Which Original Series Episodes Had the Most & Fewest Mistakes?

[Samuel]

By mistakes I mean any kind. In universe technology, real life science, characters radically out of character. Anything.
Note, just because an episode has mistakes, even lots of them doesn't
make it a bad episode or bad Star Trek.

My choices
Most mistakes- The Paradise Syndrome
Fewest mistakes- The Enterprise Incident

 

[Tosk]

The original pilot had the least. It's all the subsequent eps that made mistakes.

 

[Spock's Barber]

Most bloopers - The Way to Eden

Here's a sample of a reverse image Kirk because the director probably didn't give the film editor enough correct angles.

Least bloopers - I'd go for Doomsday Machine

 

[Maurice]

Most bloopers - The Way to Eden

Here's a sample of a reverse image Kirk because the director probably didn't give the film editor enough correct angles.

Least bloopers - I'd go for Doomsday Machine

Yep! That's a mistake because it was a fix for said larger mistake: that they didn't have a shot of Shatner facing screen right to get the reaction they needed with the correct eyeline, so they flopped the shot as a fix, creating that "error". Basically every flopped shot you see on the show was a fix for an eyeline or a directional continuity issue. Even if you unflopped it there would still be a mistake.

 

[Samuel]

Most bloopers - The Way to Eden

Here's a sample of a reverse image Kirk because the director probably didn't give the film editor enough correct angles.

Least bloopers - I'd go for Doomsday Machine

The Doomsday Machine is my favorite episode of all time bar none. But it had some notable errors in effects (Constellation vibrating as it approached the planet killer) and errors in common sense. The constantly changing distance (indicated by dialogue) between the Enterprise, Constellation, and Planet Killer.

For example the Planet Killer is close enough to the Constellation that Kirk manages to hit it with a single phaser shot yet later in the episode the Enterprise and Constellation are still HOURS apart even though traveling toward each other both on impulse power.

Yet mere minutes later Constellation is back within transporter range of Enterprise.

Of course I'm fully aware of the need for dramatic effect. The all famous car chase in "Bullitt" isn't geographically correct or doable either.

 

[Maurice]

I think "mistakes" is too vague here. Is anything game? Production errors, like seeing the edge of a set of a light shadow? In-story continuity gaffs of other illogic?

 

[Commishsleer]

By mistakes I mean any kind. In universe technology, real life science, characters radically out of character. Anything.
Note, just because an episode has mistakes, even lots of them doesn't
make it a bad episode or bad Star Trek.

My choices
Most mistakes- The Paradise Syndrome
Fewest mistakes- The Enterprise Incident

I thought the Enterprise Incident had lots of "mistakes" or perhaps things that should be explained.
For example:
1. Why does the cloaking device fit exactly into the Enterprise's system?
2. How come Kirk and Spock know how to seduce the Romulan Commander - why didn't Kirk fall into the seducer role at least initially - after all its his specialty?
3. Why would they think they could fake Kirk's death so easily?
4. Did they beam Spock and the Romulan Commander through Romulan shields?
I can think of heaps more.

Kirk and Spock must have had some intel before they accepted the mission. That the Romulan device could be compatible with Federation systems. Some info on the Romulan Commander.
Otherwise I can't believe everything worked out as successfully as it did.
Not saying it was a bad episode either. One of my favourite episodes in fact.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Some "The Doomsday Machine" errors:

- There's a shot in the teaser where Kirk's walks around the bridge, which is assembled for the shot with one fewer station than it should have on Spock's side.

- AFAIK, Palmer covers her ears for a noise that wasn't put in the final cut [http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x06hd/thedoomsdaymachinehd0898.jpg].

- Scuffs on the floor are visible from what are evidently earlier takes in Decker's fistfight with the security guard [http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x06hd/thedoomsdaymachinehd1130.jpg].

- IIRC, Doohan said he flubbed his Scottish accent (such as it was ) when he said the line with "thirty seconds later, poof."

So, as good as it is, it's hardly error-free.

 

[Samuel]

I thought the Enterprise Incident had lots of "mistakes" or perhaps things that should be explained.
For example:
1. Why does the cloaking device fit exactly into the Enterprise's system?
2. How come Kirk and Spock know how to seduce the Romulan Commander - why didn't Kirk fall into the seducer role at least initially - after all its his specialty?
3. Why would they think they could fake Kirk's death so easily?
4. Did they beam Spock and the Romulan Commander through Romulan shields?
I can think of heaps more.

Kirk and Spock must have had some intel before they accepted the mission. That the Romulan device could be compatible with Federation systems. Some info on the Romulan Commander.
Otherwise I can't believe everything worked out as successfully as it did.
Not saying it was a bad episode either. One of my favourite episodes in fact.

Seems pretty mild to me.

1) I don't think it fit exactly. In fact Scotty seemed surprised it worked at all.

2) Kirk's reputation as a "seducer" is largely overblown and always was. It makes sense that the Romulan Commander would be more kinship with a Vulcan than a human.

3) Obviously Kirk and Spock knew what the modification of the nerve pinch would do (the Vulcan "death grip") and McCoy was probably aware of what it look like medically as well. Even then McCoy said they were lucky the "Romulans didn't want to do an autopsy".

4) The Romulans outnumbered Enterprise 3 to 1. Why would they bother keeping their shields up continually?

 

[Qonundrum]

Some "The Doomsday Machine" errors:

- There's a shot in the teaser where Kirk's walks around the bridge, which is assembled for the shot with one fewer station than it should have on Spock's side.

