Top Ten Worst Episodes?

Frontier · February 23 2012, 06:19 AM

Assembling a list for some new trekkies on the worst episodes they can, basically, skip and... yeah, need help. I know it might be a little heretical to say "skip this episode" but... hey, we want these people to like Trek, right? Forcing them to watch "Way to Eden" could put that in danger!

So, 10 or so worst episodes?

My list so far...

"The Way to Eden"
"Return of the Archons"
"Catspaw"
"And the Children Shall Lead"
"The Empath"

Opinions? Additions?

gottacook · February 23 2012, 07:25 AM

My list of episodes to avoid, in approximate order:

"The Alternative Factor" ("What of Lazarus?" "And what of Lazarus?" etc.)

"The Omega Glory" (yes, I know it was one of the original Roddenberry story treatments for the second pilot, and I like Cloud William and his utterances, but anyone new to Trek ought to be spared the Yangs and Kohms)

"And the Children Shall Lead" (nice score by George Duning, though, largely unused in later episodes)

"The Paradise Syndrome" (worst actress in the entire series, bad enough to drag down an intriguing episode; sorry, Sabrina, but someone had to be)

"Whom Gods Destroy" (I really enjoyed Steve Ihnat and Yvonne Craig in this, but a novice shouldn't be exposed to dialogue such as "It is time I took command of the Enterprise")

"Plato's Stepchildren" (just plain stupid, despite the presence of Barbara Babcock and Michael Dunn, who both project intelligence as they usually do)

"The Mark of Gideon" [which depends on (1) the Gideons, not even Federation members, being able to build an "Enterprise" that could fool its captain AND learning of some obscure disease he once had, and (2) the bridge crew not at first recognizing that transporter coordinates were transposed]

"For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" (as David Gerrold wrote in The World of Star Trek, "[McCoy] gets to fall in love and almost die in the same episode - a plethora of devices to create artificial excitement.")

Bones_McCoy21 · February 23 2012, 08:18 AM

My list is:

1.The Way To Eden

2.The Omega Glory

3.Charlie X

4.CharlieX

5.Charlie X

6.Charlie X

7.Charlie X

8.Charlie X

9.Charlie X

10.Charlie X

So yeah I'm a big Charlie X hater.And in the same episode; seeing Kirk in those tights DID NOT help. And because of my intense hate for Charlie X I did not have room for And The Children Shall Lead or that episode witht he people with the black and white faces. Cna't remember the name of thaat episode.

Admiral Shran · February 23 2012, 08:50 AM

From "best" to worst.....

10.) The Omega Glory
9.) Turnabout Intruder
8.) The Way to Eden
7.) Charlie X
6.) Catspaw
5.) Plato's Stepchildren
4.) Mudd's Women
3.) Spock's Brain
2.) The Alternative Factor
1.) And the Children Shall Lead

Octubre · February 23 2012, 02:09 PM

1) Metamorphosis (The end was terrible - loss of two personalities by joining them in one is so romantic!

)
2) The Alternative Factor (pure, gold boredom)
3) Charlie X
4) The Omega Glory
5) Who Mourns for Adonais? (Is this Apollo? He could be exellent Stanley Kowalski. Besides, Pan wasn't boring!

)
6) Assignment: Earth (Women and cat were great, but only they)
7) The Ultimate Computer
8) Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (Obvious simbolism is too obvious)
9) Mudd's Women (It's very happy end for woman who had been washing dishes for her father and brothers for the whole life - to marry wild miner and wash dishes for him)
10) Shore Leave (Too much craziness and too long fight scene. Poor Sturgeon's script, it might be good)

foxhot · February 23 2012, 02:34 PM

I'll give you original thinking for putting SHORE LEAVE in your worst ten, but I doubt it'll be on anyone else's. The Finnegan-Kirk fight WAS long, but I'm glad this episode set the record. Anyhow, it was long drawn out wish-fulfilment.......to beat the TAR out of Finnegan!!!!

I'll pick my ten after consdering it some more. CATSPAW and PLATO won't be on it.

BillJ · February 23 2012, 02:54 PM

I think it's wrong to cut out episodes because everyone's taste is different. I routinely put The Omega Glory and Bread and Circuses in my top 10.

