The least disliked episode 2023: TOS Season 2

[BlueStuff]

Our addictive biyearly game of rapid elimination returns - now with more shows than ever. It's generally a lot of fun, providing a chance to mentally revisit those episodes you may not have thought about in a while. With that in mind, why not play again?

So, here's the game. The basic idea is your standard elimination game. I'll provide a list of the episodes for each season and you need to eliminate your least favorite or the one you deem the 'worst.' Please provide an EXPLANATION for why you are eliminating your choice and be sure to copy and paste the list with your choice removed. Finally, leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters before you eliminate another episode.

No tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode just because you feel it would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Star Trek: The Original Series
Hall of Champions
2011 - Mirror, Mirror
2013 - Balance of Terror
2015 - Mirror, Mirror
2017 - Journey to Babel
2019 - The Doomsday Machine
2021 - The Doomsday Machine
2023 -

Season 2

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Apple
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
I, Mudd
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Omega Glory
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses
Assignment: Earth

 

[BlueStuff]

I'm moving quickly to dump Assignment: Earth - I'd rather watch Omega Glory than this because at least it's a Star Trek episode. If I wanted to watch a show about Gary Seven and his cat, I'd watch his show... oh wait, I can't because this episode sucked and they didn't make such a show.

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Apple
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
I, Mudd
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Omega Glory
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses

 

[Vger23]

Another brutally difficult list to go through….but I accept the challenge.

I’m taking out “Who Mourns For Adonais?” I know some people like it, but there’s really nothing about this one I’ve ever found compelling, and it’s the weakest of the “Enterprise crew takes on a God” episodes. Yes it has the giant green space hand, but the rest of it is really grating.


Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Apple
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
I, Mudd
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Omega Glory
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses

 

[Noname Given]

I'm nuking The Apple

Vaal had to be one of the dumbest machine AIs in Trek. Even when it tries to kill Kirk & Co., it does so haphazardly and can't even hit with its own controlled lightning bolts.

Also, at the end, during the 1701's Phaser barrage, IF said barrage drained and damaged Vaal to the point it has no energy reserves left, and it can't generate any more energy, why is its Deflector Shield still up when Kirk calls for a cease fire? The shield should have failed resulting in Vaal's destruction or disintegration.*
^^^
*-But yeah, production wise, that would have called for another VFX shot and a practical set piece change.

Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
I, Mudd
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Omega Glory
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses

 

[maneth]

I'm eliminating I, Mudd, simply because I can't stand the creep.

Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Omega Glory
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses

 

[Farscape One]

Taking out "PATTERNS OF FORCE".

Two words: space Nazis. Enough said.


Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Omega Glory
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses

 

[Seven of Five]

Another stupidly strong season, even if a few more duds snook into this one. The Omega Glory is a bit of a daft allegory for Communists and Yankees, and Captain Tracey has no subtlety or nuance to his character.

Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses

 

[Metryq]

Is it "least disliked" (meaning favorite) or "least favorite"? Is "worst episode" too mundane a phrase?

I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.

 

[BlueStuff]

Is it "least disliked" (meaning favorite) or "least favorite"? Is "worst episode" too mundane a phrase?

I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.

Well, if you look at what we're doing by removing the episodes we don't like until we're left with only one, the answer should be evident.

 

[BlueStuff]

Bread and Circuses is gone. Far too many "it's just like Earth!" plots by this point.

Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[Brennyren]

Goodbye, "Metamorphosis." Commissioner Hedford is perhaps Trek's purest example of the cliché of "career woman who won't let herself find/feel love." I couldn't say how well this played in the 1960s, but it grates now. And male and female being universal constants? Known to be untrue even then..

Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[Seven of Five]

I was also a bit fed up with the Parallel Earth stories in season two @BlueStuff. I know that it was originally designed in the original series bible to help to make episodes cheaper to produce. A Piece of the Action is hilarious, for example, but the trope was getting worn out.

The Gamesters of Triskelion didn't really do much for me. Far too many fight scenes in for the sake of it.

Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[Vger23]

I don’t necessarily dislike “Catspaw,” but it’s firmly in the very small bucket of TOS episodes that I don’t really care about rewatching typically.


Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[Farscape One]

Taking out "THE DEADLY YEARS".

The competency hearing bogged down the episode a bit.


Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Journey to Babel
Friday's Child
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[Seven of Five]

Friday's Child is a bit of a dull episode, with the only highlight being McCoy's interactions with the pregnant woman.

Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Journey to Babel
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[Brennyren]

I love the McCoy-Spock interaction in "The Immunity Syndrome," and the special effects for the creature are actually decent for Back in the Day. But in the end, the idea of a Space-Going Amoeba is a little hard to take seriously.

.Amok Time
The Changeling
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Journey to Babel
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[Farscape One]

Taking out "THE CHANGELING".

TMP actually executed the idea better.


.Amok Time
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Journey to Babel
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[Takeru]

Wolf in the Fold is done, version 1,573 of the "Jack the Ripper actually was ..." plot. Never cared for it and there was zero tension when Scotty was accused of being the killer, of course he was innocent and of course they were going to prove it.

Amok Time
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Journey to Babel
Obsession
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[Seven of Five]

This is tough!

I liked the ideas behind A Private Little War, but the episode is all over the place, and not as polished as everything else left.

Amok Time
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Journey to Babel
Obsession
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[BlueStuff]

Might as well dump A Piece of the Action as the last remaining of the "what if Earth still followed THIS culture? Wouldn't that like totally blow your mind?" episodes.

Amok Time
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Journey to Babel
Obsession
The Trouble With Tribbles
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer