A TOS "best of" selection

[Sim]

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine and I started a "cultural exchange": He recommended a couple of anime series to me, as I've never really looked into the Japanese anime genre before and knew next to nothing about it, and in exchange, I gave him a "best of" list with selected episodes of TOS and TNG (he has no prior Trek exposure).

A criterion was brevity: I wanted to include TOS episodes that are at the core of what makes TOS, but rather skip more than less in order not to stress his patience too much. I came up with that list:

1. The Man Trap (I felt the story is suited as a first impression for people who know other SF tropes, but no Star Trek, plus Uhura and Sulu get a little more to do than usual. Also, the dynamics between Kirk and Bones shine up, and Spock's logicalness in his exchange with Uhura.)

2./3. The Menagerie, Parts 1 & 2 (Crucial for its canon relevance, plus a really great SF idea)

4. The Squire of Gothos (I felt I needed a more light-hearted episode to keep his interest, plus Trelane is interesting as a proto-Q character)

5. The Return of the Archons (I assumed he might like the "Purge" aspect of the episode, plus it's as good as any as an example for the "Kirk argues a computer to death" episodes)

6. Space Seed (for obvious reasons)

7. The Devil in the Dark (just a great classic episode of true Trek spirit, imo)

8. Errand of Mercy (first appearance of the Klingons! Plus interesting commentary on war that's unfortunately very relevant again today)

9. The City on the Edge of Forever (arguably one of the best episodes of all time, at very least one of the most generally praised)

10. Operation Annihilate (a decent "monster alien shocker" plus some more about Spock's alienness)

11. Amok Time (THE Spock episode!)

12. Who Mourns for Adonais (I figure he likes ancient mythology, plus it's a somewhat joyful episode)

13. Mirror, Mirror (the mirror universe is just an iconic Star Trek idea)

14. The Doomsday Machine (exemplar episode for a non-personal threat in space, decently thrilling, plus interesting Bones/Spock dynamics)

15. Journey to Babel (THE Spock episode aside "Amok Time", plus Spock's parents are very relevant for canon)

16. Obsession (good thriller, and Kirk's obsession in interaction with Bones and Spock exemplarily shows their friendship)

17. The Trouble with Tribbles (great example for a funny episode, plus the Tribbles are iconic)

18. Bread and Circuses (one of the better examples for the "planet that is like a past earth period" episodes, plus I think my friend is interested in the Greek/Roman ancient times)

19. The Enterprise Incident (Romulans!)

20. The Day of the Dove (perhaps the best Klingon episode aside "Errand of Mercy", plus example for social commentary on war)

21. For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky (wonderful Bones episode)

22. Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (example for how progressive ST was in the 60s)

23. All Our Yesterdays (a decent episode with interesting character moments, which I felt is well suited to end the introduction)

24. Star Trek II - The Wrath of Khan
25. Star Trek III - The Search for Spock
26. Star Trek IV - The Voyage Home


So far my list. I was really tempted to include more episodes, but had to pull myself together to keep it brief.

What do you think? Am I missing an episode which you feel must definitely appear on such a list? Are there others you'd definitely throw out? Looking forward to your ideas!

 

[drt]

I'd substitute "The Corbomite Maneuver" for "The Man Trap" ( "Corbomite" has a more Star Trekky solution to the bug-eyed monster problem) and "Balance of Terror" instead of "The Enterprise Incident (it's a better introduction to the Romulans).

Definitely add: "The Naked Time" (good character study for Kirk and Spock) and "The Tholian Web" (interesting episode with good Spock/Bones stuff).

Possible additions: "The Enemy Within" (Kirk leadership study), "The Galileo Seven" (Spock leadership study) and "Metamorphosis" (a good one for capturing that TOS "space is weird and trippy" vibe)

I maybe wouldn't bother with the feature films unless you friend asks for more recommendations.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Five of my top favorites in no particular order:

Trouble with Tribbles
The Doomsday Machine
Balance of Terror
Journey to Babel
A Taste of Armageddon

These are not necessarily my TOP 5 episodes- I'm not even sure I could make that list at age 55 when I remember TOS and have loved it about as far back as I can remember. Captain Kirk (The Shat) will always be my captain.

 

[Sim]

I'd substitute "The Corbomite Maneuver" for "The Man Trap" ( "Corbomite" has a more Star Trekky solution to the bug-eyed monster problem) and "Balance of Terror" instead of "The Enterprise Incident (it's a better introduction to the Romulans).

