Worst tos episode

[Qonundrum]

Everybody has his own Star Trek. I give "Who Mourns" high marks, myself. The music is great, Michael Forest and Leslie Parrish are fantastic, and Shatner is in top form as Kirk.

Also regarding the guest stars: the cinematography that captures their striking looks is rich and vivid. You'll never see this on Adam-12. "Who Mourns" is more like a painted masterpiece.

Fred Steiner, who composed the score, liked this episode too and said so.

A missed opportunity might have been exploring more crewmen who'd really want to worship Apollo, but the episode was limited to 50 minutes. The story isn't really bad, nor lacking per se, but easily could have done a lot more - the premise is oddly simple but also allowing complex detail under its surface: Does Kirk really speak so readily for all the crew? How many might want to worship Apollo, and - once defeated because this is Kirk - how would he treat the situation? Not even sneak on down - is the bridge keeping the crew in the dark regarding the big ol' hand that's clasping the hull? (Must be a fun day for the janitors in the bathrooms too... hallways, too...) Most of their missions or experiences aren't this extraordinary. Or wouldn't be in real life, but the show would be far less exciting if - for seventy-eight other episodes - all they did was just show a starfield on a screen for ~65.8333333 hours?

 

[Ssosmcin]

Does Kirk really speak so readily for all the crew?

Actually, yes. He's the captain. Under no circumstances would the crew be actually given a choice.

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Bailey....when this becomes a democracy."

Sure, they could have had Carolyn go the worship route instead of the love choice, but then it would have been a debate about whether or not to believe in "gods" but this story wasn't about whether or not people should worship...Kirk mentioned God, so religion still exists. It was about being forced to worship a being who claimed to be a god.

 

[Qonundrum]

Actually, yes. He's the captain. Under no circumstances would the crew be actually given a choice.

"I'll keep that in mind, Mr. Bailey....when this becomes a democracy."

^^win

Would have been fun to see others to beam down and risk it all, though.

Sure, they could have had Carolyn go the worship route instead of the love choice, but then it would have been a debate about whether or not to believe in "gods" but this story wasn't about whether or not people should worship...Kirk mentioned God, so religion still exists.

As little as possible due to the censorship; Kirk mentions God, but some can interpret it as if he was being sarcastic. It's vague enough, certainly. But, yeah, a being claiming to be one -- makes sense. All we get is what's shown at face value. The fact they have church weddings on the ship lends to the notion that Kirk was not being sarcastic. Not that the show had official continuity back then, as the writers did say they were going by the seat of their pants, but how much hung together was still extremely impressive. (Even Spock's ancestor marrying a human turning out to be his dad, but 60s audiences wouldn't have remembered that...)

It was about being forced to worship a being who claimed to be a god.

My take was that Apollo was sincere and simply wanting attention, being stuck on this planet and all - he wanted captives for sure, but his ultimate goal was to crush the hull once everyone beamed on down and played the pipes so he could keep himself and his newfound forced "friends" his Private Idaho. (Yeah, I doubt many or any of the crew would be so enthralled, but Apollo is so big!!) It didn't help that he stayed corporeal when all his pals decided to join the ethereal Studio 54 in the sky... nothing more complex or any attempt to conquer the galaxy, to ride the doomsday machine as subtle parody of "Dr Stangelove", etc, etc... also, much to my shock, someone even wrote a song about it:

 

[scotpens]

. . . I recently re-watched "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" and didn't like it either. It seems to place the oppressors and the oppressed at the same level, or equally guilty, once the oppressed strike back.

"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" had no plot. It isn't a story; it's a 52-minute sermon.

I think it would have been nice for the crew to realize, admit that their reform was actually really small, minimal, and it would take a long time for things to really get better but I think "The City on the Edge of Forever" and "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" (and I guess "Requiem for Methuselah") are pretty much the only episodes that didn't end on a light/feel-good note, given that I think hard to be too disappointed that "The Cloud Minders" wasn't another of that very rare exception.

In fact, several of the first-season episodes ended on a downbeat note: "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "Charlie X," "Conscience of the King," "Balance of Terror" and "Dagger of the Mind," maybe a couple more. The whole show had a darker tone in its first season.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" had no plot. It isn't a story; it's a 52-minute sermon.


In fact, several of the first-season episodes ended on a downbeat note: "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "Charlie X," "Conscience of the King," "Balance of Terror" and "Dagger of the Mind," maybe a couple more. The whole show had a darker tone in its first season.

When Edith died, it was a personal tragedy yet a secret statistical triumph for Earth's population.

But in A PRIVATE LITTLE WAR, Tyree's planet seemed condemned to a Ukrainian-style war without end. That----and the melancholy closing theme-----is the real first-place TOS downer-finish in my view.

 

[fireproof78]

In fact, several of the first-season episodes ended on a downbeat note: "Where No Man Has Gone Before," "Charlie X," "Conscience of the King," "Balance of Terror" and "Dagger of the Mind," maybe a couple more. The whole show had a darker tone in its first season.

