I don’t normally watch Star Trek, but this past month I decided to watch the best episode of each Star Trek series. I did not choose episodes from any current Star Trek series (Discovery and Picard) because in those cases the verdict is still out and perhaps the best is yet to come.
What does it take to be the Best Episode of a TV series? Many times it means a break in formula. Like the LOST episode “Flashes Before Your Eyes” or Doctor Who’s “Blink”, there’s a certain amount of risk-taking to be had- a certain amount of challenging the audience. Sometimes a break from formula ends up being a miss or an outright disaster. Sometimes risks can completely divide a fan base. But, in rare cases, risks pay off and the result is an episode that people think of as being “The Best”.
Every fan has their favorite episode that’s very personal to them, so sometimes it takes an outsider to really judge a franchise fairly. I am that outsider. An outsider because I know just enough about Star Trek to squeak by, but not enough to be a “fan”. I’ve seen every Star Trek film, many of them I’ve seen twice. But considering how many Trek episodes there are, I really haven’t seen many. I could easily be labelled a Star Wars expert and I know quite a lot about Doctor Who. But for Trek, I’ve never had the time or interest to become a real connoisseur. Which is why I embarked on this project. I don’t need to be a Trek completist. What I really want is to consume the best of what Trek has to offer.
So I did.
And here are the results:
The Original Series
Series: Star Trek (The Original Series)
Episode: Season 1 Episode 28 "The City on the Edge of Forever"
Broadcast: April 1967
The Plot:
Dr. McCoy accidentally injects himself with crazy juice and he teleports down to a weird planet. There’s this sentient time-gate on the weird planet but the time gate is only sentient so that it can explain itself to the characters and the audience, otherwise it seems pretty powerless. McCoy jumps through the time-gate and winds up in the 1930s where he accidently helps Nazi’s win WWII. Jim and Spock try to fix things, but Jim winds up in love with a girl doomed to die.
What Critics Say:
TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, and others have ranked “The City on the Edge of Forever” as the best episode of the original series. In his final interview, Gene Roddenbury claimed that it was his favorite as well.
What I Say:
All great time travel stories are pretty much the same. Time is accidently broken and the heroes have to rush in to fix it. In the good ones there is always a morally-ambiguous decision to be made. Should Doc Brown save the doomed Clara Clayton? Can Donna convince The Doctor to save a family of Romans from Pompeii? Should James Tiberius Kirk save his 1930s girlfriend from dying if it means that Nazis inherit the Earth? These binary choices often simplifies the complications of Time Travel for audiences… in a good way.
This episode breaks formula by taking Trek off of the starship and putting Kirk and Spock in street clothes. The stakes are understandable to a broad audience and many have cited the fact that this episode works for both fans and non-fans. Add in a Twilight Zone twist and you have TV gold.
The Animated Series
Series: Star Trek: The Animated Series
Episode: Season 1 Episode 2 "Yesteryear"
Broadcast: September 1973
The Plot:
Kirk and Spock have returned to the sentient time-gate causing time to go arry again! This time they have accidently erased Spock from history. More specifically Spock will die as a young boy unless adult Spock can go back and save himself. Adult Spock claims he is a cousin of the family named Selek in order to keep tabs on his younger self. Meanwhile Young Spock must make a tough decision about whether to euthanize a much loved family pet.
Who Wrote It?
D.C. Fontana (or Dorothy Fantana) was responsible for writing an eighth of the episodes in The Original Series and she went on to write several 90s era episodes as well.
What Critics Say:
In 2013, The Guardian labeled this as one of the six best Star Trek episodes, out of the entire franchise. It was also nominated for an Emmy. Not bad for a Saturday Morning Cartoon.
What I Say:
The episode “Yesteryear” is not only a spiritual sequel to "The City on the Edge of Forever", it is possible that this episode is actually far better than its predecessor. The morally ambiguous decision this time round is placed on the shoulders of young Spock and it is heartbreaking. Like any good Pixar film, this episode had me on the verge of tears. And yet the themes and tones of this episode are much more adult than a Pixar film, leaving me to wonder what further treasures Star Trek: The Animated Series might be hiding in its vaults. Maybe someday I will find out.
The Next Generation
Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Episode: Season 5 Episode 25 “The Inner Light”
Broadcast: June 1992
The Plot:
When the Enterprise encounters an unknown probe, Captain Jean-Luc Picard suddenly wakes up on a planet, Kataan. The inhabitants of this planet tell him that his name is Kamin. He has a house and a wife. Picard is initially restless to escape this new life, but over time he begins to accept it. He sires two children and grows old with his wife. He learns to play a flute.
What Critics Say:
Finding the quintessential “Best” episode of TNG was difficult. It seems that people can’t agree on which episode is the “Best”. Yet this episode does appear near the top of most “Best of TNG” lists and (most importantly) the episode is Patrick Stewart’s favorite. Also, the episode won a Hugo in 1993.
