10 Greatest Star Trek Bottle Episodes

So, what is a bottle show? They're rather simple to explain: an executive looks at the budget, panics, and demands a show set entirely on standing sets.

Making anything, from stage plays to blockbuster films, comes with a price tag. So, a clever way around the ballooning costs of television has been the use of bottle shows - episodes that don't incur additional costs for set building, and often, though not always, using the main cast rather than guest stars.

Star Trek has been a bit loose on the interpretation when it comes to the use of guest stars in their bottle shows, though they have been clever in how they've structured these episodes. This is a list that could easily run for three or four sequels, so the episodes we've focused on here are some of the most immediate examples that come to mind.

Put up your feet, switch off any devices that are sucking up electricity in the background, save your money, and enjoy these budgeted bastions of brilliance.

Full disclosure: this writer cannot stand this episode. The idea may have been cute, but the execution sets my teeth on edge. However, it is a perfect example of a bottle show, this one hailing from Enterprise, so let's swallow that bile and carry on.

Porthos is sick! That's enough to rally most Trekkies up in arms to save the best crewman on the ship. Dr. Phlox says that only time will tell if he'll make it, so his dutiful best friend - Captain Archer - wows to stay by his side through the night.

The episode, in truth, should have been so much funnier than it ended up becoming. Archer is on edge throughout, Phlox is on, ahem, full display, and we are treated to a plethora of exotic alien animal life. Though of course, we get a happy ending (seriously: Trekkies may have rioted otherwise), the episode falls a bit flat when all of its components come together. 

Still, no one can argue that it didn't save the show a bit of money - so stuffed doggo or no - we tip our caps to this episode!