts : We took alternating turns placing a pick from 57 to 1, and we each had two opportunities to veto the other’s pick (which in every case was to ensure it was placed higher on the list).

Other than the short-lived “Star Trek: The Animated Series” (1973-1974), this list reflects every other iteration of “Trek” on TV: “Star Trek: The Original Series” (1966-1969); “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987-1994); “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (1993-1999); “Star Trek: Voyager” (1995-2001); “Star Trek: Enterprise” (2001-2005); “Star Trek: Discovery” (2017-2024); “Star Trek: Picard” (2020-2023); “Star Trek: Prodigy” (2021-2022); and the ongoing “Star Trek: Lower Decks” (2020-present) and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds” (2022-present).

The Way to Eden

“The Original Series” — Season 3, Episode 20

Look, this episode gets a lot of hate. But the fact is “TOS” is known (by today’s standards) for being very campy, and there is no episode campier than this one. A group of space hippies board the Enterprise on their journey to a mythical planet called Eden, where they can live happily forever. The episode memorably features Charles Napier (who would go on to a long career playing tough guys, villains, cops and the like) breaking out into song a bunch of times, including a jam session with Spock (Leonard Nimoy). —Joe Otterson Original airdate: Feb. 21, 1969

Terra Prime

“Enterprise” — Season 4, Episode 21 More than any other episode of “Enterprise,” “Terra Prime” made the most of the show’s mission to dramatize the beginnings of Starfleet, 100 years before the events of “TOS.” Just as a newfound coalition of planets begins to form on Earth (a precursor to the Federation), Captain Archer (Scott Bakula) and his crew must stop a xenophobic terrorist (played to the hilt by future “Star Trek Into Darkness” villain Peter Weller) bent on forcing all aliens to leave Earth. Subtle, it ain’t, but the story feels more relevant today than it did 20 years ago, and everyone in the cast gets a moment to shine. Alas, it came too late: “Enterprise” had been canceled before this episode even went into production. —Adam B. Vary Original airdate: May 13, 2005

“Prodigy” — Season 1, Episode 6

The animated “Prodigy” was the first “Star Trek” series geared toward kids, but that doesn’t mean there weren’t things for older “Trek” fans to enjoy. In particular, “Kobayashi” perfectly embodies what makes this show a worthy entry in “Trek” canon. Dal (Brett Gray) and Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas) discover the holodeck aboard the Protostar, where they decide to go through the Kobayashi Maru, a.k.a. the “no-win scenario” that Capt. Kirk successfully beat during his time at the Academy. He gets help along the way from legendary characters like Spock, Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Odo (René Auberjonois). —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 6, 2022

Stormy Weather

“Discovery” — Season 4, Episode 6

On a mission to discover the origins of a cataclysmic gravitational anomaly, the U.S.S. Discovery enters a subspace rift and finds itself trapped inside a lethal black void that threatens to collapse in on the ship. The result is a classic race-against-time thriller (directed by “Trek” mainstay Jonathan Frakes), but what makes “Stormy Weather” stand out amid the heavily serialized episodes of “Discovery” is its emotionally resonant use of the ship’s sentient A.I. computer, Zora (Annabelle Wallis), who has to learn how to calm her mind from overwhelming stimuli in order to guide the ship out of danger. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 23, 2021

Seventeen Seconds

“Picard” — Season 3, Episode 3

“Picard” didn’t find itself until Season 3, which reunited the core cast of “The Next Generation” — and it was really Episode 3 that sealed the deal. Riker (Frakes) is forced to take command of the Titan as Vadic (Amanda Plummer) and the Shrike hunt them. Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Dr. Crusher get an all-time great scene together as she reveals why she never told him about their son, Jack (Ed Speleers). Worf (Michael Dorn) makes his big return. We learn the Changelings are still intent on attacking the Federation. Riker and Picard end up at odds in a way we’ve never seen before. In short, epic. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 2, 2023

The Enemy Within

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 5

The transporter — the cause of, and solution to, so many “Star Trek” problems — accidentally splits Capt. Kirk (William Shatner) into two people: Good Kirk, who is wracked with indecision, and evil Kirk, who is a histrionic asshole. Come for a meditation on the darkness that lies tucked inside everyone’s psyche, stay for some of William Shatner’s most deliciously hammy acting — and this was just the fifth episode of the series! —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 1966

Family Business

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 3, Episode 23

The Ferengi episodes of “DS9” are always great comic relief, with this episode giving fans their first view of the home planet of Ferenginar and Ferengi culture in general. Quark (Armin Shimerman) and Rom (Max Grodénchik) must return home when their mother, Ishka (Andrea Martin), is accused of acquiring profit (gasp!), something Ferengi females are forbidden to do. Shimerman and Martin shine as they play out Quark and Ishka’s relationship, while Grodénchik really gets to put his comedic chops on display. This episode is also notable as the first appearance of Brunt (Jeffrey Combs) from the Ferengi Commerce Authority, as well as Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson Jerald), frequent love interest of Cmdr. Sisko (Avery Brooks). —J.O.

Original airdate: May 15, 1995

Blink of an Eye

“Voyager” — Season 6, Episode 12

The Voyager gets stuck in orbit around a planet where time passes far more rapidly than in the rest of space, as the episode alternates between the bemused curiosity of Capt. Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her crew and the awestruck preoccupation of the expeditiously progressing populace on the planet below, for whom Voyager is a sparkling, fixed constant in the night sky. At one point, the Doctor (Robert Picard) beams down to the planet to investigate, and a delay of only a few minutes on Voyager means he spends three years on its surface. He even adopts a son! One of the great, wild what if? episodes of “Star Trek.” —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Jan. 19, 2000

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 23

Mark Lenard absolutely crushed the role of Spock’s father, Sarek, in multiple episodes across multiple “Star Trek” series and movies, but this episode is perhaps his finest performance as the character. Sarek comes to the Enterprise-D on what is meant to be his final mission, only for the crew to learn he is suffering from Bendii Syndrome. The condition leaves him prone to uncharacteristic emotional outbursts while also causing him to telepathically influence the emotions of those around him. Picard saves the day by mind melding with Sarek, allowing him to finish his mission with dignity — and provide Stewart with the chance for some powerhouse acting as he channels Sarek’s volcanic emotions. —J.O.

Original airdate: May 14, 1990

“Enterprise” — Season 3, Episode 10

“Trek” loves a moral dilemma, and this one’s a doozy: After Cmdr. Tucker (Connor Trinneer) is critically injured while the Enterprise is on a deep space mission, Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) suggests growing a “mimetic symbiote” of Trip — effectively, a clone with a built-in two-week lifespan — in order to create the brain tissue needed to save Trip’s life. But that means the Enterprise crew must endure watching Trip’s clone rapidly age from a precocious kid to an adult man (played by Trinneer with eerie self-possession), who then pleads for his own right to live. Creepy and heartbreaking in equal measure. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 19, 2003

Trials and Tribble-ations

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 5, Episode 6

This episode is a love letter to the original series, with the Defiant’s crew transported back in time to the events of “The Trouble With Tribbles.” A Klingon agent is planning to use a booby-trapped tribble to assassinate James T. Kirk. Thanks to digital editing, the crew is able to interact with the original Enterprise crew and keep the timeline intact. —J.O.

Original airdate: Nov. 4, 1996

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 2, Episode 23

Mirror universe episodes of “Star Trek” are (almost) always fun, if ultimately a little silly. But this one — in which Kira (Nana Visitor) and Dr. Bashir (Alexander Siddig) find themselves in an alternate reality in which Bajor, Cardassians and Klingons subjugate humans as slaves — comes closest to matching the spark of discovery in the original “TOS” episode. It’s especially fun to watch Visitor devour the role of Kira’s deliciously wicked mirror counterpart, the Intendant. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: May 16, 1994

Memento Mori

“Strange New Worlds” — Season 1, Episode 4

This episode proved “Strange New Worlds” — the newest “Star Trek” series — could be as action-packed as the very best of “Star Trek.” The Enterprise crew find themselves on the run from the Gorn, a savage enemy (first introduced on “TOS” and largely ignored in “Trek” canon) about which they know virtually nothing. They are forced to use every resource at their disposal to outwit and outrun the Gorn, including tapping into the subconscious of La’an (Christina Chong), the only crew member who has encountered the aliens and survived. —J.O.

Original airdate: May 26, 2022

Counterpoint

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 10

The main story is a tense, WWII allegory: Capt. Janeway and her crew hide telepathic refugees while passing through the space of the Devore, who have outlawed telepaths. But the real story is the relationship Janeway forms with the lead Devore inspector, Kashyk (Mark Harelik), who suddenly shows up alone and announces he’s defecting. As Kashyk aids Janeway in finding safe harbor for the refugees, she realizes how much he’s her intellectual equal, and she finds herself drawn to him — in spite of (or perhaps spurred on by) her continued suspicion of his motives. A great, subtle performance by Mulgrew captures both Janeway’s steely wits and her private yearning. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 16, 1998

The Drumhead

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 21

“Star Trek” has done a number of courtroom episodes, and this is one of the best. Rear admiral Norah Satie (Jean Simmons) is sent to investigate suspected sabotage aboard the Enterprise. The investigation quickly spirals into paranoia and accusations of treachery against a crew member who is revealed to have Romulan lineage. It is an excellent reminder of what can happen when persecution is dressed up as an attempt at greater security, with Picard using Satie’s father’s teachings to bring about her downfall. —J.O.

Original airdate: April 29, 1991

“The Next Generation” — Season 7, Episode 8

More thwarted romance! The seasons-long will-they/won’t-they between Picard and Dr. Crusher (Gates McFadden) gets its best showcase, when the pair are captured by isolationist aliens and given implants that allow them to read each other’s thoughts. You get the feeling Stewart and especially McFadden had been dying to play out this dynamic on the show, so they both bring years of sublimated longing to the episode. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 8, 1993

In the Hands of the Prophets

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 20

Louise Fletcher’s performance as Vedek Winn (later Kai Winn) ranks among the best “Star Trek” villains of all time. Deeply religious to the point of fanaticism, Winn protests Keiko O’Brien (Rosalind Chao) teaching children on Deep Space Nine that the wormhole aliens are not deities, as many Bajorans believe. Winn’s words whip Bajorans on the station into a frenzy; Keiko’s school is bombed. But what Winn really desires is power, to the point she tries to get one of her followers to kill a fellow Vedek she sees as a threat. The episode sets up Winn’s role as a major antagonist throughout the series to great effect. —J.O.

Original airdate: June 21, 1993

The Trouble With Tribbles

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 15

If you’ve seen any episode of “TOS,” chances are it’s this one. While on shore leave at a space station, the Enterprise comes upon an adorably furry alien creature called a tribble, which are born pregnant, multiply exponentially, consume enormous quantities of food and react with alarm when in the presence of a Klingon. Fizzy and funny and, to this day, one of the best-known episodes of “Trek” ever. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Dec. 29, 1967

Balance of Terror

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 14

Introducing the Romulans alone makes this episode worthy of being on the list. But it’s also an epic cat-and-mouse game between Kirk and a Romulan commander played by none other than Mark Lenard, who would go on to play Sarek starting in Season 2. Kirk successfully lures the Romulan ship into a trap, leading to Lenard delivering the iconic line, “You and I are of a kind. In a different reality, I could have called you friend.” —J.O.

Original airdate: Dec. 15, 1966

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 20

John de Lancie never disappoints when he plays Q, but this episode offered a wonderful twist on his usual appearances. Following the events of “Deja Q,” Q returns to the Enterprise saying he owes Picard a debt. Picard repeatedly tells Q he wants nothing from him, but Q notices Picard has eyes for Vash (Jennifer Hetrick), the mercenary archeologist Picard first met on Risa. Being Q, he naturally transports Picard, Vash, and the bridge crew to a Robin Hood fantasy in which Picard must rescue Vash from the evil Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Clive Frevill). Added bonus: Worf, in scarlet tights, exclaiming in protest, “I am not a merry man!” —J.O.

Original airdate: April 22, 1991

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 18

The classic “trial by combat” episode that pitted Kirk against a Gorn captain on a barren, rocky planet (i.e. the storied filming location Vasquez Rocks ). Few images from “Star Trek” have become more iconic than the original Gorn costume, which was essentially an actor dressed as a large lizard. The ending is also an all-timer, with Kirk choosing to spare the Gorn, proving to the all-powerful Metrons that set up the trial by combat that humans are capable of more than just random violence. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 19, 1967

A Mathematically Perfect Redemption

“Lower Decks” — Season 3, Episode 7

“Star Trek’s” first pure comedy (and second animated series) often plays as a twisted love letter to the entire “Trek” franchise — like when Peanut Hamper (Kether Donohue), one of the sentient Exocomp robots first introduced on “The Next Generation,” abandons the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos in a time of need. This episode tracks Peanut Hamper’s journey to redemption afterwards, which involves her encountering a seemingly primitive species called the Areore. To say anything more would spoil the fun; suffice it to say, “Trek” has rarely provoked gasps of deep laughter like this episode does. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 2022

Bar Association

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 4, Episode 15

What better episode of “Star Trek” to talk about after Hollywood’s hot labor summer? Fed up with the unfair conditions at Quark’s bar, Rom talks the other workers into forming a union and going on strike. Max Grodénchik truly shines in this episode as the would-be union leader. Once Rom successfully gets Quark to agree to all the workers’ demands, he outright quits and goes to work as a repair technician for the station, setting up some of Rom’s best moments in the episodes to come. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 19, 1996

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 26 & Season 6, Episode 1

The Voyager swoops to the rescue of the Equinox, another Federation starship stranded in the Gamma Quadrant — only this one, led by Capt. Ransom (John Savage), is a smaller ship not meant for deep space travel. With their crew whittled down to just 12 people, Ransom has resorted to murdering alien creatures to use their bio-matter to boost the Equinox’s engines — a horrific violation of everything Starfleet stands for. The discovery pushes Janeway to her own limits, as she obsessively pursues the Equinox despite the cost to her own crew and her morality. The two-parter is one of the darkest episodes of “Star Trek,” a chilling reminder of how easily good people can find themselves slipping into disgrace. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: May 26, 1999 & Sept. 22, 1999

Who Mourns for Morn?

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 12

Morn (Mark Allen Shepherd) was a “Deep Space Nine” fixture, always at Quark’s bar, but never actually speaking onscreen. But in this episode, with Morn apparently dead in an accident, everyone reveals the offscreen times they spent with him, including the revelation that he “never shuts up.” Quark inherits all of Morn’s property, which Odo relishes revealing is ultimately nothing. But as it turns out, Morn had a much more adventurous life before his time on “DS9” than anyone knew, leading his former comrades to seek him out to get a hold of the money they believed he still possessed. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 4, 1998

Species Ten-C

“Discovery” — Season 4, Episode 12

Other than the Gorn, almost all of the aliens on “Star Trek” are, essentially, humans with slightly different forehead ridges. But in its most recent season, “Discovery” embraced “Trek’s” prime directive (seeking out new life, bolding going where no one’s gone, etc.) by crafting a species that is truly alien: the Ten-C. Throughout the season, the Ten-C are presented as both a total mystery and an existential threat; when Capt. Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and the crew of the Discovery finally reach them — outside the barrier of the Milky Way galaxy — they are unlike anything the show has ever encountered. Rarely has “Trek” applied more intellectual and emotional rigor to what it might actually be like to attempt first contact with extra-terrestrials, and rarely has it been this compelling. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: March 10, 2022

A Man Alone

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 4

Odo is one of the best characters in “DS9” — and in the “Star Trek” universe — in general, and this is the first episode to really establish him as a standout . A known criminal returns to the station only to die shortly after, and Odo is accused of his murder. Odo’s status as an outsider, but ultimately someone to be respected, is made crystal clear in this episode, with even his archenemy Quark acknowledging that Odo is not the type to murder someone in cold blood. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 17, 1993

Mirror, Mirror

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 4

The transporter strikes again, this time accidentally zapping Kirk, Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Scotty (James Doohan) and Bones (DeForest Kelley) from their reality into a parallel universe in which the benevolent Federation has been replaced by the bloodthirsty Terran Empire, governed by brute force and fascistic exploitation — and Spock has a goatee! More silly than serious (and no less fun for it), the episode effectively spawned an entire sub-genre of parallel universe episodes of TV (from “Supernatural” to “Friends”) and gave generations of actors a chance to play wildly against type. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 6, 1967

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 2

People rave about “The Best of Both Worlds” and Picard’s assimilation by the Borg, but fewer remember this incredible follow-up episode. Picard returns to his family vineyard to put the Borg incident behind him, even briefly thinking that he will leave Starfleet. Jeremy Kemp crushes it as Picard’s brother Robert, with the two sharing a memorable (and muddy) scene in which Picard breaks down and admits how much his assimilation has shaken him. The episode is also memorable for the appearance of Worf’s adoptive parents, who come to the Enterprise to be with him following his discommendation. —J.O.

Original airdate: Oct. 1, 1990

Living Witness

“Voyager” — Season 4, Episode 23

For several minutes, “Living Witness” seems like a mirror universe episode, as a ruthless Janeway, captain of the “warship” Voyager, agrees to aid the Vaskans against the insurgent Kyrians by unleashing a biological weapon upon millions and executing the Kyrian leader. But then we realize that we’ve just witnessed a recreation at a Kyrian museum 700 years in the future, at which point a copy of the Doctor enters the story and learns, to his horror, how much the Kyrians have gotten wrong. What could have been a Rashomon-style caper instead becomes fascinating meditation on how the telling of history can be weaponized, even inadvertently, to maintain old wounds rather than heal them. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 29, 1998

Unification

“The Next Generation” — Season 5, Episode 7 & 8

Spock appeared on “The Next Generation” a month before the release of 1991’s “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” — but this time, at least, crass cross-promotion prompted some sublimely entertaining TV, as Picard and Data (Brent Spiner) aid Spock in his effort to reunify the Romulan and Vulcan peoples. [Stefon voice]: This two-parter has everything : Klingon warbirds, rude Ferengis, Tasha’s evil Romulan daughter Sela (Denise Crosby), Data and Spock philosophizing on their twin pursuits of logic and emotion, the death of Sarek, Worf singing Klingon opera with a four-armed bar pianist, and Picard and Spock mind-melding! —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Nov. 4 & 11, 1991

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 7, Episode 9

Gul Dukat is the best villain in “Star Trek.” Yes, you read that right. The writers and actor Marc Alaimo created an incredibly nuanced character that goes through a remarkable arc over the course of the series. This episode, near the end of “DS9’s” run, reminds fans that Dukat sees himself as a savior, but is ultimately a force for evil. He establishes a cult dedicated to the Pah wraiths on Empok Nor, luring a number of Bajorans to his side. But of course, he also sleeps with his female followers and tries to trick them into a mass suicide. Amazing stuff. —J.O.

Original airdate: Nov. 23, 1998

The Last Generation

“Picard” — Season 3, Episode 10

The cast of “TNG” infamously never got their swan song, after 2002’s “Star Trek: Nemesis” bombed in theaters, so this series finale serves as a gift both to them and to “TNG” fans. Every character gets their spotlight, including the resurrected Enterprise-D, as Picard, Riker, Dr. Crusher, Data, Worf, LaForge (LeVar Burton) and Troi (Marina Sirtis) all help to take down the Borg once and for all. The final scene — everyone sitting around a poker table, laughing and reminiscing — is as pure and satisfying an expression of fan service as anything “Trek” has ever done. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 20, 2023

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 13

Until this episode, Q was an enjoyably malevolent force within “TNG,” an omnipotent being who’d gleefully pop up now and again to play with the lives of the Enterprise-D crew. But here, when Q suddenly appears on the bridge, he’s been stripped of all his powers (and all of his clothes) and begs Picard for safe harbor. At first, no one believes him — even after Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) stabs him with a fork — which only fuels John de Lancie’s sparkling performance, as Q confronts life as ( shudder ) a mortal human. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Feb. 3, 1990

An Embarrassment of Dooplers

“Lower Decks” — Season 2, Episode 5

The title refers to an alien called a Doopler, who duplicate themselves whenever they get embarrassed — which, naturally, becomes an issue the moment one steps foot on the Cerritos. But really, this episode is one of those deeply enjoyable “Trek” episodes that is less about story than it is about the vibes , as the characters spend their downtime winningly contending with the central premise of the show: The bittersweet contentment of life at the bottom of the ladder. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Sept. 9, 2021

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 2, Episode 19    

The lives of the past hosts of the Dax symbiont are a recurring plot device on “DS9,” and no episode does it better than this one. A group of Klingons who knew Curzon Dax arrive at the station and enlist Jadzia’s (Terry Ferrell) help in killing their sworn enemy, a criminal known as The Albino who killed the three Klingons’ first-born sons. Jadzia ultimately honors the blood oath, as the episode explores the meaning of honor and solidarity. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 28, 1994

Where No Man Has Gone Before

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 3

The famed second pilot episode of “Star Trek” (which introduced William Shatner as Capt. Kirk) is a strange artifact today: Bones and Uhura aren’t aboard yet, Sulu (George Takei) isn’t at the helm, the Enterprise has a psychiatrist (played by Sally Kellerman), and the uniforms and sets look a bit off. But the central story — Kirk’s best friend, Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), is zapped by an energy blast at the edge of the galaxy, and begins to exhibit extraordinary psychokinetic powers — is vintage “Trek”: Brainy, brawny, and just the right side of uncanny. And it’s fascinating now to see how well-established Kirk and Spock’s dynamic of emotion vs. logic was from the very start. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Sept. 22, 1966

The Measure of a Man

“The Next Generation” — Season 2, Episode 9

Data’s quest for humanity is at the very core of “TNG,” and this stirring episode literally puts that quest on trial — and establishes the show’s voice for the rest of its run. A Starfleet scientist wants to dismantle Data in order to create more androids, but Data refuses, setting up an intense courtroom drama — is Data merely a machine and the property of Starfleet? — with Picard representing Data while Riker is forced to represent the scientist. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 13, 1989

“The Next Generation” — Season 4, Episode 26 & Season 5, Episode 1

The Klingons started on “Trek” as a not-that-thinly-veiled metaphor for the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, but over the decades, they’ve developed their own richly detailed mythology. This two-parter (which aired just before the fall of the USSR) depicts a civil war within the Klingon Empire that leads to Worf’s decision to leave the Enterprise and join the fight. For a series that was episodic by design, this is the closest “TNG” ever got to serialized storytelling, incorporating events from several previous episodes — including the shocking introduction of Tasha’s Romulan daughter, Sela. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: June 17, 1991 & Sept. 23, 1991

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 11

It is endlessly entertaining to see Quark get what he wants as he then  learns that it’s way more trouble than he realized. This episode sums that idea up nicely, while also featuring the first of many wonderful appearances by Wallace Shawn as Ferengi leader Grand Nagus Zek. Zek unexpectedly names Quark his successor, only for Zek to die shortly after. Quark is thrilled at first, before he realizes being the Nagus puts a massive target on his back. This episode also helps build the friendship between Nog (Aron Eisenbeg) and Jake (Cirroc Lofton), with Jake secretly teaching Nog how to read. —J.O.

Original airdate: March 22, 1993

Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy

“Voyager” — Season 6, Episode 4

Yearning to grow past his programming, the Doctor allows himself the ability to daydream, in one of the flat-out funniest episodes of “Trek” ever. It opens with Robert Picardo singing opera as Tuvok (Tim Russ) undergoes pon farr (i.e. the madness to mate that consumes Vulcan males) and just gets wilder from there, up to the moment when the Doctor, who’d fantasized about taking over command of Voyager in an emergency, does it for real. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Oct. 13, 1999

“The Original Series” — Season 2, Episode 1

Speaking of pon farr, this is the “TOS” episode that first establishes it — as well as the planet Vulcan, several Vulcan customs and traditions, and the now legendary Vulcan salute (honorable mention: Spock actually smiles!). Wracked with pon farr, Spock asks for leave back on his home planet, and eventually reveals that he must meet his betrothed, T’Pring (Arlene Martel). Naturally, Kirk and Spock end up in a fight to the death in one of the most iconic battles in “Star Trek” history. —J.O.

Original airdate: Sept. 15, 1967

Year of Hell

“Voyager” — Season 4, Episode 8 & 9

The most lasting criticism of “Voyager” is that every week, no matter what happened in the previous episode, the ship and crew emerged unscathed and ready for a new adventure. As if in response, this two-parter tracks a year in which the Voyager is ravaged to the point of near ruin by repeated encounters with an aggressive alien species called the Krenim. Unbeknownst to the crew, they’re actually the victims of a Krenim scientist, Annorax (Kurtwood Smith), who developed a technology to alter the fabric of time by erasing entire species from ever existing. This is as harrowing and merciless as “Trek’s” ever been, but it’s not quite the best episode of “Voyager” due to the irony of its ending: Janeway crashes the husk of the Voyager into Annorax’s timeship — which resets the timeline completely, as if nothing that we’d seen had ever happened. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Nov. 5 & 12, 1997

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 3, Episodes 11 & 12

“Star Trek” often addresses timely societal issues, but this episode put them firmly in a 21st century context. Sisko, Bashir, and Dax accidentally wind up in San Francisco circa 2024, where poverty and oppression of the disadvantaged are running rampant (crazy how that remains timely, huh?). When a man meant to serve an important purpose in an historic riot is accidentally killed too soon, Sisko is forced to take his place. —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 2, 1995 & Jan. 9, 1995

Those Old Scientists

“Strange New Worlds” — Season 2, Episode 7

In one of the rare “Trek” crossover episodes, Ens. Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Ens. Mariner (Tawny Newsome) from “Lower Decks” find themselves zapped back to the era when Capt. Pike (Anson Mount) captained the Enterprise. Marshalled by Jonathan Frakes’ steady hand as a director , the disparate tones of “Lower Decks” and “Strange New World” somehow mesh perfectly, and hilariously, together. Packed with guffaw-worthy laughs, “Those Old Scientists” also becomes a deeply poignant expression of the impact “Trek” has had on generations of fans. Maybe it’s controversial to place one of the most recent “Trek” episodes so high on this list, but this one more than earns its spot. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: July 22, 2023

The Best of Both Worlds

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1

This two-parter is frequently cited as the best “Next Generation” storyline of all time, mostly because it features one of the most iconic cliffhangers in all of television. The Borg attack the Federation, leading to a showdown with the Enterprise. Picard is captured and assimilated, revealing himself to his crew as Locutus of Borg. If we’re splitting Borg nano-probes, the second half doesn’t quite live up to the first, which is why, for us, it doesn’t quite rank into the Top 10. Special shoutout to this episode for setting up the incredible “Star Trek” film “First Contact.” —J.O.

Original airdate: June 18, 1990 & Sept. 24, 1990

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 1, Episode 19

When a Cardassian named Marritza (Harris Yulin) arrives on Deep Space Nine, Kira realizes he must have worked at one of the most notorious labor camps during Cardassia’s occupation of Bajor, and she arrests him as a war criminal. What follows is effectively a two-hander, as Kira’s interrogation of Marritza leads to a series of revelations that unmoor her hard-won fury at the atrocities inflicted upon her people. The conventional wisdom is that “DS9” didn’t get cooking until the Dominion War, but this early episode proves that this show was providing great, searing drama from the start. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: June 14, 1993

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 22

Ricardo Montalbán makes his debut as Khan Noonien Singh, a genetically superior dictator from Earth’s Eugenics Wars. Khan and his people have been in suspended animation for 200 years and are looking to dominate humanity once again. Naturally, Kirk is able to beat Khan in a riveting confrontation, but rather than send him and his people to a penal colony, he agrees to let them settle on the wild planet, Ceti Alpha V. The episode proved to be so good, it led to the 1982 film “Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan,” arguably the best “Trek” movie of all time. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 16, 1967

“Voyager” — Season 5, Episode 6

There’s something about time travel — and the twisty narrative paradoxes it can cause — that has engendered some of the best episodes of “Trek” ever made. That certainly includes this stunning “Voyager” episode, which opens with Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) and Chakotay (Robert Beltran), 15 years in the future, discovering the frozen husk of the Voyager buried inside a glacier on a barren ice planet. It turns out Kim made a critical mistake that caused the catastrophic accident, from which only he and Chakotay survived. Their unyielding fixation to right that wrong — and erase the previous 15 years from history — makes for a gripping nail-biter about regret and devotion. Not only did LeVar Burton direct, but he cameos as Capt. Geordi La Forge! —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Nov. 18, 1998

The Defector

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 10

Did a Romulan admiral really defect to the Federation, or are the Romulans perpetrating an elaborate hoax on Picard and the Enterprise crew? This wonderful episode sees the admiral in question (played by James Sloyan) claiming the Romulans are building a secret base within the Neutral Zone, forcing Picard to consider whether or not he should investigate and thus risk starting a war. It also features the excellent opening in which Picard tries to teach Data about humanity by having him act out scenes from Shakespeare’s “Henry V.” —J.O.

