star trek list of episodes original series

Latest Tweets

December 2023
August 2022
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020

Star Trek: The Original Series episode guides - All TOS episodes rated, reviewed

In those days before the Federation had continuity, there was Star Trek: The Original Series. Watch the TOS stories in any other you wish; it rarely matters, as essentially every single episode in TOS is a bottle episode. Ultimately, however, many TOS episodes are retconned into prequel stories (e.g. “The Menagerie”, “Space Seed”, “City on the Edge of Forever”), sequels (e.g. “Mirror Mirror”) or even crossovers (“The Trouble with Tribbles”) for the other series and movies.

star trek list of episodes original series

Star Trek: The Original Series – the seaons, the key episodes

Season 1 – In the 1960s, TV was a different beast. Serialization (and thus continuity) was essentially non-existent. Each story plays out over a single episode only (with one exception in three years of Star Trek), thereby not allowing for much character development each season of Star Trek’s original run is really barely indistinguishable from another – but at lest that means that season 1 isn’t filled with the “growing pains” every other ST series goes through. The biggest highlights in Star Trek’s first year has got to be “The Menagerie” (episode #s 11 and 12), an eerie story of Captain Kirk’s doomed mentor Captain Pike, and “City on the Edge of Forever” (#29), a neat twist on the traditional “preserve the past” time travel tale. Also of note: “Space Seed” (#22), the introduction of Star Trek II baddie Khan.

Season 2 – Ensign Chekov joins the bridge crew for season 2, which manages to have some fun in the explicitly comic “Trouble with Tribbles” (#15) and the absolutely bananas “Assignment: Earth” (#26). And Spock fans dig on “Amok Time” (#1) and Journey to Babel (#10) for the info doled on that wacky Vulcan culture.

Season 3 – As mentioned above, a fan campaign saved Star Trek for a third series, but NBC executives were not enthused about supporting the marginally successful series and cut the show’s operating budget in half. However, Star Trek Guide must say that tripling the budget could not save scripts like those for “Spock’s Brain” (Can all Vulcans live without a brain or just Spock?), “Specter of the Gun” (Scotty’s dead because he *thinks* he’s dead?) and “The Savage Curtain” (Kirk, Spock, Vulcan hero Surak and Abe Lincoln vs. Genghis Khan, Klingon Empire founder Kahless, 21st-century Earth dictator Mr. Green – who did it in the kitchen with a revolver – and fuzzy chick Zora?) Dude.

Star Trek: The Original Series

View history

Star Trek: The Original Series (referred to as Star Trek prior to any spin-offs) is the first Star Trek series. The first episode of the show aired on 6 September 1966 on CTV in Canada, followed by a 8 September 1966 airing on NBC in America. The show was created by Gene Roddenberry as a " Wagon Train to the Stars". Star Trek was set in the 23rd century and featured the voyages of the starship USS Enterprise under Captain James T. Kirk .

Star Trek was later informally dubbed The Original Series , or TOS, after several spin-offs aired. The show lasted three seasons until canceled in 1969 . When the show first aired on TV, and until lowering budget issues in its third season resulted in a noticable drop in quality episodes and placed in a 10 pm Friday night death slot by the network, Star Trek regularly performed respectably in its time slot. After it was canceled and went into syndication , however, its popularity exploded. It featured themes such as a Utopian society and racial equality, and the first African-American officer in a recurring role.

Ten years later, Star Trek: The Motion Picture reunited the cast on the big screen aboard a refurbished USS Enterprise . They appeared in five subsequent films, ending with Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country in 1991, during production of the spin-off series Star Trek: The Next Generation and shortly before Gene Roddenberry's death. Several original series characters also appeared in the seventh movie, Star Trek Generations , and in other Star Trek productions.

1 Opening credits
2.1 Starring
2.2 Also starring
3 Production crew
4.1 First pilot
4.2 Season 1
4.3 Season 2
4.4 Season 3
5.1 Concept
5.2 The first pilot
5.3 The second pilot
5.4 The series begins
5.5 The first season
5.6 Syndication
5.7 Reception
5.8 Remastered
6 Related topics
8 External links

Opening credits [ ]

Main Title Theme (Season 1) file info (composed by Alexander Courage )
Main Title Theme (Season 2-3) file info (composed by Alexander Courage )

Main cast [ ]

Starring [ ].

William Shatner as Captain Kirk

Also starring [ ]

Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy ( 1967 - 1969 ; co-star 1966 - 1967 )

In addition, the following regulars were listed in the end credits as co-stars:

James Doohan as Scotty
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
George Takei as Sulu
Walter Koenig as Chekov ( 1967 - 1969 )
Majel Barrett-Roddenberry as Christine Chapel
Grace Lee Whitney as Janice Rand

Production crew [ ]

Gene Roddenberry – Creator, Writer, Producer, Executive Producer
Gene L. Coon – Writer, Producer
John Meredyth Lucas – Writer, Producer, Director
Fred Freiberger – Producer (1968-69)
Robert H. Justman – Associate Producer (Season 1-2), Co-Producer (Season 3), First Assistant Director (two pilots)
D.C. Fontana – Writer, Script Consultant (1967-68)
Steven W. Carabatsos – Writer, Story Consultant (1966)
John D.F. Black – Associate Producer, Writer, Story Editor (1966)
Arthur H. Singer – Story Consultant (1968-69)
Byron Haskin – Associate Producer (first pilot)
Walter "Matt" Jefferies – Production Designer, Art Director
William E. Snyder – Director of Photography (first pilot)
Ernest Haller – Director of Photography (second pilot)
Jerry Finnerman – Director of Photography (61 episodes, 1966-1968)
Keith Smith – Director of Photography (1 episode, 1967)
Al Francis – Director of Photography (16 episodes, 1968-1969), Camera Operator (61 episodes, 1966-1968)
Jim Rugg – Supervisor of Special Effects
Rolland M. Brooks – Art Director (34 episodes, 1965-1967)
Fred B. Phillips – Make-up Artist
Robert Dawn – Make-up Artist (second pilot)
William Ware Theiss – Costume Designer
Gregg Peters – First Assistant Director (Season 1), Unit Production Manager (Season 2-3), Associate Producer (Season 3)
Claude Binyon, Jr. – Assistant Director (third season)

Episode list [ ]

List of TOS episodes by airdate
List of TOS remastered episodes by airdate

First pilot [ ]

Season 1 [ ].

TOS Season 1 , 29 episodes:

Season 2 [ ]

TOS Season 2 , 26 episodes:

Season 3 [ ]

TOS Season 3 , 24 episodes:

Behind the scenes [ ]

Concept [ ].

Star Trek was created by Gene Roddenberry, whose interest in science fiction dated back to the 1940s when he came into contact with Astounding Stories . Roddenberry's first produced science fiction story was The Secret Weapon of 117 , which aired in 1956 on the Chevron Theatre anthology show. By 1963 Roddenberry was producing his first television series, The Lieutenant , at MGM .

In 1963, MGM was of the opinion that "true-to-life" television dramas were becoming less popular and an action-adventure show would be more profitable (this prediction turned out to be right, and led to series such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E ). Roddenberry had already been working on a science fiction concept called Star Trek since 1960 , and when he told MGM about his ideas, they were willing to take a look at them. As the production of The Lieutenant came to an end, Roddenberry delivered his first Star Trek draft to MGM. The studio was, however, not enthusiastic about the concept, and a series was never produced.

Roddenberry tried to sell his " wagon train to the stars " format to several production studios afterward, but to no avail. In 1964 , it was rumored that Desilu was interested in buying a new television series. Desilu was a much smaller company than MGM, but Roddenberry took his chances, greatly aided with the help of Desilu Executive Herb Solow . This led to a three-year deal with Desilu in April 1964 .

The first attempt to sell the Star Trek format to broadcasting network CBS (Desilu had a first proposal deal with the network) failed. CBS chose another science fiction project, Irwin Allen 's more family-oriented Lost in Space instead of Roddenberry's more cerebral approach. But in May 1964 , NBC 's Vice-President of Programming Mort Werner agreed to give Roddenberry the chance to write three story outlines, one of which NBC would select to turn into a pilot.

One of the submitted story lines, dated 29 June 1964 , was an outline for " The Cage ", and this was the story picked up by NBC. Now, the daunting task that Roddenberry and his crew faced was to develop the Star Trek universe from scratch. Roddenberry recruited many people around him to help think up his version of the future. The RAND Corporation's Harvey P. Lynn acted as a scientific consultant, Pato Guzman was hired as art director, with Matt Jefferies as an assisting production designer. This phase of creativity and brainstorming lasted throughout the summer, until in the last week of September 1964 the final draft of the "The Cage" script was delivered to NBC, after which shooting of the pilot was approved.

The first pilot [ ]

In early October, preparations for shooting "The Cage" began. A few changes in the production crew were made: Roddenberry hired Morris Chapnick , who had worked with him on The Lieutenant , as his assistant. Pato Guzman left to return to Chile and was replaced by Franz Bachelin . Matt Jefferies finalized the design for the Enterprise and various props and interiors. By November 1964 , the sets were ready to be constructed on stages Culver Studios Stage 14 , 15 , and 16 . Roddenberry was not happy with the stages, since they had uneven floors and were not soundproof, as Culver Studios had been established in the silent movie era when soundproofing had not been an issue to consider. Eventually, in 1966 , the rest of the series was shot on Paramount stages 9 and 10 , which were in better shape.

Casting of the characters was not a problem, apart from the lead role of Captain Pike (still known as "Captain April " at this point, later renamed "Captain Winter" before finally choosing "Pike") who Roddenberry convinced Jeffrey Hunter to play. Leonard Nimoy ( Spock ) had worked with Roddenberry on The Lieutenant . Majel Barrett , also a familiar face from The Lieutenant , got the part of the ship's female first officer, Number One . Veteran character actor John Hoyt , who had worked on many science fiction and fantasy projects before, was chosen to play the role of Doctor Phil Boyce . Young Peter Duryea and Laurel Goodwin were hired as José Tyler and Yeoman J.M. Colt , respectively. The extras were cast from a diversity of ethnic groups, which was significant because integration was not a usual occurrence in 1960s television, and segregation was still a reality in the United States.

To produce the pilot episode, Robert H. Justman was hired as assistant director; he had worked on The Outer Limits shortly before. Makeup artist Fred Phillips was brought in as well, whose first job it was to create Spock's ears. Another veteran from The Outer Limits was producer-director Byron Haskin , who joined as associate producer. On 27 November 1964 , the first scenes of "The Cage" (or "The Menagerie," as it was briefly known), were shot. Filming was scheduled to be eleven days, however the production went highly over budget and over schedule, resulting in sixteen shooting days and US$164,248 plus expenses.

But there were still a lot of visual effects to be made. An eleven-foot filming model of the USS Enterprise , designed by Matt Jefferies, was built by Richard Datin , Mel Keys , and Vern Sion in Volmer Jensen 's model shop , and was delivered to the Howard Anderson Company on 29 December 1964 .

In February 1965 , the final version of "The Cage" was delivered at NBC and screened in New York City. NBC officials liked the first pilot. Desilu's Herb Solow says that NBC was surprised by how realistic it looked, and that it was "the most fantastic thing we've ever seen." The reason the pilot was rejected was because it was believed that it would attract only a small audience, and they wanted more action and adventure. They also had problems with the "satanic" Spock and the female first officer (Number One). However, NBC was convinced that Star Trek could be made into a television series, and that NBC itself had been at fault for choosing the "The Cage" script from the original three stories pitched. Also, after spending US$630,000 on "The Cage" (the most expensive TV pilot at the time), they didn't want to have their money wasted. NBC then made the unprecedented move to order a second pilot.

The second pilot [ ]

For the second pilot, NBC requested three story outlines again. These were " Where No Man Has Gone Before " by Samuel A. Peeples , and " Mudd's Women " and " The Omega Glory " by Roddenberry. Although it was the most expensive of the three, NBC chose " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", as it had the most action and most outer space spectacle. However, the other two premises were also made into episodes of the series later.

Filming the second pilot began in July 1965 , and took nine days to complete. The entire cast of " The Cage " was replaced except Spock. Jeffrey Hunter chose not to reprise his role as Captain Pike, mostly by the advice of his wife, who felt that "science fiction ruins her husband's career". Roddenberry wanted both Lloyd Bridges and Jack Lord for the role of the new captain, however both declined. Finally William Shatner , who had previous science fiction experience acting in episodes of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits , was chosen. The new captain was named James R. Kirk (later renamed James T. Kirk).

For the role of the chief medical officer, Roddenberry chose veteran actor Paul Fix . Canadian actor James Doohan got the role of chief engineer Scott , and young Japanese-American George Takei was featured as ship's physicist Sulu . The latter two reprised their roles in the upcoming series, though Sulu was a helmsman in the series. Other actors considered for being regulars were Lloyd Haynes as communications officer Alden and Andrea Dromm as Yeoman Smith , but neither of them were re-hired after the pilot.

Many of the production staff were replaced. Robert Dawn served as head make-up artist, however Fred Phillips returned to the position in the series itself. Academy Award winner cinematographer Ernest Haller came out of semi-retirement to work as the director of photography. Associate producer Byron Haskin was replaced by Robert H. Justman , who now shared double duties as producer and assistant director.

The Enterprise model was updated for the second pilot, and many new outer space effects shots were made, most of which were reused in the series itself. The sets were also updated a bit, most notably the main bridge and the transporter room. Most of the uniforms, props, and sets were reused from " The Cage ", however some new props (including the never-seen-again phaser rifle ) and a brand new matte painting (the planet Delta Vega ) were made specially for this episode.

" Where No Man Has Gone Before " was accepted by NBC and the first season of a regular series was ordered for broadcasting in the 1966-67 television season. History was made.

The series begins [ ]

Preparation for the first regular season began in early 1966 . All the Enterprise interior sets were updated, as well as the introduction of brand new uniforms. The look of the show became more colorful and more vivid. The Enterprise model was also updated once more. Also, the entire production was moved from Desilu's Culver City studios to the main Gower Street studio's Stage 9 and 10 ( Paramount Stage 31 and 32 from 1967 onward) in Hollywood.

Kirk (Shatner) and Spock (Nimoy) were kept as the series stars, with Grace Lee Whitney joining the two as Yeoman Janice Rand (replacing Andrea Dromm as Yeoman Smith). Whitney had worked with Roddenberry a year before on an unsold pilot titled Police Story . Publicity photos promoting the new series were made at this time, with the three of them, mostly using props left from the two pilots (most notably the aforementioned phaser rifle). Shatner and Nimoy wore their new uniforms on these photographs, while Whitney had to wear an old, pilot version.

Scott (Doohan) and Sulu (Takei) were also kept, the latter becoming the ship's helmsman instead of physicist. Two additions made the Enterprise main crew complete: DeForest Kelley was hired to play the new chief medical officer, Leonard McCoy , as Roddenberry had known him from previous projects, including the aforementioned Police Story . Actress Nichelle Nichols got the role of communications officer Uhura , who became a symbol of the racial and gender diversity of the show. Nichols was a last minute addition, weeks before filming began on the first regular episode.

Jerry Finnerman became the new director of photography, while Fred Phillips, Matt Jefferies, and Rolland M. Brooks returned to their former positions. Writer John D.F. Black was brought in as the second associate producer (next to Justman). While Roddenberry and Black handled the script and story issues, Justman was in charge of the physical aspects of production.

Filming of the first regular episode, " The Corbomite Maneuver " began on 24 May 1966 . Finally Star Trek debuted on NBC with a "Sneak Preview" episode at 8:30 pm (EST) on 8 September 1966 . NBC chose " The Man Trap " (the fifth episode in production order) to air first, mainly because they felt it was more of a "traditional monster story" and featured more action.

The first season [ ]

In August 1966 , several changes were made in the Star Trek production staff. Roddenberry stepped down as line producer and became the executive producer. His replacement was Gene L. Coon , who also regularly contributed to the series as a writer. While Black had also left the series, story editor Steven W. Carabatsos came in, sharing story duties with Roddenberry and Coon. To handle post-production, Edward K. Milkis was brought in by Justman. Carabatsos had left Star Trek near the end of the season, and was replaced by D.C. Fontana , formerly Roddenberry's secretary and a writer for the series.

Syndication [ ]

See : Syndication

Due to the overall length of the episodes of The Original Series , several minutes of each episode are frequently cut during the show's reruns, notably on the Sci-Fi Channel . Starting in April 2006 , the G4 network began airing the full length episodes in "Uncut Marathons" on Saturdays. G4 stopped airing these full-length versions in November 2006, and has discontinued its run of Star Trek 2.0 , which was a trivia-oriented and interactive version of the show for the viewers.

For current airings see Where to watch .

