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I've watched most of Star Trek (TNG onward) when it originally aired, I have forgotten a lot of what happened in the series. If it weren't for SF Debris reviews I would only remember the first Borg and Q episodes, vaguely...and episodes where Data was the center of the story.

 

[TheSecondSpitter]

DS9: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

John le Carré meets Star Trek, seriously underrated and could easily be "padded" into a feature film.

Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Drumhead.
Season 4, Episode 21.

A really great episode, that has become as timely now as at the time of its first airing. An explosion on the Enterprise, leads to a rigorous internal investigation launching by a visiting, high ranking Admiral. As the Admiral openly encourages a climate of suspicion, division and paranoia to take over among his own crew, an increasingly alarmed Picard decides to take a stand against her. I'd definitely recommend a first-time viewer of the show checking this one out. A very tense, thoughtful episode...capped off with some excellent speeches, once again delivered by a Patrick Stewart totally on top of his game.

While Drumhead's themes are relevant today, perhaps more than ever, the script, set-up and comic book characterizations and actions of the Admiral and other main characters, have aged extremely poorly.

 

[ubique]

The Cage

 

[Creepy]

Love too many episodes for too many different reasons to pick a favourite, Trek is my favourite show.

I have a particular fondness of "conspiracy" (TNG) because of it's unusual foray into the scifi horror genre.
"A taste of Armageddon" (TOS)
"Balance of Terror" (TOS)
"The measure of a man" (TNG)

And my gf is screaming "The Inner Light" and "In the pale moonlight" at me, so those need mentioning too.

 

[BuckRobotron]

To mind first, though these are not singular favorites for their series:

TOS - "What Are Little Girls Made Of?" not just because of Sherry Jackson...
VOY - "Day of Honor" - a pivotal one for the Paris/B'Elanna duo
ENT - "Similitude" - excellent episode that hits on cloning ethics, Trip-focus is usually win, just rewatched yesterday

TNG and DS9 not secondary to these but simply haven't rewatched as recently

 

[Sojgat]

DS9 - Far Beyond the Stars

 

[UnnecessaryTodd]

I'm currently watching TNG for the first time with my partner, mid season 6 and by far my favourite episode has been The Measure of a Man, but I also really like Tin Man, The Offspring and The Outcast. But there have been a lot of good episodes and i'm excited to watch the rest of the series as well as DS9 and Voyager. Then see how I go from there.

 

[Octavianus]

DS9: Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges

John le Carré meets Star Trek, seriously underrated and could easily be "padded" into a feature film.


While Drumhead's themes are relevant today, perhaps more than ever, the script, set-up and comic book characterizations and actions of the Admiral and other main characters, have aged extremely poorly.

In a world where some prominent figures literally act like comic book characterizations? I don't think so

 

[Jayne]

Tapestry is the episode that cemented Star Trek in mind as series worth watching. It was literally the moment I realized I really liked Star Trek. It's such a good episode. Pat Stewart really shows his chops in that ep.

 

[DrSlek]

DS9
Trials of Tribilations

 

[Dougald]

I was going to post The Drumhead but I see that the OP has excellent taste. It's as relevant today as it was then

 

[TheSecondSpitter]

In a world where some prominent figures literally act like comic book characterizations? I don't think so

As a lawyer I am just offended the JAG duties were given to Riker and the fact we never see one on the Enterprise is a bigger mystery than the absence of toilets to me.

 

[Makai]

Mirror Mirror

 

[jb1234]

I was going to post The Drumhead but I see that the OP has excellent taste. It's as relevant today as it was then

More so, if anything. A lot of DS9 also comes across as terrifyingly prescient.

 

[Kerensky]

VOY - Threshold

 

[TheSecondSpitter]

More so, if anything. A lot of DS9 also comes across as terrifyingly prescient.

The DS9 writers ripped off "John Carpenter's The Thing" just enough so nobody would notice with the whole "Who's a Changling?"angle.

 

[mujun]

DS9: Duet.

Gets me every time.

 

[Timbuktu]

While Drumhead's themes are relevant today, perhaps more than ever, the script, set-up and comic book characterizations and actions of the Admiral and other main characters, have aged extremely poorly.

I think like many of the best TNG episodes, it very much rests on Patrick Stewart's performance. He is heads and shoulders above everyone else and he make the material work. With the Inner Light, it could easily be ruined by the dodgy make up if not for his acting. The Drumhead was an overt moral message and it really was all about Stewart's speech. The scary would be that in the climate nowadays that Admiral Henry would have agreed with containing the witchhunt. I kinda wish we can visit an old Captain Picard once more, like we did with Xavier in Logan I miss that character.

Edit: as I have said in another thread, I wish Star Trek had more episodes like Lower Decks. It would be good to know what the crew actually do and live like outside the bridge. Master and Commander did it quite well, and I always though of that as the best Star Trek film that just happens to be on water.

 

[Yarbskoo]

TOS: City on the Edge of Forever, Balance of Terror
TAS: Yesteryear
TNG: The Best of Both Worlds, The Inner Light
DS9: In the Pale Moonlight, Far Beyond the Stars

 

[liquidtmd]

I kinda wish we can visit an old Captain Picard once more, like we did with Xavier in Logan I miss that character.

