Star Trek: Top 10 Original Series Episodes
5. Balance of Terror
The Enterprise encounters the Romulans in this first season episode that ranks among Treks best.
Its been suggested that Roddenberry and writer Paul Schneider gleaned inspiration for this episode from the 1958 film Run Silent, Run Deep, wherein a US submarine commander seeks to destroy a Japanese sub. Mark Leonard (who would later play the role of Sarek, Spocks father) is the Romulan commander who has been attacking Earth outposts near the Neutral Zone. The Enterprise engages the Romulans and race to destroy their warship before it can return to its home base. The bulk of the episode is a tense, running battle between two starships, where wits and intuition are more important than might or firepower. Balance of Terror is perhaps the most nautical of the original Star Trek episodes, an element that writer/director Nicholas Meyer was attracted to, an element that he incorporated heavily into Star Trek II. Meyer even went so far as to use the sub warfare idea during in the climactic scene in Star Trek II where Kirk and Kahn engage in a running battle a nebula where their ships instrumentation doesn't function. Balance of Terror also dealt with the issue of racial bigotry, a hot topic at the time and an issue Star Trek would address again and again throughout its three season run. Memorable line: "I wish I were on a long sea voyage somewhere. Not too much deck tennis, no frantic dancing. And no responsibility." - Kirk