Wierdest TOS Ep?

[siskokid888]

I don't mean worst, just what seems to you to be the strangest or most far out. For me it was always "The Empath". This was the last episode I saw from TOS, as I had missed it during the original airing, and did not catch it in a re-run until about 15 years later, so it was kind of a "lost episode" for me. The whole look of the episode is strange, from the stark sets to the final fade out, where the Vians and Gem seem to just fade away into the darkness. The whole thing had an "Outer Limits" quality to it, like a long dream sequence. I always saw this as the strangest ep of TOS.

 

[Orcus]

Yes, it does come across as a bit of minimalist fringe theatre, doesn't it?

Although I'd still vote for The Way to Eden as the weirdest and most radical departure from the series format. A musical ST episode?!

 

[marylizz]

I'm say Plato's Stepchildren. Total acid trip.

 

[Steve67]

"The Alternative Factor" gets my vote. The whole endeavor just looks and "feels" odd and disjointed. It creeps me out. Now I'm off to watch it!

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

"The Empath" is probably the most unusual. I like it a lot better than I did when I first saw it, but it's whole other series.

Much of "That Which Survives" is very strange, tonally.

 

[Pemmer Harge]

Charlie X is rather disconcertingly strange. Especially Kirk's trousers.

 

[Sky]

Probably Plato's Stepchildren. But I refuse to rewatch it so I can't really check.

 

[Red Ranger]

For me, it's a tie between The Empath and Is There In Truth No Beauty?

The minimalist sets of Empath, and the very real threat to the lives of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy due to the Vians' cold, clinical methods, contribute to the high level of weirdness. And when I was younger, the site of the researchers dead in those test tubes freaked me out.

In Truth had some unusual concepts, and the use of the distorted camera angles to indicate madness and Spock and Miranda in a mind meld, made that ep disturbing and strange as well.

Runner-up would be The Alternative Factor, but that has more to do with the disjointed script than the concept.

Red Rum!

 

[FormerLurker]

How about 'Catspaw'?

 

[apenpaap]

"The Alternative Factor" gets my vote. The whole endeavor just looks and "feels" odd and disjointed. It creeps me out. Now I'm off to watch it!

Yeah, it's a really weird and bizarre episode, and not in a good way.

 

[DevilEyes]

For me, it's a tie between The Empath and Is There In Truth No Beauty?

The minimalist sets of Empath, and the very real threat to the lives of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy due to the Vians' cold, clinical methods, contribute to the high level of weirdness. And when I was younger, the site of the researchers dead in those test tubes freaked me out.

In Truth had some unusual concepts, and the use of the distorted camera angles to indicate madness and Spock and Miranda in a mind meld, made that ep disturbing and strange as well.

Yes, those two episodes were very unusual, in a good way. By season 3, I expected the episodes to follow a certain formula (either a ship in danger, or a fun adventure with a lot of fighting on the planet, plus some banter from the trio), and I didn't hold any hope for something different and more interesting, especially with all the talk about how bad season 3 is (and season 2 already had its fair share of lame and cliche episodes), so I was pleasantly surprised by both episodes. I loved both, especially Is There In Truth No Beauty?, one of my favorites from TOS.

The last 10 or 15 minutes of I, Mudd is certainly very unusual. Dadaism on prime time TV!

 

[Ward Fowler]

Another vote for The Empath. Love the episode though.

 

[plynch]

I thought Empath as soon as I read your title. Spectre of the Gun a close second. Sets and music. Minimalism, again.

 

[Red Ranger]

^I know Spectre gets a lot of love, but I really hate that ep. -- RR

 

[USS Excelsior]

Any episode with Harry Mudd in it.

 

[Valin]

I thought Empath as soon as I read your title. Spectre of the Gun a close second. Sets and music. Minimalism, again.

I've always found these two the most unusual, but also very good. They would make very good stage plays, too.

 

[Jeri]

"The Alternative Factor" gets my vote. The whole endeavor just looks and "feels" odd and disjointed. It creeps me out. Now I'm off to watch it!

My choice, as well. Not to hard to see it was altered while they were working on it; apropos title.

 

[22 Stars]

How about 'Savage Curtain', the premise might be classic Trek, Good vs. Evil, but really, Abe Lincoln floating in space?? That is just a weird concept, it's not a projection of him floating in space like Apollo's hand, it's him... floating... in space....

 

[KirkSpockTOSFan]

I say it would be The Carbonite Manuever. I say everything about that episode is strange from the floating light cube to the alien that looks like a kid. Another episode I say I think is strange and I think is kind of stupid is The Way To Eden. I also thought Assignment Earth didn't make any sinse either.

 

[Starbreaker]

The Way to Eden. Trippy.