Original airdate: Jan. 1, 1990

Chain of Command

“The Next Generation” — Season 6, Episode 10 & 11

Lured into Cardassian territory under false pretenses, Picard is captured and systematically tortured by a ruthless interrogator, Gul Madred, in a chilling performance by David Warner. Their disturbing tête-à-tête — Picard is stripped naked and nearly broken by the end — would be enough for one of the all-time best “Trek” episodes. But this two-parter also boasts Ronny Cox as Capt. Jellico, Picard’s replacement on the Enterprise, whose prickly and demanding leadership style creates all kinds of thrilling friction among the crew. —A.B.V.

Original airdates: Dec. 14 & 21, 1992

In the Pale Moonlight

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 19

In this fantastic episode, Sisko grapples with the ethics of doing whatever it takes to get the Romulans to join the Dominion War on the Federation-Klingon side. This includes falsifying evidence and freeing a known criminal from Klingon prison with the help of master spy Garak (played by the always wonderful Andrew Robinson). Sisko (while recording a personal log) delivers a series of powerful monologues direct to camera about why he did what he did, ultimately deciding it was worth it in the end. —J.O.

Original airdate: April 13, 1998

The City on the Edge of Forever

“The Original Series” — Season 1, Episode 28

Accidentally hopped up on stimulants, a crazed Bones leaps through a time portal on an alien planet and winds up changing history so drastically that the Enterprise disappears. Kirk and Spock travel back to stop him, and land in New York City during the Great Depression, where they learn that Bones saved the life of Sister Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), a pacifist whose message resonates so strongly that the U.S. stays out of WWII, allowing the Nazis to conquer Europe. Alas, Kirk falls deeply in love with Keeler, establishing a classic “Trek” moral dilemma: How does one suppress their most profound personal feelings for the greater good? An all-timer that still resonates today. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: April 6, 1967

Far Beyond the Stars

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 6, Episode 13

In this Avery Brooks-directed episode, Sisko envisions himself as a Black science fiction writer in 1950s New York named Benny Russell. Russell dreams up a story about the crew of a space station led by a Black captain, but his publisher refuses to run it. This episode is memorable for many reasons, the biggest of which being its handling of racism, but it also allows the show’s main cast gets to appear without any prosthetics or makeup, as completely different characters, to great effect. —J.O.

Original airdate: Feb. 9, 1998

Yesterday’s Enterprise

“The Next Generation” — Season 3, Episode 15

The Enterprise-C, believed to have been destroyed over 20 years earlier, emerges from a temporal anomaly and resets history into a decades-long war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Tasha — killed off in Season 1 (after Denise Crosby wanted to leave the show) — is brought back to life, and falls for the Enterprise-C’s helmsman (Christopher McDonald), while Guinan implores Picard that something is desperately wrong with history and he must send the Enterprise-C back to certain doom. Somehow, this episode crams a movie’s worth of story into a nimble and rousing 44 minutes. Not a second is wasted. Outrageously great. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: Feb. 19, 1990

The Inner Light

“The Next Generation” — Season 5, Episode 25

When the Enterprise comes upon a mysterious probe, Picard is suddenly hit with a signal that plunges him into a different man’s life on a dying planet. There, Picard experiences half a lifetime, with a wife, children and grandchildren, all in the space of 25 minutes. When Picard realizes this was all meant as a time capsule — a way to preserve the stories of the people of the planet, which was destroyed 1,000 years earlier by an exploding star — the revelation that he lived the life he’d long forsaken as a Starfleet captain, only to have it ripped away, is almost more than he can bear. But hoo boy, does it make for stunning, deeply moving television. In fact, almost no episode of “Trek” is better. Almost. —A.B.V.

Original airdate: June 1, 1992

The Visitor

“Deep Space Nine” — Season 4, Episode 2

Don’t watch this one without tissues handy. This emotionally devastating episode gets right to the heart of what made “DS9” so special — the relationship between Sisko and his son, Jake. Told in flashbacks by an elderly Jake (Tony Todd), the episode recounts how Sisko became unstuck in time, briefly revisiting Jake over the course of his life, and how Jake is determined to bring him back. In brief, fleeting moments, Sisko tells Jake not to worry about him and to live his life to the fullest. But Jake cannot bear the thought of losing his father forever, ultimately sacrificing his own life to restore the normal flow of time. —J.O.

Original airdate: Oct. 9, 1995

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10 Best Episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, According to IMDb

Star Trek is one of the most universally beloved television shows, but which are the original series' best episodes according to IMDb.

It's impossible to imagine a world without Star Trek in it. Gene Roddenberry's creation, which he explained as " Wagon Train to the stars " influenced not only the look and design of cellphones, but was the doorway to science, math, and engineering for hundreds, if not thousands, of the people who work in those fields today. And it all started with a low rated TV series that barely lasted three seasons.

RELATED:  Star Trek: The 8 Most Memorable Episodes The Original Series

Star Trek: The Original Series seemed destined to be a forgotten relic before syndication brought it a whole new fanbase in the 1970s, relaunching the franchise to grand new heights that continue to this day. We took the time to find out what the 10 best episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series are, according to the fans over at IMDb...

10 The Devil In The Dark: 8.4

Over the years, the original Star Trek episodes have taken their fair share of jabs, due in part to the many cheesy looking aliens the shows have had. "Devil in the Dark" is a favorite for people to goof on. From the outside, it's easy to see why people would laugh at this episode; the threat is an alien that looks like an old dirty rug. In truth, "Devil in the Dark" shows just how great these stories could be.

In the episode, the Enterprise is sent to investigate a mining colony that is being terrorized by an underground creature. When they find the monster, Mister Spock  uses his mind-meld abilities to connect with the creature and discovers that it is only trying to protect its young.

9 The Enterprise Incident: 8.5

After the Enterprise travels into Romulan space, breaking the treaty between the Federation and the Romulan Empire,  Captain Kirk and Spock are taken aboard a Romulan ship. Spock claims that Kirk has gone mad and ordered the crew to break the treaty. When Kirk tries to escape, Spock is forced to stop him and in the fight, Kirk appears to die. All of this, of course, is part of a larger plan for the Federation to get their hands on the Romulan cloaking technology. This episode has everything that makes Star Trek great; action, intrigue, and William Shatner playing it up for the audience.

8 Journey To Babel: 8.6

As the Enterprise transports diplomats to a conference on the planet Babel, things go from tense to deadly after Kirk is badly wounded by an assassin and the Enterprise is damaged by a surprise attack. With a spy on the ship, the Captain out of commission, and the delegates all blaming one another, Mister Spock is put in charge.

RELATED:  Star Trek: Ranking the 20 Best Recurring Characters

One of the diplomats on the ship, Sarek, is actually Spock's dad, which comes as a surprise to the Science Officer's shipmates. And adding to all the drama, Sarek is dying and needs a blood transfusion that only Spock can provide.

7 Amok Time: 8.7

The Vulcans pride themselves on their mental strength, always putting logic above all else. That is why they don't like to tell others about the Pon Farr, a period that every Vulcan goes through where they devolve to a more base creature driven by a need to mate above all else. If Spock isn't treated for the condition within eight days, he will die.

To save Spock, Kirk diverts the Enterprise to Vulcan where Spock is to marry T'Pring. At the marriage ceremony, T'Pring stops the proceedings and demands the right of challenge, allowing her to select a person for Spock to fight to the death. The person T'Pring chooses to fight the mad Vulcan? Kirk.

6 The Doomsday Machine: 8.8

Following a trail of decimated star systems, the Enterprise finds the badly damaged USS Constellation. The only survivor is the ship's commander, Matt Decker. Decker explains that the Constellation was attacked by a giant machine that is ripping planets apart and using them for fuel. To stop the planet killer, Kirk decides to fly the damaged Constellation into the machine himself. The plan calls for Scotty to teleport Kirk back to the Enterprise just before the Constellation explodes, hopefully taking out the planet killer at the same time, but when the transporter breaks down, things get scary for everyone.

5 Space Seed: 8.9

There are a number of great adversaries across the seven Star Trek shows  and the thirteen movies they have spawned, but no adversary is as great as Khan Noonien Singh. Khan, as the crew of the Enterprise, learns after waking him and his own crew up from suspended animation aboard the SS Botany Bay, was a leader in the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s, controlling a quarter of the Earth as a dictator before being brought down and launched into deep space. Khan quickly tries to take over the Enterprise, leading to one of the best Captain Kirk fights of all time. Without this episode, there would be no Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , and we would all be worse off for it.

4 The Trouble With Tribbles: 8.9

The humor of Star Trek often gets overlooked by the masses, but the shows are actually very funny when they want to be . Perhaps no episode better shows this than "The Trouble With Tribbles". After receiving a Priority One distress call, the Enterprise arrives at Deep Space Station K7 to learn that they were summoned there to protect a grain shipment that is scheduled to be delivered to a planet that the Klingons are also trying to colonize.

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With little to do, the crew of the Enterprise uses there time on the station for a little R&R only to find that there are Klingons on K7 as well. While Scotty and Checkov get into a bar fight, the others become obsessed with a man selling little pets called Tribbles. They're cute, they're furry, and they are a whole lot of trouble.

3 Balance Of Terror: 9.0

One of the most in your face episodes when it comes to messages about racism, "Balance of Terror" is an intense episode where the Enterprise and a Romulan ship find themselves in a submarine-style standstill as both crews try to outmaneuver the other. As we learn in the episode, this is the first time anyone from the Federation has ever actually seen a Romulan, and when the crew of the Enterprise learns that Romulans look just like Vulcans, some members begin to question Mister Spock's loyalty to the Federation.

2 Mirror, Mirror: 9.2

A transporter accident sends Captain Kirk and his crew to an alternate universe where they come face to face with evil versions of themselves. Possibly the most referenced episode of any Star Trek series, "Mirror, Mirror" and the evil alternate universe , usually called the "Mirror Universe", has played an important part in other Star Trek series, including Deep Space Nine , Enterprise , and Discovery .

The idea of a reality where evil versions of our heroes exist wasn't a new idea when Star Trek introduced the Mirror Universe, DC Comics showed readers Earth-Three just four years earlier. On Earth-Three, the members of the Justice League were world dominators called the Crime Syndicate of America, and Lex Luthor was a hero.

1 The City On The Edge Of Forever: 9.3

The most celebrated episode of Star Trek not only by fans but by the world, "The City On The Edge Of Forever" sees Kirk, Spock, and Doctor McCoy trapped in New York City in 1930, right at the height of the Great Depression. As Kirk and Spock search for a crazed McCoy who had accidentally injected himself with an overdose of cordrazine, they take shelter in the 21st Street Mission and meet Edith Keeler, played by Joan Collins.

As Kirk finds himself falling in love with Edith, Spock learns her fate. Edith Keeler, the leader of a pacifist movement, will be struck by a car and die in just a few days. Kirk wants to save her, but if he does, there is a great chance that her movement will keep the United States out of World War II, leading to Hitler taking over the world and changing history forever. With no other choice, Kirk must stand by as the woman he loves is killed.

NEXT: 10 Ways Star Trek Spinoffs Are Better Than The Original Series (And 10 Ways TOS Takes The Cake)

The 10 best Star Trek: The Original Series episodes of all time

Boldly go where no binge-watcher has gone before.

Star Trek took televised sci-fi mainstream.

That isn’t hyperbole. It’s historical fact. While shows like The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone and Lost in Space preceded Star Trek , none of those shows broke through and created a fandom as widespread and enduring as the original adventures of the starship Enterprise .

Since 2011, Netflix has made Star Trek: The Original Series available for streaming in the US. But that era will end on September 30, 2021.

If you’re a sci-fi fan, or even a Star Trek fan who has never really delved into The Original Series , this is your last chance to watch the show on Netflix. Out of the 79 installments in TOS , which episodes should you actually binge?

To get a good sense of what The Original Series is actually like, here are 10 essential episodes. These might not be everyone’s “best” episodes of TOS , but if you watch these ones in this exact order, it’s the fastest hack to get at what all the Trekkie fuss is about. Only mild spoilers ahead for Star Trek: The Original Series .

Kirk and Bones get ready to boldly go.

“The Corbomite Maneuver”

On Netflix: Season 1, Episode 11

Netflix wants you to start watching TOS with “The Cage.” Resist! This is not a great way to start the series.

“The Cage” was an unaired pilot for Star Trek , later retconned into a flashback within the episode “The Menagerie.” While some fans may argue you’ll want to watch “The Cage” to get the backstory of the series, starting with “The Cage” will just confuse you as to why people like this show. Tonally, it’s nothing like the rest of TOS . And the cast, other than Leonard Nimoy as Spock, is totally different.

For this reason, start with “The Corbomite Maneuver.” Why? Well, even though it was the 10th episode ever aired, this episode was the first regular episode ever filmed. Unlike the two pilot episodes (“The Cage” and “Where No Man Has Gone Before”) the actors in this episode are, for the most part, in the roles we know and love them for. The episode begins with Spock saying something is “fascinating” and then, after the title credits, Kirk is walking around without his shirt. The vibe of this episode is amazing, the tension is excellently handled, and the final twist is utterly absurd. This is what classic Trek feels like.

The earliest instance of people on Star Trek watching Star Trek.

“The Menagerie Parts 1 and 2”

On Netflix: Season Episodes 12 and 13.

Here’s where you can get your dose of “The Cage” and fully understand Spock’s relationship to his captain before Kirk: Captain Christopher Pike. Although this is a two-part episode, the time pretty much flies by.

Because Strange New Worlds comes out in 2022, this story is essential to understanding where Spock was before TOS , not to mention who the hell Number One is. The way this episode frames “The Cage” in the context of the regular series is also super-smart; basically, the regular characters watch parts of another episode of Star Trek.

Also, across the franchise, any Star Trek episode that involves a courtroom drama of some kind is usually a winner. Weirdly, combined with “Amok Time,” this episode might lead you to believe that Spock tries to hijack the Enterprise all the time. He doesn’t. But it sure seems that way.

Spock being awesome in the phaser control room.

“Balance of Terror”

On Netflix: Season 1, Episode 15

Everyone loves to talk about the Klingons in Star Trek , but before the Klingons were ever introduced, the first and best big Trek baddies were the Romulans. As episodes of TOS go, “Balance of Terror” is tightly plotted and emotionally affecting.

Because long-time fans take this episode for granted, we tend to forget about the innovative reveal of the Romulans in general. If you don’t know why the reveal about the Romulans is huge, I won’t spoil it here. Let’s just say it was very gutsy for TOS to create an evil empire that had very close ties to one of its greatest heroes. Also, the slow-burn spaceship battles absolutely slap.

Don’t mess with Kirk.

“A Taste of Armageddon”

On Netflix: Season 1, Episode 24

This is a bit of a sleeper episode of TOS , and it’s massively underrated. Almost every good thing about classic Star Trek happens in this episode. Revealing the premise is a bit of a cheat, but let’s just say the plot involved Kirk and Spock fighting against a culture totally reliant on algorithms and automation.

The twist in this episode is all about what things this particular culture has automated. And when Kirk and Spock figure the culture’s secret, the space sh*t hits the fan big time.

Kirk and Spock don’t always fight to the death, but when they do, they do it in style.

“Amok Time”

On Netflix: Season 2, Episode 1

A classic. You already probably know that Spock and Kirk are supposed to fight to the death in this one. But if you don't know why, exactly, this episode will blow you away. This is the first time we get “live long and prosper,” and a ton of background on the planet Vulcan. From Discovery to the reboot movies , a ton of Trek flows from this single episode.

There’s a lot of ass-kicking in this episode. You’ve been warned! It may be too awesome to handle!

“Mirror, Mirror”

On Netflix: Season 2, Episode 4

In The Original Series , this one episode was the only visit to the evil universe in which Starfleet is basically a conquering force, and Spock has a little goatee. The Mirror Universe returned big time in both Deep Space Nine and Discovery , and all the rules of that hyperbolic dimension were established here. This episode is over-the-top and full of heart, two elements that made TOS the memorable and charmingly upbeat franchise launcher it was. But seriously, this episode is very over the top. Be ready.

The Enterprise versus the Star Trek version of the Death Star.

“The Doomsday Machine”

On Netflix: Season 2, Episode 6

As the title suggests, the Enterprise faces off against a giant automated weapon even more powerful than the Death Star! When this episode first aired in 1967, the titular “Doomsday Machine” didn’t look very cool.

However, the remastered version of this episode (which is the Netflix version) looks fantastic. Plus, in this episode, you get another Federation starship, the USS Constellation ! Finally, although The Wrath of Khan calcified the franchise’s obsession with Moby Dick , that tradition started right here.

Uhura meets the first tribble. Watch out!

“The Trouble With Tribbles”

On Netflix: Season 2, Episode 15

You’ve heard of this one. There are these fuzzy little balls called tribbles, and they’re all over the place. Although the kitsch in this episode is cranked all the way up to eleven, the episode totally holds up. Come for the tribbles, but stay for Kirk’s awesome cutdowns throughout the entire episode. A lighthearted romp that is a classic Trek outing for a reason. Also, the Klingons are silly AF in this one.

Spock and the Romulans.

“The Enterprise Incident”

On Netflix: Season 3, Episode 2

Season 3 of TOS is often derided by hardcore fans, and sometimes for very good reasons. Overall, the batting average of TOS Season 3 is fairly low compared to the previous two seasons.

However, the excellent espionage episode “The Enterprise Incident” is not only super-fun but also a semi-direct sequel to “Balance of Terror.” This list is biased in favor of the Romulans over the Klingons, and this is one Romulan episode that delivers.

Kirk and Spock rock the best spacesuits in all of Star Trek.

“The Tholian Web”

On Netflix: Season 3, Episode 9

Perhaps not the most tightly written episode of TOS , “The Tholian Web” is beautiful from a visual standpoint. From the zany all-silver spacesuits to the concept of tiny ships weaving an energy web around the Enterprise , to a certain character haunting the crew members as a space ghost, this episode has it all.

Don’t think about the plot too much. Just embrace the gonzo visual sci-fi aesthetic of classic Trek, and you’ll have a great time. As a bonus, “The Tholian Web” later became a backdoor canon Rosetta Stone for two episodes of Enterprise and nearly half of Discovery Season 1.

There’s obviously a lot more TOS to love and enjoy, so if you are curious about other great episodes after you binge these ten, think about hitting up: “The Devil in the Dark,” “The City on the Edge of Forever,” “The Naked Time,” “Shore Leave,” “Arena,” “Journey to Babel,” “A Piece of the Action,” “A Private Little War,” “The Galileo Seven,” “For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky,” and “ All Our Yesterdays.”

Star Trek: The Original Series is streaming now on Netflix and leaves on September 30, 2021. It also streams on Paramount+ from now until presumably the heat death of the known universe.

This article was originally published on Sep. 18, 2021

• Science Fiction

The 20 Best Episodes of ‘Star Trek: The Original Series’

If you’re looking to get into the ‘Trek’ that started it all, start here.

In the more than 50 years since Star Trek made its debut on NBC, the franchise has seen more than a dozen feature films and successfully launched its sixth spinoff series last year with CBS All Access’ Star Trek: Discovery . For all the many amazing stories told in the decades to come, it’s hard to beat the original Star Trek . Running for just three seasons, the series has become synonymous with the science fiction genre and emerged a cultural touchstone that has entertained, educated and inspired dreamers all over the world.

Like any series, Star Trek has its ups and downs. The best episodes, though, rank among television’s very finest. We’ve assembled a list of Star Trek ’s 20 best original series episodes, each of which has withstood the test of time in delivering stories that, despite their spectacle and imagination, are ultimately about exploring the human condition. As such, many of the themes explored on Gene Roddenberry ’s show have only become more relevant and the show’s 23 rd century setting all the more important a future to which we might aspire.

20) The Menagerie - Parts One and Two

The only two-part episode of the original Star Trek , “The Menagerie” is, in a weird way, a kind of clip show. Before William Shatner was cast as Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek had shot a pilot, “The Cage,” starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike. In fact, the only character to carry over from the unaired pilot was Leonard Nimoy’s Spock. Naturally, he’s front and center of “The Menagerie,” a Starfleet courtroom drama in which Enterprise logs are used as evidence, allowing the entirety of “The Cage” to be incorporated into a larger story set some years later.

Hunter did not reprise the Pike role, the episode finding the character having just suffered an accident that has left him a scarred shell of his former self. With a mysterious motivation that is revealed through the course of his trial, Spock abducts Pike and commandeers the Enterprise. With a course locked to a forbidden planet, Spock calmly turns himself over for his court martial, giving the narrative a fantastic ticking clock.

“The Menagerie” arrived midway through Star Trek’s first season and its expansion of Star Trek lore is, in part, why the franchise continues to this day. Bringing “The Cage” (released some years later on its own) into Star Trek continuity paved the way for future Captains of the Enterprise and reminded us that Star Trek’s timeline doesn’t necessarily need to proceed linearly.

Anyone familiar with Star Trek from the J.J. Abrams films also got to meet Captain Pike. Bruce Greenwood played the part in both 2009’s Star Trek and 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness .

19) The Corbomite Maneuver

Although it aired out of sequence, “The Corbomite Maneuever” followed Star Trek ’s first two pilots with a story that sees the Enterprise coming into contact with a mysterious and powerful alien sphere in an unexplored area of space. Diplomacy soon fails and a strange looking creature, Balok, tells Kirk that his ship will be destroyed. That’s when Kirk comes up with an epic bluff, aiming to convince the alien that the Enterprise contains a made up element, corbomite, that promises mutually assured destruction.

The notion of bluffing is huge in Star Trek and “The Corbomite Manuever” is the most classic example. A bluff, after all, means applying fiction to create a better reality. In a nutshell, that’s exactly what Star Trek is all about. Over the course of the series, the crew of the Enterprise will use their unique perspective to defy the laws of alien civilizations, Starfleet’s own bureaucracy and even of physics themselves. It’s usually about knowing the right time to do the wrong thing and, of that, Captain Kirk is a proven master. He knows exactly when to bend the rules to achieve the greater good.

“The Corbomite Maneuver” also introduces a common theme that alien races aren’t necessarily as alien as they might appear with a final act that features a young Clint Howard .

18) A Piece of the Action

It may sound a bit silly, but the Enterprise’s visit to a planet ruled by 1920’s Chicago gangsters is a whole lot of fun. It even makes a bit more sense than it sounds: a hundred years before this episode takes place, another ship, the Horizon, wound up bringing a book about Chicago mobsters to the planet’s highly suggestible inhabitants, the Iotians. Treating it like a bible, the entire culture adapted to suit the book.

There’s a lot of costume play throughout Star Trek history and seeing Kirk and Spock in gangster outfits is a whole lot more fun than say, the time they have to dress up the Nazis in the second season episode “Patterns of Force”. “A Piece of the Action” would serve as a prototype for Star Trek: The Next Generation ’s holodeck episodes and open the idea that any planet anywhere in the universe could theoretically have a culture identical to any period on Earth.

An abandoned plotline for a 30 th anniversary episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (later told in alternate form in a Star Trek comic) would have seen a return to the Iotian planet and the reveal that, following the events of “A Piece of the Action,” the planet wound up being so heavily influenced by the Enterprise’s visit that it had evolved to become, essentially, a planet of classic Star Trek fans.

17) The Squire of Gothos

Several episodes of the original Star Trek find the crew coming face to face with seemingly omnipotent foes, but few are as quite as memorable as William Campbell ’s performance as the ebullient mischief maker Trelane, self-professed “Squire of Gothos”. When the Enterprise discovers a planet in an area of space that should be abandoned, the crew is drawn to the world’s sole inhabitant, a godlike individual fascinated with 18 th century Earth history who views the crew as nothing more than his playthings.

From Loki of Greek mythology to DC Comics’ Mr. Mxyzptlk, the trickster god is a classic foe. Part of what makes it work so well in the world of Star Trek is because the crew of the Enterprise, to us, appears so advanced technologically. As was the case with foes like Thor or Superman, having an even more powerful foes forces the heroes to rely on their wits alone, ultimately proving that omnipotence is nothing without intelligence and compassion.

Trelane also helped pave the way for John DeLancie ’s Q on Star Trek: The Next Generation . Appearing in more than a dozen episodes of subsequent Star Trek series, Q shares Trelane’s paradoxical blend affability and obnoxiousness. While it’s never specified in the canon, stories told in Star Trek books and comics have connected the characters.

16) Day of the Dove

The Enterprise responds to a distress call only to find a deserted planet and Klingon forces nearby. When both ships somehow become disabled, tensions begin to mount to an unusual degree. Walter Koenig ’s Chekov is threatening to avenge the death of his brother at the Klingons’ hands. But then it’s revealed that he doesn’t even have a brother. Things get weirder and weirder as the planet itself seems to encourage conflict, supplying weapons and easy reasons to give into hatred.

It’s never revealed exactly what the force is that both crews encounter on planet Beta XII-A, but it seems to be a destructive energy that is, perhaps, a manifestation of destructive energy itself, depicted as a crackling red force. When Kirk realizes that he and Michael Ansara ’s Klingon commander Kang are being manipulated, “Day of the Dove” gives us one of William Shatner ’s great mini-monologues.

“All right. All right,” Kirk shouts at Kang. “In the heart. In the head. I won't stay dead. Next time I'll do the same to you. I'll kill you. And it goes on, the good old game of war, pawn against pawn! Stopping the bad guys. While somewhere, something sits back and laughs and starts it all over again.”

That’s a message that, sadly, is every bit as timely today as it was half a century ago.

15) The Galileo Seven

Things go bad during a routine science mission, forcing a shuttlecraft, the Galileo, to make an emergency landing on a dangerous planet, home to enormous apelike beasts. What’s more, a coming ion storm and trouble in another part of the galaxy mean that the Enterprise may need to give up the search.

While there’s some great Kirk moments as he squeezes every possible opportunity from the chain of command to keep looking for the Galileo, this episode is Spock’s show. We get to see him take command over a six-person crew and deal with having to give orders that put officers in mortal danger. Fear amongst the crew makes things all the more dangerous as Spock has to face officers who question his Vulcan logic and, ultimately, his own uncertainty in command to save the crew.

The plot for “The Galileo Seven” originated with Oliver Crawford , who co-wrote the episode’s script with S. Bar-David . He has said that “The Galileo Seven” was directly inspired by the 1939 big screen thriller Five Came Back , about a small airplane that crashed in a South American jungle.

14) A Private Little War

Star Trek was offering a direct allegorical take on the Vietnam War in 1968 with a story that finds Captain Kirk in a moral dilemma. A planet of immense natural resources, Neural, is home to a primitive race. Although Starfleet’s Prime Directive would normally preclude any interference, the Enterprise learns that conflict has broken out among the natives with one side being given advanced weaponry by the Klingon Empire.

While the Enterprise quite often finds itself in the position of having to balance moral imperatives, “A Private Little War” is the best example of the show taking on a contemporary political issue, even if the conclusion doesn’t offer any easy answers.

“A Private Little War” also introduces a memorable Star Trek alien that only appears in this one episode. The Mugato is a ferocious white ape with a spiked back and a poisonous bite. Ben Stiller , a big Star Trek fan, borrowed the name for Will Ferrell ’s character in his 2001 comedy Zoolander .

