@@kennethmartin1300 Haha, I do not recall that scene. Perhaps I should rewatch it. When I first saw it, I saw it as a kid in reruns, and I remember hating it. It would have been much worse if I saw it as a season finale that turned out to be the last episode ever.
I would say that of TOS. The spinoffs are mostly just boring. My problem with Next Generation... almost every episode is resolved by some stupid technobabble in the last few minutes. BORING! I'll watch even bottom-of-the-barrel TOS any time.
@@brianover_reviews The writing of TOS still reflected a Hollywood establishment that had experienced the Second World and Korean Wars, so they were not afraid to tackle and present the harshness of life even in the semi-Utopian 24th century (keeping within 1960s studio standards, of course). TNG and beyond stank of political correctness and keeping things blandly inoffensive.
Dude, I loved the empath. You completely missed the point. If I ever had one superpower it would be to take on some else’s pain, hurt, suffering, and injuries, hopefully not to the point of death. The ultimate sacrifice.
It was one I remembered being moved by as a little kid when I saw it. Bottom line, the worst Star Treks were still better than the best competing shows, with some arguable exceptions.
I agree with that story plot but the music made it unwatchable. I would rather hear the Amok Time music with Kirk and Spock --- "Dah Da dah dah dah da duh a dah da." or the music from Doomsday that sounds like the Jaws theme.
The thing about 'The Empath' is the implicit twist at the end that the audience has to figure out for themselves, never spelled out, like Darth Jar Jar. The Vians were trying to decide whether to evaluate the Empath's planet or one other, and the torture test for self sacrifice was the deciding factor. Why? Because the Vians themselves were the other planet. The Vians sacrificed themselves to save the younger species. Can humanity begin to imagine the same? The audience certainly couldn't comprehend it, the 'Imagine' concept vs. 'Better Dead Than Red', or Theodore Sturgeon's story, 'Thunder and Roses'
Peter, I totally agree with you. Everyone dumps on "The Empath," but this was always one of my favorite episodes -- maybe even my favorite episode when I was a kid. I was moved by it.
Yeah some of those I would go along with but NEVER NEVER 'The Empath' that is such a good one just good acting throughout and showing a bond of love and friendship, this was DeForrest Kelley's favourite and I see why.
I really liked the Empath. In fact, it would have ranked in my top 5 favourites. At least the aliens looked like real aliens (not cowboys and Indians or space hi 7:09 ppies in costume). The plot of the Empath was also very interesting and suspenseful.
Stock's brain was fun. Stupid, but fun in a campy 60s/50s b-movie style. "What is brain?!" Classic line, lol. What I don't understand is why everyone loves that episode where Kirk falls in love with that the overly optimistic, 2-demensional woman from the 1930s. They have a few cheesy run-ins, change the past and have to change it back again. I hardly see why that's interesting or thought provoking. I mean sure, the time gate was cool and all, but the majority of events on planet earth were not quite so interesting, imo.
Yeah..very much agree...That was a episode that stood up to the quality of the first 2 seasons... as a matter of fact better than a few of those episodes.. Many others in season 3 fell far short. Like Spock's brain.
@@davidsnyderWisdomTrollBlocker The Empath and Spock's Brain are the two worst episodes. The third season was hampered by budget cuts fueled by poor ratings. Regardless, Spectre of the Gun and The Tholian Web are superb.
@John Smith The special effects in that episode were stunning for 1968. Lee Meriwether had the classic face of beauty. The premise that a long dead woman could kill by just a touch even though only a projection is intriguing. The acting is average in this episode. Solid "C" overall rating.
It was one of those banned in the U.K. for over 20 years due to cruelty, so I can see it being considered one of the worst for that factor alone. It does have a cringe factor, but I wouldn't put it on the worst list; I can think of a couple dozen that I don't want to watch again. I bought a third of the episodes on VHS back in the day, and I think this is one of them.
Cannot stand Platos Step children. Despite the astonishing Michael Dunn’s “Do you think I want to be like them?!” and Chapel’s pseudo Vulcan makeup, the sexual sadism and humiliation is unbearable. The Uhura Kirk kiss meant nothing to us back in the day, because it was forced. And then he’s going to burn her? With a hot poker?! Not really a total triumph as a civil rights moment. Lastly, the perverts on the planet did not get their sufficient desserts. Each time I’ve watched it, it bothers me even more.
Everything he chose is a good, even iconic episode. There are so many turkeys later in STOS with zero scifi value and he picks some of the most original.
It's pretty bad, but not as bad as people say. There are worse ones, like The Way to Eden (space hippies), Patterns of Force (space Nazis), and Turnabout Intruder (lesson: women shouldn't be allowed to run anything).
Fun fact about "The Alternative Factor": Robert Brown, who played Lazarus, was not the producer's first choice for the role. He was actually a last-minute substitute for John Barrymore, Jr., who pulled a no-show when filming started. Who is John Barrymore, Jr., you ask? Drew Barrymore's father.
@@_mergg The Alternative Factor was a troubled production by all accounts and held back to toward the end of the season because of they knew it was weak.
I agree, the last episode of the series was deeply embarrassing, with Shatner playing on tropes to indicate he’s really a woman, like filing his nails in the captain’s chair, even though the woman he was supposed to be probably didn’t do it either. A truly sad end to a great series.
@@codybuckner9325 Charles Napier went on to have a pretty good acting career in his middle age. He put on a lot of weight so you might not even recognize him from "The Way to Eden."
It's all a matter of opinion, but how, "And the Children Shall Lead," and "The Way to Eden" didn't make your top 5 is beyond me. They are easily 1 and 2 on my list. "The Alternative Factor" isn't as bad an episode as it it just a hot mess for me. They had some good ideas, and if you've ever heard the behind the scenes of that episode you'll understand why it turned out into the jumbled nonsense that it did.
Requiem for Methuselah is my least favourite episode. Kirk is so far out of character. Ignoring his responsibility to his ship and crew because he has the hots for an android. Is this the same man who allowed Edith Keeler to die?
@@WillCamx Absolutely my favorite. (“Forget.” ) Raina was the final draft of the perfect women as designed by di Vinci, et al. Two very different women and circumstances.
I think you have misunderstood the Empath. That episode is very important for character- development, and it is very different from the other episodes. Interesting to hear your point of view, nonetheless.
The Empath had great music, also the self sacrifice exhibited by the characters (Spock,McCoy,Kirk) was the groundwork for the hero worship of them to follow.
I always thought it was just boring. It's like I could see what they were going for, and had good ideas, but just didn't make it interesting enough to be watchable.
The empath is my favorite episode. It's about self-sacrifice and intolerance to others' suffering. The irony that the Vians praise the empathy that they themselves lack (which Kirk bitterly points out) adds more depth to the plot.
"The Empath" and "Errand of Mercy" appear to be attempts at advancing human character development. But that could possibly be said for many episodes, and I appreciate Gene Roddenberry for the focus and intent of his storylines.
@@questor5189 Yes, in many of the characters you cared about them, and not just the main TOS actors. You were concerned about them, even admired them, like the Romulan Commander in "Balance of Terror". And it's totally unlike the ones today, which you wish would just step out of an air lock, and be done with them, or something. ;D
Bruno I could not agree more. When NGR came out the first two years were absolute snoozers....thank goodness they came up with the Borg or that would have been a complete loss.
@@danbasta3677- Next Generation had it's moments. Season 4 thru 6 were definitely their best seasons. That's when they produced some of their best episodes.
Personally, I love The Empath. My worst would be The way to eden ("Herbert!"), spocks brain ("In search of his brain, doctor!"), whom gods destroy ("You stupid cow!"), alternative factor ("Winking Out!"), I Mudd, Catspaw ("Very bad poetry, Captain."), Omega Glory, The Lights of Zetar, Patterns of Force, Bread and Circuses.
@@Total_Recall Roger C. Carmel brilliantly played Harry Mudd, adding much entertainment value to the two episodes he played in. A very likeable villain in my opinion.
Maybe ya'll forgot "The Apple," "And the Children Shall Lead," and "Mark of Gideon." Those were INCREDIBLY bad. I'd agree about "Spock's Brain and "Catspaw." Several on your list are ones I consider upper-half episodes, like "I, Mudd" and "Patterns of Force." But it really is all in the eye of the beholder.
@@andypinto1 Yes speaking of "brains", in the episode "the Changeling", In a scene on the deck, the powerful AI probe NOMAD, which was beamed onboard the Enterprise to stop it firing upon the ship, it absorbed the late great Lt. Uhuru's brain. And, upon learning from Spock that, she, the "biological unit" was a woman, Nomad then uttered one the truly classic lines in all of TOS, it's delicious for its brutal non- wokeness as viewed today. Nomad said: "A woman? A Mass of Conflicting Emotions, absorbing it Unsettled me"! Or words to that general effect, as I recall. :D LOL
One or two points. First one of clarification: The Platonians were not telepaths, they were psychopaths (in two separate senses of the word). They were sadistic and unfeeling, but their power was psychokinesis, NOT telepathy. Secondly, the Empath, while quirky and devoid of fight scenes, was NOT pointless. Third, the episode Spock's Brain was FAR worse than the first season episode Alternative Factor. Maybe Pensky felt he had picked on the third season enough.
@@williamanthony9090 Yet still ...some of the season 3 episodes stood up as Star trek classics!.....Specter of the gun...The Tholian web... For the world is hollow and i have touched the sky...Day of the Dove...Some were in fact much better than season 1 and 2 episodes...And turnabout intruder is far underrated. Almost forgot The Paradise syndrome. All our Yesterdays also.
@@davidsnyderWisdomTrollBlocker - Well, that's entirely subjective. A couple of the shows you mention, in my view, are just God AWFUL! I won't mention which ones, because everyone's entitled to their preferred episodes. I agree that a couple of third season scripts stood up to previous seasons, but I can't think of one that was really better than the quality of seasons one and two. Again, that's simply my opinion. Live Long And Prosper!
