Whoviantrekkie's Top 30 Greatest episodes of Star Trek!!! :)

[Whoviantrekkie]

Hello friends! As I write this, it is 2016 and that means that it’s the 50th anniversary of one of my favorite franchises of all time: Star Trek!! I didn’t do anything for my personal favorite franchise (Doctor Who’s) 50th anniversary and I feel like I should have. Well I’m not going to disappoint the other half of my namesake this year! Although I did intend to get this out on the day of the 50th, life happened but I’m doing it now. So I’ve worked over and created a list of my all-time favorite Star Trek episodes!

Because as great as some of the movies are, it’s the shows that really matter. But I didn’t want to just say, these are the best Original Series or Next Gen episodes because I don’t feel like that appropriately captures the scope of the 50th so instead I’ve created a list of the Top 30 Greatest episodes of Star Trek comprised of episodes from all five of the main Star Trek series’! Before I start though I just want to make a few things perfectly clear:

1. There are hundreds of episodes and I widdled them down to just 30! If your favorite episodes didn’t make it on here. That’s because this is just MY list. If you disagree that’s fine, leave a comment explaining your favorites and why.

2. This is just for fun. Be nice.

3. I am going to be releasing this list in three parts so be patient if you didn’t see any episode on here. Just wait and once again, be civil.

4. I know I said FIVE shows. That is because I count Star Trek: The Animated Series as a part of the Original Series in my head. And I’m sorry to say fans of TAS, there are no episodes from that show that made this list. I DO NOT HATE the Animated Series, I think it is fine. I just felt that its episodes didn’t make the grade in my humble opinion. Disagree with me, that’s fine. Leave a comment or write your own list! I'm very curious to know what your favorites are!

With that said, let’s get started with WhovianTrekkie’s Top 30 Greatest Episodes of Star Trek: Part 1!

Number 30) Mirror, Mirror—Star Trek: The Original Series

This is one of the single most iconic episodes of Star Trek of all time! Chances are it’s the one episode everyone has seen by proxy. Kind of like the way that everyone knows the movie Frankenstein without having seen it necessarily. All of the tropes are there; an evil parallel universe, the Federation is an interstellar empire, and Spock has a beard! (There’s even a band called Spock’s Beard named for this episode) It is a blast to see the other main characters act cartoonishly evil and it spawned one of the coolest pieces of Star Trek’s lore; the Mirror Universe. Not to mention Kirk’s speech at the end is one of the best. Even if it kind of dooms mankind as we saw in Deep Space Nine but there was no way he could have foreseen that. If you haven’t seen it, give it a shot, you may finally understand the references that all those other TV shows and movies kept making!



Number 29) The Trouble with Tribbles—Star Trek: The Original Series

Once again, this is one of the most iconic episodes of all time. The Enterprise enters orbit around the disputed Sherman’s Planet on the K-7 space station. The Klingons have arrived under the guise of Shore Leave and in the meantime the most adorable alien invasion takes hold of the station and the Enterprise! This is one of the funny episodes of Star Trek but it still holds up. I originally wondered if this episode was really as good as everyone says it is but I’ve seen it again several times now and everything from the pacing, the comic timing, and the plotline all still holds up well. Not too much to say about this one. It’s iconic for a reason and definitely worth revisiting!



Number 28) Blood Oath—Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

This is one of those episodes that I really don’t imagine making anyone else’s lists but I love it and that’s what’s important here. Station science officer Jadzia Dax (the most beautiful woman in Star Trek imho) becomes guilt ridden when three elderly Klingon Da’har Masters from her past return to collect on a blood oath made years ago. What was that blood oath? To kill “The Albino,” the man who murdered their children in cold blood and Dax’s godson. Now Dax struggles what to do. Does she honor her blood oath and kill another for the first time in her life thus disobeying everything Starfleet stands for? Or does she leave the Klingons to go at it alone and leave her friends to die in battle alone and her godson unavenged?

