21 of my favorite scenes in Star Trek (and more!)

[Lord Garth]

21 years ago tomorrow, I first registered on TrekBBS. Every year I do something different. This year I figure 21 of my favorite scenes. Because we're not completely out of the Spoiler Woods yet for Picard, I'll leave that series off.

You can throw in your favorite scenes too.

1. "The Corbomite Maneuver" (TOS) - Spock thinks Balok has the Enterprise outmatched. He compares it chess and says they've been checkmated. Kirk changes the game. "Not chess, Mr. Spock. Poker." By making something up, he bluffs his way out of the Enterprise being destroyed.

2. "The Enemy Within" (TOS) - Kirk and Spock are in Engineering looking for Evil Kirk, who evades them until the end of the scene. The music really sells it.

3. "This Side of Paradise" (TOS) - The entire crew has gone down to the surface of the planet. Intoxicated by the Spores. Kirk is also affected. He has his suitcase. He's the last person on the ship. He's about to beam down. Then he gets overwhelmingly angry. The music swells up. And he decides, "I CAN'T LEAVE!" Then he snaps back to his senses. I'm not going to double-dip, so I'm going to say that honorable mention also goes to when Kirk tries to snap Spock back to his senses!

4. "Shore Leave" (TOS) - Kirk getting even with a facsimile of Finnegan, in arch-nemesis at the Academy, in a long drag-out fight. "I always wanted to beat the tar out of him." There are certain people from high school, who I'd love to have it out with, in pretty much the same way. I'm not going to lie.

5. "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" (TOS) - When Kirk and Sulu are sneaking around in the Air Force Base. You almost feel like you're there. That scene always has me so wrapped up in it that even the sound of a pin-drop would startle me. Sulu manages to beam out of their when they're caught. But Kirk isn't so lucky. And I love how he tries to fight his way out of there, until one of the officers pulls a gun on him.

6. "Errand of Mercy" (TOS) - The scene between Kirk and Kor where Kor talks about the similarities between Humans and Klingons.

7. "The Doomsday Machine" (TOS) - The confrontation between Kirk and Decker when Decker forces the Enterprise to attack the Doomsday Machine. Then the tense confrontation when Kirk orders Spock to relieve Decker and take command.

8. "Mirror, Mirror" (TOS) - When Kirk gives his speech to Mirror Spock to convince him to change the Terran Empire for the better. "Captain Kirk, I shall consider it."

9. "I, Mudd" (TOS) - Kirk leaving Harry Mudd behind on the planet of Androids with 500 Stellas.

10. "The Enterprise Incident" (TOS) - When Spock is pretending to be interested in the Romulan Commander. He's smoother than Kirk ever was. But, despite that, his interest in the Vulcans and the Romulans coming together was genuine. As we'd see in later Star Trek.

11. "The Empath" (TOS) - Kirk was to submit to being tortured by the Vians in order to keep Spock and McCoy from being tortured. Then McCoy knocks him unconscious with an injection. Spock tells McCoy that makes things easier, since now he'll volunteer. Then McCoy gives him an injection. So now it's McCoy who'll submit to the torture. Then Gem has to almost die to revive him.

12. Star Trek: The Motion Picture - My favorite scenes are all toward the beginning of the film. Like with "This Side of Paradise", I'll group the multiple ones here. 1) When the Klingons encounter V'Ger. My favorite depiction of the Klingons ever. 2) Spock on Vulcan. Vulcan never looked more bad-ass. 3) Kirk at Starfleet Command. 4) Scotty giving Kirk a tour of the Enterprise. Some people think scene is boring. I think it shows off how great the craftsmanship of late-'70s model work was.

13. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - I could list the whole movie. But I'll zero in on the turbolift scene between Kirk and Saavik. Saavik doesn't get humor. Then Saavik gets off and McCoy wonders "Who's been holding up the damn elevator?" "She change her hairstyle?" "I hadn't noticed."

14. "The Naked Time" (TNG) - Data and Yar in the bedroom. It never gets old.

15. "The Measure of a Man" (TNG) - Picard defending Data's rights as a person. And the speech he gives at the end of the episode about meeting the criteria for sentience.