What I Say:
The Inner Light’s title is taken from a Beatles song written by George Harrison. The theme of this episode (and that of the song) is that you can experience all the mysteries of the universe without actually going anywhere. Picard is a starship captain, devoted to his crew, but has no wife or children. He explores the infinite reaches of space, but has not fully explored the infinite reaches of his soul. The life he experiences on Kataan is slow and often uneventful. Yet Picard learns to appreciate the slowness and the quiet times. He picks up a hobby in his flute.
In this world so full of instant messages and instant gratification, I think it’s a good lesson for all of us. Slow down. Be bored. Take a breath. Find your Inner Light.
Deep Space Nine
Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Episode: Season 4 Episode 3: “The Visitor”
Broadcast: October 1995
The Plot:
Captain Benjamin Sisko is hit by an energy discharge from a wormhole. Sisko disappears right in front of his son Jake, apparently meeting his demise. Years pass and Jake has become a famous author, but when his father periodically reappears and disappears, Jake devotes his life to finding how to save his father.
What Critics Say:
"The Visitor" was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1996. Also in 1996, TV guide ranked it as the tenth best episode of any Star Trek series. In 2012, Den of Geek ranked it the best episode of Deep Space Nine.
It wasn’t easy to pick the best episode of DS9. Many sites also note that “Far Beyond The Stars” could be considered the best. I have included “Far Beyond The Stars” as a bonus at the end of this list.
What I Say:
Captain Benjamin Sisko jumps through time and each time he reappears his son is just a little older. This is reminiscent of the song “Cats in the Cradle” and perhaps a metaphor for what all parents go through. Blink and you’ll miss everything. Of course this story is not told through the eyes of Benjamin, it is told through the eyes of Jake. Jake becomes a successful writer and a married man for a time, but ultimately his obsession with getting his father back consumes him. In the end he succeeds in rescuing his father but only at the cost of tanking his own life and happiness. In the end he goes so far as to take his own life to give his father and his younger self another chance. Who wouldn’t.
Voyager
Series: Star Trek: Voyager
Episode: Season 4 Episodes 8 & 9: “Year of Hell”
Broadcast: November 1997
The Plot:
As Voyager cruises through the Delta quadrant, they find themselves attacked by a Krenim destroyer. This Krenim ship can not only penetrate their shields but also has a weapon that can change time itself. For the next several months the crew of the Voyager must fend off Warships, until Janeway orders the crew to abandon ship, leaving only the senior staff behind.
What Critics Say:
Digital Trends and Den of Geek have ranked "Year of Hell" the best episodes of Star Trek: Voyager. In 2020, SyFy Wire also ranked the two part episode as the best of the series and praised the film level quality.
What I Say:
Watching Voyager was a little like coming home. It is the Star Trek show I am most comfortable with. “Year of Hell” is a lot like watching all four seasons of Battlestar Galactica in the span of an hour and a half- a decade before the reimagined Battlestar hit the airwaves. Voyager is a show ahead of its time where the two most interesting characters are women who take shit from no one. My only complaint about “Year of Hell” was that the ending was a reset, when it didn’t have to be. I know Voyager was a bit early for serialized TV, but imagine how powerful these episodes would be if the consequences of the “Year of Hell” were reflected in subsequent episodes of the show.
Enterprise
Series: Star Trek: Enterprise
Episode: Season 4 Episodes 18 & 19: "In a Mirror, Darkly"
Broadcast: April 2005
The Plot:
In the Mirror Universe first officer Jonathan Archer has high ambitions. He lives in a world where the Terran Empire has dominated space and where rank is taken by force. Archer stages a mutiny and declares himself captain of The Enterprise. Soon, Archer learns that the Tholians have captured an Earth ship from the future and from another timeline, the USS Defiant. As the Tholians destroy The Enterprise, Archer captures The Defiant and uses its futuristic weapons and capabilities to establish himself as a powerful Captain with his sights on becoming Emperor.
What Critics Say:
Den of Geek ranked “In a Mirror Darkly” as the strongest of the franchise noting that the revised theme music was inventive. It has also been praised by W.I.R.E.D, Empire, and Vulture.com.
What I Say:
The Mirror Universe has been explored in the Original Star Trek Series, as well as episodes of Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, and Discovery. It represents the polar opposite of Gene Roddenbury’s utopian vision of the future. In a world where Donald Trump is president of the United States we have to question where this is all going. If we ever make “first contact” with alien races, would the human race enter an age of peace or an age of conquest? In the Star Trek universe our future either goes one direction or the other, but in the real world things are more complicated than that.
In the fall of 2001, life in America changed. As we entered a new century we discovered a new type of fear, which altered the course of events. Roddenbury’s hopeful vision of the future had accompanied America through the economic boom of the 90s in the form of The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. But by 2001, America’s appetite for Star Trek began to flag. Star Trek Enterprise was not received well by critics, its campy plotlines and dopey theme song did not please critics or fans. When the final TNG film “Nemesis” bombed in cinemas in 2002, it became obvious that the Golden Age of Star Trek was dead- America’s hope for the future was lost.