@@billanthony7896 Yes, if anyone is doing creative work, you know that not every effort is a winner. I recall a lot of other shows of that era as I was a kid or young adult then. Even great shows of the time, and those that preceding it in that genre were not without their clinkers, like Twilight Zone (donated toys in a barrel) and Outer Limits ("aliens" in shower caps after Robert Culp) for example. Don't even get me started on the sitcoms of the era too, like Dream of Genie, Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan's Island, and even westerns like Bonanza. So, it's sometimes a crap shoot to get a good piece of work, fortunately for the franchise it started off mostly strong otherwise there would be no Trekkies today, who are still saying things like "Live Long and Prosper"!! And I do it too, BTW! LOL ;D
*With the exception of "The Empath" and the fine performance by actress Kathryn Hays, you picked a lot of losers. Two others that come to mind are: "And The Children Shall Lead" and "Spock's Brain".*
The omega glory is repeatedly pissed on, This episode moved me as a child and continues to move me as one of Kirks most valiant efforts to defend his beliefs and those of the federation. If not for this episode....I would not be a treky.
Good points. The ending of this episode showcased the idea that the best of American values would be a part of making the Federation a force for good. It was also a show meant to be watched by children, it was not aimed at the cynical adults of our age--so they trotted out the American flag at the end.
Can't agree about "Plato's Stepchildren." Lots of great ideas in that one about the abuse of power and the mistreatment of outsiders. Plus, Alexander, Philana, and Parmen are all complex and memorable characters (unlike Losira from "That Which Survives," who only becomes more confusing as the story unfolds). I would replace "Stepchildren" with "And the Children Shall Lead."
The best part about "And The Children Shall Lead," is Shatner's hamfest in the lift when he's "losing command." It should definitely be used in acting classes as a warning to performers on why they should NEVER over act a scene!
Have to say that which survives was pretty good..Better than some season 1 and 2 episodes..Natira was mysterious and beautuful...not hard to understand that..DIsagree with And the children shall lead being a bad episode. I remember watching this many years ago and the vision of the crazy leader appearing after the children performed their chanting ... still is memorable to me. Then the vision of Uhura as the very old hag ; made it worth watching just by itself..Not a bad episode at all...Quite a few others i can think of that deserve to be called the worst.. Insert instead ; Mudd's woman or The way to Eden or Spock's Brain. But to each his own.
@@davidsnyderWisdomTrollBlocker ... Natira was the leader of the planet ship in For the World Is Hollow, And I Have Touched the Sky. She helped cure Bones of his extremely rare disease.
"That Which Survives" had Commander Losira, played by Lee Meriwether. Natira (from "For the world is hollow, and I have touched the Sky") was played by Kate Woodville.
WTD(What The Dunsel)?? I can not believe "Spock's Brain" did not make your list. With the line, "Brain & Brain. What is brain?" to Scotty's fake faint to enable Kirk to disarm the female alien lead. How much worse can you get? Bad enough having Nimoy on "robot" mode during most of the episode. Script appeared to be written & called in by JHS student. (7th grade).
Must admit when they got a dose of the pain stimulator the first time, I was cracking up, then the second time when Kirk batted the controller for Spock, it had me on the floor!
The Empath is one of my favorite episodes in the whole series. It introduced me to the word "empath" and to the realization that I, on fact, am an Empath. Maybe that's why the topic wasn't boring to me I don't mind that it's a bottle episode, and I loved that the actress who played Gem was a skilled mime, who's graceful movements made up for the lack of a set. On the other hand, Spock's Brain is a truly horrible episode, which I have to take on memory as I haven't seen it in 60-some-odd years.
I might actually leave Spock's Brain off the list because it is entertaining. It gets a low rating for being totally ridiculous. It also has a production "innovation". For the first time they back project the screen projection, rather than superimposing it in post-production. And they have the cast and extras walk back and forth in front of it constantly, because they can. I laughed my ass off at that. Director is like "OK. Everybody get between the camera and the screen. So we can show off our special effect innovation."
Agree with your list. Spock's Brain is campy fun, but awful. And very sad for Nimoy to have to do that when he'd brought so much to the character of Spock. The Children Shall Lead, can we call it "Children of the Gorn"? Might have been redeemed with acting that wasn't the worse in TOS. But I can't picture it. Way to Eden, Enterprise crew play "The Man" to a group of space hippies. In the era before TNG, it was one of the few episodes that could make me turn off the TV during Star Trek. Though I will say, I haven't heard a bike rim played better since.
Good point on the camp factor. I was surprised at first not to see Spock's Brain in this list, because I consider it one of the worst, however, I can have a good time laughing at how silly it is. I'd probably sa the same for Way To Eden, and when originally viewed during the 60s with the hippy culture, probably would have been even more funny at how it tried to express something something poignant in the time of the viewer, but does it in a preposterous, laughable way. "That's now, that's real now!"
Absolutely disagree with "The Empath". It was meant to be emotional and deal with the best of humanity with their love for each other and their ability for self-sacrifice. The Vidians couldn't provide that which is why they used others. The face of the leaders of the Vidians shows that he recognizes it as their fatal flaw. We didn't need the cringy few minutes at the end which appear to be obligatory in Star Trek TOS. I rewatched it just now to see if my original feelings about the episode remain. They do. I also liked to a degree "That Which Survives". The "Way to Eden" was much worse and the portrayal of Spock in that episode was terrible.
Well, it depends on how you measure success. If measured in Primetime Ratings, it was pretty much of a failure. If measured in how it seeped into the American consciousness via reruns on UHF stations, spawning a whole entertainment universe of sequels and motion pictures...
@@sandal_thong8631 I understood it that the breakdown of ratings by WHO was watching (age groups and purchasing patterns) was just on the verge of being introduced, and Star Trek would have been a very valuable property under the about to be introduced rating system, instead of the ratings failure it was under the system that just counted viewers.
@@sandal_thong8631 The ratings did not factor the purchasing power of the audience measured. TOS appealed to the demographic with discretionary spending habits, but this wasn't counted. This is neither new nor old. We continue to mismeasure, with the same consequences.
I cannot agree at all with the choice of "The Empath" here. I consider it to be one of the most important episodes of all, because possibly more than any other installment, it explores the true nature and depth of the relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy: that each would without a moment's hesitation lay down his life for the others. And despite their constant friction and bickering, both Spock and McCoy would very willingly die to save the other.
There are episodes that are pure cheese (Turnabout Intruder, Spock's Brain), some that are just plain bad (Alternative Factor), but one manages to combine all of the worst of Trek into 50 minutes of cringe. The Mark of Gideon starts with such a horribly implausible premise that it makes you wonder just how much handwaving went into getting it approved. A completely functional Enterprise replica that even Captain Kirk found indistinguishable from the real ship? Wow, it must have included everything...even the personal belongings and computer files from Kirk himself. But...never mind all that. Kirk meets a beautiful young woman who manages to convince him that she has no idea what they are doing there, until she gets sick and Daddy appears to explain the plan. She's supposed to die so that others will be inspired to infect themselves or infect others or let the government infect them to reduce the planet's population. Apparently their love and respect for life prevents them from using birth control, but suicide or genocide is fine, as long as it's by disease rather than another method like gas chambers or starting a computer war with Eminiar 7. Kirk has developed feelings for the young woman so he takes her back to the Enterprise and saves her life just in time. And the good news is that she now carries the infection in her blood, so she can still wipe out billions of people because no starship captain will be around to rescue them. What a happy ending! For sheer stupidity and ham-handed social commentary I don't think you can beat this episode.
Yeah, the ethics are questionable in _The Mark of Gideon._ It also makes you wonder how safe it is for people in Starfleet to encounter alien civilizations, primitive or otherwise if they can pass on deadly diseases? The actor who played Cyrano Jones in "The Trouble with Tribbles" originally wrote the episode about overpopulation on this planet, where the leaders wanted to introduce death, but not for them or their families. There was no mock-Enterprise. But even this treatment was iffy, involving blood transfusion and trying to create a deadly virus before it was changed to what was filmed. Like most third-season episodes they wanted to make it another "Ship in a bottle" episode to save money. On our Earth there are places in the world where overpopulation has completely ravaged the natural world, destroying trees and forests, wildlife and so forth. If we get to 10 billion, the environment will suffer even more. If that had been the theme of the episode, maybe people wouldn't care about a world like that? The year 2022 was the year of _Soylent Green_ when life in the oceans died and they were converting human bodies into food.
I love "The Empath." I can't stand that episode where an Angel/Satan persuades children to take over the Enterprise. Awful, but embarrassingly funny, in many levels.
The best TOS end of the 3rd season episode is where Kirk visits a dinner with his girlfriend, and becomes obsessed with a fortune telling machine on the table that uncannily can predict the future. He tells us about the wonder computer of the 1980's with a real keyboard that can play great games too. Then he gets on a plane, and sees a gremlin out on the wing ripping up the engine during a storm, but nobody else on the plane will believe him. So I don't know what you're talking about the 3rd season being bad.
The Empath's set design reminded me of Irwin Allen's Time Tunnel set. Very Dark black to foster the illusion that it was vast in scope. Also the Space 1999 Year One episode the Infernal Machine. Inside the GWENT ship was minimalist in a way that made the ship appear VAST!
@@AUTISTICLYCAN Yes, so insightful that, when the set and the effects today have become the "story" and the acting and the plot is playing second fiddle to 67 explosions per hour, and intricately designed "spaceships". Who cares about that if you've read any classic sci fi like Asimov and Clarke. These films today are for children, or those with minds of children!
@@ronschlorff7089 i.i.p.a. Fill a economic read I.i.l.t. nuclear department education t minus post error P.s.y.c. visible invisible periodic element table course ¹876 1878 galaxy 100% 30.5 galaxy spread into 26.4 milky way and galaxy converging 2.3 billuon years growth 1.104 milky way 0.6 at the climax 97.6% galaxy 30.5 and 26.4 galaxy
I'm not a fan of this episode, although I thought Kathryn Hayes was amazing. And I agree about the minimalist set. This was one of two episodes in the third season that really did something special with the reduced scenery budget. The other was Spectre of the Gun.
