Summary
With hundreds of episodes across 11 different TV shows, it’s a tall order to pick just 20 of the bestStar Trekepisodes of all time. For almost 60 years, theStar Trekfranchise has held a mirror to contemporary society with powerful stories that challenge audiences to do better. While that approach can sometimes run the risk of being too worthy, the best episodes ofeveryStar TrekTV showstrike a perfect balance between social messaging and populist entertainment.
Indeed, theStar Trekfranchise’s secret weapon is that the format enables writers to tell stories from a variety of genres, which is one of many reasons whyGene Roddenberry’s visionendures to this day. The best episodes ofStar Trekcan be mini-movies, outlandish comedies, horror stories, or doomed romances. Across all these disparate genres,Star Trek’s best episodes are defined by a hopeful vision for the future, and a message of peace, love, and understanding between alien cultures.
The Complete Star Trek Timeline Explained
Star Trek’s timeline spans a thousand years of Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets, with alternate realities and time travel galore.
20"Species Ten-C"
Star Trek: Discovery, Season 4, Episode 12
Star Trek: Discoveryoften struggled to live up to its potential, but “Species Ten-C” is one of its finest hours.Star Trekis at its best when it’s about the lead characters trying to form a connection with strange new life. This is particularly apparent in “Species Ten-C” in which the USS Discovery go beyond the Galactic Barrier to negotiate with the enigmatic aliens behind the Dark Matter Anomaly. Heavily riffing on Denis Villeneuve’s 2016 movieArrival, the scenes where Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) attempt to piece together the mystery of Species Ten-C are compuslive viewing.
Star Trek: Discovery
Star Trek: Discovery is an entry in the legendary Sci-Fi franchise, set ten years before the original Star Trek series events. The show centers around Commander Michael Burnham, assigned to the USS Discovery, where the crew attempts to prevent a Klingon war while traveling through the vast reaches of space.
Star Trek: Discoverywas never tired of telling people to “connect” with each other, but it has actual meaning in “Species Ten-C”. It’s only by finding a common language that the USS Discovery crew can avert a catastrophe. As an hour of TV, “Species Ten-C” is the perfect distillation ofDiscovery’s strengths, and adds one of the strangest ever alien creations to theStar Trekcanon.
19"Year of Hell"
Star Trek: Voyager, Season 4, Episodes 8 & 9
“Year of Hell” puts the crew of the USS Voyager through the wringer in ways that the franchise had never done before. Pitted against the tyrannical temporal scientist Anorax (one ofKurtwood Smith’s fourStar Trekroles), Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the crew of Voyager are pushed to the very brink. The time travel elements of “Year of Hell” mean that audiences know none of the damage done to characters like Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) will be permanent, but the strength of the performances means that the anguish still feels real.
Star Trek: Voyager
The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they’ve never faced before.
“Year of Hell” is a gruelingStar Trek: Voyagermovie that gets to answer the question of what happens when our heroes lose. With such a high death toll, and impossibly high stakes for the entire space-time continuum, it’s one of the more ambitious ofVoyager’s two-parters. It’s not the sort of thing that fans want from aStar Trekshow every week, but for a two-part epic, it really works and gives theVoyagercast a chance to flex their acting muscles.
18"Those Old Scientists"
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 2, Episode 7
At its core, “Those Old Scientists” is a joyous celebration of what it means to be aStar Trekfan. Transporting Ensigns Boimler (Jack Quaid) and Mariner (Tawny Newsome) to the 23rd centuryversion of the starship EnterpriseallowsStar Trek: Strange New Worldsto explore the idea of fandom and legacy. In the wrong hands, Boimler and Mariner’s hero worship of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and his crew would be grating, but writers Bill Wolkoff and Kathryn Lyn never lose sight of how that impacts theStrange New Worldscharacters.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
“Those Old Scientists” is a warm and funny treatise on what it means to meet one’s heroes. One of the best scenes in the episode is theStar Trek: Strange New Worldscharacters' recognizing their own heroes, a joyous way to honor the legacy of previous Starfleet legends.“Those Old Scientists” is warm, funny, and has a touching story to tell about legacyand the pressures of living up to the expectations of others. It’s also packed full of jokes that reward multiple rewatches, making it an instant classic.
