The Most Disliked Episode of TOS, 2023 Edition - Finals...

[Farscape One]

So now it is time for the final part.

*RULES*

Give what you consider to be the best/your most favorite episode ONE point, and briefly explain WHY. Be sure to copy and paste the list with your point added. When an episode reaches 4 points, it is eliminated. Then a NEW round begins (in this thread) with the numbers restored to 0. Vote ONCE per round. And enjoy!

Season 1 winner - "THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR"
Runner up - "MUDD'S WOMEN"
Season 2 winner - "WOLF IN THE FOLD"
Runner up - "THE DEADLY YEARS"
Season 3 winner - "AND THE CHILDREN SHALLL LEAD"
Runner up - "THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR"




"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"MUDD'S WOMEN" - 0
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 0
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 0
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALLL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 0

 

[Farscape One]

My first vote for these finals is for "MUDD'S WOMEN".

Roger Carmel played Mudd well, and Eve's speech at the end is really good. Still a bad episode, but only marginally better than the rest of this bunch.


"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"MUDD'S WOMEN" - 1
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 0
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 0
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALLL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 0

 

[Qonundrum]

Of all the steaming doggiedoodoos gems in the list, my save for this round is:

"The Deadly Years".

It's the least contentious of the lot, though one episode is a close runner-up, and my third favorite is iffy but not without moments of greatness and it already has one vote, but I'm babbling: This "deadly" episode is otherwise executed well, until the magical ending where - surprise and gadzooks - everything is cured in minutes, like that ham you threw into the microwave.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"MUDD'S WOMEN" - 1
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 0
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALLL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 0

 

[Sakonna]

The first five on this list I all consider losers, to varying degree. But I don't mind "The Lights Of Zetar." It's pretty to look at.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"MUDD'S WOMEN" - 1
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 0
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALLL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 1

 

[CitadelZombies]

I'll give a vote to "Mudd's Women". It's not good by any means, but Roger C. Carmel is so good as Mudd, it makes it slightly better than the rest.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"MUDD'S WOMEN" - 2
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 0
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALLL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 1

 

[Brennyren]

I'll also vote for "Mudd's Women," for the same reasons I did in the elimination round: because it was made clear that the women had freely chosen their situation, and for Eve's speech on what makes a woman a worthy partner.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"MUDD'S WOMEN" - 3
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 0
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 1

 

[Uhura's Song]

I will vote for "MUDD'S WOMEN" for the reasons already given. S1 of TOS is the best in the history of the franchise, IMHO. There are not a lot of duds. In my view, that is a more enjoyable episode than some others from S1, and many is S3. So saved it is. YMMV, of course.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 0
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 1

 

[Brennyren]

Resetting the others to zero for the new round...

In the new round, I'll give a point to "The Deadly Years," which -- even though we now know it was way off on what our cast members would look like in their later years -- is better than the company it's currently keeping. And Commodore Stocker, like Ambassador Fox before him, is an opponent who's not a villain; he's just not a starship commander.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 0
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 0

 

[Vger23]

Hmmm tough one because these are indeed not particularly good

I don’t know…I think I have to go with “Alternative Factor” because even though it’s incoherent and strange, it’s at least interesting and not boring. Robert Brown chews scenery in a completely unapologetic way. And there is a weird, foreboding feeling to the whole thing that kind of works.
Besides, watching Lazarus fall off Vazquez Rocks and scream 16 different times is way better than anything in these other offerings.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 1
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 0
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 0

Also, I respect everyone’s opinions (truly) but “Mudd’s Woman” may be my least-liked episode of the series. I just can’t stand it. My bottom three are usually “Mudd’s Women,” “Turnabout Intruder,” and “Plato’s Stepchildren.” None are particularly horrific, and each has things worth watching, but the first Mudd episode is the pits.

 

[Poltargyst]

I'll give a point to WOLF IN THE FOLD. It's a good mystery. The séance scene with Sybo is cool. There's nothing like an angry piglet.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 1
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 0

 

[Vger23]

@Poltargyst you’ll need to update the count with my vote for “Alternative Factor”

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I like The Lights of Zetar a LOT more than the others listed here. It's Star Trek's foray into ghost story/demonic possession territory. Memory Alpha is cool. Jan Shutan is cool. Scotty gets hurled across the room for his third time. Very good re-use of music from WNMHGB.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 1
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 1
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 1

 

[CitadelZombies]

I'll vote for "The Lights Of Zetar" if only because it's more visually appealing than the rest and the concept is interesting, if not well executed.


"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 1
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 1
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 2

 

[Seven of Five]

Wow, Mudd's Women was saved a lot more quickly than I would have thought, but different strokes for different folks.

I guess out of the raining episodes, I like The Deadly Years the most, being as it's at its core, it looks at the effects of aging on people, and seeing Kirk struggling with it, and having to cede command to Spock was well done.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 1
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 1
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 2
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 2

 

[Farscape One]

My vote this round goes to "THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR".

At least it gave Scotty some kind of romance, despite it going nowhere.


"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 1
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 1
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 2
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 3

 

[Eddie Roth]

A vote for The Alternative Factor, which, while confusing indeed, does not deserve the hate it gets. It creates a genuinely effective atmosphere of danger.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 2
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 1
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 2
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0
"THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR" - 3

 

[BlueStuff]

I don't think The Lights of Zetar is a bad episode - certainly not to the extent of some of these others.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 0
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 0
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0

 

[Joanna McCoy-Kirk]

I don't think "Wolf in the Fold" or "The Deadly Years" sink to the depths of the other two, so I will give a vote to "Wolf".

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 1
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 0
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0

 

[Brennyren]

"The Deadly Years," same reason as before.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 1
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0

 

[Sakonna]

I love the beginning of "Wolf In The Fold", before it reaches the "investigation" stage and becomes so fucking boring that I would be more entertained by turning the TV off and staring at the blank screen.

"THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR" - 0
"WOLF IN THE FOLD" - 2
"THE DEADLY YEARS" - 1
"AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD" - 0