The Least Disliked Episode 2025 - TOS Season 1

[BlueStuff]

Hello, hello. Our addictive biyearly game of rapid elimination returns - and the content keeps coming. It's generally a lot of fun, providing a chance to mentally revisit those episodes you may not have thought about in a while. With that in mind, why not play again?

So, here's the game. The basic idea is your standard elimination game. I'll provide a list of the episodes for each season and you need to eliminate your least favorite or the one you deem the 'worst.' Please provide an EXPLANATION for why you are eliminating your choice and be sure to copy and paste the list with your choice removed. Finally, leave at least 2 eliminations by other posters before you eliminate another episode.

No tactical voting! You cannot remove an episode just because you feel it would threaten your preferred episode's chance to win. Pretty simple. Enjoy!

Star Trek: The Original Series
Hall of Champions
2011 - Mirror, Mirror
2013 - Balance of Terror
2015 - Mirror, Mirror
2017 - Journey to Babel
2019 - The Doomsday Machine
2021 - The Doomsday Machine
2023 - Balance of Terror
2025 -

Season 1
The Man Trap
Charlie X
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
Mudd's Women
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Miri
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
The Conscience of the King
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
The Squire of Gothos
Arena
Tomorrow is Yesterday
Court Martial
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The Alternative Factor
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Sakonna]

"The Alternative Factor" is unwatchable for me. Like, it induces actual pain. The screeching soundtrack and blinding lights trigger all my sensory sensitivities and it hurts. A lot. I suffered thru it once and never again.

Also, the story is dull trash.

The Man Trap
Charlie X
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
Mudd's Women
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Miri
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
The Conscience of the King
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
The Squire of Gothos
Arena
Tomorrow is Yesterday
Court Martial
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Victoria]

I have been beaten to the punch - The Alternative Factor would have been my first choice. Actually, it's really difficult to find any to dislike.

"Miri" was an episode I didn't like much when I first saw it - possibly as a child I found it too scary. It's grown on me over time but it will never be a favourite

The Man Trap
Charlie X
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
Mudd's Women
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
The Conscience of the King
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
The Squire of Gothos
Arena
Tomorrow is Yesterday
Court Martial
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Farscape One]

Season 1of TOS was fantastic. Very few duds, with two already taken out.

Taking out "MUDD'S WOMEN".

While Roger Cormel played Harry Mudd well, I didn't like his character. No real redeeming qualities. With other rogue characters from other franchises, there's some good or redeeming things about them. He was just straight up shady... and pretty ruthless, since he was ready to get the Enterprise destroyed from a decayed orbit if he didn't get his way.



The Man Trap
Charlie X
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
The Conscience of the King
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
The Squire of Gothos
Arena
Tomorrow is Yesterday
Court Martial
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Sakonna]

I have always hated "Charlie X." I find it so mean-spirited and off-putting.

The Man Trap
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
The Conscience of the King
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
The Squire of Gothos
Arena
Tomorrow is Yesterday
Court Martial
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[feek61]

The Squire of Gothos - Always hated this episode as a kid, Trelane's performance was too over-the-top even as a kid; its one of the only ones I disliked. I have grown to like it a little more but not more than the other selections below!

The Man Trap
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
The Conscience of the King
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
Arena
Tomorrow is Yesterday
Court Martial
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Farscape One]

Hard to choose, because they are all good in various ways.

Taking out "TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY". Only because it's time travel and time travel is overdone in the franchise.


The Man Trap
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
The Conscience of the King
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
Arena
Court Martial
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Noname Given]

The Man Trap

I really disliked this episode from the first time I saw it. It's just a nonsensical 'Monster of the Week' episode more reminiscent of Lost In Space than Star Trek.

The Salt Vampire is clearly intelligent as late in the episode it participates in the discussion mimicking Doctor McCoy asking some very pertinent questions it doesn't like the answers to.
^^^
But my point in bringing that up is that given it still has a salt supply; it decides to hunt other intelligent life (Humans) both on the planet and on the ship

Also, McCoy and Kirk withholding replenishing what little salt they still have left to them on the planet (even as Kirk continues to investigate makes no logical sense unless he wants to endanger the health of Dr. Crater and his 'wife'..

I actually don't begrudge Kirk telling the creature masquerading as Dr. McCoy that even if it's the last of its kind, that Kirk will kill it rather than communicate because at that point because its shown it's a indiscriminate killer.

Then there's Spock being very emotional as he screams: "Shoot! It's killing the Captain!"

But yeah, I just think it's really bad, dislike it a lot, and its never has been a good representation of Star Trek.

Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
The Conscience of the King
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
Arena
Tomorrow is Yesterday
Court Martial
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I'm going to pick The Conscience of the King. I know a lot of people like it, but early on I became aware that I was paying more attention to the sets than the actors and I realised the episode wasn't going to be for me.

Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
Arena
Tomorrow is Yesterday
Court Martial
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Victoria]

The first of several legal hearings in the Star Trek Universe, "Court Martial" is pretty poor. Cogley might be amusing but he seems utterly ignorant of law. There's no feeling of jeopardy - we know Kirk's innocent - it's just a matter of proving it.


Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
Arena
Tomorrow is Yesterday
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Poltargyst]

The first of several legal hearings in the Star Trek Universe, "Court Martial" is pretty poor. Cogley might be amusing but he seems utterly ignorant of law. There's no feeling of jeopardy - we know Kirk's innocent - it's just a matter of proving it.


Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
Balance of Terror
Shore Leave
The Galileo Seven
Arena
Tomorrow is Yesterday
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

Tomorrow is Yesterday has already been chosen but is still showing on this list.

 

[Ray Hardgrit]

I blame time travel.