This, but (and I'm not a real Trekkie here) I concur with the sentiment that it should be a revisit of old 'TV Captain' as opposed to movie Picard where quite big liberties were taken to ram him into the required format

Old 'Darmok / Inner Light / All Good Things...' Picard, not Nemesis Picard

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

The Royale

 

[Boem]

I'm going through TOS for the first time right now, and I just reach The Menagerie. I've already seen The Cage earlier, so it's fun to see how they incorporated that first pilot into the main show. Anyway, the way Captain Pike looks in that set of episodes looks so much like Simon Pegg with his braindead videogame-playing face from Spaced to me:

(that's the clearest pic of that expression I could find, the one at the beginning of that gif)

They should have had him playing crippled Pike instead of Scotty in the new movies.

I also suddenly get the references in Futurama to this specific episode. Good stuff.

Edit: also, young Pike reminds me of Bruce Campbell a lot. The shape of his head/face, the way he moves around. Uncanny.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

The Royale

I also suddenly get the references in Futurama to this specific episode. Good stuff.

Man, I can't imagine watching Where No Fan Has Gone with no TOS knowledge.

 

[Boem]

Man, I can't imagine watching Where No Fan Has Gone with no TOS knowledge.

Yeah, I'm making all sorts of connections to stuff I've seen on Futurama before. At the time that episode was definitely a bit too injokey for me to get, but it does make the TOS episodes I'm watching now a lot of fun.

I'll make sure to return to Futurama after I'm done with TOS.

 

[Professor Renegade]

The Messure of a Man, TNG

It was my introduction to Star Trek and I still can't get over just how powerful Picard's speech is at the end. It's always incredible when sci-if tackles the problems we'll face tomorrow, and relates it to the issues that we face today.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

The Messure of a Man, TNG

It was my introduction to Star Trek and I still can't get over just how powerful Picard's speech is at the end. It's always incredible when sci-if tackles the problems we'll face tomorrow, and relates it to the issues that we face today.

Have you watched the extended blu-ray version (the ep was cut for syndication as it ran too long)? I think it makes it even better as it shows how far Picard's position on Maddox's request moves during the episode.

Good one to showcase having an open mind enables you to become a better person.

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

I'm not that big of a fan of TOS but Balance of Terror is a true TV classic. Mark Lenard was too good for this world.

And I don't remember the name of the episode, but the one where Major Kira was a femme fatale made quite an impression on my young self. Ahem...

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

I'm not that big of a fan of TOS but Balance of Terror is a true TV classic. Mark Lenard was too good for this world.

And I don't remember the name of the episode, but the one where Major Kira was a femme fatale made quite an impression on my young self. Ahem...

Probably "Our Man Bashir".

 

[Professor Renegade]

Have you watched the extended blu-ray version (the ep was cut for syndication as it ran too long)? I think it makes it even better as it shows how far Picard's position on Maddox's request moves during the episode.

Good one to showcase having an open mind enables you to become a better person.

Holy shit, no I didn't know about this! Guess I have something to do before work!

 

[Sgt. Kabukiman]

Probably "Our Man Bashir".

Just googled it. Yeah, I think that's it, thanks! Gonna rewatch it tonight.

Edit: forgot to mention City on the Edge of Forever! Plenty of other posters did, but still, it's an amazing work of science-fiction.

 

[Aiustis]

DS9: Duet.

Gets me every time.

Came to say this. That episode was beautiful.
All my favorite Star Trek episodes are DS9 and they've been mentioned.

Amongst the other series:
TNG:
Lower Decks: A great episode that is not about any of the main cast.
Rascals: Probably the most fun TNG ever got for me.

Voyager:
Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy
Living Witness

ENT:
Similtude

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

Rascals: Probably the most fun TNG ever got for me.

"Captain Pea-card"

 

[Aiustis]

"Captain Pea-card"

Bonus points for being so quotable.

 

[MCN]

As a lawyer I am just offended the JAG duties were given to Riker and the fact we never see one on the Enterprise is a bigger mystery than the absence of toilets to me.

But there is a toilet on Deck 1 at least. There's a door on (I think) the starboard side of the bridge labelled "Head", which is naval parlance for the shitter.

 

[TheSecondSpitter]

I much prefer the theory that toilets became obsolete with the advent of transporter technology.

 

[adj_noun]

It changes. Recently it's Darmok.

It's basically what I was hoping a decent chunk of Mass Effect Andromeda would be.

 

[Sir_Crocodile]

It saddens me a bit that I'm the only person who said "The Survivors". I often feel that it's one of, if not the most overlooked trek ep.

 

[Htown]

It saddens me a bit that I'm the only person who said "The Survivors". I often feel that it's one of, if not the most overlooked trek ep.

oh man I never think about that episode but when I'm reminded I'm like "damn, that was a good episode"

 

[Lucky Forward]

I also suddenly get the references in Futurama to this specific episode. Good stuff.

And South Park...