DS9 had much better episode titles than the other series

[Clym]

It always impressed me how inspired some of DS9's episode titles are,

eg...

Wrongs darker than Death or Night,
In the Pale Moonlight,
Treachery, Faith and the Great River,
Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

and many more. What are some of your favourite titles?

meanwhile Voyager mainly had uninspired and very derivitive one or two word titles - perhaps reflecting the quality of the writers, and the poor quality of the episodes in general

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Rules of Engagement
Nor The Battle to the Strong
Rocks and Shoals
Who Mourns for Morn?
Treachery, Faith and the Great River
The Changing Face of Evil
What You Leave Behind

 

[Capn Nick]

I always thought The Die Is Cast, Purgatory's Shadow and Sacrifice of Angels were great titles and totally captured the moods of the episodes.

P.S. I loved the episode titles throughout the show! They reminded me of the evocative and poetic titles of the Original Series.

 

[somebuddyX]

Dax
Melora
Defiant
Skakaar
Valiant

 

[Greg Cox]

I don't know. I think TOS can give DS9 a run for its money.

For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky
City on the Edge of Forever
Devil in the Dark
Is There in Truth No Beauty?
The Trouble with Tribbles.
Whom Gods Destroy
Etc.

But, yeah, I also find the more flowery titles more memorable than abstract, one-word titles like "Descent" or "Cathexis" or whatever.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Voyager can do "fancy" too:
Eye of the Needle
Ex Post Facto
Persistence of Vision
Worst Case Scenario
Message In a Bottle
Vis a Vis
Once Upon A Time
Someone To Watch Over Me
Barge of the Dead
Ashes To Ashes

And I don't even like Voyager!

 

[somebuddyX]

I actually no jokes like the title Damage from Enterprise.
If I was naming things I'd probably just go the Dark Matter route and call them "Episode One, Episode Two" and so on.

 

[DS9forever]

Wrongs Darker Than Death or Night. Enough said.

 

[Greg Cox]

Little Green Men is a good one, too. And "Our Man Bashir."

 

[JirinPanthosa]

The Magnificent Ferengi, another movie reference.

 

[LJones41]

Unfortunately, the writing for the series never really lived up to the promise of the titles.

 

[Triskelion]

I can never remember what the episode was about by the title. I need Friends-style titles like "The One With Vash's Auction", or "The One With The Macrovirus". Otherwise it is all just code to me, especially Voyager - which tend to be minimal and abstract. Cathexis? Parturition? Prime Factors? Retrospect? Complete cipher.

 

[dahj]

^^
The One With the Siege of AR-558

 

[Bad Thoughts]

^Ah. The one where Nog loses a leg.

 

[Seven of Five]

The One Where Bad Stuff Happens To O'Brien?

 

[at Quark's]

Much as DS9 is my favourite trek series, I must admit that I find many of the later season 'grand arc' episode titles somewhat pretentious and melodramatic. I'm not sure such episode titles served DS9 well.

Then again, it's ultimately just a matter of preferences.

 

[Greg Cox]

I can never remember what the episode was about by the title. I need Friends-style titles like "The One With Vash's Auction", or "The One With The Macrovirus". Otherwise it is all just code to me, especially Voyager - which tend to be minimal and abstract. Cathexis? Parturition? Prime Factors? Retrospect? Complete cipher.

Me, too.

Granted, TOS went that route a few times: "Obsession," "Metamophosis," etc. But the later shows, except possibly DS9, went way overboard with the "Cathexis" type titles. I can't keep them straight etiher.

Mind you, I once tried to title a novel "Quintessence," but was (perhaps wisely) shot down.

 

[MacLeod]

The One Where Bad Stuff Happens To O'Brien?

Whispers
Visionary
Hard Time

 

[Triskelion]

Data's Day.



Jus' kidding. (And Rosalind Chao is hot).

Me, too.

Granted, TOS went that route a few times: "Obsession," "Metamophosis," etc. But the later shows, except possibly DS9, went way overboard with the "Cathexis" type titles. I can't keep them straight etiher.

Mind you, I once tried to title a novel "Quintessence," but was (perhaps wisely) shot down.

Yep; if you've seen the episode 1000 times and still can't place it by name...maybe it's on the writer at that point.

Minimalism's great, and it can work if the referents are distinct/powerful enough; like Jetrel, or Scorpion.

Like, if they had named Voy's The Cloud something like Coffee - no problem placing that. Or DS9's Dax could be something a little more descriptive and less general, like - Curzon's Shadow, or perhaps, Twisting in the Wind.

(Am I complaining? No, not at all. Just chiming in about the stuff I really appreciate).

In fact, I would love to hear more alternative titles for episodes that anyone suggests.

 

[kkt]

Whispers
Visionary
Hard Time

Tribunal
Empok Nor
The Storyteller
Armageddon Game