Best guest cast............

[Grant]

Which TOS episode had the best guest cast (with at least 4 notable guest roles)..............

Well, I guess i should have made 10 choices but a lot of episodes had 1 or 2 main guest stars and then it got thin after that.
I was looking for parts that were both notable and perhaps added to the Trek mythos.
I have seen discussions where it came down to Khan or Decker or Romulan Commander as being the best guest, but I wanted to see how people felt about episodes that had something of an ensemble guest cast.

I'll vote later because I think it cheesy to start a poll and vote first.

Uh duh---I left Paul Fix off the WNMHGB list!

 

[Grant]

I'd be interested in thoughts on which other episodes might be worthy of another poll. I didn't really go over every single episode in my mind.

 

[mach7]

I went with Balance of Terror.

You just can't beat Mark Lenard.

WNMHGB Is a close second though with the double punch of Kellerman/Lockwood

 

[Push The Button]

I voted for Balance of Terror also, but consider Journey to Babel, which has both Sarek and Amanda, Tellerites, Andorians, a creepy fake Andorian spy, all great performances.

Other favorite guest starts of mine are William Windom in Doomsday Machine, Steve Ihnat and Yvonne Craig in Whom Gods Destroy, and Anthony Call in The Corbomite Maneuver.

 

[J.T.B.]

Uh duh---I left Paul Fix off the WNMHGB list!

And Elisha Cook Jr. off "Court Martial." He was probably the biggest character actor who ever appeared in TOS.

ETA: James Gregory, Morgan Woodward and Marianna Hill in "Dagger of the Mind" has always been one of the strongest guest casts for me.

 

[Mysterion]

And Elisha Cook Jr. off "Court Martial." He was probably the biggest character actor who ever appeared in TOS.

And the reason I voted for that episode in the poll.

Also a very big fan of William Windom as Commodore Decker in The Doomsday Machine.

 

[TOSalltheway]

I can not believe Journey to Babel was not on the list.

 

[Grant]

Uh duh---I left Paul Fix off the WNMHGB list!

And Elisha Cook Jr. off "Court Martial." He was probably the biggest character actor who ever appeared in TOS.

ETA: James Gregory, Morgan Woodward and Marianna Hill in "Dagger of the Mind" has always been one of the strongest guest casts for me.

LOL! That was the biggest brain f*rt I've had in a long time! I was thinking of Elisha Cook Jr and typed 'Wood'---as in Elisha Wood the Hobbitt actor! Oh man-I hope Court-Martial doesn't lose any votes on account of that goof!

As for other comments--I thought of Lenard, Wyatt, Nalder and O'Connell for 'Journey' after picking the seven I picked--that is a definate choice in a future 2nd poll. But I really want to keep it to 4 or more so Montalban, Gregory, Woodward, Inhat and Windom will have to wait for a 'best guest' poll.

 

[Grant]

I can not believe Journey to Babel was not on the list.

Again--I apologize--it was spur of the moment and when it asked how many for the poll I picked 7 and was stuck.

And I have now picked and I chose the cast from 'Savage Curtain'--I doubt it will get another vote........

I just happened to be watching that episode and it struck me how good those guests were. It isn't a great episode and they didn't have much too do other than be the archetypes they were intended BUT,

damn if I don't love love Bergere as Lincoln and Atwater is perfect as Surak and Pine is just so slimey as Green and even stunt-man/actor Bob Herron was fine as Kahless. I think the casting was perfect and since all the characters were from the past--it was the only chance we were going to get to see those historic and of course it set up there use in later series, so thank god this episode got made.

It's my best ensemble cast--not my best ensemble cast in a great episode.

 

[J.T.B.]

LOL! That was the biggest brain f*rt I've had in a long time! I was thinking of Elisha Cook Jr and typed 'Wood'---as in Elisha Wood the Hobbitt actor! Oh man-I hope Court-Martial doesn't lose any votes on account of that goof!

Oh I see. I assumed "Wood" was an actor whose name I didn't know. Well, I voted for "Court Martial" anyway.

I forgot about William O'Connell in "Journey to Babel," he was always reliable as a creep in Clint Eastwood movies. John Wheeler was on TV a lot in the '70s and '80s, too. "Babel" seems like a pretty good candidate.

 

[Grant]

LOL! That was the biggest brain f*rt I've had in a long time! I was thinking of Elisha Cook Jr and typed 'Wood'---as in Elisha Wood the Hobbitt actor! Oh man-I hope Court-Martial doesn't lose any votes on account of that goof!

Oh I see. I assumed "Wood" was an actor whose name I didn't know. Well, I voted for "Court Martial" anyway.