I love this episode because I feel like this one portrays the Klingons in the most badass way as well as giving Jadzia an interesting moral dilemma. Not to mention the three Klingon Da’har masters are none other than Kang, Kor, and Koloth from the Original Series as played by their original actors, John Colicos, William Campbell, and Michael Ansara respectively! It’s a great way of bringing the old Klingons back and is all around just a cool episode to see Klingons finally going into battle with Bat’leths in the wind!



Number 27) A Piece of the Action—Star Trek: The Original Series

This is just all around one of the most fun episodes of the original series! The Enterprise crew travels to the planet Sigma Iotia II where one hundred years ago, the USS Horizon made first contact in the days before the Prime Directive. No one has monitored them since and all that was known about the Iotians is that they were humanoid and very “imitative.” What they discover is that the Horizon left behind textbooks that contained information on how to build basic industrial equipment like cars and radios and one history book. A book about the gangsters of 1920s Chicago. The result. An entire planet of 1920s Chicago gangsters! Yes, it is as dumb as it sounds! Yes, it is amazing!

Everything about this episode is pure stupid fun in all its glory! From the costuming, to the lingo, to Kirk getting really into character and leaving the gangsters with the warning that Federation is going to return every now and again for its “cut.” It is a hilarious and fantastic watch if you’re ever feeling down. This is the kind of fun that classic Star Trek is best at!



Number 26) Amok Time—Star Trek: The Original Series

Once again, this is another classic episode. Spock is behaving stranger than usual, going into hysterical rages and demanding to return to Vulcan at all cost. The reveal is that he is going through “pon-farr” the Vulcan mating season and if he does not return to Vulcan he will die. But it isn’t as simple as that, as not only do we meet Spock’s wife T’Pring but she has schemes of her own and the result is the most iconic fight scene in all of Star Trek history! It’s a tense story and a good first look into Vulcan culture. Not to mention the fight scene is pop culture iconography as well as the music that accompanies it. But there is a question. Yes it is the most iconic fight scene but is it the best one? Well . . .



Number 25) Tsunkatse—Star Trek: Voyager

Voyager really does not get a lot of love from the fans and I’m not going to lie, I can see why. However, there are definitely gems in Voyager worth watching and one of them is this episode! While the crew of Voyager is enjoying a relaxing shore leave, Seven of Nine and Tuvok are kidnapped and forced to compete in the brutal gladiatorial arena known as “Tsunkatse.” While the rest of the crew desperately tries to track them down, Seven must prepare for the fight of her life, literally. What we get in this episode is not one but two great fights scenes. The last fight scene where (spoiler) she fights her mentor in the arena is a great and intense fight but the real gem is the fight scene before it. It gives us the greatest fight that no one on earth asked for . . . Seven of Nine versus none other than DWAYNE “THE ROCK” JOHNSON!! And it is absolutely glorious! I could watch that fight scene any day of the week! And that’s not all, we also get more of one of the only good new alien races Voyager gave us, the Hirogen, as well as a return from Star Trek’s best (in my opinion) reoccurring guest actor Jeffrey Combs! It’s an action packed episode that really packs a punch!



Number 24) Bride of Chaotica—Star Trek: Voyager

Once again this is another gem from Voyager and this one is also one of the most fun episodes of Star Trek of all time! One of the few fun things about Voyager was the areas where they explored holograms and the holodeck. The character of The Doctor being the prime example. But this episode really had fun with the holodeck. Tom Paris and Harry Kim are running one of their favorite recreational programs on the holodeck. What is this program exactly? It’s a black and white, Flash Gordon style Hollywood serial with over the top music, Satan’s Robot, and an evil villain named Chaotica threating to destroy the galaxy with his doomsday machine! Why would they have this program? Who cares? It’s fun, just enjoy the ride.

Anyway, things go wrong when lifeforms who are naturally photonic enter the holodeck and mistake the program for an actual planet. Due to the fact that they are photonic, Chaotica’s cheesy B-movie weapons actually hurt them and they mistake this for an act of war with Voyager at risk. Without the ability to shut down the holodeck (due to plot convenience) the only way to stop Chaotica before the photonic beings go into total war mode and tear the ship apart is to have Captain Janeway try to seduce Chaotica as Arachnia Queen of the Spider People! The whole thing is dumb and cheesy and is a great tribute to classic sci-fi! I love this episode because I feel like it’s a great return to the cheesy fun of the Original Series and if you haven’t been able to get through Voyager at least give episodes like this one a shot because it is absolutely fun.



