What is the best single episode of Star Trek ever? What is the worst single episode of Star Trek ever? Please explain your answer.
Best and worst single episodes of Star Trek
- Thread starter The Overlord
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Well, the cliche answer is to say City on the Edge of Forever as best and Spock's Brain as worst.
I feel like best you can go a number of ways, particularly if you're talking about more than just TOS. But Spock's Brain has a much better claim to worst, IMO.
I feel like best you can go a number of ways, particularly if you're talking about more than just TOS. But Spock's Brain has a much better claim to worst, IMO.
spock's brain is the classic choice, but to me, that's sort of fun-cheesy. "Alternative Factor" is worse for sheer difficulty to watch.
To me, it's much like "threshold's" reputation in VOY-bad, but fun-cheesy, whereas an episode like "the fight" ranks much lower for the watchability factor.
To me, it's much like "threshold's" reputation in VOY-bad, but fun-cheesy, whereas an episode like "the fight" ranks much lower for the watchability factor.
Any Trek?
Best - DS9: In the Pale Moonlight. It did more than any other episode to make the Star Trek universe realistic and get rid of all the dewy-eyed optimism of TNG, replacing with something much more similar to TOS - people who are much better than the current state of humanity but who still struggle with their choices.
Worst - ENT: These Are the Voyages... Even if you don't like ENT, you have to admit that this episode was nothing more than a deliberate slap in the face to anybody who did like the show.
Best - DS9: In the Pale Moonlight. It did more than any other episode to make the Star Trek universe realistic and get rid of all the dewy-eyed optimism of TNG, replacing with something much more similar to TOS - people who are much better than the current state of humanity but who still struggle with their choices.
Worst - ENT: These Are the Voyages... Even if you don't like ENT, you have to admit that this episode was nothing more than a deliberate slap in the face to anybody who did like the show.
I thought of that one, too.
But I'm going with ENT's "Damage" which is similarly lacking in dewey-eyed optimism. And my reason is that our "good guys" actually got their hands dirty stealing the warp core, whereas Sisko let things happen, but he wasn't doing any of the wet work.
Oh, yeah.
I think it was also a slap in the face to anyone who liked Riker's character and the episode The Pegasus (which I did on both counts).
It's hard for me to say, "best" or "worst" since it's hard to judge episodes like "The Trouble with Tribbles" and "The Visitor" by the same criteria, so I'll just change the question to: best and worst episode to introduce someone to the show in 2011.
Best: For TOS, "The Trouble with Tribbles," since it might be better to show an episode where the camp factor works in its favor. Overall, I'm going to say ENT: "Observer Effect," which is a well-made self-contained episode with a typically Trekkian message.
Worst: Just because it was boring and pointless, I'll say VOY: "Nemesis," though there's lots of stuff from all the series, from "The Alternative Factor" to "Daedalus," that would fit the bill just as well.
Best: For TOS, "The Trouble with Tribbles," since it might be better to show an episode where the camp factor works in its favor. Overall, I'm going to say ENT: "Observer Effect," which is a well-made self-contained episode with a typically Trekkian message.
Worst: Just because it was boring and pointless, I'll say VOY: "Nemesis," though there's lots of stuff from all the series, from "The Alternative Factor" to "Daedalus," that would fit the bill just as well.
Just read Berman interview on TrekToday. He says he meant it respectfully, and regrets it.
As for eps, I am unqualified to say, due to my memory. Best is so vague, too. Most inspiring? Snappiest dialog? Most IDIC - y? Those I understand. "Best" and "worst" I'm not so sure of.
you know, I didn't like TATV either, but I always thought it was silly to interpret it as a deliberate insult just because a fan didn't like it or it didn't turn out well.
I suppose Shatner meant TFF as a deliberate insult to the fans as well...
Best episode: "The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1" - A 40something minute TV episode as intense, moving, and entertaining as some of my favourite movies. Has just about everything I could ask for in a Star Trek episode. Great character development and exploration through gripping conversation, intriguing plot developments, rousing action, and just a general feeling of high stakes. I also like a lot of humour in my Star Trek, and while there wasn't much in this episode, even in the midst of all the seriousness there was good low-key comedy too. For example, Shelby's constant pushiness and lack of respect towards Riker was very amusing at times.
Worst episode: (TIE) "Plato's Stepchildren" & "...And the Children Shall Lead". These episodes made me so pissed off, my God. It almost made me sick watching them. The acting, writing, and even the aesthetic qualities (production design, music, etc.) infuriated me so much. These are the only things I've ever watched in the franchise that just made me want to say "fuck Star Trek" and never have any contact with it again. What travesties. Luckily, there was enough good material in the franchise for me to quickly find something I could watch that could inspire me to reconsider before making that mistake.
