Every episode of every series ranked by Playboy writer

[JonnyQuest037]

These rankings are clearly based on whether the writer liked them, and not an objective assessment of their quality.

Um... yeah. How else would you do it? What the heck does "an objective assessment of their quality" even mean? A list like this is a matter of opinion by definition.

Honestly, I think most people take lists like this WAY too seriously. All they're meant for is to inspire a little conversation. I bet if you had the same writer do the list over again a year later, it'd look different depending upon what his mood was.

Yeah I didn't get that either. Given the huge TNG bias that list has, I'm going to assume the writer is a GenXer.

I'm a GenXer and I think TOS is far and away the best Trek series.

 

[FormerLurker]

"Objective assessment of their quality" means what most people would expect it to mean; how elements like acting, direction and cinematography rate on a scale, for the purpose of giving out awards*. It's still opinionated, but the idea is that everyone's opinion for rating purposes is based on the same criteria. Like Starbreaker noted, most people seem to rate COTEOF as the best, while later series' efforts, like Best of Both Worlds, are never seen as being quite as good. Almost, but just not there.

Honestly, I think the non-fans always say COTEOF is the best because they think we'll applaud them for it in the face of their dismissal of Star Trek as a whole. "All Star Trek sucks, but that Harlan Ellison episode is the best of the worst" kind of mentality. And that is my assessment of this list. The writer isn't really rating the quality of the episodes, just putting them on the list where they think we want them to be. I'm willing to wager that the writer isn't actually a fan, nor that they've seen every episode the required minimum of at least once each.

As for GenX, it began on Jan. 1, 1965, according to those that record such data, and lasted anywhere from four to ten years. So anyone here born in that time period is a GenXer, and whether or not we're fans of any given series is up to each of us. TOS is my favorite because that's the one that introduced me to Star Trek. But I like most of the others, as well.




*We won't go into things like special effects due to the vast improvement of the technology of such over time, making state-of-the-art from the sixties look like Ed Wood's infamous 'paper plates on a string' by comparison.

 

[JeffinOakland]

9 of top 10 and 13 of top 20 are TOS or TNG. Seems as if he's something of a purist & there's nothing wrong w that. Personally, I would have shown a little more love to DS9 and VOY but his opinion is just as valid as mine.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

"Objective assessment of their quality" means what most people would expect it to mean; how elements like acting, direction and cinematography rate on a scale, for the purpose of giving out awards*. It's still opinionated, but the idea is that everyone's opinion for rating purposes is based on the same criteria.

This is frankly nonsensical to me. That's still just an opinion, only dressed up in math. That's not being objective, that's trying to quantify why you like something.

I'm willing to wager that the writer isn't actually a fan, nor that they've seen every episode the required minimum of at least once each.

Oh, come on. Nobody would agree to watch 700 hours of television programming if he or she wasn't a fan of it in the first place. That's not the kind of thing you do just for an assignment. And why isn't watching an episode just once enough to determine its quality?

It sounds to me like you're just bent out of shape because this writer's opinions don't jibe with yours.

 

[FormerLurker]

I said it was still opinionated, you even quoted me. What's nonsensical is that fact that you think it means something other than what I said it did. I didn't couch it in difficult to understand terminology.

As for watching 700 hours of television programming, if you're going to rate something on a scale, it's reasonable to expect you to expose yourself to the entirety of what you're rating. What I said was, I don't think they have seen every episode at least once, and therefore don't have the appropriate basis to rate whether episodes they have seen are better than ones they haven't.

I don't care what your response to this post is. It isn't a debate, you just want to tell me I'm wrong for some reason. If I respond in this thread again, it won't be to you.

 

[Ghrakh]

What I said was, I don't think they have seen every episode at least once, and therefore don't have the appropriate basis to rate whether episodes they have seen are better than ones they haven't.

From the article:
I’ve been a rabid fan of the franchise since childhood and I’ve got the wedgie scars to prove it. While still maintaining a semi-functional adult life I pen the One Trek Mind column at StarTrek.com and host panels at Star Trek conventions. So when I present you with this complete ranking of every single Star Trek episode ever, it’s not like we just shot photon torpedoes at the wall.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Pretty good for a list by one person based on his personal opinion.

Some of the episodes I would list as my favorites:
#22 Tapestry
#26 Blink Of An Eye
#27 Q Who
#56 Child's Play
#66 Course: Oblivion

Most of my favorites are toward the top. That's about all I can ask from somebody else's list.

My favorite episodes not in his top 100 have to be Gambit, Pegasus, Similitude, The Void and In A Mirror Darkly.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I don't care what your response to this post is. It isn't a debate, you just want to tell me I'm wrong for some reason. If I respond in this thread again, it won't be to you.

I'll try to contain my disappointment.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

What I said was, I don't think they have seen every episode at least once, and therefore don't have the appropriate basis to rate whether episodes they have seen are better than ones they haven't.

What do you base this on? His qualifications as a fan by hosting Star Trek panels at conventions, writing columns for the official site AND for actually, you know, ranking every single Star Trek episode ever seems to qualify him more than most of us posting in this thread, including you!

Strange how one would randomly assume he's not qualified based only on not sharing an identical opinion...

 

[The Wormhole]

Strange how one would randomly assume he's not qualified based only on not sharing an identical opinion...

Sounds like every other day around here.

 

[bbailey861]

Strange how one would randomly assume he's not qualified based only on not sharing an identical opinion...

Sounds like every other day around here.

Ain't it the truth.

I like the amount of work he appears to have put into this list. Obviously don't agree with all his choices but on the whole it isn't too bad. I found it interesting to look at the ass end of the list and see what his worst picks were.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

I like the amount of work he appears to have put into this list. Obviously don't agree with all his choices but on the whole it isn't too bad. I found it interesting to look at the ass end of the list and see what his worst picks were.

Yeah, the end of the list was just as interesting. And tough to argue with! I don't mind Shades of Grey (I like the original Riker stuff a lot), but even for a clip show, it was poorly done. I totally get why it's last. And there's nothing redeeming in Threshold or Code of Honor either.

At the very least, it's fun to go over and see how closely it might match what we think.