I think Leonard Nimoy's best Single Episode Performance was in Amok Time and William Shatner's was in City on the Edge of Forever. What do you think were the best Single Episode Performances in TOS?
Best Single Episode Perfomance
- Thread starter JeffinOakland
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Those are good choices. Both were outstanding in The Doomsday Machine, Mirror, Mirror, and The Devil in the Dark. Shatner was amazing in Obsession. Nimoy in All Our Yesterdays.
I'd say Doohan's top performance, among many, is Wolf in the Fold. Not sure about Dee Kelley. Shore Leave? City?
I'd say Doohan's top performance, among many, is Wolf in the Fold. Not sure about Dee Kelley. Shore Leave? City?
This poor, redshirt dude..
I was going to say Shatner in City when I saw the title of this thread. Breaks my heart every time.
As for Nimoy, I'd have to go with Journey to Babel. In Amok Time Spock got to wail out his grief; in Babel Nimoy had to show it without breaking the tight control Spock exerts over himself.
I don't know that I've even been more impressed with the entire ensemble than in City On The Edge Of Forever. I'm damn fond of their work in The Deadly Years too. I'd also say that Mark Lenard in Balance of Terror is one of my favorite performances too. He is probably my favorite guest actor in the history of the franchise
I agree.
City for Shatner, Babel for Nimoy.
Amok Time comes second for both. Without their great performances Amok Time could have turned our cheesy and embarrassing. One of my favorite scenes in Trek is Kirk going up to the bridge in "Amok Time" when Spock has changed course saying "Spock, come with me" or similar.
I think Kelley was great in "Space Seed" and Doohan in "A Taste of Armageddon"
My favourite guest stars are Collins in "City" and Mark Lenard in "Babel"
Yes!!! I love that "Mr. Spock. Come with me, please" scene too! The directing choice to have it shot from Spock's station looking across to reveal Kirk in the turbolift is great.
Space Seed is another good choice for Kelley. Another one I thought of for him is The Tholian Web.
Shatner in City is most certainly his best, but I also enjoy some of his subtle humor in Trouble with Tribbles.
It's hard for me to pick a single best moment in TOS (there are so many!), but the one that pulls my heartstrings the most is Kirk watching his wife and unborn child die in his arms in "The Paradise Syndrome". Kirk spent more time with Miramanee (if I remember correctly) than he did with any other female in the series. They lived together, loved one another deeply and created a child together. To me this is the most poignant moment in all of TOS.
That was always my favorite episode as a kid.
The entire cast in the episode "This Side of Paradise"
Michael Ansara's best television role was as Kang in Day of The Dove I always think even though his I soldier part in The outer Limits was excellent too!
JB
JB
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I'll second "Plato's Stepchildren" and "The Paradise Syndrome".
To this day, "The Paradise Syndrome" still wins me over with the tragedy and it takes good acting to really sell it. Shatner and supporting cast all do this with aplomb.
"Plato's Stepchildren" is another high concept entry in TOS. Trying to portray a character being mind controlled isn't an easy task to begin with, neither is doing high concept sci-fi as opposed to generic soap opera, and lesser performances would have sent up the entire episode as being self-aware camp. The story seems unintentionally campy at times, but Shatner and Nimoy both do sincerely what are - when you think about it - numerous horrific scenes, assuming people who've been forced to do something against their will is still deemed "horrifying".
To this day, "The Paradise Syndrome" still wins me over with the tragedy and it takes good acting to really sell it. Shatner and supporting cast all do this with aplomb.
"Plato's Stepchildren" is another high concept entry in TOS. Trying to portray a character being mind controlled isn't an easy task to begin with, neither is doing high concept sci-fi as opposed to generic soap opera, and lesser performances would have sent up the entire episode as being self-aware camp. The story seems unintentionally campy at times, but Shatner and Nimoy both do sincerely what are - when you think about it - numerous horrific scenes, assuming people who've been forced to do something against their will is still deemed "horrifying".
The guy who played Roger Korby
I think William Windom's performance as Matt Decker in "Doomsday Machine" is among the best performances in TOS.
Michael Strong! His real name was Cecil Natapoff if anyone is keeping records?
JB
Good call on The Deadly Years.
I think it gets overlooked or scoffed at because of the dated makeup, but if you actually just watch the actors playing aged, they're really good at it, especially Shatner, & Kelley. They make Clayton Rohner's Admiral Jameson look laughable & Diana Muldaur in Natural Selection look pedestrian.
Couldn't agree more. They nailed playing old people and I think the makeup is better (at least on Kirk and McCoy), unlike those Next Gen examples.
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