As stupid as that "Star Trek: Enterprise" finale was, at least it was watchable. I saw it, felt vaguely disappointed, and knew when it was over knew that there was no point in ever watching it again. It was a waste of time and its ending was a really sad failed attempt at poignancy, but it didn't practically traumatize me with its awfulness (which is something it has apparently done to other fans). "...And the Children Shall Lead" and "Plato's Stepchildren", though...they were just torture. "Spock's Brain" isn't as bad as these. It's dumb too, but I found the concept kinda neat. At least it's original.
I haven't seen many "Star Trek: Voyager" episodes that I haven't found boring (and never saw one I could love) and there were plenty of TNG, "Star Trek", and DS9 episodes that I found frustratingly dull or dumb, but for me "...And the Children Shall Lead" and "Plato's Stepchildren" were more bottom of the barrel than any other episodes or movies in the franchise.
Worst episode: (TIE) "Plato's Stepchildren" & "...And the Children Shall Lead". These episodes made me so pissed off, my God. It almost made me sick watching them. The acting, writing, and even the aesthetic qualities (production design, music, etc.) infuriated me so much. These are the only things I've ever watched in the franchise that just made me want to say "fuck Star Trek" and never have any contact with it again. What travesties. Luckily, there was enough good material in the franchise for me to quickly find something I could watch that could inspire me to reconsider before making that mistake.
As stupid as that "Star Trek: Enterprise" finale was, at least it was watchable. I saw it, felt vaguely disappointed, and knew when it was over knew that there was no point in ever watching it again. It was a waste of time and its ending was a really sad failed attempt at poignancy, but it didn't practically traumatize me with its awfulness (which is something it has apparently done to other fans). "...And the Children Shall Lead" and "Plato's Stepchildren", though...they were just torture. "Spock's Brain" isn't as bad as these. It's dumb too, but I found the concept kinda neat. At least it's original.
I haven't seen many "Star Trek: Voyager" episodes that I haven't found boring (and never saw one I could love) and there were plenty of TNG, "Star Trek", and DS9 episodes that I found frustratingly dull or dumb, but for me "...And the Children Shall Lead" and "Plato's Stepchildren" were more bottom of the barrel than any other episodes or movies in the franchise.
You know, there is one episode that really is one of the best and one of the worst at the same time, and that's "Dax" from the first season of DS9. It is a highly interesting episode, the whole argument about wether Jadzia Dax is another person than Curzon Dax is very well played and intriguing, but it is completely destroyed by the ending that basically says: "This whole argument was completely pointless, because Dax didn't do it, anyway."
Star Trek: The best, A Taste of Armageddon, for contemporary relevance. The worst, The Enterprise Incident, for the perfect irrelevance of its fantasy version of the Pueblo incident.
Voyager: The best, a tie between Mortal Coil and Course: Oblivion, for their unflinching look at one of Voyager's great themes, death. The worst, Equinox (especially part two,) for its covert reliance on mindless bigotry as it (oh, so crudely!) cobbles up a meaningless personal conflict.
DS9: The best, Far Beyond the Stars, for contemporary relevance (even if ends in pointless drivel about Prophets.) The worst, Waltz, for its simple-minded equation of evil and insanity combined with a grotesquely silly image of madness.
TNG: Can't say, never could watch the show without being amazed, in a bad way, at Data. Why does a robot want to die? The thing's broken!
Voyager: The best, a tie between Mortal Coil and Course: Oblivion, for their unflinching look at one of Voyager's great themes, death. The worst, Equinox (especially part two,) for its covert reliance on mindless bigotry as it (oh, so crudely!) cobbles up a meaningless personal conflict.
DS9: The best, Far Beyond the Stars, for contemporary relevance (even if ends in pointless drivel about Prophets.) The worst, Waltz, for its simple-minded equation of evil and insanity combined with a grotesquely silly image of madness.
TNG: Can't say, never could watch the show without being amazed, in a bad way, at Data. Why does a robot want to die? The thing's broken!
Here's why I find it to be a deliberate insult....
They took a show's final episode and made it completely about characters of another show. This is a TNG episode through and through. Riker's, and Troi's, story is what the episode is all about. The ENT characters only appear in order to further that story. If it had been the other way around, with Riker and Troi supplementing an ENT-based story, it would have been better. It still would have sucked, but it would have been better. Fans wanted to see some closure to this show, not a return to a previous show, and especially not a return to an episode that could in no way accommodate this new story.
In the end, what TATV was was a passing of the baton back to TNG. For all the talk about how it was meant to be respectful, I can't see it. Would anybody see it as respectful if the TNG finale was an episode solely based around what Scotty and Uhura did during The City on the Edge of Forever while the TNG cast just happened to be included?
