Worst tos episode

[Phoenix219]

I hate The Alternative Factor so much. I don't even care if there are worse episodes, that's my choice.

This, and Omega Glory, were two of my very first memories of Star Trek, and it stuck with me - alternate universes (second exposure after Super Friends) and the dark ending with the Lazarii, and the twist of the alternate earth and constitution both blew my mind. They might be hated episodes, but I can never hate them.

 

[tim0122]

I guess I'm the only person who tried to actually come up with serious alternatives to "Spock's Brain."

I tried to give a serious answer for one of mine. It wasn't a very GOOD answer, but I tried.

 

[picards bald cap fitter]

Because they made The Savage Curtain, The Empath, Turnabout Intruder, and Catspaw.

I liked most of them

 

[Sim]

The Way to Eden is just painful to watch. The space hippies are a cliche. The extended musical numbers stop whatever meager plot there is cold. Kirk comes off as weirdly stodgy and I don't really buy Spock as someone who "reaches" the space hippies.

"Way to Eden" is by no means a great episode, but imo it has a few decent elements that save it from being among the worst of the worst... I like that Chekov gets some more backstory. I like that Spock, of all people, somewhat sympathizes with the hippies, which adds an interesting facet on his feeling of alienation (no pun intended) due to being trapped between the cultures. And although the hippies are mostly a cliché, I find their portrayal historically immensely interesting (the episode *is* a document from 1968/69, after all).

Plus, Kirk and Spock are called "Herbert", which I find somewhat funny, despite its silliness.

 

[Grant]

Ditch the songs and the hippy clothing and turn them into a scary cult filled with privileged rich kids led by a Manson/Jim Jones type, that they have to treat with kid gloves and Eden could have been downright great. It is strictly the hippy angle that makes it awful-- not the general story and theme.

 

[fireproof78]

"Way to Eden" is by no means a great episode, but imo it has a few decent elements that save it from being among the worst of the worst... I like that Chekov gets some more backstory. I like that Spock, of all people, somewhat sympathizes with the hippies, which adds an interesting facet on his feeling of alienation (no pun intended) due to being trapped between the cultures. And although the hippies are mostly a cliché, I find their portrayal historically immensely interesting (the episode *is* a document from 1968/69, after all).

Plus, Kirk and Spock are called "Herbert", which I find somewhat funny, despite its silliness.

Way to Eden is a good worldbuilding episode, with Spock, with Chekov and the nature of the society of the Federation. There is a greater recognition that just because they have all the material needs met to some degree doesn't mean all the needs are met.

Execution is a bit uneven, but compared to other contemporaries take on hippie and drug culture, like Dragnet. It was far more sympathetic than those.

 

[picards bald cap fitter]

Way to Eden is a good worldbuilding episode, with Spock, with Chekov and the nature of the society of the Federation. There is a greater recognition that just because they have all the material needs met to some degree doesn't mean all the needs are met.

Execution is a bit uneven, but compared to other contemporaries take on hippie and drug culture, like Dragnet. It was far more sympathetic than those.

Yeah it’s definitely not the worst episode there is like you said it’s a good worldbuilding episode but I still don’t enjoy it

 

[Spock's Barber]

The Way To Eden is on my 50/50 list of TOS episodes. I don’t love it or hate it. For some reason I thought Tongo Rad was a really cool character, perhaps because he was more even tempered than Dr. Sevrin.

 

[mb22]

I guess I'm the only person who tried to actually come up with serious alternatives to "Spock's Brain."

I found this in the comments of https://reactormag.com/star-trek-the-original-series-rewatch-spocks-brain/

https://i.postimg.cc/MTJ4qPsq/Screenshot-2024-09-24-202451.png

 

[Uhura's Song]

Even worse than that is the ending of The Enemy Within where Spock implies Rand enjoyed being sexually assaulted by Evil Kirk... with a goddamn smirk on his face. The whole way the episode handles Rand is embarrassing, regardless of the historical context of the 60's.

I do not think that is what he was saying. But I see how one could go there. I thought he was referencing Rand's second encounter with the double, where he apologizes and asks to talk about it.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I do not think that is what he was saying. But I see how one could go there. I thought he was referencing Rand's second encounter with the double, where he apologizes and asks to talk about it.

I spent my entire childhood having no idea what Spock was implying to Janice there.

