2 least favorite TOS episodes

[Earth 2 Chris]

I could never get behind the episode "Wolf in the Fold" where Scotty is framed for murder. What I didn't like is that the real murderer is an alien entity who was also Jack the Ripper?? That entity was played by the voice of Piglet from Winnie the Pooh which makes the whole thing that much more ridiculous.

I like that episode. Scotty is pretty clueless in that one, just to facilitate the idea, but other than that, I like the idea of Jack the Ripper being some demon that made it out into space. Joe R. Lansdale got some mileage out of the notion of Jack the Ripper as a demonic force in several tales, including a Batman one he wrote for "The Further Adventures of Batman" prose anthology.

The Piglet guy works because he's the last guy you'd expect. Unfortunately his stunt double bares little resemblance to him, even with a bald cap.

Spectre of the Gun is another one of those episodes that just doesn't make sense. They become cowboys and are supposed to die at the shoot out of OK Coral. And none of the buildings have interiors. Just fronts...

I've read in several Trek books where the author comments on how Trek's limited Season 3 budget actually worked to their advantage in this one. Tombstone looks as it does because it's based on the fragmented image conjured up from the crew's minds.

I think I like "Specter" because I'm a sucker for any story about Wyatt Earp and crew.


Edited to add:

I never did list my two least favorites. Off the top of my head I'd have to say "The Alternative Factor" and "Catspaw". "Alternative" is just a mess. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and that Lazarus guy really grated on my nerves. Catspaw, I honestly haven't seen it in years, but I remember not liking it. Those really crappy puppets at the end cinched it for me. I'm very forgiving on dated SFX. But that looked like crap in 1967.



Chris

[PNGwynne]

Most of the episodes suggested are pretty awful, but I really like "Is There in Truth No Beauty?"

[torgospizza]

AOY actually had two books written as "sequels" to the episode in which Spock sired a son to Zarabeth.

Some trivia:

Allan Holdsworth has an album named Atavachron with a song "All Our Yesterdays." He's even wearing a red shirt on the cover.

[Nostalgiabuff]

the characters often acted out of character simply to fit whatever crazy story line someone came up with.....that is why the movie characters in many ways are differnt from their earlier TV versions.
I like Wolf in the Fold
I think my faves would be City on the Edge of Forever and Mirror, Mirror. there is something really cool about that early version of the evil federation empire. later continuations, both books adn on Ds9 took something from that.
I liked Savage Curtain and Spectre of the Gun too. they were fun episodes to watch

[CowofZot]

I saw Allan Holdsworth front row in Pomona 20 odd yrs ago.

[sprytel]

"Alternative" is just a mess. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and that Lazarus guy really grated on my nerves.

Yes... but what of Lazarus?

[Joe90]

Ah, you folks are way to critical! All the episodes you've mentioned are great -- I would sit down and watch any one of those in a heartbeat.

[johnmiic]

there was the one with Ben Finney, where he tried to frame Kirk for his death. Pretty stupid all in all.

Court Martial

Then there was the one with the salt vampire. Kirk came across as waaaay too cold.

The Man Trap. The title really doesn't fit all that well when you think about it. The Salt Vampire didn't always appear as a beautiful woman to victimize men.

I never did list my two least favorites. Off the top of my head I'd have to say "The Alternative Factor" and "Catspaw". "Alternative" is just a mess. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and that Lazarus guy really grated on my nerves.

I would agree with Alternative Factor. The first 1/2 hour does not make any sense and is really badly written. It's worse than a bad Lost In Space story. I would also add the Empath. It is a sensless waste of time. This story is also really bad.

Some of the others mentioned I can see where they had some basis as good ideas. Is There in Truth No Beauty? would be better if they changed maybe %5 of the story. Way to Eden was originally about McCoy's daughter but they switched it to Checkov's girlfriend. Spock's Brain would have been better if not for maybe the last 5 minutes. I can't buy someone's brain gets re-attached and they help you operate and then get up and never stop talking.

[megoapesnut]

Yeah, The Children Shall Lead was definitely the worst. I had forgotten that one. I think I blocked it out of my mind. I'll change my list to that and The Lights of Zetar

[UnderdogDJLSW]

With the Alternative Factor, I had read somewhere that John Barrymore was supposed to play Lazarus. He apparently got wasted when filming was supposed to begin and they brought in the guy who played him instead. Apparently some days of filming were lost, so some scenes were cut and that is why there was so much negative image photography of fighting and walking through corridors. To fill the lost seconds.

I think Children Shall Lead and In Truth are my least favorite.

[HardyGirl]

A Piece of The Action and The Way to Eden

[Mikey]

Speaking of And the Children Shall Lead

A few years ago a buddy told me the Asian boy grew up to be Takashi on Revenge of the Nerds.

I never knew that

[Joe90]

I remember watching The Man Trap in the 4th Grade. It was 1966 and The Man Trap was the premiere of Star Trek. It was riveting. And the monster in its true form was horrific!

[HardyGirl]

Speaking of And the Children Shall Lead

A few years ago a buddy told me the Asian boy grew up to be Takashi on Revenge of the Nerds.

I never knew that

Yep, Brian Tochi. He was the voice of Allen on the Amazing Chan & and Chan Clan. Also he and Pamelyn Ferdin reunited to do Filmation's Space Academy some years later.

[mego73]

According to David Gerrold, the early script and concepts for the episode were much more solid then what ended up on screen.

For myself, I'd have to hand the worst episode to The Alternative Factor because it was boring and muddled. Another poster wrote about the behind the scenes problems with that episode. There was also rumors that Lazarus was written to have a romance with the black Lt. Masters in the shooting script (she probably wasn't specified African American in the shooting script) and that had to be patched over because standards and practices wouldn't allow a mixed racial romance back then (hens the big deal of the Uhura/Kirk kiss later on).

many of the rest mentioned are bad but still enjoyable in one aspect or another. Plus, I don't care what anyone says And The Children Shall Lead scared the snot out of me back in the day and today I still think it's effective (although it's still a generously flawed episode). Plus an episode that has at least a minute or two of the Shat in serious scenery chomping overdrive as only the Shat can do can't be too bad.

Way to Eden is probably the worst, although Spock's Brain is notoriously known as the worst. I think it was even the Season 3 opener. Gene Coon wrote that under a pen-name. I guess everyone turns out a dud now and then.

Chris