All Things Star Trek

[Borachio]

Now, this is the real thing:


Link to video.

Star Trek! Really?

 

[Camikaze]

Moderator Action: Moved to Arts & Entertainment.

 

[ReindeerThistle]

So... what's the worst trek tv episode in the history of Star Trek? Not counting TAS!

I suspect Spock's Brain will be a top choice for many, at least those among us familiar with the original (and best) series. However, I think maybe I am going to submit Skin of Evil from TNG, the episode where Tasha Yar died.

Worst episodes?
TOS: Where No Man Has Gone Before: the 2nd Pilot. Too many departures from The Cage wardrobe and acting.

TNG: Season 2 opener "Temba with Arms Open." Stupid.

DS9: Finale: "What we Leave Behind" Stupid.

Voyager: Entire first season... But especially the one where they find Amelia Earhart!

Enterprise: N/A never seen it.

 

[Arakhor]

One per complete 'series' I think would be fairest: Spock's Brain for TOS and Threshold for Voyager.

The first episode of TNG season 2 was The Child, as I recall. Darmok wasn't until season 5.

 

[ReindeerThistle]

You are right, Arakhor. My bad.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

I saw the TNG pilot for the first time today. Absolutely loved it, as I do all of TNG. The dynamic between Riker and Picard is one of my favorites in any story about anything, and it was cool to see how things started out, especially with Picard seeming colder and Riker seeming more haughty than in later seasons with which I am more familiar.

 

[Cutlass]

So... what's the worst trek tv episode in the history of Star Trek? Not counting TAS!

I suspect Spock's Brain will be a top choice for many, at least those among us familiar with the original (and best) series. However, I think maybe I am going to submit Skin of Evil from TNG, the episode where Tasha Yar died.

Almost every ep centered around the holodeck or time travel was painfully bad writing.

 

[Arakhor]

The DS9 episode Take Me Out to the Holodeck was pretty good, I think.

 

[Cutlass]

A few of them were OK. But it's rare. The City on the Edge of Forever was great. The one where Sisco went back to meet Kirk was very good. But 9 out of 10 of the rest of them was just lazy writing.

 

[El_Machinae]

I wasn't a transhumanist when I first say Barclay bootstrap himself to super-sentience ... but I still thought it was cool.

 

[ReindeerThistle]

The DS9 episode Take Me Out to the Holodeck was pretty good, I think.

Yes, one of my faves, too!

 

[Antilogic]

And just think of what was at first supposed to replace them: Ferengi

FERENGI? Figures the latinum-grubbing capitalists are the enemy of the UFP.

I'm a fan of Claudia Christian too and I'm not just saying that because I've met her.

Spoiler eight years ago :

You lucky son of a...

My interests are rather specific.

Spoiler :

Link to video.

Seven's early days remind me of the Cybernetic Consciousness from SMAC.

So... what's the worst trek tv episode in the history of Star Trek? Not counting TAS!

So what you are asking is what is the 23rd worst episode of Trek TV?

Almost every ep centered around the holodeck or time travel was painfully bad writing.

Yeah, this. You would have figured they would not allow people to override the safeguards on the effing holodecks with all the mess it makes.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Gosh I really can't say which particular episode sticks out as the worst to be honest. I'm sure there are some I hated but none pop out at me for the moment. I'm much better at remembering the details of story arcs as a whole than at remembering the specifics of individual episodes.

 

[GoodGame]

Until Abrams shows up and blows it up with space magic black hole bombs.

(loved ST 09 btw)

Kind of amusing that one man gets to direct Star Wars and Star Trek, which kind of ends the Star Wars vs. Star Trek debate, in a way.


I was a fan of ToS, early Enterprise, early TNG, and most of the motion pictures. Couldn't get into the other televesion series.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Well, this thread hit me like a ton of neutronium...

Basically, my Trek preferences are for TOS, TAS, and Voyager, along with liking specific characters/episodes of TNG and DS9. In general, I found TNG a fairly bland show except for the two-parters, and DS9 was okay until Worf joined. The only good thing I have to say about Enterprise is that Porthos the Beagle was cute.

As for the movies, I loved the first four. Five was an abomination, Six was disappointing (although it's nice that Sulu finally got his own ship), I didn't like Generations, the character of Lily in First Contact was good (but they totally messed up Zephram Cochrane), and there haven't been any remotely good movies since. And all I intend to say about nuTrek is that I consider it crap.