16. "The Enemy" (TNG) - When Worf refuses to donate blood to the Romulan the Enterprise in Sickbay. Picard begs him to to give blood. Worf won't do it. Just when you think Picard's about to order him... he doesn't.

17. "Yesterday's Enterprise" (TNG) - When the Klingons have the Enterprise-D pinned down, they demand the Enterprise surrenders. Picard says, "That'll be the day", and it looks like they'll go down fighting, as the timeline is returned to normal.

18. "The Best of Both Worlds" (TNG) - When Locutus tells the Enterprise crew, "Your life as it has been is over. From this time forward, you will service us." Then Riker says, "Mr. Worf, fire." TO BE CONTINUED

19. "Family" (TNG) - Picard breaking down about how he tried to resist the Borg and it wasn't good enough. Then his brother telling him this will be with him for a long time.

20. "Reunion" (TNG) - When Worf finds out that Duras killed K'Eylar and then he seeks to avenge her by killing him.

21. "Ensign Ro" (TNG) - Guinan approaching Ro in Ten Forward. Ro says she doesn't want to be disturbed. Guinan sits down anyway and tells her she looks like she wants to be disturbed because if she wanted to be alone, she wouldn't have come to Ten Forward.

Shit. I got up to #21 already! Where does the time go? Well, I guess I'll stop there! Here's to the next 21 years, where I'll pick it up again!

Okay, not really. I'll keep going. But these 21 got us started. Feel free to add some favorites of your own too!

Anyway, I have to keep going because how can I leave out Discovery?!

 

[NCC-73515]

8. "Mirror, Mirror" (TOS) - When Kirk gives his speech to Mirror Spock to convince him to change the Terran Empire for the better. "Captain Kirk, I shall consider it."

Have you seen STC's Fairest of them all? They continue after that scene, and it's amazing.

16. "The Enemy" (TNG) - When Worf refuses to donate blood to the Romulan the Enterprise in Sickbay. Picard begs him to to give blood. Worf won't do it. Just when you think Picard's about to order him... he doesn't.

And then he tells Beverly to stop asking him! And then she replies it's no longer necessary cause he just died!

17. "Yesterday's Enterprise" (TNG) - When the Klingons have the Enterprise-D pinned down, they demand the Enterprise surrenders. Picard says, "That'll be the day", and it looks like they'll go down fighting, as the timeline is returned to normal.

He was lucky they raised the floor so he could jump over the arch XD

20. "Reunion" (TNG) - When Worf finds out that Duras killed K'Eylar and then he seeks to avenge her by killing him.

And then much later, future Alexander tells him he never forgot, just like he was told. I love such callbacks!

 

[Lord Garth]

Have you seen STC's Fairest of them all? They continue after that scene, and it's amazing.

I've seen some of Star Trek Continues, but I haven't seen that one. I'll check it out.

 

[NCC-73515]

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The shuttle at the end is the restored original!

 

[Lord Garth]

Instead of waiting until 2041, let's run through the next batch of 21!

I forgot something from TUC that can't not have, and luckily I hit #21 last time at the beginning of TNG's fifth season so, picking up with this, I'll be going through the rest of the list in Production Order not Series Order. So, technically, I can still include TUC and not have it look like an oversight.

Volume 2

1. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country - Like where I had multiple scenes for TMP and basically said the entire film of TWOK could be included, more than one scene stood out to me at this film. 1) The Praxis Explosion followed by the Excelsior being caught up in the shockwave. 2) The dinner scene between the Enterprise crew and the Klingons. 3) The courtroom scene. 4) The final showdown between the Enterprise/Excelsior and Chang.

2. "Cause and Effect" (TNG) - "All hands abandon ship! All hands abandon ship!"

3. "I, Borg" (TNG) - Hugh telling Picard/Locutus, "I will not assist you." That was a major breakthrough for someone who was thought of as being just a drone.

4. "The Next Phase" (TNG) - The celebration in Ten Forward. They should listen to Worf more often. Then there's Ro blasting a phaser through Riker's head without him noticing. "Now I suppose I'll never know."