Octubre · February 23 2012, 03:37 PM

foxhot wrote:

but I doubt it'll be on anyone else's.

For this reason I was surprised that I hadn't liked it so much. I had heared a lot of good things about this episode and I expected more.

Praetor_Shinzon · February 23 2012, 07:07 PM

10. Spock's Brain
9. Elaan of Troyius
8. Patterns of Force
7. Wolf in the Fold
6. Turnabout Intruder
5. Spectre of the Gun
4. Plato's Stepchildren
3. The Way to Eden
2. Catspaw
1. And the Children Shall Lead

Gojira · February 23 2012, 10:25 PM

Bones_McCoy21 wrote:

My list is:

1.The Way To Eden

2.The Omega Glory

3.Charlie X

4.CharlieX

5.Charlie X

6.Charlie X

7.Charlie X

8.Charlie X

9.Charlie X

10.Charlie X

So yeah I'm a big Charlie X hater.And in the same episode; seeing Kirk in those tights DID NOT help. And because of my intense hate for Charlie X I did not have room for And The Children Shall Lead or that episode witht he people with the black and white faces. Cna't remember the name of thaat episode.

I actually like The Way to Eden and I am 100% with you on your hatred of Charlie X.

Josan · February 23 2012, 10:39 PM

Episodes I can easily skip are...

The Alternative Factor
Catspaw
The Omega Glory
Spock's Brain
And The Children Shall Lead
Plato's Stepchildren
The Mark of Gideon
The Way To Eden

scotpens · February 23 2012, 11:16 PM

Seven of my top ten worst episodes are from the third season (surprise!)

The Alternative Factor
The Apple
The Gamesters of Triskelion
Spock's Brain
And The Children Shall Lead
Plato's Stepchildren
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
The Mark Of Gideon
The Cloud Minders
The Way To Eden

Octubre wrote:

1) Metamorphosis (The end was terrible - loss of two personalities by joining them in one is so romantic!

)

Sacrilege! "Metamorphosis" is a beautiful story. YMMV.

2) The Alternative Factor (pure, gold boredom.

That ep was worse than boring. Muddled plot, incomprehensible science, script padded out with endless spinning starfields and stuntmen fighting in dry-ice fog.

8) Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (Obvious symbolism is too obvious)

It's not even symbolism -- just 52 minutes of preaching.

9) Mudd's Women (It's very happy end for woman who had been washing dishes for her father and brothers for the whole life - to marry wild miner and wash dishes for him)

You're missing the entire point.

Gojira · February 24 2012, 12:02 AM

These are the episodes I ignore.

The Man Trap*
The Gamesters of Triskelion
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
The Alternative Factor
Catspaw
The Omega Glory
And The Children Shall Lead
Plato's Stepchildren
The Mark of Gideon
Charlie X

* The Man trap isn't too bad I just find it a bit boring now after so many viewings.

Praetor_Shinzon · February 24 2012, 01:25 AM

Space Therapist wrote:

These are the episodes I ignore.

The Man Trap*
The Gamesters of Triskelion
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
The Alternative Factor
Catspaw
The Omega Glory
And The Children Shall Lead
Plato's Stepchildren
The Mark of Gideon
Charlie X

* The Man trap isn't too bad I just find it a bit boring now after so many viewings.

i feel the same way about certain episodes. i've seen The Enterprise Incident so many times that i try to avoid it.

foxhot · February 24 2012, 02:18 AM

Here are my terrible ten. Nine of them are from the third season, I'm afraid.

10. WINK OF AN EYE: too conceptually similar to BY ANY OTHER NAME.

9. ALL OUR YESTERDAYS: no interior shots of the Enterprise.

8. LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD: Gorshin runs like Pee Wee Herman. He should be more intimidating.

7. IN TRUTH THERE IS NO BEAUTY: I'm not a fan of distorted nose cams, even if it's Diana Muldaur.

6.THE CLOUD MINDERS: Unexplained ventriloquism from Kirky.

5. THE MARK OF GIDEON: A strange message which I interpreted as pro-disease. The cramped nameless Gideonites can die, and best of all, Odona is saved from the very same disease. Couldn't the population be relocated by Starfleet?

4. AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD: Ultra-wussy Scotty.

3. METAMORPHOSIS: Even if you spell it right, it's really quite atrocious. Digitize James Cromwell into it....

2. REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH: Out-borings METAMORPHOSIS, plus it thinks we won't recognize M-5 again.

1.THE EMPATH: Twelve minutes of Kirky and Spocko waiting impotently behind a pink force field. And forty seconds of Shatner's enema-commercial close-ups coupled with sensitive music more appropriate for an Ivory Soap advertisement.

February 23 2012, 06:19 AM	#1
Frontier Vice Admiral Location: Fifth Circle of Hell, IE: Pennsylvania	Top Ten Worst Episodes? Assembling a list for some new trekkies on the worst episodes they can, basically, skip and... yeah, need help. I know it might be a little heretical to say "skip this episode" but... hey, we want these people to like Trek, right? Forcing them to watch "Way to Eden" could put that in danger! So, 10 or so worst episodes? My list so far... "The Way to Eden" "Return of the Archons" "Catspaw" "And the Children Shall Lead" "The Empath" Opinions? Additions? __________________ Me on Tumblr Me on Twitter

February 23 2012, 07:25 AM	#2
gottacook Commander Location: Maryland	Re: Top Ten Worst Episodes? My list of episodes to avoid, in approximate order: "The Alternative Factor" ("What of Lazarus?" "And what of Lazarus?" etc.) "The Omega Glory" (yes, I know it was one of the original Roddenberry story treatments for the second pilot, and I like Cloud William and his utterances, but anyone new to Trek ought to be spared the Yangs and Kohms) "And the Children Shall Lead" (nice score by George Duning, though, largely unused in later episodes) "The Paradise Syndrome" (worst actress in the entire series, bad enough to drag down an intriguing episode; sorry, Sabrina, but someone had to be) "Whom Gods Destroy" (I really enjoyed Steve Ihnat and Yvonne Craig in this, but a novice shouldn't be exposed to dialogue such as "It is time I took command of the Enterprise") "Plato's Stepchildren" (just plain stupid, despite the presence of Barbara Babcock and Michael Dunn, who both project intelligence as they usually do) "The Mark of Gideon" [which depends on (1) the Gideons, not even Federation members, being able to build an "Enterprise" that could fool its captain AND learning of some obscure disease he once had, and (2) the bridge crew not at first recognizing that transporter coordinates were transposed] "For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky" (as David Gerrold wrote in The World of Star Trek, "[McCoy] gets to fall in love and almost die in the same episode - a plethora of devices to create artificial excitement.")

February 23 2012, 08:18 AM	#3
Bones_McCoy21 Commander Location: McCoy's Quarters	Re: Top Ten Worst Episodes? My list is: 1.The Way To Eden 2.The Omega Glory 3.Charlie X 4.CharlieX 5.Charlie X 6.Charlie X 7.Charlie X 8.Charlie X 9.Charlie X 10.Charlie X So yeah I'm a big Charlie X hater.And in the same episode; seeing Kirk in those tights DID NOT help. And because of my intense hate for Charlie X I did not have room for And The Children Shall Lead or that episode witht he people with the black and white faces. Cna't remember the name of thaat episode. __________________ "I see what you mean, but then you'd have whole armies of Don Juans to fight off. And me, too."-Dr. Leonard McCoy

February 23 2012, 08:50 AM	#4
Admiral Shran Admiral Location: In the Before Time - the Long, Long Ago	Re: Top Ten Worst Episodes? From "best" to worst..... 10.) The Omega Glory 9.) Turnabout Intruder 8.) The Way to Eden 7.) Charlie X 6.) Catspaw 5.) Plato's Stepchildren 4.) Mudd's Women 3.) Spock's Brain 2.) The Alternative Factor 1.) And the Children Shall Lead __________________ Vote Obomney 2012! "All governments suffer a recurring problem: power attracts pathological personalities. It's not that power corrupts but that it's magnetic to the corruptible." - Frank Herbert, Dune

February 23 2012, 02:09 PM	#5
Octubre Ensign	Re: Top Ten Worst Episodes? 1) Metamorphosis (The end was terrible - loss of two personalities by joining them in one is so romantic! ) 2) The Alternative Factor (pure, gold boredom) 3) Charlie X 4) The Omega Glory 5) Who Mourns for Adonais? (Is this Apollo? He could be exellent Stanley Kowalski. Besides, Pan wasn't boring! ) 6) Assignment: Earth (Women and cat were great, but only they) 7) The Ultimate Computer 8) Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (Obvious simbolism is too obvious) 9) Mudd's Women (It's very happy end for woman who had been washing dishes for her father and brothers for the whole life - to marry wild miner and wash dishes for him) 10) Shore Leave (Too much craziness and too long fight scene. Poor Sturgeon's script, it might be good) Last edited by Octubre; February 23 2012 at 05:44 PM.