When I read the going theory on the Internet, that Spock meant "Hey admit it, you enjoyed getting roughed up by this hunky imposter," I could hardly believe it. But also, I can hardly deny it. I think that's what the writer meant.

 

[picards bald cap fitter]

I spent my entire childhood having no idea what Spock was implying to Janice there.

When I read the going theory on the Internet, that Spock meant "Hey admit it, you enjoyed getting roughed up by this hunky imposter," I could hardly believe it. But also, I can hardly deny it. I think that's what the writer meant.

Yeah it was the 60s highly doubt they where talking about the time he apologised

 

[Poltargyst]

"Way to Eden" is by no means a great episode, but imo it has a few decent elements that save it from being among the worst of the worst... I like that Chekov gets some more backstory. I like that Spock, of all people, somewhat sympathizes with the hippies, which adds an interesting facet on his feeling of alienation (no pun intended) due to being trapped between the cultures. And although the hippies are mostly a cliché, I find their portrayal historically immensely interesting (the episode *is* a document from 1968/69, after all).

Plus, Kirk and Spock are called "Herbert", which I find somewhat funny, despite its silliness.

I think they were only calling Kirk Herbert. Spock reached.

 

[Spock's Barber]

I think they were only calling Kirk Herbert. Spock reached.

 

[Phoenix219]

**I know we don't talk about STC much due to its sullying by outside factors. That's different.

i know that i will never take unverified rumor at face value, nor hold it against someone, let alone let it taint such an amazing labor of love. I unapologetically love Star Trek Continues; its what brought me back to the franchise after decade(s) away. Not here to argue, and will not respond; just making my own statement of appreciation and admiration. YMMV.

 

[Sim]

Yeah it’s definitely not the worst episode there is like you said it’s a good worldbuilding episode but I still don’t enjoy it

As for the imo worst episode, it's hard to decide between the aggressive sexism of "Mudd's Women", the total butchering of the execution of a script that was confused in the first place in "The Alternate Factor", the trash of "Spock's Brain", "And the Children Shall Lead", "That Which Survives" and "The Savage Curtain".

There is something to say about each of these episodes as the worst, imo.

 

[picards bald cap fitter]

As for the imo worst episode, it's hard to decide between the aggressive sexism of "Mudd's Women", the total butchering of the execution of a script that was confused in the first place in "The Alternate Factor", the trash of "Spock's Brain", "And the Children Shall Lead", "That Which Survives" and "The Savage Curtain".

There is something to say about each of these episodes as the worst, imo.

Tos did have its fair share of bad episodes

 

[Nerys Myk]

As for the imo worst episode, it's hard to decide between the aggressive sexism of "Mudd's Women", the total butchering of the execution of a script that was confused in the first place in "The Alternate Factor", the trash of "Spock's Brain", "And the Children Shall Lead", "That Which Survives" and "The Savage Curtain".

There is something to say about each of these episodes as the worst, imo.

"Alternative Factor" hands down.

 

[Firebird]

i know that i will never take unverified rumor at face value, nor hold it against someone, let alone let it taint such an amazing labor of love. I unapologetically love Star Trek Continues; its what brought me back to the franchise after decade(s) away. Not here to argue, and will not respond; just making my own statement of appreciation and admiration. YMMV.

None of the allegations against Vic are unverified at this point. It's been thoroughly litigated and verified in court and he has lost any appeals he's tried to make. There is no argument on this. https://www.npr.org/2022/08/19/1118...oses-appeal-sexual-harassment-defamation-suit

And I say this as someone who loved STC and was a big booster for the series when it was originally coming out. This is not a YMMV situation, the series will forever be marred by the creator being a very well known sex pest on the anime convention circuit.

EDIT: because I saw a now-deleted response calling the above hearsay, here is the full 70-page appellate court decision with all documented evidence and a timeline of specific and direct complaints from Vic's fellow voice actors - https://law.justia.com/cases/texas/second-court-of-appeals/2022/02-19-00394-cv-0.html

 

[Poltargyst]

I watched a couple of episodes of STC. I appreciate that there are people out there who love TOS so much that they make a labor of love like this. But I can't do it. I can't watch it. The acting isn't good, those people look nothing like they're supposed to, it is NOT GOOD. I want to like it. I can't.