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As a lighter subject, I’ve been watching all of the original Star Trek episodes from the sixties in order. Here are some comments on each one, and hopefully when I’m done I’ll have generated myself a decent top ten episodes list.

Amok Time

= 5 stars

Now this is classic Trek. Spock is out of his mind, the weird Vulcan customs force Kirk into an unwinnable situation. Torn shirts ensue, and McCoy saves the day with a brilliant bit of logical, yet realistic fakery. Even the final moments are classic.

Torn Kirk Uniform (check)

Who Mourns for Adonais?

= 2 stars

The God Apollo is basically another spolied alien with a weakness that takes far too long for the crew of the Enterprise to exploit.

Ripping off history (check)
Seemingly omnipotent alien(s) with a weakness (check)
Cute female crew member (check)

The Changeling

= 4 stars

Nomad, the robot, thinks Kirk is his father and proceeds to kill people and take over the Enterprise.

Confused robots (check)
Seemingly omnipotent alien(s) with a weakness (check)

Mirror, Mirror

= 5 stars

Perfect idea, well executed. To see the same actors play bastard versions of themselves is a treat. It’s also great how both Spocks realize the illogic behind having these fishes out of water.

Cute female crew member (check)

The Apple

= 2 stars

Starts off well enough with innocent, noble savage aliens, but deteriorates as Kirk simply ignores the prime directive and destroys the scary dragon computer Vaal.

Impressionable, naive alien society (check)
Cute female crew member (check)

The Doomsday Machine

= 5 stars

I love this episode. A seemingly unbeatable foe plus a whacked-out Starship commander and you have great Trek.

Seemingly omnipotent alien(s) with a weakness (check)

Catspaw

= 1 star

Didn’t care for this episode. Too similar to an earlier episode with the spoiled kid. The transmuter device seems like a cop-out, too.

Seemingly omnipotent alien(s) with a weakness (check)

I, Mudd

= 4 stars

Mudd is a moron, and I don’t really know why they brought him back, but this episode features the classic situation of robots that seem omnipotent but are really very stupid, and Kirk shows them who’s boss. Some strange pantomime and some cute twins wrap up this tidy package.

Confused Robots (check)
Crew on planet can’t contact the Enterprise (check)

Metamorphosis

= 2 stars

This is a decent episode with a bit of mysterious alien. The “love” stuff is a bit heavy handed.

Person stays behind on a planet (check)

Journey to Babel

= 4 stars

We get to meet Spock’s parents among a bit of political intrigue. The Andorian spy is a nice addition. Also interesting to see Vulcan logic get the better of Spock, leaving Kirk to save the day.

Friday’s Child

= 3 stars

This is kind of a wacky one, filmed in the desert on rocks with warring aliens. There are some goofy alien customs that nearly entrap McCoy, providing a nice bit of humor.

Impressionable, naive alien society (check)

The Deadly Years

= 5 stars

Another nice idea with aging crew members as we get to see most notably Shatner play an older version of himself. He reminds me of Welles in Citzen Kane at certain points, blustering that his memory is fine. Add in a dash of an incompetent officer and the Neutral Zone and this is classic Trek.

Medical ailment (check)

Obsession

= 2 stars

A grumpy Kirk chases a blood-sucking cloud all over the place. Pretty slow and only gets good in the last five minutes.

Seemingly omnipotent alien(s) with a weakness (check)
Dead red shirts (check)

Wolf in the Fold

= 2 stars

One of the Trek mixed with historical material that almost works, but not quite. It’s quite a stretch to first imagine Scotty capable of murder, and then to believe Jack the Ripper is a planet-hopping alien.

Ripping off history (check)
Hot female alien (check)

The Trouble with Tribbles

5 stars

Klingons (check)

The Gamesters of Triskellon

= 3 stars

Unusually violent episode where Kirk, Chekov, and Uhura become gladiator-style playthings of brains in a jar. Kirk seduces a green haired alien in order to escape.

Impressionable, naive alien society (check)
Torn Kirk shirt
Hot female alien (check)
Kirk romance (check)

A Piece of the Action

= 3 stars

Humorous episode with a planet of mobsters. Gets more amusing as Kirk starts getting into the gangster schtick. Spock is a reluctant straight man.

Ripping off history (check)
Crew on planet can’t contact the Enterprise (check)
Impressionable, naive alien society (check)

The Immunity Syndrome

= 2 stars

The Enterprise runs into a gigantic space ameoba. Spock almost dies. Not much to recommend this episode which is basically a rehash of others.

Seemingly omnipotent alien(s) with a weakness (check)

A Private Litte War

= 3 stars

Naive, primitive aliens, Klingons, and a hot witch make this into one of the more bizzare episodes. Everyone’s breaking the prime directive and the camp factor hits warp 11 with the wiggling mako root.

Impressionable, naive alien society (check)
Hot female alien (check)

Return to Tomorrow

= 4 stars

God like aliens in big spheres take over Kirk and Spock’s bodies. Even with their powers they aren’t above petty jealousy and pride.

Seemingly omnipotent alien(s) with a weakness (check)
Cute female crew member (check)
Kirk Romance (check)

Patterns of Force

= 4 stars

A planet full of Nazis leads to some deliberations on the prime directive and the dangers of power.

Prime directive broken
Spock pinch
Shamelessly ripping off history
Cute female alien

By Any Other Name

= 3 stars

An advanced alien race wants to return to the Andromeda galaxy using the Enterprise. One of their tricks is to convert humans into geometric solids. Eventually their adopted human forms get the better of them.

Vulcan Mind Meld (check)
Seemingly omnipotent alien(s) with a weakness (check)
Crew on planet can’t contact the Enterprise (check)
Dead red shirts (check)
Cute female alien (check)
Kirk Romance (check)

The Omega Glory

= 2 stars

Enterprise finds an abandoned starship around a planet of two tribes, representing the two sides of Earth’s cold war. The Declaration of Independence stuff requires a bit too much parallel development belief for me.

Medical ailment (check)
Shameless historical references (check)
Impressionable, naive alien society (check)
Spock pinch (check)
Crew on planet can’t communicate with Enterprise (check)

The Ultimate Computer

= 3 stars

A computer created by a nutty professor is given control of the Enterprise, which nearly gets blown away by several other Federation star ships.

Confused robots (check)

Bread and Circuses

= 3 stars

Interesting idea with a 20th century Roman Empire and a lost commander that ends up in cahoots with a sadist. Unfortuantely it ends a bit flatly. The most enjoyable bit is a badly sword-fighting McCoy.

Ripping off history (check)
Crew on planet can’t contact the Enterprise (check)

Assignment: Earth

= 1 star

A strange episode intended for a “Gary Seven” series that as far as I can tell, was never made. The Enterprise travels back in time to 1968 and runs into a do-gooder alien and a ditzy secretary. Although time travel and the crew playing dress up is usually fun, in this episode it’s just boring as all get-out.

Crew on planet can’t communicate with Enterprise (check)
Cute actress (check)
Time travel (check)