January Meme: Favourite Star Trek Episodes

[selenak]

aurumcalundula wanted to know what my favourite Star Trek episodes were.

Since it's hard enough to make a favourite episode list for each season of each series, this was a true challenge. But here we go. Caveat: I haven't watched Star Trek: Lower Decks, because the pilot episode turned me off, big time, and I can't watch Star Trek: Prodigy, because it's not available on any streaming service I've booked. So no examples from these. Also: this is not meant as a "best of" list of any of the shows concerned. Just a list of personal favourites.

ST: TOS

Journey to Babel for the family drama, Trouble with Tribbles for the comedy.

ST: TNG
Measure of a Man for the court room drama, Family for the emotions (both the Picard and the Worf's parents subplots, in different ways), Deja Q(for the comedy and the Q-ness), Face of the Enemy (excellent spy drama, Marina Sirtis gets to be awesome) and All Good Things... (still best ST series finale ever, with everyone in the ensemble given a chance to shine, and it shows the character developments between pilot and series finale beautifully)

ST: DS9

In the Pale Moonlight as she series' shades of grey embodied (and not just by Garak's skin), positively the most Le Carré like ST episode ever made, Civil Defense for the comedy and the ensemble-ness (also one of the few episodes to have both Garak and Dukat at the same time), Blood Oath (Jadzia and the Three Original Klingons for the win), House of Quark (Quark vs the Klingon High Council is still one of my favourite ST scenes ever, also, it's the first episode where Quark and Rom have a sibling like relationship), Trials and Tribble-Ations (because sometimes lightning does strike twice, and this is also one of best comedy ST eps ever and a love declaration to TOS), The Wire (Garak/Bashir 4eva!).

ST: VOY

Someone to Watch Over Me (for both Seven and the Doctor), Jetrel (aka yes, you can use Neelix as a serious character and do an ST version of Robert Oppenheimer), Bride of Chaotica (best Voyager Holodeck episode, Kate Mulgrew has way too much fun), Survival Instinct (aka the lone Ron Moore episode, and it's one of the best for Seven of Nine), Body and Soul (see above re: Seven and the Doctor)

ST: ENT

The Forge, Awakening and Kirshara, aka the Garfield-Stevenses write Enterprise's Vulcans into three dimensionalilty, include a good Shran guest appearance, and are offering an excellent adventure to boot.

ST: DISCO

Magic makes the sanest man go mad (excellent use of time loop, Tilly is hilarious, Michael is awesome, and so is Stamets) , Despite Yourself (Disco shows the old Mirror Universe has a very new and refreshing life in it), If Memory Serves (Michael & Spock join my ranks of favourite messed up siblings, Pike's great, Vina gets to speak for herself), The Hope that is You (1) and Far From Home (almost a second pilot two parter, establishes both Michael Burnham and the Discovery crew in a new context, and does a great job of it).

The other days

Comments

[aurumcalendula]

Ooh I need to watch/rewatch these! Thank you for answering!

[selenak]

You're very welcome!

[felis]

This made me realize that even though I watched them all and commented on many, I really don't remember the Voyager episode titles. Huh. Doing better with all the others, but not doing so well with picking favourites in the first place, even though I definitely agree with a lot of your picks, from both TOS ones over Measure of a Man to Civil Defense and The Wire. Still, since one thing I love about Star Trek is its variety, I think it'd be easier for me to pick out the worst of each than just one or two favourites.

Star Trek: Lower Decks, because the pilot episode turned me off

Ha. I watched the first two minutes, three at most, and then immediately turned it off, because no, thank you. But then I wanted to give it another chance, went back a couple of weeks later - and ended up enjoying it! Much more than TAS in fact, and enough to finish both seasons. While I wouldn't be able to remember details (or, once again, episode titles without prompting), it was a nice relaxing thing to watch and I rather enjoyed all the callbacks to classic episodes, with its good-natured pastiches and making fun of things (which was what the beginning of the pilot failed at IMO, but it got better). Also, the lower decks perspective in general, and that the characters ended up getting some development.

Oh, and you are missing Picard - intentionally for shortness, or accidentally?

[selenak]

Picard: for shortness, since one season isn‘t really enough. But within that season, if I have to choose, it would be Nepenthe (Picard & Riker & Troi reunion for the win!), then Stardust City Rag (For the Seven of Nine plot).