Worst Season 2 Episode....

[BillJ]

"The Apple".

"The Omega Glory" comes close but at least it had a somewhat promising opening, which is sadly completely destroyed by the utter stupidity that followed.

Kirk's decision to completely alter the civilization in "The Apple", however, is a textbook example of how the Prime Directive is a good thing - and I'm not one who usually defends the PD. As Spock rightly points out to McCoy, "these people are healthy and they are happy; what ever you choose to call it, this system works, despite your emotional reaction to it." But no, Kirk and McCoy don't like the culture so "change it is!" Then Spock's valid criticism at the end of the episode is basically just laughed off because "hehe, Spock's ears kinda make him look like the devil, hehe." GROAN!

Kirk attempted to leave, but was blocked by Vaal.

 

[Warped9]

Wow. We presently have a genuine four-way tie.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

"The Omega Glory"

There is a germ of a good idea in that script, but Roddenberry wasn't strong enough a writer to actually develop it.

 

[3D ChessMaster]

Have I misremembered the plot of The Apple? As I saw it the Enterprise was stuck in a decaying orbit so had to destroy Vaal in order to free itself.Kirk will always choose the welfare of the Enterprise ahead of any planet.
I agree Krk should have left the People of Vaal alone if he had the choice.
The comic bit at the end about Spock's ears making him look like the devil is pretty naff, perhaps it was there as a dig at those who wanted Spock removed from the show originally for this reason.

 

[Kor]

I generally love the second season. I would say I get the least enjoyment from Catspaw and The Omega Glory, for reasons already stated. I voted for The Omega Glory, as I tend to skip that one when I break out the season 2 set. Catspaw does have a sense of quirky fun that I enjoy a bit, if I'm in the right mood.

Kor

 

[Warped9]

Interesting. "The Omega Glory" has taken the lead yet I will take it over "I, Mudd" anytime.

 

[Noname Given]

It's interesting to note that GR was apparently not at all fond of "I, Mudd" either. It was produced while he was away for a time and greenlit by Gene Coon.

I'm just curious - why do you assume the episode was not liked by GR just because he was away at the time of it's production? Is their documentation showing GR was against the episode being produced?

Considering an episode like "The Omega Glory" was in contention to be the second pilot; I don't think 'I Mudd' is a bad episode. IMO the character of Harry Mudd was a great foil for Kirk and Co. ; and I still enjoy a number of things in the episode and love this exchange between Mudd, Kirk, and Spock:

KIRK: All right, Harry, explain. How did you get here? We left you in custody after that affair on the Rigel mining planet.

MUDD: Yes, well, I organised a technical information service bringing modern industrial techniques to backward planets, making available certain valuable patents to struggling young civilisations throughout the galaxy.

KIRK: Did you pay royalties to the owners of those patents?

MUDD: Well, actually, Kirk, as a defender of the free enterprise system, I found myself in a rather ambiguous conflict as a matter of principle.

SPOCK: He did not pay royalties.

MUDD: Knowledge, sir, should be free to all.

KIRK: Who caught you?

MUDD: That, sir, is an outrageous assumption.

KIRK: Yes. Who caught you?

MUDD: I sold the Denebians all the rights to a Vulcan fuel synthesiser.

KIRK: And the Denebians contacted the Vulcans.

MUDD: How'd you know?

KIRK: That's what I would have done.

MUDD: It's typical police mentality. They've got no sense of humour. They arrested me.

MCCOY: Oh, I find that shocking.

MUDD: Worse than that. Do know what the penalty for fraud is on Deneb Five?

SPOCK: The guilty party has his choice. Death by electrocution, death by gas, death by phaser, death by hanging.

MUDD: The key word in your entire peroration, Mister Spock, was, death. Barbarians. Well, of course, I left.

KIRK: He broke jail.

MUDD: I borrowed transportation.

KIRK: He stole a spaceship.

MUDD: The patrol reacted in a hostile manner.

KIRK: They fired at him.

MUDD: They've no respect for private property. They damaged the bloody spaceship. Well, I got away, but I couldn't navigate, so I wandered out through unmapped space, and here I found Mudd.

