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Kraetos’ guide to Star Trek

You know. 1966? 79 episodes, about 30 good ones.

- Phillip J. Fry

Ah, The Original Series. Where it all started. The show was tragically cancelled after three seasons, but on the other hand, it’s easy to see why: the show missed more than it hit.

This guide has two sections:

  • Complete guide. This is a list of all the episodes, sorted by production order with a quick description and it’s rating, on a simple four tier scale: Engage, Just for Fun, meh, and Avoid.
  • “30 good ones.” If we take Fry’s comment as gospel, which thirty episodes comprise the “good ones?”

Complete Guide

Season 1

Episode Title Description Rating
00 The Cage Aborted pilot, didn’t air until 1988. No Kirk—instead, it’s Captain Pike. Rejected for being “too cerebral.” Just for fun
01 Where No One Has Gone Before Pilot, but didn’t air until after the next two. The Enterprise leaves the galaxy and some crew members exhibit extraordinary powers. Engage!
02 The Corbomite Maneuver Kirk attempts to bluff his way out of a scrape with a much meaner alien ship. Engage!
03 Mudd’s Women The Enterprise encounters freighter captain Harry Mudd, who travels with three beautiful women. meh
04 The Enemy Within A transporter accident splits Kirk into two halves—a “good” one, and an “evil” one. Engage!
05 The Man Trap Something is not as it seems when the Enterprise runs into one of McCoy’s old romanic interests. Just for fun
06 The Naked Time The Enterprise crew becomes infected by a virus that has a similar effect as alcohol. Engage!
07 Charlie X A human boy raised by aliens has supernatural powers—can he adapt to Federation culture? meh
08 Balance of Terror A Romulan warbird strikes against Federation border outposts. Kirk must defeat the Romulan commander. Engage!!
09 What Are Little Girls Made Of? The Enterprise encounters Dr. Roger Korby, leading medical archaeologist, and Nurse Chapel’s once fiancée. meh
10 Dagger of the Mind The Enterprise inadvertently picks up a stowaway from a penal colony. meh
11 Miri The Enterprise investigates a planet where virus kills everyone once they reach puberty. meh
12 The Conscience of the King A mass murderer may be loose on board the Enterprise. meh
13 The Galileo Seven McCoy, Scott, Spock and four other crewmen crash land on a planet, and not everyone gets along with Mr. Spock. Engage!
14 Court Martial When an officer (and friend) under Kirk’s command dies in an ion storm, Kirk is accused of foul play. Just for fun
15 The Menagerie (Part I) Spock kidnaps his former captain, Pike, and takes the Enterprise to forbidden planet Talos IV for reasons unknown. Engage!
16 The Menagerie (Part II) Kirk discovers why Spock has stolen the Enterprise. Engage!
17 Shore Leave Kirk orders shore leave for the Enterprise crew, but the planet they’ve selected seems to be fulfilling everyone’s fantasies. Just for fun
18 The Squire of Gothos The Enterprise is captured by Trelane, a seemingly omnipotent being. Just for fun
19 Arena The Metrons, an advanced alien species, pit Captain Kirk against a Gorn captain in personal combat. Engage!
20 The Alternative Factor The Enterprise is sent to investigate a mad scientist after a galaxy-wide spatial disruption. Avoid
21 Tomorrow is Yesterday The Enterprise accidentally travels back to the 20th century where they destroy a US Air Force aircraft and rescue the pilot, creating a time paradox as the pilot gains foreknowledge of events to come. Engage!
22 Return of the Archons The Enterprise visits a planet where an Earth ship was last seen before reported missing, 200 years ago. meh
23 A Taste of Armageddon The Enterprise discovers two civilizations fighting a computerized war—but the casualties are real. Just for fun
24 Space Seed The Enterprise rescues the SS Botany Bay without realizing the war criminal and genetic “superman” Khan is aboard. Engage!
25 This Side of Paradise The Enterprise investigates a colony where everyone should be dead from radiation exposure, only to discover the colonists are alive. Just for Fun
26 The Devil in the Dark The Enterprise crew must find a creature that has killed more than 50 workers at a vital Federation mining colony. Engage!
27 Errand of Mercy War breaks out between the Federation and the Klingon Empire, and Kirk is sent to fight the first battle over a planet called Organia. Engage!
28 The City on the Edge of Forever Dr. McCoy changes history in a manner which prevents the Federation from even existing. Kirk and Spock must follow him back and stop him. Engage!
29 Operation: Annihilate! Colonists on a distant planet are taken over by neural parasites. Just for fun

Season 2

Episode Title Description Rating
01 Catspaw Kirk and co. beam down to a Halloween themed planet. Avoid
02 Metamorphosis The Enterprise finds Zefram Cochrane, inventor of warp drive, on a distant planet, even though he’s been believed dead for 150 years. Just for fun
03 Friday’s Child Kirk attempts to negotiate mining rights with a primitive, honor-bound civilization. Just for fun
04 Who Mourns for Adonais? The Enterprise encounters an entity which claims to be the Greek god Apollo. meh
05 Amok Time Spock undergoes Pon Farr and must return to Vulcan to mate or he will die. Engage!
06 The Doomsday Machine The Enterprise encounters a planet killer and must stop it before it strikes again. Engage!
07 Wolf in the Fold Scotty is accused of murder during shore leave. Just for fun
08 The Changeling The Enterprise encounters Nomad, a human-built probe which has been altered to have one mission: the sterilization of all life. Engage!
09 The Apple A landing party explores a beautiful planet with primitive natives, before the planet begin killing redshirts. Avoid
10 Mirror, Mirror A transporter accident sends Kirk, Scotty, McCoy and Uhura to the “mirror universe,” where good and evil seem to be inverted. Engage!
11 The Deadly Years The Enterprise crew becomes infected with a rapid-aging virus. Just for fun
12 I, Mudd The Enterprise bumps into Harry Mudd once again after a new crewman hijacks the ship. meh
13 The Trouble with Tribbles The Enterprise responds to a distress call from Space Station K7 when Klingons arrive at the station. Engage!
14 Bread and Circuses The Enterprise discovers a parallel Earth where Rome never fell. Just for fun
15 Journey to Babel The Enterprise transports Federation ambassadors to a conference on Babel. One of the Ambassadors is Sarek, Spock’s father. Engage!
16 A Private Little War Kirk suspects that a primitive culture may have been armed by the Klingons. Just for fun
17 The Gamesters of Triskelion Kirk, Uhura and Chekov are kidnapped while preparing to beam down to Gamma 2. Spock must determine where the landing party has gone. Avoid
18 Obsession A cloud creature kills a number of redshirts on an away mission—but Kirk has encountered this creature before, and is determined to kill it. Just for fun
19 The Immunity Syndrome The Enterprise investigates the loss of the Federation starship Intrepid. Just for fun
20 A Piece of the Action The Enterprise encounters a planet where the culture is based entirely on 1920’s mobsters. Just for fun
21 By Any Other Name While investigating a distress call, the Enterprise discover survivors who need the Enterprise to get home. Just for fun
22 Return to Tomorrow The Enterprise receives a distress call from a distant planet. Just for fun
23 Patterns of Force In search of Federation historian John Gill, the Enterprise discovers a planet modeled after Nazi Germany. Just for fun
24 The Ultimate Computer Kirk is ordered to test M-5, an advanced computer which can command a starship. Engage!
25 The Omega Glory A Federation captain breaks the Prime Directive and arms a primitive civilization. Avoid
26 Assignment: Earth The Enterprise travels back in time to 1968 and encounters secret agent Gary Seven. Just for fun