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Star Trek Meme: Day 9
Day 9 - What's your favorite episode?
Another fiendishly difficult question, since it's not about compiling a "best of" list. I will try to answer for each show.
TOS: It depends on my mood. If seriously inclined, either City on the Edge of Forever (first time travel episode, arguably still one of the best, and Edith Keeler is a three dimensional female guest character) or Journey to Babel (because of Sarek and Amanda). If in the mood to smile, Trouble of Tribbles, of course. The Tribble landing on Kirk's head will never not be funny. Especially now that we know Dax threw it.
TNG: Arrgggh. I love so many for different reasons! Darmok because it's TNG-Style Trek at its best, Measure of a Man (first fan written script becoming canon!) for doing the trial concept with genuine suspense (Riker's counter demonstration, despite the fact he hated every minute of it, was grimly efficient), including one of the best Picard and Guinan scene (with a discussion about what slavery is, no less) and turning what was originally played as a gag moment (the Tasha/Data encounter in The Naked Now) into something with meaning when we saw Data still had Tasha's goodbye message, Family for being a groundbreaking ST episode (first time one episode's trauma wasn't over in the next episode) with great scenes for Picard and a lovely subplot about Worf's parents, Face of the Enemy for being the best Troi episode and offering a Le Carré like ambiguity (the Romulan commander is an honorable woman, Deanna Troi's ally, otoh, is decidely shady) in spying... but really, I have to go with the very last episode(s), All Good Things.... Which has it all: great ensemble use and emphasis on character growth, good use of the three different time zones concept, bringing various themes full circle, Picard/Q sparring (and Data observing Q has a thing for Picard), and an ending that was full of hope for the future. Very fitting for this show, and still the best ST finale.
DS9: see, if I were asked about "best" I'd go for In the Pale Moonlight, no question about it, but I have to be in the right mood for that one. Most loved, well, different episodes for different characters. The Wire for Garak/Bashir, obviously, House of Quark for the Klingon/Ferengi culture clash, and Quark resolving a moral dilemma in a very Quark way, Necessary Evil for Terok Nor and Odo as noir detective, The Visitor for Jake Sisko breaking my heart, Blood Oath for Jadzia Dax and her three Klingon Musketeers, Duet for being the first and still one of the best episode to discover the magic that comes from Kira + a Cardassian combinations complete with for the first time Star Trek tackling a Third Reich theme without Operetta Nazis and therefore much more harrowingly, Indiscretion because Kira and Dukat were terrific on screen together and the first Ziyal was still the best.... and Our Man Bashir for being the funniest Holosuite episode ever with great ooc roles for almost the entire ensemble (other than Bashir and Garak), also providing a far more entertaining take on James Bond than the Bond movies did at the time (this was the Pierce Brosnan era), and still managing to include one great character scene (Bashir shooting Garak to stop him from ending the program). I can't choose between them, don't make me!
Voyager: Someone to Watch Over Me, without question. Also my favourites among all ST show's attempts to do romantic comedy.The Doctor tutoring Seven in social skills had been an ongoing storyline (and continues to be beyond this episode), but here the writers borrow a page from Shaw's Pygmalion, only with a reverse emotional outcome. The Doctor making a bet with Tom Paris that he can teach Seven how to date, and well enough so she can show up at the social function of the week with said date without alienating everyone is following precedent, but in Pygmalion (and its musical adaption My Fair Lady), it's the student, Eliza, who falls in love with Higgins through this (how much Higgins is affected depends on whether you believe Shaw or Lerner), while in the Voyager episode it's the teacher, the Doctor. In both cases, the turning point is when the student after succesfully accomplishing the original task discovers the bet the teacher made and leaves in indignation. Someone to Watch Over Me has a bittersweet graceful ending note when Seven and the Doctor reconcile, but he decides not to tell her how he feels. In between, we get some pricelessly funny scenes (one of my favourite details is Seven's appalled look when during her trial run date with another crewman, the crewman orders lobster, and she looks from the lobster to her own exsoskeleton) and a great duet exploiting the fact both Robert Picardo and Jeri Ryan can sing. The subplot with Neelix having to chaperone an ambassador cracks me up as well, as do the asides about Paris/Torres ("How do you know when we're having intimate relations?" "There is no one on deck 12, subsection 5 who doesn't know when you're having intimate relations").