I have wondered for years why so many are apprehensive toward naming "And the Children Shall Lead" as a poor Star Trek episode and I think I've nailed it down -- fear of being sued by Melvin Belli's ghost, renowned lawyer who played " Gorgan, Friendly Angel."
Some even worse episodes: "and the children shall lead" with children going nyanyanya empowered by a space ghost, "spock's brain, and "the way to eden" with its idiotically stereotypical space hippies.
Excuse me. How in all of Trek did you miss "Spock's Brain"? Consistently voted through several generations of Trek fans as the singular worst episode. Dude, all of these are bad, but you could easily have subbed out Alternative Factor for Brain.
I agree with everything but the Empath. That was a great and emotional episode IMPO! I loved the way each one of them was ready to sacrifice his own life to save his friends, i loved the way the relationships between them went, i also loved the girl, she's absolutely beautiful. (sorry for my English)
My Top 7 cringeworthy TOS episodes in order starting from absolute worst to barely watchable. 1. 'And The Children Shall Lead' 2. 'The Alternative Factor' 3. 'The Mark Of Gideon' 4. 'Plato's Stepchildren' 5. 'The Way To Eden' 6. 'Let That Be Your Last Battlefield' 7. 'Spock's Brain'
I thought "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" was corny or heavy-handed when I first saw it, but it does have something to say. Not about white-black relations, but more likely the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since they really hate each other, though they are both Semite peoples who are closely related though being separated for nearly 2000 years.
The worst episode is by far "The Way to Eden. How can any bottom five list not include it. I liked The Omega Glory, That Which Survives, The Empath. Plato's Stepchildren is kinda lame. I love the Alternative Factor and I know most people dislike it. The other 2 lame episodes that come to mind are: The Conscience of the King & A Private Little War. Every Star Trek episode had something positive in it except The Way to Eden.
I actually really enjoyed the empath, largely due to the scene where McCoy knocks out both Kirk and Spock. If nothing else, I think that was a well-done interaction. One of my least favorites is The Deadly Years. The way Kirk puts his ship in jeopardy to feed his own ego is very disturbing to me. And when he’s cured, there is no consequence for or mention of the terrible way he treated everyone.
Now wait a minute, the one about the space hippies has got to be the worst of all time. Admittedly Plato’s Stepchildren belongs on the list but The Empath was a good one.
The way to eden was so bad it was good, the exchanges between Doctor Sevron and Spock, the warning about cult leaders who are really madmen, the quest to find a real paradise to live , there was interesting things going on, if they had omitted some of the cringeworthy music it would have been better. It was a WW2 era guys( Roddenbury) idea of the hippie scene at that time.
@@davidvalensi8616 I've always had a private theory that Robert Heinlein ghost wrote the script to Plato's Stepchildren in collaboration with Roddenberry. Lol.
@@donpietruk1517 I liked Plato's Stepchildren, but to me the original series could do no wrong, plus people have to take into account the time the show aired, Star trek, 2001 a space odyssey, real or not, the moon landings, fantasy had melded into reality and we felt anything was possible.
Your initial point may be true, but ... the first season of Star Trek contains the greatest concentration of classic, brilliantly-written episodes across the entire franchise ... and it's not even close.
The Omega Glory and Plato's Stepchildren are definitely NOT two of the worst episodes ever....that is absolutely ridiculous. they happen to be among the best episodes ever made
All lists are subjective. I'd replace "The Omega Glory" with "The Way to Eden", "Plato's Stepchildren" with "Spock's Brain", and "That Which Survives" with "The Savage Curtain". Season 3 was the worst because the show was going to be canceled after Season 2, but fans wrote letters asking the show to be renewed. Fans tried to do the same thing after season 3 but to no avail. TOS is the best Star Trek series because it started the franchise and led to the movies and to TNG. "Voyager", "Deep Space Nine", and "Enterprise" had terrible seasons after season 3, and probably should have never been renewed after that. TNG was almost canceled after season 1 because the stories were rehashed stories from TOS and the ratings were abysmal. It's amazing TNG lasted seven seasons. Most of these later Star Trek series have worse episodes in their later seasons than TOS season 3. I'm biased towards TOS because I was a kid when it aired, and through syndication (reruns) followed the series up to today with METV.
It’s a cool story man. It doesn’t have to have a point. William Campbell played an iconic character that is part of ST history. He was probably the original “Q” I’d bet.
Funny thing about The Omega Glory,.... even with the quality it ended up being, Roddenberry liked it so much that he personally submitted it for Emmy consideration. I would love to have been a fly on the wall during that conversation. I wonder if they laughed in his face, or humored him with a polite brush off
In this episode and a few other where other ships of star fleet and their officers were brought into play intrigued me, like in the Tholian Web, were one ship, the Defiant?, dissolved into a parallel universe. The best being the star ship Constellation in the Doomsday Machine episode. They all used the same sets as the Enterprise of course. So, this was one of them.
I actually like That Which Survives, but any Worst Of list should include Turnabout Intruder (the most blatantly sexist episode) and Patterns of Force (the worst parallel Earth episode). Bread and Circuses doesn't get a lot of love but I think it's great.
"Patterns of Force" and "Bread and Circuses" seem like very similar episodes. In both, there is a planet that has assumed a cruel society which previously existed in Earth's history. Both involve high-ranking Starfleet personnel (Merick and Gill) who have a position of authority over the planet's inhabitants. In both, there is a small resistance movement, which The Enterprise landing party meets up with. Interestingly, PoF was broadcast just a few episodes before B&C, even though B&C was produced first. But I agree with you that B&C is a more worthy episode
The Empath is one of my favorite Star Trek episodes. And while season 3 was a season that saw the departure of Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek being scheduled in the Friday Night Death Slot, and a considerably lower budget that had episodes takin place entirely on the Enterprise set, it did have some great episodes like The Enterprise Incident, The Tholian Web and All Our Yesterdays. Star Trek is my favorite Star Trek series because it was the first and original. It was the series I remember watching on TV in the afternoon when I got home from elementary school in the 1970s.
That's because NBC believed that Gene Roddenberry was behind the "Save Star Trek" campaign (not true, it was Bjo Trimble and the show's fans) and decided to punish Roddenberry and the show for it. Hence the bad time slot. Since they knew that there was not going to be a fourth season, the show got edgey. But in all fairness to the fans, in the 1960s you needed at least three seasons worth of episodes to make syndication viable. So the fans really DID save Star Trek, more than they'll ever know! LL&P
Mark Schroeder That’s why Gene Roddenberry never wanted to deal with having a new Star Trek series on network television ever again. Ugly politics, false accusations and censorship issues, which Star Trek was developed to mostly avoid when writing scripts, led to its early demise before 100 episodes were made. Fortunately, the fans saved Star Trek for a third season and the show flourished beyond anyone’s imagination in syndication. Syndication is what saved TNG from cancellation during its first two seasons where the show took awhile to find its established footing and an audience.
The Empath shouldn't be on this list. And the Children Should Lead is 1,000 times worse. Plot wise, Empath is very strong but it's a very dark episode in the emotional sense.
But it had the girl who played the voice of Lucy in Charlie Brown: Pamelyn Ferdin, and the guy who invented the musical instrument that plays the opening of Michael Jackson's Thriller song (Craig Huxley). That boy is now an authentic musical genius in Hollywood.
I like 'The Empath' and 'That Which Survives' a lot more than you do, even if I do agree about the logic of the latter. Got to work with Lee Meriwether on a radio project about 10 years ago, and she was a delight- she even let me record her doing the "I am for..." bit for me. lol
“Spock’s Brain” was absolute rubbish……as a ST fan it embarrassed me and caused a huge “cringe reaction”. I couldn’t believe how bad it was. It’s the worst of all the episodes. I always wonder if anyone, crew, actors said “This script is a POS. Don’t we have anything else we can shoot?”
I guess people view these episodes differently. My worst two episodes don't even make his list. Worst of all time: And The Children Shall Lead. Runner Up: The Way to Eden.
Don't fully agree with you this time. "That which survives" and "The empath" are not as bad you say. I agree they were "cheaply made" stories but, they do tell a story. Agreed they may have been better in short story rather than a TV episode. The others I agree with. You left out one of the two worst ones...... "Spocks Brain" " Turn about intruder" (think that was the name where some woman enters Kirks body to take over the ship). They should have been on the list. Another thing I disagree with is your statement of more bad stories that good. When TOS came on they were fighting many battles. One with money, and one with the idea that only children watch Sci-Fi.
Someone asked me this week why I didn't like Spock in "That Which Survives" and I should have said he behaves like a d*** which is what was said in this video! By season three Mr. Spock should know enough about his fellow crewmembers not to say stupid things or take them too literally like he does. When the "earthquake" throws around the landing party, the set mechanics look ridiculous. Maybe they got the ideas for the end of Star Trek 3 from this episode?
Most do. The writers deliberately made a 'stupid' episode to protest budget cuts, not sure if it was also b/c of the new Friday timeslot they didn't like also, or if they didn't know abt that when the script was written (I was less than 10 y/o then so don't know).
I LOVED Plato's Stepchildren. It was possibly the least boring episode. It was an acid trip, but it was so damn entertaining to see a dwarf riding William Shatner acting like a horse
the whole shaming/scapegoating/power thing is an important topic, and one thats impossible to address without making people uncomfortable. Discomfort/triggering is not the same as bad art.
@@thepenskyfile name another show from the 60s that has had so many people go to a movie theater and watch again 13 times? and let us not forget 9 newer tv series ( is it 8 or 9? )
I actually liked the Empath episode. Granted, some of your line up of worst episodes probably rings true with many of us, but I think the original series is sold too short by your estimate of the entire spin off set of series through the 2000's.
I am genuinely surprised that "Spock's Brain" isn't in the number one position, or even in your top five, despite the fact that so many people seem to consider this one the worst stinker. I personally don't think "Spock's Brain" is that bad, but anyways... It's interesting that TOS is the opposite of pretty much all of the other Star Trek series that followed in that the first season was the best and they got worse from there, which I agree with. I think that if we just accept the campy look and frequently illogical premises in the various episodes, there's still a lot to enjoy for what it is. TOS is really vastly different from the rest in many important ways, but still enjoyable in my opinion.
