Choosing the best episodes of an iconic show likeStar Trekis a monumentally difficult task.
And we havent even mentionedShort Treks.
Star Trekhas meant so much to so many.
Captain Kirk and a Romulan commander (Mark Lenard) play a deadly game of cat-and-mouse in space.
The source material adds to the realism and to the danger.
The season one episode supplements the original story into space technology.
In both stories, skippers give commands to jettison dead bodies along with trash to appear disabled.
This episode introduced the concept of the Neutral Zone and explored racial prejudice.
This causes a distinct paranoia on board.
The captains in all versions leave with a deep respect for their opponents.
The episode is completely satisfying on multiple levels.
Jim, Spock intones gravely, Edith Keeler must die.
Do you know what you just did?
He knows, doctor.
If he doesnt mate within a week, he will die.
This is a great episode, and the perfect installment for the season two premiere.
Perhaps most importantly, though?
For that alone, this episode holds a special spot inStar Trekhistory.
They materialize on an alternate universe Enterprise that is now part of a brutal empire quite unlike the Federation.
Mirror, Mirror is a true ensemble piece.
Everyone has something to do, and its simple-yet-clear premise is delivered with maximum suspense and thrills.
Its legacy continues on long pastThe Original Series.
Constellation and discovers the ship, wrecked and abandoned, adrift in the rubble of a destroyed solar system.
The episode also boasts one of the series best scores (by Sol Kaplan).
Meanwhile, an attempt is made on Kirks life and a mysterious ship shadows the Enterprise.
Ah, the power of animation.
Adult Spock poses as Selek, a distant cousin of Sarek.
We get to see Adult Spock assure Young Spock that he will eventually find his place in the world.
Well, there it sits, waiting.
This changes history, turning the Enterprise-D into a battleship in a Federation war with the Klingons.
Only Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg) knows that something isnt right.
The ideal of serving the greater goodsuch an important part of theStar Trekphilosophywas brilliantly rendered in this unforgettable episode.
Hes not helped by the presence of the ambitious Lt.
Commander Shelby (Elizabeth Dennehy), who wants his job at Picards side.
(The one where Picard, Ro, Guinan, and Keiko get reverted into kid form?
Star Trekisnt only about dramatic spaceship standoffs between alien races or philosophical ponderings about the purpose of humanity.
Sometimes, its just about good, old-fashioned, um, disaster.
(Extra points if it involves Patrick Stewart singing Frere Jacques.)
This fun episode isnt without its thematic fascinations.
On the Enterprise, it still looks pretty shiny.
BecauseTNGis such a well-developed ensemble show, they all work.
As is established from the very beginning of this show, Picard does not like children.
(Shut up, Wesley!)
And he can handle peopleactually, its kind of his job.
Kind of this episodes specialty.
And for a good reason.
When Picard confronts Wesley about it, he refuses to incriminate himself and his team.
The Enterprise encounters an unidentified probe that sends a beam into Picards head, rendering him unconscious.
It also won the 1993 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Star Trek, in all its incarnations, is occasionally capable of great beauty, even poetry.
This episode is one of those times.
At a certain point, inflicting pain is the only point.
Jellico isnt a bad guy; hes just kind of bad at his job.
In the words of Picard: There are many parts of my youth that Im not proud of.
There were loose threads, untidy parts of me that I would like to remove.
But when I pulled on one of those threads, it unraveled the tapestry of my life.
And, sometimes, that saddle-fetching leads toDie Hardin space.
(No pressure.)
So, five-card stud, nothing wild… and the skys the limit.Im not crying.Yourecrying.
We learn a great deal about Kira in this episode (Enough good people have already died.
The final scene remains one of the most affecting inStar Trekhistory.
Season twos Necessary Evil gives us just that.
As an outsider, his ability to read people was honed over years surviving at the mercy of others.
The story is told via noir-like voiceover from Odo, who is begrudgingly filing his Starfleet log.
In the words of Odo: Everythings under control.
The Wire was the firstDS9episode to really dig into Gareks past… Its not a pretty process.
Pick your poisonor should I say mind-altering drug?
My dead doctor, theyre all true.
A fascinatingly enigmatic episode for a fascinating enigmatic character.
To find the Founders and convince them that the Federation isnt a threat.
What does Odo choose to do in this situation?
Yep, it turns out the Omarian Neblua is home to Odos, well, home.
The Founders are his Changeling brethren and theyre kind of dicks.
(What kind of monster race launches infants off into the cold, cruel embrace of the universe?)