Reception [ ]

The Original Series has been nominated for and won a number of awards over the years. Some of the awards include:

The series was nominated for thirteen Emmy Awards during its run, but did not win any.
It was nominated eight times for the "Best Dramatic Presentation" Hugo Award , sweeping the nominees in 1968. It won twice, and Roddenberry won a special award in 1968.
The 2003 "Pop Culture Award" in the TV Land Awards .
The 2005 Saturn Award for "Best DVD Retro Television Release."

Aaron Harberts and James Frain cited TOS as their favorite Star Trek series. ( AT : " O Discovery, Where Art Thou? ")

Remastered [ ]

On 31 August 2006 , CBS Paramount Television announced that, in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Star Trek , the show would return to broadcast syndication for the first time in sixteen years. The series' 79 episodes were digitally remastered with all new visual effects and music. The refurbished episodes have been converted from the original film to high-definition video, making it on par with modern television formats.

External links [ ]

Star Trek: The Original Series at Wikipedia
Star Trek: The Original Series at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
Star Trek: The Original Series at StarTrek.com
Star Trek: The Original Series at the Internet Movie Database
Star Trek: The Original Series at the Movie and TV Wiki
Public Radio Special: The Peace Message in Star Trek
1 Abdullah bin al-Hussein

Full List of Star Trek: The Original Series Episodes

Star Trek's 25th Anniversary Special

The cage (extended version), star trek: a captain's log, star trek: 30 years and beyond.

A Taste of Armageddon

Balance of Terror

Court Martial

Dagger of the Mind

Errand of Mercy

Mudd's Women

The Alternative Factor

The City on the Edge of Forever

The Conscience of the King

The Corbomite Maneuver

The Devil in the Dark

The Enemy Within

The Galileo Seven

The Man Trap

The Naked Time

The Return of the Archons

The Squire of Gothos

Tomorrow Is Yesterday

What Are Little Girls Made Of?

Where No Man Has Gone Before

Shore Leave

This Side of Paradise

Star Trek: The Original Series (NBC)
Star Trek Franchise
Entertainment
Police & Law Enforcement
Star Trek Universe
Graveyard Shift
Unspeakable Times
Weird History
Watchworthy
Adventure Entertainment
TV Episodes

The 20+ Greatest Anime Trios Of All Time

More to Explore
Series & Movies

Star Trek: The Original Series

Cast of characters.

Latest Articles

Graphic illustration featuring Rayner and the actor who portrays him, Callum Keith Rennie

Latest Articles See More

Latest Videos

Close-up of Captain Burnham reviewing new data in the Science Lab in 'Jinaal'

Latest Videos See More

Latest Galleries

On the surface of Salata Major, Moll grips L'ak face as she reassures him in 'Face the Strange'

Latest Galleries See More

Boldly Go: Subscribe Now

List of Star Trek episodes, chronological

Search Please fill out this field.
Newsletters
Sweepstakes

The 10 standout episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series

Ready to explore (or revisit) strange new worlds and smart sci-fi adventure? Launch into the Final Frontier with our list of 10 essential episodes of the original Star Trek.

A five-year mission that's now headed into its seventh decade, the Star Trek franchise is still boldly going where no one has gone before. More installments of the franchise are on air then ever, with something to offer almost every Trekkie in its rapidly expanding universe. However, Star Trek: The Original Series is the big bang that started it all. Gene Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future — produced by Lucille Ball , no less — debuted in September of 1966 and ran for three seasons on NBC before finding new life in syndication.

While the series' Prime Directive seemed to be shredding Capt. Kirk's shirt as often as possible, our mission is to represent a variety of agreed upon classics from the U.S.S. Enterprise's maiden voyage that would delight both the original and next generation of fans.

So fire up your favorite snacks in the replicator, silence your tricorder, and beam on down our list of the 10 must-watch episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series , all of which are available to stream in remastered form on Paramount + .

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" (Season 1, episode 3)

After the Enterprise goes through an energy rift at the edge of the galaxy, Captain Kirk's ( William Shatner ) friend and shipmate, Lt. Commander Gary Mitchell (Gary Lockwood), begins to develop terrifying ESP abilities that grow stronger by the minute. As he makes the transition from man to "god," he becomes increasingly more dangerous and detached from humanity. Ship psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Dehner ( Sally Kellerman ) believes his mutation can help mankind evolve, but Spock ( Leonard Nimoy ) is adamant he must be killed before he destroys them all. Will Kirk choose his best friend over the best interests of his crew — and the universe?

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" is most famous for being the second pilot filmed for the series, and introducing viewers to Captain James T. Kirk, Chief Engineer Scotty (James Doohan), and Lieutenant Sulu ( George Takei ). It's also just a great hour of sci-fi storytelling. This superior first episode seamlessly mixes action, high stakes emotions, and tough ethical questions, setting the blueprint for the franchise.

"The City on the Edge of Forever" (Season 1, episode 28)

When a time disruption from a nearby planet rocks the Enterprise, Dr. McCoy ( DeForest Kelley ) — aka Bones — accidentally injects himself with an overdose of a dangerous drug. Driven mad, he flees to the planet below and goes through the time warp, changing history and erasing the Federation of Planets from existence. Kirk and Spock follow him to set things right, and find themselves in 1930s Depression-era New York.

As they search for Bones, Kirk meets and falls in love with a social worker named Edith Wheeler ( Joan Collins ) whose fate, it turns out, will determine the course of humanity. Once again, Kirk must choose between someone he loves and the greater good. One of Trek 's most emotionally charged hours, "The City on the Edge of Forever" — scripted by Harlan Ellison — is considered by many to be the greatest episode of all-time.

"Space Seed" (Season 1, episode 22)

The Enterprise team stumbles upon the marooned S.S. Botany Bay in deep space and awakens the crew from suspended animation. They soon discover these lost spacefarers were exiled from Earth during the infamous Eugenics Wars of the 1990s, and our heroes have unwittingly unleashed a genetically enhanced super-tyrant named Khan Noonien Singh ( Ricardo Montalban ) in the 23rd century.

Montalban's magnetic, calculating would-be-ruler serves as a perfect foil for Shatner's compassionate, tactical Kirk, leading to a great one-on-one showdown between the two for control of the ship. This season one episode is the introduction of the series' most infamous villain, who 15 years later will headline Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , widely regarded as the best film in the franchise.

"Amok Time" (Season 2, episode 1)

Kirk vs. Spock! Kirk's shirt ripped open (again)! Spock in heat! This episode has everything a fan of the duo that launched a thousand slash fics could want. Every seven years, a Vulcan must return home for an ancient mating ceremony called "pon farr." When Kirk and Bones accompany him, they find themselves dealing with (farr) more than they bargained for when the Captain is forced to battle Spock in a ritual fight to the death.

In addition to the showdown between the leads, "Amok Time" has several other firsts: the first use of the Vulcan Salute, the first appearance of Ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), and the first glimpse of the planet Vulcan itself. This perennial favorite is also heavily referenced in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds ' fifth episode — titled " Spock Amok " — on Paramount +.

"Mirror, Mirror" (Season 2, episode 4)

An away team consisting of Kirk, Bones, Uhura ( Nichelle Nichols ), and Scotty are sent to an alternate dimension when they are caught in an ion storm mid-transport. This "mirror" dimension is populated by violent doppelgangers of the Enterprise crew who serve the Terran Empire instead of the Federation of Planets. The foursome must navigate the cutthroat nature of this universe and find a way back before their secret is exposed — all while surviving a mutiny to overthrow this reality's Kirk. Hip daggers, bare midriffs, and Spock's goatee are just a few of the signs that things in this universe are askew.

Although Evil Bearded Spock is certainly fun to see, George Takei gives the standout performance as a delightfully evil Sulu, complete with a badass facial scar. This episode is a highlight of the original series and forms the foundation for several stories in future Trek franchises like Deep Space Nine , Enterprise , and Discovery .

"The Trouble with Tribbles" (Season 2, episode 15)

A fan favorite episode, "The Trouble with Tribbles" is a comedic left turn that shouldn't work, but absolutely does. Starring adorable little furballs who are "born pregnant" and multiply at a rapid pace, this zany hour allows the heady sci-fi questions of morality to take a back seat in favor of punchlines and hijinks.

The actual plot of the episode revolves around Kirk protecting a supply of space grain essential to Starfleet's sovereignty over a contested planet. The fun begins, however, when Uhura picks up one of the tiny tribbles while on shore leave at Space Station K-7 and unleashes an infestation on every corner of the Enterprise — including Kirk's lunch. The Captain's exasperated responses to the growing tribble crisis are comedy gold, especially as he seems to be the only one immune to their cooing charms. "Tribbles" also features a fantastic slapstick bar fight between Scotty, Chekov, and a handful of Klingon officers for the honor of the Enterprise. This episode is a fun detour into the lighter side of the crew's five-year mission.

"Balance of Terror" (Season 1, episode 14)

Kirk and company find themselves in an action-packed showdown with the Romulans when they investigate a mysterious loss of communication with Federation outposts near the Neutral Zone. Despite a history of war with Earth, no one has ever laid eyes on an actual member of their species — until now.

As the Romulans are believed to be the violent cousins of the Vulcans, Spock becomes the subject of suspicion and xenophobia from some of the crew — particularly Lt. Stiles (guest star Paul Comi) — whose ancestors were killed in the Earth-Romulan War. The story's point-of-view shifts between the two vessels, allowing the viewer to see that the warring foes are more alike than they realize.

This season one classic features the first appearance of the Romulans — who will go on to be recurring antagonists for the heroes of the franchise. Also, keep an eye out for actor Mark Lenard as the Romulan Commander. He'll return to the series in a recurring role as Spock's father.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" (Season 1, episode 10)

While exploring an uncharted area of space, the Enterprise is pursued by a mysterious cube emitting harmful radiation. To protect themselves, they lay waste to it, and incur the wrath of Balok, commander of a technologically superior alien race. He takes control of the Enterprise's systems and declares the ship, and everyone onboard, will be destroyed in 10 minutes. A tense hour with a really wild twist ending, this installment showcases Kirk's ingenuity and characteristic refusal to lose — one of the many times the Captain will boldy bluff where no man has bluffed before.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" is also the first time DeForest Kelley (McCoy) and Nichelle Nichols (Uhura) played their iconic characters, although they appear earlier in the series due to NBC originally airing episodes out of production order.

"The Doomsday Machine" (Season 2, episode 6)

Our intrepid explorers receive a distress signal from fellow Starfleet ship the U.S.S. Constellation and rush to its aid. Upon arrival, they find Commodore Matthew Decker (William Windom) — the ship's commander and sole survivor — wracked with guilt and suffering from PTSD. Decker's entire crew was annihilated by a massive energy weapon of unknown origin that destroyed the entire star system.

Pulling rank, he takes command of his rescuer's ship, and puts the crew of the Enterprise in the crosshairs of the unstoppable world-killing device. Kirk, marooned on Decker's derelict starship, must figure out a way to rescue the Enterprise from both the machine and an out-of-control superior officer. Introducing a planet-ending energy weapon 10 years before Star Wars , this episode features a real nail-biter of an ending.

Fun fact for the continuity-conscious : Decker's son, Willard Decker ( Stephen Collins ), will play a prominent role in 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture .

"Arena" (Season 1, episode 18)

Captain Kirk, Spock, Bones, and an unfortunate " Redshirt " arrive at the Cestus III Outpost for a diplomatic mission and find it annihilated by an alien race called the Gorn. Seeking revenge, Kirk pushes the Enterprise to pursue the Gorn starship and destroy it. The chase leads into an unmapped sector of space ruled by a powerful force calling themselves the Metrons. Outraged by the brutality of both ships, the Metrons force the two captains to settle their dispute in a fight to the death on a desert planet. The winner will leave the sector unharmed, while the loser, and their crew, will die.

The bulk of this episode involves William Shatner being chased by an actor in a giant rubber lizard suit — and honestly, it rules. Yes, the suit looks goofy, but the showdown is fun as hell and the message of the story is classic Star Trek : sometimes there is more going on beneath the surface than we realize. Very few Star Trek villains are ever just one-dimensional bad guys, and the Gorn are no exception.

Fun fact : Ted Cassidy, who provides the voice for the Gorn captain, also provided the voice of Balok in "The Corbomite Maneuver."

Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, Sep 7 - 9, 2023, Hunt Valley, MD

How to Watch Star Trek in Order: The Complete Series Timeline

The full star trek timeline, explained..

Ever since 1966’s premiere of the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, the entertainment world has never been the same. This franchise that has boldly gone where no property has gone before has captured the hearts and minds of millions around the world and has grown into a space-faring empire of sorts filled with multiple shows, feature length films, comics, merchandise, and so much more. That being said, the amount of Star Trek out in the world can make it tough to know exactly how to watch everything it offers in either chronological or release order so you don’t miss a thing. To help make things easier for you, we’ve created this guide to break down everything you need to know about engaging with this Star Trek journey.

It used to be a bit trickier to track down all the Star Trek shows and movies you’d need to watch to catch up, but Paramount+ has made it a whole lot easier as it has become the home of nearly all the past, present and future Star Trek entries.

So, without further ado, come with us into the final frontier and learn how you can become all caught up with the adventures of Kirk, Picard, Janeway, Sisko, Spock, Pike, Archer, Burnham, and all the others that have made Star Trek so special over the past 56 years.

And, in case you're worried, everything below is a mostly spoiler-free chronological timeline that will not ruin any of any major plot points of anything further on in the timeline. So, you can use this guide as a handy way to catch up without ruining much of the surprise of what’s to come on your adventure! If you’d prefer to watch everything Star Trek as it was released, you’ll find that list below as well!

How to Watch Star Trek in Chronological Order

How to Watch Star Trek by Release Order

1. Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155)

Star Trek: Enterprise is the earliest entry on our list as it takes place a hundred years before the adventures of Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew of Star Trek: The Original Series. The show aired from 2001 to 2005 and starred Scott Bakula as Jonathan Archer, the captain of the Enterprise NX-01. This version of the Enterprise was actually Earth’s first starship that was able to reach warp five.

While the show had its ups and downs, it included a fascinating look at a crew without some of the advanced tech we see in other Star Trek shows, the first contact with various alien species we know and love from the Star Trek universe, and more.

2. Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 1 and 2 (2256-2258)

This is where things get a little bit tricky, as the first two seasons of Star Trek: Discovery take place before Star Trek: The Original Series but Seasons 3 and 4 take us boldly to a place we’ve not gone before. We won’t spoil why that’s the case here, but it’s important to note if you want to watch Star Trek in order, you’ll have to do a bit of jumping around from series to movie to series.

As for what Star Trek: Discovery is, it's set the decade before the original and stars Sonequa Martin-Green’s Michael Burnham, a Starfleet Commander who accidentally helps start a war between the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. She gets court-martialed and stripped of her rank following these events and is reassigned to the U.S.S Discovery.

3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-TBD)

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds also begins before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series and is set up by Star Trek: Discovery as its captain, Anson Mount’s Christopher Pike, makes an appearance in its second season. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Pike first appeared in the original failed pilot episode “The Cage” of Star Trek: The Original Series and would later become James T. Kirk’s predecessor after the original actor, Jefferey Hunter, backed out of the show.

Fast forward all these years later and now we get to learn more about the story of Christopher Pike and many other familiar faces from The Original Series alongside new characters. It’s made even more special as the ship the crew uses is the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701, the very same that would soon call Kirk its captain.

4. Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)

The fourth Star Trek series or movie you should watch in the order is the one that started it all - Star Trek: The Original Series . Created by Gene Roddenberry, this first Star Trek entry would kick off a chain reaction that would end up creating one of the most beloved IPs of all time. However, it almost never made it to that legendary status as its low ratings led to a cancellation order after just three seasons that aired from 1966 to 1969. Luckily, it found great popularity after that and built the foundation for all the Star Trek stories we have today.

Star Trek: The Original Series starred William Shatner as James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as Spock, but the rest of the crew would go on to become nearly as iconic as they were. As for what the show was about? Well, we think Kirk said it best during each episode’s opening credits;

“Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise . Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

5. Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

While Star Trek: The Original Series may have been canceled after just three seasons, its popularity only grew, especially with the help of syndication. Following this welcome development, Gene Roddenberry decided he wanted to continue the adventures of the crew of the Enterprise NCC-1701 in animated form, and he brought back many of the original characters and the actors behind them for another go.

Star Trek: The Animated Series lasted for two seasons from 1973 to 1974 and told even more stories of the Enterprise and its adventures throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2270s)

The first Star Trek film was a very big deal as it brought back the crew of Star Trek: The Original Series after the show was canceled in 1969 after just three seasons. However, even it had a rough road to theaters as Roddenberry initially failed to convince Paramount Pictures it was worth it in 1975. Luckily, the success of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and other factors helped finally convince those in power to make the movie and abandon the plans for a new television series called Star Trek: Phase II, which also would have continued the original story.