- AFAIK, Palmer covers her ears for a noise that wasn't put in the final cut [http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x06hd/thedoomsdaymachinehd0898.jpg].

- Scuffs on the floor are visible from what are evidently earlier takes in Decker's fistfight with the security guard [http://tos.trekcore.com/hd/albums/2x06hd/thedoomsdaymachinehd1130.jpg].

- IIRC, Doohan said he flubbed his Scottish accent (such as it was ) when he said the line with "thirty seconds later, poof."

So, as good as it is, it's hardly error-free.

And when people were counting down seconds, the f/x shot of the ship approaching would be going at a faster rate. But that's long hanging fruit, many TOS (and the occasional TNG!) episode aren't perfect in that regard.

 

[BillJ]

3. Why would they think they could fake Kirk's death so easily?

Hoping the Romulans had as little information as humans seemed to have about them?

 

[Samuel]

Hoping the Romulans had as little information as humans seemed to have about them?

Also, apparently the Romulans had bought into the myth that "Vulcans don't lie" (or bluff). I wonder if they overlooked entirely that Spock was half human?

 

[Commishsleer]

Seems pretty mild to me.

1) I don't think it fit exactly. In fact Scotty seemed surprised it worked at all.

2) Kirk's reputation as a "seducer" is largely overblown and always was. It makes sense that the Romulan Commander would be more kinship with a Vulcan than a human.

3) Obviously Kirk and Spock knew what the modification of the nerve pinch would do (the Vulcan "death grip") and McCoy was probably aware of what it look like medically as well. Even then McCoy said they were lucky the "Romulans didn't want to do an autopsy".

4) The Romulans outnumbered Enterprise 3 to 1. Why would they bother keeping their shields up continually?

And lucky the Romulans didn't bother to put their shields up after knowing that someone had beamed aboard and stolen their Cloaking device.
Lucky the Romulan Commander wasn't male.

It was lucky the Romulans were so dumb. LOL.

Maybe I'm being harsh and Kirk and Spock were playing it by ear and wouldn't have gone the seduction route if the Commander had been a hetro guy. Maybe Kirk would have employed a bit a Kirk-fu to defeat the Romulands if necessary.

 

[Samuel]

And lucky the Romulans didn't bother to put their shields up after knowing that someone had beamed aboard and stolen their Cloaking device.
Lucky the Romulan Commander wasn't male.

It was lucky the Romulans were so dumb. LOL.

Maybe I'm being harsh and Kirk and Spock were playing it by ear and wouldn't have gone the seduction route if the Commander had been a hetro guy. Maybe Kirk would have employed a bit a Kirk-fu to defeat the Romulands if necessary.

For most covert missions that I've read about there is a huge amount of "playing it by ear".

It is quite possible that the original plan never called for Kirk, Spock, and McCoy to board the Romulan ship at all and steal the cloaking device

 

[johnnybear]

Any episode that has Lieutenant Leslie or Galloway in it after they are supposed to have died! Except Leslie was sup[posed to have survived via a scene removed from the finished show and Galloway became Johnson in Day of The Dove so why wasn't he Johnson again in Turnabout intruder?
Best fault must be in Charlie X with Kirk's quick change of shirt in the elevator!
JB

 

[Maurice]

"The Doomsday Machine". Decker beams his whole crew down to a planet after engaging a thing they just saw CHOPPING UP A PLANET.

 

[Herbert]

But it had some notable errors in effects (Constellation vibrating as it approached the planet killer) .

I always assumed that was intentional and meant to emphasize that the Constellation's engines were in very rough shape and causing vibration all over the ship. It makes some sense because when Scotty first gets those engines going, the entire ship lurches forward quite dramatically.
.

 

[Samuel]

"The Doomsday Machine". Decker beams his whole crew down to a planet after engaging a thing they just saw CHOPPING UP A PLANET.

I got the idea that Decker (and crew) assumed the planet killer was going to leave the area when they started evacuating the ship but then it resumed attacking.

A bigger mystery is why the entire Constellation crew (or at least most of them) couldn't perform the repairs to the ship that Scotty and a small team accomplished in only an hour or two.

 

[johnnybear]

Apart from the obvious, maybe the Constellation was in danger of blowing up but Decker was able to stabilize the wreck of his ship while The Berserker headed for the planet he had deposited his crew!
JB

 

[Samuel]

Regarding "The Enterprise Incident", given their two previous encounters with Romulan ships (Balance of Terror, The Deadly Years) it is quite possible that the Enterprise crew when they began this mission never expected to encounter the Klingon built ships (D-7s we later call them) that they do or in that number. Scotty for example (who should know these things) seems notably surprised.

Note the Klingon ships appear to be considerably superior to the original Romulan ships. For one they can go faster than Enterprise even at Warp 9 while in both the previous episodes the Enterprise was capable of rather easily outrunning the Romulan ships.

The appearance of the three much more formidable Klingon built ships in service to the Romulans might well have caused Kirk and Spock to "call an audible" and go with the "sneak aboard the Romulan ship and lurk around" option.

Also note that in "The Deadly Years" the Romulans intercepted the Enterprise almost as soon as they entered the Neutral Zone while in "The Enterprise Incident" they didn't intercept the Enterprise until they actually got into Romulan space. It is quite possible the original plan was for the Enterprise to violate the Neutral Zone, be intercepted by the older style Romulan ships and then retreat back to the Federation side and draw a Romulan ship after them where other Starfleet ships could assist in the interception and capture of it and its cloaking device.

That seems like a less risky plan than the one that actually unfolded in the episode.