No, he just meant that as a massive self-congratulation to himself.I suppose Shatner meant TFF as a deliberate insult to the fans as well...
I certainly don't want to get into a position of defending TATV, as I think it's a pretty bad episode, and a bad series finale, but I can still see what they were going for.
It was showing ENT connected with the legacy of Star Trek, and that future crews would remember Archer and co.'s exploits, and Riker would even be inspired by them enough to influence his decisions, conduct, etc.
Look, it's clumsy and a stupid way to end the series(and Trip's death was especially dumb) but I think it's LESS insulting than "Endgame," where fans had waited seven years FOR A SPECIFIC EVENT, and closure when the crew get back home, with family reunions, etc. and what do we get?
A random Borg adventure story, with Voyager only getting back home in the final minute of the episode, and no closure at all.
Now THAT'S how you do an insulting episode.
Even then, I attribute it to incompetence and laziness, not deliberate insult.
isn't there a saying like "why attribute to malice what can be more easily attributed to stupidity?"
It was showing ENT connected with the legacy of Star Trek, and that future crews would remember Archer and co.'s exploits, and Riker would even be inspired by them enough to influence his decisions, conduct, etc.
Look, it's clumsy and a stupid way to end the series(and Trip's death was especially dumb) but I think it's LESS insulting than "Endgame," where fans had waited seven years FOR A SPECIFIC EVENT, and closure when the crew get back home, with family reunions, etc. and what do we get?
A random Borg adventure story, with Voyager only getting back home in the final minute of the episode, and no closure at all.
Now THAT'S how you do an insulting episode.
Even then, I attribute it to incompetence and laziness, not deliberate insult.
isn't there a saying like "why attribute to malice what can be more easily attributed to stupidity?"
As much as I love DS9 I honestly think that my vote for best single episode of all of Trek is Nemesis.
It takes a complicated real world situation and gives it a sci fi spin, they found a clever way to make the alien speech feel alien while still using english, and it has one of the best Trek messages ever. "I wish it was as easy to stop hating as it is to start."
For worst I have to go with The Conscience Of The King, mainly because it squanders a very interesting idea with a very awful execution.
It takes a complicated real world situation and gives it a sci fi spin, they found a clever way to make the alien speech feel alien while still using english, and it has one of the best Trek messages ever. "I wish it was as easy to stop hating as it is to start."
For worst I have to go with The Conscience Of The King, mainly because it squanders a very interesting idea with a very awful execution.
I think it's almost impossible to choose an overall best episode, because there's so many good ones that are suited for different moods. But if I was stranded on a desert island and I only had one episode to watch for the rest of my life it would probably be The City on the Edge of Forever.
Worst episode, again a lot of stinkers. I'd go for either And the Children Shall Lead or Meridian probably.
Worst episode, again a lot of stinkers. I'd go for either And the Children Shall Lead or Meridian probably.
I guess it really depends on what is meant by worst episode. I say that because most of the suggestions that people have mentioned have been watchable if not particularly good.
And the children shall lead has the distinction of being one of the few trek episodes that I cannot watch...it's simply that bad and cringe inducing. The only modern Trek episode that even comes close to that level of awful was A Night in Sickbay. I remember being so personally enraged by that episode that I wanted to throw something at the TV.
And the children shall lead has the distinction of being one of the few trek episodes that I cannot watch...it's simply that bad and cringe inducing. The only modern Trek episode that even comes close to that level of awful was A Night in Sickbay. I remember being so personally enraged by that episode that I wanted to throw something at the TV.
Best: Several pop into my head at any given time so I'll go ahead and pick "In the Pale Moonlight".
Worst: Several pop into my head at any given time so I'll go ahead and pick "Threshold".
Hugely original answers, I know.
Worst: Several pop into my head at any given time so I'll go ahead and pick "Threshold".
Hugely original answers, I know.
I *liked* "Threshold"!
Anyway, my vote for *worst* Trek episode, and keep in mind I'm completely ignoring TOS because I can barely sit through nearly any of those (except "Balance of Terror"), has to be "Move Along Home". You can even see on the actors' faces that they're embarrassed! Honorable mention is "Code of Honor" (if that's the one with the African-themed aliens)
Best is "In The Pale Moonlight", and quite possibly "Balance of Terror".
Anyway, my vote for *worst* Trek episode, and keep in mind I'm completely ignoring TOS because I can barely sit through nearly any of those (except "Balance of Terror"), has to be "Move Along Home". You can even see on the actors' faces that they're embarrassed! Honorable mention is "Code of Honor" (if that's the one with the African-themed aliens)
Best is "In The Pale Moonlight", and quite possibly "Balance of Terror".
I rather strongly dislike "Move Along Home", too. I swear, for much of that episode Siddig el Faddil is glaring.
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