All 755 live-action episodes ranked

[eschaton]

The Reckoning is an episode which is offensive to Ben's character because it implies he is willing to let his son die for the sake of his status as The Emissary. I also hate that it further developed the Pah Wraiths because they were such a garbage idea which devalued The Prophets.

That said, there are far worse episodes - even of DS9. And it's a competently acted, shot, and even written outing.

 

[Xhiandra]

Personally I'd watch Short Trek's before TAS. There's more going on in a few short episodes than in all of TAS. There's a couple good TAS plots, and some funny moments, but there's a couple of Short Trek's I'd rank in the top 50 if I were ranking them in this list. Trek has never made me cry as hard as an episode that has basically no dialogue...

Children of Mars? I've seen that one. Only one I've seen.

The Reckoning? Really? Another one that's not even close to being on my radar for fan hatred. If it's a personal least favorite, so be it, but what did I miss that could possibly make an episode that advances the "Sisko is a Prophet" arc, worthy of the bottom of the barrel? Operation Annihilate is pretty terrible and just watch a few more episodes to find it. Episode 7 will be coming out in a few hours. Thanks for watching, and I love to hear where I'm wrong!

The Reckoning just hits a lot of my dislikes:
- I'm not a fan of the "Sisko is a Prophet" arc. I'm not a fan of the Prophets and Pah-Wraiths at all.
The firecaves ending to that arc was particularly dreadful.
- "Alien possession" episodes... ugh. I like none of those, be they in TNG, DS9 or VOY. Seems to me that most of them are written to allow the actors to demonstrate their range... at which point, the actors invariably start chewing the scenery, because the alien possessors are almost invariably over-the-top cliché villains.
- Manichean view. Goody-goody prophets vs designated bad guys pah-wraiths.
- The effects at the end. Usually, I don't take bad effects too much into account, but in this episode the "fight" between Jake and Kira makes me physically cringe.

P.S.Make sure you watch the thanks Majel roll when you get to The Fight...Best thing I may ever do with that segment!

Will do.

I love to hear where I'm wrong!

You're not wrong, it's a matter of opinion. Also: Profit and Lace should've already shown up long ago. How could you be so wrong?

 

[BoTWoT]

Children of Mars? I've seen that one. Only one I've seen.
The firecaves ending to that arc was particularly dreadful.
You're not wrong, it's a matter of opinion. Also: Profit and Lace should've already shown up long ago. How could you be so wrong?

Yeah, Children of Mars is definitely the best of Short Treks, and a few of them I wouldn't watch again, but there's a couple others that are wonderful. As for the firecaves ending...in general I hate endings that don't know what the term "logical closure" point means. There needed to be a penultimate confrontation between Ben and Dukat, but that wasn't what I had in mind. And...I'm NEVER wrong...I'm just not always right!

 

[Lord Garth]

I think "Calypso" is the best Short Trek. Period. I think it'll never be equaled. "Children of Mars", IMO, is a very strong second, though.

But, while we're at it, I also think "Calypso" is the single best piece of Star Trek ever produced in the current era.

 

[BoTWoT]

I think "Calypso" is the best Short Trek. Period. I think it'll never be equaled. "Children of Mars", IMO, is a very strong second, though.

But, while we're at it, I also think "Calypso" is the single best piece of Star Trek ever produced in the current era.

Definitely a different concept. I'd also add "Ask Not" to the list of awesome short Treks.

 

[eschaton]

Looking at your episode 7:

Gamesters of Triskelion (TOS) - No argument, it's shite - though a bit of fun is had along the way.

Desert Crossing (ENT) - It's meh, not crap. There's plenty of Enterprise episodes I hate more than this, even in the first season. But I'm not going to defend it.

Second Sight (DS9) - Bad for DS9 for sure, with a plot which seems ported over from a discarded TNG script, I think the acting elevates the episode a bit though.

Fury (VOY) - Just terrible, but I'm not sure I'd argue it's skippable, because the episode is active character assassination of what was formerly one of the most inoffensive characters in Trek canon.

This Side of Paradise (TOS) - Hard disagree here. This is a good TOS episode that provides some of the best character development for Spock in the first season. Not perfect by any means, but well above average for TOS.

