In this retrospective, I’ll be going through the various Star Trek TV shows and reviewing them episode by episode.
Rating System:
I will be rating episodes on three criteria:
- Does it propose new or unique ideas
- Does it expand on the Star Trek universe or characters
- Is it a good episode on its own merits?
Impulse: The Worst Star Trek episode in a series. (For example, the worst start trek episode of Deep Space Nine)
Warp Factor 1: An episode that does nothing new, that does nothing to expand the star trek universe and is not very good as a stand-alone episode.
Warp Factor 2: An episode that is poor in either innovation, exploration or quality, but has one redeeming feature.
Warp Factor 3: An episode that is mediocre in most areas but fails in one in particular.
Warp Factor 4: An episode that is generally mediocre, but has one disappointing score.
Warp Factor 5: An episode that is generally mediocre.
Warp Factor 6: An episode that is generally mediocre except for one or two pretty good scores
Warp Factor 7: An episode that has either all pretty good scores or one stand-out score
Warp Factor 8: An episode that scores very highly in more than one area.
Warp Factor 9: The perfect episode that is innovative, expands the lore and is good in it’s own right.
Warp Factor 10: The best start trek episode in a series
Intro to the Cast:
For those unfamiliar with Star Trek, it’s very much a “problem of the week” show, so generally, the most consistent element is the main cast with the situation changing every episode. Here’s an introduction to them.
Captain James T Kirk: Captain of the Enterprise, Kirk is the main character and generally, the one allowed the more screen time. At this point, his characterization isn’t as strong as he’ll become, but generally, he’s a brash and bold ship’s captain.
Science Officer Spock: A Vulcan rather than a human, Spock is from a species of pointed eared humanoid (no they’re not elves, don’t ask again) who are famous and notorious for their restraint of emotions and their use of logic. Generally a voice of reason for the crew.
Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy: The ships medical officer, McCoy is the surly medical officer who serves as an emotional voice that is counter to Spock’s pure reason. The two often butt heads in the series.
Hikaru Kato Sulu: Sulu is the helmsman. We don’t get a lot of development for him this early, but we do know he likes fencing and plants.
Nyota Uhura: Communications officer for the Enterprise. We get a little more development for her at this point than Sulu, as she seems to have a friendly relationship from Spock.
Montgomery “Scotty” Scott: Perhaps the most underdeveloped of the main cast. Scotty is a Scottish engineer.
Star Trek: Episode 2: The Man Trap
Synopsis: Kirk, McCoy and another crewmember go down to a planet inhabited by a woman who McCoy was once in love with and her Husband. The away team all view her as a different woman, with McCoy saying she looks exactly as she did ten years ago. Then one of the members of the team dies. Now the crew of the enterprise must investigate this strange woman and her mysterious husband.
Review: This episode isn’t particularly interesting or good. It definitely feels like a product of the 1960s in terms of sexual politics and intergender relations. It doesn’t really do much to stand out and mostly just has a weird monster who’s strange seemingly for the sake of strangeness. The only new idea it puts forward is a death by sucking the salt out of someone. All in all, I’d give this one a miss in your Star Trek marathon. The only reason I could think of to watch this episode would be to see Star Trek in it’s most awkward stages or if you like the idea of a shapeshifting monster running around the Enterprise.
Rating:
Innovation: 4
Expansion: 6
Quality: 3
Warp Factor 4
First Episode to: Introduce the Redshirts. So many random barely named crewmembers die that this episode, which is going to happen a lot in the original series.
Star Trek: Episode 3: Charlie X
Synopsis: The enterprise takes on a boy who was the sole survivor of a crashed transport ship on the planet Thasus. It turns out this boy has strange and powerful abilities to alter matter.
Review: I honestly hate Charlie. The fact that the episode is an extended amount of time with this whiney entitled git is perhaps the worst stain on an otherwise interesting entry into the early series. The only thing I feel is worse is that by the end we’re supposed to sympathize with him when he’s being taken off the enterprise. It’s like we’re supposed to forget that he’s a dangerous and selfish brat who used his superpowers to make a woman disappear because she wouldn’t be his girlfriend and made another guy disappear for laughing at him.
However, this episode introduces some new concepts and mechanics. Though it doesn’t do much to expand the universe itself other than the introduction of the Thasians who appear and then are never mentioned again. The addition of matter transmuting godlike powers is a future staple of the series, as well as the crew having to fight off said godlike beings. It’s also one of the things that makes the show unique (apart from maybe the twilight zone). Making that godlike being an adolescent is also a neat addition.
Rating:
Innovation: 6
Expansion: 5
Quality: 4
Warp Factor 5
First Episode to: Introduce what I’d term Star Trek Gods, because there are so many that it might as well be a pantheon.
Star Trek: Episode 4: Where No Man Has Gone Before
Synopsis: After the Enterprise investigates a ship which went through a magnetic space storm and was destroyed shortly afterward. After the ship goes through the same storm, a crewmember and an old friend of Kirk gains growing power and a god complex.
Review: As much as it is repetitive to do a god like being as the focus of an episode twice in a row, this feels like a much better version of Charlie X. It deals with the themes of a human becoming a godlike being much more effectively and isn’t tied down by an annoying git. Gary Mitchel is an asshole, but we’re not supposed to feel sympathy for him so it’s okay.
Spock’s background and his status as an emotionless being is mentioned here, and ties in very well to the whole idea of humanities compassion being both a weakness and a strength, as Kirk fails to kill Gary when he has the chance at first but does manage to convince Dr. Dehner to help him in the climactic battle.
Rating:
Innovation: 5
Expansion: 6
Quality: 6
Warp Factor 6
First Episode to: Introduce what I’d term Star Trek Gods because, there are so- Oh wait, that was the last one. I guess this episode was the first to have Spock in a yellow suit for no reason.
Star Trek: Episode 5: The Naked Time
Synopsis: The Enterprise is sent to investigate a station on a frozen world that is slowly collapsing in on itself. Meanwhile, a disease takes its toll on the minds of the crew, driving them insane.
Review: This episode contains some great moments of drama and some great moments of comedy. This is both good and bad, good because we get such intensity and bad because it makes the tone somewhat inconsistent. However, this is a somewhat minor nitpick as regardless of how goofy some of the things that happen are, this episode maintains a really good core of suspense and tension throughout as the planet threatens to drag the Enterprise down with it.
My only other main complaint is that it doesn’t really do much to add to the universe of Star Trek. Besides an exploration of Spock’s character and the introduction of the matter replicator for food, we don’t really have much of an addition to the universe of Star Trek.
The innovation of placing a “we’re going insane on a long voyage” in space is pretty noteworthy. The addition of the planet dragging them in with gravity is an especially interesting nod to science.
Rating:
Innovation: 6
Expansion: 5
Quality: 8
Warp Factor 7
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