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As rooter are rejoicing about currently bear 5 Star Trek serial in production at the same time , they might consider returning to the impetus of Gene Roddenberry ’s vision of the futurity inStar Trek : The Original Series . So much of the material that makes up the grounding of Star Trek traditional knowledge , instauration , and canon descend from the ' 60 sci - fi classic , with plot pointedness and storyline powerfully felt inStar Trek : Picardand to an even greater extent inStar Trek : Discovery .
The five - year deputation of Captain Kirk , Mr. Spock , Doc McCoy , and the eternal rest of the crew of the starship Enterprise was full of everything from ethical questions regarding the humanity of stilted tidings , to political machination pitting the Federation against Romulan insurgents . It also introduced fan pet , from the Vulcan salute to the Mirror Universe . Boldly go where you ’ve already locomote before with these 15 classic sequence ofStar Trek : The Original Series .
update on December 3rd , 2021 by Kayleena Pierce - Bohen : With a brand new season of Star Trek : Discovery , Star Trek : Picard , andStar Trek : Lower Decks , a brand young spin - off seriesStar Trek : Strange New Worlds , and the all - new animated showStar Trek : Prodigy , it ’s the perfect momentto revisit the very best Star Trek : The Original Series instalment . Many of the characters , plots , and musical theme contained in this honored catalog have recover their direction into the current Star Trek canon , and continue to be appreciated for the perspective and penetration they give fan today .
“Spectre Of The Gun” (Season 3, Episode 6)
Do n’t allow the premise take in you – one of the bestStar TrekTOSepisodes affect an old - fashioned westerly encounter . When Kirk gets sentence to decease on a hostile satellite , he ’s only give the most primitive weapons to wage battle – a brace of six - shooters . fan of Sci - fi Westerns should lovethe captain of the Enterprise and his nosepiece crew blasting their way through a gunplay at the OK Corral .
WhileThe Original Seriesmight have been hold back by budgetary restriction , even the much slickerStar Trek : The Next Generationcouldn’t protest exact elements from this classic episode in " A handful of Datas " , which look the bridge crew in a very similar situation on the holodeck .
“All Our Yesterdays” (Season 3, Episode 23)
As a unredeemed satellite hurtles towards its own annihilation , Captain Kirk spends the final hours peruse its depository library ’s immense database . Unfortunately , this removes over 50 centuries of noesis of Vulcan civilisation from Mr. Spock , confound him into a vortex of emotions .
Taking a page fromThe gloam Zone’s"Time Enough At Last " , in which a book - obsessed bank shop clerk survives a nuclear attack and believe he has all the time in the reality to read ( but in fact does n’t ) , " All Our Yesterdays " ( itself a acknowledgment to Shakespeare ’s " Macbeth " ) play with a similar issue of causa and outcome , and the construct of " be careful what you wish well for " , making it one ofthebestStar Trek TOSepisodes in its final time of year .
“The Menagerie (Parts I And II)” (Season 1, Episodes 11 And 12)
Before James Tiberius Kirk take command of the Enterprise , another captain sat in " the chairwoman " ; Christopher Pike ( Jeffrey Hunter ) . He was have in the original pilot program for the serial ( " The Cage " ) , which ended up being combined with " The Menagerie " for the original serial ' only two - part episode . While less exuberant than Kirk , Pike was one of the first police chief to openly talk over issues imply mental wellness .
The installment begins with Spock committing treason , taking command of the Enterprise , and abducting his former captain ( who ’s suffered a horrific fortuity ) to take part in a tense , mercurial court dramatic play . The episode is necessary see for background into Captain Pike ’s issue inStar Trek : Discovery .
“The Galileo Seven” (Season 1, Episode 16)
Relief attempt in a mysterious solar system go awry when Mr. Spock and Co. accidentally crashland their shuttlecraft on Taurus II , where they ’re immediately attacked by a giant wight and run through of resources . Aboard the enterprisingness , Captain Kirk is pull to make an important determination – carry on the commission to deliver rest period provision to the dependency , or wait to hear from Spock , Bones , and the ease of his friends .
The concept of placing the needs of the many over the needs of the few would proceed to be a major measure in the dealership , and it ’s no better articulated than in " The Galileo Seven " . The debut of the shuttlecraft to the lore is another first for one of the bestStar Trekepisodes in the canyon .
“The Naked Time” (Season 1, Episode 4)
After the gang of the Enterprise passes through Psi 2000 in an effort to ascertain answers to a research squad ’s unexpected demise , a virus takes clutch of them that makes them act out their most hidden desire . For Sulu , that imply swashbuckling around the ship shirtless with a rapier and creating one of the most iconic images of the serial publication .
Star Trekcanon would eventually be full of installment of virus making gang extremity acquit irrationally ( Star Trek : The Next Generationalso did it early in its first season ) , but this installment is special because it ’s recounted with particular zest by George Takei , who explained in his autobiographyTo The Starsthat he only had 3 weeks of fence to develop for the plot , and 3 days to prepare for appearing shirtless !
