Defining episode

[Spot261]

If you had 45 minutes available to demonstrate to someone exactly what trek is about, which episode do you think would come closest to being the purest exemplar of the series? Which would give someone the clearest idea of what to expect, what values it espouses and where it's weaknesses lie?

Please give some explanation as to why your chosen episode fits the bill and what about it is so representative above and beyond other possible candidates. Note this need not be your "favourite" episode, but rather the one which summarises the franchise most effectively.

 

[2takesfrakes]

The Corbomite Maneuver

It is not the best episode of the franchise, or even The Classic Series, but it contains all of the elements that make STAR TREK special unto itself:

There's the drama of a recently promoted crewman who comes undone, because he doesn't believe in himself, the way others believe in him.

There's the sci-fi element of the ship encountering an alien mentality of unknown origin and intent. The crew is tested by this encounter and in the end, find something quite unexpected, as they attempt to make peace.

For the insecure crewman, this creates an opportunity to rise to the occasion. He finally becomes a fully realised person, once he starts believing in himself. He's now ready to embark on The Human Adventure™ ...

 

[Voth commando1]

I'd say "Where No One has gone before" TNG-has it all mysterious alien, new ship on exploration and a broader look at the quasi mysticism of Star Trek-thought, matter, energy all being one at the most fundamental level and the subtle confidence that one day the human race will achieve both the knowledge and mastery of this concept.

 

[Balok's Decoy]

Oooh, tough question. I have to say "The Devil in the Dark."

DitD upends a new viewer's preconceptions about what Star Trek is. It sets you up for a sci-fi monster romp, and then totally flips that on its head -- you realize the humans are the devils in the dark, because of our ignorance, our instinct to destroy that which we fear and don't understand. But knowledge, communication, and respect for other lifeforms, however different, results in peaceful coexistence. We are ultimately made stronger and better through our differences. If that isn't the heart and soul of Star Trek, I don't know what is.

Jeez, now I want to go back and rewatch that episode.

 

[Spot261]

don't let me stop you!

 

[Greg Cox]

Depends a bit on the age and tastes of the target. My first instinct is to go with a TOS episode, but only if I thought the target was able to cope with 1960s attitudes and production values. With someone younger, I might reluctantly go with something more modern.

"Devil in the Dark" is a perfect example. I agree with Balok's Decoy that its an ideal episode to represent TOS, but I'm also aware that modern viewers might find the Horta more laughable than frightening. Depends a lot on the target's tolerance for dated special effects and production values.

 

[Mojochi]

^ I often thought that TNG's Homesoil had a similar intent as Devil in the Dark

which episode do you think would come closest to being the purest exemplar of the series?

Each series? Or the whole franchise?

Well, I'm going to go with Darmok. It's Trek in a nutshell. Gives you an idea of the Starfleet mission statement, the strangeness of alien contact, & the inherent desire of intelligent beings to understand one another

 

[Balok's Decoy]

^ I often thought that TNG's Homesoil had a similar intent as Devil in the Dark

Each series? Or the whole franchise?

Well, I'm going to go with Darmok. It's Trek in a nutshell. Gives you an idea of the Starfleet mission statement, the strangeness of alien contact, & the inherent desire of intelligent beings to understand one another

Darmok and Measure of a Man were others that came to my mind.

 

[Vorpal_Blade]

I agree with Mojochi. Darmok is Trek in a nutshell.

 

[The Wormhole]

Yeah, definitely Darmok. And it doesn't hurt that it's just such a cool episode in general. Devil in the Dark is also a good choice.

 

[KelisThePoet]

"Far Beyond the Stars"

This episode is both the self-conscious (meta-fictional) justification and a well-crafted (the most well-crafted, if you ask me) example of what Star Trek does: use an imaginary future to inspire people of the present to move beyond the limitations of the past. When the preacher says, "You're the dreamer and the dreamed," he's addressing the potential of science fiction in the present and of the amazing artists who work in it like Avery Brooks to heal the divide between past and future.

I hesitated (for just a moment) to name "Far Beyond the Stars" as Trek's defining episode because so much of it does not take place in a typical Trek environment. But actually, portrayals of the past are quite typical (and often quite popular) in this show ostensibly about the future that at its best comments meaningfully on the present.

Just for fun, here are my nominations from the other series:

Star Trek: "Errand of Mercy," "Devil in the Dark"
The Next Generation: "Darmok"
Voyager: "Concerning Flight"
Enterprise: "Demons"/"Terra Prime"

 

[suarezguy]

The different series of course have pretty different styles and even somewhat ethos but I'd say the one most representative of all the series overall may well be "Where No Man Has Gone Before" with how it mixes high-concept, drama and action, also its mix of general optimism and caution and how, in my view, it feels pretty timeless rather than aged.

 

[Vandervecken]

The Chase


It stresses our commonality, not just with each other, but with other sentients we might meet. Also I think it has a good slice of Trek comedy (Data and Klingon captain), technobabble (the whole igniting the atmosphere/biosphere argy bargy)--Trek is about that too!--drama (Picard's mentor, Richard Galen, dying from an attack meant to thwart his dream), and Federation ingenuity and the perceptiveness of its free-thinking personnel making the more venal, one-species-only empires into objects of derision for us, the audience. And then the gesture of hope from the Romulan commander.

 

[2takesfrakes]

STAR TREK: The Next Generation's episode "Haven" is one I have to "be in the mood for," but it does bring up a very STAR TREKKIE theme which I'm not sure gets a shout elsewhere or not. Wyatt, or Waylan, or Wayne ... shit, I forget his name, right now, ends up having a conversation with Lwaxana Troi, of all people, about The Meaning of Life, as it were. And they both agree that all of Life in the Universe is all part of the same thing. Everybody and everything is really one. The deeper philosophical implications, though, are thought provoking and STAR TREK always seems to want to come back to that. "Everybody's Human." I just like the way it's been described in "Haven," in particular, though ... I'd never actually suggest someone new to the series make a point of watching it.