10 Greatest Star Trek Courtroom Episodes
3. Court Martial
This is an often overlooked episode of The Original Series, as between the setting and the outcome, it is somewhat eclipsed by the episodes that surround it. However, that does the show a disservice. It is a tense hour of exploration and, though we all assume that Kirk didn't jettison the pod early, there is a time where we are told to believe that he did.
Finney's rage toward Kirk over the presumed sabotage of his career is, actually, something that the audience can empathise with, to a point. The error that Kirk logged may have put paid to his dreams of being a captain, but seeing as the death rate in Starfleet at that time was oddly high, Kirk may have done him a favour!
Things really aren't looking great for Kirk until Finney turns up, alive and well - if unhinged - by the episode's close. It is a subtle reminder that just because a character may be popular among their peers, even in the 23rd century, there is no man above the law.