I thought it was in-your-face or over-the-top when I first saw it, but it does have something to say about racism. I do think it has more to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today than the white-black struggle in America. Spock said to Uhura, "To expect sense from two mentalities of such extreme viewpoints is not logical."
@@sandal_thong8631 That right there shows why Star Trek was one of the greatest shows ever written. For how many years will we repeat “I think it has more to do with {current news focus} today than ...”?
Have to disagree about The Empath, it's my favourite episode, and unlike any other. It has great performances and character interaction, an interesting music score (the first Hollywood score to feature a Yamaha organ) and I think the sparse set design is very surreal and effective. My least favourites would probably be The Apple, The Omega Glory, Friday's Child, Spock's Brain and Mudd's Women.
"Mudd's Women" was pretty bad. Especially since, truth be known, there were much better looking women serving aboard the ship at the time. However, as bad as it was, there were still episodes, especially third season stories, that turned out being worse!
Spock's Brain is nowhere as bad as people say it is....William Shatter says it's bad, so then it follows so many sheep bleat it's bad....when there is a lot worse Trek. It only degenerates once The Landing Party is in The Lift to The Underground City....before that it's pretty good. Starts with Mystery...then titles, shock, other bridge crew cast who normal get to do little except take home the weekly pay check, so that is refreshing and new when they debate which planet Spock's Brain has been taken too and then there is the genuine shock and horror as McCoy controls Spock by remote control. There is a lot of Trek that is far far worse....like And the children shall lead and The Way to Eden both episode of excrement and vomit
"Way to Eden" is the only TOS episode I've never watched in full, I just can't waste my life away like that. Good to see a young "Murdock" out of Rambo 2 in it though.
That's Charles Napier who play the bicycle wheel guitar and tried to sing!! Remember he was the leader of "The Good Old Boys" band from "The Blues Brothers".
Well going by the general consensus and my own choices, I'd put this as the list starting from the worst: 1 - Spock's Brain 2 - The Way to Eden 3 - And the Children Shall Lead (2 & 3 are a toss-up, really) 4 - Turnabout Intruder 5 - Either Let That Be Your Last Battlefield or Plato's Stepchildren Honorable mention to The Alternative Factor and The Omega Glory.
![The 5 WORST Star Trek: TNG Episodes [Season 1]](/img/n.gif)
Check out our Star Trek podcast at thepenskypodcast.com!
How could you not possibly include Turnabout Intruder in this list? That, I would say, was the worst episode in my opinion.
You’re not PENSKY material...and your car is being towed
@@fuzzywzheI think Kirk filing his fingernails while being a shrew saved it!
@@mem1701moviesThat is a classic 'laugh-out-loud', the Sein would be proud👏
@@kennethmartin1300 Haha, I do not recall that scene. Perhaps I should rewatch it. When I first saw it, I saw it as a kid in reruns, and I remember hating it. It would have been much worse if I saw it as a season finale that turned out to be the last episode ever.
The worst episodes of Star Trek TOS, is still ten times better than any of the Picard and Discovery shows.
Absolutely!
So true man
My favourite episodes of TNG were the very early ones where Picard swore in French all the time. I'm guessing very few people caught that.
@@phillipleblanc6508 I quit watching TNG, Thanks Whoopie
@@phillipleblanc6508 I don't watch The Next Generation anymore, WuppieG messed that up
As someone once said, Star Trek is a bit like sex: even if it's bad it's pretty good.
At least six TOS episodes are awful.
I would say that of TOS. The spinoffs are mostly just boring. My problem with Next Generation... almost every episode is resolved by some stupid technobabble in the last few minutes. BORING! I'll watch even bottom-of-the-barrel TOS any time.
@@brianover_reviews The writing of TOS still reflected a Hollywood establishment that had experienced the Second World and Korean Wars, so they were not afraid to tackle and present the harshness of life even in the semi-Utopian 24th century (keeping within 1960s studio standards, of course). TNG and beyond stank of political correctness and keeping things blandly inoffensive.
@@brianover_reviews Precise analyses.
@@baraxor exactly right!
All of the worst episodes are better than any episode of Star Trek Discovery.
you need to capitalize 'ANY' - STD strunk in every episode.
Anything Star Trek is way better than STD.
Unwatchable.
Dude, I loved the empath. You completely missed the point. If I ever had one superpower it would be to take on some else’s pain, hurt, suffering, and injuries, hopefully not to the point of death. The ultimate sacrifice.
It was one I remembered being moved by as a little kid when I saw it. Bottom line, the worst Star Treks were still better than the best competing shows, with some arguable exceptions.
It was so damn brutal and gruesome, so it was hard to like.
I agree with that story plot but the music made it unwatchable. I would rather hear the Amok Time music with Kirk and Spock --- "Dah Da dah dah dah da duh a dah da." or the music from Doomsday that sounds like the Jaws theme.
The thing about 'The Empath' is the implicit twist at the end that the audience has to figure out for themselves, never spelled out, like Darth Jar Jar.
The Vians were trying to decide whether to evaluate the Empath's planet or one other, and the torture test for self sacrifice was the deciding factor.
Why?
Because the Vians themselves were the other planet.
The Vians sacrificed themselves to save the younger species.
Can humanity begin to imagine the same?
The audience certainly couldn't comprehend it, the 'Imagine' concept vs. 'Better Dead Than Red', or Theodore Sturgeon's story, 'Thunder and Roses'
Peter, I totally agree with you. Everyone dumps on "The Empath," but this was always one of my favorite episodes -- maybe even my favorite episode when I was a kid. I was moved by it.
Yeah some of those I would go along with but NEVER NEVER 'The Empath' that is such a good one just good acting throughout and showing a bond of love and friendship, this was DeForrest Kelley's favourite and I see why.
It was one of the handful of good episodes from the third season.
I really liked the Empath. In fact, it would have ranked in my top 5 favourites. At least the aliens looked like real aliens (not cowboys and Indians or space hi 7:09 ppies in costume). The plot of the Empath was also very interesting and suspenseful.
That which Survives is worse than Spock's Brain? Lee Meriwether is STUNNING in this episode!
Stock's brain was fun. Stupid, but fun in a campy 60s/50s b-movie style. "What is brain?!" Classic line, lol.
What I don't understand is why everyone loves that episode where Kirk falls in love with that the overly optimistic, 2-demensional woman from the 1930s. They have a few cheesy run-ins, change the past and have to change it back again. I hardly see why that's interesting or thought provoking. I mean sure, the time gate was cool and all, but the majority of events on planet earth were not quite so interesting, imo.
@Moon Shine I agree 100%! Mr. Scott you have 10 seconds...
Yeah..very much agree...That was a episode that stood up to the quality of the first 2 seasons... as a matter of fact better than a few of those episodes.. Many others in season 3 fell far short. Like Spock's brain.
@@davidsnyderWisdomTrollBlocker The Empath and Spock's Brain are the two worst episodes. The third season was hampered by budget cuts fueled by poor ratings. Regardless, Spectre of the Gun and The Tholian Web are superb.
@John Smith The special effects in that episode were stunning for 1968. Lee Meriwether had the classic face of beauty. The premise that a long dead woman could kill by just a touch even though only a projection is intriguing. The acting is average in this episode. Solid "C" overall rating.
Platos step children is one of the Darkest Episodes of Trek, his Speech at the end was brilliant "your all dead inside, youve lived too long"
It was one of those banned in the U.K. for over 20 years due to cruelty, so I can see it being considered one of the worst for that factor alone. It does have a cringe factor, but I wouldn't put it on the worst list; I can think of a couple dozen that I don't want to watch again. I bought a third of the episodes on VHS back in the day, and I think this is one of them.
I think he would’ve spelled it “you’re” though, you know, since he’s not illiterate?
@@Frankie5Angels150 Frickin' grammar nazi. what a dick head
Cannot stand Platos Step children. Despite the astonishing Michael Dunn’s “Do you think I want to be like them?!” and Chapel’s pseudo Vulcan makeup, the sexual sadism and humiliation is unbearable. The Uhura Kirk kiss meant nothing to us back in the day, because it was forced. And then he’s going to burn her? With a hot poker?! Not really a total triumph as a civil rights moment. Lastly, the perverts on the planet did not get their sufficient desserts. Each time I’ve watched it, it bothers me even more.
I liked the "Empath." The relationships between the "Big Three" is well played in the episode.
Had the feeling of theater, minimal sets, just a decent script and good acting, all that stuff is lost today "in space"! ;D
As a kid I found the episode really interesting. Weird, but interesting. Any episode featuring the main three interacting is always a good one.
'The Empath' was filmed in a German-Impressionist style, similar to the silent Horror Classic 'The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari', and I rather enjoyed it.
Everything he chose is a good, even iconic episode. There are so many turkeys later in STOS with zero scifi value and he picks some of the most original.
You forgot Spock’s Brain.
Yeah, I was waiting for that episode to come up. Spock's Brain is the worst episode by far.
Yep I agree
It's pretty bad, but not as bad as people say. There are worse ones, like The Way to Eden (space hippies), Patterns of Force (space Nazis), and Turnabout Intruder (lesson: women shouldn't be allowed to run anything).
@@colemannee9898 ha ha, The way to Eden was a great episode, loved the singing.
@@colemannee9898 hit it right on the button. Agree
I thought for sure "Spock's Brain" would be number 1.
"Spock's Brain" was great. Loved it!
Spock's brain defined women as "The bringers of pain and delight". I've never heard a more accurate or succinct definition.
Brain and brain! What is brain??
That's because Spock's Brain is great! More laughs than any of the bad episodes listed here.
Where is Turnabout Intruder? Not only was it the worst episode by far, not only the most camp or the most sexiest but it had Kirk doing jazz hands!
I might be a minority but I liked the Empath episode and it had touching sensitivity of Spock to McCoy, when he thought he was dying.
You are not in the minority.
It was also DeForest Kelly’s favorite episode.
