Star Trek: The Original Series Top 10 Episodes
Star Trek (1964, 1966-1969)
Star Trek the Original Series is the one that started it all. From the very, very first episode, “The Cage”, the first pilot created in 1964, to the latest installment currently in development by J.J. Abrams, the first Enterprise remains in the hearts and minds of many. It is this series that is remembered FRIST when one mentions Star Trek to the general layman who does not consider themselves a Trekkie or Trekker.
It is strange, then, to have to admit that I have not seen every episode of this series. I know – one who has been in love with Trek ever since that first fateful day in the mid 1990s has not actually viewed all the episodes of the best and most influential series. It is also true that I have not seen some of the episodes on this list I have created in possibly years. In my review section, however, I will watch and analyze each story in detail beforehand. Despite not having watched all these episodes in a while, it was not difficult to choose my favorites. I have watched enough TOS to be able to gauge what my own favorite stories are and the ones I believe best exemplify the characters, settings and the series itself. Here are, in order from top to bottom, my favorite episodes:
Top 10 Episodes
City on the Edge of Forever
Season 1, Episode 28
By far the best Star Trek: TOS and one in Star Trek ever created, “The City on the Edge of Forever” shows how far one man may go to save the woman he loves.
The Trouble With Tribbles
Season 2, Episode 13
Perhaps the most fun episode to watch out of all series to date (even some of those pesky but lovable Ferengi episodes), “The Trouble with Tribbles” is the polar opposite in tone and scope of “The City on the Edge of Forever”. Some things that make this episode so memorable are the Klingons, bar fights, and furry little alien animals that replicate like rabbits…er..like tribbles, well nothing really replicates like Tribbles!
The Cloud Minders
Season 3, Episode 19
Although certainly not on everyone’s favorite list, this is one of the first Star Trek episodes I ever watched and one of my favorites. This story deals with the cause and effects of a pure hierarchical society where the upper class live luxuriously in a city literally in the clouds, while the working class live in the surface in less than stellar conditions. It is a criticism of the current world class system and one I found really challenged the crew of the Enterprise.
The Menagerie/The Cage
Season 1, Episode 14
Season 0, Episode 1
A classic in its own right, the Menagerie was a Two-Part episode that took much from the actual first pilot, the failed pilot called “The Cage”. Made up of an entirely different crew, it showed the events of a fateful trip to a planet whose inhabitants can create illusions just by thinking about it.
Errand of Mercy
Season 1, Episode 27
I really enjoyed this episode, since it dealt with human’s misconceptions about society and technology. War begins between the Klingons and Federation and they both attempt to strong-arm this apparent primitive society to their own views. It turns out these primitive Organians are in fact the most advanced species either species has encountered, able to stop all instruments on the ships with nary a whim. The war is effectively put to and end and both the Enterprise and the Klingons, under the command of Kor, must go back home.
The Enterprise Incident
Season 3, Episode 24
Who could forget that famous episode that saw Captain Kirk with Romulan ears, the lovely female Romulan Commander who was pwned by Spock, and the apparent violation of numerous interstellar laws when the Enterprise attempts to steal a Romulan Cloaking Device. This marked the second and final appearance of the Romulans in Star Trek in the TOS but it wouldn’t be the last time we would see them.
Mirror, Mirror
Season 2, Episode 10
Another universe, a mirror of our own, where good is evil, up is down, and Furby’s still attempt to spy on American children. “Mirror, Mirror” showed us the iconic image of Spock in a goatee, even skimpier uniforms (which seemed all but impossible, given the short skirt lengths in our own universe’s Enterprise), and woman I would never, ever want to cross…go Tantalus Field!
Space Seed
Season 1, Episode 24
Khaaaaaaaaaan! Need I saw more. Badass all the way, Khan was the perfect bad guy in Star Trek, so much so that he would eventually get his very own movie and a chance go to out in full glory. Not to mention action for perhaps one of the most boring positions on a Starship, local historian.
Tomorrow is Yesterday
Season 1, Episode 21
I always enjoy episodes of TOS where the Enterprise found its way to the twentieth century. It seems absurd that they would attempt to see what humanity was like at the height of the Cold War, but considering what the 21st century was like in the Stark Trek Mythos, perhaps studying what led to the Eugenics War and World War III isn’t such a crazy thing after all. This episode deals with what would happen if one inadvertently faced a conundrum with time travel, one very well done in this episode.
All Our Yesterdays
Season 3, Episode 23
Another time travel episode, this story centers on a planet that is dying and the Enterprise attempts to warn their inhabitants that their sun is about to go nova. Kirk, Spock and McCoy find only a series of similar looking Androids and a guy named Atoz (A to Z? hmmm) who is a mysterious and cryptic caretaker of a library, only that it is not just a library, but a time machine as well. Crazy antics ensue which sees Kirk arrested for witchcraft in a medieval time period and Spock getting horny with a woman in the ice ages, and of course, McCoy as annoyed as ever.
Honorable Mentions
Where No Man Has Gone Before
Season 1, Episode 3
This is the Second Pilot of TOS and one that surprisingly aired third in its series run. Things are somewhat different in this episode, including Spock in a yellow uniform and a smirk that says “Vulcans with emotions!” ah! Although it would continue to violate canon, this story was an interesting foray into some more esoteric ideas in Star Trek.
Patterns of Force
Season 2, Episode 23
Although it soon became a cliché in the Star Trek universe, this episode is a startling look into repeating the mistakes of history. In this episode, a cultural observer from Earth apparently brought the ideas of Nazism to an alien planet in order to bring them out of a disastrous dark age. This plan, although helped them advance immensely, backfired and the negative aspects of the Nazi party asserted itself, including a staunch militarism and racism. This episodes shows that although one can have good intentions, things may not be the best thing to do.
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