What are your top Star Trek episodes from any of the series?
Mine are the following:
5: "Duet" DS9
This was the best episode that dealt with Bajorans in the aftermath of Cardassian abuse. We see that while the Bajorans were the primary victims, there were also Cardassians like Marritza who were psychologically harmed by what they saw. The episode demonstrated the great development of characters like Kira that made DS9 such an amazing series. This is an episode that could be shown to any audience and have a great impact.
4: "The City on the Edge of Forever" TOS
McCoy uses the Guardian of Forever to travel to Depression Era Earth. Kirk and Spock must travel back to undo the damage caused when McCoy accidentally changes history. Kirk discovers that a woman named Edith Keeler is supposed to be hit by a truck and die. McCoy had apparently saved her and created a world where America delayed its entry into WWII. Kirk meets Keeler and falls in love with her, but when she is hit by a truck he has to hold McCoy back so that she will die and the timeline will be restored.
3: "The Inner Light" TNG
This episode is simply legendary and one that can be loved by Trek and non-Trek fans alike. A probe sends waves into Picard's brain, rendering him unconscious for a period of 20 minutes or so. During that time, he lives the entire adult life of Kamin, a man from a long extinct world that originally made the probe. Picard, as Kamin, lives a life with his wife. He has a family, good friends, and grandchildren. The episode is touching and sad when it is revealed that large doses of solar radiation are making the planet uninhabitable. After viewing the launch of the rocket, Picard learns the truth and is sent back to the Enterprise. The is taken into the shuttlebay and a box with one item is given to Picard. It is the flute he played as Kamin. Picard grasps the flute at the end of the episode as if he is trying to grasp the family he had as Kamin and can never have as a starship captain. One wonders after this episode if Picard ends up envying Kamin and wishing he had his life.
2: "The Best of Both Worlds" TNG
This episode was a long awaited TNG episode as fans waited for the time when the Borg would attack earth (as Q had previously warned). Things take a sharp turn for the worst when Picard is captured by the Borg and turned into Locutus. The first part of the two parter ended with a cliffhanger when Locutus appears on screen to tell Riker to surrender. Riker ends the episode with the infamous line "Mr Worf, fire." Part II deals with the destruction of the Federation fleet at Wolf 359 and the rescue of Picard, who gives them the secret to defeat the Borg.
1: "In the Pale Moonlight" DS9
It is sort of ironic that the episode most against the vision of Gene Roddenberry would be my favorite. I guess the fact that this episode shows another side of Star Trek makes it stand out so well. It is a great character episode for Captain Sisko and the always interesting Elim Garak. The episode presents a huge moral dilemna and the characters choose the most anti-Star Trek solution to it. We all know that Picard do what Sisko did. The episode is also great for the fact that while Sisko narrates the story to his log, he isn't just telling the audience what transpired. He's trying to justify his own actions to himself as he has lingering doubts.
Double-posted....
won't dignify that with a response*
