Favorite Unpopular Episode

+1; +1 (=+2?).

I've always loved it, do think it's very good, and am puzzled that the majority of fans do not.

It's definitely one of my favorites, and again, I'm bemused that others don't like it. It has very literate dialogue and is poignant. Maybe Loki and Bele chew up the scenery a bit, but they are characters whose culture has known nothing but hatred and bigotry for generations! Your link to the Middle East is certainly apt for that very reason, and is a fresh take on it for me. Thanks.

 

Another vote for The Omega Glory.

Great guest-turn by Morgan Woodward plus I never found the American flag/U.S. Constitution all that hard to explain.

 

I'll give a shout out for All Our Yesterdays, The Omega Glory and The Savage Curtain. The Ron Tracy character is very dramatic as a rogue captain who's gone crazy, a very evocative performance. The fight scene is good value for being suspenseful, keeps me on the edge of my seat. I like The Savage Curtain for a look at characters from ST's future history, an interesting look at Kahless.

My own personal favorite is Whom God's Destroy. The antics those insane people are fun and funny, and at the right moment can catch you off guard with flashes of dangerous darkness. Marta's fate was a particularly good shock, after laughing my way through her and Garth's quirky interaction with each other.

I'm also fascinated by the nature of Garth of Izar. From the standpoint of someone who likes to do creative writing, this is a character whose backstory is so intriguing to me, I feel like the character could be re-purposed to explore a different aspect of the ST universe. I like playing with the idea of Garth as someone who represents the dark side of learning about and internalizing alien cultures, ethics, and patterns of thought. The training he received from an alien culture to learn how to restructure himself effected his mind, changed it in unexpected ways. I like to imagine the character being used to explore how cultural relativism can go wrong.

 

"All Our Yesterdays" is mostly well regarded I think. I always kind of liked "The Omega Glory" also, it's roundly trashed. Mostly because of the the parallel Earth schtick was overused by that time in the second season I guess. Woodward has presence to uplift the episode somewhat. I did find his performance a little inconsistent, he'd be the crazed psychotic "Van Gelder" one minute, and lucid, calm and calculating the next.

 

Another vote here for "The Empath". The minimalist sets were perfect and allowed the viewer to concentrate on the interaction between the actors instead of being distracted by special effects. Plus I've always felt Katherine Hayes was one of the loveliest ladies to grace the series. Her kittenish innocence was I thought was a marvelous performance.

 

I vote for Whom God's Destroy. I've always loved this episode.

I just don't understand some peoples hate for it.

Yvonne Craig as Marta is stunning! It's also a good Spock episode as well as a good showcase for Mr. Shatners talents.

 

I think it stumbles here and there but is very entertaining.

 

Omega Glory
Catspaw
The Changeling

 

"Bread and Circuses" - not one that is toally trashed here, but it's always ranked in the bottom third, and I don't agree

• A starfleet officer who is a coward when tested
• A script written by the two Genes together that is a mishmash of their favourite themes (anti-TV networks, slave girls for GR; and religion, gods and the prime directive for GC)
• Clever satire that foresaw reality TV 30 years before it took off
• A great, underrated villain
• Outdoor shooting
• Scotty is the hero
• One of the greatest Spock/Bones scenes in the jail.

 

Most of you are going to hate me for this but i always have and still do like spocks brain. I couldnt stop laughing at parts. I especial liked when scotty fainted so kirk could disarm the girl and when mcoy was controlling spock.


BRAIN BRAIN WHAT IS BRAIN

 

The Empath seems to have a lot in common with The Cage, starting with the Vians' Talosian-esque giant heads, the created illusion of Scotty and the rescue party, the abduction of "test subjects"...

 

Similar, yes certainly. However, the Talosians were desperately seeking self-preservation while the Vians were trying to determine if Gem's race was worthy of saving... quite a difference, there.

 

Bread & Circuses is an episode I watch a lot because of all the great Spock/Bones moments.

However I am not too fond of the ending "sun" thing and the slave girl scene. The rest of the episode is enjoyable though.

 

I'll defend "Catspaw" to my dying day. It's a spooky Halloween episode written by Robert Bloch, no less. What's not to like?

And I'm surprised to see "All Our Yesterdays" being tossed around here. I thought that was a popular episode?

 

Me, too. It's very poignant - having to leave Zarabeth alone in that frozen wasteland for the rest of her life. I always assumed it was a fan favorite.

 

My vote is for "Spock's Brain". I've always enjoyed it...even, "Brain and brain. What is brain?"

 

Me, too!

Heck, the sequel novel, Yesterday's Son by Ann Crispin, was the first Trek novel to ever hit the New York Times bestseller list (not counting the movie novelizations), which strikes me as a strong indicator of fannish interest in that episode.

 

There's so much to like! Korob and Sylvia have a fascinating rapport, and Korob is intriguing because I'm hard pressed to pin the label of villain on him; it's only Sylvia who's doing the really grim stuff. Korob comes across as a kindred explorer, being more interested in conversation and understanding, with threats (just an impression). The image of the Enterprise-on-a-chain being held over a candle and it's effects; followed by that symbolic-Enterprise encase in a crystal block were memorable from when I was a kid. Love Spock's critique of the spooky poetry, too.

 

I like every single episode to one degree or another, save for "Plato's Stepchildren." I can find fun, enjoyment, or just kill 51 minutes fairly easily with "Alternative", "Catspaw", "Eden", "Survives", "Savage Curtain," "Children Shall", etc., etc., but not with "Stepchildren."

Sir Rhosis