Star Trek: 25 Greatest Original Series Episodes

By Steve Picciotti / April 11, 2013

4. The Trouble With Tribbles

Its literally impossible to watch this episode without smiling, either from the comic value or utter absurdity. Either way, it did absolutely nothing to advance the franchise and after a particularly dark second season, it provided some very much needed comic relief, and paved the way for an animated sequel episode as well as a seemingly impossible crossover episode with Deep Space Nine some thirty years later. The Enterprise is sent to space station K-7 to appease the anal retentive station chief Mr. Baris by protecting a grain shipment from contamination, a grain that attracts the attention of little fur ball like critters known as Tribbles, brought aboard by trader Cyrano Jones. When the Klingons arrive unexpectedly seeking shore leave, the warrior race finds nothing but disdain in their feelings towards the rapidly multiplying fur balls. After the Enterprise crew endures taunting from the Klingon crew and discovers a Klingon spy aboard the station poisoning the grain (and killing the majority of the Tribbles in the process), Scotty sees it as only fair to deliver the remaining living Tribbles to multiply exponentially within none other than the Klingon engine room, where therell be no Tribble at all. Well played, Mr. Scott. Well played.

3. Mirror, Mirror

The idea of a parallel mirror universe is one of my favorite storylines that Star Trek ever did. Data briefly touched on the subject of parallel universes in one of the last episodes of The Next Generation, Parallels, the theory that any and all possibilities in a given moment are happening within the same space but in alternate realities. In this reality, the I.S.S. Enterprise is the flagship of the Terran Empire, a barbaric war like version of the Federation that is under orders to systematically slaughter the population of the planet below if they do not hand over their dilithium crystals for warp drive enhancements for imperial vessels. Also in this universe, crewmen advance in rank by means of assassination, making things all the more difficult for Kirk and crew to get home. Oh, yeah, and Spock has a beard and Kirk is married. I KNOW!

2. Space Seed

This first season episode paved the way to one of the most beautiful cinematic pieces of all time in Star Trek II and introduced us to the timeless poster child of big baddies, Khan Noonien Singh, played ever so amazingly by Ricardo Montalban (and possibly Benedict Cumberbatch?). The Enterprise comes across the S.S. Botany Bay (now say it in Russian for Chekhov, Botany Bay? BOTANY BAY?! Oh no) housing Khan and his men in stasis since the Eugenics Wars of 1996. After taking Khans crew aboard as their guests, it isnt long before he tries to kill Kirk and hijack the Enterprise for no real reason other than he can. Once he and his men are stopped, Khan accepts exile on Ceti Alpha V, which is where Chekhov (who wasnt even there and yet Khan still recognized him) and Captain Terrell of the U.S.S. Reliant would find him again 15 years later.

1. The City On The Edge Of Forever

The death of Edith Keeler, ranked in 2005 by TV Guide as one of the most unexpected moments in television history, is a particularly heart-wrenching one. Dr. McCoy, under the influence of some weird elephant tranquilizer, goes on a rabid-like rampage and beams down to a planet that contains a gate of time. Jumping through the gate, McCoy finds himself in 1930s New York City, where Kirk and Spock must follow him and prevent him from doing anything stupid, i.e. cause a time paradox that could destroy 2/3 of the universe. Wait sorry, wrong franchise again, but he does do a particular number on the flow of history, i.e. destroys it. While there, notorious ladies man James T. Kirk meets Edith Keeler, played by Joan Collins, and instantly swoons over her. Hopelessly in love with this woman he barely knows (classic Kirk), Spock must break the news to his friend that if he does not allow Edith Keeler to go to her death by car accident, a chain reaction will ensue, allowing Adolph Hitler to develop the atomic bomb first and ultimately triumph in World War II. In one of the most heart wrenching scenes youll ever see, Kirk must physically restrain McCoy from saving Ms. Keelers life after being hit by a truck in order to preserve the timeline. As McCoy yells at him, Kirk begins to sob. Did we miss your favourite Star Trek episodes? Did we rank them wrong? Sound off in the comments below.