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February 23 2012, 02:34 PM	#6
foxhot Captain Location: maryland	Re: Top Ten Worst Episodes? I'll give you original thinking for putting SHORE LEAVE in your worst ten, but I doubt it'll be on anyone else's. The Finnegan-Kirk fight WAS long, but I'm glad this episode set the record. Anyhow, it was long drawn out wish-fulfilment.......to beat the TAR out of Finnegan!!!! I'll pick my ten after consdering it some more. CATSPAW and PLATO won't be on it.

February 23 2012, 02:54 PM	#7
BillJ Vice Admiral Location: Greater Cincinnati	Re: Top Ten Worst Episodes? I think it's wrong to cut out episodes because everyone's taste is different. I routinely put The Omega Glory and Bread and Circuses in my top 10. __________________ Boobies are evil!!!

February 23 2012, 07:07 PM	#9
Praetor_Shinzon Rear Admiral Location: Virginia	Re: Top Ten Worst Episodes? 10. Spock's Brain 9. Elaan of Troyius 8. Patterns of Force 7. Wolf in the Fold 6. Turnabout Intruder 5. Spectre of the Gun 4. Plato's Stepchildren 3. The Way to Eden 2. Catspaw 1. And the Children Shall Lead

February 23 2012, 10:39 PM	#11
Josan Commodore Location: London, Canada	Re: Top Ten Worst Episodes? Episodes I can easily skip are... The Alternative Factor Catspaw The Omega Glory Spock's Brain And The Children Shall Lead Plato's Stepchildren The Mark of Gideon The Way To Eden __________________ Issue 19 of the Winterwind Papers now online http://www.winterwind-productions.com Nationalism, brotherhood, 'pop' culture and puppy love

February 24 2012, 12:02 AM	#13
Gojira Commodore Location: Stompin' on Tokyo	Re: Top Ten Worst Episodes? These are the episodes I ignore. The Man Trap* The Gamesters of Triskelion Let That Be Your Last Battlefield The Alternative Factor Catspaw The Omega Glory And The Children Shall Lead Plato's Stepchildren The Mark of Gideon Charlie X * The Man trap isn't too bad I just find it a bit boring now after so many viewings. __________________ My Science Fiction-Fantasy movie review Blog: http://foleyfunfilmfacts.wordpress.com/

February 24 2012, 02:18 AM	#15
foxhot Captain Location: maryland	Re: Top Ten Worst Episodes? Here are my terrible ten. Nine of them are from the third season, I'm afraid. 10. WINK OF AN EYE: too conceptually similar to BY ANY OTHER NAME. 9. ALL OUR YESTERDAYS: no interior shots of the Enterprise. 8. LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD: Gorshin runs like Pee Wee Herman. He should be more intimidating. 7. IN TRUTH THERE IS NO BEAUTY: I'm not a fan of distorted nose cams, even if it's Diana Muldaur. 6.THE CLOUD MINDERS: Unexplained ventriloquism from Kirky. 5. THE MARK OF GIDEON: A strange message which I interpreted as pro-disease. The cramped nameless Gideonites can die, and best of all, Odona is saved from the very same disease. Couldn't the population be relocated by Starfleet? 4. AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD: Ultra-wussy Scotty. 3. METAMORPHOSIS: Even if you spell it right, it's really quite atrocious. Digitize James Cromwell into it.... 2. REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH: Out-borings METAMORPHOSIS, plus it thinks we won't recognize M-5 again. 1.THE EMPATH: Twelve minutes of Kirky and Spocko waiting impotently behind a pink force field. And forty seconds of Shatner's enema-commercial close-ups coupled with sensitive music more appropriate for an Ivory Soap advertisement.