I've been a collector of lots of Star Trek stuff over the years, but tend to concentrate mostly on '70s and '80s fanzines these days.

 

[Lord Baal]

delete

 

[cav scout]

And all I intend to say about nuTrek is that I consider it crap.

Amen to that. Can anyone here honestly defend that garbage?

 

[Ajidica]

From TNG in the first season?

They could have done so much more with that plot idea, or at least have given it a two-parter.

The Borg ended up replacing the insect-conspiracy stuff, mainly because the design team couldn't come up with good insect prosthetics for a TV show budget. The writing team tried dropping some hints about the Borg (such as when the Romulans mention several of their bases had been destroyed, 'like a great hand reached down the planet and scooped them up', but a writers strike got in the way.

I'm a fan of Claudia Christian too and I'm not just saying that because I've met her.

Spoiler eight years ago :

Lucky you.

So... what's the worst trek tv episode in the history of Star Trek? Not counting TAS!

I suspect Spock's Brain will be a top choice for many, at least those among us familiar with the original (and best) series. However, I think maybe I am going to submit Skin of Evil from TNG, the episode where Tasha Yar died.

Any reason for Skin of Evil? I like it simply because they killed off a character with little forewarning. Not all characters have to die in a blaze of glory. Some simply just die. The special effects were questionable to say the least, but I wouldn't call the episode all that bad. In fact, by the standards of season 1 I'd call it positively good.
I would say the two worst episodes had to be either the one where there is a federation science team stranded on a planet ruled by women, or the racist episode where some black people take Tasha captive.

IMO, the only redeeming part of Season 1 are the Picard/Q interactions.

Link to video.

 

[Antilogic]

The Borg ended up replacing the insect-conspiracy stuff, mainly because the design team couldn't come up with good insect prosthetics for a TV show budget. The writing team tried dropping some hints about the Borg (such as when the Romulans mention several of their bases had been destroyed, 'like a great hand reached down the planet and scooped them up', but a writers strike got in the way.

I remember re-watching the season 1 finale recently (last month or something), and finally connecting that foreshadowing with the Borg*. It seems like they dropped a lot of the conspiracy elements and turned it into an invasion story, though. It's not like the DS9 conspiracy subplots at all.

I didn't connect this before when I was first watching the series because I watched it mostly out-of-order (in syndication) and I thought there had been no prior, significant Borg contact before the Q started messing with the Enterprise-D, although this has always been subject to significant ret-conning.

*Note: That episode would have been much more awesome had they not found random cryo satellite with 80s people in it and instead worked in some of the conspiracy elements from the prior episode.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Why the hate for Spock's Brain?
Simply because a body shouldn't need any time to die without a brain? ^^ That is easy to explain away. I suppose they just had some medical device at play which manages to keep body functions running for a while. Okay it may still not be a particular intelligent episode, but the worst?

Gosh I really can't say which particular episode sticks out as the worst to be honest. I'm sure there are some I hated but none pop out at me for the moment.

I also find it really difficult to come up with the worst episode. There are god damn many episodes and most kinda blend into each other.
Though for one I think it would be an eposode that was just rather boring, dull and surely also a bit stupid, but mostly boring. But not necessarily particular stupid. But see, being boring and dull I won't remember it

So to go for something easier: What in your mind was the stupidest plot device?
I'll go with the TOS episode where there is a world ruled by Mongols who eventually are defeated by white barbarians who eventually turn out to be copies of white Americans who were thrown back in development by some Atomic war.
Oh god was that bad However, watching the episode was still not that bad, because the big and horrible picture is only revealed in the end (with a constitution as a bible and an American flag).

Agree with Ajidica on Skin of Evil.

I saw the TNG pilot for the first time today. Absolutely loved it, as I do all of TNG. The dynamic between Riker and Picard is one of my favorites in any story about anything, and it was cool to see how things started out, especially with Picard seeming colder and Riker seeming more haughty than in later seasons with which I am more familiar.

Yeah I remember watching the pilot for the first time and felt the same way
It is all a bit awkward at times, but still great if one knows TNG but never saw the pilot.

FERENGI? Figures the latinum-grubbing capitalists are the enemy of the UFP.

Back when they still had whips



they were also supposed to be powerful and threatening.
Luckily not only the audience realized that this didn't work out.

How could I forget Worf?
"Good tea, nice house."

Don't get it. But want to.

I still quote Worf to this day, but not that quote. I prefer: "We have much to discuss."

That however I did get. Immediately in the original voice with the original face