I enjoyed the Empath immensely. I STRONGLY disagree with the OP's opinion. This was a great episode.
Can you mean to tell me the Mark of Gideon wasn't horrible I couldn't stand that 1
@@lavellhall7650
You're not in the minority. That episode was pathetic. 🤮
TOS has the worst batting average? This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard.
Yeah, no kidding man
This guy's clueless.
Discovery has been declared non cannon, so maybe it doesn't count.
Fun fact about "The Alternative Factor": Robert Brown, who played Lazarus, was not the producer's first choice for the role. He was actually a last-minute substitute for John Barrymore, Jr., who pulled a no-show when filming started. Who is John Barrymore, Jr., you ask? Drew Barrymore's father.
Wow, I didn't know that. Robert Brown did a great job in that role, IMO.
I also didnt know that...but I still think Robert Brown did an excellent job playing Lazarus
Mr. Brown did do a good job, especially considering he was brought in at the last minute, having to learn the script, etc.
Wow! Thanks for the info. I wondered who got replaced. That’s wild. The episode is very hard to track. As a boy, I couldn’t follow it.
@@_mergg The Alternative Factor was a troubled production by all accounts and held back to toward the end of the season because of they knew it was weak.
I thought "Turnabout Intruder" was way worse than the Omega Glory.
Oh I agree because this episode hasn't aged well at all. This is a case of an Unreliable Narrator.
that episode was probably to tell the audience goodbye since that was the last episode
I thought Turnabout Intruder was very good.
I agree, the last episode of the series was deeply embarrassing, with Shatner playing on tropes to indicate he’s really a woman, like filing his nails in the captain’s chair, even though the woman he was supposed to be probably didn’t do it either. A truly sad end to a great series.
@@teacherdave27 Yeah Shatner trying to act like a “Karen” was cringeworthy to me.
The fact that Empath is on this list but Turnabout Intruder isn't, just obliterates your credibility.
sheer obliteration
I like Turnabout Intruder very much, myself
@@magicsinglez That episode and The Trouble With Tribbles are my least favorite !! I never watch them !
I agree. Turnabout Intruder is one of the worst episodes ever. Empath is a GREAT episode.
Wut? Turnabout intruder's one of the goats 😂
How could you have left off "The Way to Eden" -- with the most unconvincing collection of hippies in the galaxy?
I love the song?
Because the plot twist at the end was very well. The ending was very well.
Listen Herbert, that episode was far out. Do we reach?
@@codybuckner9325 Charles Napier went on to have a pretty good acting career in his middle age. He put on a lot of weight so you might not even recognize him from "The Way to Eden."
THANK you....Ive always hated that episode... Damn space hippies
I like all of them. Corny is OK. Don't lose your sense of humor when watching Star Trek. You'll never get through it.
The hokey nature is what keeps me invested, it's a silly show and that's brilliant.
I like the orginal one because it is so corny. It rank number 3 for star trek series.
You sound like one of the 'Yang's we peblista' when you talk like that.
Well said.
It's all a matter of opinion, but how, "And the Children Shall Lead," and "The Way to Eden" didn't make your top 5 is beyond me. They are easily 1 and 2 on my list. "The Alternative Factor" isn't as bad an episode as it it just a hot mess for me. They had some good ideas, and if you've ever heard the behind the scenes of that episode you'll understand why it turned out into the jumbled nonsense that it did.
And the children shall lead has a terrific first act, while the way to eden has an earworm of a song!
Requiem for Methuselah is my least favourite episode. Kirk is so far out of character. Ignoring his responsibility to his ship and crew because he has the hots for an android.
Is this the same man who allowed Edith Keeler to die?
I'd forgotten about "And The Children Shall Lead". A completely execrable episode.
@@WillCamx Absolutely my favorite. (“Forget.” )
Raina was the final draft of the perfect women as designed by di Vinci, et al. Two very different women and circumstances.
@@scottmcneely1927 Apart from the old Uhura, it’s insufferable.
Speaking of torture, I'd watch any of these again over "Spock's Brain," the ultimate form of torture. That one is just the worst.
Do fans call it Spock’s No-Brainer? Or Spock’s Brainless?
I think you have misunderstood the Empath. That episode is very important for character- development, and it is very different from the other episodes. Interesting to hear your point of view, nonetheless.
The Empath had great music, also the self sacrifice exhibited by the characters (Spock,McCoy,Kirk) was the groundwork for the hero worship of them to follow.
@@davidvalensi8616 Yes, they were truly "Officers and Gentlemen" in that episode.
If it wasn't a ripoff of an episode of _The Outer Limits_ then perhaps it could have merit.
I always thought it was just boring. It's like I could see what they were going for, and had good ideas, but just didn't make it interesting enough to be watchable.
The empath is my favorite episode. It's about self-sacrifice and intolerance to others' suffering. The irony that the Vians praise the empathy that they themselves lack (which Kirk bitterly points out) adds more depth to the plot.
Annika R
Me too Annika! Even after 50 years it still makes me tear up. I wish that somehow, they could have followed up on Gem. She was wonderful.
@@maureentuohy8672 Yeah. Even today, when that episode comes on, I just want to give Gem a big hug! She was SOOO wonderful!
I love this one!
"The Empath" and "Errand of Mercy" appear to be attempts at advancing human character development. But that could possibly be said for many episodes, and I appreciate Gene Roddenberry for the focus and intent of his storylines.
@@questor5189 Yes, in many of the characters you cared about them, and not just the main TOS actors. You were concerned about them, even admired them, like the Romulan Commander in "Balance of Terror". And it's totally unlike the ones today, which you wish would just step out of an air lock, and be done with them, or something. ;D
I believe the Star Trek Original Series Season 1 and 2 are the best of all the franchise. I keep watching some of them over and over again.
ME TOO! Thank you for that!
Bruno I could not agree more. When NGR came out the first two years were absolute snoozers....thank goodness they came up with the Borg or that would have been a complete loss.
@@jaimhaas5170 That cheesy next generation stuff is a total and complete loss. Hate that cheesy next generation stuff.
jaim haas ... What's NGR?
@@danbasta3677- Next Generation had it's moments. Season 4 thru 6 were definitely their best seasons. That's when they produced some of their best episodes.
How, how is anyone that's even remotely aware of TOS, not listing "Spock's brain" as the worst episode ever? It is absolutely unwatchable
What is brain???
I beg to differ, I loved that episode: "Spock's Brain!"
I would watch "Spock's Brain" ANYTIME to spare myself the pain of "And the Children Shall Lead" and "The Way to Eden."
I find The Savage Curtain WAY worse.
That's in the "It's so bad, it's good" territory. At least for me.
Personally, I love The Empath. My worst would be The way to eden ("Herbert!"), spocks brain ("In search of his brain, doctor!"), whom gods destroy ("You stupid cow!"), alternative factor ("Winking Out!"), I Mudd, Catspaw ("Very bad poetry, Captain."), Omega Glory, The Lights of Zetar, Patterns of Force, Bread and Circuses.
thanks!
you no like the space hippies???? Space hippies GOOD!
I thought 'Whom Gods Destroy' was a pretty good EP. Most of I, Mudd was OK. Most of the others I'd prolly agree, except maybe Lights of Zetar.
@@Total_Recall Roger C. Carmel brilliantly played Harry Mudd, adding much entertainment value to the two episodes he played in. A very likeable villain in my opinion.
Maybe ya'll forgot "The Apple," "And the Children Shall Lead," and "Mark of Gideon." Those were INCREDIBLY bad. I'd agree about "Spock's Brain and "Catspaw."
Several on your list are ones I consider upper-half episodes, like "I, Mudd" and "Patterns of Force." But it really is all in the eye of the beholder.
The WORST episode was 'The Way to Eden': "HERBERT HERBERT HERBERT!"
Thrakerzog Steppin’ out to Eden, yay brother...
That's real NOW, man!
You just dont reach brother✌🏼 haha
Watching Charles Napier try to sing and play that goofy guitar makes " The Way to Eden" unwatchable!!
The Way to Eden was bad but Spock's Brain has to be the worst.
‘The Empath’ is the true gem of the third season. No pun intended.
I agree ,this nerd missed the point completely. I like the Bible quote in the last scene from Scotty.
I like "The Empath". You must've lost your brain for a sec. "Brain, brain, what is brain?" I'd replace it with "Spock's Brain".
@@andypinto1 Spock’s Brain is the “so bad it’s good in a funny way” The Empath on the other hand…
It was horrible....
@@andypinto1 Yes speaking of "brains", in the episode "the Changeling", In a scene on the deck, the powerful AI probe NOMAD, which was beamed onboard the Enterprise to stop it firing upon the ship, it absorbed the late great Lt. Uhuru's brain. And, upon learning from Spock that, she, the "biological unit" was a woman, Nomad then uttered one the truly classic lines in all of TOS, it's delicious for its brutal non- wokeness as viewed today. Nomad said: "A woman? A Mass of Conflicting Emotions, absorbing it Unsettled me"! Or words to that general effect, as I recall. :D LOL
One or two points. First one of clarification: The Platonians were not telepaths, they were psychopaths (in two separate senses of the word). They were sadistic and unfeeling, but their power was psychokinesis, NOT telepathy. Secondly, the Empath, while quirky and devoid of fight scenes, was NOT pointless. Third, the episode Spock's Brain was FAR worse than the first season episode Alternative Factor. Maybe Pensky felt he had picked on the third season enough.
Nah, Spocks Brain is campy fun. Alternative is dull nonsense.
@@thepenskyfile- And the 3rd season was a collection of scripts hurriedly rushed into production from the rejection pile!
@@williamanthony9090 Yet still ...some of the season 3 episodes stood up as Star trek classics!.....Specter of the gun...The Tholian web... For the world is hollow and i have touched the sky...Day of the Dove...Some were in fact much better than season 1 and 2 episodes...And turnabout intruder is far underrated. Almost forgot The Paradise syndrome. All our Yesterdays also.