The episode takes place shortly after a peace treaty between Cardassia and Bajor is signed.
Confirmation bias encourages them to correlate every new development with a line from scripture.
Destiny also serves as a crucial step toward Sisko accepting his role as Emissary.
Hes developing, not a blind faith, but true belief based on his experiences.
In this case, it is all about the Klingons… And not only because Worf joins the cast.
Because, at their hearts, Klingons care about conquering first and empire-maintenance way later.
The Visitors premise could be emotionally-manipulative, but its not.
The story doesnt sensationalize or trick.
They are already filled with such tragic, life-affirming depth.
), the crew of Deep Space Nine follow to stop the history-changing assassination.
What follows is an hour ofStar Trekinside jokes, bright colors, and non-stop fun.
Its hard to pick a favorite moment in this episode.
Is it Worfs attempt to explain whyOriginal Series-era Klingons look nothing like later-series Klingons?
Or is it when OBrien confidently mis-identifies Kirk?
This one has space battles.
If ever a deus ex machina were necessary, it was here.
Its ultimately far more satisfying than a purely military victory ever could have been.
The drama taking place on the station, meanwhile, is classic tragedy and epic heroism.
There is a police brutality through-line, in particular, that cuts deep given Americas current national discourse.
But Far Beyond the Stars isnt all depressing.
Far Beyond the Stars is an impressive example of just how flexible theStar Treknarrative formula has always been.
Thats how powerful and perfect this episode ofDeep Space Nineis.
As Quark tells Sisko, Every man has a price.
In the Pale Moonlight is so powerful because it directly challenges the inherent optimism of theStar Trekuniverse.
This episodeor at least Siskos charactermuses that this isnt always the case.
And it dares not to give us a clear answer.
This episode hurts, but it also feels necessary.
Because DS9 is telling a war storyand war is hell.
As Quark phrases it to Nog:
Let me tell you something about humans, nephew.
Theyre a wonderful, friendly peopleas long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working.
Ultimately, our friends get pulled into the fight.
Nog loses a leg.
Through his friendship with the hologram, Nog learns to face reality again.
As heart wrenching as Nogs storyline in this episode is, Vic gives it a run for its money.
Even if Quark is keeping Vics program running, its not exactly the same thing, is it?
All I can tell you is that youve got to play the cards life deals you.
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, but at least youre in the game.
AStar Trekseries-openerhas never felt quite so dire, so quickly.
Its an auspicious start.
The two crews unite in figuring out where their people have gone.
Because this lady will doanythingto ensure that her crew makes it home to Earth.
It isnt just Janeways choice that is so notable about this episode.
Its the cause for the necessity of that choice: Species 8472.
This was a mistake becausefrom where Im standingthis two-parter isVoyagerat its absolute height.
The starship loses her outer hull, many decks, countless crew members, and the replicator system.
Eventually, Janeway launches all but the senior crew in escape pods.
Frankly, stakes for aStar Trekcrew and ship have rarely been this effectively escalated.
Its time we faced reality.
Weve lost nine decks, more than half this ship has been destroyed.
Life support is nearly gone; Voyager can no longer sustain its crew.
What was seconds for him, has been centuries for everyone he knew and loved.
He has no idea what happened to the crew of Voyager, and if they ever made it home.
Their voyage is literally history.
But The Doctor has other fish to fry in this ep.
His program is now part of an exhibit about Voyagers supposed war crimes centuries prior.
By the timeVoyagerrolled around in theStar Trekuniverse, so many science fiction ideas and structures had already been explored.
But Living Witness manages to present a story in a way no priorStar Trekinstallation had explored.
Also: the evil gloves help.
So many evil gloves.
Its a complicated setup for a very simple story: Seven adopts a kid.
He chooses the name One and adopts a goofy eagerness to learn everything he possibly can.
The bond between Jeri Ryans Seven and J. Paul Boehmers One is palpablepainfully so at times.
Go ahead and call his actions cliche… if you might avoid crying.
This fictional universe never met a timestream it didnt want to mess with for narrative value.
Its moments like this that make me confident Janeway isgreatly undervalued as aStar Trekcaptain.
A truly greatStar Trektwo-parter.
Voyagerwas arguable theStar Trekshow most interested in challenging The Prime Directive.
How did they get from here toThe Original Series?
The story is a little hokey, but its charm and humor offset said hokiness in delightful ways.
to an automated repair station after hitting a Romulan mine.
Its a stroke of incredible luck, which of course turns out to be too good to be true.