 

[Farscape One]

Taking out "SHORE LEAVE".

Nothing wrong with this one. (Or any that are left, honestly.) But I personally just rank it lower than what remains.


Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
Balance of Terror
The Galileo Seven
Arena
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
Errand of Mercy
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Sakonna]

"Errand Of Mercy." It's of note due to it's introduction of the Klingons, but as it's own piece, I think it's a fairly clunky story.

The first of several legal hearings in the Star Trek Universe,

There are few things TOS does worse than a legal proceeding. So many episodes with promising starts that then just die in a courtroom.

Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Naked Time
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
Balance of Terror
The Galileo Seven
Arena
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Qonundrum]

The crew have personalities they're burying underneath!

The Naked Time

Sulu is into fencing but gets carried away!

Uhura appreciates his claim of being a fair maiden, but she retorts "Sorry, neither".

Spock releases his inner Aspie.

Chapel doesn't want Bones, she wants Spock to bone.

No-name guy paints increasingly disturbing messages, the first being a 60s euphemism for boinking everyone, then the next tells everyone to repent.

Well, most of the crew... Kirk, as usual, is all but immune, but he still gets a chance to mention to Rand about babes on the beach, but that explains a lot for later on.

Scotty whines about the laws of physics (as much as humans know them).

Riley! Never fear, Riley's here! He didn't care for botany, or fencing, and probably because he was more into Kathleen!

Tormolen had it worst of all as holding back his irrationality of going into space and all...

All while a planet goes around in circles.

For early season 1, it's amazing how well all this builds on characters' motivations and desires when not on duty, with the effects of the malady bringing their subconscious to the fore.

I wonder how the crew would fare upon taking this test:

Insights Discovery colour types

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SPOCK: (close to tears) I'm in control of my emotions. Control of my emotions. I am an officer. An officer. My duty. My duty is, is. My duty is to-- to-- Too late. I'm sorry. To. Two, four, six. Six. Six times six.

That needs to be autotuned and remixed and I adore the use of "to", "too", and "two"... being 21st century, let's also add next to "duty" "doodie" and do a crossover with "Married With Children"!

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What's left:
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
Balance of Terror
The Galileo Seven
Arena
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
A Taste of Armageddon
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Victoria]

"A Taste of Armageddon" is a bit of a nonsense episode. The premiss is great but just so unlikely. As an adult, I notice that, while the victims of the simulated attacks have to die, the infrastructure appears to remain intact. Was this a reference to the then fashionable neutron bomb?

Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Corbomite Maneuver
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
Balance of Terror
The Galileo Seven
Arena
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!


I wasn't sure from reading this what you disliked about the episode!

The crew have personalities they're burying underneath!

The Naked Time
<snip>

 

[Sakonna]

I more or less like "The Corbomite Maneuver", but I do think it's somewhat overrated. It's just a bit less cooked than the rest of these, by virtue of being produced so early.

Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
Balance of Terror
The Galileo Seven
Arena
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!

 

[Qonundrum]

"A Taste of Armageddon" is a bit of a nonsense episode. The premiss is great but just so unlikely. As an adult, I notice that, while the victims of the simulated attacks have to die, the infrastructure appears to remain intact. Was this a reference to the then fashionable neutron bomb?

Truth can be stranger than fiction, but - yep - the neutron bomb was a fashionable bit of technology retooled into fantasy of sci-fi of the time.

Neutron bomb - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

AToA's spin is fairly creative; eschewing the bomb in favor of what the two planets chose. There's enough unexplored ideas for this to have been another 2-parter.

I wasn't sure from reading this what you disliked about the episode!

I've nothing to dislike about it, and I hate it when that happens! Trust me, I'll get to the good stuff...


ON EDIT: OMG, I READ THE THREAD TITLE IN REVERSE! Will quickly revise... subsequent post choices.

 

[Qonundrum]

Now having re-read the thread title, going in reverse order from most-disliked to least-disliked because I sometimes mix things up (thanks to @Victoria for correcting me!!):

Arena

Honestly, I really dislike this one. It's shallow, based on a 1941 short sci-fi story by Fredric Brown. Except this time, it's Kirk, a guy in a big rubber suit suitable for memes made decades later only, and a young firm 30 year-old playing a young firm toga-clad teenager saying how great humans will be one day. How come he ain't one of Apollo's pals? (All that aside, kudos for the attempt at creating a Lizard lifeform that was done really well at the time. More kudos for the actor sweating and dehydrating to death inside of it.)

Arena (short story) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

There you go, that's the origin, and something probably compelled Fredric to think up that story in the first place. Problem is, Trek's version is absolutely underwhelming.

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Yep, he knows. Just like the audience.

Also and go figure, Uhura and only Uhura screamed on cue in an earlier scene when Kirk was abducted. Which reminds me, TNG's "Schisms" is a lot better than this and that's in season six of that spinoff show!

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Metronome? This is a bit back'n'forth, innit?


Honestly, give me "Duel" from "Blake's 7" any time:

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(Avon's other best line in the story involves what Travis and Blake are doing in trees... this B7 entry is also simple, but the character analyses are so varied and faceted that it's by far a proper innovation.)



What's left:
Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
Balance of Terror
The Galileo Seven
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!
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[Victoria]

"What Are Little Girls Made Of?" is just dull.

Where No Man Has Gone Before
The Enemy Within
What Are Little Girls Made Of?
Dagger of the Mind
The Menagerie (I)
The Menagerie (II)
Balance of Terror
The Galileo Seven
The Return of the Archons
Space Seed
This Side of Paradise
The Devil in the Dark
The City on the Edge of Forever
Operation: Annihilate!