13) Journey to Babel

The Enterprise is journeying to the planet Babel for a diplomatic conference when one of the visiting ambassadors is murdered. The lineup of suspects includes a wide range of alien dignitaries and one chief suspect: Mark Lenard ’s Vulcan ambassador Sarek. Adding to the drama, Sarek just happens to be Spock’s estranged father.

Not only is “Journey to Babel” an interesting mystery with a grand assembly of interesting alien species, it reveals so much about Spock and his history with his father. It’s a relationship that continues to develop for decades after “Journey to Babel”. Lenard returns as Sarek throughout the franchise’s big screen run and beyond. He’s even set to be a featured character in Star Trek: Discovery with James Frain filling in for the late Lenard.

Before he played Sarek, Mark Lenard famously took on the role of another prominent Star Trek character. Look for details on that performance a bit further down this list.

12) Let That Be Your Last Battlefield

The Enterprise intercepts a stolen shuttlecraft containing Lou Antonio’s Lokai, a fugitive from a planet called Charon. Although he looks like a human being, Lokai is split down the middle, one side black and the other white. It’s not long before Frank Gorshin shows up as Bele, a fellow being from Charon who utterly despises Lokai. Although they may initially appear identical, it is revealed that Bele and Lokai are alternately colored. Bele is black on the left side and white on the right while Lokai is the reverse. Hence, in their culture, their hatred for one another.

With “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” Star Trek finds a way to tell a story that isn’t just about racism, but that makes racism itself the focal point for its sci-fi lens, imagining a brand new way to hate and making a powerful reminder that any reason for doing so based on any other physical attribute is just as unnatural.

11) The Doomsday Machine

The crew of the Enterprise faces one of its most awesome cosmic challenges when it comes up against a massive, world-eating device of extreme alien origin. In fact, the device is so alien that we never really learn what it is, although Kirk theorizes it to be an ancient doomsday device. The Enterprise isn’t the first Starfleet ship on the scene this time, either. By the time the Enterprise discovers the danger to the galaxy, the USS Constellation has already risked everything in an attempt to stop the planet killer. The Constellation is recovered by the Enterprise with only one crewmember still left alive, William Windom ’s Commodore Matt Decker.

Not only does “The Doomsday Machine” feature such a memorable monster, it features some great drama between Kirk and Decker. Having just lost his crew to the cosmic goliath, the Commodore is suffering from severe posttraumatic stress and not necessarily thinking with a clear head. Because he technically outranks Kirk, that poses a serious problem in dealing with the matter at hand.

“The Doomsday Machine” also sets up a nice bit of continuity with Star Trek: The Motion Picture . One of the main characters in the 1979 Robert Wise film is Stephen Collins ’ Captain Willard Decker, the son of Commodore Matt Decker.

10) The Devil in the Dark

Something is killing workers on distant a mining colony visited by the Enterprise. Deep in the caves of Janus VI, a rocklike creature is melting people alive with its molten abilities. Despite the attacks, though, there’s no trace of the creature and no understanding for how a carbon based life form could exist in such an environment.

“The Devil in the Dark” functions as both a sci-fi slasher and a moral tale. The end of the episode reveals that life sometimes manifests itself in forms that we may not have ever considered, brought to life visually when Spock performs a Vulcan mind-meld with the alien creature, a horta, and learns that its motivations are not malicious and that, instead, it is the miners who have unwittingly done a great wrong to it.

Although the horta marks another iconic Star Trek alien, “The Devil in the Dark” is their sole appearance of the species the franchise outside of very minor nods in later spinoffs.

9) By Any Other Name

The Enterprise encounters a pair of scouts from the Kelvan Empire, mighty beings from the Andromeda Galaxy who want to use the Starfleet vessel on a generational voyage to their homeworld. Armed with powerful belts that can, among other things, transform people into easily destroyed little polyhedrons of their basic genetic makeup, they easily take the ship. Only a few officers are left in their human form and it’s humanity that, as it often does, gives the Enterprise crew their edge. Because the Kelvans have taken human form for their journey, they’re not used to some of the finer points of being human.

“By Any Other Name” has James Doohan ’s Scotty teaching the male Kelvan about alcohol while Kirk teaches the female one about love. There’s a major degree to which Star Trek celebrates the clash of human and alien cultures and here we get to see the whole crew doing so to the best of their specific abilities.

The work of William Shakespeare is something referenced quite a bit throughout the Star Trek franchise. This episode references a line in Romeo and Juliet wherein Juliet argues that a rose is a rose because of the form it takes and not what it’s called.  Star Trek expands that idea with the suggestion that anything in the form of mankind will, in doing so, become mankind.

8) A Taste of Armageddon

“A Taste of Armageddon” offers a brilliantly high concept sci-fi plot: the Enterprise visits a world that has evolved beyond destructive combat, but not beyond war itself. Instead of destroying one another with weapons that would threaten to also destroy their culture, the conflicting sides of Eminiar VII’s population have agreed to wage war through a highly accurate simulation. If a resident is in an area that the simulation has deemed destroyed, he or she is expected to immediately turn themselves in for disintegration. Unfortunately, a few Enterprise crewmembers are unwittingly present when a building is marked destroyed and their refusal to surrender their lives could mean that a more destructive form of war returns to the planet.

Most of the time, the crew of the Enterprise comes across planets whose values aren’t quite up to date with those held by the enlightened Starfleet. Here, though, the crew is forced to deal with a planet that actually makes a pretty good point and achieved what seems to be far less destructive form of combat. Kirk makes an interesting argument, however, suggesting that the people of Eminiar VII have, in attempting to mute the destructive effects of war, helped mute the horror of it as well. By the time the credits roll on “A Taste of Armageddon,” you won’t be wrong if you’re not exactly thinking of Starfleet as the good guys this time.

7) Space Seed

“Space Seed” introduced Star Tre k’s most famous antagonist, Ricardo Montalban ’s genetically enhanced 20 th century superman Khan Noonien Singh. The Enterprise comes across a long-lost vessel, the Botany Bay, that contains Khan and 84 of his crew. Soon, Khan is using his enhanced cunning to take control of the Enterprise.

One of the reasons Khan works so well as a foil for Kirk is because he’s both physically and mentally superior to the Starfleet Captain, but also shares Kirk’s charisma. He’s an easy bad guy to root for and his backstory raises some interesting questions about what Earth’s Eugenics Wars were like in the 1990s.

While “Space Seed” is Khan’s sole appearance in the series, Montalban would famously reprise the role for Nicholas Meyer ’s Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan in 1982. Benedict Cumberbatch would then play an alternate reality version of the character in Star Trek Into Darkness .

The Enterprise comes into territorial conflict with the Gorn, a race of reptilian creatures with whom Starfleet has never dealt. When conflict threatens to breaks out with the Gorn ship, both vessels are disabled an incredibly powerful race called the Metrons. To settle the issue, the Metrons will have Captain Kirk face off against the Gorn captain on a rocky desert planet. Even though the Gorn easily outmatches the Starfleet Captain physically, Kirk has a few tricks up his sleeve.

As with “A Taste of Armageddon,” “Arena” focuses on a transference of a larger conflict into a smaller one. While the former dealt a bit more with the ethics in doing so, “Arena” places more like a sporting event. On the bridge of the Enterprise, the crew is helpless to do anything but watch as Kirk and the Gorn captain battle to the death.

“Arena” has become one Star Trek’s most famous episodes primarily due to its incredible Gorn costume. While it has a degree of 60s sci-fi cheese, it still looks quite a bit better than attempts to later bring back the Gorn species with CGI on Star Trek: Enterprise .

5) The Trouble with Tribbles

One of Star Trek’s most famous episodes brings the Enterprise to Space Station K-7 where there is some fear that visiting Klingons might disrupt the delivery of much a needed grain to an Earth colony. Meanwhile, Nichelle Nichols ’ Uhura goes shopping and purchases a Tribble, a small purring creature that looks like a ball of hair. Unfortunately, it turns out that Tribbles are born pregnant and they begin to multiply exponentially.

“The Trouble with Tribbles” is a fairly light-hearted adventure that also feels like a day in the life for the crew of the Enterprise. Kirk’s attempts to deal with Federation politics wind up taking a back seat to the tribble problem as a memorable Star Trek species is born.

For the franchise’s 30 th anniversary, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine would return to “The Trouble with Tribbles” with an episode called “Trials and Tribble-ations”. In it, the crew travels back in time to prevent a plot to assassinate Captain Kirk during the events of “The Trouble with Tribbles,” digitally inserting actors into the background of the original episode with an adventure that makes use of impressive visual effects to tell a concurrent narrative.

4) Mirror, Mirror

Quite arguably the definitive pop culture example of parallel realities, “Mirror, Mirror” finds Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura in a transporter accident that swaps them with their counterparts from an alternate timeline. While the Enterprise is negotiating for dilithium on behalf of the United Federation of Planets in the regular timeline, the alternate history sees an aggressive Enterprise take the valuable resources by force in the name of the Terran Empire.

“Mirror, Mirror” is particularly famous for having a goateed Spock in the mirror universe. The “evil” goatee has become iconic in pop culture to represent all kinds of evil twins and alternate reality doppelgangers.

Although there were several novels and comic books that made use of the Mirror Universe, it would be nearly three decades before the timeline would return in the official Star Trek canon. The second season Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Crossover” would make visits to the parallel timeline a nearly annual event for the spinoff series.

3) Balance of Terror

When the Enterprise encounters a Romulan vessel, the two ships come into combat and soon leave one another disabled and floating in space. Each races to make repairs before the other to claim victory in an encounter that reveals surprising new details about an old Starfleet foe.

In the Star Trek timeline, Earth experienced a brief but intense war with the Romulan Star Empire about a century earlier. Because the combat occurred in space, Earth never learned what Romulans look like. Here, it’s revealed that they’re a warlike offshoot of the Vulcan species, leading to some immediate tension between Spock and one of his crewmates.

A throwback to submarine thrillers like The Enemy Below and Run Silent, Run Deep , “Balance of Terror” is elevated by Mark Lenard’s pre-Sarek appearance as the commander of the Romulan vessel. As the viewpoint shifts from the Enterprise to the Romulan vessel, we find that he and Kirk are not so different in their adherence to their duty.

2) Amok Time

The first episode of Star Trek ’s second season reveals a Vulcan secret. Every seven years, the species goes through a mating cycle in which they must return to Vulcan and take a mate. Unfortunately, Spock’s would be mate demands the koon-ut-kal-if-fee, a battle to death between her suitor and a champion of her choosing. When she chooses Captain Kirk, both officers must fight in a Vulcan ceremony that will not end until one of them is dead.

Not only does “Amok Time” deliver on its promise of an epic Kirk vs. Spock fight to the death, but it’s a great example of Spock growing to trust and appreciate his crewmates. It’s an intensely personal story for Spock and it culminates with a fantastic line from the character.

“After a time,” Spock tells a Vulcan woman who has rejected him in favor of another suitor, “You may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but it is often true.”

For that line alone, “Amok Time” deserves its honored place in Star Trek history.

1) The City on the Edge of Forever

It’s pretty much universally understood that the penultimate episode of Star Trek ’s first season is the franchise’s very finest story. Having accidentally injected himself with a drug that drives him crazy, DeForest Kelley ’s Dr. McCoy beams down to an alien planet where an ancient gateway, the Guardian of Forever, allows passage through time and space itself. A crazed McCoy travels back to Earth in the 1930s and does something that stops Starfleet from having ever existed. With no other choice, Kirk and Spock travel back themselves in the hopes of restoring the timeline.

It’s in the 1930s that Kirk and Spock meet Joan Collins ’ Edith Keeler a thoroughly lovely young woman who has dedicated herself to helping the less fortunate in a New York Mission. As they search for McCoy, Kirk begins to develop a relationship with Edith. And then the bad news hits: in order to fix the timeline, Edith Keeler must die.

The need for Edith Keeler to die is made all the more tragic by the fact that she’s not in any way a bad person. Spock explains that her success at organizing a pacifist movement in the United States will lead to the United States delaying its entrance into World War II. It is peace that she’s fighting for and in the name of peace that she must be sacrificed.

“The City on the Edge of Forever” is, simply, the epitome of what science fiction has to offer, bolstered by an original script by legendary author Harlan Ellison and a perfect romance between William Shatner and Joan Collins.

“Let me help,” smiles Kirk to Keeler as they a New York street together, he comments on her choice of words. “A hundred years or so from now, a famous novelist will write a classic using that theme. He'll recommend those three words, even over 'I love you’.”

For all the franchise’s many adventure across space and time, none come quite close to the simple, tragic elegance of “The City on the Edge of Forever”.

The 10 Best 'Star Trek' Episodes Ever

Best 'star trek' episodes.

With five live-action TV series, each ranging from three to seven seasons, there's been a ton of great "Star Trek" over the years. Here are 10 episodes — two from each live-action series — that we rank as the best. In each of these episodes, you're guaranteed to learn something about the "Star Trek" universe and, in some cases, even challenge your own moral beliefs about right and wrong.

10. "Regeneration," 2003 ("Star Trek: Enterprise")

The Borg's terrifying powers of assimilation are tough enough to face when you're in a starship with weapons on board. But what about if they were discovered on your own planet? "Regeneration" shows what happens when Borg are found above the Arctic Circle on Earth, facing a fairly unprepared group of people — remember, "Enterprise" is a prequel series and takes place just as starship travel begins. The creative methods "Enterprise" used in fighting the Borg are fun to watch.

9. "Equinox," 1999 ("Star Trek: Voyager")

As fans of the series know, the premise of "Voyager" is that the crew becomes stranded some 75 years' travel away from home. By Season 6, we are pretty confident that the crew has well assimilated (so to speak) this knowledge, but they come across a ship in the same quadrant that has more questionable methods in dealing with the problem. We see the stranded ship engage in subterfuge in this two-parter during the Season 6 finale and Season 7 premiere, which reminds us of how badly "Voyager" could have gone with a different crew. While "Star Trek" only touched on this theme briefly in "Voyager," mutiny by crews is also explored a few times in the series "Battlestar Galactica" in the 2000s.

8. "Borderland" / "Cold Station 12'' / "The Augments," 2004 ("Star Trek: Enterprise")

This incredible trio of episodes has some throwbacks to "Star Trek: The Next Generation" — mentions of Dr. Arik Soong, the grandfather of Data's creator, for instance — as well as the original "Star Trek," with some oblique references to the noted villain Khan . While these episodes came too late in the run of "Enterprise" to save the series from cancellation, they did show some creative flair with "Star Trek" lore, with the addition of references to genetic engineering, a hot topic in the current affairs of the time.

7. "Emissary," 1993 ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine")

Pilots of "Star Trek" series are often unbearable to watch, but this one is an interesting exception. Viewers saw an interesting puzzle early in the two-part episode. The beloved Capt. Jean-Luc Picard of "The Next Generation" is portrayed as an enemy to Benjamin Sisko, the man considering taking the position of commander on "Deep Space Nine"; the conflict stemmed from a Borg attack and the death of Sisko's wife. There's nothing better than starting a new series with a moral quandary for fans to argue about. [ 'Star Trek' Stars Celebrate 50 Years of Hope at Comic-Con ]

6. "Living Witness," 1998 ("Star Trek: Voyager")

Writing history is never a neutral process, as there are so many viewpoints to consider. At times, countries must come to grips with the mistakes of their past that their ancestors may have actually believed were victories. In "Living Witness," the holographic doctor of "Voyager" is reactivated about 700 years after the series' events take place. He sees a museum exhibit that talks about the "warship Voyager" and some things the starship did that this museum portrays as extremely negative; the doctor then spends most of the episode trying to set the record straight, as he was there at the time.

5. "In the Pale Moonlight," 1998 ("Star Trek: Deep Space Nine")

Here, an Enterprise crewmember turns bad — but for the greater good. Commander Benjamin Sisko decides that he needs to bring the Romulans, a noted enemy of the Federation, onto the Federation's side to win a greater war. Immediately, the unprepared Sisko is thrown into a situation where he needs to ally with a Cardassian spy, a former prison convict and other unsavory characters to get the job done. We'll let you watch the episode to find out the conclusion, but let it be known that Sisko does break a few rules in his quest — and that he still thinks it's the best choice, even though he has some moral qualms about it.

4. "The Best of Both Worlds," 1990 ("Star Trek: The Next Generation")

The Borg — a race that assimilates everything that comes into its way into a vast collective — make an unexpected invasion of an area that is supposed to be reserved for the United Federation of Planets, which the USS Enterprise represents. Through a series of complicated events, the starship comes face-to-face with the Borg, and Picard is captured, ultimately becoming assimilated by the aliens. This season ended on a cliffhanger, with Picard — calling himself "Locutus of Borg" — ordering the USS Enterprise to surrender and assimilate. The cliffhanger, considered a huge shocker at the time, set up several other Borg-related episodes as well as the movie "Star Trek: First Contact" (1996). [ The Evolution of 'Star Trek' (Infographic) ]

3. "The Menagerie," 1966 ("Star Trek: The Original Series")

This two-part episode plays on our expectations of Spock, a logical Vulcan alien who usually runs things exactly by the book. In an uncharacteristic maneuver, the Vulcan kidnaps his former commander, Christopher Pike. He sets the Enterprise on course to Talos IV — a planet that Spock well knows is off-limits for Federation officers — and then Spock voluntarily assents to a court martial to talk about why. "The Menagerie" is noteworthy not only for playing with our expectations of reality but also for a creative use of old footage. A large part of the episode reruns parts of "The Cage," the original pilot for "Star Trek." That pilot was ultimately scrapped, and the series launched with an almost entirely rebooted set of main characters. [ What I Learned by Watching Every 'Star Trek' Show and Movie ]

2. "The Trouble with Tribbles," 1967 ("Star Trek: The Original Series")

Tribbles are an adorable species — fuzzy, small, almost like a spherical teddy bear — that have an unfortunate ability to reproduce. After the crew receives a single Tribble, generations of Tribbles quickly begin to take over the USS Enterprise, soon crowding the crewmembers out of their own quarters. Before long, the Tribbles start getting into the food stores and consuming anything edible on the Enterprise. The ultimate solution to the problem is creative. And don't worry — you don't see anything bad happen to these cuties. In the meantime, you can enjoy the hilarity, including a wonderful scene where a shower of Tribbles drops onto Capt. James T. Kirk's head.

1. "The Measure of a Man," 1989 ("Star Trek: The Next Generation")

"Star Trek" turns its attention to the android Data in a heartbreaking episode about how easily human rights can be disregarded for those who are a bit different. Data, we are informed, is going to be disassembled so that Cmdr. Maddox (a Starfleet cyberneticist) can study him. Data, naturally, is not pleased with this prospect and would like to resign, but he's told he can't because Starfleet considers him property. This sets the stage for a riveting legal drama, where Capt. Jean-Luc Picard represents Data's interests and Cmdr. William Riker is pressed into reluctantly representing Maddox's side.

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Elizabeth Howell (she/her), Ph.D., is a staff writer in the spaceflight channel since 2022 covering diversity, education and gaming as well. She was contributing writer for Space.com for 10 years before joining full-time. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House and Office of the Vice-President of the United States, an exclusive conversation with aspiring space tourist (and NSYNC bassist) Lance Bass, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, " Why Am I Taller ?", is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams. Elizabeth holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science at several institutions since 2015; her experience includes developing and teaching an astronomy course at Canada's Algonquin College (with Indigenous content as well) to more than 1,000 students since 2020. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. Mastodon: https://qoto.org/@howellspace

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The 50 best Star Trek episodes ever

What kind of fools would attempt to take over seven hundred hours of television spread out over five different series, review them and then distill them down to a list of the fifty best episodes? You're looking at them. What follows is Empire 's breakdown of the best that Star Trek has had to offer over the past half century. Engage!

Here is a list of our favourite Star Trek episodes counting down from the 50th to the number one greatest. So sit back and get comfortable (this may take a while...)

50. Q Pid ( TNG )

John de Lancie's Q is a recurring pain in the arse for the crew of the Enterprise, but no one can say he isn't any fun. This time, when Picard rejects his offer to help mend some fences with a lady friend, he transports a number of the crew to Sherwood Forest, planting them straight into a Robin Hood adventure. Standout moment? An indignant Worf proclaiming, "I am not a merry man!"

49. Lower Decks ( TNG )

As The Next Generation was winding down its television run, the writers decided to shift gears and focus on a group of junior officers, following them as they interact with the primary crew while vying for promotions. An entirely different, very welcome change of pace that proves hugely enjoyable – despite a somewhat downbeat ending.

48. Endgame ( VOY )

Cut through all the technobabble and what you're left with is an intriguing tale of an older Admiral Janeway, 10 years after Voyager's return home, deciding to go back in time to help her younger self defeat the Borg and get her crew home from the Delta Quadrant before history unfolds the same way. It's no All Good Things , but it wraps things up well and gives Kate Mulgrew a real chance to shine in dual roles.

47. Hard Time ( DS9 )

In what is a dark take on TNG 's The Inner Light , O'Brien is found guilty of espionage by an alien race that implants the memory of years of harsh imprisonment, which in reality lasted just a few hours. Much of the episode is focused on his trying to readjust to his normal life. A bravura performance by Colm Meaney who sells the trauma spectacularly.

46. In A Mirror Darkly ( ENT )

Oh, Enterprise , why did you wait so long to live up to your own potential? This episode from the final season takes place in the Mirror Universe, serving as a sequel to season three of the original series' The Tholian Web and a prequel to that show's Mirror, Mirror. Imaginative and most of all fun, it's just unfortunate that executive producer Manny Coto couldn't tie the show further into the events of the '60s series.

45. Sacrifice Of Angels ( DS9 )

War brings a price, and the price paid on Deep Space Nine is very real. The conclusion of a six-episode arc opening season six, it's all about Sisko and his people reclaiming DS9 from the Cardassian/Dominion alliance. Tremendous action, espionage and yet another example (collect them all) of the way this series the consistently the best of the entire Trek franchise.

44. Phage ( VOY )

Executive producer Brannon Braga once said that Voyager should be The X-Files of space, and this episode shows it meeting that potential. An alien race in the Delta Quadrant, suffering from an incurable disease, prolongs the life of its people by transporting vital organs out of unwilling donors and transplanting them. It's chilling as hell, yet by the end – in true Star Trek fashion – you somehow end up feeling sympathy for them.

43. Balance Of Terror ( TOS )

The Federation's (and our) first look at the Romulans in what is essentially a submarine thriller in space. Mark Lenard (who would go on to play Spock's father, Sarek) is the Romulan commander who recognises many of his own traits in Kirk, finding him a worthy adversary. The exploration of bigotry (the Romulans are an offshoot of Vulcans) underpins a piece of television that manages to conjure genuine suspense as one commander attempts to outmaneuvre the other with only one possible outcome.

42. Relics ( TNG )

James Doohan reprises his original series role of Scotty in this Next Generation episode that sees Scott being rescued from the transporter of a long-missing transport ship and having to adjust to life in the 24th Century. The focus is strongly on Doohan and Levar Burton's Geordi LaForge, and serves as an effective exploration of ageism and the fight against obsolescence. One of Doohan's finest turns as Scotty, and while it's commonplace now (even in fan films), seeing Picard walk through a recreation of the original '60s bridge on the holodeck is very cool.

41. Arena ( TOS )

An alien race forces Kirk to fight the lizard-like Gorn, theoretically to the death, but the good captain refuses to carry out the fatal blow. By showing mercy, Kirk demonstrates the superiority of humanity, impressing the aliens and showing how far his race has come. It sounds simple, but the execution (despite the now infamously bad Gorn costume) is first rate.

40. The Offspring ( TNG )

In what could unofficially be viewed as a sequel to the season two TNG episode The Measure Of A Man , Data creates an android "daughter" (Hallie Todd's Lal) and attempts to instruct her in the ways of life. Moving on a number of levels, most notably watching Lal evolve in ways Data could never hope to as he fights to keep her free of Starfleet's science division. Co-star Jonathan Frakes made his directorial debut on this episode, paving the way to his taking on 1996's First Contact .

39. Past Tense ( DS9 )

As conceived by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek was supposed to take modern social issues and examine them through the prism of the future. Embracing that philosophy, the writers of Deep Space Nine took on Los Angeles' growing homeless problem and postulated a frightening future (through DS9 's past) in which the homeless are herded into city sectors and all but abandoned there. Avery Brooks' Sisko finds himself having to step into history to make sure the time stream stays on course.

38. Datalore ( TNG )

Not everything in season one of The Next Generation felt like a retread of what had boldly gone before. Data's 'brother', an early model named Lore, shows up and Brent Spiner does a stand-up job portraying two very different versions of his character. Not dissimilar to the original's The Enemy Within .... which means that, yes, the plot is something of a retread, but in this case it's a very good retread. Okay?

37. Broken Bow ( ENT )

Enterprise comes out of the gate swinging with this two-hour premiere that efficiently sets up the series and establishes that the early stages of Starfleet were very different from what it would ultimately become. The promise of the show is nicely set up (disastrous theme song notwithstanding), but, sadly, it would seldom live unto it.

36. The Andorian Incident ( ENT )

The blue-skinned Andorians return for the first time since the original series and score in a big way. The plot – about a secret Vulcan plot against them – is interesting, but what crackles is the instant chemistry between Jeffrey Combs' (Weyoun on DS9 ) Shran and Scott Bakula's Captain Archer. It's a relationship that would serve Enterprise well for many episodes to come.

35. Little Green Men ( DS9 )

Now we know what went on in Roswell, New Mexico in 1947: A trio of Ferengi and a shapeshifter crash-landed in the desert and threw members of the US government into disarray. Deep Space Nine goes full-out comedy in what is this series' equivalent of The Trouble With Tribbles (aside from the episode that actually re-visits the Tribble episode, that is, but more on that later).

34. I, Borg ( TNG )

When a member of the Borg, eventually given the name Hugh, breaks away from the collective, it raises issues of whether or not genocide (to be accomplished by infecting Hugh and returning him into the collective) for the greater good is warranted. Seriously, when is genocide a good idea?

33. Duet ( DS9 )

A highlight of Deep Space Nine 's first Season, and essentially a two-person drama between Nana Visitor's Kira Nerys and guest star Harris Yulin as the Cardassian war criminal Marritza. Amazing back and forth moments between the actors, and riveting in the revelations that arise.

32. Time’s Arrow ( TNG )

An audacious adventure that begins with the discovery of Data's head among relics from 19th Century San Francisco and goes on to include aliens sucking the life force out of humans in the past, time travel, Whoopi Goldberg's Guinan and Mark Twain(!). It's utterly insane, but imaginative and enormous fun.

31. The Wounded ( TNG )

The Next Generation goes a bit Heart Of Darkness as Picard must stop a renegade starship captain from committing acts of war against the Cardassians, despite the fact that his military suspicions about them are true. Great tension as Picard is torn between his duty as a Starfleet officer and the grim reality of the political situation.

30. What You Leave Behind ( DS9 )

The two-hour series finale of Deep Space Nine . While far from the best series-ender ever, it's an exciting and moving close to a series that still had so much life left in it. Major arcs are brought to an end and entirely new ones are begun (and left dangling), but the most important thing is that the show left on its own terms and in its own way.

29. Unification ( TNG )

Leonard Nimoy's Spock comes to The Next Generation in what was a tie-in to 1991's Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country . The plot, about Spock's political attempts to reunite the Vulcan and Romulan people, is fine, but the joy comes from watching Nimoy interacting with Patrick Stewart's Picard. It is, in a word, fascinating.

28. Home Front/Paradise Lost ( DS9 )

Paranoia about changeling infiltration provides Admiral Leyton with an excuse to manipulate the militarisation of Starfleet against its enemy. It's up to Sisko and O'Brien to reveal the truth and preserve everything the Federation stands for. Not a million miles away from the plot of 2013's Star Trek Into Darkness , only better.

27. For The Uniform ( DS9 )

Once again the writers and Avery Brooks prove that Sisko is unlike any other Starfleet captain, as a tense game of galactic cat-and-mouse plays out between him and his former head of security Michael Eddington, who revealed himself to be a traitor and member of the rebel organisation the Maquis.