In Star Trek: The Motion Picture, James T. Kirk was now an Admiral in Starfleet, and certain events involving a mysterious alien cloud of energy called V’Ger cause him to retake control of a refitted version of the U.S.S. Enterprise with many familiar faces in tow.

7. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2285)

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry had a sequel to Star Trek: The Motion Picture written, but Paramount turned it down after the reception to that first film was not what the studio had hoped for. In turn, Paramount removed him from the production and brought in Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards to write the script and Nicholas Meyer to direct the film.

The studio’s decision proved to be a successful one as Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is considered by many, including IGN, to be the best Star Trek film. As for the story, it followed the battle between Admiral James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise vs. Ricardo Montalban’ Khan Noonien Singh. Khan is a genetically engineered superhuman and he and his people were exiled by Kirk on a remote planet in the episode ‘Space Seed’ from the original series. In this second film, after being stranded for 15 years, Khan wants revenge.

8. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (2285)

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock continues the story that began in Wrath of Khan and deals with the aftermath of Spock’s death. While many on the U.S.S. Enterprise thought that was the end for their science officer, Kirk learns that Spock’s spirit/katra is actually living inside the mind of DeForest Kelley’s Dr. McCoy, who has been acting strange ever since the death of his friend. What follows is an adventure that includes a stolen U.S.S. Enterprise, a visit from Spock’s father Sarek, a run-in with Klingons, and so much more.

9. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (2286 and 1986)

While it is undoubtedly great that Kirk and his crew saved Spock, it apparently wasn’t great enough to avoid the consequences that follow stealing and then losing the Enterprise. On their way to answer for their charges, the former crew of the Enterprise discover a threat to Earth that, without spoiling anything, causes them to go back in time to save everything they love. The Voyage Home is a big departure from the previous films as, instead of space, we spend most of our time in 1986’s San Francisco.

10. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (2287)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier once again brings back our favorite heroes from Star Trek: The Original Series, but it’s often regarded as one of the weakest films starring Kirk, Spock, McCoy, etc. In this adventure, our crew’s shore leave gets interrupted as they are tasked with going up against the Vulcan Sybok, who himself is on the hunt for God in the middle of the galaxy.

11. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (2293)

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the final movie starring the entire cast of Star Trek: The Original Series, and it puts the Klingons front and center. After a mining catastrophe destroys the Klingon moon of Praxis and threatens the Klingon’s homeworld, Klingon Chancellor Gorkon is forced to abandon his species' love of war in an effort to seek peace with the Federation. What follows is an adventure that calls back to the fall of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall and serves as a wonderful send-off to characters we’ve come to know and love since 1966, even though some will thankfully appear in future installments.

12. Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

After you make it through all six of the Star Trek: The Original Series movies, it’s time to start what many consider the best Star Trek series of all time - Star Trek: The Next Generation . The series, which starred Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, ran from 1987 through 1994 with 178 episodes over seven seasons.

There are so many iconic characters and moments in The Next Generation, including William Riker, Data, Worf, Geordi La Forge, Deanna Troi, and Dr. Beverly Crusher, and many of these beloved faces would return for Star Trek: Picard, which served as a continuation of this story.

While we are once again on the U.S.S. Enterprise in Star Trek: The Next Generation, this story takes place a century after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. However, there may just be a few familiar faces that pop up from time to time.

13. Star Trek Generations (2293)

While Star Trek Generations is the first film featuring the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew, it also features a team-up that many had dreamed of for years and years between Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Captain James T. Kirk.

Our heroes are facing off against an El-Aurian named Dr. Tolian Soran, who will do whatever is necessary to return to an extra-dimensional realm known as the Nexus. Without spoiling anything, these events lead to a meeting with these two legendary captains and a heartfelt-at-times send-off to The Original Series, even though not every character returned that we wished could have.

14. Star Trek: First Contact (2373)

Star Trek: First Contact was not only the second film featuring the crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it also served as the motion picture directorial debut for William Riker actor Jonathan Frakes. In this film, the terrifying Borg take center stage and force our heroes to travel back in time to stop them from conquering Earth and assimilating the entire human race.

This movie picks up on the continuing trauma caused by Jean-Luc Picard getting assimilated in the series and becoming Locutus of Borg, and we are also treated to the first warp flight in Star Trek’s history, a shout-out to Deep Space Nine, and more.

15. Star Trek: Insurrection (2375)

Star Trek: Insurrection, which unfortunately ranked last on our list of the best Star Trek movies, is the third film starring the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew and followed a story involving an alien race that lives on a planet with more-or-less makes them invincible due to its rejuvenating properties. This alien race, known as the Ba’Ku, are being threatened by not only another alien race called the Son’a, but also the Federation. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew disobey Federation orders in hopes to save the peaceful Ba’Ku, and while it sounds like an interesting premise, many said it felt too much like an extended episode of the series instead of a big blockbuster film.

16. Star Trek: Nemesis (2379)

The final Star Trek: The Next Generation movie is Star Trek: Nemesis , and it also isn’t looked at as one of the best. There are bright parts in the film, including Tom Hardy’s Shinzon who is first thought to be a Romulan praetor before it’s revealed he is a clone of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, but it also features a lot of retreaded ground. There are some great moments between our favorite TNG characters, but it’s not quite the goodbye many had hoped for. Luckily, this won’t be the last we’ll see of them.

17. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (2369-2375)

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is the fourth Star Trek series and it ran from 1993 to 1999 with 176 episodes over seven seasons. Deep Space Nine was also the first Star Trek series to be created without the direct involvement of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, but instead with Rick Berman and Michael Piller. Furthermore, it was the first series to begin when another Star Trek Series - The Next Generation - was still on the air.

The connections between The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine don’t end there, as there were a ton of callbacks to TNG in Deep Space Nine, and characters like Worf and Miles O’Brien played a big part in the series. Other TNG characters popped up from time to time, including Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and certain Deep Space Nine characters also showed their faces in TNG.

Deep Space Nine was a big departure from the Star Trek series that came before, as it not only took place mostly on a space station - the titular Deep Space Nine - but it was the first to star an African American as its central character in Avery Brooks’ Captain Benjamin Sisko.

Deep Space Nine was located in a very interesting part of the Milky Way Galaxy as it was right next to a wormhole, and the series was also filled with conflict between the Cardassians and Bajorans, the war between the Federation and the Dominion, and much more.

18. Star Trek: Voyager (2371-2378)

Star Trek: Voyager is the fifth Star Trek series and it ran from 1995 to 2001 with 172 episodes over seven seasons. Star Trek: Voyager begins its journey at Deep Space Nine, and then it follows the tale of Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Kathryn Janeway (the first female leading character in Star Trek history!) and her crew getting lost and stranded in the faraway Delta Quadrant.

The episodes and adventures that follow all see the team fighting for one goal: getting home. Being so far away from the Alpha Quadrant we were so used to letting Star Trek be very creative in its storytelling and give us situations and alien races we’d never encountered before.

That doesn’t mean it was all unfamiliar, however, as the Borg became a huge threat in the later seasons. It’s a good thing too, as that led to the introduction of Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine, a character who would continue on to appear in Star Trek: Picard and become a fan favorite.

19. Star Trek: Lower Decks (2380-TBD)

Star Trek: Lower Decks debuted in 2020 and was the first animated series to make it to air since 1973’s Star Trek: The Animated Series. Alongside having that feather in its cap, it also sets itself apart by choosing to focus more on the lower lever crew instead of the captain and senior staff.

This leads to many fun adventures that may not be as high stakes as the other stories, but are no less entertaining. There have already been three seasons of Star Trek: Lower Decks, and the fourth season is set to arrive later this summer.

The series is also worth a watch as it is having a crossover with Star Trek: Strange New Worlds that will mix the worlds of live-action and animation.

20. Star Trek: Prodigy (2383-TBD)

Star Trek: Prodigy was the first fully 3D animated Star Trek series ever and told a story that began five years after the U.S.S. Voyager found its way back home to Earth. In this series, which was aimed for kids, a group of young aliens find an abandoned Starfleet ship called the U.S.S. Protostar and attempt to make it to Starfleet and the Alpha Quadrant from the Delta Quadrant.

Voyager fans will be delighted to know that Kate Mulgrew returns as Kathryn Janeway in this animated series, but not only as herself. She is also an Emergency Training Holographic Advisor that was based on the likeness of the former captain of the U.S.S. Voyager.

The second season of Star Trek: Prodigy was set to arrive later this year, but it was not only canceled in June, but also removed from Paramount+. There is still hope this show may find a second life on another streaming service or network.

21. Star Trek: Picard (2399-2402)

Star Trek: Picard is the… well… next generation of Star Trek: The Next Generation as it brings back not only Partick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard, but also many of his former crew members from the beloved series. The story is set 20 years after the events of Star Trek Nemesis and we find Picard retired from Starfleet and living at his family’s vineyard in France.

Without spoiling anything, certain events get one of our favorite captains back to work and take him on an adventure through space and time over three seasons and 30 episodes.

The show had its ups and downs, but the third season, in our opinion, stuck the landing and gave us an “emotional, exciting, and ultimately fun journey for Jean-Luc and his family - both old and new - that gives the character the send-off that he has long deserved.”

22. Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 3 and 4 (3188-TBD)

While Star Trek: Discovery begins around 10 years before Star Trek: The Original Series, the show jumps more than 900 years into the future into the 32nd Century following the events of the second season. The Federation is not in great shape and Captain Michael Burnham and her crew work to bring it back to what it once was.

Star Trek: Discovery is set to end after the upcoming fifth season, which will debut on Paramount+ in 2024.

For more, check out our look at the hidden meaning behind Star Trek’s great captains, why Star Trek doesn’t get credit as the first shared universe, if this may be the end of Star Trek’s golden age of streaming, and our favorite classic Star Trek episodes and movies.

IGN Recommends

Eternal Strands: Fighting Giant Monsters with Gravity-Manipulating Spells – IGN First

Star Trek Ranks & Podcast

From @enterprisenxtra.

Every Single Episode

Of star trek listed.

star_trek_defiant_desktop_1440x900_hd-wa

While we haven't ranked every episode in one massive overall list yet (someday!), we have compiled a resource for you to see every episode of Star Trek listed in one place. The current episode count is 907. (And we are using the word "episode" as shorthand. This count obviously includes the 13 films and Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," as well.)

The compilation below is fully sortable and searchable. You can search by series (three-letter abbreviation) or by season (season number followed by x with the three-letter abbreviation) or by air date order or by production order, etc., etc. (Note: for some browsers you need to add a space before or after your search item to get it to function.)

Just play around in the search box to see how it works. And note, we use the following three-letter abbreviations for each series:

TOS – The Original Series

TAS – The Animated Series

TNG – The Next Generation

DS9 – Deep Space Nine

VGR – Voyager

ENT – Enterprise

DSC – Discovery

STX – Short Treks

LDS – Lower Decks

PIC – Picard

PRO– Prodigy

SNW – Strange New Worlds

MOV – All 13 films

KLV – Kelvin Timeline

And if you're wondering how this definitive breakdown works, every Short Trek counts as one episode. Every movie counts as one episode. And every two-part episode that originally aired as one two-hour episode counts as one episode (so every pilot and episodes like "Dark Frontier" and "The Way of the Warrior" – even though those episodes have two production numbers).

New Podcast

an image, when javascript is unavailable

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

Subscribe for full access to The Hollywood Reporter

site categories

‘star trek’: 20 greatest episodes from the original series.

Whether you’re a long-time fan or looking for a starting point, let this top 20 episodes list from the original series of ‘Star Trek’ be your guide to the stars.

By Aaron Couch , Graeme McMillan September 20, 2016 6:00am

Share this article on Facebook
Share this article on Twitter
Share this article on Flipboard
Share this article on Email
Show additional share options
Share this article on Reddit
Share this article on Comment
Share this article on Whatsapp
Share this article on Pinit
Share this article on Linkedin
Share this article on Print
Share this article on Tumblr

'Star Trek' Original Series Episodes: The Best 20

In honor of Star Trek 's 50th anniversary this month, The Hollywood Reporter counted down the top 100 episodes of Star Trek — ranking them across all six TV series with help from the stars and writers who made them so beloved.

Now we're going to break it down even further — this time organizing the episodes by era. Every day through Friday, we'll be releasing a new list specific to each series, with the order is based on our original list of 100.

Here, we look at the best of the original series, which ran from 1966-69 saw Gene Roddenberry's vision brought to life by actors William Shatner (Spock), Leonard Nimoy (Spock), DeForest Kelley (Bones), Nichelle Nichols ( Uhura ), Walter Koenig ( Chekov ), George Takei ( Sulu ), and James Doohan (Scotty).

Below you'll find Shatner and Koenig reveal their favorite episodes, as well as hear from Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin, two iconic Trek writers and many more.

'Star Trek': Walter Koenig on Lean Years After Cancellation and How Writing Ultimately Saved Him

"the galileo seven".

Not only does this episode give us the first appearance of a shuttlecraft in Trek lore, it introduces a version of the concept that would become key to the franchise decades later — that there is a push and pull between the needs of the many and the needs of the few. The Enterprise is on a mission to deliver relief supplies to a colony. Meanwhile, seven crewmembers — including Spock and Bones — crash land on a hostile planet, and Kirk must grapple with holding out hope for them and delivering the relief supplies.

"A Taste of Armageddon"

"This was the first Original Series episode I ever saw and it still blows my mind," says Jordan Hoffman, U.S. Film Critic for The Guardian and host of ENGAGE: The Official Star Trek Podcast . "Kirk is escorting a diplomat to a system of planets that have been in conflict for centuries. However, to protect their society’s infrastructure and maintain their culture, they don’t fight with weapons. Computers determine where phantom missiles hit and if your number comes up, you are ordered into a disintegration chamber. It is up to the Enterprise to intervene (which they totally aren’t supposed to do) and stop this insanity. It’s a rich concept with thrills, action, great speeches and even some humor. (Indeed, Spock takes the time to make a solid joke before sending someone crumpled to the floor with his Vulcan nerve pinch.)"

"The Doomsday Machine"

If Star Trek had shown Starfleet at its best until now, audiences got to see the flipside in this episode, in which Commodore Matt Decker (William Windom ) turns into an outer space Ahab chasing the cosmic Moby Dick of the episode's title: a "planet killer" that had nearly destroyed his own ship and killed everyone on board except for him. For an episode with such stakes, it's a surprisingly subtle story: While we should be worried about whether the planet killer can be stopped, the real tension comes from watching Decker struggle to deal with his trauma.

"The Corbomite Maneuver"

The first episode to be filmed after the two different pilots for the series, " Corbomite " manages to sum up everything that makes the original series so special, with a tense yet optimistic take on the idea of first contact between the Enterprise and an alien race that shows how fearless, compassionate and sneaky Captain James T. Kirk can be when pressed, and a Twilight Zone -esque last-second twist. As if that wasn't enough to make this episode worthwhile, it features the first times that DeForest Kelley and Nichelle Nichols played McCoy and Uhura — although by the time the episode aired, they were well-established characters to the loyal audience.

"Journey to Babel"

"I've always loved 'Journey to Babel,' by Dorothy Fontana," says writer David Gerrold when asked about his favorite Star Trek episode. "Because it reveals so much about Spock, and his past, and his parents." That's putting it mildly; before this episode, it's unlikely that anyone would have given much thought about the parents of any of the crew, but the introduction of Spock's estranged parents — one of whom was human, the other suspected of murdering a fellow diplomat on board the Enterprise — changed the way audiences looked at the characters forever: suddenly, they were more than just their jobs, and had inner lives and struggles that everyone could relate to. And all because the most alien of all of the crew had proven himself to be just as human as the rest of us.

"All Our Yesterdays"

While the final episode of the original series — "Turnabout Intruder" — is generally considered to be a low point for the show, the second last episode throws Spock, McCoy and Kirk back in time and puts them all out of their comfort zones as a result, with McCoy having to be the practical one, Spock becoming overwhelmed by emotions and Kirk on his own against the authorities. Yes, the title sounds like a soap opera (It's actually from Shakespeare, specifically Macbeth ), but this is a particularly strong Star Trek episode through and through.

"The Enterprise Incident"

Justin Lin, who directed this summer's Star Trek Beyond , picks this tale of intrigue as his favorite.

"A good old-fashioned spy thriller set in the Neutral Zone. What’s not to love?" Lin asks. "We get to see my favorite version of Kirk: the tactician. His ruse is brilliant and daring, but it’s Spock who steals the show in his interaction with the female Romulan commander. We see him in rare form, opening up his human and—dare I say—sexual side. Of course, Kirk’s ploy succeeds and the cloaking device is stolen, but Spock derides the fleeting nature of such military victories and says to the female commander something emblematic of everything great about Star Trek : 'I hope that you and I have exchanged something more permanent.' "

The episode was loosely inspired by a real-life incident where the USS Pueblo was attacked by North Korean forces after being accused of sailing into its territory in January 1968.