Definitely add: "The Naked Time" (good character study for Kirk and Spock) and "The Tholian Web" (interesting episode with good Spock/Bones stuff).

Possible additions: "The Enemy Within" (Kirk leadership study), "The Galileo Seven" (Spock leadership study) and "Metamorphosis" (a good one for capturing that TOS "space is weird and trippy" vibe)

I maybe wouldn't bother with the feature films unless you friend asks for more recommendations.

Good recommendations! I think I understand your rationale for each case.

I guess I didn't pick "Corbomite Maneuver", because although it's more true to the spirit of Trek, it's less accessible for a newbie who is used to the "evil monster is evil" trope, and might be too "boring" for a modern viewer... most of the time, nothing really happens and there is much fewer character stuff than in "Man Trap".

As for "Balance of Terror" and "Enterprise Incident", it was a toss up... in the end, I imagined my friend would enjoy the spy and disguise angle more than the submarine in space setting.

The reason I discarded "Enemy Within" and "Galileo Seven" was because I felt the production values didn't age well and they might turn out involuntarily funny to him. But "Tholian Web" was a very narrow pick, perhaps I should substitute it for "All Our Yesterdays". Both have really good Spock/Bones moments.

The core movies, the trilogy, was very important for the franchise as a whole, imo ... Khan, the Klingon redesign, the deepening of Vulcan mythology ... if he wants to go beyond TOS, it's a must see, imo.

At any rate, very good points!

 

[Sim]

Add THE APPLE to ram home the dangers of crimson cloth.

Good point! It's also suited as an example for an outdated, almost colonialist attitude that still popped up in TOS here and there ... but I guess "Obsession" will have to do to demonstrate the color problem.

 

[scotpens]

I would definitely add "Balance of Terror" and "The Naked Time" for excellent storytelling and fleshing out the regular characters. I'd scrap "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield." That preachy episode had all the subtlety of a charging bull elephant.

 

[Noname Given]

I guess I didn't pick "Corbomite Maneuver", because although it's more true to the spirit of Trek, it's less accessible for a newbie who is used to the "evil monster is evil" trope, and might be too "boring" for a modern viewer... most of the time, nothing really happens and there is much fewer character stuff than in "Man Trap".

First let me say that I think The Corbamite Maneuver is the best episode of Star Trek hands down across all iterations. Basically I'm admitting a bias before I continue.

So, with that out of the way I have to disagree with your assessment that there's: "fewer character stuff" in it then The Man Trap.

The interplay between Spock and Lieutenant Bailey, and especially between McCoy and Kirk through the entire episode really gives you insight into these characters, their motivations, and even their flaws.

The sequence on the bridge during the 10 minutes that Sulu is conducting his countdown is very tense. And I really love the fact that Kirk comes up with the idea to bluff Balok during and because of an argument he and Dr McCoy are having over a fairly routine and trivial matter when you take into consideration the situation the ship is in at that point. I also love that just before that happens the intensely logical Spock can only think of chess to describe the situation; and states that once an opponent is outmatched, that's the game - checkmate.

By comparison I honestly feel The Man Trap is honestly one of the worst first season episodes because it's clearly evident that the creature is intelligent; and when the creature in the guise of Dr McCoy even mentions that communication could be attempted, Kirk shuts the discussion down, and simply says the creature must be destroyed. There's also the fact that Dr. Crater definitely knows this, and could have diffused this entire situation at the start; but because this is just another 50s style 'evil monster' story, we have the i'diot ball' being liberally tossed around by all the characters. And honestly Spock is so out of character in the final sequence, to me it's annoying that's the first version of Spock the audience saw.

When you think about the fact that after the second Star Trek pilot, The Corbomite Maneuver was the actual first regular episode script filmed, but wasn't the first one aired only because of the time it took to complete all the visual effects shots needed for it, it really shows you that the original Star Trek series really came out with good guns blazing at the start. It also really shows that this is an episode that when they realize they couldn't get it ready to air first, they held it for the 1966 winter ratings sweeps.

I also have to disagree that it would be a bad episode to show an average viewer who's never seen Star Trek before because it really encapsulates what the core of the series is (especially with all the character moments that it has) in the 50 minute episode.

