Guilty Pleasures

[Mycobac]

I have noticed that in several of the “worst episode” or “least favorite episode” threads some of my favorite episodes keep showing up. Now, My absolute favorite episodes are pretty much unanimously agreed to be among the best by the fans: “Mirror Mirror”, “The Best of Both Worlds”, “The Inner Light”, “Sacrifice of Angels”, “In the Pale Moonlight”, “Year of Hell”, etc…. But, there are quite a few things I like in which I appear to be in a distinct minority. So, does anyone have any guilty pleasures that they would care to admit to? Mine are:

1) Holodeck Episodes: I love Holodeck episodes. While most people like “The Big Goodbye” it kind of seems to go downhill from there. I love to see my favorite characters in other settings and one of the things I like most about Star Trek is precisely that one never knows where one’s favorite character will be, maybe today Data will be Sherlock Holmes, maybe tomorrow Tom will be Flash Gordon…..erm Captain Proton, maybe the day after the Doctor will be Beowulf , you never know. While not technically a Holodeck episode this is also the reason that I love QPid. Also, without the Holodeck we would never have gotten the hilarious antics of Barclay in “Hollow Pursuits”.

2) Space Nazi’s: I looooooove space Nazi’s. Maybe it’s because I really like history but the idea of my favorite characters facing off against the ultimate prototypical bad guys really gets my fanboy juices flowing. In fact, the often maligned “Patterns of Force”, the less than popular “The Killing Game”, and the universally loathed “Storm Front” are some of my absolute favorite episodes of the respective series.

3) Ferengi Episodes: Granted, some were total crap (“Ferengi Love Songs”) but without these bad ones we would never have gotten such gems as “Little Green Men” and “The Magnificent Ferengi”. Even the lesser Ferengi episodes such as “The Nagus” or “Family Business” were quite enjoyable.

4) Sub Rosa: The lovely Dr. Crusher in a gothic ghost story set in a recreation of old Scotland. What’s not to like? (Duck) Plus I thought she was totally hot in some of the more, erm….risque scenes. (Duck and cover)

5) Let He Who Is Without Sin…..: Well maybe favorite is a bit strong for this one, but it’s not as bad as everyone says it is.

 

[Piper]

I'm not sure I feel guilty about them but I have a few that probably fall into this category...

1. TOS Season Three. All of it. Even the rubbish episodes. Especially the rubbish episodes. It's given me as much enjoyment down the years as the other two. I'm not sure I wouldn't put Spock's Brain in my top ten just because it's so funny.

2. The Final Frontier. Love it. Think it has some of the best Kirk-Spock-McCoy scenes anywhere in the franchise. And Luckinbill gives a great performance, which is all too rarely remarked upon.

3. Lwaxana episodes. Just for Mr Homm and Picard's reaction every time he hears she's on board.

4. Neelix. He's not my favourite character by any means but I've never found him annoying. There are characters on VOY I like far less.

I'm sure I have some more too...

 

[SFRabid]

I may get barred from the Enterprise forum for this one but here goes: "Precious Cargo" and "Acquisition". I enjoy both episodes. I didn't mind Ferengi or cold fish with my Enterprise. Plus, both had a lot of comedy which also seems to be hated by many Star Trek fans.

 

[KimMH]

I concede Princess Fishstick is certainly not the worst thing ever to happen to ENT.

I am exceeing fond of Tribbles too - love the LOL version and watch the TOS epi every now and again on YouTube - the DS9 version (Tials & Tribulations) is pure genious!

I like Cardassians and Romulans - they're really kind of sexy with all that intensity. Marc Alaimo was soooooo . . . .

I like Harry Kim of Voyager - don't tell! He seems so innocent - like a little baby bird!

And because the first shall be last and all that:

the SPOCK

 

[Smiley]

I like "Profit and Lace." It's not the least bit politically correct, and it's not popular on these forums, but it's quite funny.

 

[Gojira]

I'm not sure I feel guilty about them but I have a few that probably fall into this category...

1. TOS Season Three. All of it. Even the rubbish episodes. Especially the rubbish episodes. It's given me as much enjoyment down the years as the other two. I'm not sure I wouldn't put Spock's Brain in my top ten just because it's so funny.

2. The Final Frontier. Love it. Think it has some of the best Kirk-Spock-McCoy scenes anywhere in the franchise. And Luckinbill gives a great performance, which is all too rarely remarked upon.