Cathexis (VOY) - A completely forgettable outing even after I watched your summary. Not actively bad, but certainly skippable - which warrants placement here.

The Empath (TOS) - A typical garbage TOS Season 3 episode.

Dagger of the Mind (TOS) - Not my favorite TOS episode, but I do not consider it actively bad.

Prophet and Lace (DS9) - No issue with this ranking. Blargh.

 

[BoTWoT]

Looking at your episode 7:
Desert Crossing (ENT)
This Side of Paradise (TOS) - Hard disagree here.
Dagger of the Mind (TOS) - Not my favorite TOS episode, but I do not consider it actively bad.

As for Desert Crossing, literally nothing happens. Archer and Trip hide out from nothing in the desert. Get found. Go back to Enterprise and peace out. A severe underusage of Clancy Brown. He would have made an awesome John Frederick Paxton in "Terra Prime". Dagger of the Mind you can thank my ranking consultant, wife, and psychologist for. I'd have maybe put it a little further up, but she can't even with the most worthless psychiatrist in Trek history...at least Deanna's off the hook. She says she never wants to have to watch it again and would have ranked it even lower, but we met somewhere in the middle of bad. This side of Paradise I think may become more interesting if SNW explores Spock's past relationship with this woman. Know that a smidge of character development is the only thing saving it from being even lower. Weird lighting. Weird camera zooms, and a generally hokey story.

 

[Oddish]

Prophet and Lace (DS9) - No issue with this ranking. Blargh.

Profit and Lace was a classic example of Trek trying to present a feminist message, and ending up doing the exact opposite.

 

[dupersuper]

Yeah, Children of Mars is definitely the best of Short Treks

Personally I prefer Calypso, Q& A (ignoring the turboshaft), The girl Who Made the Stars, The Escape Artist and (this may get me some hate) The Trouble With Edward.

This side of Paradise I think may become more interesting if SNW explores Spock's past relationship with this woman. Know that a smidge of character development is the only thing saving it from being even lower. Weird lighting. Weird camera zooms, and a generally hokey story.

 

[Vger23]

This list is waaay too biased against TOS for me to take seriously.

Even “And the Children Shall Lead” is better than a standard crappy TNG episode (Sub Rosa, Aquiel, Code of Honor, Angel One) by a long shot, based solely on the fact that TOS had great characters and was at least exciting. I’ll take “exciting but awful” over “dreadfully uninteresting and dull” every single time.

 

[dupersuper]

This list is waaay too biased against TOS for me to take seriously.

Even “And the Children Shall Lead” is better than a standard crappy TNG episode (Sub Rosa, Aquiel, Code of Honor, Angel One) by a long shot, based solely on the fact that TOS had great characters and was at least exciting. I’ll take “exciting but awful” over “dreadfully uninteresting and dull” every single time.

Methinks the bias runs both ways...

 

[BoTWoT]

This list is waaay too biased against TOS for me to take seriously.

Even “And the Children Shall Lead” is better than a standard crappy TNG episode (Sub Rosa, Aquiel, Code of Honor, Angel One) by a long shot, based solely on the fact that TOS had great characters and was at least exciting. I’ll take “exciting but awful” over “dreadfully uninteresting and dull” every single time.

I respect everyone's opinion, but if you're defending kids murdering their parents for no good reason, I'm just going to wish you a good day!

 

[Vger23]

I respect everyone's opinion, but if you're defending kids murdering their parents for no good reason, I'm just going to wish you a good day!

Don’t you think it’s kind of a significant leap to say I approve of kids murdering their parents just because I don’t agree with how you ranked an episode?

I’m honestly not sure if this was intended as a joke or not. I really hope it was.

Otherwise, I’d say you really don’t “respect everyone’s opinion.” At all.

 

[Vger23]

Methinks the bias runs both ways...

Oh unquestionably. The worst TOS episode is still better than 25% of the rest of the franchise, in my completely biased opinion.

I make no attempt to hide that.

Like I said, I’ll take horrible but exciting over dull and repetitive any day. It’s all personal preference.

 

[BoTWoT]

Don’t you think it’s kind of a significant leap to say I approve of kids murdering their parents just because I don’t agree with how you ranked an episode?

I’m honestly not sure if this was intended as a joke or not. I really hope it was.