But, as I said, I'm pretty biased towards this episode as it is my favorite Star Trek episode of the entire franchise (And I've been watching Star Trek first run since 1969 during its third season. I was 6 years old. )

 

[publiusr]

Balance of Terror is perhaps the best introduction. In Anime you already have a lot of programs where you see otherwise noble combatants pitted one against the other as a running theme in shonen.

This however is my favorite
https://www.cbr.com/star-trek-most-underrated-episode-doomsday-machine/

 

[fireproof78]

Came here to emphasize Balance of Terror. To me it is a wonderful introductory episode, it isn't safe or preachy, and hits a lot of themes that can be seen in other works.

 

[Qonundrum]

My list:

THE NAKED TIME
THE CORBOMITE MANEUVER
BALANCE OF TERROR
TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY
A TASTE OF ARMAGEDDON
SPACE SEED
THE APPLE*, **, ***
THE GAMESTERS OF TRISKELEON
THE IMMUNITY SYNDROME
THE ULTIMATE COMPUTER
BREAD AND CIRCUSES*,****
THE ENTERPRISE INCIDENT
DAY OF THE DOVE
IS THERE IN TRUTH NO BEAUTY
THE THOLIAN WEB
LET THAT BE YOUR LAST BATTLEFIELD
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS

CAPS LOCK IS off.



* in amongst the rubbish are robust little discussions - especially via Spock and McCoy
** it's so bad, it's good

Both Romulan episodes are a must, with each having unique strengths.

NAKED TIME, especially considering it being the fourth episode and all, manages to succeed in adding depth to characters we barely know. And, dayum, this one covers the gamut. From Spock's breakdown to Riley's self-aggandizing self he keeps buried, to getting some background on Sulu (and Uhura with a very subtle line of dialogue, teehee), crazy guy with the red paint brush (holy crap, he's probably the most important character of the show in some ways) - a shame they edited the story from a 2-parter with pt 2 becoming the time travel throwback, which was also fairly well done... it's the only time travel episode that holds up... if anything, Spock being sarky before being infected begs a question...

CORBOMITE is a simple tale told very simply. It is a little slow at times, but the ending has a charm that renders it impossible to not love. Especially when early season 1 is loaded with crewmen getting horrific treatment by the likes of Charlie X or salt monsters or evil doppelganger Kirks...

Ignore the date ranges mentioned in SPACE SEED or pretend they're n-decades later or something, the rest of the story holds up fairly great, but I'd probably get weak in the knees to do whatever in order to get down Khan's pants as well. (Why the ship needs an Earth historian on board is a greater stretch, unless she teaches all the alien civilizations how nasty Earthlings were in its past and Kirk was being sarky when claiming she was useless, before mispronouncing her name. )

BATTLEFIELD is definitely as tactful as that skunk you're about to pass on the freeway but are unable to find the 'vent close' button in time, and yet there is some first rate acting and direction that has a magnetic nature to it.

Jean Lisette Aroeste's two entries have a couple obvious nitpicks, but everything else in them are so fresh and creative and engaging that I can't care about the pickynits and nittypicks.


*** Lastly, THE APPLE had a poignant Spock/McCoy scene, but the episode is an incredible mixed bag that's even more preachy than BATTLEFIELD was via its (rather thin) veneer allegory of cherrypicking some basic Bible bits with the serpent metaphor, Adam and Eve shtick, and so on... oh, about "serpent veneer" - you'd think that the low hanging fruit du jour is "Well it's obvious, it's the Vaal orifice shaped like a snake - right?" like how I had a long time ago... except that's too easy - even by 1960s standards Is Kirk the snake? No, but he's ordered to slither around by Starfleet:

KIRK: Well, the last scout ship reported some pretty strange sensor readings. Starfleet wants it investigated and the inhabitants contacted. We do what we're told.

And yet the scout ship couldn't determine the odd sensor readings so they demand the big-heineyed battle cruiser come in? This is almost as awful as "Code of Honor" where Picard plays fast and loose with his photon torpedo playset and detonates a handful over the planet to terrorize everyone with.