Indeed, yes. Star Trek got a later reputation of being upbeat, but it wasn't always so. It had a very optimistic view of humanity in terms of growth and capability but it was also highly grounded in the reality that humanity has a dark side, has its vices and excesses that just as easily can be indulged with and that even the best and brightest are not immune to this.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

Indeed, yes. Star Trek got a later reputation of being upbeat, but it wasn't always so. It had a very optimistic view of humanity in terms of growth and capability but it was also highly grounded in the reality that humanity has a dark side, has its vices and excesses that just as easily can be indulged with and that even the best and brightest are not immune to this.

In relation, the message of THE ENEMY WITHIN as stated by McCoy is both undeniably controversial and undeniably true.

 

[hifijohn]

"The Alternative Factor" its about one guy yelling and falling down a lot.
and of course the way to eden.“Gonna crack my knuckles and jump for joy, I got a clean bill of health from Dr. McCoy!

 

[Alexspaceman]

People have already named some of the more aggregious things. I didn't like the Omega Glory.
It's like when you watch an old western from that era and it's trying to be a courtroom drama. TV at the time had to try to create drama without big special effects or stunt men. And then you had all the silly stuff like I Dream of Jeannie and Batman and Lost in Space. What a time for TV. People really needed an escape from the Vietnam War. Star Trek from this era is like a well written B movie. I respect what they were trying to do more often than not.

 

[Alexspaceman]

I also think it's funny that Spock's Brain beat the pilot episode to Hawaii Five-O. And Jack Lord almost played Captain Kirk a few years earlier.

 

[Spock's Barber]

"The Alternative Factor" its about one guy yelling and falling down a lot.

Over and over and over again, for all eternity.

 

[Noname Given]

I also think it's funny that Spock's Brain beat the pilot episode to Hawaii Five-O. And Jack Lord almost played Captain Kirk a few years earlier.

That was the premire 3rd season episode on NBC after the massive writing campaign. I'm not surprised at all that it beat Hawaii 5 0 back in the day.

I doubt its repeat did though.

 

[somebuddyX]

I haven't seen all of original Star Trek but for the other series the worst for me are the ones that just boring. Like I love "Threshold" for the body horror and Robbie McNeill's acting and "A Night in Sickbay" has Archer doing nonsense with a chainsaw. But "Terra Nova" has some stupid cave shit and "Breaking the Ice" is some boring shit with a snowman. "Spock's Brain" and "Turnabout Intruder" sound fun in a nonsense way so I reckon I'll enjoy them. I liked "The Alternative Factor" too.

 

[Don Drutherford]

The kids dug Spock in the 60s. He was cool

"Santa Kang" !!! LOL! Thanks! I needed that! ..and the photo ! Hmmm, Not too many scenes where Kang was smiling...

 

[drt]

I haven't seen all of original Star Trek but for the other series the worst for me are the ones that just boring. Like I love "Threshold" for the body horror and Robbie McNeill's acting and "A Night in Sickbay" has Archer doing nonsense with a chainsaw. But "Terra Nova" has some stupid cave shit and "Breaking the Ice" is some boring shit with a snowman. "Spock's Brain" and "Turnabout Intruder" sound fun in a nonsense way so I reckon I'll enjoy them. I liked "The Alternative Factor" too.

Yeah, the original series has a few subpar episodes, but it’s rarely boring.

 

[carcinoGeneticist]

There was this season three episode, the title of which I forgot, where they ended up on a planet that was basically an Old West planet, I think. I don't remember it well. What I do remember was the set design looked... really bad. Like, it was awful. I'm sure there are worse episodes out there than this Old West episode I speak of, but the set design of that episode infuriated me so much at the time that until I rewatch the series it will most likely remain my least favourite episode.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

There was this season three episode, the title of which I forgot, where they ended up on a planet that was basically an Old West planet, I think. I don't remember it well. What I do remember was the set design looked... really bad. Like, it was awful. I'm sure there are worse episodes out there than this Old West episode I speak of, but the set design of that episode infuriated me so much at the time that until I rewatch the series it will most likely remain my least favourite episode.

That was "Spectre of the Gun." The façades with no roof or walls were supposed to convey a surreal, dreamlike quality. And of course they were affordable to build on the third season budget.

 

[Grant]

Spectre would have been even worse with traditional "real" western sets.

 

[CoveTom]

I'm gonna open myself up to tomato throwing, but I must be the only person who doesn't like "City on the Edge of Forever." No, I'm not saying it's the worst episode of TOS, which is what this thread started out asking, but I don't think it's anywhere near the masterpiece that it gets credit for being. There are many, many other episodes of TOS I would rather watch. I guess I'm just not a fan when TOS does melodrama. I can't stand "Conscience of the King," for example. So there. I said. it. Fire away.

 

[Rowdy Roddy McDowall]

I can't stand "Conscience of the King," for example. So there. I said. it. Fire away.

Is it because of the milk?