26. Future Imperfect ( TNG )

Jonathan Frakes gets to shine as Riker when he awakens sixteen years in the future in what are very different circumstances. Initially trying to adjust to this new life, inconsistencies lead him to try and discover the truth. As it turns out, nothing is as it seems. Certain elements play like an homage to Star Trek 's first pilot, The Cage .

25. Year Of Hell ( VOY )

A glimpse into what Voyager could (and should) have been: a gritty two-part adventure that follows the starship over the course of a year where it's constantly fighting for survival, and barely being held together. Disappointingly, It all gets reset at the end, but it's an incredibly dark journey and features a delightfully villainous Kurtwood Smith as Annorax.

24. This Side Of Paradise ( TOS )

Spock is able to reveal the depths of his emotion thanks to alien spores that have affected most of the crew, who are enjoying life on an idyllic planet. This also serves as a rare love story for Spock, and his final moment, once he's been restored to his logical self, is heartbreaking.

23. Our Man Bashir ( DS9 )

The name's Bashir. Julian Bashir. This homage to early Bond films sees the station's doctor in the role of a suave super spy, playing out a spy story in the form of a holosuite adventure (with very real consequences). The cast clearly had a whale of a time throughout, and with good reason.

22. Way of the Warrior ( DS9 )

For anyone who may not be enamoured with the early episodes of Deep Space Nine , this one should be your starting point. It's where the show becomes far more serialsed, tensions increase between the Federation and the Klingon Empire (paving the road towards the Dominion War), Michael Dorn joins the show as TNG 's Worf and Avery Brooks comes to life like never before as Sisko after he shaves his head and grows a goatee.

21. Space Seed ( TOS )

There's not much that needs to be said about this one beyond the fact that it marked Ricardo Montalban's debut as 20th Century genetic superman Khan Noonien Singh, and ultimately planted the seeds for what would, fifteen years later, become The Wrath Of Khan . The scenes between Montalban and Shatner (outside of a dopily resolved fist fight) are gold.

20. Q Who ( TNG )

From the imagination of executive producer Maurice Hurley came this Season Two episode that had John de Lancie's Q propel the Enterprise to the Delta quadrant where they encounter the Borg for the first time. One of the few episodes of TNG to reveal space to be a genuinely scary place.

19. Brothers ( TNG )

Brent Spiner does triple duty as Data, his brother Lore and their "father," Dr. Soong. The story itself — an attempt by Soong to provide Data with an emotion chip that Lore ultimately steals — is not half as memorable as the actor's three distinct performances.

18. Trials And Tribble-ations ( DS9 )

Now this was the way to celebrate Star Trek 's 30th Anniversary as the producers of Deep Space Nine crafted a story that took Sisko, Dax, Bashir and O'Brien and dropped them right in the middle of the original series' "The Trouble With Tribbles." Great fun and top-notch effects work that allowed this crew to interact with that one.

17. The Measure Of A Man ( TNG )

The first real evidence that The Next Generation was establishing its own identity as a series came in this Season Two episode. Picard defends Data's right to self-determination against a scientist who desires to dismantle him to create a number of similar androids. An insightful script by Melinda Snodgrass, and a standout performance by Brent Spiner as Data.

16. Chain Of Command ( TNG )

In this instalment of Keeping Up With The Cardassians, Picard is made a prisoner of war during a covert operation against the alien race. He's ultimately tortured by David Warner's Gul Madred, and the psychological machinations that follow provide some of TNG 's most powerful moments, and arguably Stewart's best performance in the role. "There are FOUR LIGHTS!"

15. The Enemy Within ( TOS )

Yes, you have to look beyond some stereotypical Shatnerisms, but overall William Shatner is stunning to watch in this episode as Kirk is, as a result of a transporter malfunction, split into good and evil duplicates of himself. A psychological study of the requirements for an effective starship captain. Written by Twilight Zone scribe Richard Matheson .

14. Scorpion ( VOY )

Often referred to by fans as 'The Breast Of Both Worlds', this two-parter introduces Jeri Ryan as Borg crew member Seven Of Nine, though her sprayed-on silver uniform wouldn't make an appearance straight away. Despite being a transparent attempt to 'sex up' the show, it was a tremendous introduction for the character and, more importantly, gave Voyager a much-needed kick up the arse in terms of both drama and conflict.

13. In The Pale Moonlight ( DS9 )

Starship captains have a tendency to bend the tenets of the Federation (we're talking to you, James T.!), but in this one Sisko pretty much snaps them in half as he manipulates the Romulans into joining the Federation in war against the Dominion. A powerful personal dilemma with no easy solutions.

12. Mirror, Mirror ( TOS )

Kirk, McCoy, Scotty and Uhura find themselves in a parallel, more savage universe where the Federation is the Empire and is essentially feared like the Klingons. Be sure to check out alternate Spock, who wears the goatee of evil.

11. All Good Things ( TNG )

The series finale of The Next Generation bookends its premiere, Encounter At Farpoint , as Q (John de Lancie) continues humanity's trial. Taking place in three time periods (the pilot, the present and the future), its scope is epic, its themes powerful and it's all so well executed that it probably should have been TNG 's first feature film.

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10. The Inner Light ( TNG )

To ensure that memory of a civilisation survives its passing, a probe affects Picard's mind to make him live an entire lifetime among its people, while only minutes pass on the Enterprise itself. In three quarters of an hour, Patrick Stewart somehow makes you really believe in the love and loss of a life well lived – all in the blink of an eye.

9. The Doomsday Machine ( TOS )

A tense thriller that serves as a contrast in command between Kirk and Commodore Matt Decker (William Windom). After losing the crew of his ship, the Constellation, to a galaxy-roaming doomsday device, Decker is so driven by vengeance that he could very well sacrifice the Enterprise in its pursuit.

8. The Trouble With Tribbles ( TOS )

For the first time, Star Trek proved that it could be funny without losing any of its integrity. Purring furballs, Klingons, bar fights and great comic bits for Shatner to play all combine to make up a true classic. Remember: don't feed them!

7. The Visitor ( DS9 )

Jake Sisko grows up to be Tony Todd in this tale of Jake attempting to cope with the seeming death of his father, while being filled with the lingering hope that he may somehow be able to set things right. A stirring study of a father/son relationship and the weight of a guilt that spans decades.

6. Darmok ( TNG )

Quite possibly the perfect embodiment of the Star Trek philosophy. Two races, represented by Picard and the Tamarian's Dathon (whose people only speak in metaphors and cultural references), must bridge a language gap to establish relations between their people in what becomes a life and death struggle. Paul Winfield ( The Wrath of Khan ) guest stars as Dathon.

5. The Best of Both Worlds ( TNG )

After floundering for a couple of seasons, The Next Generation came into its own with the arrival of exec producer Michael Piller and this tale of the Enterprise's battle with the Borg, which features Picard's transformation into Locutus. From this moment on, resistance to TNG was futile.

4. Far Beyond The Stars ( DS9 )

Emotionally fragile, Sisko abruptly finds himself as science-fiction writer Benny Russell in 1950s New York. A tour de force performance by star/director Avery Brooks as Benny deals with the racism of the time. We're given the suggestion that the events of DS9 (and therefore the entire Star Trek universe) has sprung from his imagination. Added bonus: seeing much of the cast out of makeup.

3. Yesterday's Enterprise ( TNG )

The Federation is getting its arse soundly kicked by the Klingons in this time-altered universe, and Picard must figure out what to do with the Enterprise-C, a ship out of time whose arrival seems to have changed the course of galactic history. This (alongside Chain Of Command ) is about as gritty as TNG ever got and is hugely enjoyable as a result.

2. The Devil In The Dark ( TOS )

It looks like a shag carpet and has a vicious streak a mile wide, but it's actually a mother protecting its young from Federation miners. An episode that perfectly encapsulates the Trek philosophy of overcoming our differences and the personal favourite of Shatner, whose father died during filming.

1. The City On The Edge Of Forever ( TOS )

Starship captain meets social worker in the past. Starship captain falls in love with social worker. Starship captain sacrifices social worker for the sake of the universe. Social worker happens to be played by Joan Collins. Writer Harlan Ellison hates it, everyone else loves it. Star Trek at its absolute best.

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The 21 Best Star Trek Original Series Episodes, Ranked

"You know. 1966? 79 episodes, about 30 good ones," said Philip J. Fry of "Futurama" to the jarred, floating head of Leonard Nimoy. This is his animated opinion, of course, but a better question isn't how many are good, but how many of the original "Star Trek" episodes are great . Would you believe 21?

Determining greatness is subjective of course. Popularity isn't a fair indicator of quality, and some fan favorites are guilty pleasures, while others are fun but defective in ways that knock them down from great to merely good. Any episode's overall quality depends on multiple factors — the uniqueness of the premise, the quality of the writing, the story beats, the characterization, guest stars, action, music, production values, and even visual effects. 

Speaking of visual effects, we're not talking about the 15-year-old "remastered" CGI, which already look dated and cartoonish. We're going O.G. all the way. The criteria here is ranking these as the total package rather than the sum of their parts. With that in mind, here's a perhaps controversial list of the 21 greatest "Star Trek: The Original Series" episodes.

21. A Piece of the Action (Season 2, Episode 17)

Although humorous moments abound throughout the original "Star Trek," there aren't many outright comedy episodes. In fact, there are only three: "I Mudd," "A Piece of the Action," and "The Trouble with Tribbles." Most fans I know vote the straight "Tribbles" ticket, but that episode is merely cute-funny, whereas the over-the-top "A Piece of the Action" is actually genuinely funny. The script by Gene L. Coon is more absurd than "Tribbles" and features more comic business. The cherry on top was its helmer, James Komac, who was a gifted comedy writer and director of hundreds of episodes of shows including "Welcome Back, Kotter" and "Chico and the Man" (which he created).

This episode   is almost a meta-commentary and spoof on the "Star Trek" schtick of "strange new worlds," which end up being monocultures thinly based on Earth's history. Here we see why the Prime Directive exists: An entire civilization has modeled itself on the popular mythos of Roaring '20s Chicago mobs. It's literally Planet Cosplay and an unintentional spoof of fandoms then and now. Two things keep it at this end of the list — it's shamelessly riffing on 1964's "Robin and the 7 Hoods," and it's almost irredeemably dumb. Fortunately, it's dumb fun, and fun enough to be among the best. "Right?" "Riiiiight."

20. Space Seed (Season 1, Episode 22)

You might be surprised that this comes in so low in a list of greats, but that it merits inclusion at all relies solely on the sheer screen presence and magnetism of its guest star. Khan Noonien Singh is an arrogant egotist and tyrant , but Ricardo Montalbán's confident performance makes him watchable. Minus him, the story defects would relegate this episode to merely "good." Many put this in their top 10, but I suspect that's because it basks in the reflected glow of its cinematic follow-up, "The Wrath of Khan."

The script is serviceable but unmemorable and commits the sin of making our heroes foolish instead of making Khan's intelligence and cunning the real danger. Kirk hands this unknown and suspicious character unfettered access to the ship's technical library on a silver platter, and historian Marla McGivers is a pushover who betrays all her shipmates because she's a fangirl of brutish dictators.

Weak story aside, the episode does have strengths. All the performances are good, and the story moves along at a brisk pace. There's memorable dialog, and McCoy really shines when he isn't cowed by Khan holding a scalpel to his neck. There's also some of the best miniature effects work on the show, going to the expense of a custom-made model of the Botany Bay. Montalbán is what makes it a best episode at all, but he alone can't elevate it.

19. The Conscience of the King (Season 1, Episode 13)

This least "Star Trek"-y of "Treks" scores points for being just that. The series premise allows it to be a semi-anthology, able to shift genres without breaking format, so one week it's a psychological drama about the duality of human nature, another time it's about cold war proxies or planet-killing doomsday machines by way of "Moby Dick" or — as in this case — a Shakespearean tragedy about mercy and revenge. Just as Hamlet must determine whether or not his uncle Claudius murdered his father, so must Captain Kirk determine if actor Anton Karidian is the man once known as Kodos the Executioner. 

Writer Barry Trivers cleverly frames his story within the play that informs it, a bit of dramaturgical license that permits a more theatrical approach. Take, for example, this bit of dialogue from Lenore Karidian: "There's a stain of cruelty on your shining armor, Captain. You could have spared him, and me. You talked of using tools. I was a tool, wasn't l? A tool to use against my father."

This episode exemplifies a shadowy aspect of Kirk's affairs rarely discussed in how he weaponizes romance to get what he wants. The ultimate irony is that he plays Karidian's daughter, Lenore, in order to get close to her father, only to learn that she's been playing him. That it's so different is a double-edged blade that simultaneously makes it a best episode, but nowhere near the top. It was a great stretch for the show.

18. The Immunity Syndrome (Season 2, Episode 18)

This one barely edges out the not-dissimilar and more popular "The Doomsday Machine." Both feature the crew of a sister ship annihilated by a huge alien thing endangering life throughout the galaxy. But where "Doomsday" is a straightforward adventure story driven by an Ahab-like guest star, "Immunity" is more personal, as it features some great and properly motivated Spock and McCoy conflict. 

Too often, Bones would goad Spock for no reason, but here, their back and forth is professional. We've got two scientists vying for an opportunity to study this alien organism, each feels himself the most qualified to take on what promises to be a suicide mission, and each, perhaps, is choosing to make the sacrifice rather than let the other die. But it's Kirk who has to make the final, heartbreaking choice of which of his friends to send. That's classic "Trek."

Given its budget and the visual effects tech of the time, "Star Trek" was rarely able to get across truly alien life forms, but this is a notable exception, and the conceit that the Enterprise must enter the alien entity as a virus infects a cell is a nice twist. The visual effects of the space amoeba thing are fabulous and weird, something the 2007 remastered CGI does not improve on.

17. Day of the Dove (Season 3, Episode 7)

The third season of "Star Trek" has no classic episodes, but a few come close. "Day of the Dove" is the best of the bunch. The simple premise of exploiting bigotry between our heroes and their Cold War counterparts, the Klingons, works better than it ought. If you want to look for a message, the alien entity that fuels the very hatred and violence it feeds upon can be read as a stand-in for the military-industrial complex, which fans the flames of conflict in order to sell weapons in a perpetual feedback loop. Alternatively, you can just take it for a MacGuffin.

The nefarious influence of the alien entity memorably amplifies the slightest biases of the Enterprise crew, and it's uncomfortable to hear blatant racism coming of out our noble heroes' mouths, especially Scotty's attack on Spock. Michael Ansara plays Kang as no mere mustache-twirling bad guy but as a shrewd enemy starship commander, an honorable warrior, and a fine opposite to Kirk. By turns personable, calculating, and violent, he's a model Original Series Klingon. Frankly, I'd rather watch him than Khan; your mileage may vary. It's got action. It's got character conflict for days. It's the best the third season has to offer, but it's not as great as the first- and second-season entries coming up. 

16. Tomorrow Is Yesterday (Season 1, Episode 19)

The original "Star Trek" didn't play with time travel much, and when it did, the results were either very good or they were horrid, with the backdoor pilot "Assignment: Earth" being the low point. On the flip side, you've got "Tomorrow Is Yesterday," which features the most offbeat teaser of the series, following an Air Force F-104 interceptor, with the visual punchline that the bogie it's after is the USS Enterprise. 

What follows is illogical as all get out, but the gimmick of the Enterprise being tracked as a UFO and having to undo the temporal damage it's done by being photographed and accidentally crushing that Air Force interceptor is great and the story milks it for all it's worth. No real depth here, but the fun is all in the plot events and reactions of the crew.

There's some great in-character stuff in the episode, including Spock's statement that he too doesn't believe in "little green men" and his one-star ranking of the Air Force film of the Enterprise as "bad photography." Kirk's playfully resigned responses to his Air Force interrogator are great too. And, hey, Sulu even gets to get off the bridge. The main weakness is the "how does that work?" ending gimmick of beaming people back into their own bodies. Great, but not a classic.

15. Balance of Terror (Season 1, Episode 14)

A fan favorite for good reason, "Balance of Terror" depicts the loneliness of command as Kirk tries to seek and destroy a marauding alien vessel without triggering an outright war. Seeing some of the "lower decks" types makes the Enterprise feel more real and lived-in and sells that Kirk's every decision has repercussions beyond the bridge. But it's Mark Lenard's perfectly pitched turn as the unnamed Romulan commander that's most memorable here. Torn over the ramifications of the performance of his duty, he's Kirk's equal in every way, and you can believe that he loses this battle not by dint of any personal failings but merely because his ship is outmatched by the much quicker and faster-firing Enterprise.

For 1966, the effects are great and largely still hold up. The Romulan ship is simple and distinctive, and the music is spot on. The main thing keeping it out of the top 10 is that it so baldly swipes elements of the films "Run Silent Run Deep" and "The Enemy Below," slapping pointed ears on the German Kriegsmarine story from the latter film, borrowing its war-weary commander and a subordinate fanatically loyal to their political leader. In "Arena," the show paid for the rights of the story it was cribbed from and credited the author. No such screen credit graces this obvious lift.

14. The Ultimate Computer (Season 2, Episode 24)

Kirk is infamous for offing overzealous computers (see: Landru in "Return of the Archons," Nomad in "The Changeling," and the androids of "I Mudd"), but his personal best computer kill is in "The Ultimate Computer." Here, he doesn't merely melt down the M5 Multitronic unit by confronting its flawed logic regarding its purpose; he aims a precise surgical strike at the chink he spots in its programming armor — appealing to the morality inherent in the memory engrams its all too human creator imprinted it with, causing it to reason it must die to pay for the sin of murder.

This episode is character-driven, with Kirk confronting his own redundancy and possible irrelevancy even as Spock and McCoy make their loyalty and friendship clear. Guest star William Marshall's turn as the deranged Dr. Daystrom is a standout, ranking among the best of the show.

All this drama is supported by some fine action, as M5 reduces a redshirt to a puff of smoke, photon torpedoes a robot ship, and then nearly destroys four sister ships of the Enterprise, actually killing the entire crew of one. Even the light ending — which often play as callous given the events which precede them in many episodes — is acceptable here because it's about Spock and McCoy, not Kirk. But it's still Kirk vs. the Computer, and those are never "Star Trek" at the very top of its game.

13. The Cage (Original Pilot)

Forget "The Menagerie" with its paper-thin envelope around the first pilot, repetitive courtroom scenes, and forced cliffhangers, all of which render it a solid but not great installment. On its own, "The Cage" is not just a great launchpad for what "Star Trek" is and would become but an imaginative and well-executed story in its own right. Gene Roddenberry's script is smart, with the atrophied Talosian aliens a satirical stand-in for TV audiences who might rather live other people's fantasies than experience adventures of their own. While it's a bit talky and static in places, when they're in action, it's great stuff — notably the laser cannon scene and Pike's illusory fight on Rigel VII.

Visually it's terrific. This was the most expensive episode of the series ever made, and it shows. The sets, costumes, makeups, and many special effects are top-notch for a show of the era particularly the matte shot of the Rigel VII fortress. The pacing's a bit loose, the characters don't pop due to the largely meh casting, and "THE WOMEN!" Number One and Yeoman Colt secretly wanting to bone the Captain is cringeworthy. However, guest star Susan Oliver's performance is the standout here, followed by Leonard Nimoy as Spock. Ultimately, it's just as well that the far more energetic William Shatner stepped in to replace Jeffrey Hunter's less-than-charismatic version of Captain Pike .

12. Arena (Season 1, Episode 18)

If any episode of "Star Trek" is truly iconic, this is it. The action set piece on Cestus III is the biggest of any in the series, with running and jumping and explosions galore, a redshirt vaporization, a detonating tricorder, and a photon torpedo-sque mortar. Once back on the Enterprise, Kirk's dogged determination to overtake and destroy the enemy ship demonstrates the obsessive nature of his character, but communication with his alien foe plants a seed of doubt which ultimately empowers him to practice what he preached in "A Taste of Armageddon: " We're human beings with the blood of a million savage years on our hands, but we can stop it. We can admit that we're killers, but we're not going to kill today. That's all it takes. Knowing that we won't kill today."

Kirk doesn't kill, and it saves the day. It lands here amongst the best because the story ends with the overused first-season gimmick of the godlike entity — the others being Gary Mitchell, Charlie-X Evans and his Thasian truant officers, Trelane the god-child, and the Organians — but the Metrons are more a plot device than anything. The Gorn is a great and worthy adversary, even as its slow-motion gestures are laughable. Spock hanging a lantern on Kirk's cannon-building is a bit much, but hey, he's the costar and has to do something. 

11. Where No Man Has Gone Before (Season 1, Episode 3)

It might be a surprise seeing "Where No Man Has Gone Before" on this list, but despite the second pilot weirdness of different uniforms, series crew regulars appearing not at all (McCoy, Uhura) or in different jobs (Sulu is an astrophysicist), and Spock's not-quite-there characterization and more severe makeup, the core "Star Trek"-ness is there in spades. Kirk makes a risky decision in the first act and must deal with the building consequences for the balance of the show, finally shouldering personal responsibility for his decision in the worst way possible: In order to save his ship and crew, he's forced to kill a subordinate shipmate and friend.

The episode looks great (being far more expensive than any regular production episode), repurposes the planet set built for the even more expensive first pilot, and features more optical effects than would be the norm for a production episode. Most importantly, William Shatner's Kirk projects leading-man charisma of the sort that's arguably what sold the show. It also delivers on Gene Roddenberry's original high-concept pitch of a "'Wagon Train' to the stars," where stories would focus on strong guest stars interacting with the recurring cast. The script is not without its flaws, and had Gary Mitchell been a tad more likable, the drama would have played even better. Still, two thumbs way up.

10. A Taste of Armageddon (Season 1, Episode 23)

"New civilization" planet stories rarely yielded great episodes, often setting up straw man civilizations for Kirk to knock down, but this one bucks the trend with a story smart enough to rank among the best. Kirk vs. the Computer legendarily has Kirk talk the machine to death, but now and again, he goes for the direct approach. Here, the computers coldly run simulations and select innocents to die, and Kirk has zero compunction about blasting them, finally forcing two civilizations to finally attempt to negotiate peace after 500 years of a "war" where death has been made so neat and tidy they see it as a necessary evil rather than something to stop.

Goodies include Scotty's head-butting with Ambassador Fox, Kirk's arguments about war with Anan 7, and Kirk threatening to have the Enterprise rain destruction down on a planet that's not faced a real attack in centuries. The moral? Any war held at arm's length is mere statistics, something the American people had grown accustomed to until television thrust the reality of Vietnam into their living rooms each evening. That's a lesson we must learn over and over again in conflicts where we increasingly use long-range and smart weapons to strike people we never even see. It's a message as relevant today as when it was first aired.

9. The Corbomite Maneuver (Season 1, Episode 10)

Effectively the "third pilot" of "Star Trek," this was the first regular production episode to go before the cameras, and it had the luxury of a rehearsal day, a solid director, and a fine script. It even ends with a quintessential "Trek" twist: Our implacable foe ends up being an erstwhile friend. By rights, this should've been the first episode to air as it sets up the whole show, but it was nowhere near ready at the premiere, in part due to the sheer number of optical effects in post-production. Dr. McCoy is wonderful from his first appearance, and his camaraderie and professional conflict with Kirk set the stage for their entire relationship.

The weird flagship Fesarius is pure alien goodness, and the Balok puppet is iconic. Memorable business includes Sulu's countdown, Spock's logic and resulting lack of imagination, Scotty's comment about Spock's parents, and McCoy and Kirk's conflict over Bailey. A highlight is the briefing room scene, with its lived-in atmosphere with piles of tapes and empty cups of coffee showing instead of telling us how hard the crew has been working on their predicament. Likewise, the Enterprise feels like a real lived-in ship, with corridors bustling with the crew, something the show would lose as fixed costs increased and studio budgets didn't grow to match. It's one of the 10 best, held back only because it drags in some spots.

8. The Galileo Seven (Season 1, Episode 16)

Albeit loosely inspired by the 1939 survivor drama "Five Came Back," this episode charts its own course as Spock tries and fails to resolve a potentially lethal situation with logic alone. It's rare that adventure shows of the time would depict a lead character failing, but that's just what "The Galileo Seven" does. 

As in "The Corbomite Maneuver," we are again shown that Spock's logic can serve as blinders that prevent him from seeing all the possibilities, even as he tells Scott, "There are always alternatives." As such, when they become stuck on a mysterious planet, he expects the giant natives to react rationally to a show of force and brings them right down on the party. He's likewise ill-equipped to deal with the emotional frailties of the crew under his command, especially the insolent and insubordinate Lt. Boma, memorably played by Don Marshall, later of "Land of the Giants."

The B-story with Kirk desperately trying to locate the lost shuttle against a ticking clock demonstrates the sorts of no-win scenarios a ship captain must face. The production scores visually for the full-size shuttlecraft, as well as the visual effects depicting it and its sister crafts' departure and return to the Enterprise hangar deck.

7. The Naked Time (Season 1, Episode 4)

The fourth episode aired, "The Naked Time" is the foundational character-building segment of the series, peeling away the surface of Kirk and Spock and revealing a bit of what makes them tick. It's also entertaining as hell, with a slow burn as the crew is at first blissfully ignorant of the inhibition-inhibiting compound brought aboard and then having to deal with the resulting chaos. Sulu's descent into madness is charming, and George Takei was always at his most charismatic when he got to play unhinged. Sadly, neither Uhura nor Rand's secret selves get explored, and poor Chapel is reduced to pining for Spock as her primary character trait for most of the series.

The only weak spot here is that the "science" part of science fiction went out of the airlock. A collapsing planet is as preposterous an idea as the notion that the Enterprise is forced to constantly alter its orbit to study it. But guest crewman Kevin Riley is fun, and Scotty gets two great lines here, the first being, "I can't change the laws of physics," and the second an example of technobabble that's simple and audience-friendly: "You can't mix matter and antimatter cold!"

6. The Devil in the Dark (Season 1, Episode 25)

"The Devil in the Dark" is unique for being the only one to open with no sign of the Enterprise or her crew. Effectively a redo of series opener "The Man Trap," this episode succeeds where its predecessor fails not merely because the crew act more rationally but because a narrative twist turns the titular "Devil" into a sympathetic character. The Kirk-Spock dynamic is on fine display here as Spock first wishes to capture the creature alive and Kirk wants it dead, but Spock's feelings for his captain override his desire for scientific knowledge the instant he believes Kirk is in danger. 

Spock urges his captain to "kill it!" even as Kirk susses out that the creature may be more than a monster. This is the first instance of Spock mind-melding with a wholly alien life form, a gimmick that would be taken to preposterous extremes in "Star Trek: The Motion Picture." Leonard Nimoy's "pain!" emoting is a bit over the top even for the time and keeps the episode out of the top five. Otherwise, he and William Shatner display the chemistry that made the show work even when the scripts let them down. This script does not let them down.

5. Journey to Babel (Season 2, Episode 10)

This world-building episode fires on all cylinders and never misses a beat. If writers then or now needed a model for how to write "Star Trek," this is it, and it's hands down the best episode penned by Dorothy "D.C." Fontana. There's a story conflict as the Enterprise ferries quarrelsome ambassadors and their aides to the titular "Babel" conference over a matter of Federation business. There's an interpersonal conflict between not just Spock and his parents but also between Spock and Kirk and Bones over relinquishing command. 

There's physical conflict as ambassadors brawl, one is murdered, and Kirk is ambushed and wounded. We meet lots of aliens, see a bit of galactic politics, and get a nail-biter of a finish as McCoy tries to perform delicate surgery while Kirk struggles to keep it together amidst attacks by a seemingly unstoppable, unknown ship.

Mark Lenard returns not as a Romulan but as Spock's Vulcan father, Ambassador Sarek, who picks up on Leonard Nimoy's Vulcan portrayal and crafts one uniquely his own. Memorable too is Reggie Nalder, whose burn-scarred face and Austrian accent accentuate his alienness in the role of the blue-skinned Andorian delegate Thelev and established Andorians as Federation members , who would not be explored on TV for decades. Spock's family drama is a bit conventional for an alien culture, and just a dash more of the Vulcan alienness we got in Ted Sturgeon's "Amok Time" would have made this perfect.