Perhaps “In a Mirror, Darkly” was seen as a rare success among Enterprise episodes because it actually reflected that darkness and fear felt at the time of its release. America was fighting a war on two fronts. It felt like we were living in a Mirror Universe… a Dark Universe. It’s too bad that it took the show’s creators so long to figure this chemistry out. If the show had lasted a fifth season, more Mirror Universe episodes would have been produced. But perhaps it is better the series was cancelled after all.
BONUS
Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Episode: Season 3 Episode 26 “The Best of Both Worlds” Part 1
Season 4 Episode 1 “The Best of Both Worlds” Part 2
Broadcast: June 1990 & September 1990
The Plot:
Captain Picard is captured by the Borg and assimilated in the Season 3 finale of “The Next Generation”. Fans have to wait all summer long for the series to return in the Fall.
What Critics Say:
WhatCulture and The Washington Post have called the episodes, the best of the entire Star Trek franchise. In 1996 TV guide ranked the episode #50 out of 100 for TV’s most memorable moments. In 2009 they also ranked in the 36th best TV episode of all time. Some have called this episode better than most Star Trek films.
What I Say:
Captain Picard’s brief time as a Borg is key to his character. The event is known to a wide audience and has been referenced in “First Contact” and the CBS series “Picard”. I was five years old when these episodes broadcast and my family did not watch Trek, but watching these episodes years later does not dull the gravitas of the event. It’s like watching video footage of the Hindenburg or the Moon Landing. It’s a piece of television history that is still felt in stories being told today.
BONUS
Series: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Episode: Season 6 Episode 13: “Far Beyond the Stars”
Broadcast: February 1998
The Plot:
Benjamin Sisko is having visions of 1950s New York where he is a Benny Russell, an African-American writer who works for a Sci-Fi magazine. Other principal DS9 cast members portray the various people in the life of Benny. Benny is inspired by a pencil sketch and creates the character of Benjamin Sisko, a black starfleet captain. He convinces his boss to let him publish the work, but the owner of the magazine decides to pulp the issue due to concerns over the nature of Benny’s story. Benny is also fired.
What Critics Say:
In 2016, Empire Magazine ranked this the 4th best episode of any Star Trek series. In 2018 Vulture ranked it as the best episode of DS9.
What I Say:
The story begs the question, is Benny Russell living in the real world dreaming of Voyager or is Benjamin Sisko living on Voyager and dreaming of Benny. Perhaps both? Avery Brook's acting is very strong in this episode and it sheds light on the racism that has defined every decade of our country. If broadcast in today’s world “Far Beyond the Stars” would be labelled as PC libtard propaganda- which begs the question, has society become more enlightened since 1998, or have we taken several steps backwards?
BONUS
Series: Short Treks
Episode: Season 2 Episode 1 “Q&A”
Broadcast: October 2019
The Plot:
Ensign Spock spends his first day on the Enterprise trapped in an elevator with first officer “Number One”
What I say:
I wasn’t going to review any of the new CBS All Access Star Trek in this blog, but the Short Treks are too tempting. These short stories are able to take Star Trek to places that a normal TV series cannot go. Episodes such as “Runaway”, “The Escape Artist”, and “The Trouble with Edward” are better than 90% of all Star Trek episodes and they deserve to be listed among the other “best” episodes on this list. But “Q&A” is even better still.
Spock’s character for 50 years has struggled to sideline his emotions for the greater good. Yet often he uses those same emotions to fight for those he loves. The characters in Star Trek often must sacrifice their personal feelings, interests, and family ties to serve the universe as a whole. This is the DNA of the Star Trek franchise.
BONUS
Series: Star Trek: The Original Series
Episode: Season 0 Episode 1 “The Cage”
The Plot:
Enterprise Captain Christopher Pike are investigating a lost survey vessel (the SS Columbia) on Talos IV. But the ship and survivors are an illusion created by the Talosians in order to lure him into a prison cell.
What Critics Say:
NBC reportedly called the original pilot to Star Trek "too cerebral", "too intellectual", and "too slow" with "not enough action". The episode was first made available to fans through VHS in 1986. In 2010 SciFiNow ranked it as the third best episode of the Original Series.
What I say:
The original Star Trek pilot “The Cage” is void of much of the elements that made The Original Series a success. There is no international cast (such as Scotty, Sulu, or Chekov). There is no Nichelle Nicols as Nyoto Uhura (or any people of color). Leonard Nimoy plays Spock, but he is not quite the emotion-suppressed Vulcan that we know and love. The two elements that work the best in this pilot are Jeffrey Hunter as Christopher Pike and Majel Barrett as the female first officer “Number One”. Fortunately both of these characters are reclaimed in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery and get a proper chance to shine.
Afterword
I don’t normally watch Star Trek and that does usually bother me. There are almost 800 Star Trek episodes and 13 films. It’s a lot to explore. But watching a handful of episodes in the past month has been enough to at least peak my interest. It makes me want to continue to dabble in the franchise- to see what hidden treasures can be unearthed amidst the rigmarole of CGI Gorn and Vulcans playing baseball. The COVID-19 pandemic has given me time to dabble. Why not continue to… engage?
