As we approach the final season of Discovery, I thought I would try to post a thread about the best episodes of the series so far. What episodes did all of us really enjoy? So much of the episode threads and such is parsing what we did not like, that I thought one going in (mostly) the other direction would be nice. How long should such a list be? At a minimum, I think any series worth it's salt should have at least a top quartile (25%) of really good episodes that the viewer really enjoyed with minimal reservations. For a very good/great series, maybe that number should be higher. 33%? 50%? Disco has had 55 episodes so far. 25% would be 13-14 episodes. The challenge here is to list your favorite 13-14 episodes. If you really love more than that, then feel feel free to bump it to a 33% (18-19) or even half (22-23). If you struggle getting to 13-14 you really enjoy a lot, then say so. I am currently doing a rewatch and am late S2, so allow me to revisit if something changes. But my list would be, so far, chronologically: 1. Context Is For Kings, S1, E3 2. Choose Your Pain, S1, E5 3. Magic To Make The Sanest Man Go Mad, S1, E7 4. Into The Forest I Go, S1, E9 5. New Eden, S2, E2 6. If Memory Serves, S2, E8 7. That Hope Is You, Part 1, S3, E1 8. People of Earth, S3, E3 9. Forget Me Not, S3, E4 10. But To Connect..., S4, E7 11.-13. Rosetta, Species 10-C, Coming Home, S4, Eps 11-13. I have a lot of candidates for #14 so far (Lethe; Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum; Despite Yourself; Point of Light; An Obol For Charon; The Red Angel), but not one that really is in the same category as the others for me. Either flawed in some way or did not quite hit the same highs. Perhaps the rewatch reveals it. Die Trying, Unification III, Terra Firma, and the S3 Die Hard episode I remember being really good. But will see how they hold up. Anyway, I am not done yet. 13 was easy. Picking the last one is difficult. As I go through my rewatch I will pick out #14 and also do a top 33%. Or even top 50%. I think I can go another 10 eps fairly comfortably. I hope others join in and provide some interesting viewpoints & discussions. Will try to post similar threads in each show, but I may struggle to make a coherent list for some (VOY).
A grade S1: Despite Yourself, What's Past Is Prologue S2: New Eden, If Memory Serves S3: Forget Me Not, Unification III, Terra Firma, Part 2 S4: Anomaly, Choose to Live B grade S1: Context Is for Kings, The Butcher's Knife Cares Not for the Lamb's Cry, Into the Forest I Go, The Wolf Inside, Vaulting Ambition S2: Brother, An Obol for Charon, Saints of Imperfection, Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2 S3: That Hope Is You, Part 1, People of Earth, Die Trying, Terra Firma, Part 1, Su'Kal S4: Kobayashi Maru, All Is Possible, The Examples, But to Connect, Rubicon, Coming Home
Yeah. I rewatched S3 & S4 not too long ago and am almost through a S1 & S2 rewatch now. I would not have tried it, otherwise.
My top 25% for Disco (in production order): "Lethe" "Into the Forest I Go" "Despite Yourself" "What's Past Is Prologue" "Calypso" (technically Short Treks, but I'm including it anyway) "Point of Light" "If Memory Serves" "Perpetual Infinity" "People of Earth" "Terra Firma" Parts I & II "Stormy Weather" "... But to Connect" "Coming Home" All the episodes I gave a 10, with a couple of 9s thrown in to get me up to the 25%. I feel like I have to explain why "Context Is for Kings" isn't on this list. Great episode, don't get me wrong, I gave it a 9, and a great introduction to Lorca, but the character quirks haven't been worked out yet. Tilly's too over-the-top, Stamets is an asshole, and everyone constantly doubting Burnham gets old after the half-way point. Those things are enough to knock it off the top quartile.
I'm doing a season ranking with my own grades before I consider this list. Stay tuned...or go eat cookies instead.
Favorite 13 episodes? I think I can do that: Context is For Kings Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad Into The Forest I Go Despite Yourself New Eden The Sound of Thunder If Memory Serves Through The Valley of Shadows The Hope is You I Forget Me Not Unification III All is Possible Stormy Weather But to Connect Species Ten-C I think these are all the episodes I could watch again and again.
Calypso is an excellent pick. I did not put it in because it is technically ST. But if I was picking a "Best of New Trek" list, it would surely be on it easily.