10 Greatest Star Trek Courtroom Episodes

It's a damn show trial.

The Undiscovered Country contains one of the best courtroom scenes in the entire franchise, as Kirk and McCoy stand trial for the assassination of the Klingon Chancellor, Gorkon. Though of course we as the audience know that neither man had anything to do with the crime, Klingons were not at that point well known for listening to reason.

There is so much to love about the scene. Christopher Plummer chews every piece of the set he can get his knashers into while he acts as the Prosecutor, while a somewhat pathetic attempt on the part of the defence lawyer, played in a fun cameo by Michael Dorn, effectively seals the officers' fate.

Thanks primarily to a last minute 'let's all be friends' decision by the judge, they are spared the death penalty, causing General Chang's sole eyebrow to sky-rocket. The acting in this scene is pitch perfect throughout, with Shatner at his best, and Kelly even including some humour to proceedings.

The pinnacle of the scene is Chang's eruption, demanding Kirk answer him before waiting for the translation. The moment, drawing on real-world parallels, is a powerful moment to behold.

Perfection.