Top Ten Star Trek: The Original Series Episodes
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Top Ten Star Trek: The Original Series Episodes
I am not the biggest fan of Star Trek: The Original Series. It’s not the best when it comes to the ST universe, but it certainly has its moments, some being downright excellent. This is my ranking of such moments as I chose only the greatest, most effective episodes from this highly uneven show.
10. The Tholian Web
Captain Kirk is caught between dimensions while the crew of the Enterprise works to retrieve him in this instantly memorable, so well plotted installment that is at its best when dealing with its imaginative surroundings. Kirk is also excellent here. It’s a terrific season 3 episode.
9. The Ultimate Computer
There has been a lot of episodes dealing with AI in this particular show, but this season 2 episode is probably the best of the bunch. It follows the crew’s attempts to stop a rogue computer, and it’s one of the most purely entertaining hours of this program.
8. Is There in Truth No Beauty?
Traveling with an alien ambassador who has such a striking, madness-inducing appearance, Is There in Truth No Beauty? manages to execute this premise so well, and not leave it hollow and underutilized as most of this show’s episodes did.
7. A Private Little War
Following the Klingon interference in the development of a formerly peaceful planet as the crew joins them, this one obviously escalates to a conflict. It’s one of the greatest episodes of this thriller/conflict type, and the one that does deal with politics stupendously well for once.
6. The Enterprise Incident
Trying to steal a Romulan cloaking device, this episode also deals with one of Kirk’s romances, this one being better and more memorable than most. But the highlight is the former very suspenseful, actually hugely entertaining storyline.
5. The Menagerie
This is actually a two-parter, and it entirely deserved this long treatment as this is such a rich Spock-centered story where he is the accused one where he behaved weirdly, and now he is being judged in what is one unforgettable, very involving courtroom drama of sorts.
4. Amok Time
Speaking of Spock, he gets to go back to his home planet Vulcan in this instantly iconic episode where we finally saw where he comes from. And it was delightful, and technically excellent with great visuals for its time for sure.
3. The Trouble with Tribbles
The Original Series is a very silly show throughout with many cringy episodes, but this is not one of those. Yes, The Trouble with Tribbles is an iconic cutesy installment with instantly memorable creatures that are so adorable that the episode is hard not to enjoy.
2. The Corbomite Maneuver
Encountering a very strange alien commander on an unusual alien ship, the crew must deal with his shenanigans and theatricality in what is one incredibly entertaining, amusing episode that ranks among the best crafted and most purely enjoyable of the show.
1. The Devil in the Dark
The Devil in the Dark deals with a deadly subterranean creature, and how the crew gets to deal with it. It’s so damn adventurous, so instantly iconic in its great production design, and so filled with great SF touches. It’s simply an amazing season 1 episode that had to take my number one spot for this list.
