Ten Favorite Episodes in the "STAR TREK" Franchise

[LJones41]

Below is a list of my favorite episodes from the five series in the "STAR TREK" Franchise:

1. (5.12 VOY) "The Bride of Chaotica!" - Ensign Tom Paris' latest holodeck adventure, "The Adventures of Captain Proton", takes an unexpected turn when the U.S.S. Voyager gets stuck in an interdimensional reef in this hilarious and imaginative episode.


2. (4.18-4.19 ENT) "In a Mirror, Darkly" - This surprisingly entertaining two-part episode features the back-stabbing antics of Jonathan Archer's U.S.S. Enterprise crew in the saga's Mirror Universe.


3. (3.16 VOY) "Blood Fever" - While enduring pon farr, a lovesick Ensign Vorik unexpectedly passes it to Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres, affecting her relationship with Tom Paris during an Away mission.


4. (4.10 DS9) "Our Man Bashir" - While playing a 1960s secret agent inside one of Deep Space Nine's holosuites, he is forced to make life and death decisions for those crew members, whose transporter patterns are stored in the program during an emergency in this wildly entertaining episode.


5. (4.07 VOY) "Scientific Method" - Unseen alien intruders used Voyager's crew as specimens for series of experiments that affect their physical and mental health in this weird and spooky episode.


6. (6.19 DS9) "In the Pale Moonlight" - This fascinating episode depicted Captain Benjamin Sisko and former Cardassian spy Elim Garak's efforts to manipulate the Romulans into joining the Federation in its war against the Dominion.


7. (1.28 TOS) "City on the Edge of Forever" - In this Hugo Award winning episode, Captain James Kirk and Commander Spock are forced to go back in time to the early 1930s to prevent Dr. Leonard McCoy from changing time, when the latter accidentally disappears through a time portal, while heavily drugged.


8. (5.10 DS9) "Rapture" - An accident causes Captain Sisko to have prophetic visions involving the Bajorans' religious beliefs and their future with the Federation.


9. (5.18 TNG) "Cause and Effect" - The U.S.S. Enterprise-D becomes stuck in a time loop involving another Starfleet ship, but the crew manages to retain some memories of previous instances.


10. (7.24 TNG) "Pre-emptive Strike" - In this bittersweet episode, helmsman Lieutenant Ro Laren graduates from Starfleet's advance tactical training and is eventually ordered by Captain Jean-Luc Picard to infiltrate the Maquis and lure its members into a trap set by Starfleet.


What are your ten favorites?

 

[Will M.]

Some interesting choices you've made I like your listing with the exception of episode Blood Fever which I couldn't stand.

My Own List

1. (5.8 TNG) Unification II - Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, and Leonard Nimoy working in close proximity. You've got an iconic and enduring conversation between Data and Spock where they both realize that each of them have abandoned by choice what the other has sought their whole life. You have Spock's line that he has "No Regrets" and Data's observation that its a "human line". Data has also grown up a bit at this point in the series he gets greeted by Seela as "the Enterprise I've come to respect so much in battle" Data responds with a less than polite "Lt. Commander Data" notice he doesn't say at your service or any softening appellate. He bears some android version of teeth in the response. Picard lecturing Spock on Cowboy diplomacy. Romulan Treachery. Of course the resolution is a very Trek like, you can't legislate morality but you can educate your way out of it.

2. (3.26 & 4.1 TNG) The Best of Both Worlds - For a general audience this is probably the best show ever written, It was TV guide #70 best television episodes ever for any series any genre. It has a definitive beginning and end; plenty of personal drama and of course Riker's Gambit at the end. You could show this episode to someone who had never seen anything Trek, they would be able to follow and it would be highly entertaining. The only reason I ranked Unification better is because as Trek fans you can adopt the value of the series as a whole and incorporate it.

3. (3.15 TOS) Let that be your last Battlefield. - Probably no better episode in terms of social impact. If you watch it without spoilers the whole "but Lokai black on the left side" does sneak up just enough. By modern review and core audience members it was heavy handed; however in the market it was intended to hit , it hit home on some in the south where segregation was an ongoing struggle. It also has Spock's line "Change is the essential process of all existence".

4. (7.25 & 7.26 DS9) What you Leave Behind - I don't think any series "wrapped up" as well as DS9. The dominion is defeated, Dukat is killed, Sisko ascends, Garak leads the Cardassians to reclaim their freedom "FOR CARDASSIA" , Kira and Odo part, Jake says goodbye to his father peering at the wormhole, Miles and Bashir's friendship wraps up (this was a great steady force through the show), Bashir and Dax (albeit Ezri) finally get together in a match made in heaven, Worf becomes ambassador, Nog gets promoted. Just about everything you could want to tie up loose ends in a series.