@@davidsnyderWisdomTrollBlocker - Well, that's entirely subjective. A couple of the shows you mention, in my view, are just God AWFUL! I won't mention which ones, because everyone's entitled to their preferred episodes. I agree that a couple of third season scripts stood up to previous seasons, but I can't think of one that was really better than the quality of seasons one and two. Again, that's simply my opinion. Live Long And Prosper!
@@billanthony7896 Yes, if anyone is doing creative work, you know that not every effort is a winner. I recall a lot of other shows of that era as I was a kid or young adult then. Even great shows of the time, and those that preceding it in that genre were not without their clinkers, like Twilight Zone (donated toys in a barrel) and Outer Limits ("aliens" in shower caps after Robert Culp) for example. Don't even get me started on the sitcoms of the era too, like Dream of Genie, Beverly Hillbillies, Gilligan's Island, and even westerns like Bonanza. So, it's sometimes a crap shoot to get a good piece of work, fortunately for the franchise it started off mostly strong otherwise there would be no Trekkies today, who are still saying things like "Live Long and Prosper"!! And I do it too, BTW! LOL ;D
*With the exception of "The Empath" and the fine performance by actress Kathryn Hays, you picked a lot of losers. Two others that come to mind are: "And The Children Shall Lead" and "Spock's Brain".*
If for no other reason than lawyer Melvin Belli, who played the Friendly Angel in "As the Children...", was a truly awful actor.
The worst episode of the original series is better than anything Discovery produced.
Hell to the fucking Yes.
The omega glory is repeatedly pissed on, This episode moved me as a child and continues to move me as one of Kirks most valiant efforts to defend his beliefs and those of the federation. If not for this episode....I would not be a treky.
Hey, part of being a fan of the series is enjoying terrible episodes!
@@thepenskyfile- That's true. And part of being subjective, is deciding which episodes are good and bad.
Good points. The ending of this episode showcased the idea that the best of American values would be a part of making the Federation a force for good. It was also a show meant to be watched by children, it was not aimed at the cynical adults of our age--so they trotted out the American flag at the end.
matt barrett .....Not one bad episode on the original series.
This is the only one on the list I disagree with, I’d put on my second tier list of great episodes
Why isn't Spock's Brain on this list?
because it's fine
@@thepenskyfile No it isn't - it's rubbish.
Can't agree about "Plato's Stepchildren." Lots of great ideas in that one about the abuse of power and the mistreatment of outsiders. Plus, Alexander, Philana, and Parmen are all complex and memorable characters (unlike Losira from "That Which Survives," who only becomes more confusing as the story unfolds). I would replace "Stepchildren" with "And the Children Shall Lead."
The best part about "And The Children Shall Lead," is Shatner's hamfest in the lift when he's "losing command." It should definitely be used in acting classes as a warning to performers on why they should NEVER over act a scene!
That scene with Kirk's being ridden like a horse was pretty funny.
Have to say that which survives was pretty good..Better than some season 1 and 2 episodes..Natira was mysterious and beautuful...not hard to understand that..DIsagree with And the children shall lead being a bad episode. I remember watching this many years ago and the vision of the crazy leader appearing after the children performed their chanting ... still is memorable to me. Then the vision of Uhura as the very old hag ; made it worth watching just by itself..Not a bad episode at all...Quite a few others i can think of that deserve to be called the worst.. Insert instead ; Mudd's woman or The way to Eden or Spock's Brain. But to each his own.
@@davidsnyderWisdomTrollBlocker ... Natira was the leader of the planet ship in For the World Is Hollow, And I Have Touched the Sky. She helped cure Bones of his extremely rare disease.
"That Which Survives" had Commander Losira, played by Lee Meriwether. Natira (from "For the world is hollow, and I have touched the Sky") was played by Kate Woodville.
WTD(What The Dunsel)?? I can not believe "Spock's Brain" did not make your list. With the line, "Brain & Brain. What is brain?" to Scotty's fake faint to enable Kirk to disarm the female alien lead.
How much worse can you get? Bad enough having Nimoy on "robot" mode during most of the episode.
Script appeared to be written & called in by JHS student. (7th grade).
Must admit when they got a dose of the pain stimulator the first time, I was cracking up, then the second time when Kirk batted the controller for Spock, it had me on the floor!
The Empath is one of my favorite episodes in the whole series. It introduced me to the word "empath" and to the realization that I, on fact, am an Empath. Maybe that's why the topic wasn't boring to me I don't mind that it's a bottle episode, and I loved that the actress who played Gem was a skilled mime, who's graceful movements made up for the lack of a set.
On the other hand, Spock's Brain is a truly horrible episode, which I have to take on memory as I haven't seen it in 60-some-odd years.
You needed a longer list. Any list of terrible episodes should contain And the Children Shall Lead, Way to Eden, and Spock's Brain.
Spock's Brain is an honorable mention, but I appreciate the camp factor.
I might actually leave Spock's Brain off the list because it is entertaining. It gets a low rating for being totally ridiculous.
It also has a production "innovation". For the first time they back project the screen projection, rather than superimposing it in post-production. And they have the cast and extras walk back and forth in front of it constantly, because they can. I laughed my ass off at that. Director is like "OK. Everybody get between the camera and the screen. So we can show off our special effect innovation."
But "and the Children Shall Lead" has no redeeming qualities.
Agree with your list. Spock's Brain is campy fun, but awful. And very sad for Nimoy to have to do that when he'd brought so much to the character of Spock. The Children Shall Lead, can we call it "Children of the Gorn"? Might have been redeemed with acting that wasn't the worse in TOS. But I can't picture it. Way to Eden, Enterprise crew play "The Man" to a group of space hippies. In the era before TNG, it was one of the few episodes that could make me turn off the TV during Star Trek. Though I will say, I haven't heard a bike rim played better since.
Good point on the camp factor. I was surprised at first not to see Spock's Brain in this list, because I consider it one of the worst, however, I can have a good time laughing at how silly it is. I'd probably sa the same for Way To Eden, and when originally viewed during the 60s with the hippy culture, probably would have been even more funny at how it tried to express something something poignant in the time of the viewer, but does it in a preposterous, laughable way.
"That's now, that's real now!"
Absolutely disagree with "The Empath". It was meant to be emotional and deal with the best of humanity with their love for each other and their ability for self-sacrifice. The Vidians couldn't provide that which is why they used others. The face of the leaders of the Vidians shows that he recognizes it as their fatal flaw.
We didn't need the cringy few minutes at the end which appear to be obligatory in Star Trek TOS.
I rewatched it just now to see if my original feelings about the episode remain. They do.
I also liked to a degree "That Which Survives". The "Way to Eden" was much worse and the portrayal of Spock in that episode was terrible.
The more I learn, the more I realise that ST TOS was a success in spite of Gene Roddenberry, not because of him.
Well, it depends on how you measure success. If measured in Primetime Ratings, it was pretty much of a failure. If measured in how it seeped into the American consciousness via reruns on UHF stations, spawning a whole entertainment universe of sequels and motion pictures...
Agreed. He said at the conventions he attended, that he made Star Trek for HIMSELF, not us
@@williamanthony9090 I think someone said the ratings weren't done correctly, so TOS got better ratings than they initially thought.
@@sandal_thong8631 I understood it that the breakdown of ratings by WHO was watching (age groups and purchasing patterns) was just on the verge of being introduced, and Star Trek would have been a very valuable property under the about to be introduced rating system, instead of the ratings failure it was under the system that just counted viewers.
@@sandal_thong8631 The ratings did not factor the purchasing power of the audience measured. TOS appealed to the demographic with discretionary spending habits, but this wasn't counted.
This is neither new nor old. We continue to mismeasure, with the same consequences.
I hated And The Children Shall Lead. Even worse than Spock’s Brain. The Way to Eden could’ve killed off the show but it didn’t… fortunately.
I personally would have swapped out "The Empath" for "And The Children Shall Lead".
I’d take any of his 5 over And The Children Shall Lead. It’s unbearable to watch.
Definitely. "And The Children" was the real stinker.
@@chocsise Even worse than "Spock's Brain," which at least had the line, "Brain and brain - what is brain ?"
I cannot agree at all with the choice of "The Empath" here. I consider it to be one of the most important episodes of all, because possibly more than any other installment, it explores the true nature and depth of the relationship between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy: that each would without a moment's hesitation lay down his life for the others. And despite their constant friction and bickering, both Spock and McCoy would very willingly die to save the other.
There are episodes that are pure cheese (Turnabout Intruder, Spock's Brain), some that are just plain bad (Alternative Factor), but one manages to combine all of the worst of Trek into 50 minutes of cringe. The Mark of Gideon starts with such a horribly implausible premise that it makes you wonder just how much handwaving went into getting it approved. A completely functional Enterprise replica that even Captain Kirk found indistinguishable from the real ship? Wow, it must have included everything...even the personal belongings and computer files from Kirk himself. But...never mind all that. Kirk meets a beautiful young woman who manages to convince him that she has no idea what they are doing there, until she gets sick and Daddy appears to explain the plan. She's supposed to die so that others will be inspired to infect themselves or infect others or let the government infect them to reduce the planet's population. Apparently their love and respect for life prevents them from using birth control, but suicide or genocide is fine, as long as it's by disease rather than another method like gas chambers or starting a computer war with Eminiar 7. Kirk has developed feelings for the young woman so he takes her back to the Enterprise and saves her life just in time. And the good news is that she now carries the infection in her blood, so she can still wipe out billions of people because no starship captain will be around to rescue them. What a happy ending!
For sheer stupidity and ham-handed social commentary I don't think you can beat this episode.
The next generation stuff is pure cheese.
Excellent commentary!
Turnabout Intruder would have been better if Shatner had toned down his hammy acting of a woman in a man's body.
Yeah, the ethics are questionable in _The Mark of Gideon._ It also makes you wonder how safe it is for people in Starfleet to encounter alien civilizations, primitive or otherwise if they can pass on deadly diseases?
The actor who played Cyrano Jones in "The Trouble with Tribbles" originally wrote the episode about overpopulation on this planet, where the leaders wanted to introduce death, but not for them or their families. There was no mock-Enterprise. But even this treatment was iffy, involving blood transfusion and trying to create a deadly virus before it was changed to what was filmed.