Number 23) Nemesis—Star Trek: Voyager

Not to be confused with the movie, Nemesis, this episode is very different. First officer, Chakotay is stranded on a planet that is in the midst of war between two factions. The side that finds Chakotay brings him into their camp and Chakotay slowly sees the atrocities that the other side has inflicted upon these people. He slowly starts to see their cause and takes up arms in their war. But not all is as it seems.

There are several reasons why I like this episode as much as I do. First off, it made me care about Chakotay which in and of itself is a miracle! But beyond that, what really impressed me was the guest actors in this one. The aliens in this episode all speak with this weird pseudo-Shakespearean dialect that would seem impossible to translate well from page to screen and yet all of the actors do it surprisingly well! Finally, there is the ending which I won’t spoil for anyone but all I’ll say is that this one is worth checking out. It’s a great lesson on war, propaganda, and that sadly it’s usually harder to stop hating than it is to start.


Couldn't find a decent clip so I had to resort to the shitty UPN trailer

Number 22) Trials and Tribble-ations—Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Deep Space Nine is my personal favorite of the Star Trek shows mainly because of the characters and for the exploration of darker more complex themes that aren’t really seen in the other shows. But this one is the absolute most fun of all their episodes! Captain Sisko recalls the story of how the Defiant was hijacked and taken back in time one hundred years where they met none other than the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Kirk!!

This one is fun because it honors the original series and does an incredible job, splicing the DS9 crew into the episode Trouble with Tribbles! The sets and costumes are great and even nailing the original series fight choreography down, this episode was a great anniversary special and a wonderful meeting of the two crews, even if the original crew didn’t know it was happening!



Number 21) Waltz—Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

This one is really heavy and was the beautiful pay-off to seasons of build-up! Arguably the main antagonist of the entire series, Gul Dukat is finally captured by Captain Sisko and is being transported to a penal colony. However, the ship goes down and Sisko and Dukat are stranded alone together. As Dukat starts hallucinating and his mind becomes more and more untwined, Sisko’s anger at Dukat rises and after the civility goes out the window, the two hold a mock trial where all of Dukat’s pretense and charm throughout the whole series comes crashing down and we see Dukat for the monster he truly is!

This episode is so good that it should be staged! Hell, you could take the Star Trek out of it and make it two enemies from any war in history and it would still be good! This episode was a fantastic pay-off to all the build-up from the show and the acting is superb. This episode highlights why Gul Dukat is hands down one of the greatest villains in all of Star Trek!





That’s all I have time to write for now. If you haven’t seen your favorite episodes yet. I’m working on Part 2 now so be patient and feel free to discuss, agree, or disagree. And don’t forget enjoy, celebrate the 50th, and Live long and Prosper!! 

 

[milagros317]

I will be glad to see the rest, #20 down to #1. 😀

 

[The Internet]

I've only ever watched the original series, thanks for the tips on the newer ones, I'd never know what to look for first! I'll reserve judgement until I see finished list, but I already like the "classic" episodes you picked.

 

[BlasterMaster]

Any episode that has interaction between Stewart and John De Lancie is a favorite of mine. 😀

Also, I loved Deep Space Nine, ALOT! 😀

 

[Whoviantrekkie]

Any episode that has interaction between Stewart and John De Lancie is a favorite of mine. 😀

Also, I loved Deep Space Nine, ALOT! 😀

The Q episodes are always a blast! I think Q episodes deserve their own list in and of themselves!

Also Hell yeah, Deep Space Nine!! *High five*

 

[Whoviantrekkie]

And now we’re back with Part II! Let’s continue this voyage with . . .