"The Menagerie"

Mr. Spock commits mutiny on the Enterprise in order to get Christopher Pike, his former commander, back to the forbiden planet Talos IV. We eventually learn that years earlier, Pike and Spock visited the planet, where Pike was horribly mutated — and Spock is trying to get his former commander there to be healed.

"It is a story of Spock’s loyalty to his former commander as well as to Captain Kirk and of Spock’s bravery as he risks his own career and reputation," recalls Adam Nimoy , son of Leonard Nimoy ad director of For The Love of Spock , which hits theaters Sept. 9. "Although he refuses to admit to it, Spock sets aside logic to do the right thing, and I just loved it."

How Nearly Refusing 'Star Trek III' Reinvigorated Leonard Nimoy's Career

"amok time".

For fans who'd spent the show's first year swooning over Leonard Nimoy's pointy-eared alter-ego, second season opener "Amok Time" was everything they could've hoped for and more: Not only did they get to go back to Spock's home planet, they also got to see two things they'd dreamt of but never expected: Spock in the throes of passion — apparently, Vulcans are very like dogs in heat every seven years — and Spock fighting Kirk to the death … or, at least, that's what it seemed like at the time. Written by noted sci-fi author Theodore Sturgeon, this episode showed that Trek 's second year would be, if anything, even bolder than its first.

"The Devil In The Dark"

"The Horta has a funny story," says original series story editor D.C. Fontana of the episode's alien. " Stuntman , actor, creature creator Janos Prohaska did creature work for us. [Writer] Gene Coon, Gene Roddenberry and I were in the office and Janos came in and said, 'Come outside, I want to show you guys something.' So we went outside, and here's this a lump of what looked like foamy bubbles. He said, 'Just watch,' and laid a rubber chicken out on the street, and crawls into this rubber bubble suit and crawls towards the rubber chicken and the chicken disappears and a trail of bones comes out the back. Roddenberry , Coon and I were laughing our heads off, and Gene Coon said, 'I've got to do something with that.' "

That something turned out to be the Horta , an alien threat who isn't so sinister after all.

"You think it's a monster killing the miners, and you find out it's a mother protecting its young!" says Fontana. "That was the first time we did the Vulcan mind meld, and that turned out well, but we also found that this alien isn't what you think it is. There's a human aspect that we can understand and begin to work with this thing."

"The Naked Time"

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M58aP5DtNqY]

A swashbuckling (and shirtless) Sulu is perhaps the single most enduring image from the original series, with the officer infected with a virus provoking him to act out his inner most desires. George Takei had just three weeks of "frantic fencing lessons" to prepare for his scenes, he recalled in his 1994 autobiography, To The Stars . Days before shooting, director Marc Daniels dropped another surprise: he would be performing the scenes shirtless. "Straightaway, I got down horizontally on the floor, put my feet on the couch, and began pumping out push-ups to build up a photogenic chest," Takei recalled in his book.

"Where No Man Has Gone Before"

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT4fm0f2lZY]

After the first Star Trek pilot failed to catch fire, Roddenberry enlisted Gary Lockwood, who was about to shoot 2001: A Space Odyssey and had worked with the Star Trek creator on The Lieutenant. Trek producers believed Lockwood's involvement could help seal the deal — and they also brought on a new captain (Kirk) as well as Mr. Scott and Sulu . In the story, Kirk must grapple with the value of human life after an old friend and shipmate Gary Mitchell (Lockwood) gains dangerous (and growing) power from the edge of the galaxy.

"The pilot sells, and 20 years later Roddenberry said to me that Gary Mitchell was the character that got Star Trek on television," says Lockwood.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SK0cUNMnMM]

On the surface, it's an episode about Kirk fighting a giant lizard man, but it's about so much more. Namely: humanity, ingenuity and ultimately, mercy. After being forced to fight to the death, Kirk spares the life of the Gorn . Those impressive Gorn sounds were courtesy of Ted Cassidy, best known as Lurch on another ' 60s classic, The Addams Family . The image of Kirk fighting the Gorn is so indelible that even if you don't know the alien's species, you know his green skin.

"The Trouble With Tribbles"

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2T1QX7BEyg]

Writer David Gerrold credits his interest in ecology with the origins of this classic episode. "I'd heard about rabbits getting out of control in Australia," he remembers, " and I thought, this is a very weird, very funny effect of introducing an invasive species into an environment without an appropriate predator. So, I was thinking for Star Trek , not all the aliens we meet are going to be scary or ugly — some of them are going to be cute and friendly and we're not going to recognize what kind of danger they are until it's too late." The teleplay was Gerrold's first professional credit, and he worked hard to make it the best that he could. "I had studied the Star Trek structure very carefully and put every scene on a 3 by 5 card until each scene demanded that the next scene followed," he says. "As funny as the script turned out, I was proudest of the structure of the episode. You could take all the jokes out, and it would still work as an adventure."

"Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STQNi7ArRl8]

It's understandably challenging for William Shatner to pin down a favorite episode among all the greats, but when pressed, he chooses this one. The hour sees guest star Frank Gorshin play an alien, whose face is half black and half white and who hates those of his species with the colors reversed.

"That beautiful concept, without shaking a finger, illustrated the ridiculousness of race hatred, and it was very entertaining as well. The magnificence of the idea is obvious," says Shatner . The actor says part of the brilliance of Trek is its ability to entertain without preaching.

"We use to say, 'You send a message by telegram. Make [your show] entertaining," says Shatner . "But when you can combine both, like that idea, it becomes both dramatic and obvious. And you become aware. Those were the best of the Star Trek episodes."

"Mirror, Mirror"

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oOqQ38XLv8]If Star Trek gave anything to the world, it's the idea that evil versions of characters have goatees, an idea ironically put forward by the Spock of the Mirror Universe — who isn't actually evil , per se. That's a good thing, because if he had been, it's possible that Kirk, Bones, Scotty and Uhura might have been trapped in the morally-flipped alternate timeline for good, having to deal with the stomach-bearing outfits for women, the workplace harassment nightmare that is the Agonizer and George Takei's wonderfully over-the-top Evil Sulu for the rest of their fictional lives. A fun look at the roads not taken (including a more military-focused Starfleet), this episode would go on to inspire sequels in both Deep Space Nine and Enterprise .

"Space Seed"

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_c1Odol9xw]

No Star Trek episode has paid off quite like this one. Ricardo Montaban's single appearance on the original series as the 1990s warlord Khan Noonien Singh set the stage for the undisputed greatest Star Trek film ever, The Wrath of Khan , set 15 years after Kirk and the Enterprise stumbled upon the Botany Bay. "Space Seed" sees Kirk fight his intellectual and physical superior — and win despite the long odds. Nothing is more Kirk than that.

"Balance of Terror"

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGn948_PXTU]

The acclaimed episode was inspired by submarine warfare and introduces the Romulans , with whom the Enterprise engages in a claustrophobic game of cat and mouse. The episode tackles themes such as the futility of war and xenophobia, with Mr. Spock facing discrimination from his own crew when it is revealed that Romulans and Vulcans not only look similar, but also share a common heritage.

"City on the Edge of Forever"

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFqD7s-A6VU]

Never mind the behind-the-scenes controversy. Credited writer Harlan Ellison was heavily rewritten by Roddenberry , D.C. Fontana and others before the episode was shot, and decades later sued CBS for a share of profits from the episode. Just enjoy one of the true classic hours of science fiction TV as a dazed and confused McCoy travels back in time and accidentally rewrites history, forcing Kirk and Spock to follow and learn firsthand how hard it is to do the right thing for the greater good.

"I knew this episode was going to be special, not because I’m prescient, but because a couple of months earlier, I had interviewed series creator Gene Roddenberry for the Daily Sundial , the campus newspaper at San Fernando Valley State College," recalls journalist Fred Bronson, who would go on to form a friendship Roddenberry . "Aside from telling me that the purpose of television was to sell toothpaste, Roddenberry talked about an episode that had been recently filmed that he said was good enough to be a motion picture — and long enough as well, as they had to delete a lot of footage in order to make it fit the hour-long slot."

For fans of unexpected celebrity appearances, the love interest in this episode? None other than Joan Collins

"The best episodes of Star Trek (or any series) were always the ones where you absolutely believed everything that was happening was real and that you were not being manipulated by the writer," says Bronson. " 'The City on the Edge of Forever' felt authentic from the opening scene on the bridge of the Enterprise to the heartbreaking ending, when Capt . Kirk must allow the love of his life, social worker Edith Keeler , to die in a traffic accident. For years, I couldn’t watch reruns of that final scene without bursting into tears. From Spock’s declaration that trying to create a mnemonic circuit in the America of the 1930s was working with 'equipment…hardly very far ahead of stone knives and bear claws' to Kirk’s explanation to a police officer that Spock’s ears were the result of a childhood accident involving a 'mechanical rice-picker,' the dialogue of this classic episode is etched in my brain as the story that will live forever as Star Trek ’s finest hour."

'Star Trek' Oral History: When Captain Kirk Fought Jesus

Thr newsletters.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

Jerrod carmichael says “slave play” joke was taken out of context: “it has nothing to do with sex”, travis kelce to host ‘are you smarter than a 5th grader’ spin-off in first tv series role, lily gladstone and riley keough dm’d about indigenous issues for years before ‘under the bridge’, phillipa soo boards abc and ryan murphy’s ‘dr. odyssey’, ‘under the bridge’ review: lily gladstone and riley keough star in hulu’s timid true-crime drama, heidi gardner reacts to breaking character during ‘snl’ “beavis and butt-head” sketch: “i lost it”.

A Complete Timeline of Star Trek

Star Trek stands as one of the most enduring and influential pop-culture franchises on the planet. From a comparatively humble cult TV series, it has expanded into an entire universe of speculative future history encompassing dozens of movies and TV shows. With more projects on the way, it doesn't look to slow down anytime soon. That can lead to a convoluted timeline, particularly in the early days when no one expected it to last as long as it has.

Star Trek: The Original Series producers didn't worry about what came before or after their show, and series creator Gene Roddenberry had a way of simply ignoring episodes he considered sub-par. Writers Michael and Denise Okuda are largely credited with firmly establishing a canonical Star Trek timeline during the expansion of the franchise following Star Trek: The Next Generation . That's resulted in a definable, if complicated, fictional history to chart the rise of the United Federation of Planets and its development through centuries of galactic history. Here's a breakdown of the Star Trek in-universe timeline, divided roughly by era.

The Early Years of Star Trek's Timeline Are Vague

Wrath of khan creates star trek's biggest plot hole, and the real-life explanation is hilarious.

The early years of Star Trek 's timeline run into a number of real-world continuity issues. This was most notable with the Eugenics Wars , which originally took place in the 1990s, but has since been retconned to an indeterminate point in the future. They're linked to the rise of genetically augmented humans who conquer and rule much of the planet, led by the notorious Khan Noonien Singh. The Eugenics Wars culminate in a Third World War, and the ensuing nuclear apocalypse all but destroys civilization. Khan and his followers escape the planet in a stasis ship, and await their rendezvous with Captain Kirk in The Original Series episode, "Space Seed."

The most important event after that arrives on April 5, 2063, subsequently known as First Contact Day. As depicted in Star Trek: First Contact , scientist Zefram Cochrane develops a faster-than-light engine and tests it in his vessel, the Phoenix . A Vulcan survey vessel notices the feat and makes first contact with Cochrane in Bozeman, Montana that evening. With the Vulcans' help, humanity quickly gets back on its feet. Hunger and poverty are eliminated by the early 22nd century, and even war itself has ended on the planet by 2113. A world government is established in 2150, uniting the globe under a single unifying body for the first time in human history.

Enterprise Reveals The Founding of the Federation

Why star trek: enterprise used shuttles instead of transporters.

The events of Star Trek: Enterprise begin just one year later, in 2151, as humanity launches its first earnest efforts to explore the galaxy. Captain Archer and the crew of the Enterprise spearhead the effort, resulting in key first contact with such important species as the Andorians and the Tellarites. It also comes with new conflicts, notably the Xindi crisis of 2153 which lasts for nearly a year. That is followed in 2156 by the Earth-Romulan War , which stretches out over four years. Humanity, Andorians, Vulcans, and Tellarites all join forces against the common threat, resulting in the defeat of the Romulans and the establishment of the Neutral Zone.

The victory leads immediately to the founding of the United Federation of Planets in San Francisco in the year 2161, organized by the four victorious species. Several decades of peaceful exploration and expansion follow, led by Starfleet vessels who set out to explore in the name of peace, coexistence, and scientific understanding. That marks the end of the events of Star Trek: Enterprise and a relative blank spot in the timeline for a little less than a century.

The 23rd Century Brings War, Peace, and The Original Series

The complete history of vulcans in the federation era of star trek.

With the exception of a few peripheral events, the next few decades are quiet as far as canon events go. The timeline picks up again properly with the beginning of Star Trek: Discovery as open war breaks out between the Federation and the Klingon Empire in the year 2256 . The war lasts for a year and proves costly to both sides, ending thanks to efforts of the USS Discovery to stabilize the political situation in the Empire. The Discovery vanishes approximately one year later during the battle with the rogue AI Control , jumping ahead in time to the 32nd century in the process.

With the end of the war comes another era of peaceful expansion and exploration. That encompasses the events of both Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: The Original Series , as Starfleet "boldly goes where no one has gone before." As the 23rd century continues, the franchise shifts to the first six big-screen Star Trek movies. That culminates in the events of Star Trek VI in 2293, resulting in the Khitomer Accords and long-term peace with the Klingon Empire . Captain Kirk is presumed dead a short time later as depicted in the movie Star Trek: Insurrection , officially bringing The Original Series era to a close.

The Next Generation Kicks off The 24th Century

10 best star trek: the next generation characters.

The early decades of the 24th century are another blank spot in the Star Trek calendar, marked by a few notable events but otherwise leaving a good deal open for speculation. The most important development during that time is the Battle of Narendra III in 2344 , where the Federation vessel USS Enterprise-C sacrifices itself to defend a Klingon colony from Romulan attackers. This results in a formal alliance between the Federation and the Klingons.

Star Trek: The Next Generation officially begins in the year 2364, with the Federation enjoying a golden age of peace and prosperity. The Enterprise-D under Captain Picard serves as Starfleet's flagship, conducting missions of diplomacy and peaceful exploration. The Enterprise first encounters the Borg in 2366 , during The Next Generation's Season 2 episode "Q Who." The Borg invade the Federation a year later, and come within a hair's breadth of destroying the Earth before the Enterprise crew saves the day during the Season 4 premiere, "The Best of Both Worlds Part II."

The Dominion War and the Delta Quadrant Mark DS9 and Voyager

How star trek: the next generation disserviced this fan-favorite character.

In 2369, a stable wormhole to the unexplored Gamma Quadrant opens near the planet of Bajor, kicking off the events of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . What at first seems a conduit to a whole new sector of space soon becomes an existential threat. The Dominion is a powerful totalitarian government in the Gamma Quadrant ruled by a species of shape-shifting Changelings. The Dominion sets its sites on the Alpha Quadrant , and launches an invasion in 2373. The Federation is forced to rally its long-time foes in the Romulan Empire to its side, who join with Starfleet and the Klingons to finally defeat the Dominion in 2375.

If that wasn't bad enough, the Borg launch another attack on Earth in 2373, and again come perilously close to assimilating the entire Federation before Jean-Luc Picard and his crew put a stop to them during the events of Star Trek: First Contact. Amid it all, the USS Voyager vanishes in the year 2371, having been flung into the far reaches of the Delta Quadrant and launching a seven-year journey to return to Federation space.

The 24th Century Ends with Peace and Old Enemies

Star trek: lower decks paid off a deep space nine character arc.

The end of the Dominion War marks the beginning of another extended period of Federation-led peace. Voyager returns from its long journey in 2378 , and the Enterprise averts a surprise attack from the Romulan Empire in 2379 during the events of Star Trek: Insurrection . Beyond that, peace prevails, which leads the way to lighter Star Trek series such as Star Trek: Lower Decks (which begins in 2381) and Star Trek: Prodigy (which begins in 2383).

That comes to an end with the implosion of the Romulan Empire, whose sun is doomed and whose most militant factions sabotage any chance at Federation aid by orchestrating the destruction of the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards on April 5, 2385. Two years later, the Romulan sun goes nova, seemingly killing Mr. Spock, who was attempting to halt the explosion and creating the Kelvinverse timeline of the 2010s big-screen Star Trek movies. It renders the Romluans a scattered and defeated people. Jean-Luc Picard is able to repair some of the damage done to the two powers in Star Trek: Picard, Season 1, then rejoin with his crewmates in Season 3 to defeat a unified Dominion/Borg attack on the Federation in the year 2402.