**** It is indeed one of the best "parallel Earth development" stories, which ratchets up a sense of claustrophobia and doom - rather than comedy - to keep things going. It's shlocky at times (it feels like a precursor to a season one "Sliders" episode, albeit in GOOD ways), but is made up for with one of the best Spock/McCoy exchanges - despite its brevity and penchant for being more character drama than bickering over the ramifications of the society of the week:

SPOCK: Oh, yes. You humans have that emotional need to express gratitude. You're welcome, I believe, is the correct response. However, Doctor, you must remember I am entirely motivated by logic. The loss of our ship's surgeon, whatever I think of his skill, would mean a reduction in the efficiency of the Enterprise and therefore
MCCOY: Do you know why you're not afraid to die, Spock? You're more afraid of living. Each day you stay alive is just one more day you might slip and let your human half peek out. That's it, isn't it? Insecurity. Why, you wouldn't know what to do with a genuine, warm, decent feeling.

 

[drt]

(Why the ship needs an Earth historian on board is a greater stretch, unless she teaches all the alien civilizations how nasty Earthlings were in its past and Kirk was being sarky when claiming she was useless, before mispronouncing her name.

I suppose in McGivers' case an argument could be made that her red uniform indicated that she had a different primary job on the ship, and only moonlighted as the ship's historian.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

When the job you want isn't a day-to-day position where you work, it makes sense you'd pursue interests in your off-hours, while doing other more daily duties during your shift. When they need you, they need you and can't just summon you from a more suitable posting, and they'd rather have you doing something else as an excuse to stick around.

 

[Phaser Two]

Good list. I agree with adding Balance of Terror and The Tholian Web (both musts!!), I would delete The Enterprise Incident, I might add The Paradise Syndrome to get some S3 flavor and include some events very important to Kirk and Spock, and I would add my favorites that don't usually make others' lists: Wolf in the Fold for its crackling dialogue and Star Trek-as-murder-mystery-meets horror plotline, which is inventive and brilliant; Friday's Child, which is a great outdoor-shot episode that wrestles a bit with the Prime Directive and has an excellent Klingon antagonist, convincing natives, a terrific propulsive script and Scotty absolutely being completely awesome; and Wink of an Eye for its intriguing, spooky premise, the most militarily sound invasion of the Enterprise and response, Deela, Queen of Scalos, and fantastic dialogue from start to finish. Finally, The Cloud Minders might be another good S3 addition. It shows the dark side of the Federation, and EVERYTHING works - the Enterprise, all of the equipment, and Kirk's strategies.

My only remaining quibble is the omission of The Ultimate Computer. What a fantastic episode.

Oh, and I'm delighted beyond belief that you included Return of the Archons. That's another one I sometimes find myself a bit alone in appreciating. You described it perfectly.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

At this point, just watch the whole series.

 

[Qonundrum]

Good point! It's also suited as an example for an outdated, almost colonialist attitude that still popped up in TOS here and there ... but I guess "Obsession" will have to do to demonstrate the color problem.

Yup. Security grades go first, and as much as red is a very pretty color, why would you dress up the very folks whose job depends on blending in and skulking about stealthily the most... granted, for beam-downs flanking the leadership to protect them, ensuring your presence known can be a good thing -- until you're seen as easy pickin's, who will be singing a Capella... (induce groan over that positively dreadful pun here as "Friday's Child" goes out of its way to mention how great marksmen their hunters are, as if they'd need the help of a very bright and bold RED and in a landscape of far more neutral browns and greens and blues... even muted maroon would be a better shade... Unless Starfleet has some policy where they only visit civilizations where they know everyone's got protanopia if not monochromacy, then it doesn't matter.)

At this point, just watch the whole series.

LOL! That's the best part of these polls. Eventually even the most compelling stories such as "The Alternative Factor" and "The Way to Spock's Brain"* get mentioned.

* yeah, I know they're two stories, but both feel like such a mush that they get lumped in together.

 

[Sim]

Good list. I agree with adding Balance of Terror and The Tholian Web (both musts!!), I would delete The Enterprise Incident, I might add The Paradise Syndrome to get some S3 flavor and include some events very important to Kirk and Spock, and I would add my favorites that don't usually make others' lists: Wolf in the Fold for its crackling dialogue and Star Trek-as-murder-mystery-meets horror plotline, which is awesome; Friday's Child, which is a great outdoor-shot episode that wrestles a bit with the Prime Directive and has an excellent Klingon antagonist, convincing natives, a terrific propulsive script and Scotty absolutely being completely awesome; and Wink of an Eye for its intriguing, spooky premise, the most militarily sound invasion of the Enterprise and response, Deela, Queen of Scalos, and fantastic dialogue from start to finish. Finally, The Cloud Minders might be another good S3 addition. It shows the dark side of the Federation, and EVERYTHING works - the Enterprise, all of the equipment, and Kirk's strategies.