Number 20) Far Beyond the Stars—Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

This is definitely one of the heaviest Star Trek episodes of all time. For those who don’t follow DS9, here’s some needed backstory for this episode. Captain Sisko has established a peaceful relationship with the people of the planet Bajor by making first contact with the Prophets. Extra-dimensional aliens who exist outside of our perception of linear time and who act as the gods of the Bajorans. As “Emissary of the Prophets,” Sisko routinely experiences visions from the prophets and this episode reveals the strangest and yet darkest vision he’s ever had. Sisko is transported to New York in the 1950s and believes that he is a science fiction writer for a pulp magazine named Benny Russell and everyone he meets are the different actors of Deep Space Nine playing period characters and out of make-up. Due to issues with the publishers no one knows that Benny is a black man and must write his stories in secret. Things start to get meta and change when Benny starts writing a new story about African American Captain Benjamin Sisko aboard the space station Deep Space Nine! An idea his colleagues all love but his publishers won’t accept because they believe that Sisko cannot be black.

The whole episode is a long commentary about race relations in America and is a great period piece as Benny witnesses and experiences horrifying acts of police brutality and tries his hardest not to crack and play ball in order to get his story published. What happens to Benny Russell in the end . . . well, it is one of the saddest fucking things I have ever seen in a TV show! The clip is better if you see the whole episode leading up to the scene but . . . good God.



Number 19) Year of Hell—Star Trek: Voyager

I think one of the biggest problems that Voyager had as a whole was that it was just too clean. They were a ship supposedly stranded, undersupplied, and comprised of two different crews who began as enemies desperately trying to work together to get back home under the banner of being a fully professional Starfleet crew. While the idea had potential, more often than not the series came off as too polished and not enough genuine drama and hardship to make the series live up to its potential. But we got a good taste of the Voyager we were looking for in this amazing two-parter, Year of Hell! Basically, a genocidal madman played by the great Kurtwood Smith, is using a time-travel super weapon to wipe entire civilizations out from history throughout the sector and Voyager is caught in the crossfire dealing with the aftermath. The crew is beaten, broken, and hanging on to their sanity by a thread!

This is the best that we’ve ever seen of Captain Janeway and the whole storyline oozes with drama and desperation! The acting from the entire cast is superb and the sci-fi is great too. One of my friends did say that he loved the episode but felt like the ending was a tad of a cop-out and . . . it’s kind of hard to argue with that. But at the same time some of the best episodes of Star Trek ended in cop outs too so I’m not going to fault the rest of this episode on that. This is the Voyager that should have been but at least there is this amazing story!



Number 18) The First Duty—Star Trek: The Next Generation

Finally we have a Next Gen episode! And there is much more to come so hang on. One of the aspects of the Next Generation that fans continually harp on (and with reason) is Wesley Crusher played by Wil Wheaton. While I do think that Wesley gets a tad, too much hate from the fandom, it’s pretty clear why fans hate this kid. He’s a snot-nosed little know-it-all who is supposed to have this great destiny blah blah blah. But even the most adamant Wesley haters generally tend to give a pass to this Wesley-centric episode. The ship is back at Earth and there has been news that Wesley and his flight squad were involved in a terrible accident in which one of Wesley’s teammates was killed. Now a court martial is in session to determine what happened but Wesley and the rest of Nova Squad seem to be hiding something.

While it is an intriguing court room mystery, the real crux of the episode is the coming-of-age storyline. This episode is a great lesson to everyone but especially young people about the dangers of peer pressure and the price of hubris. Being young is tough and everyone can relate to the dangers that can come with being young and stupid and the moral dilemma of choosing your family or friends. In the end though this episode teaches us all that in the end we can only do what we each feel is right and to own up to the consequences of our own actions. All while getting schooled in what is probably one of Picard’s best speeches!



Number 17) The Measure of a Man—Star Trek: The Next Generation

As popular as Next Gen is, the early seasons are honestly borderline unwatchable. However, there are gems littered throughout and this is definitely one of the brightest. Lieutenant Commander Data (an android) is requested to return to Starfleet and be dismantled so that he may be more closely studied. When Data refuses, he is deemed as not a living being but Starfleet property. This results in a trial in which Data must prove the one thing that those at Starfleet Command cannot comprehend . . . he is alive. Data is by far the best part of Star Trek: The Next Generation and this episode is Data at his best. And while it may seem like science-fiction now, the closer we get to creating artificial intelligence, one does wonder whether this trial will become reality and which side of the debate we should be on.