5. "Relics" (TNG) - Scotty on the TOS Enterprise bridge.

6. "Chain of Command, Part II" (TNG) - Any scene with Picard and Madred.

7. "Emissary" (DS9) - The opening scene when Sisko has not choice but to escape from the Saratoga, leaving Jennifer behind, has Locutus and the Borg destroy the ship. End scene with the glare on Sisko's face and he watches the destruction from the distance on a shuttlecraft.

8. "Tapestry" (TNG) - The scene between Picard and Q at the end when Q makes Picard realize that all the choices he made in the past led to who he is now and how changing any of it would change him, and make him less. "I can't live out my days as that person! That man is devoid passion and imagination! That is not who I am!"

9. "Duet" (DS9) - Any scene with "Gul Darheel" in it. But in particular the scene where he talks about... no I'm not in the mood to describe. It's pretty bad. Gripping, but pretty gruesome. Kira was rightfully enraged and, as upset as she was, showed more restraint than I would've. And also put up with it for longer than I would've. Then at the end when we find out it wasn't really "Gul Darheel" and then the man pretending to be him starts sobbing.

10. "Gambit, Part II" (TNG) - The end when Picard says since he's "dead", he'll get some rest. Then he jokingly suggests that he should put Riker in the brig and Data takes it seriously. Damn, Riker's the butt-end of two of these jokes I've listed.

11. "Parallels" (TNG) - Worf telling Troi she would be like his step-sister (we won't go into what this implies during "All Good Things"... ) Then Troi telling Worf, "That would make my mother your step-mother." "I had not considered that! It is a risk I am willing to take."

12. "The Maquis, Part II" (DS9) - When Sisko tells Kira the problem is Earth. On Earth it's a Paradise and "It's easy to be a saint in Paradise." That right there explicitly spelled out DS9's general outlook compared to its sister series.

I'll pick up the rest of it later. "And the Adventure Continues"...

 

[Lord Garth]

Volume 2, Part II

13. "The Way of the Warrior" (DS9) - Like TWOK, basically the whole thing is a "favorite scene". I'd be at it all day if I listed everything.

14. "Little Green Men" (DS9) - The entire exchange between Quark and the Military on 1947 Earth.

15. "Hard Time" (DS9) - Bashir talking O'Brien down from suicide at the end of the episode, after he'd spent 20 years in a mental prison and felt he was no better than an animal.

16. Star Trek: First Contact - Lily calling on bullshit on Picard when he says they have a more evolved sensibility in the 24th Century. Followed by, "Jean-Luc blow up the damn ship!" "No!!!! NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Honorable mention goes the Picard, Worf, and Hawk fighting the Borg in Zero-G, Riker and Troi at the bar, and the Phoenix launching to the sound of "Magic Carpet Ride".

17. "Call to Arms" (DS9) - The Defiant meeting up with the rest of the fleet at the end of the episode. Meanwhile Dukat notices the ball left on Sisko's desk. "It's a message from Sisko. He's letting me know he'll be back."

18. "A Time to Stand" (DS9) - When Dukat made Kira report to him and they were alone in his office. One of the tensest scenes ever.

19. "Waltz" (DS9) - Crazy Dukat shooting at figments of his imagination while stuck in a cave with Sisko.

20. "In the Pale Moonlight" (DS9) - The entire episode was one great scene after another.

21. "The Siege of AR-558" (DS9) - The battle at the end.

To be continued with the Final 21.

 

[Qonundrum]

21 years ago tomorrow, I first registered on TrekBBS. Every year I do something different. This year I figure 21 of my favorite scenes. Because we're not completely out of the Spoiler Woods yet for Picard, I'll leave that series off.

Happy Trekinversary!

Cool post with top moments too!


