As one of the most enduring and beloved franchises of all time,Star Trekhas produced some episodes that everyone who calls themselves a fan should see at least once. In 1966,Star Trek: The Original Seriesintroduced the world toCaptain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crewaboard the USS Enterprise, and the rest is history. WhileTOSmay be dated in some aspects, its characters and many of its storylines hold up well and remain relevant today.
With its premiere in 1987,Star Trek: The Next Generationcontinued the legacy that began withTOS,ushering in a new golden era fortheStar Trekfranchise. Every generation since has had its own version ofStar Trek,and everyTrekfan has their own ideas about what they consider the best episodes, series, and movies. But there are some episodes almost everyone can agree on,withstories that transcend theStar Trekfranchise and reveal something about what it means to be human.
10"Balance Of Terror"
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, Episode 14
Not only did “Balance of Terror” introduce one ofStar Trek’smost enduring villains in the Romulans, but the episode also delivers a tense story with a brilliant guest star. The episode followsCaptain Kirk as he engages in a strategic cat-and-mouse gamewith aclever Romulan Commander (Mark Lenard). The reveal of the Romulans' Vulcan-like appearance provides a nice shock for the characters, and the ensuing face-off establishes a lot about the nature of the Romulans.
Mark Lenard would go on to portray Spock’s Vulcan father, Ambassador Sarek, in episodes ofStar Trek: The Original SeriesandStar Trek: The Next Generation.
Mark Lenard delivers a captivating performance as the Romulan Commander, who equals Captain Kirk in many ways. The Commander even acknowledges that he and Kirk could have been friends under different circumstances.In the end, the Commander admits defeat and sets his ship to self-destruct, but Kirk’s victory is not a celebratory one. “Balance of Terror” is a classic episode ofStar Trekand a great representative ofTOSat its very best.
9“The City On The Edge Of Forever”
Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, Episode 28
The iconic trio of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) quickly became one of the best things aboutStar Trek: The Original Series.While “The City on the Edge of Forever” may focus on Kirk, it has some great moments for all three characters.When Kirk and Spock follow Dr. McCoy back in time through theGuardian of Forever portal, they must correct the timeline and restore the proper future.
While searching for Dr. McCoy, Kirk falls in love with Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), the operator of a local soup kitchen. The pair develop a beautiful romance that ends in tragedy afterSpock discovers that Edith must die to restore the correct timeline.Kirk can only watch in horror as Edith is killed, knowing he has saved the future but lost one of the greatest loves of his life. “The City On The Edge Of Forever” is one ofStar Trek’ssaddest and most beautiful stories that remains just a poignant today as ever.
8“The Measure Of A Man”
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2, Episode 9
After a somewhat shaky start,Star Trek: The Next Generationbecame just as beloved as its predecessor, introducing the world to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his Enterprise-D crew. LikeTOS,TNGdelivered many iconic and memorable episodes throughout its run,but none perhaps as quintessentiallyStar Trekas season 2’s “The Measure of a Man.” The episode sees theandroid Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner)put on trial for his very right to exist.
An extended cut of “The Measure of a Man” was released in 2012, which contains 12 minutes of deleted scenes incorporated back into the episode.
Brent Spiner’s Data became one ofTNG’smost beloved characters, and it’s easy to see why. When Dr. Bruce Maddox (Brian Brophy) arrives with plans to dismantle the android, Data remains calm and professional, but his friends on the Enterprise will not let him go down without a fight.Captain Picard’s speech at Data’s trial remains one ofTNG’smost powerful moments,and the episode’s discussions surrounding AI remain relevant today.
7“The Best Of Both Worlds Parts I & II”
Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1
With “The Best of Both Worlds,“Star Trek: The Next Generationperfected theStar Trektwo-parter andcemented the Borg as one of the franchise’s best villains.When Captain Picard gets assimilated by the Borg and transformed into their mouthpiece, Locutus, his future as captain of the Enterprise hangs in the balance.Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes)gets a chance to shine while in command of the Enterprise in one of the best television cliffhangers of all time.
Commander Riker and his crew save Picard and eventually find a way to thwart the Borg cube preparing to attack Earth, but not before nearly 40 ships are lost at thedevastating Battle of Wolf 359.The events of “The Best of Both Worlds” continue to reverberate throughout theStar Trekfranchisetoday in more ways than one. It’s a two-part story everyStar Trekfan should see, but one that can also be enjoyed by those less familiar with the franchise as well.
6"The Visitor”
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 4, Episode 2
In the wake of the success ofStar Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Ninedebuted as a different kind ofStar Trekshow, focused on the crew of a strategically important space station. Like its predecessors, the best episodes ofDS9examine the show’s characters and their complex relationships, and that’s particularly true in “The Visitor.” WhenCaptain Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) gets stuck outside of the flow of time,his son Jake (Cirroc Lofton) struggles to cope without his father.
“The Visitor” is a beautifully tragic episode with incredible performances from Avery Brooks and Tony Todd.