Number 16) Yesterday’s Enterprise—Star Trek: The Next Generation

One of the best time travel stories, Star Trek has ever done. The crew of the USS Enterprise-D discover a portal through time and a ship coming out. That ship is none other than the USS Enterprise-C, and as they emerge, the entire Enterprise changes! The Enterprise is now a warship, the Federation is still at war with the Klingon Empire, and formerly deceased main character Tasha Yar is still alive! The only one who realizes the changes is the ship’s bartender, Guinan played by the awesome Whoopi Goldberg, a member of a time sensitive race. It turns out the Enterprise-C was supposed to die and become martyrs in the name of peace between the Federation and the Klingons . . . but is it right to ask an entire ship full of people to die once again?

This episode is great because not only is it a fascinating science-fiction story but it’s also a wonderfully touching episode about sacrifice and what a person might do to achieve peace in our time. Not to mention Tasha Yar’s death was quick and pointless and this episode gave the character a proper send-off that she deserved. Let history remember the name Enterprise!



Number 15) The Inner Light—Star Trek: The Next Generation

This might be one of the saddest episodes of Star Trek ever made. Captain Picard is zapped by an alien probe which puts him into some kind of coma. While in the coma, he wakes up in the life of an alien scientist on the primitive planet of Kataan. While he struggles to find a way back to the Enterprise while in his coma he begins to settle into his new life on this world. He ends up living an entire lifetime, learning to play the flute, getting a job, making friends, participating in local government, even getting married, and having children, and even grandchildren! The aftermath of this episode pretty much scarred this character for the rest of his life and it’s clear to see why. A quiet but an emotional rollercoaster of an episode. Do not watch without a box of tissues nearby.



Number 14) Space Seed—Star Trek: The Original Series

While it isn’t number one on this list I’m pretty sure I can safely say that I have watched this episode more than any other episode of Star Trek ever! This episode is the direct prequel to the greatest Star Trek movie of all time, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan! I often recommend people just skip Star Trek: The Slow Motion Picture and just watch this episode instead before going into The Wrath of Khan. The Enterprise picks up an old space craft from the most savage and violent decade of human history . . . the dreaded era of never ending bloodshed known as the 1990s!!!!! The passengers aboard are a group of the genetically altered humans from the Eugenics Wars and their leader, Khan Noonien Singh played by the legendary Ricardo Montalban. Kirk finds himself in a battle of wits and strength against someone who is genetically bred to be stronger and smarter than himself but how will he survive.

This episode is as cinematic as this show got and with that in mind it’s no wonder that they chose this episode to be the basis of the second Star Trek movie. If you’ve never seen Star Trek do yourself a favor and pop on this episode and watch The Wrath of Khan afterwards and you’ve got yourself a great double feature on your hands!



Number 13) Journey to Babel—Star Trek: The Original Series

While I have watched Space Seed far more times than this episode, Journey to Babel may very well be the best script that the Original Series ever had to work with! When I stop and think about how much is going on in this episode, it blows me away!

The Enterprise has to pick up diplomats from all of the Federation planets and escort them to a secret location known as “Babel” in which a planet that is heavily controversial will be voted on for admission into the Federation. Complicated enough that the Enterprise has to deal with a crowd of ambassadors who all want to kill each other but things heat up when, the Tellarite ambassador is murdered and the Vulcan ambassador is the prime suspect! And also the Vulcan ambassador is Spock’s estranged father . . . also Spock’s father is dying and only Spock can save him . . . also his mother is there and they have a tearful reunion as she laments Spock’s unhappy upbringing . . . also there is an assassination attempt on Kirk’s life . . . also the ship is under attack!

This storyline is packed with stuff and yet it all flows so seamlessly that it all just sort of fits. One of the most impressive pieces of television writing and a great glimpse into Spock’s past at a time when main characters like Spock just didn’t get backstories on TV. It’s probably the most “modern” script the Original Series ever had and it is an exhilarating political/thriller/mystery with great character development!