5. (6.19 DS9) In the Pale Moonlight - You covered this one but Sisko's private log talk about how he tricked the Romulans into joining the war is great. Most riveting line "in the end all it cost was .... and .... ....and the self-respect of one starfleet officer" .

6. (3.13 TNG) Deja Q - Not a great standalone but great for Q and lovers of the series. Q made mortal, great interactions with Whoopi Gholdberg as Guinan, guest appearance by Corbin Benson. Q is "redeemed" by data and thanks data with a laugh.

7. (7.10 DS9) Its only a Paper Moon - Nog has PTSD from losing his leg. As a veteran I appreciate this one more and more they did a really good job of avoiding sterotypes and coming up with a "Trek way" of dealing with it. Even Ezri's interactions with Fontaine are really good. Nog's desire to hear the same song and his anger with Jake are really classic signs that were not overdone or stereotypical.

8. (1.28 TOS) City on the Edge of Forever - Deserved the Hugo, it's one of the earliest great episodes and so interesting that McCoy destroys the future by saving one life. It's the first great "paradox" in Star Trek the really hits home.

9. (3.60 ENT) Twilight - Not good on standalone but really intriguing this is the Archer in the future in love with T'Pol when he's lost his long term memory. Great scenes between them and demonstration of a long standing relationship, its the first real glimpse though of a "loss " in a genocidal war stating that only about 8,000 humans remain in the galaxy.

10. (7.8 DS9) The Siege of AR-558 - Wait these weapons were war crimes a minute ago but now we love them? Really great look at the cost of war, sacrifices, and insignificance of a rock that has no real value.

I felt compelled to include a Voyager episode which I could be original but this one deserves to be mentioned:
Honorable Mention - (4.7 VOY) Scientific Method - Also on your list this one is my favorite Voyager episode and also a great standalone piece.

 

[Steve Gennarelli]

City on the Edge of Forever
The Corbomite Maneuver
Amok Time
The Doomsday Machine
A Piece of the Action
The Trouble with Tribbles
Errand of Mercy
Arena
This Side of Paradise
Shore Leave

 

[2takesfrakes]

STAR TREK: The Next Generation

Sarek
Sarek is my most favouritest Vulcan ... ever! And his "crossover" episode is the only one from TOS that really worked, in this series. It was great TNG gave Sarek such an important, personal mission, but his affliction does disappoint me. It all but kills him off and Sarek should've become a recurring character. But the show's story is sufficiently contained, so that the production values are unaffected by Mark Lenard's fee. But, besides that, it's just good to see him on TNG.

Family
Not a brilliant episode, in terms of the writing. It's rather cliché, in fact. But the character actors in it are really good, the performances are very interesting. They elevate the material into something quite satisfying.

All Good Things
As much as I love TNG, you'd think I'd resent an episode like this that wraps the series up in one, neat bow and gives it closure. But no: "Stop when you're on top," that's what I say!

Measure of a Man
This is Data's story. Anyone who's ever felt held down or persecuted, in some way, can relate to this episode. But what I love about it, is how it strengthens his friendship with Riker. The ending always breaks me out in my big ol' Tom Sawyer grin!

VOY: Death Wish
VOY: Timeless
DS9: Emissary
DS9: Defiant
ENT: Borderland
ENT: These are the Voyages

 

[Tracy Trek]

1. TOS- City on the Edge or Forever, All Our Yesterdays
2. TNG- The Measure of a Man, The Inner Light
3. DS9- The Visitor, Trials and Tribble-ations
4. VOY- Timeless, Lineage
5. ENT- Carbon Creek, E-Squared

Two for each of the 5 series

 

[kirk55555]

In No Particular Order (and making sure to get at least one episode from each series, not counting TAS):

Mirror Mirror (TOS)
The Trouble with Tribbles (TOS)
The Best of Both Worlds Part 1 & 2 (I'm counting 2 parters as one episode) (TNG)
The Pegasus (TNG)
Relics (TNG)
Deja Q (TNG)
In the Pale Moonlight (DS9)
The Visitor (DS9)
Death Wish (VOY)
Doctor's Orders (ENT)

Honorable Mentions (one from each show):
Amok Time (TOS)
Cause and Effect (TNG)
Trials and Tribble-ations (DS9)
Timeless (VOY)
Regeneration (ENT)