The above was copied/taken from:
http://www.chakoteya.net/StarTrek/41.htm

As to my vote: Catspaw. Yes, as a kid I remember many shows doing 'Holiday themed episodes' and this was Star Trek's Halloween Episode; but overall it just never worked for me on any level. It was also hard for me to decide between it, or The Apple or for Who Mourns for Adonais; but Catspaw gets my vote.

 

[Maurice]

I voted for "Assignment: Earth". An episode that is mostly stock footage and has our characters standing around observing. It's the least "Star Trek" of the series.

Neil

Yeah, it's like some other show in which Kirk and Spock guest-star... oh wait, that's exactly it is. Lame.

 

[3D ChessMaster]

I Mudd seemed good fun to me, funny script as shown above by Noname Given and it was interesting to have a roguish returning character. It seems cool how they had to book all these pairs of twins to play the androids.
The main problem for me is in the parts where they deliberately act illogically to crash the androids one perhaps gets reminded that one is watching actors doing a party piece and therefore disconnected from the characters that have been built up over the series.

 

[Indysolo]

What I've learned from these last two threads is that the Mudd episodes were generally disliked.

Neil

 

[Warped9]

What I've learned from these last two threads is that the Mudd episodes were generally disliked.

Neil

The character is liked. The stories not so much.

 

[Kor]

I like Assignment: Earth because I love '60s spy flicks and "spy-fi." Perhaps it does not mesh well with the rest of Star Trek, but it is an interesting diversion, at the very least. Too bad the series never came too fruition.

Kor

 

[scotpens]

For my least-liked episode of Season 2, it's a tossup between "The Apple," "The Gamesters of Triskelion" and "Catspaw." I've never been a fan of "Friday's Child" either, perhaps because there's no science fiction in it. It could just as easily be a story of early colonial America, with the British and French competing for the alliance of a local Indian tribe.

Of course, "Conscience of the King" isn't really science fiction either, but I like that episode. So go figure.

"I, Mudd". It was embarrassing.

I liked "I, Mudd," though I agree it could have done without some of the over-the-top silliness. Tricking a machine into destroying itself by acting crazy is a pretty lame idea. Any sensible computer would simply reject the input as garbage.

 

[Maurice]

You left out the beaming down and the phaser usage.

Those are trappings. Change it to a riverboat and a shotgun and there you go: generic.

 

[Noname Given]

You left out the beaming down and the phaser usage.

You mean the coming ashore via dingy and musket usage?

[I get what he's getting at and it's why I always felt the Ioan Gruffudd 'Horatio Hornblower' series of years past reminded me SO MUCH of Star Trek <-- but that's a bit non sequitur here]

 

[Nebusj]

liked "I, Mudd," though I agree it could have done without some of the over-the-top silliness. Tricking a machine into destroying itself by acting crazy is a pretty lame idea. Any sensible computer would simply reject the input as garbage.

I like 'I, Mudd', and the comic fun of it. But it is one of those episodes where you realize afterwards that the Android Menace To The Galaxy would really have been an extremely minor inconvenience at best. They'd have been able to maybe take over a small village and make that last for about forty minutes before being blown up by the illogic of people who weren't even trying.

 

[Botany Bay]

Here's the TOS forum's bottom five from the Episode of the Week votes :
"Wolf in the Fold" 5.93
"The Omega Glory" 5.56
"Catspaw" 5.48
"I, Mudd" 5.27
"The Apple" 5.10

I think we were a bit kind to "Gamesters" -- that's my personal vote. Everything about it is a taste of what's to come in Season 3

 

[ST-321]

Even though it has a promising beginning, The Omega Glory gets my vote. I just can't forgive the premise with the Constitution and the U.S. flag.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

The character is liked. The stories not so much.

"Mudd's Women" was a fine episode with strong character moments from stars and guests...but that should have been Mudd's one and only appearance. You can guess that means I am not fond of his next chapter, which is the "worst" season two episode by far.

 

[Vger23]

I put Catspaw as my vote. Even the other other lesser-liked episodes from season 2 all have some fine entertainment value. This one I just don't get much out of.