4. The Enemy Within (Season 1, episode 5)

With a script that takes a pinch of "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and adds a dash of "All About Eve," "The Enemy Within" really delivers on the "Star Trek" promise to be an "adult" show by exploring the uncomfortable idea that even the noblest have a dark side and that our shadow selves are necessary parts of being human. The scenes with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy crackle with intellectual and emotional tension, and Spock finding Kirk's condition so "fascinating" neatly propels the drama while hinting at his own duality. William Shatner's twin performances as the understated compassionate Kirk and the scenery-chewing "imposter" demonstrate his range.

A few missteps are the weird editing — where events happen out of order, such as when Spock states they have an intruder aboard long after they've established the transporter duplicated the dog-thing — Rand being expected to stand up for herself in front of her alleged attacker, Kirk, and the silliness of Spock reporting that the malfunctioning transporter duplicated the thermal heaters beamed down and not thinking to beam down blankets or other insulation to help keep the stranded Sulu and company from becoming human popsicles. Additionally, Spock's closing crack at Rand about the imposter's qualities was and remains cringeworthy.

3. Mirror Mirror (Season 2, Episode 4)

This is the poster child for episodes that manage to become classics despite the premise being as dumb as a box of rocks. Absolutely nothing about the scenario makes a lick of sense. There's a parallel universe where all the same people end up on the same ship despite having vastly different histories and a culture of assassination. The starships in both universes happen to be on the same planet and beaming the same four people at the exact same time, and our parallel-universe leaping characters and their barbaric counterparts somehow switch wardrobes — and presumably underwear — mid-transporter beam.

What saves it is the sheer entertainment value of this gaudier imperial Starfleet and the skewed versions of familiar regulars inhabiting it. Evil Sulu's a sweaty seducer, mirror Chekov is a back-stabbing opportunist, and bearded Spock was a meme before we knew we had memes. The best Uhura performance can be found here, and Nichelle Nichols should be remembered for this over that overrated and involuntary interracial kiss. The only thing that could have made it better was had Yeoman Rand been brought back as "the Captain's Woman." The big speech to mirror Spock about the illogic of waste is Kirk at his Kirkiest, and that's the perfect capper on a perfectly entertaining classic that ranks right near the top.

2. Amok Time (Season 2, Episode 1)

The Vulcan episode to rule them all is one of those rare world-building episodes of the original series, except here the strange new world is Spock's home planet. Vulcan civilization is memorably introduced in a most unexpected way — by demonstrating that the coolly logical Spock is anything but when it's time to swim upstream and spawn. However, Spock's mate-to-be, T'Pring , employs the logic our Vulcan hero adores in order to escape her obligations to him and make her own choices. 

Everything about the scenes on Vulcan works splendidly, from matriarch T'Pau's officiating and T'Pring's challenge to the big Kirk-Spock battle. Okay, and the wonderful and memorable OTT music is the icing on the cake. The first half on the Enterprise has some nice comic moments, as well as some solid Kirk-Spock-McCoy interaction, but as with many episodes where a mystery is involved, the tension of the first half doesn't play quite as well on repeat viewings. 

Fortunately, the drama and conflict on Vulcan are top-notch and hold up. The punchline in sickbay is a classic because the bigger the dramatic tension, the bigger the comic release, and given all the action on the planet, the funny tag feels totally earned for a change.

1. The City on the Edge of Forever (Season 1, Episode 28)

No surprise here, as it tops a great many lists, but "The City on the Edge of Forever" excels not only because the core drama is compelling but because of the care with which it was put together. The most expensive regular production episode of the series, all the money is up there on the screen, from the period costumes to the backlot shooting, new sets, stock footage, and the flashing Guardian time donut. William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley are all in fine form here. Guest star Joan Collins isn't great, but she's fine.

Story-wise, the fish-out-of-water situation, the incredibly high stakes, and the crushing inevitable tragedy make this the exemplary segment. Even gutted by ham-fisted staff rewrites by the "Trek" staff (in my opinion), Harlan Ellison's core story premise remains moving in spite of the on-the-nose sermon by Edith, the racist joke at Spock's expense, and the complete absence of the tragic Trooper character on whom the irony of who amongst us "matters" hinged. Kirk's episode-closing "let's get the hell out of here" was not any kind of TV first, but it was the perfect minimalist button that the story needed. What more was there to say?

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The 10 standout episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series

Ready to explore (or revisit) strange new worlds and smart sci-fi adventure? Launch into the Final Frontier with our list of 10 essential episodes of the original Star Trek.

A five-year mission that's now headed into its seventh decade, the Star Trek franchise is still boldly going where no one has gone before. More installments of the franchise are on air then ever, with something to offer almost every Trekkie in its rapidly expanding universe. However, Star Trek: The Original Series is the big bang that started it all. Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future — produced by Lucille Ball , no less — debuted in September of 1966 and ran for three seasons on NBC before finding new life in syndication.

While the series' Prime Directive seemed to be shredding Capt. Kirk's shirt as often as possible, our mission is to represent a variety of agreed upon classics from the U.S.S. Enterprise's maiden voyage that would delight both the original and next generation of fans.

So fire up your favorite snacks in the replicator, silence your tricorder, and beam on down our list of the 10 must-watch episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series , all of which are available to stream in remastered form on Paramount + .

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" (Season 1, episode 3)

After the Enterprise goes through an energy rift at the edge of the galaxy, Captain Kirk's ( William Shatner ) friend and shipmate, Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), begins to develop terrifying ESP abilities that grow stronger by the minute. As he makes the transition from man to "god," he becomes increasingly more dangerous and detached from humanity. Ship psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Dehner ( Sally Kellerman ) believes his mutation can help mankind evolve, but Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) is adamant he must be killed before he destroys them all. Will Kirk choose his best friend over the best interests of his crew — and the universe?

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is most famous for being the second pilot filmed for the series, and introducing viewers to Captain James T. Kirk, Chief Engineer Scotty (James Doohan), and Lieutenant Sulu ( George Takei ). It's also just a great hour of sci-fi storytelling. This superior first episode seamlessly mixes action, high stakes emotions, and tough ethical questions, setting the blueprint for the franchise.

"The City on the Edge of Forever" (Season 1, episode 28)

When a time disruption from a nearby planet rocks the Enterprise, Dr. McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ) — aka Bones — accidentally injects himself with an overdose of a dangerous drug. Driven mad, he flees to the planet below and goes through the time warp, changing history and erasing the Federation of Planets from existence. Kirk and Spock follow him to set things right, and find themselves in 1930s Depression-era New York.

As they search for Bones, Kirk meets and falls in love with a social worker named Edith Wheeler ( Joan Collins ) whose fate, it turns out, will determine the course of humanity. Once again, Kirk must choose between someone he loves and the greater good. One of Trek 's most emotionally charged hours, "The City on the Edge of Forever" — scripted by Harlan Ellison — is considered by many to be the greatest episode of all-time.

"Space Seed" (Season 1, episode 22)

The Enterprise team stumbles upon the marooned S.S. Botany Bay in deep space and awakens the crew from suspended animation. They soon discover these lost spacefarers were exiled from Earth during the infamous Eugenics Wars of the 1990s, and our heroes have unwittingly unleashed a genetically enhanced super-tyrant named Khan Noonien Singh ( Ricardo Montalban ) in the 23rd century.

Montalban's magnetic, calculating would-be-ruler serves as a perfect foil for Shatner's compassionate, tactical Kirk, leading to a great one-on-one showdown between the two for control of the ship. This season one episode is the introduction of the series' most infamous villain, who 15 years later will headline Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , widely regarded as the best film in the franchise.

"Amok Time" (Season 2, episode 1)

Kirk vs. Spock! Kirk's shirt ripped open (again)! Spock in heat! This episode has everything a fan of the duo that launched a thousand slash fics could want. Every seven years, a Vulcan must return home for an ancient mating ceremony called "pon farr." When Kirk and Bones accompany him, they find themselves dealing with (farr) more than they bargained for when the Captain is forced to battle Spock in a ritual fight to the death.

In addition to the showdown between the leads, "Amok Time" has several other firsts: the first use of the Vulcan Salute, the first appearance of Ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), and the first glimpse of the planet Vulcan itself. This perennial favorite is also heavily referenced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' fifth episode — titled " Spock Amok " — on Paramount +.

"Mirror, Mirror" (Season 2, episode 4)

An away team consisting of Kirk, Bones, Uhura ( Nichelle Nichols ), and Scotty are sent to an alternate dimension when they are caught in an ion storm mid-transport. This "mirror" dimension is populated by violent doppelgangers of the Enterprise crew who serve the Terran Empire instead of the Federation of Planets. The foursome must navigate the cutthroat nature of this universe and find a way back before their secret is exposed — all while surviving a mutiny to overthrow this reality's Kirk. Hip daggers, bare midriffs, and Spock's goatee are just a few of the signs that things in this universe are askew.

Although Evil Bearded Spock is certainly fun to see, George Takei gives the standout performance as a delightfully evil Sulu, complete with a badass facial scar. This episode is a highlight of the original series and forms the foundation for several stories in future Trek franchises like Deep Space Nine , Enterprise , and Discovery .

"The Trouble with Tribbles" (Season 2, episode 15)

A fan favorite episode, "The Trouble with Tribbles" is a comedic left turn that shouldn't work, but absolutely does. Starring adorable little furballs who are "born pregnant" and multiply at a rapid pace, this zany hour allows the heady sci-fi questions of morality to take a back seat in favor of punchlines and hijinks.

The actual plot of the episode revolves around Kirk protecting a supply of space grain essential to Starfleet's sovereignty over a contested planet. The fun begins, however, when Uhura picks up one of the tiny tribbles while on shore leave at Space Station K-7 and unleashes an infestation on every corner of the Enterprise — including Kirk's lunch. The Captain's exasperated responses to the growing tribble crisis are comedy gold, especially as he seems to be the only one immune to their cooing charms. "Tribbles" also features a fantastic slapstick bar fight between Scotty, Chekov, and a handful of Klingon officers for the honor of the Enterprise. This episode is a fun detour into the lighter side of the crew's five-year mission.

"Balance of Terror" (Season 1, episode 14)

Kirk and company find themselves in an action-packed showdown with the Romulans when they investigate a mysterious loss of communication with Federation outposts near the Neutral Zone. Despite a history of war with Earth, no one has ever laid eyes on an actual member of their species — until now.

As the Romulans are believed to be the violent cousins of the Vulcans, Spock becomes the subject of suspicion and xenophobia from some of the crew — particularly Lt. Stiles (guest star Paul Comi) — whose ancestors were killed in the Earth-Romulan War. The story's point-of-view shifts between the two vessels, allowing the viewer to see that the warring foes are more alike than they realize.

This season one classic features the first appearance of the Romulans — who will go on to be recurring antagonists for the heroes of the franchise. Also, keep an eye out for actor Mark Lenard as the Romulan Commander. He'll return to the series in a recurring role as Spock's father.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" (Season 1, episode 10)

While exploring an uncharted area of space, the Enterprise is pursued by a mysterious cube emitting harmful radiation. To protect themselves, they lay waste to it, and incur the wrath of Balok, commander of a technologically superior alien race. He takes control of the Enterprise's systems and declares the ship, and everyone onboard, will be destroyed in 10 minutes. A tense hour with a really wild twist ending, this installment showcases Kirk's ingenuity and characteristic refusal to lose — one of the many times the Captain will boldy bluff where no man has bluffed before.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" is also the first time DeForest Kelley (McCoy) and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) played their iconic characters, although they appear earlier in the series due to NBC originally airing episodes out of production order.

"The Doomsday Machine" (Season 2, episode 6)

Our intrepid explorers receive a distress signal from fellow Starfleet ship the U.S.S. Constellation and rush to its aid. Upon arrival, they find Commodore Matthew Decker (William Windom) — the ship's commander and sole survivor — wracked with guilt and suffering from PTSD. Decker's entire crew was annihilated by a massive energy weapon of unknown origin that destroyed the entire star system.

Pulling rank, he takes command of his rescuer's ship, and puts the crew of the Enterprise in the crosshairs of the unstoppable world-killing device. Kirk, marooned on Decker's derelict starship, must figure out a way to rescue the Enterprise from both the machine and an out-of-control superior officer. Introducing a planet-ending energy weapon 10 years before Star Wars , this episode features a real nail-biter of an ending.

Fun fact for the continuity-conscious : Decker's son, Willard Decker ( Stephen Collins ), will play a prominent role in 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

"Arena" (Season 1, episode 18)

Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones, and an unfortunate " Redshirt " arrive at the Cestus III Outpost for a diplomatic mission and find it annihilated by an alien race called the Gorn. Seeking revenge, Kirk pushes the Enterprise to pursue the Gorn starship and destroy it. The chase leads into an unmapped sector of space ruled by a powerful force calling themselves the Metrons. Outraged by the brutality of both ships, the Metrons force the two captains to settle their dispute in a fight to the death on a desert planet. The winner will leave the sector unharmed, while the loser, and their crew, will die.

The bulk of this episode involves William Shatner being chased by an actor in a giant rubber lizard suit — and honestly, it rules. Yes, the suit looks goofy, but the showdown is fun as hell and the message of the story is classic Star Trek : sometimes there is more going on beneath the surface than we realize. Very few Star Trek villains are ever just one-dimensional bad guys, and the Gorn are no exception.

Fun fact : Ted Cassidy, who provides the voice for the Gorn captain, also provided the voice of Balok in "The Corbomite Maneuver."

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25 Best Star Trek TOS Episodes: Consensus-Classics Chronology

1. Star Trek

Where no man has gone before.

2. Star Trek

The enemy within.

3. Star Trek

Mudd's women.

4. Star Trek

The corbomite maneuver.

5. Star Trek

The menagerie: part i.

6. Star Trek

The menagerie: part ii.

7. Star Trek

Balance of terror.

8. Star Trek

Shore leave.

9. Star Trek

10. Star Trek

11. Star Trek

This side of paradise.

12. Star Trek

The devil in the dark.

13. Star Trek

The city on the edge of forever.

14. Star Trek

15. Star Trek

Mirror, mirror.

16. Star Trek

The doomsday machine.

17. Star Trek

Metamorphosis.

18. Star Trek

Journey to babel.

19. Star Trek

The trouble with tribbles.

20. Star Trek

The enterprise incident.

21. Star Trek

Day of the dove.

22. Star Trek

The tholian web.

23. Star Trek

24. Star Trek

Requiem for methuselah.

25. Star Trek

All our yesterdays, more to explore, recently viewed.

10 best Star Trek episodes, according to the fans

Convention-going Star Trek fans sort through the highlights from across the entire television franchise to seek out the single greatest Trek episode ever aired.

Dax and Sisko rock original-series uniforms in "Trials and Tribble-ations."

On Friday, the Star Trek 50th anniversary convention in Las Vegas came alive with passionate debate as Star Trek fans bantered their way through a discussion of the worst episodes Trek ever committed to film . There's another side to that equation. Star Trek is also full of episodes that stand among the best in television. As tight as the race was for worst episode, the competition for the finest is even tougher.

I have my personal favorites. "City on the Edge of Forever" from the original series has stayed with me since I first saw it as a child. I can feel the heart-rending moment when Kirk stops McCoy from saving Edith Keeler. "Yesterday's Enterprise" from "The Next Generation" showcases Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan and also offers a much more satisfying wrap-up for Tasha Yar's story than she got from her untimely and pointless death in season 1.

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My dark-horse candidate for a Top 10 episode is the thoroughly entertaining "Trials and Tribble-ations" from "Deep Space Nine." It combines footage from the original "The Trouble with Tribbles" with an adventure featuring the "DS9" cast going back in time. It's got old-school uniforms, fun crossover action and plenty of cooing tribbles.

Jordan Hoffman, a writer for StarTrek.com and host of Engage: The Official Star Trek Podcast , led the discussion, organized the nominations and directed the passionate conversation as we whittled down the candidates. Spirited arguments led to this final consensus. Every episode on the list is fantastic, but the ultimate champion is deserving of its spot:

Click for full coverage.

10. The Magnificent Ferengi (Deep Space Nine) 9. In a Mirror, Darkly (Enterprise) 8. Balance of Terror (Original Series) 7. Chain of Command (Next Generation) 6. The Visitor (Deep Space Nine) 5. Yesterday's Enterprise (Next Generation) 4. Amok Time (Original Series) 3. The Inner Light (Next Generation) 2. In the Pale Moonlight (Deep Space Nine) 1. City on the Edge of Forever (Original Series)

It's interesting to note that "The Trouble with Tribbles" clung onto the No. 10 spot until the very end, when fans voted it out and replaced it with "The Magnificent Ferengi" from "Deep Space Nine." It was close.

"City on the Edge of Forever" makes for a nice counterpoint to the fans' choice of the series-ending stinker "These are the Voyages" from "Enterprise" as the worst episode. As bad as "Voyages" was, "City" represents one of Trek's finest moments. It's a love story. It has time travel. It has a great sacrifice. And it's a shining example of the chemistry and camaraderie between Trek's lead trio of Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

Fans' choice for the Top 10 Trek episodes.

• The Inventory

The Top 100 Star Trek Episodes Of All Time!

Star Trek gave us six TV series, spanning over 700 episodes, because it's such a rich universe. And a Federation starship is the perfect vehicle to tell unforgettable stories. But which Star Trek stories are the best? To find out, we painstakingly compiled the 100 greatest Trek episodes, from any of the series.

What makes for a great Star Trek episode? Obviously, the fun quotient has to be high, and there need to be awesome character moments. But I'd argue that a really notable Trek story explores some ideas, or some ethical quandaries, in a way that sticks with you after you're done watching. If one thing has defined Trek throughout its run, it's that.

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So here's our list of the 100 best Star Trek episodes. Please let us know which episodes we missed, or ranked incorrectly!

Warning: some spoilers below, although we try not to give away all the plot twists.

100) Bride of Chaotica! (Star Trek: Voyager) - A hilarious pastiche of old-school science fiction serials, this story puts the Voyager crew in the middle of a space-opera fantasy gone very, very wrong.

99) day of the dove (star trek) - an alien entity wants the enterprise crew and some klingons to slaughter each other, and kirk has nearly as much trouble with his own crew as with the "enemy.", 98) paradise (star trek: deep space nine) - sisko and o'brien find themselves in a "perfect" society where no technology functions, and the society's matriarch tests sisko's will with some pretty brutal treatment., 97) borderland/cold station 12/the augments (enterprise) - in this three-part episode, we delve into the past of khan noonien singh's genetically augmented crew, and also meet the ancestor of data's creator. and connecting those two dots allows the story to get into some weird questions about the nature of "superior" people., 96) lineage (star trek: voyager) - b'elanna and tom are expecting a baby... but maybe they can genetically engineer it to be more human and less klingon more than any episode about khan's people, this episode digs into the thorny ethics of eugenics., 95) the most toys (star trek: the next generation) - data is taken prisoner by an unscrupulous collector, and the android finds out just how far he's willing to go to win his freedom., 94) disaster (star trek: the next generation) - a calamity cuts off the different sections of the ship from each other, leaving deanna troi in charge, and worf having to deliver a baby., 93) future's end (star trek: voyager) - an evil bill gates-type in the 1990s has gotten hold of a 29th century ship, and even the voyager crew might not be able to keep him from changing history., 92) the magnificent ferengi (star trek: deep space nine) - of all ds9 's "ferengi comedy" episodes, this is one of the funniest — quark has to rescue his mother from the dominion, but everything goes absolutely pear-shaped and quark has to improvise., 91) the killing game (star trek: voyager) - the hirogen love to hunt, so what could be better than turning voyager into a recreation of world war ii (lots of things. but that's what they do, anyway.), 90) booby trap (star trek: the next generation) - the enterprise is trapped in a weird space trap, and geordi can't find a solution until he makes himself a new colleague... who's the woman of geordi's dreams., 89) court martial (star trek) - kirk is put on trial, and along the way he shows what it really takes to command a starship., 88) favor the bold/sacrifice of angels (star trek: deep space nine) - this episode is a turning point in the "dominion war" arc. but more to the point, it features a ginormous, amazing space battle, featuring hundreds of starships., 87) déjà q (star trek: the next generation) - q has lost his powers, and now he's learning to cope with being human. if he can survive the wrath of guinan, that is., 86) memorial (star trek: voyager) - voyager was at its best when coping with strange thought experiments, and here's a doozy: a memorial forces you to experience a terrible war first-hand. should it be allowed to remain operational, 85) little green men (star trek: deep space nine) - quark gets stranded on mid-20th century earth, and for once even he can't figure out how to profit from this, in a hilariously weird episode., 84) parallels (star trek: the next generation) - worf keeps jumping to various (and highly entertaining) alternate realities, showing how different his life could be with just a few changes., 83) timeless (star trek: voyager) - one of the many "alternate future crewmembers averting a past tragedy" storylines, this one features the beautiful image of voyager crashed into an ice planet, and chakotay going to extremes to save his friends., 82) conundrum (star trek: the next generation) - the entire crew of the enterprise suffers memory loss, but luckily first officer macduff is here to help. when their identities are stripped away, will the starfleet officers still do the right thing, 81) the enemy within (star trek) - the one where kirk gets split into good and evil versions by a transporter accident — richard matheson's script manages to get into some thorny questions about the nature of evil., 80) the wounded (star trek: the next generation) - the federation is trying really hard to have peace with the cardassians, but some people in starfleet aren't quite so ready to forgive and forget... and it's up to picard to help out his enemies., 79) i, mudd (star trek) - the most famous rogue in star trek has landed in a great spot — surrounded by beautiful androids who cater to his every whim. except that he can't leave., 78) remember me (star trek: the next generation) - dr. crusher is faced with a mystery that gets at her fear of abandonment, but also questions of existence, when people start vanishing around her., 77) our man bashir (star trek: deep space nine) - the goofiest of ds9 episodes (well, one of the goofiest) sees bashir stuck in a holosuite program where he's a james bond-style spy., 76) wolf in the fold (star trek) - mr. scott is accused of being a serial killer... but the truth is a lot more bizarre., 75) the raven (star trek: voyager) - one of the best "seven of nine tries to become more human" episodes actually sees her coping with her memories of being part of the borg., 74) living witness (star trek: voyager) - hundreds of years after voyager visit a planet, its crew are remembered as war criminals, as shown in a historical reenactment., 73) family (star trek: the next generation) - this episode is revolutionary, purely because it shows the consequences of a big "event" episode — picard is still shaken by his experiences with the borg, when he goes home to visit his family., 72) who mourns for morn (star trek: deep space nine) - the barfly who hangs out in quark's bar has apparently died, but will quark really inherit all his worldly goods, 71) a piece of the action (star trek) - one of many "visiting earth's past on another planet" episodes, this is the funniest and also the most trenchant. kirk and friends have to outwit a whole planet of gangsters, while teaching them the arcane game of fizzbin., 70) sarek (star trek: the next generation) - peter s. beagle wrote this episode where spock's father reappears, and he's not the vulcan he used to be — a bittersweet exploration of aging and loss., 69) what you leave behind (star trek: deep space nine) - the ds9 finale packs a lot of punches, including the final showdown with the dominion, and sisko embracing his destiny., 68) tin man (star trek: the next generation) - a powerful betazoid telepath is obsessed with a giant sentient spaceship, but also develops a friendship with data, the only person whose thoughts he can't read., 67) errand of mercy (star trek) - the first klingon episode is also the most daring, as kirk is portrayed as being nearly as warlike as his foes, in the face of godlike pacifist aliens., 66) dark frontier (star trek: voyager) - seven of nine starts to remember her past before she became a borg drone, as janeway schemes to steal from the borg., 65) in purgatory's shadow/by inferno's light (star trek: deep space nine) - one of the most shocking of the "dominion war" storylines, this two-parter reveals a terrible secret about bashir, and changes the balance of power in the alpha quadrant., 64) the slaver weapon (star trek: the animated series) - written by larry niven, this episode sees the enterprise crew meeting the kzinti... and dealing with a self-aware ultimate weapon., 63) assignment: earth (star trek) - kirk and spock go back to the 1960s, but they're not the only interloper. this was the "backdoor pilot" for a spin-off show that never happened, but it's still bizarrely entertaining in its own right., 62) cause and effect (star trek: the next generation) - the one where the enterprise keeps blowing up over and over. the most explosive, bewildering time loop ever., 61) course: oblivion (star trek: voyager) - these alternate versions of a starship crew aren't evil — just very, very fragile. this is one of those episodes whose nihilism makes it almost like a weird dream., 60) shore leave (star trek) - one of the goofiest original-series episodes also has a major dark side, as the crew arrives on a planet where anything they imagine can become real. anything., 59) the quickening (star trek: deep space nine) - dr. bashir's miracle-worker image faces an extra challenge when he faces a genetically-engineered plague., 58) dagger of the mind (star trek) - in the federation's utopian future, the rehabilitation of criminals is much more humane. much, much more humane. the psychological cruelty in this one is actually pretty intense., 57) the sound of her voice (star trek: deep space nine) - everybody falls in love with a stranded starfleet captain who's sent out a distress call. but can she be saved, 56) tuvix (star trek: voyager) - the voyager crew face another huge ethical conundrum... and arguably, this time they choose wrong., 55) the pegasus (star trek: the next generation) - riker's long-buried secret comes to light, and he's forced to lie to captain picard., 54) caretaker (star trek: voyager) - greg cox argued (in our comments) this is the best first episode of any trek, and he has a point: it shows captain janeway making two tough choices: stranding her crew, and adopting a crew of rebels., 53) the conscience of the king (star trek) - this episode about a shakespearean actor who may be a legendary mass murderer is also our first glimpse of the flaws in trek 's perfect future., 52) relics (star trek: the next generation) - old starfleet engineers never die — they just come back decades later, eager to tinker with another warp engine., 51) necessary evil (star trek: deep space nine) - the best of the episodes about the shapeshifting odo doing detective work, because his digging turns out to reveal some dark secrets., 50) i borg (star trek: the next generation) - another episode with a guest star who poses a huge ethical question — the enterprise finds a disconnected borg drone, and tries to turn him into a weapon., 49) the wire (star trek: deep space nine) - the mysterious garak finally has to reveal a little bit about his past to his friend dr. bashir, to save his life — but which stories are lies, and which ones are true or is there really any difference, 48) the enterprise incident (star trek) - kirk and spock pull an elaborate hustle on the romulans, in an episode that shows just how unethical our heroes are prepared to be., 47) perfect mate (star trek: the next generation) - picard falls for a woman (famke janssen) who is destined to marry a warlord in an arranged marriage, and he has to put his feelings aside for the sake of peace., 46) blink of an eye (star trek: voyager) - in yet another high-concept voyager outing, the starship appears in the sky over a planet for a relatively brief time, but that's long enough for it to loom over the life and death of an entire civilization., 45) dear doctor (enterprise) - doctor phlox relates his experience dealing with a plague affecting a relatively primitive planet, which turns out to pose an impossible dilemma., 44) it's only a paper moon (star trek: deep space nine) - like "family," this is an episode that takes a hard look at the process of recovering from trauma... and doesn't sugar-coat the truth., 43) obsession (star trek) - kirk's judgment is called into question when he becomes fixated on revenge, showing once again just how dangerous an out-of-control captain can be., 42) hard time (star trek: deep space nine) - the best of the many "let's torture o'brien" episodes, in which he receives false memories of 20 years of imprisonment., 41) rocks and shoals (star trek: deep space nine) - sisko's crew are stranded on a planet with some of the enemy jem'hadar... and the jem'hadar's unquestioning drug-induced loyalty is put to the test, horribly., 40) in a mirror darkly, parts 1 & 2 (enterprise) - the best of the "mirror universe" sequels, this episode shows us a more unscrupulous version of jonathan archer... who's just inherited a federation ship from the future., 39) journey to babel (star trek) - most notable for introducing us to spock's parents, this episode also shows a federation diplomatic mission gone horribly wrong., 38) the way of the warrior (star trek: deep space nine) - with the federation facing war with the dominion, it's a good thing the klingons are here to help. except sometimes your allies can be more dangerous than your enemies., 37) lower decks (star trek: the next generation) - this episode follows four junior officers aboard the enterprise, and lets us see the command staff through the eyes of their underlings., 36) galileo seven (star trek) - a shuttlecraft full of people is stranded on a planet, and it appears that not all of them can survive. good thing spock is in charge, and he has zero hesitation about making the tough call... right, 35) inter arma silent leges (star trek: deep space nine) - bashir has always wanted to play at being a spy... so how does he like doing it in real life one of the episodes that exposes the terrible underbelly of the federation., 34) the drumhead (star trek: the next generation) - an admiral subjects the enterprise to an inquisition, and starts finding conspiracies behind every bulkhead, providing an object lesson in the dangers of paranoia., 33) twilight (enterprise) - in the future, archer has dementia, and the human race has lost a devastating war. and both things are equally terrible to behold., 32) trials and tribble-ations (star trek: deep space nine) - one of several time-travel episodes, this one sends sisko's officers back to the original series episode "the trouble with tribbles," and provides a great love letter to trek 's history., 31) call to arms (star trek: deep space nine) - this is the one where sisko makes the tough choices, and a highly symbolic baseball is the only hint of sisko's endgame., 30) yesteryear (star trek: the animated series) - spock travels back in time and saves himself as a young boy on vulcan, in an episode that reveals a lot about spock's life., 29) the void (star trek: voyager) - when voyager gets trapped in a pocket space with a bunch of other ships that prey on each other, janeway has to convince everybody to work together to escape. janeway's finest hour., 28) homefront/paradise lost (star trek: deep space nine) - nowadays, everybody trots out the "security versus freedom" question, but ds9 asked it first, and best, with this story of paranoia about shapeshifters in starfleet., 27) where no man has gone before (star trek) - the second star trek pilot is the best, facing kirk with an impossible choice: condemn his friend to death, or risk his entire ship., 26) the year of hell parts 1 &2 (star trek: voyager) - the luckiest ship in the delta quadrant finally has really, really bad luck., 25) the offspring (star trek: the next generation) - data creates an android daughter for himself, but some miracles are too great to last., 24) duet (star trek: deep space nine) - kira suspects that a visiting cardassian is actually a notorious war criminal, and she's willing to go to insane lengths to prove it., 23) the equinox (star trek: voyager) - captain janeway's determination to uphold federation principles far from home looks a lot more impressive when you meet another starfleet crew that compromised, really badly., 22) tapestry (star trek: the next generation) - picard is dying of an old wound caused by his recklessness, so q shows him what his life would be like if he'd played it safe., 21) arena (star trek) - kirk faces two impossible challenges: making a weapon from scratch, and upholding his values in the face of a murderous gorn., 20) measure of a man (star trek: the next generation) - putting data on "trial" to see if he's a person raises fascinating questions, but the best part is riker's total ruthlessness as prosecutor., 19) yesterday's enterprise (star trek: the next generation) - the enterprise finds itself in an alternate universe, and restoring the original timeline will come at a high cost., 18) the doomsday machine (star trek) - kirk faces the ultimate weapon, but his real nightmare is an unhinged superior officer taking command of the enterprise., 17) the siege of ar-558 (star trek: deep space nine) - lots of ds9 episodes explored the notion that war is hell, but this one made it visceral and unforgettable., 16) devil in the dark (star trek) - the classic star trek scenario: a story in which the "monster" is misunderstood, and ignorant humans are the real danger., 15) space seed (star trek) - the only trek episode to get a movie sequel, this story introduces a suave former dictator who's a perfect foil for kirk., 14) the corbomite maneuver (star trek) - this episode isn't named after the villain or the mcguffin, but after kirk's cunning gambit — with good reason. never play poker with kirk., 13) far beyond the stars (star trek: deep space nine) - sisko hallucinates he's a pulp science fiction author writing about the impossible: a black captain named ben sisko., 12) amok time (star trek) - our first visit to spock's homeworld also shows how friendship and cunning are more powerful than mating rituals and ancient traditions., 11) chain of command (star trek: the next generation) - picard is captured by a ruthless cardassian torturer — and gets pushed to his limits., 10) mirror, mirror (star trek) - meeting alternate crewmembers, including bearded spock, is cool — but the fascinating part is seeing our heroes try to pretend to be barbarians., 9) all good things (star trek: the next generation) - the best q story sees picard tested at three points in his life, with the whole universe in the balance., 8) the inner light (star trek: the next generation) - picard lives a whole life on a doomed planet, and becomes a living memorial, with just a flute as souvenir., 7) in the pale moonlight (star trek: deep space nine) - how far will sisko go to get the romulans to join the war all the way., 6) the trouble with tribbles (star trek) - the funniest trek , it also faces kirk with the most insidious threat: an organism that's born pregnant., 5) darmok (star trek: the next generation) - quibble about the alien language all you want, this parable of learning to communicate remains powerful., 4) the visitor (star trek: deep space nine) - jake sisko has grown old as a famous writer, but he's willing to give it all up to save his father in the past. absolutely beautiful., 3) city on the edge of forever (star trek) - kirk, spock and mccoy visit the 1930s, and kirk faces an impossible choice that proves time travel is heart-breaking., 2) the best of both worlds (star trek: the next generation) - the borg turn picard into their mouthpiece, and our heroes nearly lose., 1) balance of terror (star trek) - kirk's battle of wits with a romulan is spellbinding, but so is the exploration of prejudice, and the idea that noble people fight on both sides..

