I can count on the fingers of one hand the episodes I actually dislike, and probably have at least a couple of fingers left over. Most of those named so far in this thread I still enjoy and many I quite like. Except one: That one made me cringe the first time I watched it, and it's just never gotten any better.
It's only made worse by the fact that a few weeks earlier they were the squalor like planet of the black people. Mean while the planet of the scantily clad white people is paradise.
Is it paradise? They are basically enslaved to ignorance and completely dominated by an omnipotent entity claiming Godship over them. For all we know, the paradise we saw was just the village they show foreigners.
There is a lot of valid criticism you can throw at Code of Honor, but I don't think the natives were living in squalor is anywhere in the episode.
HOWARD THE DUCK! Oh wait, you said guilty pleasure within the "Star Trek" universe. Well, I would have to say "The Way to Eden" as the episode is silly to me, but I enjoy it - Charles Napier (may he rest in peace) as Adam the space hippy was terrifically memorable. "I, Mudd" would be another one. Too campy and overplayed to take seriously but a fun watch.
My favourite evr Trek moments are spent ogling Shawna, in distress, in her tinfoil bikini. If its turgidly bad episodes we`re talking, then A Piece Of The Action just insults my intelligence waaaay too much.
I'm going to be honest; there are parts of "Threshold" I find pretty funny. Like when Tom is talking about his funeral -- "Here lies Thomas Eugene Paris, beloved mutant." Or when Janeway asks the Doctor if he can wake Tom, and he says, "I believe so," and then yells, "WAKE UP, LIEUTENANT!"
Not an episode, but given how many people dislike The Motion Picture I usually end up defending it as it is one of my favorite pieces of Trek.
The Alternative Factor. To be honest, pre-internet, I would never have considered this to be a weak Trek instalment. Yet, it consistently comes up on "worst of" fan lists. As such, although I don't believe it to be a "bad" episode, I'll throw it in as my vote. In actuality it's one of my favourite S1 entries!
Lazarus stealing dilithium twice after telling Kirk he was going to take it always makes me laugh. My biggest gripe about TOS was always the security (or lack thereof) on the Enterprise.
"The Magnificent Ferengi" was another one I enjoyed. It was a nice intermission from the intense war arc.
I so very much agree. Sure, The Motion Picture was a mish-mosh of previous TOS episodes, but just remembering the communal excitement of fans on opening-day ... It was the culmination of a decades worth of aspirations and effort. I honestly don't know if any film could have met the expectations of such a diverse demographic but the magic of that December night in 1979 will forever give this premeire installement an advantage when ranking the Trek films ... Afterall, we are not Vulcans.
Genesis is the only Star Trek episode that made me want to hide behind the sofa with my eyes closed. My guilty pleasure is Spock's Brain.
Spock's Brain - It has some good parts. Kirk finally asks advice from someone else other than Spock. I also like how seriously they all play it. This episode just proves that Kirk cannot lose - ever
I only rewatched it a year or so ago, for the first time since TNG was around. I just remember it being so bad it wasn't worth a rewatch. Time... has improved it somewhat. While the effects are still needlessly drawn out and don't serve any purpose, the dialogue is actually hilarious in retrospect with the sexual puns. Spock announcing they've achieved full penetration as the Enterprise flies into a suggestively shaped hole, things like that. Not enough to move it from it's position at the bottom half of the movies list, but enough to make it bearable to watch again!