The Far Future Beckons

'we broke barriers': star trek: discovery star celebrates show's diversity.

Star Trek canon comes to a halt at the beginning of the 25th century after the events of Picard Season 3. That leaves a vast stretch of centuries that have not yet been defined in Star Trek canon, and will presumably be filled in by series to come. In that time, the Federation continues to expand until it is more than double the size it was in the 24th century. Then disaster strikes in the form of an event called The Burn, which instantly renders all dilithium in the galaxy inert in the year 3069. Every active warp engine detonates, causing widespread disaster and rendering interstellar travel exponentially more difficult.

The arrival of the Discovery in the year 3188 -- beginning with the premiere in Season 3 -- changes all of that. After destroying the tyrannical Emerald Chain, Captain Michael Burnham and her crew set about restoring the shattered Federation, which leads to the events of Discovery's final three seasons. With the series bowing out at the end of Season 5, subsequent Star Trek projects will have a new final frontier in the 32nd century -- uncluttered by earlier shows -- thanks to the leap forward in time.

Star Trek is currently streaming on Paramount+.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

Created by Gene Roddenberry

First Film Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Latest Film Star Trek: Nemesis

First TV Show Star Trek: The Original Series

Latest TV Show Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Cast Nichelle Nichols, Scott Bakula, Kate Mulgrew, Jonathan Frakes, Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Avery Brooks, Deforest Kelley, James Doohan

TV Show(s) Star Trek: Animated, Star trek, Star Trek Voyager, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek Lower Decks, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Prodigy, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Lower Decks

Copy from this list
Report this list

Every Classic Star Trek The Original Series Episode Ranked (1966-1969)

This is a ranked list of every episode of the original Star Trek television series that aired from 1966-1969. The rankings take into account the overall IMDb ratings as well as IMDb's Top 1000 voters' ratings. The original pilot is NOT included on this list.

Instant Watch Options
Movies or TV
IMDb Rating
In Theaters
Release Year

1. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The City on the Edge of Forever (1967)

TV-PG | 50 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

When a temporarily insane Dr. McCoy accidentally changes history and destroys his time, Kirk and Spock follow him to prevent the disaster, but the price to do so is high.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Joan Collins , DeForest Kelley

Votes: 6,559

2. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Mirror, Mirror (1967)

A transporter accident places Captain Kirk's landing party in an alternate universe, where the Enterprise is in the service of a barbarically brutal empire.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , BarBara Luna

Votes: 5,127

3. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Trouble with Tribbles (1967)

To protect a space station with a vital grain shipment, Kirk must deal with Federation bureaucrats, a Klingon battle cruiser and a peddler who sells furry, purring, hungry little creatures as pets.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , William Schallert

Votes: 4,918

4. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Space Seed (1967)

While on patrol in deep space, Captain Kirk and his crew find and revive a genetically-engineered world conqueror and his compatriots from Earth's Twentieth Century.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Ricardo Montalban , Madlyn Rhue

Votes: 5,398

5. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Doomsday Machine (1967)

The USS Enterprise encounters the wrecked USS Constellation and its distraught commodore who's determined to stop the giant planet-destroying robot ship that killed his crew.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , William Windom

Votes: 4,491

6. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Amok Time (1967)

In the throes of his Pon Farr mating period, Spock must return to Vulcan to meet his intended future wife, betrothed from childhood.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Celia Lovsky

Votes: 4,722

7. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Balance of Terror (1966)

The Enterprise must decide on its response when a Romulan ship makes a destructively hostile armed probe of Federation territory.

Director: Vincent McEveety | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Mark Lenard , Paul Comi

Votes: 5,685

8. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Devil in the Dark (1967)

The Enterprise is sent to a mining colony that is being terrorized by a mysterious monster, only to find that the situation is not that simple.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Ken Lynch

Votes: 4,286

9. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Journey to Babel (1967)

The Enterprise hosts a number of quarrelling diplomats, including Spock's father, but someone on board has murder in mind.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Jane Wyatt

Votes: 4,019

10. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Menagerie: Part I (1966)

Spock kidnaps the disabled Capt. Pike, hijacks the Enterprise, and then surrenders for court martial.

Directors: Marc Daniels , Robert Butler | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Jeffrey Hunter , Susan Oliver

Votes: 4,848

11. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Menagerie: Part II (1966)

At Spock's court martial, he explains himself with mysterious footage about when Capt. Pike was kidnapped by powerful illusion casting aliens.

Directors: Robert Butler , Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Jeffrey Hunter , Susan Oliver

Votes: 4,648

12. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Enterprise Incident (1968)

TV-PG | 51 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

An apparently insane Capt. Kirk has the Enterprise deliberately enter the Romulan Neutral Zone where the ship is immediately captured by the enemy.

Director: John Meredyth Lucas | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Joanne Linville

Votes: 3,890

13. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Errand of Mercy (1967)

With a war with Klingons raging, Kirk and Spock attempt to resist an occupation of a planet with incomprehensibly placid natives.

Director: John Newland | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , John Abbott , John Colicos

Votes: 4,038

14. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: A Taste of Armageddon (1967)

Kirk and Spock must save their ship's crew when they are all declared killed in action in a bizarre computer simulated war where the actual deaths must nevertheless occur.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , David Opatoshu , Gene Lyons

Votes: 4,184

15. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Tholian Web (1968)

With Capt. Kirk and the derelict USS Defiant apparently lost, the Enterprise grapples with an insanity causing plague and an attack by the Tholians.

Directors: Herb Wallerstein , Ralph Senensky | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 3,410

16. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Ultimate Computer (1968)

Kirk and a sub-skeleton crew are ordered to test out an advanced artificially intelligent control system - the M-5 Multitronic system, which could potentially render them all redundant.

Director: John Meredyth Lucas | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , William Marshall

Votes: 3,468

17. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Corbomite Maneuver (1966)

After the Enterprise is forced to destroy a dangerous marker buoy, a gigantic alien ship arrives to capture and condemn the crew as trespassers.

Director: Joseph Sargent | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Anthony D. Call , Clint Howard

Votes: 4,872

18. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Arena (1967)

For bringing hostility into their solar system, a superior alien race brings Captain Kirk into mortal combat against the reptilian captain of an alien ship he was pursuing.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , George Takei

Votes: 4,504

19. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: All Our Yesterdays (1969)

When Kirk, Spock and McCoy investigate the disappearance of a doomed planet's population, they find themselves trapped in different periods of that world's past.

Director: Marvin J. Chomsky | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Mariette Hartley

Votes: 3,381

20. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Tomorrow Is Yesterday (1967)

The Enterprise is thrown back in time to 1960s Earth.

Director: Michael O'Herlihy | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Roger Perry , DeForest Kelley

Votes: 4,296

21. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Naked Time (1966)

The crew is infected with a mysterious disease that removes people's emotional inhibitions to a dangerous degree.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Stewart Moss , Majel Barrett

Votes: 5,175

22. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: This Side of Paradise (1967)

The Enterprise investigates a planet whose colonists should be dead, but are not.

Director: Ralph Senensky | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Jill Ireland , Frank Overton

Votes: 4,054

23. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Day of the Dove (1968)

Both humans and Klingons have been lured to a planet by a formless entity that feeds on hatred and has set about to fashion them into a permanent food supply for itself.

Director: Marvin J. Chomsky | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Michael Ansara

Votes: 3,360

24. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: A Piece of the Action (1968)

The crew of the Enterprise struggles to cope with a planet of imitative people who have modeled their society on 1920s gangsters.

Director: James Komack | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Anthony Caruso

Votes: 3,806

25. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Galileo Seven (1967)

The Galileo, under Spock's command, crash-lands on a hostile planet. As the Enterprise races against time to find the shuttlecraft, Spock's strictly logical leadership clashes with the fear and resentment of his crew.

Director: Robert Gist | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Don Marshall , DeForest Kelley

Votes: 4,226

26. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Enemy Within (1966)

A transporter malfunction splits Captain Kirk into two halves: one meek and indecisive, the other violent and ill tempered. The remaining crew members stranded on the planet cannot be beamed up to the ship until a problem is fixed.

Director: Leo Penn | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Grace Lee Whitney

Votes: 4,904

27. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Where No Man Has Gone Before (1966)

The flight recorder of the 200-year-old U.S.S. Valiant relays a tale of terror--a magnetic storm at the edge of the galaxy.

Director: James Goldstone | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Gary Lockwood , Sally Kellerman

Votes: 6,405

28. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Shore Leave (1966)

The past months have left the crew exhausted and in desperate need of a break, but does this explain McCoy's encounter with a human-sized white rabbit or Kirk crossing paths with the prankster who plagued his days at Starfleet Academy?

Director: Robert Sparr | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Emily Banks , Oliver McGowan

Votes: 4,421

29. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: By Any Other Name (1968)

Galactic alien scouts capture the Enterprise for a return voyage and a prelude to invasion. Kirk's one advantage - they're not used to their adopted human form.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Warren Stevens

Votes: 3,380

30. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Changeling (1967)

A powerful artificially intelligent Earth probe, with a murderously twisted imperative, comes aboard the Enterprise and mistakes Capt. Kirk for its creator.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 3,654

31. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Immunity Syndrome (1968)

The Enterprise encounters a gigantic energy draining space organism that threatens the galaxy.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 3,284

32. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: What Are Little Girls Made Of? (1966)

Nurse Chapel is reunited with her fiancé; but his new obsession leads him to make an android duplicate of Captain Kirk.

Director: James Goldstone | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Michael Strong , Sherry Jackson

Votes: 4,629

33. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Court Martial (1967)

Kirk draws a court martial in the negligent death of a crewman.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Percy Rodrigues , Elisha Cook Jr.

Votes: 3,971

34. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Operation -- Annihilate! (1967)

The Enterprise crew attempts to stop a plague of amoeba-like creatures from possessing human hosts and spreading throughout the galaxy.

Director: Herschel Daugherty | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Doohan

Votes: 3,675

35. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Dagger of the Mind (1966)

Kirk and psychiatrist Helen Noel are trapped on a maximum security penal colony that experiments with mind control and Spock must use the Vulcan mind-meld to find a way to save them.

Director: Vincent McEveety | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , James Gregory , DeForest Kelley

Votes: 4,340

36. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Patterns of Force (1968)

Looking for a missing Federation cultural observer, Kirk and Spock find themselves on a planet whose culture has been completely patterned after Nazi Germany.

Director: Vincent McEveety | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Richard Evans

Votes: 3,458

37. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Deadly Years (1967)

A landing party from the Enterprise is exposed to strange form of radiation which rapidly ages them.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Charles Drake

Votes: 3,421

38. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Assignment: Earth (1968)

While back in time observing Earth in 1968, the Enterprise crew encounters the mysterious Gary Seven who has his own agenda on the planet.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Robert Lansing

Votes: 3,691

39. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Spectre of the Gun (1968)

As punishment for ignoring their warning and trespassing on their planet, the Melkot condemn Capt. Kirk and his landing party to the losing side of a surreal recreation of the 1881 historic gunfight at the OK Corral.

Director: Vincent McEveety | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Ron Soble

Votes: 3,367

40. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Obsession (1967)

Capt. Kirk obsessively hunts for a mysterious cloud creature he encountered in his youth.

Director: Ralph Senensky | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Stephen Brooks

Votes: 3,278

41. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Wolf in the Fold (1967)

Kirk and the Enterprise computer become detectives after Scotty is accused of murdering women on a pleasure planet.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , John Fiedler

Votes: 3,349

42. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Squire of Gothos (1967)

A being that controls matter and creates planets wants to play with the Enterprise crew.

Director: Don McDougall | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , William Campbell , DeForest Kelley

Votes: 4,145

43. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Man Trap (1966)

Dr. McCoy discovers his old flame is not what she seems after crew members begin dying from a sudden lack of salt in their bodies.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Jeanne Bal , Alfred Ryder

Votes: 5,849

44. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Requiem for Methuselah (1969)

On a planet, looking for an urgent medicinal cure, Kirk, Spock and McCoy come across a dignified recluse living privately but in splendor with his sheltered ward and a very protective robot servant.

Director: Murray Golden | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , James Daly

Votes: 3,236

45. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: I, Mudd (1967)

Harry Mudd returns with a plot to take over the Enterprise by stranding the crew on a planet populated by androids under his command.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Roger C. Carmel

Votes: 3,730

46. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Wink of an Eye (1968)

A group of aliens who exist in a state of incredible acceleration invade the Enterprise and abduct Capt. Kirk.

Director: Jud Taylor | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Kathie Browne

Votes: 3,152

47. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Metamorphosis (1967)

While returning to the Enterprise aboard the shuttlecraft, Kirk, Spock, McCoy and a seriously ill Federation diplomat find themselves kidnapped by an energized cloud.

Director: Ralph Senensky | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Glenn Corbett

Votes: 3,615

48. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Return to Tomorrow (1968)

The Enterprise is guided to a distant, long-dead world where survivors of an extremely ancient race - existing only as disembodied energy - desiring the bodies of Kirk, Spock and astro-biologist Ann Mulhall so that they may live again.

Director: Ralph Senensky | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Diana Muldaur

Votes: 3,297

49. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Return of the Archons (1967)

Seeking the answer to a century-old mystery, Kirk and crew encounter a vacantly peaceful society under a 6000-year autocratic rule that kills all those it can't absorb.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Harry Townes , Torin Thatcher

Votes: 3,857

50. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Charlie X (1966)

Captain Kirk must learn the limits to the power of a 17-year-old boy with the psionic ability to create anything and destroy anyone.

Director: Lawrence Dobkin | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Robert Walker Jr. , DeForest Kelley

Votes: 5,466

51. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Bread and Circuses (1968)

The Enterprise crew investigates the disappearance of a ship's crew on a planet that is a modern version of the Roman Empire.

Director: Ralph Senensky | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , William Smithers

Votes: 3,267

52. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Conscience of the King (1966)

While Captain Kirk investigates whether an actor is actually a presumed dead mass murderer, a mysterious assailant is killing the people who could identify the fugitive.

Director: Gerd Oswald | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Arnold Moss , Barbara Anderson

Votes: 4,206

53. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Who Mourns for Adonais? (1967)

A powerful being claiming to be the Greek god Apollo appears and demands that the crew of the Enterprise disembark onto his planet to worship him.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Michael Forest

Votes: 4,002

54. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky (1968)

The Enterprise discovers an apparent asteroid that is on a collision course with a planet is actually an ancient populated generation ship.

Director: Anton Leader | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Katherine Woodville

Votes: 3,113

55. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (1969)

The Enterprise encounters two duo-chromatic and mutually belligerent aliens who put the ship in the middle of their old conflict.

Director: Jud Taylor | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Frank Gorshin

Votes: 3,244

56. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Miri (1966)

The Enterprise discovers a planet exactly like Earth, but the only inhabitants are children who contract a fatal disease upon entering puberty.

Director: Vincent McEveety | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Kim Darby , Michael J. Pollard

Votes: 4,456

57. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Is There in Truth No Beauty? (1968)

Lovely telepath Miranda is aide to Ambassador Kollos, in a box to stop insanity when humans see Medusans. She rejects Larry, a designer of Enterprise, and senses murderous intent nearby.

Votes: 3,198

58. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Elaan of Troyius (1968)

While transporting an arrogant, demanding princess for a political marriage, Captain Kirk must cope both with her biochemical ability to force him to love her, as well as sabotage on his ship.

Director: John Meredyth Lucas | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , France Nuyen

Votes: 3,158

59. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Cloud Minders (1969)

Kirk and Spock are caught up in a revolution on a planet where intellectuals and artists live on a utopian city in the sky while the rest of the population toils in mines on the barren surface below.

Director: Jud Taylor | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Jeff Corey

Votes: 3,024

60. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Mudd's Women (1966)

The Enterprise picks up untrustworthy entrepreneur Harry Mudd accompanied by three beautiful women who immediately put a spell on all the male crew members.

Director: Harvey Hart | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Roger C. Carmel , Karen Steele

Votes: 4,790

61. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Friday's Child (1967)

The Federation clashes with the Klingon Empire over mining rights to Capella IV. A sudden coup between its warrior-minded inhabitants forces Kirk's party to flee with the now dead leader's pregnant wife.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Julie Newmar

Votes: 3,383

62. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Gamesters of Triskelion (1968)

Kirk, Uhura and Chekov are trapped on a planet where abducted aliens are enslaved and trained to perform as gladiators for the amusement of bored, faceless aliens.