My only remaining quibble is the omission of The Ultimate Computer. What a fantastic episode.

Oh, and I'm delighted beyond belief that you included Return of the Archons. That's another one I sometimes find myself a bit alone in appreciating. You described it perfectly.

Actually, I'm somewhat fond of the "trippy", borderline psychedelic episodes such as The Spectre of the Gun, Is There in Truth no Beauty or The Empath ... but I'm afraid that's an acquired taste. :/

 

[Phaser Two]

Actually, I'm somewhat fond of the "trippy", borderline psychedelic episodes such as The Spectre of the Gun, Is There in Truth no Beauty or The Empath ... but I'm afraid that's an acquired taste. :/

Not at all - those three plus Lights of Zetar form a bit of a tetralogy for me that ties back to the horror-fused, Twilight Zone feel of early-to-mid S1. I like all four of those.

 

[Tango]

A long time ago I composed my own “essential TOS” list for my son who was watching DS9. A bit of a long post, but here it is (the third season picks are provisional and may change once my current rewatch gets up to there). I’m mildly surprised I have fully 34 picks.

TOS Season Zero:

(1) “The Cage” - the originally un-broadcast first pilot with an (almost) entirely different cast. A classic piece of 1960’s television and the foundation of Star Trek.

TOS Season One:

(2) “Where No Man Has Gone Before” - the second pilot which got the series on the air. Features Gary Lockwood of later 2001: A Space Odyssey fame, and the first appearance of Captain Kirk.

(3) “The Corbomite Maneuver” - perhaps the first episode featuring Roddenberry’s philosophy of the ability of mankind to rise above his baser instincts. Also, a very good episode.

(4) “The Naked Time” - the original. Accept no substitutes! Sulu as sword fighter!

(5) “Balance of Terror” - the first appearance of the Romulans, Mark Lenard, and cloaking technology. An excellent episode as well.

(6) “The Conscience of the King” - Star Trek does Shakespeare, with Kirk as Hamlet.

(7) “The Galileo Seven” - first appearance of shuttlecraft and a character study of Spock in command (spoiler: he’s not that great at it).

(8) “The Menagerie" - the only two-parter of the original series, written around the first pilot episode. Perhaps the greatest “clip show” in television history.

(9) “Arena” - the first and only appearance of the Gorn in the original series, featuring the famous Vasquez Rocks near Los Angeles. Pop culture touchstone.

(10) “Tomorrow is Yesterday” - not a great episode but it marks the first time-travel episode (with the minor exception of The Naked Time) in Star Trek and the first use of the stellar slingshot method of time travel (invented by Spock and Scott).

(11) “Space Seed” - Khan Noonien Singh! What more do we need to say? Ricardo Montalban’s greatest television role and Kirk’s greatest foe.

(12) “The Devil in the Dark” - we meet the Horta (okay, it is a lousy costume, but whatever). A classic episode about fear of the unknown and putting yourself in someone else’s shoes.

(13) “Errand of Mercy” - first appearance of the Klingons, who don’t waste time getting down to war right away. Features John Colicos as the first ever Klingon. Except they don’t look like Klingons.

(14) “The City on the Edge of Forever” - widely considered to be the greatest episode of the original series, in spite of the fact that it is a time-travel episode.

TOS Season Two:

(15) “Metamorphosis” - the first appearance in Star Trek of Zefram Cochrane, human inventor of the warp drive. Perhaps overly sentimental but I appreciate it more than when I was younger.

(16) “Who Mourns For Adonais?” - perhaps the most anti-religious hour of television ever to make it onto American prime time television in the 1960s? Not a fantastic episode, and it sort of pulled its punches at one point, but I’m surprised this got on the air in the USA.

(17) “Amok Time” - the classic episode that takes us to Vulcan for the only time in TOS. The “battle music” in this episode has been parodied everywhere in pop culture.

(18) “The Doomsday Machine” - a retelling of the Moby Dick story, featuring an excellent performance by William Windon as Commodore Decker of the USS Constellation.

(19) “Mirror, Mirror” - evil Spock with a beard! This episode has permeated pop culture as the archetype of the “evil alternative universe” trope. I think evil Sulu was a particular standout and felt he got more character development in one episode than good Sulu did in the entire series.

