The Most Disliked Episode of TOS, 2023 Edition - Season 3...

[Farscape One]

Welcome to our bi-yearly 'Most Disliked Episode' games! Now that the 'Least Disliked Episode' games hosted by BlueStuff (who inspired me to create these games, so thank you very much for paving the way) have concluded, we can begin the opposite side of that coin.

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 most favorite or the one you deem the 'best.' 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 because you feel they would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Hall of Champions (or Failures?)
2011 - "AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD"
2018 - "AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD"
2019 - "AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD"
2021 - "THE ALTERNATIVE FACTOR"
2023 - "AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD"


Season Three -

SPOCK'S BRAIN
THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT
THE PARADISE SYNDROME
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
SPECTRE OF THE GUN
DAY OF THE DOVE
FOR THE WORLD IS HOLLOW AND I HAVE
TOUCHED THE SKY
THE THOLIAN WEB
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
WHOM GODS DESTROY
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE CLOUD MINDERS
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Farscape One]

There are some really good ones this season, and despite season 3 being overall weaker than the first two, it's still pretty damn solid. I'm actually torn between several episodes to save first.

I'll save "THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT" first. The spy story was cool, and Shatner delivers his usual great performance when he's over the top with his 'anger' at Spock's 'betrayal' in the Romulan Commander's quarters, amomg other wonderful scenes.

Nimoy was also his usual excellent self playing the Commander like a fiddle... or lute, in his case.

But the real star was Joanne Linville. Brilliantly portraying the Commander. She really brought new layers of Romulan society just by her presence and how she carried herself. A real shame we never learned her actual name... which, ironically, is very telling about their society as a whole, particularly after watching PICARD season 1.



SPOCK'S BRAIN
THE PARADISE SYNDROME
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
SPECTRE OF THE GUN
DAY OF THE DOVE
FOR THE WORLD IS HOLLOW AND I HAVE
TOUCHED THE SKY
THE THOLIAN WEB
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
WHOM GODS DESTROY
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE CLOUD MINDERS
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Disposable_Ensign]

I'm going to save Spock's Brain. It may get a lot of crap, but it was a fun episode, and I liked it at the time. Remote-control Spock was funny and my 11-year-old brain loved the ladies' skimpy outfits.

THE PARADISE SYNDROME
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
SPECTRE OF THE GUN
DAY OF THE DOVE
FOR THE WORLD IS HOLLOW AND I HAVE
TOUCHED THE SKY
THE THOLIAN WEB
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
WHOM GODS DESTROY
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE CLOUD MINDERS
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Qonundrum]

Season 3 proves a lot of things:

• New episode formats can work
• Bottle shows can work
• Updated music can work
• The good episodes easily trounce the worst

A few instantly come to mind and for many reasons, but I'll start with this one:

THE THOLIAN WEB

A high-concept episode involving the fabric of space being weaker, a compromised starship caught between dimensional planes - and where the region of space makes everyone go nuts, and some great pacing. There's a decent reason for Kirk leaving the "Hi guys, I'm dead and cannot take your call right now. Please leave a message, and until then, here are my orders". as if those would be obeyed. A couple scenes have inevitable nitpicks, but the episode's strengths far outweigh those pickynits and nittypicks.

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Not only is the screensaver critter looking great in its unicornpuke glory - truly great special effects, but even McCoy's is working that silk shirt, too!

Also, Van Der Veer effects would go on to produce some neat optical effects for that cult classic film from 1980, "Flash Gordon". These cats were gooood...

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Sing it with me, y'all: ♪ mel-oh-drah-ma! ♫ But it's great drama.


What's left:
THE PARADISE SYNDROME
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
SPECTRE OF THE GUN
DAY OF THE DOVE
FOR THE WORLD IS HOLLOW AND I HAVE
TOUCHED THE SKY
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
WHOM GODS DESTROY
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE CLOUD MINDERS
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Qonundrum]

There are some really good ones this season, and despite season 3 being overall weaker than the first two, it's still pretty damn solid. I'm actually torn between several episodes to save first.

I'll save "THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT" first. The spy story was cool, and Shatner delivers his usual great performance when he's over the top with his 'anger' at Spock's 'betrayal' in the Romulan Commander's quarters, amomg other wonderful scenes.

Nimoy was also his usual excellent self playing the Commander like a fiddle... or lute, in his case.

But the real star was Joanne Linville. Brilliantly portraying the Commander. She really brought new layers of Romulan society just by her presence and how she carried herself. A real shame we never learned her actual name... which, ironically, is very telling about their society as a whole, particularly after watching PICARD season 1.

An excellent choice for sure. Based on "The Pueblo Incident" from real life, this one is some rip-roaring fun adventure. One does have to coast on a couple aspects (e.g. how easily Kirk can convince he's a Romulan, and how easily it is to remove this device - which is in its testing phase, so having it removable isn't a big stretch... like when hardware designers worked on new peripheral cards for PCs back in 1995, in ISA or PCI or VESA form factor, the card alone is removable - but so are sockets where EEPROMs are placed. If a bug is found, just pop out the EEPROM, reprogram and burn it, and try try again. I think it's great fun, but most people prefer to pop other things... but I digress. )

I still like the idea more of how some names and words aren't pronounceable by humans. It's almost a little corny, but the claim isn't used often. Plus, thanks to human actors, their saying it would wreck the illusion very quickly.

 

[Farscape One]

"THE THOLIAN WEB" was actually going to be my next save. Bravo, Qonundrum.