I forgot about William O'Connell in "Journey to Babel," he was always reliable as a creep in Clint Eastwood movies. John Wheeler was on TV a lot in the '70s and '80s, too. "Babel" seems like a pretty good candidate.

I bet the more informed fans will be thinking' "who is Wood? I don't know any actor Wood."

I really wish "Whom Gods destroy" had 4 guest actors of substance for both the poll and I think having one more 'crazy' inmate with speaking lines would have helped the episode. I wonder if any previous actor/villain could have shown up as an inmate on Elba as a surprise........

Here's a goof the diehards would have liked (at least i would have) have the nutty laughing guy from "Naked Time" sitting in a cell and still be laughing!
"Oh sh!t, the cure worked for everybody but him!! Two years later and he's still laughing."

Then have Garth say, "I have heard enough of you!" and phaser him.

 

[Mario de Monti]

WNM for me. I would have loved to see more episodes with that cast.

 

[CrazyMatt]

I would have said "Amok Time" with Celia Lovsky, Arlene Martel and Lawrence Montaigne was the best. Runners up include "Bread and Circuses" (William Smithers, Logan Ramsey, Ian Wolfe, Rhodes Reason and Lois Jewell), WNMHGB and a guilty pleasure, "Wink Of An Eye" with Kathie Browne and Jason Evers. Of course the all time greatest guest star was William Windom, hands down!

 

[Grant]

I would have said "Amok Time" with Celia Lovsky, Arlene Martel and Lawrence Montaigne was the best. Runners up include "Bread and Circuses" (William Smithers, Logan Ramsey, Ian Wolfe, Rhodes Reason and Lois Jewell), WNMHGB and a guilty pleasure, "Wink Of An Eye" with Kathie Browne and Jason Evers. Of course the all time greatest guest star was William Windom, hands down!

I left out Amok Time on purpose---Montaigne has exactly two lines--I'm sorry that's not a signiicant supporting role IMO. He just had to stand there and look annoyed. If he hadn't played the bigger part in Balence--nobody would have much noted him in this episode.

As for Bread and Circuses--yes Wolfe, Reason, Smithers and Ramsey are perfect for a 2nd poll but Lois Jewell?

MOST episodes include at least 4 guest actors--I am purposely NOT including certain episodes because then you could under that theory include Doomsday Machine by listing 1 to 2 line extras such as Burns, Compton, Catron, Copage along with Windom as an "ensemble' cast---

which then means people who love Windom's performance could choose that episode just as if they were voting in 'best guest actor' poll.

I really want to spotlight episodes where they had a fairly large guest cast with solid medium to large parts.

That's why I included Archons even though I figured it would struggle to get any votes.

You had 4 to 5 solid chatacter actors in one episode which is kind of nice to see.

Wouldn't it have been nice for Montalban to have at least one follower have a decent part besides that lame Jaquin actor who barely has 5 roles in his career?

 

[Grant]

WNM for me. I would have loved to see more episodes with that cast.

Well, actually they were never intended for more than that one episode--unlike the cast of the Cage--which is why I didn't include the cage---that can't be called guests--since they were all signed up for the series if it got picked up.

Although Susan Oliver alone is almost worth fudging that theory!

 

[Keith1701]

I have to go with tribbles cast.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

WNMHGB...no surprise.

Lockwood's evolution from a strong best friend type one coould easily imagine as a series rgular, to the cold, mocking "god" figure is one of the most effective, memorable performances in ST. Kellerman was strong out of the gates--stern, hardheaded and sympathetic all in one package.

Both played a major role in the success of the second pilot.

 

[Grant]

WNMHGB...no surprise.

Lockwood's evolution from a strong best friend type one coould easily imagine as a series rgular, to the cold, mocking "god" figure is one of the most effective, memorable performances in ST. Kellerman was strong out of the gates--stern, hardheaded and sympathetic all in one package.

Both played a major role in the success of the second pilot.

Despite the fact it is clearly not in the set mold of later regular season 1 episodes in hardly any respect---I will never tire of seeing this episode--it is a classic bit of sci-fi and lays the groundwork for a Kirk we can like and respect and a Spock who although different is easy to respect.

Like Spock i feel for Mitchell and Dehner every time I watch this episode. How they followed such a classic effort as The Cage with yet another truly classic bit of television is almost a miracle.

I watch the episodes in order and when I am just about at the end of the rope with all the horrible season 3 episodes--I always know I have the Cage and WNMHGB right around the corner to revive my faith in the show.

5 stars always was-- always will be.

And yeah about Kellerman ---- too damn bad we didn't get more strong forceful women in the regular series...

Once again Susan Oliver as Vina and Sally Kellerman as Dehner in the two pilots---outstanding casting

 

[Jiangnan Freak]

WNMHGB?

 

[Grant]

WNMHGB?

Interesting...elaborate.