Director: Gene Nelson | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Joseph Ruskin

Votes: 3,486

63. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: A Private Little War (1968)

Peaceful, primitive peoples get caught up in the struggle between superpowers, with Kirk unhappily trying to restore the balance of power disrupted by the Klingons.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Nancy Kovack

Votes: 3,269

64. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Whom Gods Destroy (1969)

Kirk and Spock are taken prisoners by a former starship captain named Garth, who now resides at, and has taken over, a high security asylum for the criminally insane.

Director: Herb Wallerstein | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Steve Ihnat

Votes: 3,088

65. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Savage Curtain (1969)

Kirk, Spock, Abraham Lincoln and Vulcan legend Surak are pitted in battle against notorious villains from history for the purpose of helping a conscious rock creature's understanding of a concept he does not understand, "good vs. evil".

Director: Herschel Daugherty | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Lee Bergere

Votes: 3,061

66. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Turnabout Intruder (1969)

Captain Kirk's insane ex-lover Dr. Janice Lester forcibly switches bodies with him in order to take command of the Enterprise.

Director: Herb Wallerstein | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Sandra Smith

Votes: 2,991

67. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Paradise Syndrome (1968)

Trapped on a planet whose inhabitants are descended from Northwestern Native Americans, Kirk loses his memory and is proclaimed a God while the crippled Enterprise races back to the planet before it is destroyed by an asteroid.

Director: Jud Taylor | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Sabrina Scharf

Votes: 3,273

68. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Apple (1967)

Primitive inhabitants of Gamma Trianguli VI worship a god who orders them to kill visitors from the Enterprise.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Keith Andes

Votes: 3,436

69. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Plato's Stepchildren (1968)

After Dr. McCoy helps the leader of a planet populated by people with powerful psionic abilities, they decide to force him to stay by torturing his comrades until he submits.

Director: David Alexander | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Michael Dunn

Votes: 3,276

70. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Empath (1968)

Trapped in an alien laboratory, Kirk, Spock and McCoy meet an empath and are involved in a series of experiments.

Director: John Erman | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Kathryn Hays

Votes: 3,161

71. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: That Which Survives (1969)

After the Enterprise landing party beams down to investigate a geologically interesting planet, their ship is hurled across the galaxy. Kirk and company find a deserted outpost guarded by the deadly image of a beautiful woman.

Director: Herb Wallerstein | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Lee Meriwether

Votes: 2,934

72. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Mark of Gideon (1969)

Kirk beams down to the planet Gideon and appears to find himself trapped on a deserted Enterprise. Spock on the real Enterprise must use his diplomatic skills to deal with the uncooperative inhabitants of Gideon and find the Captain.

Director: Jud Taylor | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Sharon Acker

Votes: 3,004

73. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Catspaw (1967)

Very alien visitors to our galaxy attempt to connect with human consciousness but miss, winding up tapping into the regions of human nightmares instead.

Director: Joseph Pevney | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Antoinette Bower

Votes: 3,578

74. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Omega Glory (1968)

Responding to a distress signal, Kirk finds Captain Tracey of the U.S.S. Exeter violating the prime directive and interfering with a war between the Yangs and the Kohms to find the secret of their longevity.

Director: Vincent McEveety | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Morgan Woodward

Votes: 3,427

75. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Lights of Zetar (1969)

A mysterious, twinkling mass of sapient energy ravages an important archive and Scotty's new girlfriend may be linked to it.

Director: Herbert Kenwith | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Jan Shutan

Votes: 2,884

76. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Alternative Factor (1967)

Existence itself comes under threat from a man's power-struggle with his alternate self, with the Enterprise's strained dilithium crystals presenting his key to a final solution.

Director: Gerd Oswald | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , Robert Brown , DeForest Kelley

Votes: 3,870

77. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: Spock's Brain (1968)

The crew of the Enterprise pursues a mysterious woman who has abducted Spock's brain.

Director: Marc Daniels | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Marj Dusay

Votes: 3,611

78. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: And the Children Shall Lead (1968)

The Enterprise reaches a Federation colony where the adults have all killed themselves but the children play without care.

Director: Marvin J. Chomsky | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Craig Huxley

Votes: 3,397

79. Star Trek (1966–1969) Episode: The Way to Eden (1969)

A group of idealistic hippies, led by an irrational leader, come aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.

Director: David Alexander | Stars: William Shatner , Leonard Nimoy , DeForest Kelley , Skip Homeier

Votes: 3,406

List Activity

Tell your friends, other lists by darth_brett_78.

Lower Decks Season 4, Episode 2: “I Have No Bones, Yet I Must Flee”

The view from the Moopsy in "I Have No Bones, Yet I Must Flee."

The Moospy is coming!

With a title liberally stolen from Harlan Ellison’s “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream,” the sci-fi deep-cuts in this brilliant Lower Decks romp are never-ending. When the USS Cerritos encounters an alien zoo (classic!), the most deadly creature may also be the cutest.

Brilliantly, this Lower Decks takes a common Trek trope about misunderstood monsters and flips it on its head. The most dangerous creatures in this episode aren’t the aliens, but instead, well, you can guess.

This Lower Decks episode is also essential because it introduced the aforementioned bone-sucking (but otherwise adorable ) alien monster known as the Moopsy. Forget facehuggers from Alien. Moopsy will destroy all of them.

Prodigy Season 1, Episode 13: “All the World’s a Stage”

A crashed 23rd century shuttle in 'Star Trek: Prodigy.'

The kids of Prodigy discover the shuttlecraft Galileo from the classic USS Enterprise .

Can Star Trek do a version of Galaxy Quest ? The closest proof that the answer is yes, exists in the form of this extremely charming episode of Prodigy .

In “All the World's a Stage,” the kids of the USS Protostar roll up on the planet in which the inhabitants are all pretty much cosplaying as members of Starfleet from The Original Series . But, something has been lost in translation, because these folks call themselves “Enderprizians,” and refer to Starfleet as “Star Flight.”

Eventually, we learn that Ensign Garrovick, a redshirt Kirk saved in the episode “Obsession,” crashed a shuttle on this planet over a century prior. The Protostar tweens have to band together with these in-universe TOS fans to save the planet, and themselves. It’s a smart cross-generational story that sends a love letter to 1960s Trek fandom, while telling a great story that non-Trekkie kids can love, too.

Discovery Season 2, Episode 14: “Such Sweet Sorrow, Part 2”

Spock (Ethan Peck) and Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) prepare the Red Angel suit.

Spock gets ready to send his sister Michael where no Trek time traveler has gone before.

With Discovery Season 5 taking place roughly in the year 3191, it’s hard to remember that the first two seasons happened in the 2250s. While Season 1 alternated between the depression of the Klingon War and the bleakness of the Mirror Universe, Season 2 was the moment in which Discovery actively moved closer to the ethos of The Original Series , with a dash of J.J. Abrams-reboot zest.

While the universe-destroying killer AI called “Control” feels like a rough draft of several other Trek villains, the emotional core of Discovery Season 2 — mostly focused on Spock and Burnham — truly delivers in this epic finale. When the classic USS Enterprise has to team up with the USS Discovery , the sensibilities of various Star Trek aesthetics collide. This was the moment when Discovery jumped into a new future to reboot itself for Season 3, and the moment that Discovery also created what became the proto-pilot episode for Strange New Worlds .

Picard Season 3, Episode 6: “The Bounty”

Riker, Picard, Crusher and Seven in 'Star Trek: Picard.'

All your favorite characters await the arrival of even more of your favorite characters.

Midway through Picard Season 3, just when you thought the sweet nostalgia couldn’t get any sweeter, we get this episode. Even explaining why this episode is called “The Bounty” is, oddly, a really cool spoiler.

While it's fashionable to complain about fan service in a big geek franchise, “The Bounty” (and Picard Season 3 in general) proves how fan service can be done well by making massive Easter eggs integral to a real and heartfelt story.

Bottom line: between the Fleet Museum of awesome starships and the Daystrom Institute’s vault of strange devices and creatures (and apparently, the bones of Captain Kirk!) this episode has so many Star Trek goodies in it that it feels like opening a pack of trading cards or something. Did we mention the holographic Moriarty is in this one and an HD flashback to the first Next Generation episode, ever? If ever even had a passing interest in Star Trek, this episode will remind you why just the basic stuff in this universe is so damn cool.

Strange New Worlds Season 1, Episode 5: “Spock Amok”

Chapel (Jess Bush) and Spock (Ethan Peck) in 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.'

Chapel and Spock discuss just how bad Spock is at being engaged.

Star Trek meets Freaky Friday in perhaps the most tender and hilarious body-swap sci-fi TV episode, ever. In order to work out their relationship problems, Spock and T’Pring decide to swap katras, and briefly inhabit each other’s bodies. But, of course, the swap seems permanent, and so, Spock has to pretend to be T’Pring, while T’Pring has to convince everyone’s she’s Spock.

While Ethan Peck’s take on Spock has been pretty much spot-on since the ending of Discovery , Gia Sandhu was put in the unique position of not only having to play T’Pring in this episode, but Spock too! Sandhu was more than up to the challenge, and this episode solidified her as one of the most memorable Strange New Worlds recurring guest stars.

But “Spock Amok” isn’t just about body-swapping shenanigans. There’s also a great subplot here involving Pike trying to work out a bizarre diplomatic problem, while another delightful storyline focuses on La’an and Una playing “Enterprise Bingo.” So, come for the body swap that leads to the Chapel-Spock-T’Pring love triangle, but stay for an episode that will give you all the warm and fuzzy Trekkie feelings.

Short Treks Episode 5: “Q&A”

Rebecca Romijn as Number One in 'Star Trek: Short Treks.'

Number One AKA Una (Rebecca Romijn) shines in a one-of-a-kind minisode.

Although the anthology format of Short Treks seems to have not stuck long term, the fifth episode, “Q&A,” represents perfectly why the concept is so great. Do we need an entire episode that explores Spock’s very first day on the USS Enterprise in 2253? Probably not! But, in the anthology world of Short Treks , this small, very specific story could be told without too much fuss.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist (and Picard co-creator) Michael Chabon, “Q&A” finds Spock (Ethan Peck) and Number One (Rebecca Romijn) trapped together after a turbolift malfunctions. Here, Michael Chabon specifically attacked a real-life truth and combined it with a slick retcon. In Gene Roddenberry’s original conception of Star Trek , Number One would have been more like Spock. But when “The Cage” was rejected as a series pilot, and Roddenberry retooled the concept of Spock, many of Number One’s personality traits were given to Spock.

So, how does that work in canon? “Q&A” provides the answer. Spock clearly looks to Number One as his North Star when it comes to balancing his outward persona with his innermost feelings. Strange New Worlds has slightly walked back some of these themes more recently, but then again, several years have passed between “Q&A,” “The Cage,” and the most recent Number One-centric episode, “Ad Astra per Aspera.”

Discovery Season 1, Episode 7: “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad”

Stamets, Harry Mudd and Burnham in "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad."

Harry Mudd (Rainn Wilson) stops by Discovery to shake things up with a time loop.

Despite being the NuTrek series that launched the entire franchise, the serialized nature of Discovery makes it difficult to pick out just one episode, since so many episodes rely on dense season-long arcs. However, smack-dab in the middle of Discovery’s first season is a wonderful stand-alone episode called “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.”

In it, Rainn Wilson makes his second appearance as Harry Mudd, a reboot (pre-boot?) of an actual mustache-twirling villain from Star Trek: The Original Series . This version of Mudd has time crystals, which allow him to turn the whole episode into a delightful time loop story. If more Discovery Season 1 episodes had been like this one, the show probably wouldn’t have faced such early opposition from fans and critics. This was an instant classic in 2017, and it holds up still.

Lower Decks Season 1, Episode 10: “No Small Parts”

Captain Freeman and Ransom in the Season 1 finale of 'Lower Decks.'

The Easter egg in this opening scene is one of the deepest, and best cuts in all of Lower Decks . You either know who Landru is...or you’re not of the body.

Although you could populate this entire list with Lower Decks episodes that would convert cranky or confused fans, the Season 1 finale of the show might remain the most impressive. Although the internet will tell you that Lower Decks is just Rick and Morty with Trekkie jokes, nothing could be further from the truth. With “No Small Parts,” showrunner Mike McMahan took the structure of a TNG season finale and married that sensibility with the ethos of what the series is all about.

The crew of the USS Cerritos is often doing the mop-up chores of Starfleet, and so it makes sense that their greatest nemesis would be extremely silly alien pieces from TNG . And yet, when things really start to hit the fan, Lower Deck pulls out the big phasers with an unforgettable cameo that will put a smile on the face of even the most casual or jaded Star Trek fan. After you watch “No Small Parts,” you’ll immediately want to watch the next season, and guess what? You’ll find most Lower Decks episodes are just as good.

Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 9: “Subspace Rhapsody”

Captain Pike confronts a singing Klingon.

Captain Pike, seconds before hearing Klingons burst into song.

Although the notion of a Star Trek musical episode might sound like the ultimate example of NuTrek jumping the space shark, the truth is, the zany premise of “Subspace Rhapsody” is exactly the kind of concept The Original Series would have floated if it had had the budget.

When the Enterprise gets hit by an improbability field from a subspace fold, suddenly, they’re enveloped in a kind of reality that operates on the rules of a musical. Getting to the end of this musical reality is the goal of the episode, meaning the musical premise is what drives the entire episode.

That said, “Subspace Rhapsody” does an incredible amount of character work for nearly every member of the crew. This episode establishes the canonical fact that Nurse Chapel has to leave the Enterprise at some point in order to make sense of her wonky TOS chronology. Plus, Chapel dumping Spock in the song “I’m Ready” leads to Spock’s lament “I’m the X,” which effectively retcons the more emotional Spock we’ve seen throughout this series, Discovery , and the 1964 pilot episode “The Cage.”

All in all, “Subspace Rhapsody” represents what Strange New Worlds does best: it takes a huge risk by playing it safe. Or maybe it's the other way around.

Picard Season 3, Episode 10: “The Last Generation”

Michelle Hurd as Raffi and Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine in the final episode of 'Star Trek: Picard.'

Raffi and Seven take charge of the USS Titan, which may have a totally different name now, but no spoilers!

The series finale of Picard is a weird episode to watch as your very first episode of NuTrek but, for longtime fans of the 1990s version of the franchise (which is an era that lasted from 1987 to 2005), this big, bold episode will remind you of all your favorite Star Trek toys.

While watching this episode out of context with the rest of Picard Season 3 could be disorienting, combined with its predecessor — the penultimate episode “Võx” — you’re getting a TNG movie that is much better than most of the actual TNG movies. Heartfelt, action-packed, and with nods to all corners of Trek fandom, “The Last Generation” is also a not-so-secret backdoor pilot for yet another Trek series that has yet to materialize. Fans and showrunner Terry Matalas have dubbed this hypothetical spinoff show as Star Trek: Legacy . Will we ever see it? There are always possibilities, but for now, the most crowd-pleasing NuTrek episode of them all will remain this absolute banger.

Picard, Lower Decks, Strange New Worlds, and Discovery all stream on Paramount+. Prodigy streams on Netflix.

Science Fiction

List of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes

Created by Gene Roddenberry , the science fiction television series Star Trek (which eventually acquired the retronym Star Trek: The Original Series ) starred William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk , Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock , and DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy aboard the fictional Federation starship USS Enterprise . The series originally aired from September 1966 through June 1969 on NBC . [1]

Series overview

Pilots (1964–65), season 1 (1966–67), season 2 (1967–68), season 3 (1968–69), production order, british transmission, external links.

This is the first television series in the Star Trek franchise, and comprises 79 regular episodes over the series' three seasons, along with the series' original pilot episode , " The Cage ". The episodes are listed in order by original air date, [2] which match the episode order in each season's original, [3] [4] [5] remastered, [6] [7] [8] and Blu-ray DVD [9] box sets. The original, single-disc DVD releases placed the episodes by production order, with "The Cage" on the final disc. [10]

After the series' cancellation , Paramount Television released Star Trek to television stations as a syndication package, [11] where the series' popularity grew to become a "major phenomenon within popular culture". [12] This popularity would eventually lead to the expansion of the Star Trek catalog, which as of 2020 includes nine more television series and thirteen Trek motion pictures .