In no order (apart from 25 but don't scroll down ahead of time! ):

1. "For The Uniform" - Sisko does the unthinkable- fights fire with fire, in a desperate situation, to capture someone who's already used a flamethrower too many times over. Amazingly nobody relieves him of command, but until now Trek always showed neat'n'tidy clear cut issues as if folk like Eddington never existed.
2. "Sons of Mogh" - Sisko tears into Worf and Dax since they're being too insular to remember where they are
3. "The Immunity Syndrome" - Spock smoothly telling McCoy an idea about how to keep the future (via past tense) to be less bloody.
4. "The Ultimate Computer" - M5 breaks down (they should have done a defrag then database restore) and starts killing everyone because it thinks they're all bad because they're not recognized. Oops. (the running theme of humankind's soul is also a big bonus.
5. Also from the same story: Showing Daystrom's breakdown over how he endured being treated as a child because of his high IQ is also shocking and daring, given "this is the 23rd century and humans are all evolved" (or 24th century and how many from 1701-D's bridge crew all came from broken or toxic situations... Good grief, DS9 was begging to be made even in '87!) It also suggests he's creating his computer out of spite, which is antithetical and apocryphal to the myth of TOS being about humanity all unified and working together, while making Chekov the butt of all jokes. Oops.
6. ST III - Kirk steals Enterprise, then destroys it so Klingons couldn't take it
   
7. Kirk pulls up his boots as Deela fixes her hair in a post-commercial, post-coital scene showing Kirk indeed did get lucky. (nowadays, for the same boring type of scene, they just show unclothed body parts bouncing rather than trying to be clever. Oh, how exciting... not. It's the cleverness of the writing that gets this in the list, not for TV using the most trite cliche that's been around since the dawn of time...)
   
8. BOBW: How the Borg are defeated. David tickling Goliath into nap time was rather good.
9. Also BOBW: Locutus' introduction was damn good, even if we could figure out 25 minutes prior he'd be turned into a Borg - they carried it off awesomely well and still holds up
   
10. Wolf in the Fold: Spock tells computer to calculate Pi so that the incorporeal monster thing spazzes. Along with what the crew does to prevent getting possessed by the incorporeal monster thing again.
11. The Changeling: Kirk nags NOMAD to death (usually his nagging isn't terribly exciting. This is the exception. Unlike Java, NOMAD's compiler lacks garbage collection and error trapping/exception handling, LOL!)
12. Pen Pals: Scene where Pulaski sides with Data, who has a great take on why the civilization needed to be saved
    
13. 11001001: all the Quinteros scenes, which mostly are there to bring up the Bynars but he underplays the role when anyone could easily boast up their traits (after all, this was season 1 TNG and even up to "The Neutral Zone" has prominent boasting)
    
14. Measure of a Man: Proving Data, despite an off switch, is human - he's the analogue of autistic people who always wanted to be "normal", unintentionally or otherwise (seasons 1 and 2 go back and forth between that and how he's an emotionless android, season 3 decides he's just the latter.)
15. Hope & Fear: Janeway tries to persuade Arcturus to rescue and asylum
    
16. ST VI - Kirk's speech at the end alluding to change and how people need to work together
17. Space Seed - Khan's speech to Kirk is far more than what's at face value and Kirk knows it
    
18. The Maquis - Quark describing the cost of peace being cheap
19. Gamesters of Triskeleon - Kirk's speech to the Providers
20. Gamesters of Triskeleon - McCoy and Spock's epic bickering and the first time that "Are you out of your FVulcan mind!" is used
21. Mudd's Women - Drugs sell fake images, have real confidence instead of a drug (like what Tasha Yar said in "Symbiosis" but under different conditions other than illegal sex trade, which was quite a topic for dinner time 1960s television...)
    
22. Also Mudd's Women - Eve telling Childress (paraphrased) that he doesn't want "someone to help you" (which is what all partnerships are about at a core level) but instead for her to be nothing more than a sex object as scorn and to get him to think outside his box. Being made in 1966, they did resort to some tropes about marriage for mass audiences of the time but the script and actors are clearly trying to suggest more than just the censor-approved generic stuff. which is strange as this episode revolves around sex trafficking, which is as illegal as it is hefty stuff for a TV show of the time... Some of the content is clearly dated if not outdated but some underlying concepts are still transferable with removing a small amount of dialogue. Sex is wonderful and great but Eve knew Childress wanted a partner as he, like her, was drowning his own sorrows (as she was in hers) and she had the most reasoned voice. (Eve also had the best get-out-of-plot issue in acknowledging Kirk's love was his ship. It would have been interesting to have seen where that would have gone, but given the limitations of 1966 television, nothing would have happened. )
    
