The best episode of any STAR TREK ever
- Thread starter Larry Young
- Start date
Alan Cross
Sr Member
Thanks, WG! I can't believe I actually have a horse in this intergalactic race!
Calufrax
Well-Known Member
That is a very good episode, especially that Captain Jellico, though abrasive, was played note perfect by Ronny Cox. I was always a bit sorry we never got to see Jellico again because I really liked him and thought Riker as written was a bit of an ass to keep bucking him. I think we were supposed to view Jellico as a bit a villain, but he's really just a lot more regular military. and considering the idea of being on the brink of war he was right to ask the crew to step it up several notches. I liked that in the end his character was to a large degree right and not some nut like say Decker in "Doomsday Machine".
The crew interactions were more interesting than the whole Picard spy subplot in part 1, though in part 2 Picard getting very nearly completely broken by the also perfect villainous performance of David Warner was really good too.
Still it was a stretch that Picard, Beverly and Worf go on this mission better done by trained commandos, but then that was the silliness of Trek that bridge officers seem to be the only ones who ever go anywhere and do anything off the ship while enlisted security guys just hang around by the hundreds below deck waiting to see if they'll be the next up to take a disruptor shot.
By Trek logic other than the engineering crew they really only need the Bridge crew and maybe another dozen crewmen to be cannon fodder. And a whole lot of Rumbas vacuuming occasionally. No Federation ship really need be larger than the Defiant.
feek61
Sr Member
Yes, I enjoyed that episode. Didn't know you wrote it; congrats! Speaking of "Enterprise" I thought the episode "Twilight" was one of the best. I believe that was directed by the guy who played Tom Paris in "Voyager." He did an exceptional job.
Corbomite Maneuver.
It defines the series in one episode.
It contains what Trek should ALWAYS keep as it's constant touchstone.
When it does not it drifts into something else.
Why the ship exists. Why the hell they are out there.
It adresses fear, risk, courage, human shortcomings, twist ending because
exploration is full of surprises.
Captain to crew.
Those of you who have served for long on this vessel
have encountered alien life-forms.
You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves,
an irrational fear of the unknown.
But there's no such thing as the unknown--
only things temporarily hidden,
temporarily not understood.
In most cases we have found
that intelligence capable of a civilization
is capable of understanding peaceful gestures.
Surely a life-form advanced enough for space travel
is advanced enough
to eventually understand our motives.
All decks stand by.
Captain out.
It defines the series in one episode.
It contains what Trek should ALWAYS keep as it's constant touchstone.
When it does not it drifts into something else.
Why the ship exists. Why the hell they are out there.
It adresses fear, risk, courage, human shortcomings, twist ending because
exploration is full of surprises.
Captain to crew.
Those of you who have served for long on this vessel
have encountered alien life-forms.
You know the greatest danger facing us is ourselves,
an irrational fear of the unknown.
But there's no such thing as the unknown--
only things temporarily hidden,
temporarily not understood.
In most cases we have found
that intelligence capable of a civilization
is capable of understanding peaceful gestures.
Surely a life-form advanced enough for space travel
is advanced enough
to eventually understand our motives.
All decks stand by.
Captain out.
MooCriket
Master Member
I have always enjoyed both parts of the Menagerie. I enjoyed Seeing what lengths Spock would go to for his friend and former Captain.
Also really enjoyed City On The Edge Of Forever. Alot of possibilites for making a movie from that episode, and who could resist Joan Collins at that time?
Also really enjoyed City On The Edge Of Forever. Alot of possibilites for making a movie from that episode, and who could resist Joan Collins at that time?
Force Commander
Sr Member
Strangely perhaps, my favorite is "The Cage." The epsisode is so full. The concept of Trek is so complete. A great pilot.
Alan Cross
Sr Member
Yeah. That's a great speech. You're absolutely right.
TheDoctor
Sr Member
Not quite. That's like saying Apple only needs Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ives just because they're the ones that you see all the time.
Much of that is just plain story necessity (which is kind of displayed as a joke in TNG's "Remember Me" when Crusher asks the computer if she has the skills to carry out the ship's mission by her self).
This is something I though seaQuest did better with - showing why you needed all that crew. When they were on a mission you usually saw other crew members running around handling the mission details (I.e. "the grunt work").
Calufrax
Well-Known Member
I'd venture a better balance of 'story necessity' versus - oh let's call it 'plausible realism' might be Ron Moore's BSG reboot. seaQuest had it's moments, but it never really lived up to the loftiness of the show open.
Where as in BSG though there wasn't as much strange new worlds landing stuff, but when there was at least the bridge/CIC craft stayed put where they belonged. It felt more 'realistic' and I suspect though I never recall reading Moore speak at length on it that this was a conscious decision from his work on TNG.
Trek I think is a phenomenon that has run it's course on TV and I don't think there will ever be anything quite like it again. The movie reboot thing is nice, an exercise in retro nostalgia, but the ever bigger, gotta top the last movie epic story stuff won't be the same as nuanced morality tales that the tv scale offered.
That's why it's impossible to say take just TOS and TNG and say pick a favorite episode. So many just blew us all away and the minute someone names one, so many others spring to mind and we are all going yeah I loved that one too. Honestly taking just those two series together I'm not sure I could narrow it down to a top 40 list of episodes that were so great. Trek as movies just can never have that kind of impact.
"Nth Degree" always hit me in the chestal region. I wouldn't put it on an objective "Best of Any Trek" list, but it will always be on my personal best list.
This.
This episode makes me cry every time I watch it.
The red shirts did too.
Statistically they died less in those eps.
"When Captain Kirk meets an alien woman and "makes contact" the survival rate of the red-shirted crewmen increases by 84%. In fact, out of Captain Kirks' 24 "relationships" there were only three instances of red-shirt vaporization."
SmilingOtter
Master Member
If I had to name just one, "Darmok" would be it.
A good breakdown of the Tamarian language:
The Darmok Dictionary
A good breakdown of the Tamarian language:
The Darmok Dictionary
IndyFanChuck
Sr Member
I gotta vote with you here Larry. Darmok set the bar SO HIGH on what Star Trek could be at it's best.
Two Vulcan Thumbs Up Larry!
Two Vulcan Thumbs Up Larry!
I think it's got to be "Darmok." An awesome science fiction conceit perfectly realized, true to established tenets of the show, and sporting a new uniform for the main guy.
I can hardly think of another in its class. Maybe "Arena." Everything else is a distant second for me.
Comment is invited.
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