truth on hold Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 (edited) My top 3 by synopsis: 1. Kirk is stranded on a planet with a more powerful reptilian crocodile creature (aka "Gorn"), and must use his wits to make weapons from the natural resources around him 2. The crew travels to a planet of rock creatures who can draw on a person's memory to make them think they are interacting with an important figure from history (e.g. Abe Lincoln) 3. A small but highly dangerous space vehicle/robot threatens to destroy the ship thinking its mission is to eliminate everything in the universe that isn't perfect. The crew later realizes its the result of a crash between 2 non-threatening vessels, but when combined the instructions get mixed up into something sinister. Kirk uses reverse psychology to make the bot destroy itself by pointing out it's error and thus the responsibility to destroy itself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8VkzG2S0-Q Edited June 3, 2014 by Joe_the_6_pack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PastaJoe Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 My favorite was the mirror universe with the evil counterparts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 The episode where McCoy says, "dammit, Jim." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Joe- love the topic, but really? #2 is perhaps the funniest (as in bad funny) episodes of the series...I love it, mind you...but it is pure camp! There were a lot of really great episodes, very difficult to pick just three, but today, I think I would probably go with: 1- Errand of Mercy (Kirk & the boys find themselves in the midst of a planets civil war, only to learn that one side is being, secretly, backed by the Klingons, for their own uterior motives. The first appearance on the Klingons!) What people forget about the original Star Trek series, beyond its' technicolor assault, over-acting (bad acting?) and low budget, campy special effects..when it was at its' best, and why I think it was such a cultural touchstone, it was one of the first sci-fi shows (along with Twilight Zone before it) that, to a degree (laugh if you want) to deal in some sort of semblance of scientific reality, and to deal with parallels with the times it was on television...this episode was a commentary, in Rodenberry's own way, on the Viet Nam war, and future military situations that our country would become entangled in. Putting your resources behind one side, and then finding out that maybe they weren't the good guys, after all. The dangers, and unintended circumstances of giving weapons to people who will one day turn them on you... 2- City On the Edge of Forever: the first real sci-fi time travel story I remember, that really put the characters into the time and place that they travelled back to...New York City, during the depression, where Kirk falls for a, still foxy, Joan Collins. I liked it because it actually offered some sort of commentary on the times it was taking place in, rather than just making it an excuse to put the characters into some "fish out of water" circumstance to figure their way out of...no Kirk dressed like a Nazi, or anything silly like that. Generally, this is considered the all-time best episode of the show. 3- The Devil In the Dark - this was the first time we see Spock use the Vulcan "mind-meld". A creature is terrorizing a Federation silicon mining operation on a planet... in trying to figure out how to stop it, Spock comes to learn that the creature that is killing the miners, is actually a mother protecting her children from the miners. It was here that the notion of learing about what you don't understand, rather than fearing it was really driven home. The episode where McCoy says, "dammit, Jim." My favorite McCoy "damnit" was: "Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor not an elevator"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 The City On The Edge of Forever Journey to Babel The Doomsday Machine Honorable mentions: The Trouble With Tribbles Shore Leave (classic Theodore Sturgeon story. It even feels like a Sturgeon story). A Taste of Armageddon 3- The Devil In the Dark - this was the first time we see Spock use the Vulcan "mind-meld". A creature is terrorizing a Federation silicon mining operation on a planet... in trying to figure out how to stop it, Spock comes to learn that the creature that is killing the miners, is actually a mother protecting her children from the miners. It was here that the notion of learing about what you don't understand, rather than fearing it was really driven home. The first mind meld was in "Dagger of the Mind" (season 1, episode 7). "The Devil in the Dark" was about 15-20 episodes later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsGuyInMalta Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 No one is voting for the Space Hippies episode? Blasphemy! My top 3 would be : 1) Balance of Terror - The whole "dueling commanders" plot was masterfully done. Considering how underutilized the Romulans have been in Star Trek lore, this was a great example of how similar Humans and Romulans are in the Star Trek Universe. 2) City on the Edge of Forever - See Buftex's great description. 3) The Doomsday Machine - A Moby Dick re-telling in the 23rd century. With spaceships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 (edited) The City On The Edge of Forever Journey to Babel The Doomsday Machine Honorable mentions: The Trouble With Tribbles Shore Leave (classic Theodore Sturgeon story. It even feels like a Sturgeon story). A Taste of Armageddon The first mind meld was in "Dagger of the Mind" (season 1, episode 7). "The Devil in the Dark" was about 15-20 episodes later. Nerd...I knew that..was just trying to lure you out of hiding! Edited June 3, 2014 by Buftex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 You jackwagons have just persuaded me to buy the original three seasons on blu-ray. Thanks. I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 (edited) No one is voting for the Space Hippies episode? Blasphemy! My top 3 would be : 1) Balance of Terror - The whole "dueling commanders" plot was masterfully done. Considering how underutilized the Romulans have been in Star Trek lore, this was a great example of how similar Humans and Romulans are in the Star Trek Universe. 2) City on the Edge of Forever - See Buftex's great description. 