The best episodes from Star Trek: TOS

Pike
Rank: GOD
Posts: 981
Joined: 2017-10-13

By Pike on Saturday April 20, 2019 07:55 am

If you had to pick just the best episodes from Stark Trek: The Original Series, what would those be?

For me:
S01E05: [url=https://www.tvore.com/?page=episode&id=1303]The Enemy Within
S01E10: [url=https://www.tvore.com/?page=episode&id=1308]The Corbomite Maneuver
S01E20: [url=https://www.tvore.com/?page=episode&id=1318]Court Martial
S01E22: [url=https://www.tvore.com/?page=episode&id=1320]Space Seed

kimmy
Rank: FBI Janitor
Posts: 18
Joined: 2018-04-05

By kimmy on Tuesday April 23, 2019 07:34 am

I only watched a "best of" of TOS, never the whole thing, based on some lists I found online. Even with the best of it was hard to watch. I do watch many old films so I'm not completely allergic to slow pacing, but I had much difficulty getting "into" TOS as a whole, even for the episodes that are considered as the best.

The effects and pacing are from their era, so what remains is the quality of the script, the acting, and general esthetics. But if you compare that at the same time something like "The Prisoner" was being made, it's tough to be that kind to TOS.

I watched them years ago so I don't recall them very clearly. But from the first season I remember liking:
10. The Corbomite Maneuver
14. Balance of Terror
22. Space Seed
28. The City on the Edge of Forever (by far the best, in my opinion)

Maybe I should try watching them again now that I have seen more of Star Trek!

Pike
Rank: GOD
Posts: 981
Joined: 2017-10-13

By Pike on Tuesday April 23, 2019 12:38 pm

Very interesting. I'm actually watching the episodes on Netflix, which are the remastered episodes in which the special effects have been much improved. This has nothing to do with George Lucas' horrendous special edition of Star Wars, with adding plenty of useless stuff everywhere on the screen.
Here, the result is really good and you can see that it has been done in a very careful matter. And even though I am a purist, I really enjoyed the result.

In terms of the pace, I think the show would have been much better with a 43 minutes format. It may not be a big difference, but 7 minutes is a lot.

You know, I started my journey thinking I would watch an episode or two and be bored to death. Actually, I have much fun and cannot wait to watch Space Seed and The City on the Edge...

I'd love to simply jump and watch the feature films and then take a look at the other series, but I religiously watch all the saga in order. I have never ever seen Jean-Luc Picard, except in many memes :)

Pike
Rank: GOD
Posts: 981
Joined: 2017-10-13

By Pike on Saturday August 3, 2024 06:14 pm

Flash-forward five years later and I am rewatching again TOS. I definitely should have added The Naked Time in my favorite list. I find it even better than The Enemy Within, which I had put on the list.
I'll complete my second rewatch and will update my list accordingly.

Pike
Rank: GOD
Posts: 981
Joined: 2017-10-13

By Pike on Saturday September 21, 2024 10:53 am

All right, I've finished rewatching for the second time seasons 1 and 2 (I've just started rewatching season 3 with the infamously gloriously bad Spock's Brain!).

My list of episodes to watch from seasons 1 and 2. I've selected all episodes scored from 3 to 5.

SEASON 1 (22 episodes)
The Cage
The Man Trap
Charlie X
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie: Part 1
The Menagerie: Part 2
The Conscience of the King
Balance of Terror
The Galileo Seven
Tomorrow is Yesterday
Court Martial
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation -- Annihilate!

SEASON 2 (14 episodes)
Amok Time
Mirror, Mirror
The Doomsday Machine
Metamorphosis
Journey to Babel
Obsession
The Trouble with Tribbles (I think)
The Gamesters of Triskelion
A Piece of the Action
The Immunity Syndrome
Return to Tomorrow
Patterns of Force
By Any Other Name
The Ultimate Computer