17"The Trouble With Tribbles"
Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 2, Episode 15
Occasionally, and generally to its detriment,Star Trekforgets that it’s allowed to be funny. There’s a long tradition of theStar Trekcomedy episodethat begins with David Gerrold’s “The Trouble With Tribbles” back in 1967. The classicStar Trek: The Original Seriesepisode finds Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) dealing with a grain crisis. While that sounds painfully dull, Gerrold’s script introduces the Tribbles, cute fluffy aliens that breed incessantly. So embedded in the cultural zeitgeist is “The Trouble with Tribbles” that it surely inspired the plot of Joe Dante’sGremlins.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek follows the U.S.S. Enterprise on its five-year mission to explore the galaxy, led by Captain James T. Kirk and First Officer Mr. Spock. The crew confronts a variety of challenges, including Klingons, Romulans, and genetic supermen, as they search for new life and civilizations.
“The Trouble With Tribbles” doesn’t have the thematic heft or dramatic stakes of other classicStar Trekepisodes, but its cultural impact transcends all of that.David Gerrold’s classic comedy is one of a handful ofStar Trekepisodes that has entered the popular imagination, breaking through into wider cultural conversations. Almost everyone knows what a Tribble is, even if they couldn’t point to Sherman’s planet on a star chart.
Star Trek: Discovery Explains Season 5’s Tribble Is Not A Threat
A Tribble was sighted aboard the USS Discovery, which should be alarming, but Star Trek: Discovery season 5 explains this Tribble is no trouble.
16"Lower Decks"
Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 7, Episode 15
“Lower Decks” is one of the standout episodes inStar Trek: The Next Generation’s final season. As well as inspiring Mike McMahan’sStar Trek: Lower Decks, the episode also provides a new perspective onTNG’s cast of characters, courtesy of the USS Enterprise-D’s lower deckers. Centering on a group of lowly ensigns, “Lower Decks” reveals the harsh realities of what it means to be a Starfleet officer. By allowing an audience to get to know Ensign Sito Jaxa (Shannon Fill) before she is brutally killed by the Cardassians,TNGputs the old redshirt trope to bed once and for all.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D as they embark on interstellar explorations, seeking out new worlds and civilizations.
The lack of the series regulars in “Lower Decks” may put people off, but in reducing their presence, the episode gets to provide an outsider’s perspective. Audiences love Commander William T. Riker (Jonathan Frakes) but to the officers that serve under him, he can sometimes be a cruel taskmaster. Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) may be a stoic Klingon warrior, but his mentorship of Ensign Sito allows him to show his vulnerable side. The final scene where Worf lets his guard down and shares a drink with the Lower Deckers is profoundly moving. It’s the perfect way to keep the characters fresh inTNG’s home stretch.
15"Scorpion"
Star Trek: Voyager, Season 3, Episode 26 & Season 4, Episode 1
There are a lot betterStar Trekepisodes that deal with the difficult decisions faced by a Starfleet captain than “Scorpion”. However,Star Trek: Voyager’s season 3 finale is the closest the show ever got to recapturing the thrill of watchingStar Trek: The Next Generation’s “The Best of Both Worlds”. “Scorpion” is a hugely important two-parter in the development ofVoyager, as it introduces the groundbreakingSpecies 8472 villainsand debuted Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine. While Seven would endure far longer than Species 8472, they were still a landmarkStar Trekcreation.
“Scorpion” is a greatStar Trekepisode because it reveals that the franchise’s heroes are fallible and capable of making mistakes. Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) makes a deal with the Borg Collective, because she understandably believes that Species 8472 pose a huge threat to the galaxy. The rug pull that Species 8472 were simply defending themselves is devastating and defines Janeway’s mission going forward, as she seeks to atone for her mistake by ultimately bringing the Borg Collective to their knees.
9 Versions Of The Borg In Star Trek
So many versions of the Borg Collective exist in Star Trek, from TNG’s original cybernetic villains to Voyager’s offshoots and Picard’s revivals.
14"The Last Generation"
Star Trek: Picard, Season 3, Episode 10
Star Trek: Picard’s finale was the finalStar Trek: The Next Generationmovie that the cast deserved, a fitting send-off that brought their characters' stories to a satisfying conclusion.“The Last Generation” is bigger than anyStar Trekfinale before or since; an apocalyptic battle for survival that ultimately boils down to a father’s love for his son. While Admiral Janeway weakened the Borg in theStar Trek: Voyagerfinale, it’s only right that Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) gets to finish the job, resolving his decades-old trauma in the process.