Like most third-season episodes they wanted to make it another "Ship in a bottle" episode to save money.
On our Earth there are places in the world where overpopulation has completely ravaged the natural world, destroying trees and forests, wildlife and so forth. If we get to 10 billion, the environment will suffer even more. If that had been the theme of the episode, maybe people wouldn't care about a world like that?
The year 2022 was the year of _Soylent Green_ when life in the oceans died and they were converting human bodies into food.
WHOA!! The Empath is excellent. I see very few flaws in it.
Should have the space hippy one on here and "And the children shall lead"
Opinions 💁♂️
I love "The Empath." I can't stand that episode where an Angel/Satan persuades children to take over the Enterprise. Awful, but embarrassingly funny, in many levels.
No "Spock's Brain"? C'mon, man.
The Empath was WAY ahead of its time; no one else was even thinking about Metaphysics on tv in the sixties.
Not Twilight Zone? That show was also ahead of its time.
Okay, so I was exaggerating. But shows like Lost in Space weren't doing stuff like this. It was extremely rare.
The best TOS end of the 3rd season episode is where Kirk visits a dinner with his girlfriend, and becomes obsessed with a fortune telling machine on the table that uncannily can predict the future. He tells us about the wonder computer of the 1980's with a real keyboard that can play great games too. Then he gets on a plane, and sees a gremlin out on the wing ripping up the engine during a storm, but nobody else on the plane will believe him. So I don't know what you're talking about the 3rd season being bad.
While I agree about The Empath's script, I found its minimalist sets really appealing for some reason.
The Empath's set design reminded me of Irwin Allen's Time Tunnel set. Very Dark black to foster the illusion that it was vast in scope. Also the Space 1999 Year One episode the Infernal Machine. Inside the GWENT ship was minimalist in a way that made the ship appear VAST!
@@AUTISTICLYCAN Yes, so insightful that, when the set and the effects today have become the "story" and the acting and the plot is playing second fiddle to 67 explosions per hour, and intricately designed "spaceships". Who cares about that if you've read any classic sci fi like Asimov and Clarke. These films today are for children, or those with minds of children!
@@ronschlorff7089 i.i.p.a.
Fill a economic read
I.i.l.t. nuclear department education t minus post error
P.s.y.c. visible invisible periodic element table course ¹876 1878 galaxy 100% 30.5 galaxy spread into 26.4 milky way and galaxy converging
2.3 billuon years growth 1.104 milky way 0.6 at the climax 97.6% galaxy 30.5 and 26.4 galaxy
It would be interesting if it wasn't a repeat of an episode from _The Outer Limits,_ which was also minimalist.
I'm not a fan of this episode, although I thought Kathryn Hayes was amazing. And I agree about the minimalist set. This was one of two episodes in the third season that really did something special with the reduced scenery budget. The other was Spectre of the Gun.
How could 'And the Children shall lead' NOT appear on this list? Or Spock's Brain?
I have wondered for years why so many are apprehensive toward naming "And the Children Shall Lead" as a poor Star Trek episode and I think I've nailed it down -- fear of being sued by Melvin Belli's ghost, renowned lawyer who played " Gorgan, Friendly Angel."
Some even worse episodes: "and the children shall lead" with children going nyanyanya empowered by a space ghost, "spock's brain, and "the way to eden" with its idiotically stereotypical space hippies.
That was the worst episode......They were playing space guitar etc... I get the meaning but they could have did it a little different.
Herbert! Herbert! Herbert! 😀
As I said in my comment, I found them hilarious. But yeah, it was corny as hell.
Excuse me. How in all of Trek did you miss "Spock's Brain"? Consistently voted through several generations of Trek fans as the singular worst episode. Dude, all of these are bad, but you could easily have subbed out Alternative Factor for Brain.
"Brain and brain! What is brain? It is... Controller?"
I agree with everything but the Empath. That was a great and emotional episode IMPO! I loved the way each one of them was ready to sacrifice his own life to save his friends, i loved the way the relationships between them went, i also loved the girl, she's absolutely beautiful. (sorry for my English)
Unwatchable episode
I know that money was tight. However, I think that the story line of The Empath had the potential of being a really good episode.
My Top 7 cringeworthy TOS episodes in order starting from absolute worst to barely watchable.
1. 'And The Children Shall Lead'
2. 'The Alternative Factor'
3. 'The Mark Of Gideon'
4. 'Plato's Stepchildren'
5. 'The Way To Eden'
6. 'Let That Be Your Last Battlefield'
7. 'Spock's Brain'
I thought "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" was corny or heavy-handed when I first saw it, but it does have something to say. Not about white-black relations, but more likely the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since they really hate each other, though they are both Semite peoples who are closely related though being separated for nearly 2000 years.
@@sandal_thong8631 Religion is a Sickness of the Mind!
Whom God's Destroy is pretty bad.
I like the Mark of Gideon.
@@Ruda-n4h
As Kirk himself said in "The Trouble With Tribbles": 'Well, there's no accounting for taste!' 😏
Can't take this seriously if Space Hippies are left out.
Both final seasons two and three were very enjoyable. Even if they're bad they're pretty good.
Yes, the good and the bad, and not that many were ugly, like some of the ones today, with Woke "Amok Time" ! LOL
The worst episode is by far "The Way to Eden. How can any bottom five list not include it. I liked The Omega Glory, That Which Survives, The Empath. Plato's Stepchildren is kinda lame. I love the Alternative Factor and I know most people dislike it. The other 2 lame episodes that come to mind are: The Conscience of the King & A Private Little War. Every Star Trek episode had something positive in it except The Way to Eden.
I actually really enjoyed the empath, largely due to the scene where McCoy knocks out both Kirk and Spock. If nothing else, I think that was a well-done interaction. One of my least favorites is The Deadly Years. The way Kirk puts his ship in jeopardy to feed his own ego is very disturbing to me. And when he’s cured, there is no consequence for or mention of the terrible way he treated everyone.
For me, The Empath was one of the best episodes.
Bon iBroco YES! A great episode for sure! 👍🏻
@@julianbristow4793 ....Yup.....it may have been cheap and simple to produce but it had a very profound message for all sentient life.
I think deforest Kelly said it was his favorite episode of his time on TOS
Why because an actor who played a judge in MATLOCK was tortured
4:31
The Empath is one of my favourites. I think And the Children shall Lead is the worst Star Trek episodes.
Forgot about that one. That's #2 on my list only surpassed by Space Hippies. (The Way to Eden)
Now wait a minute, the one about the space hippies has got to be the worst of all time. Admittedly Plato’s Stepchildren belongs on the list but The Empath was a good one.
The way to eden was so bad it was good, the exchanges between Doctor Sevron and Spock, the warning about cult leaders who are really madmen, the quest to find a real paradise to live , there was interesting things going on, if they had omitted some of the cringeworthy music it would have been better. It was a WW2 era guys( Roddenbury) idea of the hippie scene at that time.
@@davidvalensi8616 I've always had a private theory that Robert Heinlein ghost wrote the script to Plato's Stepchildren in collaboration with Roddenberry. Lol.
@@donpietruk1517 I liked Plato's Stepchildren, but to me the original series could do no wrong, plus people have to take into account the time the show aired, Star trek, 2001 a space odyssey, real or not, the moon landings, fantasy had melded into reality and we felt anything was possible.
Your initial point may be true, but ... the first season of Star Trek contains the greatest concentration of classic, brilliantly-written episodes across the entire franchise ... and it's not even close.
The worst episode of Season One was "A Taste of Armageddon." Kirk threatens a sovereign planet with genocide to get them to stop fighting.
Loved The Empath! It's a very memorable episode with a very memorable music score!
Come on! The Empath is a great episode!
My least favorite episode was The Way to Eden. The musical numbers went on wayyy too long.
TOS I love them all have watched them all and still watch them Star Trek is my great escape from reality
The Omega Glory and Plato's Stepchildren are definitely NOT two of the worst episodes ever....that is absolutely ridiculous. they happen to be among the best episodes ever made
All lists are subjective. I'd replace "The Omega Glory" with "The Way to Eden", "Plato's Stepchildren" with "Spock's Brain", and "That Which Survives" with "The Savage Curtain". Season 3 was the worst because the show was going to be canceled after Season 2, but fans wrote letters asking the show to be renewed. Fans tried to do the same thing after season 3 but to no avail. TOS is the best Star Trek series because it started the franchise and led to the movies and to TNG. "Voyager", "Deep Space Nine", and "Enterprise" had terrible seasons after season 3, and probably should have never been renewed after that. TNG was almost canceled after season 1 because the stories were rehashed stories from TOS and the ratings were abysmal. It's amazing TNG lasted seven seasons. Most of these later Star Trek series have worse episodes in their later seasons than TOS season 3. I'm biased towards TOS because I was a kid when it aired, and through syndication (reruns) followed the series up to today with METV.
That Which Survives, has one major redeeming feature, Lee Meriwether.
The worst for me was “The Squire of Gothos” Trelane. Totally pointless.
Agreed!!
It’s a cool story man. It doesn’t have to have a point. William Campbell played an iconic character that is part of ST history. He was probably the original “Q” I’d bet.
Funny thing about The Omega Glory,.... even with the quality it ended up being, Roddenberry liked it so much that he personally submitted it for Emmy consideration. I would love to have been a fly on the wall during that conversation. I wonder if they laughed in his face, or humored him with a polite brush off
In this episode and a few other where other ships of star fleet and their officers were brought into play intrigued me, like in the Tholian Web, were one ship, the Defiant?, dissolved into a parallel universe. The best being the star ship Constellation in the Doomsday Machine episode. They all used the same sets as the Enterprise of course. So, this was one of them.
I actually like That Which Survives, but any Worst Of list should include Turnabout Intruder (the most blatantly sexist episode) and Patterns of Force (the worst parallel Earth episode). Bread and Circuses doesn't get a lot of love but I think it's great.
