Is every episode SOMEBODY'S favorite?

That's how I approached it. After reading the original concept I reckon the Selay makeup would have been better for the Ligonians.
If they had done ten planets of all black people and this was the only one with assholes then it wouldn't look so bad but on it's own it kinda sucks, especially when you put it against the "peaceful" all white "Justice" planet, which also had a much more interesting original concept.
I just remember there being some really interesting dialogue with Troi and Picard about the Prime Directive and I felt Troi was actually used well in being kind of like a cultural officer.

 

"Threshold" has a whole thing called Threshold Day on Tumblr. They love it there.

 

That raises a question... how many Treks does a person need to see to be counted? If a person saw only three or four meh episodes in all, all of them essentially forgettable fare, they might choose one as their favorite and never realize that there was also "The Best of Both Worlds" and "The Visitor" out there.

 

In the long ago time before VCRs were affordable to mere mortals, my favourite Trek episode was whichever one was on that day. Because...Trek (better than anything else as far as I was concerned from 1973 to 1987 (when I first had regular access to a VCR)).

 

I'm sure every episode has someone who likes it to some degree or another, regardless of its general fan rating, but probably not every episode is good enough to be THE favorite episode of someone. There's some real duds in there lol

 

I think pretty much every VOY episode would have at least one fan, simply by the virtue of it being the one show they were an extra in, or did the lights, or sounds, or sets, or was involved with in some other way.

 

I like that episodes I don't enjoy will have people who love it, and vice versa. (I'm the same with Pokemon; there's some designs I think are horrendous but find it weirdly comforting that someone out there appreciates them).

I've said this in another thread but I have a soft spot for Voyager's Fair Haven and Spirit Folk because they're so low stakes and I has some cheesy romance for Janeway. I find it relaxing but could completely see why it'd be skippable for most.

Couple of episodes I'd like to put out there to see if they have any die hard fans (as I personally found them excruciating): TNG Cost of Living and VOY Once Upon a Time. Don't be shy!

 

And who could forget that epic line of Janeway's: "Delete the wife."

 

Well now that you say it, one way of finding out would be to look at the ratings distribution on, say, imdb. And a 10/10 there would indicate that if not an all-time favorite, but at least that someone really, really liked it.

EDIT: I just tried that out, case study: "Shades of Gray", rated 3.3 overall, but yes, it does have 10/10 votes including reviews, in which somebody for instance says they like it because it saves them the time to watch the "awkward television" of seasons 1 & 2. Or that it was the one that introduced them to the show. Fair enough. Not glowing endorsements though.

 

Does every episode have someone who loves it? Sure.
Is every episode the fave ep of someone? I kinda doubt it.

 

As a clip show, Shades of Gray isn't bad. It's not in my top ten TNG episodes, but it's not on my most hated list either. I like it because Riker's my favorite TNG character, but a similar episode for any other character on the show, including Picard, would get a solid meh from me.

I rewatched The Way to Eden recently, and while it's by no means my favorite TOS episode (that would be The City on the Edge of Forever), I enjoy psychedelic rock so the singing annoyed me far less than Vic's incessant crooning in multiple DS9 episodes.

 

Fair enough, & an interesting investigation, that I'm sure would show maybe all the episodes getting a similar occurrence. I'd think it could even be that way, because some fans would give any Trek episode a 10/10 just for being Trek & not something else, but even in this particular circumstance, it's not imho a pure indicator that they've chosen a given episode as their "Favorite"

 

Interesting topic question. 'Favorite' can mean different things to everyone... it centers on your favorite character, it had great special effects, it had a favorite actor/actress guest star in it, it had a favorote storyline/arc/plot, or you actually had a hand in it getting made like you were a co-writer, background actor, worked on set, etc.

And even more emotional reasons like it was the first or last episode you saw with a parent, sibling, child, or some other special person in your life. Might even be, as others have said, the very first episode you saw of the franchise.

I have done plenty of defending of episodes that many others don't like. ("Masks", "MOVE ALONG HOME", 'THRESHOLD", etc.) I've even tried to look for a good thing in horrible episodes, and with only a couple exceptions, I have been able to do so.

I don't remember if anyone has ever tried to find the BAD in a an awesome episode or movie, though. Besides the 'Least Disliked' games that are currently being played, of course.

 

Over the last five years of reading most posts on this site about favorite or least liked episodes, I don't recall anyone ever picking And The Children Shall Lead or These Are The Voyages... as their favorite. Only out of morbid curiosity do I rewatch them if I stubble stumble over them on TV.

 

Ah, I enjoyed TATV - not my favourite but better than given credit for I think.

Fully understand what people don't like about it, but in 2023, being so far removed from the ballslap that the final will have felt to some people with it being a holodeck episode of TNG, I see it as a cool crossover episode (and also there are certain little bits in there that seem potentially incongruous with other episodes and so may lend credence to the idea of it being a retelling designed to help Riker rather than a pure historical re-enactment)

 

If there had been episodes after it, or a fifth season of ENT, TATV (with appropriate modifications) would have been a decent piece of fanservice. Jonathan Frakes sneaks into another Trek, flashback to TNG, what's not to like?

 

I don't know, do you think that would be popular at all?

 

Yes, because he's the John Ratzenberger of Trek. He's done TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, DIS (directed), LD, PIC, SNW is coming, and PRO is very possible. Plus, I give him partial credit for this:

 

Humor is rough tonight...