Star Trek: Picard
Star Trek: Picard follows retired Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, twenty years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis. The series delves into Picard’s life post-Starfleet, as he navigates a new chapter filled with unresolved past events and new challenges.
“The Last Generation” is everything fans could want from a finalStar Trek: The Next Generationmovie. There’s the strong familial bond between Picard and his crew, thrilling action sequences such as the Enterprise’s flight through an exploding Borg Cube, bags of humor and wit, and a handover to theNext Generation’s next generation. The only reason thatStar Trek: Picard’s finale isn’t higher on the list is that, as the conclusion of a ten-part story, it lacks the standalone appeal of other classicStar Trekepisodes.
13"Living Witness"
Star Trek: Voyager, Season 4, Episode 23
“Living Witness” is an inventive episode ofStar Trek: Voyagerthat brilliantly questions the role of Starfleet in the Delta Quadrant. Awakening in a museum in the far-future, the Doctor (Robert Picardo) is horrified to discover that the history of Voyager doesn’t reflect his own experiences. “Living Witness” is an incredibly smartStar Trekepisode about how unreliable narrators shape our understanding of history. Although “Living Witness” is a star vehicle for Robert Picardo, the rest of theStar Trek: Voyagercastalso get their chances to shine.
“Living Witness” was the only episode ofStar Trek: Voyagerto be directed by Tuvok actor Tim Russ.
Star Trek: Voyagercould sometimes take itself too seriously, so it’s refreshing to see the cast let their hair down and play exaggerated versions of their characters. The comedy inherent in these exaggerations helps to emphasize the inaccuracies created by a lack of rigorous historical research. “Living Witness” is a classicStar Trekepisode that uses a brilliant sci-fi concept - the futuristic museum - to discuss a huge philosophical point about understanding the past.
Star Trek: Voyager’s 15 Best Doctor Episodes
Star Trek: Voyager’s holographic Doctor was one of the series' most popular characters, with a cadre of stellar episodes focusing on him.
12"The Devil in the Dark"
Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1, Episode 25
Nothing quite sums up the core ethos of Gene Roddenberry’s vision likeStar Trek: The Original Seriesseason 1, episode 25, “The Devil in the Dark.” An episode about the importance of not judging other species by appearances, “The Devil in the Dark” is remarkable for making an audience care about a pile of rocks.It’s testament to the power of Leonard Nimoy’s performance as Spock that the scene where he mind melds with the Horta doesn’t feel remotely ridiculous.
“The Devil in the Dark” has the dubious honor of being the onlyStar Trekepisode that has no female speaking parts, something that Gene Roddenberry noted in a letter to writer Gene Coon after he reviewed the episode.
“The Devil in the Dark” establishes many elements that would go on to becomeStar Trektropes in the decades that followed. From setting the framework forStar Trekepisodes set in cavesto the central idea of seeing beyond appearances to discover the emotional truth of apparent foes, “The Devil in the Dark” cements much of the franchise’s core ethos. It’s also a tremendous showcase for William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelley as Kirk, Spock, and McCoy.
11"The Measure Of A Man"
Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 2, Episode 9
After a bumpy first season, “The Measure of a Man” is whenStar Trek: The Next Generationstarts to come into its own. An early showcase of Brent Spiner’s abilities as an actor, “The Measure of a Man” puts the focus on Data, as he’s forced to fight for his individuality. A hugely influential episode, Data’s fight for his rights would later be echoed in the struggle ofStar Trek: Voyager’s Doctor and Seven of Nine’s battle to be accepted by Starfleet.Tackling huge themes like individuality, and what it means to be human, “The Measure of a Man” is a classicStar Trekmorality play.
Writer Melinda Snodgrass was an attorney, and she used her experiences in the legal profession to write “The Measure of a Man”.
Fighting Starfleet’s desire to studyData’s android bodyin more detail is Captain Picard, which gives Patrick Stewart an incredible opportunity. The courtroom setting is perfect for Stewart’s background on the stage, and he appears to relish the opportunity to deliver big speeches about humanity. The central performances and philosophical questions are just two of many reasons that “The Measure of a Man” continues to be so influential onStar Trek.
Every Soong Character Brent Spiner Plays In Star Trek
Besides playing Data and all of his siblings in Star Trek, Brent Spiner portrayed the android’s creator as well as various other Soongs in history.