"Patterns of Force" and "Bread and Circuses" seem like very similar episodes. In both, there is a planet that has assumed a cruel society which previously existed in Earth's history. Both involve high-ranking Starfleet personnel (Merick and Gill) who have a position of authority over the planet's inhabitants. In both, there is a small resistance movement, which The Enterprise landing party meets up with.
Interestingly, PoF was broadcast just a few episodes before B&C, even though B&C was produced first. But I agree with you that B&C is a more worthy episode
What about Spock’s Brain?
The Empath is one of my favorite Star Trek episodes. And while season 3 was a season that saw the departure of Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek being scheduled in the Friday Night Death Slot, and a considerably lower budget that had episodes takin place entirely on the Enterprise set, it did have some great episodes like The Enterprise Incident, The Tholian Web and All Our Yesterdays. Star Trek is my favorite Star Trek series because it was the first and original. It was the series I remember watching on TV in the afternoon when I got home from elementary school in the 1970s.
10pm on Friday. No less.
That's because NBC believed that Gene Roddenberry was behind the "Save Star Trek" campaign (not true, it was Bjo Trimble and the show's fans) and decided to punish Roddenberry and the show for it. Hence the bad time slot. Since they knew that there was not going to be a fourth season, the show got edgey. But in all fairness to the fans, in the 1960s you needed at least three seasons worth of episodes to make syndication viable. So the fans really DID save Star Trek, more than they'll ever know! LL&P
Mark Schroeder That’s why Gene Roddenberry never wanted to deal with having a new Star Trek series on network television ever again. Ugly politics, false accusations and censorship issues, which Star Trek was developed to mostly avoid when writing scripts, led to its early demise before 100 episodes were made. Fortunately, the fans saved Star Trek for a third season and the show flourished beyond anyone’s imagination in syndication. Syndication is what saved TNG from cancellation during its first two seasons where the show took awhile to find its established footing and an audience.
The Empath shouldn't be on this list. And the Children Should Lead is 1,000 times worse. Plot wise, Empath is very strong but it's a very dark episode in the emotional sense.
And...in the physical sense too....
The worst is "And the children shall lead"
But it had the girl who played the voice of Lucy in Charlie Brown: Pamelyn Ferdin, and the guy who invented the musical instrument that plays the opening of Michael Jackson's Thriller song (Craig Huxley). That boy is now an authentic musical genius in Hollywood.
I like 'The Empath' and 'That Which Survives' a lot more than you do, even if I do agree about the logic of the latter. Got to work with Lee Meriwether on a radio project about 10 years ago, and she was a delight- she even let me record her doing the "I am for..." bit for me. lol
“Spock’s Brain” was absolute rubbish……as a ST fan it embarrassed me and caused a huge “cringe reaction”. I couldn’t believe how bad it was. It’s the worst of all the episodes. I always wonder if anyone, crew, actors said “This script is a POS. Don’t we have anything else we can shoot?”
I remember hating the episode with Abraham Lincoln. I can't recall any of the plot....only that I thought it was poor all-around.
Agreed.
The Savage Curtain
Plato's Stepchildren isn't so bad. Spock's Brain? The Way to Eden is really too stupid.
"Spock's Brain" should be on the list.
it has its moments. I like the solar system schematic with three Class M planets at various technological levels. It was a busy galaxy.
Agreed.
I-Morg
It had hope, but i couldn't stop laughing at the fact that spock LITERALLY GOT ROBBED OF HIS BRAIN
it's one of the best. completely hillarious
I guess people view these episodes differently. My worst two episodes don't even make his list. Worst of all time: And The Children Shall Lead. Runner Up: The Way to Eden.
How can anyone possibly omit “”And The Children Shall Lead”, “Spock’s Brain” and “The Way to Eden”??
Those should have been the top 3. Not, 'That Which Survives'.
Don't fully agree with you this time. "That which survives" and "The empath" are not as bad you say. I agree they were "cheaply made" stories but, they do tell a story. Agreed they may have been better in short story rather than a TV episode. The others I agree with. You left out one of the two worst ones...... "Spocks Brain" " Turn about intruder" (think that was the name where some woman enters Kirks body to take over the ship). They should have been on the list. Another thing I disagree with is your statement of more bad stories that good. When TOS came on they were fighting many battles. One with money, and one with the idea that only children watch Sci-Fi.
Spock's Brain is so campy it's good!
@@thepenskyfile "Brain and brain! What is 'brain'?"
Someone asked me this week why I didn't like Spock in "That Which Survives" and I should have said he behaves like a d*** which is what was said in this video! By season three Mr. Spock should know enough about his fellow crewmembers not to say stupid things or take them too literally like he does.
When the "earthquake" throws around the landing party, the set mechanics look ridiculous. Maybe they got the ideas for the end of Star Trek 3 from this episode?
I thought everyone thought that "Spoke's Brain" (third season) was the worst ST-TOS ever made.
Most do. The writers deliberately made a 'stupid' episode to protest budget cuts, not sure if it was also b/c of the new Friday timeslot they didn't like also, or if they didn't know abt that when the script was written (I was less than 10 y/o then so don't know).
Ugh??? No "Spocks 🧠"
Easily the worst ever episode..
Star Trek Discovery saved TOS' lowest batting average in Trek, at least it has something going for it.
How was spocks brain not on this list?
I LOVED Plato's Stepchildren. It was possibly the least boring episode. It was an acid trip, but it was so damn entertaining to see a dwarf riding William Shatner acting like a horse
I respect this opinion
the whole shaming/scapegoating/power thing is an important topic, and one thats impossible to address without making people uncomfortable. Discomfort/triggering is not the same as bad art.
5 of the "worst" episodes of probably the most popular and influential TV show of all time? That still makes them all awesome!
the "most popular" show of all time got cancelled after 3 seasons?
@@thepenskyfile name another show from the 60s that has had so many people go to a movie theater and watch again 13 times? and let us not forget 9 newer tv series ( is it 8 or 9? )
I couldn't stand way to Eden. I saw,this episode in the 60's during the hippie era. But it just seemed out of place in the future.
I actually liked the Empath episode. Granted, some of your line up of worst episodes probably rings true with many of us, but I think the original series is sold too short by your estimate of the entire spin off set of series through the 2000's.
I am genuinely surprised that "Spock's Brain" isn't in the number one position, or even in your top five, despite the fact that so many people seem to consider this one the worst stinker. I personally don't think "Spock's Brain" is that bad, but anyways... It's interesting that TOS is the opposite of pretty much all of the other Star Trek series that followed in that the first season was the best and they got worse from there, which I agree with.
I think that if we just accept the campy look and frequently illogical premises in the various episodes, there's still a lot to enjoy for what it is. TOS is really vastly different from the rest in many important ways, but still enjoyable in my opinion.
SPOCK’S BRAIN!!
MIRI ! "Bonk, Bonk, up side the head !!! Bonk, upside the head...and Catspaw, with the aliens that turned into potpourri at the end.
Loved the strings on the puppets
I think 'Way to Eden' always sticks out like a sore thumb to me when the 'worst episodes of Star Trek' discussion comes up.
Please, how could you forget: “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield”
This one probably was raised out of the “Worst of ...” pit by Gorshin’s acting. If not for Gorshin, it probably would have made the cut.
I thought it was in-your-face or over-the-top when I first saw it, but it does have something to say about racism. I do think it has more to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict today than the white-black struggle in America.
Spock said to Uhura, "To expect sense from two mentalities of such extreme viewpoints is not logical."
@@sandal_thong8631 That right there shows why Star Trek was one of the greatest shows ever written. For how many years will we repeat “I think it has more to do with {current news focus} today than ...”?
Have to disagree about The Empath, it's my favourite episode, and unlike any other. It has great performances and character interaction, an interesting music score (the first Hollywood score to feature a Yamaha organ) and I think the sparse set design is very surreal and effective. My least favourites would probably be The Apple, The Omega Glory, Friday's Child, Spock's Brain and Mudd's Women.
"Mudd's Women" was pretty bad. Especially since, truth be known, there were much better looking women serving aboard the ship at the time. However, as bad as it was, there were still episodes, especially third season stories, that turned out being worse!
I liked Dunning's musical score for "The Empath" so much that I played parts of it at my wedding.
"Spock's Brain" and "Way to Eden." So bad they were not discussed.
spocks brain is campy fun!
@@thepenskyfile I thought it more of an embarrassment.
@@thepenskyfile It's worthless rubbish.
Amen!! 7:09 7:09
Spock's Brain is nowhere as bad as people say it is....William Shatter says it's bad, so then it follows so many sheep bleat it's bad....when there is a lot worse Trek. It only degenerates once The Landing Party is in The Lift to The Underground City....before that it's pretty good. Starts with Mystery...then titles, shock, other bridge crew cast who normal get to do little except take home the weekly pay check, so that is refreshing and new when they debate which planet Spock's Brain has been taken too and then there is the genuine shock and horror as McCoy controls Spock by remote control.
There is a lot of Trek that is far far worse....like And the children shall lead and The Way to Eden both episode of excrement and vomit
"Way to Eden" is the only TOS episode I've never watched in full, I just can't waste my life away like that. Good to see a young "Murdock" out of Rambo 2 in it though.
You're concerned about wasting your life away, but insist upon watching "Rambo 2" ?
@@rschier1 😆😆 😆 😆 😆
That's Charles Napier who play the bicycle wheel guitar and tried to sing!! Remember he was the leader of "The Good Old Boys" band from "The Blues Brothers".
Way to Eden in my guilty pleasure for TOS! Some people just don't Reach
@@rschier1 Ok, You got me there.
You may just be the only Trek fan that doesn't count Spock's Brain as one of, if not THE worst episode of TOS.
Well going by the general consensus and my own choices, I'd put this as the list starting from the worst:
1 - Spock's Brain
2 - The Way to Eden
3 - And the Children Shall Lead (2 & 3 are a toss-up, really)
4 - Turnabout Intruder
5 - Either Let That Be Your Last Battlefield or Plato's Stepchildren
Honorable mention to The Alternative Factor and The Omega Glory.