Portions of this list originally appeared in a "top 10" list back in 2011. Thanks to everybody who suggested stuff for this list over at the Observation Deck , especially Pessimippopotamus , Dr Emilio Lizardo , Erodgenator , JurassicBark , omgwtflolbbqbye , Gilese , Ghost in the Machine , Quasi Hatrack , KeithA0000 , LizTaylorsEarrings , MasterChef_117 , Kegg , Robert James , Poet Desmond , Erinaceus , Onelittledetail , Pie 'oh' Pah , Fauxcused , Terror and Love , Buck-Bokai , McGiggins , cohentheboybarian , Maveritchell , hyattch , Mudbud , sbtblab , Siete Ocho , Eesti , WiessCrack , Steven Lyle Jordan , tsalonich , llaalleell , KKGrotto , KiraNerys42 , owensa42 , Indiebear , tetanusRacing , Max Hansen , Kevin Bradley and everybody else who contributed. Thanks!

The 10 Best Star Trek The Next Generation Episodes, Ranked

The Star Trek franchise has been a part of pop culture for over 50 years and, thanks to new entries like Star Trek: Discovery and Lower Decks, is having a bit of a renaissance. Perhaps the most famous and well-loved of the canon is Star Trek: The Next Generation. With the launch of Paramount+ on March 4th, you’ll be able to boldly go and stream the entire Star Trek library, so let’s take a look back at some of the best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes you’ll be able to beam up to your device from the new streamer.

10. Sins of the Father - Season 3, Episode 17

Worf journeys to the Klingon homeworld of Q’onoS (pronounced Kronos, naturally) to clear his long-dead father’s name of treason. Until Star Trek: The Next Generation , Klingons were the franchise’s chief villain. Known mostly for their warrior and brutish status, “Sins of the Father” starts to flesh out these fan favorite aliens with plenty of politicking and intrigue, including the first appearance of Worf’s secret brother, played by the Candyman himself, Tony Todd. Ultimately, Worf must sacrifice his honor and family name for the sake of the Klingon Empire, which would have lasting repercussions throughout all seven seasons of The Next Generation and into Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

9. Data’s Day - Season 4, Episode 11

Chief O’Brien’s wedding to Keiko. Gift shopping with Worf at the replicator. Learning to dance with Dr. Crusher. This is “Data’s Day.” This Season 4 episode takes a look at a day in the life aboard a starship when the crew isn’t fending off the Borg or brushing up against the Romulans. A quasi-companion episode to “Measure of a Man,” Data records his observations for Commander Bruce Maddox. In typical Data fashion he has a childlike, inquisitive nature as events unfold around him. The B-plot of this episode is also fun, complete with a Romulan defection.

8. I, Borg - Season 5, Episode 23

The breakout villain of TNG , the Borg are a chilling cybernetic enemy with one mission, assimilation. Part of the brilliance of “I, Borg” is taking everything the audience has learned about the Borg and flipping it on its head. After finding an injured Borg drone, the crew brings it back to the Enterprise. With fresh memories of Picard’s capture and assimilation during “The Best of Both Worlds,” the crew hatches a plan to use this drone to wipe out the entire Borg species. But as the drone spends more time away from the collective, he begins to develop individuality and autonomy, even taking the name, Hugh. A stellar Season 5 episodes that explores prejudices against your enemies and the right choice vs. the easy choice. This episode is also required viewing for fans of Star Trek: Picard.

7. The Measure of A Man - Season 2, Episode 9

Early on in its run, Star Trek: The Next Generation wasn’t exactly known for quality episodes. An early diamond in the rough, however, is Season 2’s “Measure of a Man.” Commander Bruce Maddox wants to disassemble Data to study how he was created, which Picard strenuously objects. At its core a courtroom drama, Picard must defend Data’s right to life before a Starfleet hearing. This is Trek at its very best. Often known for its weighty themes, “Measure of a Man” gets to the very heart of TNG ’s most enduring themes. Humanity, sentience and right to life. What is humanity worth if someone, or something, isn’t entirely human? You may be sensing a theme, but this is another key episode for viewers of Star Trek: Picard .

6. Darmok - Season 5, Episode 2

Even if you’ve never seen a single episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation , you’ve heard the phrase “Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra.” Its near-ubiquity alone is a testament to the strength of this episode. After the Tamarian captain, played by Wrath of Khan’s Paul Winfield, beams himself and Picard to the surface of the nearby planet, Picard first assumes the Tamarian wants battle. In reality, Dathon has brought Picard for a bonding ritual meant to unite the two. What follows is a wonderful episode about communication and trust between two disparate cultures. Although they cannot understand each other the two captains, through common goals and shared respect, eventually overcome the threat before them. More Trek at its absolute Trekkiest.

5. Yesterday’s Enterprise - Season 3, Episode 15

Although TNG never had a traditional Mirror Universe like the original series’ “Mirror, Mirror,” this is the closest we get to one. After the never-before-seen-on-screen Enterprise-C emerges from a temporal rift, the timeline is changed. Now, the Federation has been at an unceasing war with the Klingons, the Enterprise is no longer a ship of exploration, but one of battle. Picard is now hardened by years of conflict. Riker, usually a loyal second in command, is at constant odds with his captain. Tasha Yar, unceremoniously killed off in Season 1, is once again alive in this alternate timeline. Even though this is an alternate timeline episode, there are lasting consequences that reverberate in later seasons, especially “Unification”.

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4. Chain of Command - Season 6, Episodes 10 & 11

Cardassians eventually end up being a primary protagonist in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , but they were first introduced in The Next Generation . This is the first Cardassian-centric episode to showcase how sinister they can truly be. After a secret mission turns out to be a trap, Picard is held captive and tortured by Gul Madred, a Cardassian interrogator. Famous for the meme-worthy “There are four lights!” scene, in the context of this two-parter it’s much more harrowing. David Warner is effecting as Picard’s interrogator, and Patrick Stewart knocks it out of the park as our favorite captain pushed to the breaking point of his resolve and will.

3. All Good Things… - Season 7, Episodes 25 & 26

“All Good Things…” is one of the best series finales in television history. At once a swan song as well as a victory lap, this super sized episode revisits key moments in Star Trek: The Next Generation’s 7 season run. Coming full circle, this episode brings back fan favorite character Q, who resumes his “trial against humanity”, which began in the pilot episode, “Encounter at Farpoint.” Picard finds himself passing through different moments in both his past, present and future.

Old favorites like Tasha Yar and Chief O’Brien appear for one final time. In the future, we find Beverly divorced from Picard, Worf now part of the Klingon Empire and Captain Riker of the Enterprise, hardened over the loss of Deanna Troi. A thrilling adventure through time where Picard will need to have all three Enterprises work together to save all of human existence. In a 2018 interview with EW , Marvel Studios head honcho Kevin Feige cited this finale as a model for Avengers: Infinity War saying, “That to me is one of the best series finale ever. That wasn’t about death. Picard went and played poker with the crew, something he should have done a long time ago, right?” Who’s to argue with Kevin Feige?

2. The Inner Light - Season 5, Episode 25

One of TNG’s most beloved episodes, “The Inner Light” finds Picard living a life not lived. After a mysterious alien probe puts him into a coma, Picard wakes up off of the Enterprise and the strangers around him are all calling him Kamin. Over the course of the episode, years pass and Kamin sees his kids grow up while he grows old. We eventually come to learn that the colony has built a probe with the intention of sending it into space to share their heritage and history with anyone who might stumble upon it. After a flash of white light, Picard wakes up back on the Enterprise and, while he has lived a full life as Kamin is his mind, mere minutes have passed on the ship. Patrick Stewart turns in a wonderful performance playing a gentler family man than we are used to seeing in Picard. This episode fundamentally changes Picard, with ramifications that follow through in “Lessons” and into Star Trek: Generations.

1. The Best of Both Worlds - Season 3, Episode 26 and Season 4, Episode 1

As if any other episode could land the top spot on a Star Trek: The Next Generation best episodes list. Sure, this is the Borg episode where Picard is assimilated and turned into the mouthpiece of the Alpha Quadrant’s greatest threat. The real secret to this episode, though, is that it’s actually all about Riker. It turns out, unbeknownst to Picard, Riker has turned down three promotions to Captain, and it’s beginning to hurt his career. Enter Commander Shelby, played by Brian Dennehy’s daughter, Elizabeth Dennehy, a rising star who is sent to help strategize about the Borg threat. A hot shot who constantly butts heads with Riker, her arrival starts to make the Commander question what he’s even still doing on the Enterprise.

Jonathan Frakes is firing on all cylinders in this two-parter, leading up to the iconic cliffhanger. As the now assimilated Picard appears on the view screen with a threat, the music swells, the camera whips around and acting-Captain Riker utters three words, “Mr Worf. Fire,” and the “to be continued” card appears. The cliffhanger of cliffhangers, this moment is sure to give any TV viewer goosebumps.

The beauty of Star Trek is there’s certainly no shortage of episodes to watch. If you’re looking to binge some on your own, Star Trek: The Next Generation is streaming just about everywhere, including Netflix , Hulu , Amazon Prime and starting March 4th on Paramount+ .

Never not rewatching Mad Men. Lover of comic books and all things related. I spend most of my free time giving medicine to my geriatric cat.

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The 15 greatest Star Trek: Voyager episodes, ranked

Credit: CBS

Star Trek: Voyager was a series with a great premise and stories that somewhat frequently — but not always — lived up to it.

25 years ago today, Voyager premiered with the two-hour pilot "Caretaker" and forever changed the franchise with its introduction to the first female Captain, Kathyrn Janeway (a perfect Kate Mulgrew). Resilient, Janeway was unyielding in her efforts to get her untested crew home after they were zapped to the uncharted Delta Quadrant, 75 years away from Earth. Starfleet personnel mixing with former officers/current members of a resistance group known as the Maquis promised great, "only-on- Star-Trek " conflict — coupled with a ship stranded from the usual resources and aid afforded Kirk and Picard’s Enterprises.

Sadly, Voyager never fully embraced the full potential of that core conceit, leading Voyager to spend a big chunk of its seven-season run feeling like " Star Trek: The Next Generation lite." The ship was usually always fixed the next week if the previous one had it under attack or badly damaged. And the crew seemingly didn't mind too much about taking detours to explore and map this unknown area of space instead of doing what normal humans would — less sightseeing, more getting this 75-year journey underway as soon as possible and without distraction.

Despite Voyager 's uneven feel, when the show hit its stride, it produced some of the most entertaining hours the genre has ever seen. To celebrate Voyager 's 25th anniversary, here are the 15 best episodes.

15 . “Caretaker” (Season 1)

Voyager 's feature-length series premiere is one of the strongest pilots ever for a Trek show. Starting off at Deep Space Nine before stranding Captain Janeway and her motley crew of Maquis deserters in the Delta Quadrant, "Caretaker" has a riveting first half, peppered with exceptional character interplay. Then the pacing and tension slow in the second hour where we spend way too much time with an alien race that seems to have modeled itself after the citizens of Mayberry and The Waltons.

14 . "Eye of the Needle" (Season 1)

"Eye of the Needle" has a bittersweet twist that ranks up there with some of the best Twilight Zone endings. With the help of an anomaly via a wormhole, Voyager is able to communicate with a ship in the Alpha Quadrant. The catch? It's a Romulan vessel and not one in the same time as our lost heroes.

13 . "Dreadnaught" (Season 2)

If Speed and Runaway Train had a kid, it would be "Dreadnaught."

This compelling and tense hour of Voyager centers on engineer — the Klingon-Human Torres — struggling to reprogram a deadly missile designed by her enemy, the Cardassians, before it destroys a planet. Most of the hour is just Torres in a room, talking to a computer, and it is some of the most harrowing scenes in all of Trek history.

12 . "Mortal Coil" (Season 4)

Neelix, as a character, struggled to find solid footing among the ensemble jockeying for meaty storylines. But "Mortal Coil" remedies that with a dark, brooding storyline that takes on the afterlife and Neelix's near-death experience with it. After realizing the afterlife his culture believes in isn't really there, our favorite Talaxian suffers a heartbreaking existential crisis.

11 . "Tinker, Tailor, Doctor, Spy" (Season 6)

Veteran Star Trek: The Next Generation writer Joe Menosky — with a story from cartoonist Bill Vallely — crafted one of The Doctor's funniest outings, as the sentient hologram struggles with the hilarious consequences of giving himself the ability to daydream. The good doctor's fantasies catch the attention of an alien race's surveillance, but they think they are real — which brings about some trouble for the crew. How the Doctor saves the day is one of the best scenes Voyager has ever done.

10 . "Blink of an Eye" (Season 6) / "Relativity" (Season 5)

"Blink of an Eye" has a perfect Trek premise — Voyager orbits a planet where time passes differently for its inhabitants that for the ship's crew, so Janeway is able to watch this society evolve in, well, a blink of an eye.

This first contact scenario allows the show to invest the "explore strange new worlds" mandate with more emotion and nuance than Voyager usually affords its stories, giving fans a surprisingly poignant episode that still holds up to this day.

And despite time travel being a popular narrative trope in Star Trek , the show never failed to find new ways to explore and subvert it. "Relativity" is a fun, ticking-clock caper that sends former Borg drone Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) back in time to prevent the destruction of Voyager. Co-written by Discovery co-creator Bryan Fuller, this exciting episode keeps you at the edge of your couch cushion with an impressive act four twist.

09 . "The Equinox, Parts I & II" (Seasons 5 & 6)

In a plot worthy of a Star Trek movie, Janeway and her crew encounter another starship stuck in the Delta Quadrant, The Equinox. Commanded by a battle-hardened, Ahab-like figure, Captain Ransom (John Savage), The Equinox plots to hijack Voyager and strand her crew aboard their dying ship — in order to escape a race of subspace aliens that have been plaguing them.

Part of the fun of this excellent two-parter is never really knowing for most of its run time where the plot is going to go — for a moment, we actually think Janeway will lose this one.

08 . "Deadlock" (Season 2)

"Deadlock" is one of the few bright spots from Voyager 's bumpy early days. While the episode could take place on any of Trek 's ship-based shows, the stakes feel higher and for Janeway and her crew as they must work with those belonging to an alternate version of Voyager to get out of trouble.

When our Voyager — Voyager Prime — becomes fatally disabled, Janeway volunteers to sacrifice her ship so the other Voyager can go on. How Janeway handles the idea of this sacrifice results in the Ensign Harry Kim (Garret Wang) the show started with being replaced by his doppelganger.

07 . "Scorpion, Parts I & II" (Seasons 3 & 4)

"Scorpion" is action-packed Season 3 finale/Season 4 premiere that kicks off with a hell of a hook for a teaser: A small fleet of Borg cubes easily destroyed by an offscreen threat.

That threat is revealed to be Species 8472, a long-standing rival of the Borg in this quadrant of space — the only thing the Borg are afraid of. Enter Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), a Borg attache who becomes a remember of Janeway's crew as Voyager teams up with the enemy of their enemy to both defeat the Borg and shave some time off their trip home.

"Scorpion" represents a turning point for the series and for the franchise, with the introduction of the instantly-iconic Seven — another member of Trek’s deep bench of alien characters struggling to learn what it takes to be human. Or, in Seven's case, rediscover her humanity.

06 . "Counterpoint" (Season 5)

"Counterpoint" (Kate Mulgrew's favorite episode) is arguably Voyager 's most underrated episode, with a storyline whose elevator pitch could be "The Diary of Anne Frank" in space.

Voyager is secretly providing safe harbor to a group of telepaths being hunted by an alien race that hates them. (So, basically, Space Nazis). When the latter's charming leader defects to Voyager, and sparks a relationship with Janeway, it's instantly fraught with suspicion that boils over into bittersweet betrayal. The hour is an acting showcase for Mulgrew, as she pushes Janeway to uneasy places with the hard choices only this captain can make — and learn to live with.

05 . "Latent Image" (Season 5)

The most successful medical storylines on Star Trek are those that tap into moral/ethical dilemmas with a tech twist. In "Latent Image," the Doctor finds himself caught in the middle of both as he and Seven work to uncover who appears to have tampered with his memory — and why.

What starts as a whodunit becomes a powerful drama dealing with consent and the rights afforded all lifeforms — including artificial ones like the Doctor — when he discovers that Janeway altered his program against his will. Why? Because the doctor was confronted with a hard choice that broke him: With two patients' lives on the line, and only enough time to save one of them, the Doctor chose to save his friend.

04 . "Hope and Fear" (Season 4)

A rare non-two parter season finale, "Hope and Fear" is a landmark episode in the Janeway-Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) dynamic that puts the two at odds — only to come together in the end — in ways that echo Kirk and Spock.

When a sketchy alien (Ray Wise) shows up with the promise of getting Voyager home with the help of an all-too-convenient new starship, everyone fantasizes about the pros and cons of their long journey coming to an end. But the alien's plan is revealed to be a long con — he is a Borg attack survivor seeking revenge on Voyager, specifically Seven.

After he suffers a fitting but tragic end, "Hope and Fear" wraps up with a crew overcoming the letdown of still being stuck lightyears from home by focusing on a renewed purpose to keep going.

03 . "Message In a Bottle" (Season 4)

This fast-paced mix of action and comedy is a solid two-hander between Voyager’s EMH and a more advanced version (Andy Dick) aboard a sophisticated new starship that’s been hijacked (naturally) by Romulans. The two unlikely heroes are Voyager's only hope as they must use the ship's unique ability to separate into three different sections to defeat the bad guys.

Star Trek is hit and miss when it comes to comedy, but "Message In a Bottle" finds a near-perfect balance between laughs and sci-fi action while providing further proof that actor Robert Picardo is the series' MVP.

02 . "Timeless" (Season 5)

Voyager 's 100th episode is one of the greatest ever produced on any Star Trek series. "Timeless" opens in a future where Voyager crashed on an ice planet while on its way home, and centers on Ensign Harry Kim's efforts to save his crew in a very "timey wimey" fashion. (Captain Geordi La Forge, played by LeVar Burton — who directed the episode — stands in the good Ensign’s way).

With "Timeless," showrunner and writer Brannon Braga set out to do for Voyager what "The City on the Edge of Forever" did for the classic Original Series . A high bar this entertaining, high-concept hour effortlessly reaches.

01 . "Year of Hell," Parts I & II (Season 4)

Voyager achieved feature film-level quality with this epic two-parter.

Janeway and crew struggle to defeat time-manipulating genocidal villain (a perfect Kurtwood Smith) as he risks breaking the laws of physics — and chipping away our heroes' starship with battle damage — all so he can get back to his lost wife. To right that wrong, and alter the timeline by doing so, he and his time ship destroy an entire civilization. With some of the best space battles in the franchise's history, coupled with the moral and ethical dramas only Star Trek can do, "Year of Hell" is an all-timer.

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The 10 best Star Trek: Voyager episodes, ranked

As much as fans love to praise Star Trek as groundbreaking science fiction, it’s important to remember that, for most of the franchise’s history, Trek was weekly procedural television. Until the streaming era, each series was churning out roughly 26 episodes a year, and by the later seasons of Star Trek: Voyager , some of the creative crew had been in the business of making Star Trek for over a decade. The franchise was a crossover commercial success, the kind of success that the money men like to leave exactly as it is for as long as it’s doing steady numbers.

10. Counterpoint (season 5, episode 10)

9. the thaw (season 2, episode 23), 8. mortal coil (season 4, episode 12), 7. latent image (season 5, episode 11), 6. bride of chaotica (season 5, episode 12), 5. living witness (season 4, episode 23), 4. prime factors (season 1, episode 10), 3. year of hell, parts i & ii (season 4, episodes 8 & 9), 2. blink of an eye (season 6, episode 12), 1. timeless (season 5, episode 6).

The operation was essentially on rails, and there was a lot of pressure from the studio and the network to keep it that way, which accounts for the general blandness of Voyager and the early years of its successor, Enterprise . The waning years of Trek’s golden era were plagued by creative exhaustion and, consequently, laziness. Concepts from previous series were revisited, often with diminishing returns, and potentially groundbreaking ideas were nixed from on high in order to avoid upsetting the apple cart.

That’s not to say that Star Trek: Voyager isn’t still a solid television show, and even many Trekkies’ favorite. The saga of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and her gallant crew finding their way home from the farthest reaches of the galaxy may not be as ambitious as it could have been, but it is steadily entertaining, which is why new and nostalgic fans alike enjoy it as cozy “comfort viewing.” For our part, however, we tend to enjoy the episodes that have a certain emotional intensity or creative spark, that feel like conceptual or stylistic risks. As such, you might find that our list of the 10 best Voyager episodes differs greatly from some of the others out there. We like when Voyager dared to get heavy, or silly, or sappy, or mean. So, without further ado, let’s raise a glass to the journey …

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Counterpoint drops the audience into the middle of an ongoing story,in which Voyager is boarded and inspected by agents of a fascist government, the Devore. The Devore treat all travelers through their space with suspicion, but are particularly concerned with capturing and detaining all telepaths, who they view as dangerous. Despite the risks, Captain Janeway is attempting to smuggle a group of telepathic refugees to safety, all while putting on a show of cooperation for smiling Devore Inspector Kashyk (Mark Harelik). Much of the plot takes place in the background, obscured from the audience in order to build suspense. The real focus is on the evolving dynamic between Janeway and Kashyk, a rivalry that simmers into one of the Voyager captain’s rare romances. Kashyk works in the service of what are, transparently, space Nazis, but when he offers to defect to Voyager, can his intentions be trusted?

Beyond its intriguing premise, Counterpoint is a particularly strong production with a lot of subtle hints of creative flair. Director Les Landau and director of photography Marvin Rush, who had been both working on Star Trek since the 1980s, shoot the hell out of this story, breaking from Voyager ’s even lighting and predictable camera moves to make some very deliberate choices that build a great deal of tension around what is essentially a bottle episode. The makeup team, supervised by equally seasoned Trek veteran Michael Westmore, supplies a memorable and imaginative makeup design for an alien astrophysicist who appears in all of two scenes in this episode and is never utilized again. Most of all, Kate Mulgrew provides what may be her most subtle, human performance in the entire series, embodying Janeway’s famous conviction and strength of will while also granting a rare glimpse at her more vulnerable side without ever straying into melodrama.

If you look back at Star Trek: The Original Series , in-between the deep dramas and camp classics, you’ll find a lot of episodes that are just plain weird. The same is true for the best Star Trek spinoffs, and there’s no Voyager story as boldly off-putting as The Thaw , which guest stars This is Spinal Tap and Better Call Saul ’ s Michael McKean as a maniacal AI who literally scares people to death. In this episode, Voyager comes across a group of aliens who have been trapped in suspended animation ever since an environmental disaster struck their planet two decades earlier. To pass the time while in hibernation, the survivors have hooked their brains up to a virtual reality, where they are supposed to be entertained by a wacky character known only as “the Clown.”