Saving "WHOM GODS DESTROY" next.

I might be in the minority, but I have always loved this one. Garth is an interesting villain here, and Shatner does a great job imitating Garth as 'Kirk'.

Plus we get Tellerites and Andorians here.


THE PARADISE SYNDROME
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
SPECTRE OF THE GUN
DAY OF THE DOVE
FOR THE WORLD IS HOLLOW AND I HAVE
TOUCHED THE SKY
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE CLOUD MINDERS
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[BlueStuff]

For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky is the first one I thought to rescue - during my most recent rewatch, I was shocked at how much I loved this one. Also, of all the cockamamie romances in TOS, this was one of the few that worked (IMO).

THE PARADISE SYNDROME
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
SPECTRE OF THE GUN
DAY OF THE DOVE
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE CLOUD MINDERS
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Seven of Five]

I love Spectre of the Gun, with its iconic budget-saving set, and great soundtrack. Less is definitely more here.

Poor S3, so many bad episodes. I think And the Children Shall Lead will win, but I also strongly dislike The Way to Eden, The Lights of Zetar, and Elaan of Troyus.

THE PARADISE SYNDROME
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
DAY OF THE DOVE
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE CLOUD MINDERS
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Joanna McCoy-Kirk]

"Day of the Dove" features one of Trek's great Klingon characters, Kang.

THE PARADISE SYNDROME
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE CLOUD MINDERS
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Sakonna]

Saving "WHOM GODS DESTROY" next.

I might be in the minority, but I have always loved this one. Garth is an interesting villain here, and Shatner does a great job imitating Garth as 'Kirk'.

Plus we get Tellerites and Andorians here.

I was coming to save that one! That is my season 3 favorite.

I'll do "All Our Yesterdays" instead. The atmosphere in that library on the dying planet is so fucking cool. It's a clever story and I find the romance quite moving.

It does bug me we're at the penultimate episode for the series (not that they knew that), and most of the core characters do not appear. It's just the big three and Scotty's voice over comms. I'd love this one even more if it had one bridge scene with Uhura & Sulu.

THE PARADISE SYNDROME
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE CLOUD MINDERS
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[CitadelZombies]

"All Our Yesterdays" is most likely my favourite of Season 3.
I'll save "The Cloud Minders", I just feel like it was one of the more interesting episodes of the season, with some great imagery (the Cloud city).

THE PARADISE SYNDROME
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[ZapBrannigan]

The Paradise Syndrome was my favorite episode of the entire series as a kid, and its elements still hold up today: Gerald Fried's incredible music, the love story, the tragic ending, the obelisk that I found geometrically dazzling (drawn as a thousand doodles in school), Sabrina Scharf, the location shooting, the rare sight of Kirk disembarking long-term and going native... it was all great to me. I always watched intently when it would come around in strip syndication.

What's Left:
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY?
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Poltargyst]

I think I will save IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY? Diana Muldaur does a good job portraying Miranda Jones who is a very intriguing character. If there'd been a fourth season it would have been cool to see her again.

What's Left:
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
THE EMPATH
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Farscape One]

Saving "THE EMPATH" next.

Clearly budget affected this one, but I think that helped make this a good, solid episode.

I don't think there was a more beautiful portrayal of the friendship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy elsewhere in the entire series. That's right, I said beautiful. Their unshakeable bond is on full display here.

The creepy atmosphere really sells the mood of this episode, too. I find I love this episode more each time I see it.


AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE WAY TO EDEN
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Ceridwen]

"The Way to Eden" is, without irony, one of my favorites from this season. The music is groovy, and the episode is great at highlighting the dangers of charismatic cults, while remaining sympathetic to those who fall into them.

AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
REQUIEM FOR METHUSELAH
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I enjoy the heck out of Requiem for Methuselah. The fembot-as-companion is an intriguing Twilight Zone concept ("The Lonely"), then there's Kirk inspecting the 3-footer as if it's the real Enterprise, which was mind-blowing for a model-building boy like myself at the time, and when Kirk confronts Rayna in the lab, there's a gorgeous medley of love themes from "Elaan of Troyius" and "The Empath." The music alone would make the episode for me.

I also enjoy McCoy's soliloquy to Spock about "the things love will drive a man to." It stands alongside his "Balance of Terror" speech ("In this galaxy...") as one of the best things ever written for McCoy.

What's Left:
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THAT WHICH SURVIVES
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Henoch]

I'm saving THAT WHICH SURVIVES. Lee Meriwether was great as the regretful A.I. that was programmed to kill all invaders that goes down the their planetoid outpost. Scotty in the service crawlway to shutdown the antimatter fuel and save the ship was Scotty's best moment in the series. Also, the Enterprise hit warp factor 14.1 without blowing up!

What's Left:
AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Seven of Five]

It's portrayed in a hamfisted way, but Let That Be Your Last Battlefield is a classic Trek tale.

AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
WINK OF AN EYE
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[Brennyren]

Oh, this is awful...why did I wait so long to get to this thread? I guess I'll save "Wink of an Eye" for having probably the cleverest concept of the remaining episodes.

AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
THE SAVAGE CURTAIN
TURNABOUT INTRUDER

 

[BlueStuff]

The Savage Curtain certainly wasn’t boring, I’ll say that much.

AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD
PLATO'S STEPCHILDREN
ELAAN OF TROYIUS
THE MARK OF GIDEON
THE LIGHTS OF ZETAR
TURNABOUT INTRUDER