Worst Star Trek episode

[Mikey]

Hmmmm....

I really liked the space hippy episode. It included a bunch of things you NEVER see in sci-fi; like a counter culture. (That's not armed and hostile.) And a problem that isn't solved through the application of physical ,force or tachyons.

AND it's one of the few times somebody upstages Kirk. Kirk is completely USELESS in this one, and you can tell it bothers him.

Don C.

True,
Also, I like that the episode seems "dated" because of the "hippies in space".
It refects a time when Star Trek was made and to me that's appealing for nostalgia's sake.
When I watch Classic Trek, I don't need to see an episode that could pass for new today ..... That's why I hate the new CGI in Classic Trek.
I don't want to be fooled into thinking this something it's not.

For Classic Trek, there's basically 5 different kinds of stories --- all are valid and made the show a true classic.

1. The heavy story (City On The Edge), (Dagger of the Mind) etc

2. The fun story that is fun for the sake of a breather (Eden), (Peice of the Action), (I, Mudd) etc.

3. The action adventure story (Enterprise Incident), (Doomsday), (Arena) etc.

4. The lesson story (Miri), (Mudd's Women), (Tommorw is Yesterday) etc.

5. Combo of any of the examples above (The Ultimate Computer), (Corbomite Maneuver) etc.

Without any of the above, Classic Trek would not be Classic Trek, imo

[shyndman]

I always thought "Turnabout Intruder" was the worst - based solely on Shatner's acting. Even for him, it was over the top.

[Mikey]

I just watched Naked Time last night --- Shat was pretty over the top at the end of that one too

[fallensaviour]

Herbert,herbert,herbert...

[The Bat]

"The way to Eden" It was total 60's hippy crap. It was horible, no wonder I never seen this in rerunns.

YUP!! When I saw the title of this thread...that was the 1st Episode that came to Mind!

[Earth 2 Chris]

I just watched Turnabout Intruder the other night. I think the Shat did a great job at playing Lester as Kirk. He used totally different mannerisms and even his speech pattern seemed different. Until, at the end of the episode he turned into a total ham, even for him.

In hindsight though, that episode is dated horribly. Lester being unable to be a Captain and hating her "womanhood" just smacks of a chauvinist man writing it in the 60s.

"Eden" is pretty bad, but then season 3 has it's rep for a reason. Of the first season, the real clunker I hate is "The Alternative Factor". Lazarus is such an annoying unlikeable character...both of him!

Chris

[HardyGirl]

I just thought of 2 more I don't care for, The Alternative Factor and The Savage Curtain.

[megoscott]

My friend did great job condensing Spock's Brain into 4 minutes. Check it out, it's pretty funny.

YouTube - Spock's Brain: Condensed

[HardyGirl]

My friend did great job condensing Spock's Brain into 4 minutes. Check it out, it's pretty funny.

YouTube - Spock's Brain: Condensed

As dopey as that ep is, I love it. It's plot has been the story line behind many action figure adventures.

[apes3978]

I don't totally hate the episode, but "The Trouble With Tribbles" is HIGHLY over-rated!

[Captain]

In Shatners defence, he was very ill during the filming of Turnabout Intruder. They had to shoot him up with vitamin B just so he could complete the episode without passing out. If Shat took a sick day, and they had to break from filming, the episode would have been tossed, and production shut down as the Trek folk were told the show was cancelled at the start of filming the episode.
There are rumors that a couple of more episodes were cut short (in preproduction) due to the cancellation as well. I'm sure if it was true, scripts, etc., would have surfaced by now though?

[sauce]

the Hippie episode is a fantastic period piece. it showed a lot of what i like about TOS, in that the far flung universes of a faraway future were just so much like what is on earth right now (or then, in the 1960s). . . but also, even now, they are relevant

so, i'm in the camp of no bad episodes, but i will admit to bad moments....and then i will also say, even after the bad moments, i feel complete at the end of each episode

HERBERT!

[huedell]

I don't totally hate the episode, but "The Trouble With Tribbles" is HIGHLY over-rated!

Not by the diehards (like the ones on that post on this site).

The TRIBBLES episode is basically the only TOS episode I can sit through
(I'm more of a TNG fan)---and every time I bring up the TRIBBLES
episode on this board it seems I can hear a pin drop.

[Earth 2 Chris]

In Shatners defence, he was very ill during the filming of Turnabout Intruder. They had to shoot him up with vitamin B just so he could complete the episode without passing out. If Shat took a sick day, and they had to break from filming, the episode would have been tossed, and production shut down as the Trek folk were told the show was cancelled at the start of filming the episode.
There are rumors that a couple of more episodes were cut short (in preproduction) due to the cancellation as well. I'm sure if it was true, scripts, etc., would have surfaced by now though?

Oh yeah, now I remember reading that. I really did enjoy his performance in the first part of the episode, it was just his "Shatner on Acid" painful reactions at episode's end that are laugh-inducing.

I don't totally hate the episode, but "The Trouble With Tribbles" is HIGHLY over-rated!

It's a great episode, but I agree that it's not the best Trek. I used think "City on the Edge of Forever" was the best, but it too has been overexposed. "The Doomsday Machine" is pretty damn close to perfect.

Chris

[johnmiic]

Worst Episode Ever: The Omega Glory.

2 plots that collide and make no sense. No explanation for The U.S. Constitution being there, ( not the starship-the document)!!! How did they read it as it is in English?!?!?! The first plot about Tracy and eternal youth is just wasted; just like the loss of his crew. Has anyone ever noticed that when Sulu and the landing party arrive and apprehend Capt. Tracy it's nearly the same set-up as when Sulu and the landing party stop Admiral Cartwright from escaping in Star Trek VI? Hold it right there Cartwright! I fell like they lifted that scene for their last film.

Runner-Up:

The Alternative Factor, man did this suck.

Episode that could have been improved:

The Savage Curtain, Milton Berle reportedly was a big fan and wanted to be a guest star on ST but they could not find a script to use him in. I suggest, that rather than beaming down to the planet and being manipulated into a good fights evil story, they discover that the alien impersonating Lincoln is the last of his kind and lured the Enterprise crew because he knew he was dying and was afraid to die alone. Berle could have played Lincoln and Surak and in the course of the story come clean about being an impostor. McCoy could have discovered he was hiding the truth-he was dying. He would revert to his true form, the costume with claws, after he died. They could have had a moving a burial scene at the end. My suggestion is probably something more like a Rod Serling Twilight Zone story than ST.