Day 1 - Which Star Trek series is your favorite?
Day 2 - Who is your favorite character?
Day 3 - Who is your least favorite character?
Day 4 - What was the first episode/movie you watched?
Day 5 - What was the first Star Trek series you watched?
Day 6 - Your favorite canon pairing? (Canon being the series and the movies, including the reboot.)
Day 7 - Your favorite non-canon pairing?
Day 8 - Your favorite actor/actress? (Not the same as character.)
Day 10 - What's your favorite species? (Humans are a species as well.)
Day 11 - What's your least favorite species? (See question 9 about species.)
Day 12 - What's your favorite funny moment?
Day 13 - What's your favorite dramatic moment?
Day 14 - What's your favorite Star Trek quote?
Day 15 - How did you get into Star Trek?
Day 16 - Are you involved with Star Trek fandom?
Day 17 - Have you read any of the books? If so, which ones?
Day 18 - If you could be any species in the Star Trek universe, what would you be?
Day 19 - How did the Star Trek reboot affect you?
Day 20 - Of the minor characters (one shots, not the recurring ones) who’s your favorite?
Day 21 - Which Star Trek food would you want to try at least once?
Day 22 - Which Star Trek world would you want to visit at least once?
Day 23 - Is there anything you'd want to change about Star Trek? Why?
Day 24 - Is there anything about Star Trek that has disappointed you?
Day 25 - How has Star Trek changed you?
Day 26 - Lots of Star Trek Parodies out there. Which do you dig?
Day 27 - What would you cross over with Star Trek?
Day 28 - Your favourite friendship in Star Trek?
Day 29 - If you could tell Gene Roddenberry one thing, Star Trek related or not, what would it be?
Another fiendishly difficult question, since it's not about compiling a "best of" list. I will try to answer for each show.
TOS: It depends on my mood. If seriously inclined, either City on the Edge of Forever (first time travel episode, arguably still one of the best, and Edith Keeler is a three dimensional female guest character) or Journey to Babel (because of Sarek and Amanda). If in the mood to smile, Trouble of Tribbles, of course. The Tribble landing on Kirk's head will never not be funny. Especially now that we know Dax threw it.
TNG: Arrgggh. I love so many for different reasons! Darmok because it's TNG-Style Trek at its best, Measure of a Man (first fan written script becoming canon!) for doing the trial concept with genuine suspense (Riker's counter demonstration, despite the fact he hated every minute of it, was grimly efficient), including one of the best Picard and Guinan scene (with a discussion about what slavery is, no less) and turning what was originally played as a gag moment (the Tasha/Data encounter in The Naked Now) into something with meaning when we saw Data still had Tasha's goodbye message, Family for being a groundbreaking ST episode (first time one episode's trauma wasn't over in the next episode) with great scenes for Picard and a lovely subplot about Worf's parents, Face of the Enemy for being the best Troi episode and offering a Le Carré like ambiguity (the Romulan commander is an honorable woman, Deanna Troi's ally, otoh, is decidely shady) in spying... but really, I have to go with the very last episode(s), All Good Things.... Which has it all: great ensemble use and emphasis on character growth, good use of the three different time zones concept, bringing various themes full circle, Picard/Q sparring (and Data observing Q has a thing for Picard), and an ending that was full of hope for the future. Very fitting for this show, and still the best ST finale.
