There isn’t actually an episode on that list that I dislike. Any one of them could be eligible if I was one of those oldie-times judges that decided such things.
Best Trek episode of 1966! What is YOUR choice?
- Thread starter Neopeius
- Start date
If you add my group's picks, the only ones not in the running are "Charlie X", "Mudd's Women", and "Miri".
Correct list of the worst of 1966.
Probably the only one I’d pause before watching is Miri. Then I’d watch it anyway. Love me some grups and ‘bop!bop!on the head!’
When they are your worst, your season is still in good shape I’d say. Mudd is fun, Charlie X has some great stuff in it (Uhura singing is great and I love Kirk trying to teach Charlie about girls) and Miri…
‘bop!bop!on the head!’
This morning, I adopted a Peter Graves voice and started saying things like:
"Have you ever dated a captain before?"
"Do you like books about Hornblower?"
"Ever seen a grown Jewish man naked?"
I don’t really dislike any of these episodes, but The Man Trap is probably my least favorite. Thoroughly unappealing special guests paired with an unlistenable early Alexander Courage horror/sci-fi score and overall weird feel and sleepy pacing.
Charlie X + Mudd’s Women are not contenders for the top spot, no, but they are thoroughly delightful to me. In addition to many other fine qualities, they are Fred Steiner’s first two scores, and definitely the point where Star Trek came into its own musically.
Charlie X + Mudd’s Women are not contenders for the top spot, no, but they are thoroughly delightful to me. In addition to many other fine qualities, they are Fred Steiner’s first two scores, and definitely the point where Star Trek came into its own musically.
It's not bop, it's bonk.
Bonk-bonk on the head! Bonk-bonk! Bonk-bonk! Bonk-bonk!
"BALANCE OF TERROR" is my vote. Right with "THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE", are my absolute favorites of TOS.
It edges the rest of the list because although it's a victory, it feels hollow. The acting on everyone's part is first rate... not just the leads, but the guests, too. There's a reason why Mark Lenard was brought back to play Sarek, and this is the proof.
You don't even have to like science fiction to love this one.
It edges the rest of the list because although it's a victory, it feels hollow. The acting on everyone's part is first rate... not just the leads, but the guests, too. There's a reason why Mark Lenard was brought back to play Sarek, and this is the proof.
You don't even have to like science fiction to love this one.
I went with "The Menagerie." It's a good science fiction story.
For 1966, a great year for Batman too as the TV show saved the ailing comic and revitalized Alfred too, "Charlie X" has the horror element down pat, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is several layers of awesome (right down to being stranded in space, something never shown in Trek since* and very rarely in sci-fi to begin with), but "The Menagerie" is revolutionary and on so many levels. In terms of sci-fi AND how to cleverly incorporate failed pilot footage to create an expanded universe and character backstory, which thankfully focused on Pike the most. The pilot itself has Spock being more smileyface and shouty than Sheldon Cooper on a quart of Red Bull, traits the actual series was already warping away from for several episodes by that point...
* that I'm currently aware of, I've not seen every episode and some are surprisingly forgettable...
* that I'm currently aware of, I've not seen every episode and some are surprisingly forgettable...
Very tough to choose. I've always said that Trek was hitting on all cylinders for those first few episodes.
Hard choice with so many good eps.
I chose The Corbomite Maneuver because it's not just an episode where they're truly exploring unknown space, like someone else said, it's the whole package including the wonderful scene introducing McCoy that got buried by being the 10th episode aired.
I have a fondness for Miri but it's not quite up to the standards of some of the others. I've always wondered if some of the dislike for Miri is that some people automatically equates episodes with kids to bad episode or just because of the identical earth which I just dismiss.
Robert
I chose The Corbomite Maneuver because it's not just an episode where they're truly exploring unknown space, like someone else said, it's the whole package including the wonderful scene introducing McCoy that got buried by being the 10th episode aired.
I have a fondness for Miri but it's not quite up to the standards of some of the others. I've always wondered if some of the dislike for Miri is that some people automatically equates episodes with kids to bad episode or just because of the identical earth which I just dismiss.
Robert
I don't dismiss the identical Earth premise -- I find it fascinating, and while it had little to do with the episode, it has a great many ramifications for the Trek universe. Lorelei wrote about it in our latest review.
Every episode has something special to me, even one of the worst like Miri has it, it's yeoman Rand running around in her short costume, though Kirk has another scene showing once in a while that special Shatnerism. There is always something to discover in all of the 79 episodes, let it be some set decoration, some good acting, music, Uhura's hairdo, guest stars, you name it...
Balance of Terror would be my favourite
I love that episode, too. James Goldstone's superb direction of it doesn't seem to get the respect it deserves.
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