In 2006, CBS Paramount Domestic Television (now CBS Television Distribution ) announced that each Original Series episode would be re-syndicated in high definition after undergoing digital remastering , including both new and enhanced visual effects . [13] (To date, the remastered episodes have only been broadcast in standard definition , though all three seasons are now available on the high-definition Blu-ray Disc format.) [14] [15] The remastered episodes began with " Balance of Terror " (along with, in some markets, " Miri ") during the weekend of September 16, 2006, [16] and ended with "The Cage", which aired during the weekend of May 2, 2009. [17] The remastered air dates listed below are based on the weekend each episode aired in syndication. [16]

Star Trek ' s pilot episode , "The Cage", was completed between November 1964 and January 1965, [18] and starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike , Majel Barrett as Number One , and Leonard Nimoy as Spock . The pilot was rejected by NBC as being "too cerebral" among other complaints. [19] Jeffrey Hunter chose to withdraw from the role of Pike [20] when creator Gene Roddenberry was asked to produce a second pilot episode " Where No Man Has Gone Before ". A slightly edited version with the same title aired in 1966 as the third episode of the new series. [21] [22]

"The Cage" never aired during Star Trek ' s original run. It was presented by Roddenberry as a black-and-white workprint at various science fiction conventions over the years after Star Trek ' s cancellation but was not released on home video until 1986 when Paramount Home Video produced a "restored" release of "The Cage" (a combination of the original black-and-white footage and color portions of the Season 1 episode " The Menagerie ") along with an introduction by Gene Roddenberry. [23]

On October 15, 1988, Paramount Pictures aired a two-hour television special, hosted by Patrick Stewart , called The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next , which featured, for the first time, a full-color television presentation of "The Cage". [23] In the United States, "The Cage" was released to DVD in December 2001. [24] It was later included on the final disc in both the original and "remastered" season 3 DVD box sets listed with its original air date of October 15, 1988. [5] [8] [25]

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" in its original form (production number 02a) had been forwarded to NBC, but only a re-edited version was aired, not as a pilot but as the third episode of the series (production number 02b). The original version was thought to be lost, but later appeared on bootleg VHS tapes at conventions, until a print of it was discovered in 2009 and subsequently released on home video under the title "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" - The Restored, Unaired Alternate Pilot Episode as part of the TOS season 3 box set on Blu-ray; [26] it has not been released on DVD.

After Roddenberry's second pilot episode, " Where No Man Has Gone Before ", received a more favorable response from NBC , [21] [22] Star Trek finally aired its first episode—" The Man Trap "—at 8:30PM on September 8, 1966. [28] "Where No Man...", which eventually aired in a re-edited format as the series' third episode, retained only Spock as a character from "The Cage" but introduced William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk , James Doohan as chief engineer Scotty , and George Takei as physicist (later helmsman) Sulu . Also joining the cast were DeForest Kelley as ship's surgeon Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy and Nichelle Nichols as the communications officer Uhura in "The Man Trap", the first aired episode of the series.

Although her character of Number One was not retained from "The Cage", Majel Barrett returned to the series as a new character, nurse Christine Chapel , and made her first of many recurring appearances in " The Naked Time ". Grace Lee Whitney appeared in eight episodes as yeoman Janice Rand , beginning with "The Man Trap". Whitney left the series after " The Conscience of the King ", [21] [29] [30] but would later make minor appearances in the first , third , fourth , and sixth Star Trek films as well as one episode of the companion series Star Trek: Voyager .

Star Trek ' s first season comprised 29 episodes, including the two-part episode " The Menagerie ", which includes almost all of the footage from the original pilot, "The Cage". Other notable episodes include " Balance of Terror ", which introduces the Romulans ; " Space Seed ", which introduces Khan Noonien Singh and serves as the basis for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ; " Errand of Mercy ", in which the Klingons make their first appearance; and the critically acclaimed, [31] Hugo-Award-winning episode [32] " The City on the Edge of Forever ", which features Kirk, Spock, and McCoy traveling into the past through the Guardian of Forever .

1 2 Credited as S. Bar-David
↑ Credited as Nathan Butler

The show's 26-episode second season began in September 1967 [2] with " Amok Time ", which introduced actor Walter Koenig as Russian navigator Pavel Chekov , and granted viewers the first glimpse of Spock's homeworld, Vulcan . The season also includes such notable episodes as " Mirror, Mirror ", which introduces the evil " mirror universe "; " Journey to Babel ", featuring the introduction of Spock's parents Sarek and Amanda ; and the light-hearted " The Trouble with Tribbles ", which would later be revisited in a 1973 episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series and a 1996 episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . The season ended with " Assignment: Earth ", an attempt to launch a spin-off television series set in the 1960s. [ citation needed ]

↑ Credited as Jud Crucis
↑ Credited as John Kingsbridge

After Star Trek ' s second season, NBC was prepared to cancel the show due to low ratings. [33] [34] Led by fans Bjo and John Trimble , Trek viewers inundated NBC with letters protesting the show's demise and pleading with the network to renew the series for another year. [34] [35]

After NBC agreed to produce a third season, the network promised Gene Roddenberry that the show would air in a favorable timeslot (Mondays at 7:30 p.m.), [33] [34] but later changed the schedule so that Trek would air in the so-called " death slot "—Friday nights at 10:00 p.m. [33] [36] In addition to the "mismanaged" [34] schedule, the show's budget was "seriously slashed" [33] and Nichelle Nichols described the series' eventual cancellation as "a self-fulfilling prophecy ". [37]

Star Trek ' s final, 24-episode season began in September 1968 with " Spock's Brain ". [2] The third season also includes " The Tholian Web ", where Kirk becomes trapped between universes; this episode would later be revisited by two 2005 episodes of the prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise . The last episode of the series, " Turnabout Intruder ", aired on June 3, 1969, [2] but Star Trek would eventually return to television in animated form when the animated Star Trek debuted in September 1973.

1 2 3 4 Credited as Lee Cronin
1 2 Credited as Michael Richards

The list below details the series' episodes in production order, including the original series pilot , " The Cage ". While the "complete season" DVD releases (listed above) follow the original broadcast order, the original episodic DVD releases [10] are numbered by production order. [38]

Star Trek was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One starting on July 12, 1969, with the episode " Where No Man Has Gone Before ". [39] The first episode broadcast in color was " Arena " on November 15, 1969. The episodes were broadcast in a different order than in the United States and were originally aired in four seasons between 1969 and 1971. The BBC edited the episodes for broadcast by showing the title sequence first, then the teaser segment that aired before the titles in the United States, then the rest of the episode. These edited episodes aired until the 1990s [ vague ] , after which the BBC was supplied with NTSC videotape transfers of the first season instead of new film prints, resulting in a substandard picture, and with edits originally made for syndication in the United States. Viewer complaints led to the BBC obtaining film prints for the subsequent two seasons.

" The Cage " was first broadcast on Sky One in July 1990. Three episodes, " Plato's Stepchildren ", " The Empath ", and " Whom Gods Destroy ", were not broadcast on the BBC until 1994, although "The Empath" was listed in the Radio Times as scheduled to broadcast on December 16, 1970, at 7:20 pm. [40] Sky One was the first network to air these three episodes in the UK in 1990, although with the title sequence and teaser shown in the order as they were aired in the United States, whereas the rest of the episodes were broadcast as edited by the BBC.

Lists of Star Trek episodes

Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery series finale will be a longer episode confirmed by sonequa martin-green & showrunner.

With Star Trek: Discovery's series finale just weeks away, Sonequa Martin-Green and Michelle Paradis confirm it will be a longer final episode.

Star Trek: Discovery series finale is confirmed to be a longer episode.
Discovery's series finale, "Life, Itself" is scheduled to premiere May 30 on Paramount+.
Showrunner Michelle Paradise and Sonequa Martin-Green promise emotional, powerful final moments to wrap up the series in a complete way.

Star Trek: Discovery' s series finale will be a longer episode, which is confirmed by series lead and producer Sonequa Martin-Green and executive producer and showrunner Michelle Paradise. Star Trek: Discovery 's final episode, which is the season 5 finale, is scheduled to premiere May 30th on Paramount+. Discovery 's series finale, titled "Life, Itself," is written by Paradise and directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi.

In an interview with Collider, Star Trek: Discovery showrunner Michelle Paradise verified that the series finale will be an extended episode to accommodate the epilogue that was filmed in spring 2023 after Paramount+ allowed Discovery 's cast and crew three more days of production to create a coda to wrap up the series . While it's unclear how long Star Trek: Discovery 's series finale will be, Paradise joked it will be "under seven hours." Check out her quote below:

Michelle Paradise: It might be… It’s a longer episode, yes. We're not spoiling anything… It's under seven hours.

Michelle Paradise also answered a question about how important the final few minutes of Star Trek: Discovery 's series finale will be in terms of closing out the series. Read her response below:

Michelle Paradise: Absolutely. That was huge. Alex [Kurtzman] and I talked about it a lot in terms of what those final moments would be, what it would look like, and what did we want to do there? You always want to wrap a season in a really wonderful way. Wrapping a series , especially when we didn't know going into the season that it would be the final season, we thought a lot about it, and we put a lot into it. I do think that people will really enjoy it and that it will feel “of a piece,” and feel complete in a really good, even if it's bittersweet, way.

Star Trek: Discovery 's series lead, Sonequa Martin-Green , who plays Captain Michael Burnham, also described how emotional it was to come back months after the initial wrap of season 5 to film Discovery 's final scenes . Read her quote below:

Sonequa Martin-Green: Oh my goodness, emotional is like an understatement, right? Like Michelle was saying, we didn't know going in, so when we were able to come back to do these additional shoots, or really it was one additional shoot, but we had to pack a ton into a short period of time So, we bonded even more there on the tail end. It was like, “Let's go big because we're about to go home,” kind of thing. So there were so many tears, but also so much celebration. I'm so thankful to God that I was able to be here, able to be with her, with Alex, with Tunde [Osunsanmi], with the cast and crew, and to build this. It's like, “We've done it. We did it. We have our contribution. Here it is. And we'll always have it. We'll always have each other.” So, it was all of that going through your mind, swirling through your mind and your heart. I can specifically remember the last moments, the last take.

Star Trek: Discovery 's standard episodes run between 50-60 minutes.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Star trek: discovery season 5 is going out on a high note, season 5's more adventurous tone is praised by fans.

Star Trek: Discovery 's reception from fans hasn't always been positive, but Discovery season 5 has come out swinging with more fun, adventure, and crowd-pleasing connections to Star Trek lore. As such, Star Trek: Discovery season 5 has generally been more warmly received by audiences. Discovery season 5's treasure hunt for the ancient, life-creating power of the Progenitors positions it as a direct sequel to Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "The Chase" , and increasing callbacks to TNG and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine have left long-time fans more excited by Discovery 's final season.

In season 5, Star Trek: Discovery feels fresh and unpredictable.

Star Trek: Discovery season 5 has 'cut to "The Chase"' from the get-go, and the introduction of intriguing new characters like Moll (Eve Harlow), L'ak (Elias Toufexis), and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) have added fascinating new dynamics to the series. Discover y's treasure hunt has allowed the serialized series to also weave-in more stand-alone stories that illuminate the stories of the USS Discovery's crew in different ways. In season 5, Star Trek: Discovery feels fresh and unpredictable, which bodes well for the conclusion of the treasure hunt and the ultimate denouement of the show in the series finale.

Source: Collider

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

A Star Trek Origin Movie Is Coming in 2025 From 'Andor' and 'Doctor Who' Director Toby Haynes

'Star Trek' (2009) director J.J. Abrams is attached to produce.

The Big Picture

A new Star Trek prequel film, an "origin story", is in development, at Paramount.
The Star Trek history before Kirk's missions on the Enterprise is largely unwritten, leaving room for creativity with the new film.
Director Toby Haynes, known for Andor , is working on the film alongside writer Seth Grahame-Smith; a 2025 release window was announced at CinemaCon.

Star Trek may finally be coming back to the big screen. A prequel to the 2009 J.J. Abrams reboot of the franchise is in the works from director Toby Haynes . The news comes from Paramount's presentation at CinemaCon today, as reported by Collider's Steve Weintraub and Britta DeVore . With Haynes, who recently helmed six episodes of the acclaimed Star Wars series Andor , at the rudder, the film will be written by Seth Grahame-Smith .

So far, other details on the new film are scarce, but it will reportedly be an "origin story", taking place decades before the 2009 Star Trek film, which took place in 2255. That likely means that it will not feature the cast from the 2009 reboot, which has so far been difficult for Paramount to wrangle together for a fourth film, despite numerous attempts to do so . That doesn't necessarily mean that a fourth movie isn't happening: back in March, Paramount hired The Flight Attendant scribe Steve Yockey to pen a new script for the film. For their part, the cast is game as well, with Zoe Saldaña recently stating her willingness to return for a fourth mission on the USS Enterprise .

What Happened Decades Before Kirk's First Missions on the Enterprise?

The history of the Star Trek universe prior to the celebrated voyages of the Enterprise is largely unwritten. The first starship Enterprise 's adventures in the 22nd century were chronicled on the UPN prequel series Star Trek: Enterprise . That series ended with the founding of the United Federation of Planets in 2161, which leaves almost a century of mostly unexplored history between that and the history now being charted on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (and the first two seasons of mothership show Star Trek: Discovery ).

At some point, the nascent Federation faces a devastating war against the Romulan Star Empire , while also engaged in a Cold War with the Klingons. The USS Enterprise will eventually be launched in the 23rd century, under the captaincy of Robert April, who has been briefly glimpsed on Star Trek: The Animated Series and Strange New Worlds , before being handed off to Christopher Pike . Apart from that, however, Haynes and Graeme-Smith have a near-blank canvas upon which to make their mark.

In addition to Andor , Haynes has also helmed episodes of Doctor Who , Sherlock , and Black Mirror ; his work on the latter series includes the episode " USS Callister ," a loving pastiche of Star Trek . Graeme-Smith wrote the novels Pride & Prejudice & Zombies and Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter ; he worked on the story for the upcoming horror comedy sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice .

A new Star Trek prequel film is in development; no date has yet been set beyond a 2025 release window . Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season Five to End Paramount+ Animated Series

by Regina Avalos, April 14, 2024

Star Trek: Lower Decks TV show on Paramount+: canceled or renewed?

(Photo: Paramount+)

Star Trek: Lower Decks will end its upcoming fifth season. Paramount+ renewed the series for a fifth season ahead of its season four premiere in September. The streamer revealed the cancellation of the animated series when announcing the renewal of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

Starring Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells, Eugene Cordero, Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O’Connell, Fred Tatasciore, and Gillian Vigman, the Star Trek: Lower Decks series revolves around the lower-ranking crew members of the USS Cerritos.

Paramount+ revealed more about the end of Star Trek: Lower Decks in a press release.

Paramount+ today announced that its hit original series STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS has been renewed for a fourth season. The series is currently in production on its third season, which is set to debut in 2025. Additionally, the previously announced fifth season of STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS , which also is currently in production, will mark the series’ final season and premiere this fall on Paramount+. “It has been incredibly rewarding to continue to build the STAR TREK universe, and we’re so grateful to Secret Hideout and our immensely talented casts and producers,” said Jeff Grossman, Executive Vice President, Programming, Paramount+. “STAR TREK: STRANGE NEW WORLDS has found the perfect blend of action, adventure and humor, and we’re elated to announce another season ahead of our season three premiere. Similarly, STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS has brought the laughs with an ample amount of heart to the franchise across its four seasons. We can’t wait for audiences to see what is in store for the crew of the U.S.S. Cerritos in this final season.” “LOWER DECKS and STRANGE NEW WORLDS are integral to the STAR TREK franchise, expanding the boundaries of the universe and exploring new and exciting worlds,” said David Stapf, President, CBS Studios. “We are extraordinarily proud of both series as they honor the legacy of what Gene Roddenberry created almost 60 years ago. We are so grateful to work with Secret Hideout, Alex Kurtzman, Mike McMahan, Akiva Goldsman, Henry Alonso Myers and the cast, crews and artists who craft these important and entertaining stories for fans around the world.” The expanded STAR TREK franchise on Paramount+ also includes the fifth and final season of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, which recently premiered, STAR TREK: SECTION 31, an original movie event with Oscar® winner Michelle Yeoh, which recently wrapped production, and the new original series STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY, slated to begin production later this year. About STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS is an animated comedy series that focuses on the support crew serving on one of Starfleet’s least important ships, the U.S.S. Cerritos. The crew residing in the “lower decks” of the U.S.S. Cerritos includes the voices of Tawny Newsome, Jack Quaid, Noël Wells and Eugene Cordero; the bridge crew is voiced by Dawnn Lewis, Jerry O’Connell, Fred Tatasciore and Gillian Vigman. STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS is produced by CBS’ Eye Animation Productions, CBS Studios’ animation arm; Secret Hideout; and Roddenberry Entertainment. Executive producers include Alex Kurtzman, Mike McMahan, Aaron Baiers, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth. Titmouse, the Emmy Award-winning independent animation production company, serves as the animation studio for the series. STAR TREK: LOWER DECKS streams exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and Latin America and is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

The fifth season of Star Trek: Lower Decks will be released this fall. An exact premiere date will be announced later.