Jake (Tony Todd)grows up, gets married, and pursues a writing career, but he never fully moves on from his father’s death. As an adult,Jake abandons his writing and marriage to find a way to rescue his father,ultimately taking his own life the next time his father appears to him. Jake’s hunch works, and time reverts back to just before Sisko’s original accident, giving father and son a second chance. It’s a beautifully tragic episode with incredible performances from Avery Brooks and Tony Todd.
5“Far Beyond The Stars”
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 6, Episode 13
Star Trekregularly experimented with different genres and formats, often leading to some of the franchise’s best episodes. In “Far Beyond the Stars,“Captain Sisko has visions of himself as a Black science fiction writer named Benny Russellliving in 20th-century New York.Sisko’s DS9 crew memberspopulate the magazine office where Russell works. As Russell works on a story about a space station with a Black captain, he faces racism from multiple sides.
When a young Black man named Jimmy (portrayed by Jake Sisko) is shot and killed by police, Russell protests and is beaten by the same police officers. In the end, Sisko wakes up back on Space Station Deep Space Nine, profoundly affected by his vision.“Far Beyond The Stars” may be even more painfully relevant today than it was in 1998,and it’s an episode everyone should watch at least once, whether they areStar Trekfans or not.
4"Blink Of An Eye”
Star Trek: Voyager Season 6, Episode 12
When the USS Voyager investigates a strange planet, the ship gets trapped in its magnetic field. AsCaptain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew)and her crew work to escape, they discover that time passes much more quickly on the planet below. While only hours pass aboard Voyager, centuries pass on the planet, and the mysterious ship in the sky becomes part of the mythology of the humanoid inhabitants.
One of the alien astronauts is portrayed by Daniel Dae Kim, who later appeared inStar Trek: Enterpriseas Corporal Chang before landing his breakout role as Jin-Soo Kwon inLost.
The planet’s inhabitants eventually develop the technology to send astronauts to Voyager, only one of whom survives the shock of the time difference. After meeting Voyager’s crew, the alien astronaut travels back to his planet, and two ships arrive to tow Voyager out of the planet’s magnetic field. With its unique take on time travel,“Blink of an Eye” tells a compelling sci-fi story that deals with classicStar Trekelementslike the Prime Directive in unique ways.
3"Twilight”
Star Trek: Enterprise Season 3, Episode 8
Star Trekhas done time travel stories involving memory loss before, but it’s a formula that often works for the franchise, and “Twilight” is no exception. The episode opens with a bang asCaptain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) awakens on the Enterprise NX-01just in time to watch Earth be destroyed by the Xindi.Archer eventually learns that he was infected by subspace parasites that prevent him from forming long-term memories.
In otherStar Trekconnections, “Twilight” was directed byStar Trek: Voyager’sRobert Duncan McNeill and namedrops Ceti Alpha V as the planet where the remnants of humanity resettle.
Archer’s condition ledCommander T’Pol (Jolene Blalock)to take command of the Enterprise, but she and her crew failed to prevent the Xindi from destroying Earth. Dr. Phlox (John Billingsley) eventually engineers a cure, and he, T’Pol, and Archer find a way to kill the parasites and resit the timeline.It’s always fascinating seeingStar Trek’scharacters deal with apocalyptic alternate realities,and “Twilight” offers a particularly interesting character study of Archer and T’Pol.
2“Those Old Scientists”
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 7
In one of the most fun episodes of theStar Trekon Paramount+ era, Ensigns Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) ofStar Trek: Lower Decksmake the jump to live action. As Quaid’s character geeks out over meeting heroes likeCaptain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount),Boimlerinadvertently reveals hints about the future.After Mariner arrives, even she can not hide her excitement about meeting Ensign Nyota Uhura (Celia Rose Gooding).
Boimler and Mariner’s enthusiasm is infectious and completely understandable for anyStar Trekfan (who wouldn’t geek out over meeting Captain Pike?).“Those Old Scientists” contains shout-outs to numerousStar Trekerasand truly acts as a love letter to the franchise as a whole. EveryStar Trekfan will likely find something to like in this episode, which manages to be hilarious and full of heart while still deliveringStar Trek’strademark message of acceptance.
1"Fissure Quest”
Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 9
InStar Trek: Lower Decks’penultimate episode on Paramount+, the animated series delivers a crossover of epic proportions. Thanks to the season’s multiverse storyline,characters pop up from acrossTrekseries and timelines,includingStar Trek: Deep Space Nine’sGarak (Andrew J. Robinson)and Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) andStar Trek: Enterprise’sT’Pol. It’s a thrill for anyStar Trekfan to see all of these characters again, but “Fissure Quest” doesn’t stop there.
“Fissure Quest” is an incredibly fun and ambitious episode of Star Trek that will surely delight even casual fans of the franchise.
As Captain William Boimler (Jack Quaid) leads his crew of"interdimensional castaways,“he encounters Lily Sloane (Alfre Woodard), whose quantum reality drive has been inadvertently creating rifts in spacetime. This reveal feels like classicStar Trekin the best way, as does Sloane’s speech about her crew’s mission. “Fissure Quest” is an incredibly fun and ambitious episode ofStar Trekthat will surely delight even casual fans of the franchise.
