10 Best Battles In Star Trek's History

Season 3, Episode 15 - Yesterday's Enterprise

There's a good lesson here in what actually makes a space battle so enthralling. Yes, you can have a million ships and, yes, you can have a constant stream of elaborate effects shots but, if you're lacking in stakes the whole thing falls flat. The finale of Yesterday's Enterprise is mostly just recycled stock shots of weapon's fire but still manages to be one of the most gripping scenes in Star Trek history.

Having been hurtled into an alternative future during a historic battle with the Romulans, the Enterprise-C emerges to find the Federation at breaking point in a war with the Klingons. By avoiding destruction in their temporal rift, history unfolded unkindly for humanity. Well, unless you're Tasha Yar of course, who was now incredibly Not Dead.

After some soul-searching and, well, Guinan figuring it out, the Enterprise-C heads back into the rift to sacrifice itself, restore the continuity, and save the Federation from annihilation. Meanwhile, the Enterpirse-D takes on three Klingon cruisers in an attempt to cover their escape, in one the show's darkest, bloodiest, and most gripping encounters. Yes, it's lacking on the visuals, but the story it's telling more than makes up for it.