Much of the creepy tone can be credited to Roxann Dawson,Voyagers very own BElanna Torres.
She not only directed the episode, but also voiced the stations stubborn and deceptively simplistic computer interface.
With humanoid villains, Dead Stop might be fairly unremarkable.
The crew accepts help and gets more than they bargained for, ho hum.
Were just never quite sure how.
Especially in theStar Trekuniverse.
Yeah, that probably got your attention.
It also features some pretty great performances from Jolene Blalock and Scott Bakula.
When Tucker is injured during an engine explosion, the Enterprise is left engineer-less.
Ultimately, however, Sim makes the ultimate sacrifice, and its really, really sad.
Surprisingly, none of them have been as successful asEnterprise.
(Yay,Enterprise!
You finally won one.)
(Have you cottoned on to the theme yet?)
Watching In a Mirror, Darkly, were reminded why its so important that it was the latter.
The best part, though?
Thealtered, mirror-universe opening sequence.
Mounts Pike provides a much-needed shot of energy toDiscovery.
Instead, the episode provides a fun caper involving the Orion Syndicate, with Martin-Green at her charismatic best.
Since Grays death, Adira has been carrying the Tal symbiote.
What follows is a moving tale about intertwined identities, a veryStar Trekversion of a romance story.
Fehr even somehow manages to sell lines about the replicator repurposing waste to make new food.
He says, Its pretty good for shit, without conveying the edgy wink that the writers surely intended.
EvenDS9largely put the Bajoran religion in the background when the far more interesting Dominion War plot presented itself.
But showrunner Terry Matalas wasnt content with just bringing back Geordi, Worf, and other expected faces.
Yes, the episode does begin with the voice of Walter Koenig as the son of hisTOScharacter Chekov.
Yes, it does have the bridge crew aboard a rebuilt Enterprise-D, in all its beige glory.
And yes it does once again pit Picard against the Borg, an enemy grown toothless by familiarity.
But The Last Generation also points to the future ofStar Trek.
What follows is aStar Trekversion of sitcom plot, complete with a disapproving mother-in-law.
The episode not only revisits a great episode from the past, but changes our understanding of Pike.
It comes from the philosophical debates that these new forms of existence present.
Ad Astra per Aspera returns toTreks noble past by literally putting Number One on trial.
But the show never violatesStrange New Worlds reality, using ideas about failure to solve the shows central conundrum.
The latter plot givesLower Decksits own fantastic villain in Peanut Hamper, the rogue exocomp.
A ludicrous monster, but a monster nonetheless.
Lower Deckshas no such embarrassment, as demonstrated in I, Excretus.
In actuality, I, Excretus is an excuse to revisit classicTrekplots and themes through a ridiculous lens.
And by ridiculous, I mean horny.
Such sexuality has always been part ofStar Trek, but onlyLower Deckswas brave enough to put it on screen.
Leave it toLower Decks, then, to ignore all complaints and controversy and embrace Tuvix for Twovix.
In the end, the episode vindicates Janeway for separating Tuvix while celebrating the absurdity of the original plot.
To test his mettle, Dal runs a simulation that puts him alongside a crew ofStar Trekall-stars.
We see Dal with Odo, Uhura, Dr. Crusher, and others.
Beyond mere fan-service, Kobayashi gets at the primary thrust ofProdigys first season.
But that hope comes with hard lessons to learn.. which is the whole point of the Kobayashi Maru.
JG
Is There in Beauty No Truth?
But its most remarkable returning character came fromTNG.
As is appropriate for a show aboutStar Trekkids, the much-malignedWesley Crusherrevealed himself as the teams hidden benefactor.
Wesley never really made sense onTNG.
In The Devourer of All Things, we see that Wesley has figured it out.
As the Traveler, hes essentially the Doctor fromDoctor Who.
He still has that same know-it-all energy fromTNG, but hes become delightful and uplifting.
Wesley doesnt just get to offer some life-saving information.
He also reminds theProtostarkids that, as bad as things seem, there is hope.
They do indeed have a place in Starfleet.
That inessential nature makes The Trouble With Edward all the more delightful.
The Trouble With Edward tells the origin of the Tribbles, something nobody needed or wanted.
Is it better than The Trouble With Tribbles or Trials and Tribble-lations?
No, of course not.
But as a short bit ofStar Trekcomedy, The Trouble With Edward is hilarious.
The argument continues until animated Riker and Sulu arrive with a musical number about everyone getting along.