23. Ethics - The Riker/Worf scene is by far the story's high point
24. Little Green Men - the Ferengi without universal translators makes for a great scene
    
25. GEN - contrived or not, the actual crash of the 1701-D saucer is brill and exactly how its demise should be

Honorable mentions: Any scene in VOY where Janeway helps Seven find her connection to humanity. Also, any scene in TNG, DS9, or VOY where a character is discussing and eating food. Chocolate, Creole, and Cheesecake all spring to mind. And now I'm off to that place, "Old People Buffet"...

So, *burp*, I'm back. I saved the best for last:

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^^hell, yeah. I wish we could see the casting sessions for the other two top picks but I'm more than certain Brooks was by far the best. (Peter Capaldi might be the only other contender to do those scenes any serious justice.)

 

[Lord Garth]

The home-stretch. 21 more.

1. "Treachery, Faith, and the Great River" (DS9) - Sisko's missing desk...

2. "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges" (DS9) - Not any particular scene, so much as everyone trying to out-think each other.

3. "The Changing Face of Evil" (DS9) - "Resist. Resist today. Resist tomorrow. Resist until every last Dominion soldier has been driven from our soil."

4. "Tacking Into the Wind" (DS9) - Ezri telling Worf her thoughts about the Klingon. Then Worf challenging Gowron in a fight to the death.

5. "Eye of the Needle" (VOY) - The twist at the end finding out the Romulan that Voyager came into contact with was from the past.

6. "Projections" (VOY) - The Doctor being super-frustrated trying to figure out what's real and what's a hologram.

7. "Deadlock" (VOY) - Janeway meeting up with Janeway after one of the Voyagers almost destroys the other unintentionally.

8. "Macrocosm" (VOY) - Janeway fighting the giant killer germs in full Ripley mode.

9. "Worst Case Scenario" (VOY) - The Maquis in the Insurrection Alpha Scenario taking over the ship.

10. "Day of Honor" (VOY) - Paris and Torres trapped in space trying to survive and revealing their true feelings about each other.

11. "Revulsion" (VOY) - Kim having no idea how to deal with Seven.

12. "Year of Hell" (VOY) - Pretty much the whole thing.

13. "Living Witness" (VOY) - The entire sequence at the beginning when everyone gets wrong what Voyager was like. It's the closest thing to Voyager in the Mirror Universe as we ever got.

14. "Night" (VOY) - Anything involving Captain Proton! But also two months of nothing reminds me of the almost anytime during the Quarantine we've been going through thanks to Covid-19. And I like seeing Janeway reflect as all the downtime allows everything to catch up to her. No time to think about their situation when they were under "constant attack", but now... "What I would've for Borg Cube right now. Anything for a little distraction."

15. "Counterpoint" (VOY) - Janeway and her constant game of chess with the Devore. Kashyk in particular. Along with the music that comes on whenever he boards Voyager.

16. "Relativity" (VOY) - Any one of the time-travel hijinks.

17. "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy" (VOY) - I got a kick out of The Doctor's fantasies. Though he wouldn't have gotten a kick out of any of us seeing them.

18. "Lineage" (VOY) - When Paris tells Torres he'd love their baby no matter what she is and getting Torres to realize this.

19. "Author, Author" (VOY) - Paris getting back at The Doctor for Photons Be Free.

No sense in going into a new series this late into the list. So I'll pull up something from TOS.

20. "The Lights of Zetar" (TOS) - The episode itself is so-so, but the last scene is killer when Kirk notes this is the first time he's ever seen Spock, McCoy, and Scotty ever in total and complete agreement.

21. "Journey to Babel" (TOS) - Most of the episode would make it into this list. But in particular, I have to go with the very end when McCoy puts everyone in their place. "Shut up! Shhh! Shhh!!!" Then he breaks the fourth wall and says, "Well, what do you know? I finally got the last word!"