(20) “The Trouble with Tribbles” - a tale about what happens when you destabilize ecologies with invasive species, however cute and cuddly. The beginning of writer David Gerrold’s longtime involvement with Star Trek. More Klingons.

(21) “Journey to Babel” - where we meet Spock’s mother and father for the first time. We finally get to see other Federation races such as the Andorians and the Tellarites, plus the evil Orions put in an appearance.

(22) “A Piece of the Action” - this is one of the few outright comedy episodes of Star Trek. Although one of the this-planet-evolved-exactly-like-Earth-almost episodes that TOS abused way too often (I generally banish those from my essential TOS list), this one has an almost plausible explanation. And seeing Spock as a 1930s Chicago gangster should not be missed.

(23) “The Ultimate Computer” - the first and only appearance of Richard Daystrom, this is a fairly conventional episode about the fear of computers taking over your job. Daystrom’s name lives on in Star Trek all the way up to Star Trek Into Darkness. I thought that William Marshall’s depiction of a neurotic genius on the edge of breakdown was very striking. Starfleet really shouldn’t let those sorts of crazies install stuff into their ships.

(24) “Assignment: Earth” - the final episode of season two, this one is rather strange. Another TOS time travel episode where they go back to 1960’s Earth (again), but this time on purpose. This episode had been intended by Roddenberry to be recut (taking out the ST parts) as a potential pilot for a new TV series (that never happened). After all, Star Trek had nearly been cancelled twice, so it made sense to look towards something else. The resulting episode is a bit disjointed and weird, but one has to wonder how that new TV series would have fared if it had gone ahead.

TOS Season Three:

(25) “Spectre of the Gun” - a somewhat psychedelic homage to old TV westerns with atmosphere and striking set design. I hate westerns mostly, but I like this.

(26) “The Enterprise Incident” - another important Spock and Romulan episode. Torn from the headlines (USS Pueblo incident) in 1968.

(27) “Is There in Truth no Beauty?” - perhaps also not one that makes many people’s best-of lists, but it seems to fall for me in the same general category as does “The Conscience of the King” and “Metamorphosis”. I quite liked the performance of Diana Muldaur as Dr. Miranda Jones. Ms Muldaur always plays a doctor in Star Trek!

(28) “The Tholian Web” - first appearance of the Tholians as a very alien species. The only time we see the Enterprise crew wearing space suits in TOS. We’ll see the Tholians again (as well as the USS Defiant) in later Star Trek.

(29) “Spock’s Brain” - although an episode that is often derided (and I have to admit the brain-stealing part of the plot is not that great), it is an example of a more traditional science-fiction premise that I think kind of works.

(30) “For the World is Hollow and I have Touched the Sky” - another nice science fiction premise and a big episode for Dr. McCoy.

(31) “Wink of an Eye” - technically doesn’t quite work since the various “time-lines” don’t match up but it is a fun episode and a nice performance by Kathie Browne as Deela.

(32) “Whom Gods Destroy” - I think I must like episodes where we see at least a couple of different aliens, this time a pretty taciturn Andorian and (for the first time since the original pilot episode) another green-skinned Orion lady.

(33) “Requiem for Methuselah” - another of the drawing-room dramas that for some reason appeal to me in TOS, written by the great writer Jerome Bixby (see his great little film “Man from Earth” which shares a lot of its DNA with this episode).

(34) “The Savage Curtain” - I mean, Abraham Lincoln, what can you say? We also meet Surak, a Vulcan’s Vulcan, and some weird rock monsters.

 

[johnnybear]

We did see those spacesuits again though in Whom Gods Destroy, Tango!
JB

 

[Poltargyst]

Ricardo Montalban’s greatest television role

What, no love for Mr. Roarke?

(12) “The Devil in the Dark” - we meet the Horta (okay, it is a lousy costume, but whatever).

That is an awesome costume.

(13) “Errand of Mercy” - first appearance of the Klingons, who don’t waste time getting down to war right away. Features John Colicos as the first ever Klingon. Except they don’t look like Klingons.

They look like TOS Klingons.

(14) “The City on the Edge of Forever” - widely considered to be the greatest episode of the original series, in spite of the fact that it is a time-travel episode.

This is not the greatest episode of the original series.

(19) “Mirror, Mirror” - evil Spock with a beard!

Mirror Universe Spock wasn't really evil. He wasn't really much different from his Prime Universe self. But the beard was awesome.