What do you think? Have you enjoyed this Paramount+ series? Will you be sad to see it end?

Check out our status sheets to track new TV series pickups, renewals, and cancellations. You can find lists of cancelled shows here .

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Why!?!? Star Trek was in major decline when they put out Star Trek Discovery. That writer’s team should never be allowed to work together ever again. But Star Trek lower Decks? That were fun stories, written with a wink to rules and regulations the Star Trek universe is known for. Even the other animated Star Trek series, while predictable, showed a lot of [potential in getting young viewer familiar with Star Trek again. Lower Decks is fun for those familiar already with that universe. Well, at least Strange New Worlds is getting renewals. That series embodies the spirit of Star … Read more »

Den of Geek

Is the Science Behind Star Trek’s Transporter Plausible?

Star Trek's Transporter is a sci-fi staple... but does it hold up both scientifically and narratively? A new video podcast from Roddenberry Entertainment puts it to the test.

Share on Facebook (opens in a new tab)
Share on Twitter (opens in a new tab)
Share on Linkedin (opens in a new tab)
Share on email (opens in a new tab)

Editor’s note: Does It Fly? releases new episodes Fridays through Den of Geek , YouTube , Apple Podcasts , and DoesItFlyPod.com .

After pioneering the future of science fiction on television for decades, Roddenberry Entertainment digs into the real-world science behind pop culture’s most iconic conceits, vehicles, and gadgets with the original video podcast series Does It Fly? . Hosted by noted astrophysicist and science educator Hakeem Oluseyi and television host, actor, and pop culture enthusiast Tamara Krinsky, the show examines devices from the most beloved sci-fi movies and shows, explaining the theoretical science behind them and if they’d actually function properly outside of the comforts of fiction.

To commemorate First Contact Day, the pivotal date where humanity first met intelligent life from another world, as depicted in the classic 1996 movie Star Trek: First Contact , the inaugural episode of the podcast focuses on if Star Trek ’s transporter could theoretically work. Speaking from their complementary professional backgrounds, areas of expertise, and Star Trek fandom, Oluseyi brings in the solid scientific theory and Krinsky frames it all with her encyclopedic knowledge of the geekiest pop culture franchises.

The transporter has been a staple for Star Trek ever since The Original Series debuted in 1966. The device is capable of teleporting solid objects and living organisms from one point to another, in most cases, safely and in a matter of seconds. Though the backstory behind the transporter has been revealed in Star Trek: Enterprise , along with its evolving technical limitations of the technology across the different generations of Starfleet explored in the various series and movies, the actual science behind it comes into question on the podcast.

Ad – content continues below

Oluseyi packs the discussion with plenty of actual science in how the transporter works but keeps the information accessible for those who might not be as familiar with the math and science involved in calculating its viability. Oluseyi lays out the various technical challenges transporter technology would face, including the potential data storage requirements and how to maintain fidelity in converting living organic matter into energy and back to its normal state. Krinsky draws from her own extensive knowledge of Star Trek , citing specific key instances where further context about the operational capabilities of the transporter are revealed and behind-the-scenes history from the production.

As the two debunk some of the fictional science to make these devices work, Oluseyi and Krinsky make it very clear that the application of real-world science does not diminish their love and appreciation for Star Trek and the other shows and movies they examine on the podcast. And even though Oluseyi has his own skepticism about the viability of creating a functioning transporter, he excitedly declares he would try out the transporter himself – after at least a few other people try it first.

Every episode of Does It Fly? revolves around the title question: Does the pop culture device in question “fly,” in terms of becoming scientifically feasible in the foreseeable future? Krinsky and Oluseyi each lay out the case why they think a given piece of tech, like transporter, should be considered fly-worthy like a parting defense. And though Krinsky and Oluseyi don’t always agree on if something is fly-worthy, the conversation stays brisk, engaging, and fun, with plenty of scientific and pop culture information provided to viewers in every episode.

Does It Fly? marks the latest podcast series produced by Roddenberry Entertainment, the production company founded by the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and currently run by his son, CEO Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, and COO Trevor Roth. In addition to executive producing the numerous new Star Trek series streaming on Paramount+, the two have curated and produced a growing number of original podcast series , each speaking to a different facet of science fiction fandom, often but not exclusively linked to the Star Trek mythos and Roddenberry family legacy.

Roth swung by Den of Geek Studio at SXSW 2024 , speaking about the current state of Star Trek , including the recently launched final season of Star Trek: Discovery . Among the topics Roth also spoke about was Roddenberry Entertainment’s podcast network and how they reflect a thriving frontier for the company as it continues to guide Star Trek to new heights and audiences nearly 60 years since the franchise made its inaugural launch.

“One thing we love about podcasting is we get right to the audience,” Roth tells Den of Geek . “When you look at expanding into that area, for us it’s wonderful and liberating. It’s something we can control so fully. It allows us to hopefully rise to the cream of the crop in regard to the way we do it, which I think has to do with us being very thoughtful about [the topics] and recognizing what we’re trying to achieve and giving that to the audience.”

Does It Fly? releases new episodes Fridays through Den of Geek, YouTube , or on doesitflypod.com , You can listen to the show on Spotify , Apple , and anywhere else you get your podcasts.

Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!

IMAGES

Star Trek: The Original Series Collection
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series Collection
Star Trek: The 8 Most Memorable Episodes The Original Series
Watch Star Trek: The Original Series (Remastered) Season 1 Episode 2
Star Trek: The Original Series

VIDEO

Top 25 Episodes of Star Trek: #18 "The Visitor" Live Stream
Star Trek The Original Series Season Two Disc 1 DVD Menu (2004)
Top 10 Star Trek The Original Series Episodes
Star Trek Original Series Main Title
The Overrated Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek

COMMENTS

List of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes
The series originally aired from September 1966 through June 1969 on NBC. [1] This is the first television series in the Star Trek franchise, and comprises 79 regular episodes over the series' three seasons, along with the series' original pilot episode, "The Cage". The episodes are listed in order by original air date, [2] which match the ...
Star Trek (TV Series 1966-1969)
S1.E5 ∙ The Enemy Within. Thu, Oct 6, 1966. A transporter malfunction splits Captain Kirk into two halves: one meek and indecisive, the other violent and ill tempered. The remaining crew members stranded on the planet cannot be beamed up to the ship until a problem is fixed. 7.6/10 (4.9K)
Lists of Star Trek episodes
Lists of. Star Trek. episodes. Twelve television series make up the Star Trek franchise: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Discovery, Short Treks, Picard, Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds. All series in total amount to 903 episodes across 47 seasons of television.
Star Trek: The Original Series
The episodes were broadcast in the original broadcast sequence, followed by "The Cage", to which a full 105-minute segment was devoted. (For details on each episode's original airdate, see List of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes.) Leonard Nimoy hosted a second run from December 28, 1998, to March 24, 1999, but not all the episodes were ...
Star Trek: The Original Series episode guides
Star Trek: The Original Series - the seaons, the key episodes. Season 1 - In the 1960s, TV was a different beast. Serialization (and thus continuity) was essentially non-existent. Each story plays out over a single episode only (with one exception in three years of Star Trek), thereby not allowing for much character development each season of Star Trek's original run is really barely ...
List of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes
The series originally aired from September 1966 through June 1969 on NBC. This is the first television series in the Star Trek franchise, and comprises 79 regular episodes over the series' three seasons, along with the series' original pilot episode, "The Cage". The episodes are listed in order by original air date, which match the episode ...
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series (referred to as Star Trek prior to any spin-offs) is the first Star Trek series. The first episode of the show aired on 6 September 1966 on CTV in Canada, followed by a 8 September 1966 airing on NBC in America. The show was created by Gene Roddenberry as a "Wagon Train to the Stars". Star Trek was set in the 23rd century and featured the voyages of the starship ...
Star Trek (TV Series 1966-1969)
Star Trek: Created by Gene Roddenberry. With Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols. In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.
Full List of Star Trek: The Original Series Episodes
Below is a complete Star Trek: The Original Series episode list that spans the show's entire TV run. Photos from the individual Star Trek: The Original Series episodes are listed along with the Star Trek: The Original Series episode names when available, as are the dates of the original airing of the episode.
Star Trek: The Original Series
The iconic series follows the crew of the starship U.S.S. Enterprise as it completes its missions in space in the 23rd century. Captain James T. Kirk -- along with science officer Spock, ship Dr. "Bones" McCoy, Ensign Pavel Chekov, communications officer Lt. Nyota Uhura, helmsman Lt. Hikaru Sulu, and chief engineer Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery "Scotty ...
List of Star Trek episodes, chronological
List of Star Trek episodes, chronological. Includes television episodes for all Star Trek series, plus all Star Trek movies, listed chronologically by date of setting. Table gives: Series (TOS=Star Trek/The Original Series; TNG=Star Trek: The Next Generation; DS9=Star Trek: Deep Space Nine; VOY=Star Trek: Voyager; ENT=Star Trek: Enterprise; ST ...
The 10 standout episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series
Introducing a planet-ending energy weapon 10 years before Star Wars, this episode features a real nail-biter of an ending. Fun fact for the continuity-conscious: Decker's son, Willard Decker ...
TOS :: TrekCore
Our episode database profiles every episode of Star Trek: The Original Series. Each episode entry features background information, trivia, behind the scenes information, and Blu-ray screencaps. Jump to Season: 1 | 2 | 3. Ep Title Prod Airdate Stardate; 1x00: The Cage: 001: 1988-10-04: Unknown: 1x01: The Man Trap: 006: 1966-09-08: 1513.1: 1x02 ...
Star Trek (a Titles & Air Dates Guide)
A guide listing the titles AND air dates for episodes of the TV series Star Trek. For US airdates of a foreign show, click The Futon Critic. my shows | like | set your list <preferences > Star Trek ... Episode # Original Air Date Titles : Season 1 : 1. 1-1 : 08 Sep 66: The Man Trap: 2. 1-2 : 15 Sep 66: Charlie X: 3. 1-3 : 22 Sep 66: Where No ...
How to Watch Star Trek in Order: The Complete Series Timeline
1. Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155) Star Trek: Enterprise is the earliest entry on our list as it takes place a hundred years before the adventures of Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew of ...
Every Episode
While we haven't ranked every episode in one massive overall list yet (someday!), we have compiled a resource for you to see every episode of Star Trek listed in one place. The current episode count is 907. (And we are using the word "episode" as shorthand. This count obviously includes the 13 films and Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage ...
List of Star Trek television series
The Original Series logo. Star Trek is an American media franchise based on the science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry.The first television series, simply called Star Trek and now referred to as The Original Series, debuted in 1966 and aired for three seasons on NBC.The Star Trek canon includes eight live-action television series, three animated series and one short-form ...
'Star Trek' Original Series Episodes: The Best 20
Ricardo Montaban's single appearance on the original series as the 1990s warlord Khan Noonien Singh set the stage for the undisputed greatest Star Trek film ever, The Wrath of Khan, set 15 years ...
20 Best Star Trek Episodes from The Original Series
14) A Private Little War. Image via CBS. Star Trek was offering a direct allegorical take on the Vietnam War in 1968 with a story that finds Captain Kirk in a moral dilemma. A planet of immense ...
Star Trek: The Original Series
There are no inadequacies. STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES follows the 23rd century adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise, a powerful interstellar spacecraft dispatched by Starfleet to explore the galaxy and seek out new life and civilizations. Watch Now. Stream Star Trek: The Original Series free and on-demand with Pluto TV.
A Complete Timeline of Star Trek
Star Trek: The Original Series producers didn't worry about what came before or after their show, and series creator Gene Roddenberry had a way of simply ignoring episodes he considered sub-par ...
Every Classic Star Trek The Original Series Episode Ranked (1966-1969
This is a ranked list of every episode of the original Star Trek television series that aired from 1966-1969. The rankings take into account the overall IMDb ratings as well as IMDb's Top 1000 voters' ratings. The original pilot is NOT included on this list.
The 10 Best Episode of Modern Star Trek, Ranked
10 Best "NuTrek" Star Trek Episodes To Convert Any Doubtful Trekkie. From Discovery to Picard to Lower Decks, Prodigy, and Strange New Worlds, there's a lot of New Star Trek to love. Seven ...
Watch Star Trek: The Original Series on demand for free!
STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES follows the 23rd century adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise, a powerful interstellar spacecraft dispatched by Starfleet to explore the galaxy and seek out new life and civilizations.
List of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes
Episodes Pilots (1964-65) Star Trek ' s pilot episode, "The Cage", was completed between November 1964 and January 1965, [18] and starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, Majel Barrett as Number One, and Leonard Nimoy as Spock.The pilot was rejected by NBC as being "too cerebral" among other complaints. [19] Jeffrey Hunter chose to withdraw from the role of Pike [20] when creator ...
Star Trek: Discovery Series Finale Will Be A Longer Episode Confirmed
Star Trek: Discovery season 5 has 'cut to "The Chase"' from the get-go, and the introduction of intriguing new characters like Moll (Eve Harlow), L'ak (Elias Toufexis), and Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) have added fascinating new dynamics to the series. Discovery's treasure hunt has allowed the serialized series to also weave-in more stand-alone stories that illuminate the stories of ...
A Star Trek Origin Movie Is Coming in 2025 From Director ...
Director Toby Haynes, known for Andor, is working on the film alongside writer Seth Grahame-Smith; a 2025 release window was announced at CinemaCon. Star Trek may finally be coming back to the big ...
Star Trek: The Original Series season 1
The first season of the American science-fiction television series Star Trek, originally created by Gene Roddenberry, premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966, and concluded on April 13, 1967. The season debuted in Canada on CTV two days before the US premiere, on September 6, 1966. It consisted of 29 episodes, which is the highest number of episodes in a season for the original series of Star Trek.
Star Trek: Lower Decks:
The expanded STAR TREK franchise on Paramount+ also includes the fifth and final season of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY, which recently premiered, STAR TREK: SECTION 31, an original movie event with Oscar ...
Is the Science Behind Star Trek's Transporter Plausible?
The transporter has been a staple for Star Trek ever since The Original Series debuted in 1966. The device is capable of teleporting solid objects and living organisms from one point to another ...

Latest Tweets

Star Trek: The Original Series episode guides - All TOS episodes rated, reviewed

Star Trek: The Original Series – the seaons, the key episodes

Star Trek: The Original Series

Opening credits [ ]

Main cast [ ]

Also starring [ ]

Production crew [ ]

Episode list [ ]

First pilot [ ]

Season 2 [ ]

Season 3 [ ]

Behind the scenes [ ]

The first pilot [ ]

The second pilot [ ]

The series begins [ ]

The first season [ ]

Syndication [ ]

Reception [ ]

Remastered [ ]

Related topics [ ]

External links [ ]

Full List of Star Trek: The Original Series Episodes

Star Trek's 25th Anniversary Special

A Taste of Armageddon

Balance of Terror

Court Martial

Dagger of the Mind

Errand of Mercy

Mudd's Women

The Alternative Factor

The City on the Edge of Forever

The Conscience of the King

The Corbomite Maneuver

The Devil in the Dark

The Enemy Within

The Galileo Seven

The Man Trap

The Naked Time

The Return of the Archons

The Squire of Gothos

Tomorrow Is Yesterday

What Are Little Girls Made Of?

Where No Man Has Gone Before

Shore Leave

This Side of Paradise

Star Trek: The Original Series

Latest Articles

Latest Videos

Latest Galleries

Boldly Go: Subscribe Now

List of Star Trek episodes, chronological

The 10 standout episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series

"Where No Man Has Gone Before" (Season 1, episode 3)

"The City on the Edge of Forever" (Season 1, episode 28)

"Space Seed" (Season 1, episode 22)

"Amok Time" (Season 2, episode 1)

"Mirror, Mirror" (Season 2, episode 4)

"The Trouble with Tribbles" (Season 2, episode 15)

"Balance of Terror" (Season 1, episode 14)

"The Corbomite Maneuver" (Season 1, episode 10)

"The Doomsday Machine" (Season 2, episode 6)

"Arena" (Season 1, episode 18)

Related Articles

Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention, Sep 7 - 9, 2023, Hunt Valley, MD

How to Watch Star Trek in Order: The Complete Series Timeline

How to Watch Star Trek in Chronological Order

1. Star Trek: Enterprise (2151-2155)

2. Star Trek: Discovery: Seasons 1 and 2 (2256-2258)

3. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2259-TBD)

4. Star Trek: The Original Series (2265-2269)

5. Star Trek: The Animated Series (2269-2270)

6. Star Trek: The Motion Picture (2270s)

7. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (2285)

8. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (2285)

9. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (2286 and 1986)

10. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (2287)

11. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (2293)

12. Star Trek: The Next Generation (2364-2370)

13. Star Trek Generations (2293)