Unfortunately, what the Clown finds most entertaining is probing their minds for their innermost fears and turning it into weird performance art, and he refuses to let his audience leave. When the Voyager crew attempts to rescue them, the Clown takes Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) hostage and proceeds to menace him for most of the episode. And, folks, it’s a trip.

The Thaw is a colorful, not entirely comprehensible, totally unclassifiable episode. It’s sort of horror, it’s sort of comedy, it’s sort of character study, but mostly it’s just entertaining. And for however much of it is up to interpretation, it’s a rare glimpse at the psyche of Harry Kim, one of Voyager’s least explored characters. Above all, however, it’s a delight to watch McKean perform what’s essentially his take on the Joker, a homicidal clown with a genius intellect and a poetic flair. Mulgrew, consequently, gets to play Batman, facing down his gleeful menace with stillness and determination. It’s one of the few real treats from the early seasons of the series, one whose reputation among fans has only grown since its premiere in 1996.

Aside from maybe The Next Generation ’s Wesley Crusher, no Star Trek character was as immediately reviled as Voyager’s chef, ambassador, and morale officer Neelix (Ethan Phillips). On most episodes of Voyager , Neelix is the goofy comic relief, performing folksy, unfunny antics around the mess hall or annoying the stoic Vulcan Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) with his naivety and effervescence. His unsettling long-term romantic relationship with Kes, who is technically a two-year-old when the series begins, is also part of Trek’s most irritating love triangle.

And yet, when Neelix is the center of an episode, it often reveals him to be one of the show’s most textured and interesting characters. Neelix is a survivor of a devastating war that destroyed his home and claimed the lives of his entire family. Beneath the persona of a “happy wanderer” resides a deep sea of melancholy and a predisposition towards depression. It’s a performance for his own benefit, as well as for the weary Voyager crew, and if it seems like he’s trying too hard, that’s because he is.

In the episode Mortal Coil , Neelix is killed on an away mission, only to be resuscitated 18 hours later by Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) and her advanced Borg medicine. The crew is happy to have him back, but the experience rocks Neelix to his core. Neelix has always believed that he would be reunited with his family in the afterlife, but upon his death, he experienced no such thing. Neelix’s crisis of faith provides Phillips an opportunity to really dig his teeth into his character, and to take a heavy, nuanced look at belief, mortality, depression, and suicidal ideation.

Writer Bryan Fuller, who would go on to create NBC’s Hannibal , puts his psychological horror chops to great use here, and director Allan Kroeker sustains a feeling of dread that places the audience on edge and off-balance. The story resolves itself a little too quickly and is never mentioned again, but that’s par for the course on Voyager. But when evaluated on its own, Mortal Coil  holds up against some of Trek’s best character studies.

Following up on the popularity of Data on The Next Generation , Voyager debuted with its own artificial crewmember, the Emergency Medical Hologram (Robert Picardo), usually just called “the Doctor.” Rather than a supposedly emotionless android , the Doctor is a hologram based on the grouchy engineer who designed him and endowed with the medical knowledge of the entire Federation. At the start of the series, everyone — including the Doctor himself — considers him to be a tool intended for short-term use, rather than a person, but since he’s left online for years rather than hours, he gradually develops his own personality and preferences, becoming a sentient individual.

Unlike in Data’s case, however, it takes the crew a long time to get used to the idea of the Doctor being his own man, and they continue to infringe on his rights, his privacy, and his very programming for much of the series. Sometimes the Doctor’s indignity is played for laughs, sometimes for sympathy, and in our next episode, for horror.

In Latent Image , the Doctor discovers evidence that he performed a delicate neurosurgery on Ensign Kim 18 months earlier, but he has no memory of the event, and neither does the rest of the crew. With the help of Seven of Nine, who joined the cast in the intervening year, the Doctor attempts to unravel the mystery of what really happened, leading to a terrible discovery that calls his relationship with Capt. Janeway and the rest of the crew into question. We won’t give away the answer here, but the story digs deep into the complexity of the Doctor’s character and his nature as an ascended artificial intelligence, and offers Picardo his meatiest acting challenge. You won’t find it on a lot of Best of Voyager lists, but it remains one of the show’s greatest hidden treasures.

Lest we leave you with the impression that the best of Voyager is all gloom and doom, our next entry is one of the lightest and funniest episodes of the series. Despite being set aboard a Starfleet vessel blasted to the far side of the galaxy with limited resources and no support, Voyager assures the audience early on that the ship’s holodecks are still fully functional, allowing the crew to go on their LARPing (live-action role-playing) adventures just like on The Next Generation . Most of the crew’s fantasies proved to be pretty forgettable, until the introduction of Tom Paris’ (Robert Duncan McNeill) new favorite holonovel, The Adventures of Captain Proton . Modeled after the classic Flash Gordon film serials — right down to the cheap effects and black-and-white photography — Captain Proton became a recurring treat during Voyager ’s fifth season, and is at the center of the No. 6 pick on our list, Bride of Chaotica!

In this episode, Tom and Harry’s latest excursion into the monochrome world of Captain Proton attracts the attention of photonic beings from another dimension, to whom the fictional villain Doctor Chaotica (Martin Rayner) is terrifyingly real. War breaks out between the photonic sentients and the 1930s-style bad guys, and the only way to save the day is for the crew to play along with the campy program. And because no Star Trek series is complete without the captain getting into a silly outfit and hamming it up, Janeway must pose as Chaotica’s evil bride, the devilish Arachnia! Mulgrew and the rest of the cast are plainly having a ball with this episode, and the fun is contagious. Keeping the holodeck around for the run of Voyager  may have been one of the signs that the series was going to play things relatively safe, but it did give us one of the franchise’s best holodeck episodes.

History is written by the victors, and subject to countless revisions over the passing centuries. How much of what we think of as historical fact is actually widely accepted conjecture or outright fabrication? We’ll probably never know, unless some eyewitness from the distant past turns up in our present to set things straight. This, naturally, is exactly what happens in Living Witness , as a backup copy of the Doctor is reactivated on an alien planet 700 years after Voyager participates in a pivotal political conflict.

For the Kyrians, it’s a well-known fact that the Warship Voyager eagerly aided their aggressive neighbors, the Vaskans, in unleashing a weapon of mass destruction against their homeworld. Captain Janeway is a cutthroat who will stop at nothing to get her crew home, Seven of Nine habitually assimilates her enemies and maintains her own small Borg collective onboard, and the Doctor is an android. When the holographic Doctor is awakened, he is aghast at the way his friends have been mischaracterized and sets out to prove what really happened, or else be punished for the genocide they’re accused of committing.

The Voyager cast never got the chance to play in the famous Star Trek Mirror Universe, home to the over-the-top evil versions of our Starfleet heroes, but Living Witness offers Mulgrew, Robert Beltran (Commander Chakotay), and company the opportunity to go full cartoon baddie, all in the name of poignant satire. It’s a bizarre comedy episode with an uncomfortable, but undeniable lesson: Time flattens everything. From a distance, every person, group, or thing becomes either all good or all bad, and that evaluation changes depending on who’s looking, and from where. In order to preserve the nuance of truth, we have to be willing to treat history as a process rather than a product, or else lose all sense of reality.

For fans who hoped that Voyager would lean into its intriguing premise of a motley crew of officers and terrorists having to rough it in the wilderness of space, much of the series turned out to be a real letdown. Almost immediately, the tension between the upstanding Starfleet and scrappy Maquis crewmembers, and the added tension of having to scrape and forage to survive, began to dissolve until Voyager was more or less the same familiar Trek that fans had been getting for the previous seven years. However, early on, there are a few episodes that truly capitalize on the show’s potential. The best example of this is Prime Factors , which introduces a dilemma that divides the crew between those who hold Starfleet’s principles as sacrosanct and those who didn’t sign up for this and just want to go home.

The setup is a terrific reversal of a classic Star Trek problem. A group needs help, but helping them means violating the Prime Directive, which forbids interfering in the internal affairs of other cultures. The twist? This time, our heroes aren’t the technologically advanced institution debating the virtues of foreign intervention, they’re the party in need. The friendly, benevolent Sikarians have the technology to send Voyager home instantly, but their own Prime Directive dictates that they not share it. How do Janeway and company feel when the shoe is on the other foot? How will a divided crew take the news, and will they all be inclined to abide by the Sikarians’ ruling?

It’s a fascinating study of ethics, ethical relativism, and the smugness often projected by even the most well-meaning of privileged do-gooders. How many planets have been a Federation ship’s “problem of the week” to be solved (or not solved) and then forgotten? In Prime Factors , our Starfleet stalwarts experience what it’s like to become someone’s pet cause, and learn that the charity of the privileged and comfortable only lasts as long as it’s convenient and self-gratifying.

If Prime Factors exemplifies the potential of Voyager ’s beginnings, Year of Hell  is a glimpse of what the show could have become if it had stayed the course. In this episode, which was initially envisioned as a season-long arc , Voyager’s long journey home takes them through the Krenim Imperium, whose brutal militaristic regime treats them as invaders and repeatedly kicks the crap out of them for 12 long months. The situation aboard Voyager gets increasingly dire as the crew takes casualties and the ship falls into disrepair. Hard choices have to be made about how to survive, and whether or not their goal of reaching Earth is even attainable. Janeway and company are pushed to their limits and left with permanent physical and psychological scars.

Or, they would be, if this wasn’t also a time travel story. The thrill of Year of Hell is undercut somewhat by being a “What If?” story whose events are erased from the timeline before the credits roll on Part II, but the actual time travel mechanics of the episode are fun and interesting. From the outset, the audience knows that the timeline of the story is in flux, as the power-mad Krenim scientist Annorax (Kurtwood Smith) selectively erases entire civilizations from time in order to restore his planet’s empire to full strength and rewrite his wife’s untimely death.

However, the characters don’t learn this until nearly nearly a third of the way through the story, after we’ve already seen their circumstances suddenly change a few times. Year of Hell  becomes a story about causality, about the reverberations of the smallest actions upon the grand tapestry of history, and the futility of trying to curate one’s own fate. It’s a terrific two-hour epic, and even if we’d rather have seen it play out over the course of an entire year, we wouldn’t dare try to go back and change it.

If Voyager isn’t going to be about a struggle for survival in the wilderness of space, then it damn well ought to be about exploring its wonders. Blink of an Eye is the kind of episode that could easily fit into any Star Trek series (or a non-Trek one, as its premise is suspiciously similar to the 1980 Robert L. Forward novel Dragon’s Egg ). Here, Voyager becomes trapped in the orbit of a planet with a strange property — for every 1.03 second that occurs in normal space, a year passes below. As the civilization on the planet evolves over centuries from a pre-industrial society to a futuristic one, the starship Voyager remains a fixture in their sky, inspiring religion, folklore, and a cultural obsession with reaching the stars.

The story cuts back and forth between the Voyager crew’s attempts to escape the planet’s orbit and generations of scientists and philosophers as their understanding of their celestial visitor evolves. Where some Trek episodes such as A Piece of the Action or Who Watches the Watchers frame accidental interference into an alien culture as a irreversible calamity, Blink of an Eye  takes a more subtle approach, showing the often inspiring ways that a civilization grapples with the great mysteries of life.

The highlight of the episode is guest star Daniel Dae Kim (pre- Lost ) as one of the first astronauts from the planet to set foot aboard Voyager. Through his eyes, we get to experience the joy and overwhelming emotional power of discovery, the very thing that inspires our Starfleet heroes to explore space in the first place. Star Trek is, ultimately, a show about curiosity, about humanity’s irrepressible drive to learn and understand our universe. There are few episodes in the entire Star Trek canon that capture this feeling more perfectly than Blink of an Eye . It’s the kind of story that, though simple and relatively low-stakes, should tug on the heartstrings of anyone who has sought inner peace through knowledge and appreciation of their outside world.

For Voyager ’s 100th episode, producers Rick Berman, Brannon Braga, and Joe Menosky decided to crash the ship into a planet and kill off almost the entire cast. We’re kidding! Well, sort of. Timeless  follows future versions of Chakotay and Harry Kim, the only survivors of Voyager, which was destroyed during a test of a new form of propulsion. This new technology brought Chakotay and Kim’s shuttle all the way home, but the rest of the crew was condemned to an icy grave. Racked with guilt over his role in their deaths, Kim becomes obsessed with going back in time to undo the disaster.

The story is told across two time frames, splitting between the present of the show and a future in which Kim and Chakotay’s quest to fix their mistake has made them outlaws. It’s a thrilling time travel episode that puts the focus on the show’s most neglected regular characters. Chakotay gets to be roguish again, a quality he’d long since shed along with the rest of his personality. For his part, Wang actually gets to show some range, playing a brooding, self-loathing wreck with nothing left to lose.

Even though it’s a foregone conclusion that the time travel mission will succeed and none of this story will have happened, Timeless truly feels like an event. It’s emotional, it’s visually striking, and occasionally very funny. (Seven of Nine’s first experience with alcohol ranks among the most quotable and memetic scenes in the series.) It’s only an hour long, but it plays like a movie. The stakes are high, the scope is vast, the characters are rich, and there’s even a cute cameo from Next Generation star LeVar Burton, who also directed the episode.

Voyager is often feather-light, and occasionally, as the rest of this list demonstrates, super heavy. Timeless perfectly captures the balance of intensity and fun of a great “Star Trek” feature, akin to Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan or Star Trek: First Contact . It probably shouldn’t be anyone’s first Voyager , but when we’re in the mood to check out just one of the show’s episodes, this is the one we reach for.

For more Star Trek content, please check out the best Star Trek: The Original Series episodes , the best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes , and the best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes .

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Thanks to its more than 50 years of continued existence, Star Trek has produced just a lot of stuff. That stuff includes several great TV shows, more than a few outstanding movies, and perhaps most importantly of all, some genuinely great villains.

Because Trek has always concerned itself with the politics of the stories it tells, the series has also introduced some genuinely nuanced bad guys. There are plenty of great villains of the week, to be sure, but there are also legendary villains who have made their way onto this list. These are the seven best Star Trek villains, ranked. 7. Nero

Star Wars: The Acolyte aims to be one of the more unique additions to the Star Wars universe. This upcoming series will give audiences their first look into the world of the Jedi during the age of the High Republic. Specifically, it will follow the Jedi near the end of this era as they investigate a string of crimes that will have them uncover evil forces brewing in the shadows.

Due to the open-ended nature of this piece of Star Wars history, fans can only imagine what The Acolyte will add to the franchise. But until it premieres, here's hoping the show will feature these five things in its first season. The Jedi-Sith War

Sequels have a bad reputation for being less than impressive. On the plus side, you have franchises like the new Star Trek movies and Guardians of the Galaxy, where the sequels aren't necessarily bad, they're just more of the same. On the bad end, you're left with what most sequels become: desperate attempts from studios to make more money by churning out absolute garbage, like Son of the Mask, Basic Instinct 2, Sex and the City 2, and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde.

Luckily, sci-fi is a genre that's largely been spared from horrific theatrically released sequels (the straight-to-DVD ones are another story). In fact, there are quite a few heavily praised sci-fi sequels out there ... some of which have even won Oscars. If you want to watch some great sci-fi sequels, check out the list below to discover the seven best. 7. Jurassic World (2015)

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Published Sep 12, 2017

Netflix's Top-10 Most Re-Watched Trek Episodes

Netflix is currently streaming 695 episodes of Star Trek and, in advance of the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery premiere, the streaming service has released some, well, fascinating, factoids -- including most re-watched episodes -- based on their examination of subscriber viewing habits – and that’s 104 million people across 190 countries. Nearly 12,000 fans have spent over 536 hours (or 22 days) watching Star Trek . Netflix released the list of top ten most re-wached Star Trek episodes on Netflix, check it out:

10. Star Trek: The Next Generation " Clues "

9. Star Trek: Voyager " Time and Again "

8. Star Trek: The Next Generation " Q Who ?"

7. Star Trek: Voyager " Dark Frontier, Parts I & 2 "

6. Star Trek: Voyager " The Gift ,"

5. Star Trek: Voyager " Scorpion, Part 2 "

4. Star Trek: Voyager " Scorpion, Part 1 "

3. Star Trek: The Next Generation " The Best of Both Worlds, Part 2 "

2. Star Trek: The Next Generation " The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1 "

1. Star Trek: Voyager “ Endgame: Parts 1 & 2 ”

Voyager boasts the most-revisited episode in the galaxy, namely the series finale. As one would expect, the first episodes of a Trek series are usually the most-watched. Thus, in an effort to seek data beyond default behavior, the first two episodes from any season ones were omitted from the data. Beyond the first two episodes of any season one in the collection, it’s episodes introducing iconic races, characters or captains that tend to be re-visited most. Also, not surprisingly, time travel, alien abductions or crossover episodes are big winners with Star Trek fans. The Next Generation and The Original Series can claim the largest audiences on Netflix, but Voyager and Deep Space Nine fans are better repeat customers, more likely to return for their favorite episodes.

Star Trek: Discovery will debut September 24 on CBS All Access in the U.S. and Space Channel in Canada. The series will premiere on Netflix in the rest of the world on September 25.

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THEORY: Did ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Finally Resolve The “Calypso” Mystery?

| April 23, 2024 | By: Iain Robertson 35 comments so far

“ Face the Strange ,” the fourth episode of Star Trek: Discovery’s  final season, gave us a fun, old-fashioned Trek time travel adventure, but one scene in particular seems to tie into an intriguing and previously unexplained look into the far future.

Playing the long game with Short Treks

In “ Calypso ,” the second episode of Star Trek: Short Treks , we were presented with a vision of a future USS Discovery where the ship had been abandoned for almost 1,000 years. The ship’s sole inhabitant was Zora, a sentient AI with a penchant for watching musicals from Hollywood’s Golden Age to pass the time. While season 3 of Discovery partially delivered on the showrunner’s promise to provide a link to “Calypso” by showing how Zora emerged from the “ Sphere Data ,” just how the USS Discovery ended up abandoned in that far future has remained a lingering mystery.

Zora’s POV in “Calypso”

“Face The Strange” didn’t see Burnham and Rayner jump anywhere near that far—just to the year 3218, 30 years or so into the characters’ futures. In this dark future, the Breen had obtained the Progenitors’ technology from Moll and L’ak and used it to launch a devastating attack on the Federation. Burnham and the rest of Discovery’s crew had been dead for decades, and Zora was again the ship’s lone occupant, with a penchant for the music of Doris Day.

Zora’s musical taste and familiar shots of her “Zora Vision” POV suggest an attempt to resolve the remaining mystery linking the Short Treks episode to Discovery . One big clue is that “Face the Strange” was written by Sean Cochran, who co-wrote “Calypso” with Picard co-creator Michael Chabon. So if we accept that the callbacks to “Calypso” were deliberate, what can they mean?

Zora’s POV in “Face the Strange”

Let’s take a look at three potential possibilities…

THEORY 1: “Calypso” is part of the same alternate future

The first and most obvious explanation is that “Calypso” is a continuation of the possible future shown in “Face the Strange.” The Discovery’s crew are killed by the Breen, who succeed in conquering the Federation. Zora is then left on the deserted ship for the next 1,000 years (which would place it around the 43rd Century), whiling away the centuries listening to Doris Day and watching musicals—in particular, the Fred Astaire/Audrey Hepburn classic Funny Face —until she encounters the character of Craft (Aldis Hodge).

Zora’s musical tastes, the abandoned ship, and the “Zora vision” scenes would definitely suggest “Calypso” as a continuation of this particular future. Since Burnham and the Discovery crew are fighting to find the Progenitors’ technology before Moll and L’ak  (and likely to succeed), this would mean that future would cease to exist, and “Calypso” is an intriguing never-to-be alternate future, similar to the outcome of episodes like Voyager’s  “Timeless” or  Next Generation’s  “All Good Things.”

There are however some inconsistencies between the two futures.

Firstly, the version of Discovery seen in “Calypso” is the 23rd-century version, prior to its 32nd-century refit. Most notably, the ship clearly has the original NCC-1031 designation, missing the ‘A’ that was added in the refit. Of course, the obvious, real-world reason is that “Calypso” was made between seasons 1 and 2 of Discovery , before the show’s jump to the future and redesign of the ship. This doesn’t make sense in-universe, but Short Treks has some other canon hiccups, so trying to explain away the missing “A” designation may be asking too much. The ship seen in “Face the Strange” is also in worse condition, but it’s likely Zora had Dots available that could repair the ship.

The Discovery in “Calypso” – No bloody A, B, C or D

Another inconsistency is that in “Calypso,” Zora tells Craft “the crew is away at present,” and says she has orders to maintain her current position, which doesn’t match with the events shown in “Face the Strange,” where she clearly stated that the crew had died. However, we don’t know what 1,000 years of isolation may have had on Zora. As a sentient life form, it’s possible by the time of “Calypso” she’s been experiencing some kind of AI senility or has repressed the traumatic memories of the crew’s demise. It’s also possible that she incurred some damage over the centuries, making her misremember the events.

In “Calypso,” Craft states he’s a soldier fighting the “V’draysh,” which is a bastardization of “Federation,” according to Michael Chabon. This doesn’t make sense if the Federation was defeated 1,000 years earlier; would the name still be in use? The name “V’draysh” was used once in the third season of Discovery, where it indeed related to the Federation.

Federation HQ destroyed in “Face the Strange”

While it’s possible that “Calypso” is a continuation of the alternate timeline established in “Face the Strange,” there are enough inconsistencies that we should consider some alternative scenarios.

THEORY 2: “Calypso” is Zora’s dream

One new piece of information we find out about Zora in “Face the Strange” is that she dreams. Her first line to Burnham is “Captain, is that you? Or is this another dream?” Although we’ve no idea when this started, it seems the years of isolation coupled with Zora’s continued development have led to her having dreams. Obviously, this isn’t unprecedented in Trek. Data eventually evolved to the stage where he could dream, so it follows that Zora can too.

Could the events of “Calypso” be Zora dreaming of some company after years of isolation? It’s certainly a possibility, and dream logic is a good way of explaining away the inconsistencies, such as the USS Discovery’s appearance and the whereabouts of the crew. “Calypso” was an atypical, sometimes surreal Star Trek story, and having it be a dream does make a degree of sense, with Zora its unreliable narrator.

Zora wonders if she is dreaming in “Face the Strange”

There could also be a clue in the music Zora’s listening to in “Face the Strange.” “Que Sera Sera” is a song about a girl asking her mother about the future and what will happen to her. Is this a hint that the Zora we see past this point is her guessing about her future?

One major argument against the dream theory is that “Calypso” isn’t Zora’s story, it’s Craft’s. It starts with him and follows his time on Discovery and his odd love story with Zora. The story is told from his viewpoint. The only time this switches to Zora’s point of view is at the very end when Craft leaves Discovery and the camera remains behind, revealing Zora has named his shuttlecraft “Funny Face” and then returning to the bridge where Zora is again playing the movie. Although possible, the majority of dreams are in the first person. It would be unusual to dream a story from someone else’s viewpoint where you’re a secondary character. Then again, Zora isn’t human. Who knows what AIs dream of. Electric sheep maybe?

Craft says goodbye to Zora in “Calypso”

THEORY 3: “Calypso” is still in the future and episodes aren’t linked

It’s also possible that beyond the aforementioned links, the timelines from “Calypso” and “Face the Strange” are not directly linked. Zora’s musical tastes and use of her “Zora Vision” POV is something that will evolve regardless and so the future seen in “Calypso” is still to come. To completely tie it into the canon, some explanation could be made for why the ship had to be de-retrofitted before being abandoned for the best part of 1,000 years. The Discovery team didn’t know season 5 would be their last, so tying up the “Calypso” loose end and directly linking to Discovery’s final fate probably wasn’t a part of the plan.

The Discovery crew faces their future at the end of “Face the Strange”

Whatever will be, will be

There is a nice poetry to the “dream” theory, so that is our preferred way to look at it. The most likely explanation is that we’re not supposed to know. “Calypso” is an intriguing (and, to be honest, beautifully told) look at the Discovery’s possible future. While it’s been hinted at in Discovery , the Short Treks episode probably works best as a fun “what if.” The sequence in “Face the Strange,” besides serving as a warning to Burnham and Rayner of the price of failure in their mission, also offered Sean Cochran and the show’s producers a fun tip of the hat to “Calypso” as well as offering an enigmatic hint as to its connection to Discovery .

From Short Treks “Calypso”

But what do you have to say? Let us know in the comments below

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definitely on the “Dream Team”, it’s the only one that makes sense

Is it just me or was there some exciting plan to jump forward where the Federation was so gone what was left had gone wrong and only the Discovery reunited with the crew could rekindle it, then they chickened out all “there is no way we can do a Trek show without mommy Starfleet Command there to help!!”

I definitely sense a tension along those lines. The beginning of s3 certainly seemed to point in that direction. They could’ve been Robin Hoods.

You’ve nailed the particular item about TREK that has frustrated me endlessly since the mid-80s. I never felt it had to be adventures set within Starfleet. After they went rogue in TSFS, I thought the crew should live out their golden years on the BoP/Bounty, and that the money production saved on matte shots and other earthcentric filler like spacedock could be put into showing some actual strange new worlds. Would also allow more time for the supporting cast and for a genuine ‘band of bros and sis’ feel among them. (and frankly, Starfleet didn’t deserve them after all the political paranoia evinced post-Genesis … suddenly this evolved future civilization is coming off contemporary, feeling more shadowy-Watergate than I could see as remotely credible.)

The key bit that informs my take on TREK comes from David Gerrold when he talked about how good drama revolves around ‘Kirk has a decision to make’ and not ‘Kirk is in danger.’ The original series buttressed that by often having the ship out on the rim where he couldn’t rely on timely responses from the hierarchy and had to make hard calls on his own. What better way to take that further than to have them on the Bounty, getting into situations and making ethical choices that DON’T have to cowtow to a distant and possibly unreliable bureaucracy?

I also though DS9 (which I really really like, far above any other followup to TOS), should have turned a corner with Sisko supporting the Maquis, not hunting them down like Starfleet’s pit bull. But again, that would have put them outside the auspices of ‘mommy Starfleet’ as you say.

I don’t know if I’d have stuck with DSC in s3 even if they had upheld this ANDROMEDA-style take on things, just because TPTB didn’t have the golden-platinum crutch of Anson Mount to keep the show going in spite of the bad writing. But I’d have probably at least considered watching it, just to see how they dealt with things.

I think that is the problem with Trek now… e instant communication and thousands of starships to back you up, and the adventures of your single starship on the frontier just don’t seem to matter as much. In TOS, Kirk makes the wrong decision and it’s intergalactic war and millions of lives on the line. In TNG the best episodes is where Picard is compromised by the Borg and they get to take over or destroy the starfleet. DS9 rectifies this by letting Sisko basically command the entire fleet (though it sure looks silly when space combat is lines of thousands of ships just running into thousands of other ships). I feel someone in Discovery was trying to fix the problem of being “out there” again (probably whoever put color into the big E bridge) and then got overruled (along with boring down of the big E bridge). Calypso basically hinted they would be left out there alone in some primitive starship. The fate of the entire Federation depending on their ability to rebuild alliances, rebuild ideals. You could explain the lack of far off magical tech by the fall. Instead they chickened out, I don’t know why, but it’s condemned Discovery to rather the rather bland where they literally have to have the Federation fall apart AGAIN to fix it. Anyone play Star Control 2? They need to make that into a TV show lol

kmart — I LOVE what you wrote here regarding the events post ST3:TSFS and really everything you said here. VERY insightful!

Thanks. As you come across my postings here, you’ll see I’m very big on exploring ‘treks not taken,’ including what they could have done with an Enterprise-B limited series.

Michael Chabon was the worst choice to write any Star Trek story. “Calypso” don’t fit in any possible way to canon.

Calypso was a great episode of Trek, and fairly beloved based on reviews at the time. Sorry it wasn’t for you!

“Calypso” is one of Star Trek’s best episodes, and it was written before later seasons of Discovery made it not fit canon.

Yeah, he’s terrible lol look at Picard Season 1? Embarrassingly bad.

He wrote the two best episodes of SHORT TREKS, “Calypso” and “Q&A.” He also did a great job with PICARD season one.