3) The Doomsday Machine - A Moby Dick re-telling in the 23rd century. With spaceships. It had one of the grooviest Trek moments...Spock is one! Trek tackles the generation gap! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OptLgGtZ9_E Edited June 3, 2014 by Buftex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 You jackwagons have just persuaded me to buy the original three seasons on blu-ray. Thanks. I think. You will thank us later...the blu-rays are awesome! I only have the first season, but the features are really cool...you can watch each episode in its' original form, or an alternative version, with updated special effects. I prefer the orininal, when all is said and done...but if you like to see the Enterprise flying in front of what look like real planets, instead of spray-painted styrofoam balls, the updates are the way to go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truth on hold Posted June 3, 2014 Author Share Posted June 3, 2014 (edited) Joe- love the topic, but really? #2 is perhaps the funniest (as in bad funny) episodes of the series...I love it, mind you...but it is pure camp! No i liked it, the rock creature was cool, and the epic characters recreated from people's memory was a neat angle on moral dilemma http://youtu.be/vBQkIoBx-VU Edited June 3, 2014 by Joe_the_6_pack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 Picard > Kirk (you know I had to do it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 3, 2014 Share Posted June 3, 2014 No i liked it, the rock creature was cool, and the epic characters recreated from people's memory was a neat angle on moral dilemma Will have to re-watch it again someday...the rock creature always looked like a steaming turd. Of course, in The Devil In the Dark (one of my favorites), the horta creature looked like a dish of hamburger helper... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garion Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Strangely I don't recall the two videos linked to. Now I may have to buy that bluray collection. . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 (edited) Strangely I don't recall the two videos linked to. Now I may have to buy that bluray collection. . . Both clips (Lincoln was in "Savage Curtain" and space hippies from "The Way to Eden") are from the third season... when there was a condiderable dip in the quality of the show. As I recall (and I am sure DC Tom will correct me if I am wrong), Gene Rodenberry had quit the show after the second season, as friction with NBC was too much for him to take... season three has a handful of decent episodes ("Enterprise Incident", "Paradise Sydrome", "Wink of an Eye" and "Day of the Dove" are best IMO), but by and large, had some of the more ludicrous stories, and some of the most comically awful episodes...still fun to watch..."Spocks Brain" may be the worst episode ever...though it had a planet of foxy ladies, looking for the perfecet maie brain to rule them...it was big with the feminists! A great codensed version of "Spocks Brain" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zKDQfVbWqc Edited June 4, 2014 by Buftex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truth on hold Posted June 4, 2014 Author Share Posted June 4, 2014 (edited) Surprised no one mentioned "Space Seed" with Khan played by that "rich Corinthian leather" dude. Edited June 4, 2014 by Joe_the_6_pack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 Surprised no one mentioned "Space Seed" with Khan played by that "rich Corinthian leather" dude. Funny...I thought of that too. But, I realized, while I like the Kahn flick best of all, I never really thougt of it as one of the best episodes....though I did like Marla McGiver! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garion Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 I am of an age where I only saw them on reruns maybe third season didn't get much play. I thought I was a Trekkie but maybe not. On that note I just read Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) autobiography. It was pretty darn good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted June 4, 2014 Share Posted June 4, 2014 I don't really remember a lot of the episodes, but one that seems to stick in my mind is the one where Sulu gets trapped on that really cold planet and almost dies waiting for the crew to get him. For some reason, I always thought it was cool that he generated heat by using his phaser on a rock. By the way, and I'm not kidding here, Spock is a blood relative of mine. Distant, but related. It's always hard to remember, but I think he's my second cousin, once removed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Both clips (Lincoln was in "Savage Curtain" and space hippies from "The Way to Eden") are from the third season... when there was a condiderable dip in the quality of the show. As I recall (and I am sure DC Tom will correct me if I am wrong), Gene Rodenberry had quit the show after the second season, as friction with NBC was too much for him to take... season three has a handful of decent episodes ("Enterprise Incident", "Paradise Sydrome", "Wink of an Eye" and "Day of the Dove" are best IMO), but by and large, had some of the more ludicrous stories, and some of the most comically awful episodes...still fun to watch... Roddenberry was in a fight with the network over time slots - he wanted early Monday evening, when he knew his target audience (teenagers and young adults, basically) would be watching. At the end of season 2, Roddenberry told the network that if they gave him the early Monday evening time slot, he'd line-produce every episode for season 3. The network told him no way in hell (reasonable, since that would have required bumping Laugh-In - the 68-69 season's #1 show - to a new slot), and gave him 10pm Fridays instead (blisteringly stupid, since the target audience didn't sit around on Fridays watching TV.) At which point Roddenberry knew the show was dead, and stopped putting meaningful time into it. "Spocks Brain" may be the worst episode ever...though it had a planet of foxy ladies, looking for the perfecet maie brain to rule them...it was big with the feminists! A great codensed version of "Spocks Brain" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zKDQfVbWqc "Brain and brain! What is brain!" It's what the screenwriter lacked when he wrote that episode. Still, it's better than "The Apple." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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