 

[somebuddyX]

These are just some small moments in Trek I really like, not like THE best ever, just ones that resonate a lot with me.

1. The NX-01 stuck between the Suliban and the Tholians in "Future Tense". It's about to go to warp and they just disable the warp drive.
2. The NCC-1701-D about to warp out in "Phantasms" and failing and Picard getting more and more exasperated as the episode goes on.
3. The fully activated Tholian Web encompassing ISS Enterprise in "In a Mirror Darkly Part 1"
4. The first appearance of Lorian's NX-01 in "E2" with the modified and beat up hull and the stitched together deflector dish.
5. The final minutes of "Call to Arms" from Dukat and Weyoun musing on the meaning Sisko's baseball still there, to Sisko sitting in his chair seemingly reflecting on past and future and then seeing the Defiant and Rotarran join up with the combined Federation-Klingon fleet and head back towards the fray.
6. The intro of the Star Trek First Contact teaser trailer with the pullback and slow reveal of the Borgified Trek logo.
7. Nog in "For the Uniform", his shocked "Exploding?" line to O'Brien. Then after a bit of back and forth Nog walks offscreen and murmurs once more "Exploding?"
8. Kira and Sisko sparring in "In the Hands of Prophets" and then their mutual respect for one another at the end of the episode. She just offers to help him with his report and he accepts and it's just very sweet.
9. "We'll Always Have Paris" Picard, Data and Riker hop a turbolift, have a discussion, the turbolift stops, they run into themselves before they got on the turbolift, have a brief discussion with each other, the turbolift trio leave again and the scene stays with the second/previous trio who try to make sense what the heck just happened and where the other versions of themselves just went.
10. Picard turning his head and his little red laser looking into the camera in "TBOBW 1" "Jean-Luc!"
11. "Projections" with The Doctor and Barclay revisiting the events of "Caretaker" and the Doctor smartassing Janeway about how everyone is about to be abducted and experimented on. Plus the moment at the end where he thinks he's in the clear but he's still stuck in the illusion. "No! No, I don't believe you. None of this is real. It's all a delusion. Somebody help me!"
12. The rescue fleet leaving spacedock in "Star Trek" as Enterprising Young Men plays.
13. The Enterprise rising out of the water in "Into Darkness" and charging up to the volcano. I love the deflector dish turning like an angry eye to look down at the natives and the water coming down on the red forest. I don't care about logic or physics or none of that for this scene. It embodies something I'd wanted to see in live action since the 90s.
14. The Defiant ambushed in "The Search Part 1" with Bashir taking the helm, Sisko gets the weapons and RATATAATATATA they make mincemeat out of a Jem Hadar fighter. I was so unimpressed when the ship showed up at the beginning and throughout the episode the ship's features like the engines and cloak make it impractical to even use. And then BLAMMO I was totally onboard.
15. "You want to know what I remember? Someone saying, this man is my friend. Nobody touches him. I'll remember that for a long time." - The Chute
    
16. "Why did you do it?" "To preserve his dignity." Just the way DeForrest pauses after 'preserve' in such a defeated way and then the follow up about the cure - Star Trek V
    
17. "You know, it's funny. What I remember most about being a kid are the times I spent in my room crying. I liked my room, though. It was quiet in there. People would leave me alone. I'd keep the door locked, read, play games." - Threshold.
    
18. "Khan, you bloodsucker. You're gonna have to do your own dirty work now. Do you hear me? Do you? You've managed to kill just about everyone else, but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target." - Star Trek II
19. "So you choose to exist here. It is not linear." - Emissary
20. "Eleven years ago, I saw my world in ruins, my family murdered. All that's kept me going is knowing that one day we'd be together again. That I'd see them again. But it's not true. And I can't live without that hope." "You're being called back to your life again, Neelix. Don't turn your back on it. We're your family now. That little girl needs you, Neelix. Monsters in the replicator? Who else on this ship can handle that?" - Mortal Coil
    
21. "In that book which is my memory, on the first page of the chapter that is the day when I first met you, appear the words - Here begins a new life." - Latent Image. Probably my favourite episode of the entire franchise, at least for the moment.