3. Lwaxana episodes. Just for Mr Homm and Picard's reaction every time he hears she's on board.

4. Neelix. He's not my favourite character by any means but I've never found him annoying. There are characters on VOY I like far less.

I'm sure I have some more too...

I completely agree with everything you said! The lights of Zatar and the Way to Eden from season three are among my favorites episodes.

The Final Frontier reminds me very much of the original series and I mean that in a good way.

Neelix was always one of my favorite characters on VOY!

Lwaxana and her relationship with Troi was great. It really make Troi more dimensional to see how she struggles with her Mother. Plus, I'm sure many of us can relate and have someone like Lwaxana in our lives.

 

[Goji]

"The Magnificent Ferengi" is one of my favorite comedy episodes, but it doesn't seem to be very well liked. It has quite a number of laugh out loud moments for me, like Quark and Rom taking a wrong turn and ending up in Sisko's office, the disastrous holodeck simulation sequence, and pretty much everything Keevan does on Empok Nor. I'm lukewarm to Iggy Pop's infamous take on the Vorta, but he has a few funny lines. It's a silly episode that makes less sense than I usually like, but it works.

The few episodes of Voyager that I consider good I usually like for simplistic reasons. "Thirty Days" is a rare vehicle for Tom Paris, a better character than the show deserved, and the water planet is fairly nifty. "Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy" makes great use of Robert Picardo's Doctor character and is pretty funny, even if it's even sillier than "The Magnificent Ferengi". "Cold Fire" has a downright creepy ending, and actually gave Kes something interesting to do for once. I always liked the idea of her having hidden powers, though it unfortunately never went anywhere.

Oh yeah, and I like "Meld" just for the scene where Tuvok kills fake-Neelix on the holodeck. The best scene of Voyager ever filmed, hands down.

 

[The Wormhole]

I like Threshold. It's actually quite an entertaining episode, I find.

Also, I like Nemesis. If you don't think about it, it's actually an okay movie.

 

[JiNX-01]

I may get barred from the Enterprise forum for this one but here goes: "Precious Cargo" and "Acquisition".

I like watching Precious Cargo, too. Even after all these years, I can still marvel at what a terrible "actress" they picked to play the princess.

You know who I wish they had cast? Ariana Navarre.

Acquisition: Blue undies...

... didn't care, really, about the Ferengi being introduced "too early."

 

[The Boy Who Cried Worf]

Threshold - Well not really because I don't know if I'd say I actually like this episode that much, but it certainly is nowhere near as bad as many people think. At least it tries to reach for something interesting and different which Voyager did all too frequently. One reason I think it isn't as bad as people say is that was is bad and nonsensical about is so obviously bad and nonsensical that it is almost pointless to point it out. You got to admit Tom taking his tounge out was cool though.

Spock's Brain- This was a favorite from way back in childhood and I didn't know I was supposed to consider it horrible until many years later when I went on message boards. We were always doing the lines from it, "brain and brain what is brain", "you are not Morg you are not Imorg", "it's so simple a child could do it".

Ferengi Episodes - As long as Quark's mother isn't in them and there not from TNG. DS9 really went a long way to advancing the Ferengi as a race more along the lines of what they should be. More like used car salesman than pirtaes. I think the characterization of Rom as sort of Quark's concious was a very good choice as well.

Klingon Episodes - Well with Ron Moore at the helm you can't go wrong, but again I think TNG and later DS9 did a lot to develop Klingons as a real culture with all their flaws and good points as well. The Kor episdoes on DS9 were great as well as anyone that took place on Klingon ship.

 

[Tachyon]

I like Nemesis. It's one of my fav Trek movies.

 

[32JaX]

Q, Lwaxana, Chaotica, Data, and Guinan episodes are favorites.

 

[Sykonee]

Fascination from DS9's one of my guiltiest pleasures. Just so slap-happy silly.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Score another fan of TOS season 3 - in particular Specter Of The Gun

 

[Jaespol]

I like "Profit and Lace", I don't understand why its so derided.

 

[The Sneeze Police]

Sub Rosa from TNG...I really like the moody, heightened look of the episode.

I like any funny Lwaxana episodes, any episode with Guinan...

I think Acquisition is a very entertaining episode and I think that Regeneration made the Borg scary again.

I don't hate Nemesis.