The first season of Picard was fantastic up until the two-part finale when it was (somehow) simultaneously drawn out and rushed. It felt like the original plan was for Picard to fully and truly die, but then either Stewart decided he wanted to continue with playing Picard, or TPTB intervened, but that was by far the biggest misstep in season 1.

Unfortunately, while season 1 was lauded by critics, it was mostly derided by fans. As such, subsequent seasons largely ignored some of the more intriguing idea introduced in season 1 – exploring the state of the Romulans post supernova (is the empire completely gone, are they trying to rebuild, etc.); exploring a bit more of the Zhat Vash (i.e. did it survive after the events of the finale) – but not too much more; what’s the general state of the Federation as it appears to have entered a bit of an isolationist state; and what’s up with the scary AI things as seen in the premonition and briefly in the season finale.

Alas, I highly doubt any of those ideas will be explored at this point.

Why does it need to fit into canon? It’s 1,000 years in the future.

Canon is overrated. Calypso was a lovely story and exactly what Trek should be doing.

I have very little confidence they’ll resolve this storyline between short treks & season 5. They would have explicitly made it apparent they were connecting to that short trek in that episode & not be so nuanced.

I’m imagining the extra shooting they did to make it a “fitting series finale” is along the lines of Poochie from the Simpsons…I have to go now, my planet needs me. [poochie died in space during his trip home].

I hope they never clearly explain it and leave a sense of mystery. “Calypso” was so lovely, partially because it wasn’t concerned with overly pat canon connections.

To this day I always wondered how this story came around? It seems weird it would be a coincidence Chabon set this story so far in the future a season before it happened on the show itself. But then you have to wonder if he was told directly the plan then what were the parameters? How far could he go with it? Did they always know it was something they would have to deal with and had a plan or was it all after the fact?

I would love if someone just talked about the short and how it came about? Maybe we get it after the show ends.

My guess is that Chabon et al. wanted to create a wild future possible story line for Discovery that was outside any continuity restraints or existing plans they had. Maybe Calypso served as a pilot for where Discovery eventually went with its future jump, even if the details were ultimately quite different.

As you note, maybe Chabon will someday do a commentary track on the story and reveal its origin. He was quite communicative about his work on Trek while he was doing it.

There’s also still the open question, who upgraded the probe that Pike and Tyler fought with

Wasn’t it just Control in the future?

I’m squarely in the camp that I just don’t care to see it explained in any way. Whatever plan Chabon had to tie in this flash forward was dropped a long time ago, and it will be nothing more than a shoehorn explanation, at best.. with no story payoff. Just let it be, and make up your own head canon if you want to.

Yep. I still wish Enterprise hadn’t felt it necessary to explain the Klingon foreheads.

I generally find a lot of these genre “and that’s why x has y” explanations pretty thin. I don’t need to see how Indiana Jones got his scar, how Nick Fury lost an eye or how McCoy got his nickname.

There’s something to be said about leaving some things to the imagination.

Small point to respond to but just gotta say – I actually kind of like the Enterprise explanation for the ridges. I just don’t think they needed to bend over backwards to explain it away. A simple dialogue exchange in a random episode would have been enough.

I loved Calypso and I am VERY OK with it having been Zora’s dream, or in-universe really happening in that alternate future with a few inconsistencies. I have a feeling (no idea) that this is all we will get regarding Calypso and I’m OK with that — not everything needs to be explained.

Calypso was one of the most beautiful, artful pieces of Trek ever made. I almost wish it had been expanded into some kind of standalone feature-length piece.

Agreed, it was beautiful!

Based on what happened in Season 2, Calypso was seemed to be a red herring for the crew abandoning the Discovery with the Sphere data, which allowed it to gain sentience. It was a possible future that was averted when they took the Discovery into the far future.

It was a lovely episode, but it really didn’t fit into continuity, both before and now.

For me, it makes more sense that “Calypso” be in the same time-line as season 2 if the Red Angel had not changed time by jumping into the 32nd century. No jump, no refit.

I was wondering what they’d do, as two of the other three first season Short Treks did, indeed, tie in.

But I always saw the thousand year reference, together with “V’draysh” being used in Season Three, as pointing to an abandoned option for Season Three- they jump forward, the crew temporarily abandons the ship, the Federation has gone bad (or is seen as having done so), Calypso happens, the crew returns, and we pick up from there.

There is a possibility that Zora de-evolved the ship during repairs as she became more senile after 100s of years of isolation and being alone. We’ve seen the DOTS repair and repaint many times. Maybe, with Zora’s confused directions, they repaired the ship to its earlier version. You’ve gotta love Star Trek! There are always possibilities.

Yeah the DOTs and programable matter means Zora could have refit Disco back to the earlier form as she got sentimental in her old age and Isolation. I just view it as, yes, it was an extension of the “bad future” seen in this episode.

I remember enjoying this short when it came out. It would probably be cool to leave it as-is, not explain anything at all. A mystery piece.

I agree, Calypso was an intriguing and beautifully told story.

If it’s all Zora’s dream—and the writers don’t bother to clue us in to that, a la Data getting a whole episode where it is made very clear that he is experimenting with dreaming—that’s super lazy writing . I’ll come back to this.

I could be fine with ‘What if?’ Trek stories that show us events in an unexplained, divergent timeline. I will point to Marvel’s animated What If? show as proof of the viability of this storytelling approach for a modern, expansive, TV & film franchise.

I have just one, big problem: the entirety of Star Trek as a franchise, to date.

Let me explain. No, there is too much. Let me sum up.

Star Trek TV and movies haven’t historically done pure ‘What If?’ storytelling. In fact, Trek writers across the decades have worked hard to preserve the coherence of the ‘Prime’ timeline and any offshoots or variations we see.

Starting with Mirror, Mirror and all the way through Discovery’s adventures in the mirror universe, Trek TV writers have bent over backwards to help us understand what we were seeing, whenever we saw a divergent timeline.

For all the many time travel stories (and all of Janeway’s headaches caused by temporal paradoxes), the writers have always tried to connect the dots for us.

Even the Kelvin-verse movies spent precious screen time showing how that alternate timeline diverged from Trek ‘Prime.’ We got a passing-of-the-torch scene with two Spocks (Nimoy and Quinto) and so forth, to really make sure we understood.

This is important because as the audience, we want to enjoy time with these characters we love. When an incoherent storyline distracts us from going on the adventure with these beloved characters, we get frustrated. The plot can be twisty and momentarily confusing, but it ultimately exists to provide opportunities for Kirk, Sisko, Burnham, et al to face challenges, be heroic, and grow—not make us go, “well I’ve seen the whole show, and it just doesn’t make any sense.”

The so-called ‘beta canon’ of books, comics, fan-made productions, etc. is another animal, of course. There, anything goes. And it has to be this way because after so many hundreds of TV episodes and so many movies, it gets really hard for writers to keep it all connected. I think a fair argument could be made that there is now way too much canon to keep tying everything together perfectly and tell exciting, new stories with familiar characters. That’s fine for books and comics and whatnot. There you have the freedom to take our familiar characters and play with them in a new sandbox if you want to.

But the TV and movie writers have always given us exposition—and a fair amount of technobabble—at least attempting to preserve a unified chronology of the Star Trek universe. They didn’t alway succeed 100%, but we’ve never seen them just throw in the towel on trying to make it all make sense.

If Calypso ends up being an unexplained ‘What if?’ it would be a first for ‘alpha canon’ Trek, I think.

I don’t hate the idea of Star Trek doing this, but could the writers / producers maybe give us a heads-up that they’re going this way? Or do it with some consistency instead of a one-off Short Trek that leaves fans wondering and theorizing?

Back to Marvel’s What If? series—there at least you have The Watcher giving you some intro voiceover explaining what’s going on. You see Timmy, audiences like mystery and surprise, but also really appreciate it when you make things understandable .

My conclusion: in the context of Star Trek, this is just lazy writing and/or a willful disregard for the unwritten rules of logical storytelling that Trek has established with its fan base for decades. It seems especially lazy or careless since Face The Strange bothers to hint at some answers, but doesn’t actually give us any that make sense.

Granted, we still have a few Disco episodes to go. They might surprise us by revisiting this whole debacle and clearing things up, Trek-style. They’d have to jump through some hoops to reconcile the discrepancies, but we’ve seen plenty of crazy stories. It’s sci-fi, anything can happen. It was a chroniton explosion. Q’s son did it. Whatever.

Somehow, I doubt these writers care . Discovery has always been a show that prioritized ham-fisted emotionalism over logical storytelling. I think that will be its legacy. Prove me wrong, Discovery writers! Time is running out, and as far as I know there’s no alternative timeline in which you will get a season six to be entertaining and coherent.

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8 best "o'brien must suffer" star trek: ds9 episodes.

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The Real Reason O’Brien And Bashir Play Darts In Star Trek: DS9

What is a chief petty officer miles o’brien’s rank in star trek explained, 5 star trek actors with real-life children in tv & movies.

• O'Brien's suffering in "O'Brien Must Suffer" episodes allows the audience to connect with his character on a deeper level.
• Episodes like "Whispers" and "Hard Time" showcase O'Brien's resilience in the face of intense mental and emotional challenges.
• The dynamic between O'Brien and his family, especially with his wife Keiko, adds a human element to the sci-fi drama of Star Trek: DS9.

"O'Brien Must Suffer" is a unique subgenre of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, but which one is best for the audience and worst for Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney)? Originating in Star Trek: The Next Generation , Chief O'Brien became a regular member of the Star Trek: DS9 cast because the producers wanted to give Colm Meaney a bigger role. Promoting the show a month before it aired in the Official Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Magazine #1 , Meaney said that O'Brien was the same as he was in TNG , but just had " to deal with many more problems " .

Colm Meaney's words turned out to be eerily prophetic, as it was soon decided that once or twice a season the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine writers would put Chief O'Brien through the wringer. These episodes later became known as "O'Brien Must Suffer" stories, and many of them make up the canon of Chief O'Brien's best Star Trek episodes . Writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe explained why it was so important to the DS9 writers to "torture" O'Brien once or twice a season in the DVD special feature, Crew Dossier: Miles O'Brien on the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5 boxed set. Read Hewitt Wolfe's quote below:

" If O'Brien went through something torturous and horrible, the audience was going to feel that, in a way they wouldn't feel it with any of the other characters. Because all the other characters were sort of, I wouldn't say larger than life, but nobler than life, but O'Brien was just a guy, trying to live his life and so if you tortured him that was a story. "

Colm Meaney’s Best 10 Acting Roles (Including Star Trek: DS9’s Chief O’Brien)

DS9's Colm Meaney is one of the best actors to appear in Star Trek and these brilliant roles display the depths of the iconic Chief O'Brien star.

8 Season 6, Episode 15, "Honor Among Thieves"

O'brien goes undercover, betrays a friend, and sends a man to his death..

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 15, "Honor Among Thieves" is something of an oddity, playing out more like a cop show than an episode of Star Trek . However, it ticks the box of making O'Brien suffer by placing him inside the Orion Syndicate to expose a Starfleet mole. Over the course of his investigation, O'Brien also discovers that the Dominion are using the Orion Syndicate as trigger men for an assassination attempt against a Klingon ambassador .

"Honor Among Thieves" started life as a gangster comedy in which Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) would befriend the Orion Syndicate and quickly get in over his head.

O'Brien's information is passed from Starfleet Intelligence to the Klingon Empire, who will execute the would-be assassins. If that wasn't morally dubious enough, O'Brien has become close to one of the men, Bilby, whom he'll be sending to his death. To save his friend's life, O'Brien is forced to admit his betrayal, but it's not enough to convince Bilby not to walk into a Klingon ambush . The final scene in which O'Brien cares for Bilby's cat is brutal, showing how traumatized Miles is by the whole ordeal.

7 Season 3, Episode 17, "Visionary"

O'brien gets radiation sickness, jumps through time, sees ds9 get destroyed, and dies..

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 3, episode 7, "Visionary", O'Brien contracts a rare form of radiation sickness that allows him to travel through time. These time jumps allow O'Brien to unmask a Romulan conspiracy to destroy both DS9 and the Bajoran Wormhole to prevent the Dominion from entering the Alpha Quadrant. To foil the Romulans' plot, O'Brien has to keep shifting into the future, which increases the fatal effects of the radiation sickness.

"Visionary" is notable for being the first episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to introduce the legendary O'Brien dart board, later memorialized in Star Trek: Lower Decks .

As in "Whispers", Chief O'Brien again has to watch himself die, as the time traveling version encounters the corpse of his future self, the victim of sabotage. In the climax of the episode, the time traveling version of O'Brien finally succumbs to his radiation sickness, and sends his future self back in time to replace him. It's a mind-boggling paradox that must have made life quite difficult for O'Brien in the immediate aftermath of the events of "Visionary".

Bashir and O'Brien had a fierce racquetball rivalry in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, so why did they swap their racquets for darts in DS9 season 3?

6 Season 2, Episode 13, "Armageddon Game"

O'brien is infected by a deadly bioweapon, targeted for execution, and on the run with bashir..

"Armageddon Game" is the episode that bonds Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's two best friends, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) and Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney) for life. Having been targeted for execution by the Kellerun, Bashir and O'Brien have to go on the run, hoping that eventually their crewmates will come to their rescue. The only problem is that everyone on DS9 believes the lies that O'Brien and Bashir perished in a tragic accident. It's only due to Miles' wife, Keiko O'Brien (Rosalind Chao), that Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) realizes that he's been lied to.

The Kellerun have finally expanded upon in Star Trek: Discovery , with the addition of a Kellerun Starfleet officer, Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) in season 5.

While not officially the start of the "O'Brien Must Suffer" trend, the Chief does suffer a great deal during Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 14, "Armageddon Game". Not only is he forced to spend time with the youthful and arrogant Dr. Bashir in close quarters, O'Brien gets infected by the very bioweapon that he and Julian were sent to destroy. A cure is eventually found, and the Chief's life is saved, but it's fair to say that he's been through hell and back, made worse by the fact that Dr. Bashir thinks he and O'Brien are bonded for life.

5 Season 2, Episode 14, "Whispers"

O'brien gets kidnapped, duplicated, and has to watch himself die..

The first proper example of an "O'Brien Must Suffer" episode, "Whispers" follows an increasingly paranoid Chief O'Brien as he comes to believe that the entire crew of Deep Space Nine have been replaced by impostors. In reality, the audience is actually following a replica of O'Brien, who is a sleeper agent programmed to assassinate a visiting dignitary. However, O'Brien's strength of character is so great that his replicant sets out to solve the mystery rather than succumb to his programming.

To better get across the paranoid atmosphere of "Whispers", Colm Meaney played the role of the O'Brien replicant as if he were the real one, never deviating from this throughout the episode.

Technically, the real Chief O'Brien is unconscious for almost the entire runtime of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 14, "Whispers". So it's DS9 's O'Brien replicant that truly suffers, experiencing paranoia, alienation, isolation, and ultimately death. Still, the existential horror of the real Chief O'Brien looking into the dying eyes of his replicant is more than enough to categorize "Whispers" as the first true example of the "O'Brien Must Suffer" episode in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

TNG and DS9's Miles O'Brien is Star Trek's most notable Chief Petty Officer, but where does the CPO rank fit in the Starfleet officer hierarchy?

4 Season 5, Episode 5, "The Assignment"

Keiko o'brien is possessed by a pah-wraith who forces miles to do their bidding..

In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 5, episode 5, "The Assignment", Keiko returns from Bajor to reveal that she's the victim of demonic possession. During a visit to the Bajoran Fire Caves, Keiko is possessed by a Pah-wraith, essentially the demons of Bajor's religion. In "The Assignment", the Pah-wraith embodying Keiko threatens to kill her unless Chief O'Brien assists it in destroying the Celestial Temple of the Bajoran Prophets. Family is everything to Chief O'Brien, so there's a particular type of pain for him witnessing his wife being inhabited by a malevolent force.

The Bajoran Fire Caves was the location for the final confrontation between Captain Sisko, Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo) and Kai Winn (Louise Fletcher).

O'Brien is stringing the Pah-wraith along so that he can eventually save Keiko and avert the destruction of the Wormhole. However, O'Brien still has to shoot his wife with a chroniton beam to remove the Pah-wraith from Keiko's body. O'Brien and Keiko were Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's emotional core, the everyday family put under the extraordinary pressure of living in the Star Trek universe. It's for that reason that "The Assignment" feels particularly gruelling as this down-to-earth husband and wife are placed right in the center of a conflict between angels and demons .

3 Season 6, Episode 24, "Time's Orphan"

O'brien and keiko lose their daughter in a temporal anomaly..

The O'Brien family are tested once again in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 6, episode 24, "Time's Orphan". When Molly O'Brien (Hana Hatae) falls into a time portal, she returns as a teenager, who has gone primal after spending so many years alone. It's a unique parenting challenge for both Miles and Keiko, who struggle to cope with their young adult daughter. Events reach a head when Molly tears up Quark's Bar and stabs a patron with a broken bottle. This crime forces the Federation to order that Molly be sent to a special facility, something that Miles and Keiko oppose.

Joe Menosky originally pitched "Time's Orphan" for Star Trek: The Next Generation , because he had become sick and tired of Worf's son Alexander.

With no other options, the O'Brien's break Molly out of prison, with help from Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) . Returning to the planet where they lost Molly, the O'Briens were fully prepared to never see their daughter again by destroying the portal and leaving her to live in her own time. Thankfully, this outcome is averted when the older Molly finds her younger counterpart and reunites her with her parents. It's a brutal episode for both Miles and Keiko as they're forced to consider some huge moral issues as parents .

Star Trek crews almost always feel like families, but some Star Trek actors got the chance to act alongside their real-life children.

2 Season 2, Episode 25, "Tribunal"

O'brien is framed for arms dealing, imprisoned, tortured, and sentenced to death..

It's well known from Star Trek: The Next Generation that Chief O'Brien hates Cardassians, due to his experiences in the Federation-Cardassian War . This fact is used against him in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 25, "Tribunal", when he's framed as a Maquis traitor. DS9 reveals that the Cardassian legal system is utterly brutal, as it's based on a presumption of guilt. This means that Chief O'Brien's verdict has been sealed long before he goes on trial. Sentenced to execution, O'Brien is forced to live out a miserable life in a brutal Cardassian prison until his sentence is carried out.

A line from "The Maquis, Part II", in which Gul Dukat said " On Cardassia, the verdict is always known before the trial begins " inspired the conception of "Tribunal".

As if O'Brien being sentenced to execution and brutal prison treatment isn't enough, "Tribunal" also reveals that one of his old friends, Raymond Boone (John Beck) had been killed and replaced by a Cardassian spy. Worse still, O'Brien's life is being used as a political bargaining chip, with his trial designed to discredit the Federation during the ongoing Maquis crisis. There's some small consolation that, by being at the heart of a conspiracy, O'Brien is like Captain Kirk (William Shatner) in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country , but Miles truly suffers in "Tribunal".

1 Season 4, Episode 19, "Hard Time"

O'brien spends twenty years inside a psychic prison, struggles to readjust..

The most brutal, and therefore the "best" of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's "O'Brien Must Suffer" episodes is "Hard Time". Once again, Chief O'Brien is on the receiving end of alien justice, as he's wrongfully accused of a crime, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Normally, this would allow plenty of time for Captain Sisko and the crew to prove O'Brien's innocence and get him out of jail. That's not the case in "Hard Time", however, as the Argrathi punish their criminals by instantly implanting twenty years of prison memories, meaning that O'Brien serves his full sentence before Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) gets him back to DS9.

The wife of writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe, who was a trained psychotherapist acted as an unofficial consultant on the script's treatment of O'Brien's PTSD.

It's heartbreaking to watch O'Brien struggle to readjust to life aboard Deep Space Nine, experiencing hallucinations of the cellmate that he "killed" as his mental health rapidly deteriorates. O'Brien even considers suicide in one of the most devastating scenes in the whole episode. It's thanks to the love of his family, the support of his crew, and his friendship with Dr. Bashir that O'Brien ultimately pulls through one of the harshest ordeals in all seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

All episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine are available to stream on Paramount+.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

*Availability in US

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, also known as DS9, is the fourth series in the long-running Sci-Fi franchise, Star Trek. DS9 was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, and stars Avery Brooks, René Auberjonois, Terry Farrell, and Cirroc Lofton. This particular series follows a group of individuals in a space station near a planet called Bajor.

• Colm Meaney

17 biggest canceled TV shows or series ending in 2024

The top canceled TV shows and series that are ending soon

All good things must someday come to an end. That quote may not have been written about TV shows, but it certainly does apply to them. There are dozens of TV cancellations every week, and new ones spring up to replace them faster than you can say "new season." Some of the most recent canceled shows include "NCIS: Hawai'i" and "Quantum Leap." 

But not all your favorite shows are having their plugs pulled unceremoniously. Many are coming to a natural end or a planned conclusion the creators set in motion. That includes favorites like "Young Sheldon" and "Star Trek: Discovery." Not sure what's still running and what you can cross off your list for next year's slate of new shows? Want to see what's meeting an untimely end?

Here are some of the biggest canceled TV shows and series that are ending in 2024 (want to find something new that has a chance of survival? Check out our new on Netflix list).

'NCIS: Hawai'i' 

Seasons: 3 | Ending: May 2024 The decision to bring this spinoff to an end ultimately came down to budget cuts following industry strikes around the time negotiations for a fourth season took place. Other series managed to avoid the axe while budget was shuffled around at CBS , but this series was not salvaged ahead of its third season, with May marking its final episodes' airing and a fourth season off the table. 

'Station 19' 

Seasons: 7 | Ending: May 2024 This action-packed "Grey's Anatomy" spin-off set in Seattle was a fan-favorite addition to the universe, so viewers were shocked to see it coming to an unexpected end. As part of a sweeping decision by ABC to save money in an ongoing shift from scripted shows to a balanced combination of reality and sports programming, the show is set to end this year. 

'Young Sheldon' 

Seasons: 7 | Ending: May 2024 According to "Young Sheldon" producer Steve Holland, endiing the series when its titular character turns 14 was "the right time" for the story to end, with Sheldon going to Cal Tech at that age. Holland added that the show was going to "end strong while it was on top." The story is set to continue beyond "The Big Bang Theory," however, with a spinoff based on Sheldon's big brother Georgie (Montana Jordan) and his wife Mandy (Emily Osment), however. 

'Yellowstone' 

Seasons: 5 | Ending: November 2024 The massively popular drama is coming to an end after its fifth season not because of low ratings, but because of scheduling issues with star Kevin Costner. Rumors swirled around Costner's availability, but after negotiations fell through and Paramount supposedly walked away over salary requests and scheduling dilemmas, season 6 was no longer on the table. Creator Taylor Sheridan already has several other series cooking, so you'll still be able to get your fix elsewhere. The final season is set to air in November.

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'Star Trek: Discovery'

Seasons: 5 | Ending: May 2024 The crew of the U.S.S. Discovery are ending their voyage as "Star Trek: Discovery" is set to conclude with its fifth and final season. Another casualty as a result of streamer Paramount Plus' attempts to return to profitability, the show wasn't intended to end with its fifth season. However, the "Star Trek" slate is currently set to continue with the return of "Strange New Worlds," despite the animated series "Lower Decks" soon ending as well. 

'What We Do in the Shadows'

Seasons: 6 | Ending: 2024 FX's popular vampire-centric series didn't step out in the sun and turn to dust. It just came to a natural end, according to FX chairman John Landgraf, after a six-year run. Now, it's gearing up for its sixth and final season that's set to air later in 2024. This ensemble comedy is poised to go out with a bang, even if fans are more than disheartened by its end. 

'Curb Your Enthusiasm' 

Seasons: 12 | Ended: February 2024 HBO's longest-running comedy said goodbye as Larry David put the kibosh on his raunchy series as of February 2024, when season 12 officially came to an end. David ultimately indicated he had run out of ideas, joking that he could now "finally shed this 'Larry David' persona" and "become the person God intended [him] to be." No, he isn't quitting to write more "Seinfeld" episodes, but there is a callout in the finale you might want to check out.

'The Good Doctor'

Seasons: 7 | Ended: February 2024 Fans said goodbye to the staff at San Jose St. Bonaventure in February of this year due to the unexpected cancellation of this popular show. Showrunner David Shore offered an explanation during the Television Critics Association that the cancellation was ultimately due to the way the story had been going and a surprising call from the network confirming a cancellation. 

'Bob Hearts Abishola' 

Seasons: 5 | Ending: May 2024 Though "Bob Hearts Abishola" is drawing to a close this May, it wasn't creator and executive producer Chuck Lorre's choice to cut out early. He told The Hollywood Reporter that he didn't feel like the show was "done," but added that it was not his call, explaining that the show was axed in part due to budgetary issues as well as low ratings — for the final season, many of the series regulars were let go. 

'Good Trouble'

Seasons: 5 | Ended: March 2024 This spinoff of "The Fosters" ended after a two-season run after executive VP of programming and content strategy at Freeform, Simran Sethi, failed to find the funds to justify bringing it back for another season. Disney made the decision to cut $2 billion from its budget for the channel, with "Cruel Summer" coming to an end alongside the show. 

Seasons: 4 | Ending: May 2024 The end of "Evil" came as another cost-cutting decision from streamer Paramount Plus, not as a result of the staff looking to close the book. Star Katja Herbers took to social media to announce the end of the show in February 2024, noting that the cast was "super sad" and asking Netflix if it was interested in a move to "snatch up the goods" at the time, an offer that does not appear to have been taken by the massive streaming platform. 

'Quantum Leap'

Seasons: 4 | Ended: February 2024 Though the second season of "Quantum Leap" came as a result of an early renewal by NBC, the network was not so keen to do the same thing this time around. Showrunners Martin Gero and Dean Georgaris spoke about the series "living in a bubble existence" and depending on multiple platforms and numbers that determine a series' fate. They acknowledged that the way season 2 was written was like a "completion" for part of the journey instead of leaving fans on a cliffhanger. 

'CSI: Vegas' 

Seasons: 3 | Ending: May 2024 Despite raking in around 7.6 million viewers per episode, CBS ended up deciding to pass on this "NCIS" spinoff due to the fact that there wasn't enough room on an already-packed schedule for it to return. This lead to an early cancellation for a series with spinoffs that often seem too big to fail, so the end is expected to come for the "Vegas" team in May. 

'So Help Me Todd' 

Seasons: 2 | Ending: May 2024 Just like "CSI: Vegas," this big performer, with an average of 7.7 million viewers per episode was axed due to an overly packed schedule, with supposedly not enough room to give it space to breathe for a third season. Now it'll draw to a close at the end of its second set of episodes in May. 

'Star Trek: Lower Decks' 

Seasons: 5 | Ending: 2024 Though "Strange New Worlds" is getting a renewal, shows like "Discovery" and "Lower Deck" in the "Star Trek" universe are ending. Creator Mike McMahan and executive producer Alex Kurtzman called working on the show "a dream come true" and confirmed that all of the series' previous episodes would remain available to watch on Paramount+, though neither came forth with the reason for the show's cancellation. They did express hopes that the crew of the animated Cerritos would "live on with new adventures,"  however. 

'Schmigadoon!'

Seasons: 2 | Ending: 2024 This musical comedy is meeting an early end, despite the fact that a new season was completed with 25 new songs, according to co-creator Cinco Paul. Apple hasn't shared an official reason behind the cancellation, but between the expensive production costs and potentially low viewer ratings, it's possible the streamer wanted to focus on its other scripted series, with renewals for shows like "For All Mankind" and "The Morning Show."

'The Brothers Sun'

Seasons: 1 | Ended: January 2024 Netflix shocked fans with its abrupt cancellation of this series before it could ever see a second season. It fell just short of the 7 million weekly views Netflix demands of its series to justify a new season, and as such was swiftly taken off the table before it could ever get off the ground — despite peaking at number 2 on Netflix's English-language top 10 and sticking there for around a month just days after its debut. 

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Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over 13 years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Popular Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, and more. She's also appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX East and PAX West and has coordinated social media for companies like CNET. When she's not writing or gaming, she's looking for the next great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. You can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.

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