It was. I'm not accusing you of defending of parricide, I'm just giving the basic description of the episode. In the intro to the first video I say this list is a starting point for discussion. I do respect your opinion, but when it's so wildly different from general opinion, it's hard to use "better than 25% of the franchise" as a starting point for discussion. Everybody consumes media in a different way, and you do you! But, you can't please all the people all the time, and I genuinely wish you a wonderful day!

 

[fireproof78]

Oh unquestionably. The worst TOS episode is still better than 25% of the rest of the franchise, in my completely biased opinion.

I make no attempt to hide that.

Like I said, I’ll take horrible but exciting over dull and repetitive any day. It’s all personal preference.

One of the reasons TOS will always rank so much higher for me is the fact that it felt like a bigger world of possibility. "And the Children Shall Lead" while not my favorite episode definitely has that huge TOS "out there" feel that made space far more adventurous and interesting. And, this one had a distinct creepy feel that Star Trek rarely pulled off well but managed to in this one.

So, I will always take TOS, bad and all, over most of Berman's era by virtue of the interesting and entertaining.

 

[BoTWoT]

One of the reasons TOS will always rank so much higher for me is the fact that it felt like a bigger world of possibility. "And the Children Shall Lead" while not my favorite episode definitely has that huge TOS "out there" feel that made space far more adventurous and interesting. And, this one had a distinct creepy feel that Star Trek rarely pulled off well but managed to in this one.

So, I will always take TOS, bad and all, over most of Berman's era by virtue of the interesting and entertaining.

Before this playthrough for rankings, I would have told you TOS was unwatchable at worst, and mediocre at best. That being said going into it, I still find the garbage to be garbage, but a few genuinely interesting episodes that crack the top 100. I'm not blind to the fact that even trying to be objective in this process, biases creep in, but my overall opinion of many of the series have changed in this playthrough. I would have said TNG is THE best Trek ever and always...after a deep dive...not so much. Certainly some of the best episodes of the franchise, but also has a pile of bottom of the barrel hot garbage. I would have said DIS and PIC after a single playthrough of both were pretty much middle to bottom of the road, but you dig into them, and even through bad arcs, slightly better than I thought, but I also acknowledge the golden Trek rule(TOS excluded):It takes 3 seasons to git gud! DIS is starting to show that, and feel like DS9, finding it's footing after a semi-rocky start. It's hard to see the forest through the trees until a series completes it's run sometimes. Enterprise hasn't changed much in subsequent playthroughs for me though. A handful of top 150, mediocre at best, laughably bad at worst. VOY, as a kid I would have told you it was my favorite series...boy, how times and perceptions change, and now I'd say the same about it as about ENT. DS9 I couldn't get through as kid, and never saw the latter 5 seasons til I was an adult, and with a few exceptions in the bottom 50 of the franchise, a solid mediocre to amazing series. Sorry for the TLDR, but this has been my journey, and I would love to hear other people's journeys of Trek enjoyment over time.

 

[Oddish]

Excuse me, but any "Best and Worst of Trek" series is going to be subjective. Let's not snipe at each other about what you like better or don't.

 

[Vger23]

Excuse me, but any "Best and Worst of Trek" series is going to be subjective. Let's not snipe at each other about what you like better or don't.

Isn't the whole point of any ranking list of any kind (favorite restaurants, best QB of all time, whatever) to debate the merits of it?

I don't put any ranking list on this website without expecting people to challenge it, debate it, or at least comment on it / ask for my rationale.

 

[fireproof78]

Excuse me, but any "Best and Worst of Trek" series is going to be subjective. Let's not snipe at each other about what you like better or don't.

Well, even if it isn't fully objective there is at least a standard to this particular listing that is be attempted. Not unbiased, but certainly purposeful.

and I would love to hear other people's journeys of Trek enjoyment over time.

TOS is always Star Trek to me, period. It was what I grew up with, what I watched and rewatched, read and imagine. TNG never got there, even if some episodes stuck with me. DS9 didn't get me until "Trials and Tribble-ations" and ENT never did.

Over the years I have attempted some rewatches with TNG and simply find it not fun. I'm sure I will find those episodes to really enjoy but few are ones that grab me and make me want to revisit it. It's an ongoing process, but TOS is the one that I'll just pop on for fun.