DS9: see, if I were asked about "best" I'd go for In the Pale Moonlight, no question about it, but I have to be in the right mood for that one. Most loved, well, different episodes for different characters. The Wire for Garak/Bashir, obviously, House of Quark for the Klingon/Ferengi culture clash, and Quark resolving a moral dilemma in a very Quark way, Necessary Evil for Terok Nor and Odo as noir detective, The Visitor for Jake Sisko breaking my heart, Blood Oath for Jadzia Dax and her three Klingon Musketeers, Duet for being the first and still one of the best episode to discover the magic that comes from Kira + a Cardassian combinations complete with for the first time Star Trek tackling a Third Reich theme without Operetta Nazis and therefore much more harrowingly, Indiscretion because Kira and Dukat were terrific on screen together and the first Ziyal was still the best.... and Our Man Bashir for being the funniest Holosuite episode ever with great ooc roles for almost the entire ensemble (other than Bashir and Garak), also providing a far more entertaining take on James Bond than the Bond movies did at the time (this was the Pierce Brosnan era), and still managing to include one great character scene (Bashir shooting Garak to stop him from ending the program). I can't choose between them, don't make me!
Voyager: Someone to Watch Over Me, without question. Also my favourites among all ST show's attempts to do romantic comedy.The Doctor tutoring Seven in social skills had been an ongoing storyline (and continues to be beyond this episode), but here the writers borrow a page from Shaw's Pygmalion, only with a reverse emotional outcome. The Doctor making a bet with Tom Paris that he can teach Seven how to date, and well enough so she can show up at the social function of the week with said date without alienating everyone is following precedent, but in Pygmalion (and its musical adaption My Fair Lady), it's the student, Eliza, who falls in love with Higgins through this (how much Higgins is affected depends on whether you believe Shaw or Lerner), while in the Voyager episode it's the teacher, the Doctor. In both cases, the turning point is when the student after succesfully accomplishing the original task discovers the bet the teacher made and leaves in indignation. Someone to Watch Over Me has a bittersweet graceful ending note when Seven and the Doctor reconcile, but he decides not to tell her how he feels. In between, we get some pricelessly funny scenes (one of my favourite details is Seven's appalled look when during her trial run date with another crewman, the crewman orders lobster, and she looks from the lobster to her own exsoskeleton) and a great duet exploiting the fact both Robert Picardo and Jeri Ryan can sing. The subplot with Neelix having to chaperone an ambassador cracks me up as well, as do the asides about Paris/Torres ("How do you know when we're having intimate relations?" "There is no one on deck 12, subsection 5 who doesn't know when you're having intimate relations").
Day 1 - Which Star Trek series is your favorite?
Day 2 - Who is your favorite character?
Day 3 - Who is your least favorite character?
Day 4 - What was the first episode/movie you watched?
Day 5 - What was the first Star Trek series you watched?
Day 6 - Your favorite canon pairing? (Canon being the series and the movies, including the reboot.)
Day 7 - Your favorite non-canon pairing?
Day 8 - Your favorite actor/actress? (Not the same as character.)
Day 10 - What's your favorite species? (Humans are a species as well.)
Day 11 - What's your least favorite species? (See question 9 about species.)
Day 12 - What's your favorite funny moment?
Day 13 - What's your favorite dramatic moment?
Day 14 - What's your favorite Star Trek quote?
Day 15 - How did you get into Star Trek?
Day 16 - Are you involved with Star Trek fandom?
Day 17 - Have you read any of the books? If so, which ones?
Day 18 - If you could be any species in the Star Trek universe, what would you be?
Day 19 - How did the Star Trek reboot affect you?
Day 20 - Of the minor characters (one shots, not the recurring ones) who’s your favorite?
Day 21 - Which Star Trek food would you want to try at least once?
Day 22 - Which Star Trek world would you want to visit at least once?
Day 23 - Is there anything you'd want to change about Star Trek? Why?
Day 24 - Is there anything about Star Trek that has disappointed you?
Day 25 - How has Star Trek changed you?
Day 26 - Lots of Star Trek Parodies out there. Which do you dig?
Day 27 - What would you cross over with Star Trek?
Day 28 - Your favourite friendship in Star Trek?
Day 29 - If you could tell Gene Roddenberry one thing, Star Trek related or not, what would it be?