The least disliked episode of Star Trek - Part Two

[BlueStuff]

A name change is in order since by now about 20 people have pointed it out.

Okay Trek fans, this game has been successful on the boards for the other shows, and I hope it prospers here as well. 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 play again. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Winners
Season One - The City on the Edge of Forever
Season Two -

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

 

[Temis the Vorta]

The Omega Glory - because it is painfully horribly unwatchable.

Maybe we should cut to the chase. Amok Time will win.

 

[Myko]

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
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

Taking out "Gamesters", embarrasing and painful to watch. Ugliest Theiss-creation too.

 

[WRStone]

Hm ... looking at S2, I'm struck by the quality. There's not much there I'd personally get rid of.

I'd drop "The Apple" at this point, I guess. As an antagonist, Vaal leaves me cold. They'd already done a couple of "insane computer" episodes that were better, and it was becoming cliche. The reason they came up with to incapacitate the ship and strand the landing party seems contrived. The hair and makeup also leaves something to be desired.

That would leave the list at:

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
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
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses
Assignment: Earth

 

[Admiral Shran]

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
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
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses
Assignment: Earth

I, Mudd - Mudd is used much better here than in the first season, but given the competition in the second season, this is the weakest. And the whole "Kirk out-talks a computer" often leaves me cold.

 

[Harvey]

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
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
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer
Bread and Circuses
Assignment: Earth

I'll lose "The Changeling." I don't care for what happens to Uhura one bit (she loses all her memory--but she'll be fine next week), and overall it's an episode that I find a little plodding.

 

[Tiberius]

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
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
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer
Assignment: Earth

I'm taking out Bread and Circuses. The parallels to Christianity - "Not the Sun, the SON!" - are cheesy and cringe worthy.

 

[DevilEyes]

A name change is in order since by now about 20 people have pointed it out.

You're just 4 boards too late.

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
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
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
A Private Little War
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

Assignment: Earth, because it has nothing to do with Star Trek.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
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
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer


Here's what's wrong with the "game rules" here - this process favors the use of "Survivor" type strategy:

If you have a particular episode that you want to see win the poll, then you don't "vote off" other episodes that are really weak. You start eliminating other episodes that might win the poll.

Having said that, on this round I'll eliminate an episode that I really do think is weak - "A Private Little War," which features a heavy-handed, too-literal analogy and commentary on the Vietnam War combined with some truly goofy love potion nonsense and a shaggy albino gorilla/unicorn thing.

 

[Mr_Homn]

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
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
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer


Here's what's wrong with the "game rules" here - this process favors the use of "Survivor" type strategy:

If you have a particular episode that you want to see win the poll, then you don't "vote off" other episodes that are really weak. You start eliminating other episodes that might win the poll.

Having said that, on this round I'll eliminate an episode that I really do think is weak - "A Private Little War," which features a heavy-handed, too-literal analogy and commentary on the Vietnam War combined with some truly goofy love potion nonsense and a shaggy albino gorilla/unicorn thing.

Yep, very good point. I was thinking the same thing as well, but I'll play along.


Who Mourns for Adonais?
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

I removed Friday's Child because I think it's a very bad episode. It has bad editing, horrid fight choreography, Mccoy slapping a pregnant woman across the face (Funny, but out of character IMO), and last but not least, Bob the Klingon.

 

[Claudia]

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
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
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

Patterns of Force - can't stand those super-moralizing Nazi-episodes...

 

[Mr_Homn]

This doesn't count as me playing again, I'm simply fixing an error because Claudia accidentally left the episode I voted for on the list.

Amok Time
Who Mourns for Adonais?
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Catspaw
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
The Deadly Years
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
Return to Tomorrow
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer

 

[Lt_Rowy]

Im removing Who Mourns for Adonais...there just wasnt much in that episode

 

[Mr Silver]

Catspaw is coming out, seriously witches people?!

 

[Geck]

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

Taking out The Deadly Years - I've always found this one poorly plotted, and it grinds to a halt halfway through, during the competency hearing.

 

[BlueStuff]

Here's what's wrong with the "game rules" here - this process favors the use of "Survivor" type strategy:

If you have a particular episode that you want to see win the poll, then you don't "vote off" other episodes that are really weak. You start eliminating other episodes that might win the poll.

But even if they're strong episodes that might win, who am I to say that person doesn't honestly dislike them? Any episode is fair game to eliminate. In any case, voting off strong episodes in this way, early in the game, has rarely occurred.

I don't even see it as a problem, simply part of the system. If an episode that everyone expects to win wins every time... I don't see the point of even playing this. Part of the fun is the unpredictability. It's just a game!

 

[Admiral Shran]

^ Indeed, the fun is that it's so unpredictable. Hell, in the VOY contests, not a single one of my favorites from each season won.

"A Private Little War," which features a heavy-handed, too-literal analogy and commentary on the Vietnam War combined with some truly goofy love potion nonsense and a shaggy albino gorilla/unicorn thing.

If that doesn't sum up how TOS can be downright weird at times, nothing can.



Amok Time
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
Return to Tomorrow
The Ultimate Computer

It's really getting hard now, but I'll eliminate By Any Other Name. When Thompson is killed, Kirk goes off the wall. But whenever a male redshirt dies (which happens quite often and frequently) it never phases him. I call that sexism.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Amok Time
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Obsession
Wolf in the Fold
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
The Ultimate Computer

"Return to Tomorrow" is gone. Good, not good enough.

 

[DevilEyes]

Amok Time
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Obsession
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
The Ultimate Computer


Wolf in the Fold - talk about sexism. Women are less logical and more prone to fear - say what? Plus the episode it quite silly anyway. Why has it lasted so long?

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Amok Time
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Obsession
The Trouble With Tribbles
A Piece of the Action
The Ultimate Computer

"The Immunity Syndrome" - folks quite reasonably enjoy the Spock/McCoy stuff, but it's an implausible rerun of the superior "Doomsday Machine" (another episode that's not going to win this time around, BTW).