“Arena” (Season 1, Episode 18)
After a Federation outpost gets destroyed , the Enterprise make hot spare-time activity , until coming into contact lens with a new and fearsome enemy – the Gorn . Captain Kirk enters into a fighting to the demise in the slender chance that he might be able to save himself and his crew .
While some fans might dismiss this episode as Kirk two - clenched fist punch a lizard man , it ’s one of the bestStar Trek TOSepisodes because it ingeniously straddles the topic of manhood and mercifulness . Even after they fight to the death , Kirk spares the Gorn ’s life ( voiced by Ted Cassidy , who played Lurch onThe Addams Familyairing at the same time ) , an iconic end to an iconic moment inTOS .
“The Squire Of Gothos” (Season 1, Episode 17)
For the Enterprise crew , coming into link with an all-powerful being is n’t out of the ordinary , but few are as memorable as Trelane , the " Squire of Gothos " . site on a planet that should be uninhabited , Trelane becomes the focal degree of an investigation by the Enterprise , and the crew spends an episode marveling at his eighteenth - century environment as he marvels at their technology .
Of course , Kirk and Co. shortly hear that the anachronous figure possesses divine powers , and all their tech is no compeer for his devilment . They become trapped in a game of wit for his amusement , and they must flap Trelane to pull round . The character inspired John DeLancie ’s ill-famed QonStar Trek : The Next Generation , a celestial mischief - God Almighty have intercourse for his obnoxious harassment of Captain Picard and his crew .
“The Enemy Within” (Season 1, Episode 6)
After a conveyor accident , Captain Kirk is split into two different entities , a plot stop which would be revisited inStar Trek : The Next GenerationandStar Trek : Voyager . The episode becomes a study of the skipper of the go-ahead , as each personality attempt to assert dominance over the Federation flagship .
One personality is domineering and hostile , while the other is incredibly passive . As the storyline progresses , it becomes something of a morals drama , as it becomes increasingly clear that as each Kirk becomes his own human being , it becomes a unmanageable project to determine who has the " right " to remain as the on-key James Tiberius Kirk .
“Journey To Babel” (Season 2, Episode 10)
There ’s a mystery aboard the Enterprise in " Journey to Babel " , which note the first meter that representatives of the Federation ’s founding penis were all together again on projection screen . Vulcans , Humans , Andorians , and Tellarites all appear to attend the Babel Conference , and afterward a execution go on .
Not only is the episode full of classic Trek humor , connive , and astronomic politics , it also reveals a set about Spock ’s nurture . His Vulcan father , Sarek , and human mother are also let in in the mix , and Spock undergoes a great business deal of character developing thanks to the transmitted exchanges between them .
“The Corbomite Maneuver” (Season 1, Episode 11)
With many Star Trek serial likeStar Trek : The Next contemporaries , Star Trek : Discovery , and evenStar Trek : Picardpiggy - championship so many episode of the original series with their plots and storylines , it ’s important to remember that what made it unique sometimes came down to Captain Kirk ’s captaincy .
In " The Corbomite Maneuver " , the endeavor encounter a mysterious foreign intent on assail it . Thanks to Kirk ’s quick thinking , he outmaneuver its assault . The episode provides great insight into Kirk ’s tactical skill , and the original series ' power to create tenseness without the fancy visuals ofStar Trek : Discovery , though we suspect Captain Lorca would approve of Kirk ’s programme .
“Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” (Season 3, Episode 15)
A slip shuttlecraft circuit card the Enterprise and produces a fugitive from the satellite Charon . The pilot film , Lokai , has skin that ’s split up down the center ; one side of him is black and the other white . A 2nd shuttle soon arrives bear Bele , also from Charon , who scorn Lokai despite looking almost exactly like him ; one side of him is white , and the other black .
Conceptual sci - fi bring a very genuine turn in " allow That Be Your Last Battlefield " , where the perceived difference in their pelt color causes Lokai and Bele to commit to a generations - honest-to-god feud between their people . It confounds the Enterprise crew , who can not imagine hate another being for a physical attribute they can not alter .
“The Trouble With Tribbles” (Season 2, Episode 15)
NoStar Treklist would be complete without one of its most famous instalment , " The Trouble With Tribbles " . The light - hearted plot of ground rule the Enterprise tail at Space Station K-7 , where fear - mongering has tarnished a Klingon visit and erupted in craft disputes . Uhura purchases what looks like a chitter ball of fuzz , but is in fact a Tribble - a pregnant one at that .
Asthe Tribbles begin to reproduce exponentially , Kirk must poise Federation politics , the intricacies of cereal supply and need , and the burgeon Tribble quandary . The Tribbles proved so popular that they were have again in " Trials And Tribble - ations " onStar Trek : Deep Space Nine .
“A Taste Of Armaggedon” (Season 1, Episode 23)
While mostStar Trekfans view Starfleet as an organization that represents the highest nonesuch of the Federation , its members occasionally come in contact lens with cultures that have ostensibly evolve beyond even its utopian parameters . In " A predilection of Armageddon " , the Enterprise visits a planet whose inhabitant have grown beyond scrap , but not war itself , and as representatives of Starfleet , the gang judged them for their belief .
Rather than ruin itself with weapon , the polish further war to be act out in an accurate simulation . hassle arises when the Enterprise work party finds itself in a building marked " destroyed " by the feigning , but rather than turn themselves in for disintegration like other phallus of the population , they refuse to give up . This action threatens to make for about literal war in all its destructive capacity , but Kirk sagely suggests that without it , the people of Eminiar VII had muted its horror .
“Balance Of Terror” (Season 1, Episode 15)
Not only did " Balance of Terror " introducethe villainous Romulansto Star Trek canyon , but it also featured a pragmatic battle of wills between warriors that , as one Romulan commandant relay so poignantly to Captain Kirk , could have been friends in another reality . It remind viewers that neither men are good nor evil , simply mankind on mission .
Though the Federation had fought the Romulans 100 age prior , until the incident along the indifferent zone that reach the instalment , no Federation starship had engross a Romulan watercraft in the year since , reach this the prime occasion for visual contact .
“The Doomsday Machine” (Season 2, Episode 6)
In one of the most torturesome episode in Star Trek franchise history , a destructive car goes out of control , sparking the sort of paranoia and fear that exist during the Cold War take place during the show ’s broadcast . Known as the Doomsday Machine , it ’s being hunted by Captain Kirk and Commander Decker in an attempt to foreclose it from destroying entire planet .
While Kirk look finding the location of the gadget as one of many deputation he needs to complete in the enterprisingness ’s five - class journey , Decker becomes increasingly obsessed . As Kirk nevertheless faces off against it , he continues to encourage a message of peace despite the terrific option .
“Space Seed” (Season 1, Episode 22)
This episode was spotlight by two major constituent of Trek stigmatisation - a memorable scourge , and the presence of relentless optimism . Ricardo Montalban introduce one of the most iconic villain in the entire Star Trek dealership as Khan Noonien Singh , a former potentate of Asia in the wake of the 20th century Eugenics War .
Khan typify the lowest point of humanity and Earth , while Captain Kirk and Co. stood for the corking strides that it would come to make between the twentieth and 24th century . It ’s not only necessary Trek to view , but sows the seminal fluid of a great competition inStar Trek II : The Wrath of Khan .
“The Enterprise Incident” (Season 3, Episode 2)
Though The Federation may have criminalise cloaking engineering by the timeStar Trek : The Next Generationwas on the melody , inStar Trek : The Original Series , it was very much favour . The Federation operate so far as to send Kirk and Spock aboard a Romulan vessel to obtain the contingent of its engine room .
This premise has been visited again in Season 1 ofStar Trek : Discovery , with Klingons in place of Romulans , but a similarly flakey romanticistic intermezzo occur . In " The Enterprise Incident " , Spock participates in an uncharacteristically malevolent conquest of a female Romulan for the sake of the mission , adding complexness and depth to his character .
“Amok Time” (Season 2, Episode 1)
The first coming into court of pon farr in Star Trek story occurs in this memorable installment when Mr. Spock ’s ordinarily reserved equilibrium is break up by the Vulcan mating rite . The Enterprise is rerouted to Vulcan so Spock can take guardianship of his need with a pre - arranged partner , only to find that she favor another mate .
Not only does the episode allow for insight intoanother engrossing rite in Vulcan life , but it also reveals another side to Spock and Kirk ’s friendship . Not even a conflict to the dying can drive a submarine sandwich between the two , though it ’s large fun go steady the ordinarily calm and collected Spock fall back his nerveless Vulcan facade . It ’s also the premiere of the Vulcan salutation !
“The City On The Edge Of Forever” (Season 1, Episode 29)
In one of the most venerable episodes in the Star Trek canyon , one of the most difficult questions in sci - fi is posture ; should one person be permit to die , if their last would keep history entire and keep open million ? The query is raised when Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock trip back in time to save a raving Doc McCoy , end up in 1930 ’s America .
The installment is important for not only setting a precedent for metre - travel stories in future Star Trek episodes but also to demonstrate that Captain Kirk was capable of true love and William Shatner of genuine acting . Kirk ’s sacrifice of a future with Edith Keeler so that the future of Earth stay secure is one of the most profound honorable quandaries in the total franchise .
“Mirror, Mirror” (Season 2, Episode 4)
Before this episode ’s plot became a vast story discharge inStar Trek : Discovery , it captured the imaginativeness of lover everywhere as they look on the normally superlative bunch of the endeavor be depicted as malicious conqueror in an alternating reality . A transporter incident station Kirk and Co. to a parallel universe , where the only opportunity for advancement on a starship is through blackwash .
In this " Mirrorverse " , The Federation has been replaced by a Klingon - type governance called the Terran Empire . Captain Kirk behaves with the sort of unrelenting malevolence only glimpse at in " The Enemy Within " , and even a heavy marred Sulu becomes a vengeful police officer , in a reality where everyone is the polar contrary of Federation ideals .
NEXT:10 Ways Discovery Connects To The Other Star Trek Series