Number 12) In a Mirror, Darkly—Star Trek: Enterprise

Finally! We have an Enterprise episode on this list! As I already stated, one of the coolest parts of the Star Trek mythos is the Mirror Universe. Enterprise’s biggest weakness as a series was that it took too long to really become what we all wanted which was a prequel to Star Trek. They finally became that series in its final season before cancellation and this is one of those gems from season 4. Between the Original Series and Deep Space Nine, we pretty much got the drill about how Mirror Universe stories worked. There is an accident of some kind, the crew get transported to the Mirror Universe, and they have to dodge their crews’ cartoonishly evil counterparts while trying to find a way to get back to the main universe. So what did this two-parter do that was so different . . . how about we do away with ALL OF THAT and just have two episodes entirely take place in the Mirror Universe!? Even the Opening Title sequence changed for this two parter! (And any break from Faith of the Heart is welcome lol)

The Mirror Universe Enterprise, are sent on a mission to retrieve a potential super weapon from the Tholians and bring it back as a trophy to the Terran Empire . . . but Captian Archer has bigger and more devious ambitions than that! This episode is a blast to just see the entire cast act like cartoon villains, you can tell everyone making it was just having a gas! But it’s not only a prequel to the Mirror, Mirror episode, it’s also a SEQUEL to another Original Series episode, The Tholian Web!

In that episode, the Enterprise find one its sister ships, the USS Defiant dead and floating in an area of space where space/time is breaking down. At the end of the episode, the ship phases out of existence. This episode of Enterprise answers where the Defiant went! The Tholians in the past Mirror Universe were experimenting with a weapon that could tear the fabric of space/time apart and the result was opening a breach in time and space where the Defiant got pulled in. When the Mirror Universe Enterprise crew locate the Defiant they raid the wardrobe and blow shit up for fun! And not only do we get to see a great reconstruction of the Original Series bridge but we finally get to see a Constitution Class Starship blow things up in all its CGI glory! Also the Gorn is back! (The rubber lizard man that Captain Kirk fought in Arena)

It's a fun exercise into what Star Trek might look like if this really was the Mirror Universe and all done with a great recreation of the ending to Star Trek: First Contact too! What more can you ask for?



Number 11) The Alliance Trilogy (AKA Babel One, United, and The Aenar): Star Trek: Enterprise

Yeah, I know it seems like I’m cheating putting three episodes on here but it’s a continuing story and it’s also my list! Peace talks are finally under way between the Tellarites, the Andorians, and the Vulcans, and Earth is the mediator in the discussions. However, when all sides claim that the other is attacking their ships, how will peace be achieved? This trilogy is a great mystery and political thriller! Not to mention this is really where we get to see the birth of the United Federation of Planets! This episode sums up everything that Enterprise could have been had it been given more time but alas, it was not meant to be. Still we have these great episodes with the crew of the Enterprise NX-01, the Romulans, the founding of the Federation, and of course the greatest reoccurring character in all of Enterprise, Shran played once again by the greatest guest actor in Star Trek history, Jeffrey Combs! (In what is probably his best Star Trek role) Not to mention this episode features one of the other best fight scenes in the franchise when Archer and Shran throw down and have a formal duel to to the death!

I know fans generally don’t like Enterprise and to be fair, it is really under-represented on this list, but check it out or at least check out these episodes! You might find something worth your while in there!



Well once again, that’s all I have time for but don’t worry. I’m going to work on the third and final part of this list every chance I get! I’ll see when I finally reveal my Top 10!!!

 

[BlasterMaster]

(during the first battle of Deep Space Nine versus the Klingon Fleet)

Gowron: Captain your shields are DOWN, your station is BOARDED, AND MORE KLINGON SHIPS are ON THEIR WAY! SURRENDER WHILE YOU CAN!

Benjamin Sisko: I DON'T THINK SO! My shields are HOLDING, your boarding parties are CONTAINED, and your CRAZY EYEBALLS are NO MATCH for my GOATEE!

😉 😀