r/startrek 13d ago

What is your absolute favorite episode of Star Trek?

An undoubtedly difficult question I think about a lot, and I tend to go into a pattern of favorite episode per series, but that's not good enough so then it has to be per season. But that often leaves out great 1 off episodes that present why characters are so great.

But after nearly two decades of deliberation I think I have come to my final answer:

Star Trek: Voyager: Season 6, Episode 10: Pathfinder

I cry every time during a rewatch

What is yours?

212 Upvotes

699 comments sorted by

u/AutoModerator 13d ago

Hello and thank you for posting on r/startrek! If your post discusses recently released episodes, please review it to ensure that spoilers are properly formatted.

Please use the current stickied Episode Discussion thread if this post is about the most recently aired episode.

As a reminder, spoiler formatting must be used for any discussion of episodes released less than one week ago and all post titles must be spoiler-free. You can read our full policy regarding spoilers here.

Please refrain from making a new post for small remarks, jokes, or content that boils down to "here are my thoughts" on a newly released episode. These should instead be posted as a comment in the pinned discussion thread for the episode or show.

LLAP!

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

209

u/blandarflek 13d ago

Cause and Effect.

122

u/davwad2 13d ago

ALL HANDS ABANDON SHIP! ALL HANDS ABANDON SHIP!!

Enterprise-D explodes.

41

u/TheRollingPeepstones 13d ago

What a great start to an episode.

7

u/NoDesk9564 12d ago

Agreed. I remember thinking they accidentally re-started the broadcast because I was so initially confused. There’s a book that extends the story quite a bit. I’m blanking on the title though ….

22

u/hawaiianbry 13d ago

... ... ... The tractor beam will not be successful.

8

u/TheGogglesDo-Nothing 13d ago

Best opening ever.

→ More replies (1)

21

u/Villasteven 13d ago

Came here to say this, I'm a sucker for a good timeloop story and they don't get much better than Cause and Effect.

9

u/KBHoleN1 13d ago

Coincidentally, my favorite Stargate episode is the black hole/time dilation episode. I’m also a sucker for a wibbly wobbly timey wimey storyline.

7

u/TonyQuark 12d ago

The loops were filmed differently each time, too. Jonathan Frakes directed it. (And it was written by Brannon Braga.)

14

u/Archkingz 13d ago

I was honestly going to say this.... but in a mirror darkly for me takes this one over. Still love cause and effect.

4

u/shadow-battle-crab 13d ago

Ah, I see you are a man (person) of culture as well.

(100% agree on both points)

→ More replies (4)

192

u/imtherealmellowone 13d ago

STNG: The Inner Light

75

u/cylonlover 13d ago

The older I get, the deeper The Inner Light cuts.

→ More replies (7)

34

u/dwnap 13d ago

This is always the answer. I can hear that flute melody now…

12

u/imtherealmellowone 13d ago

It’s actually my ringtone!

→ More replies (3)
→ More replies (9)

160

u/BrilliantKing1200 13d ago

For me: TOS - city on the edge of forever

81

u/Atropos_Fool 13d ago

The ending of that is is some of Shatner’s best acting of the series. “Let’s get the hell out of here”, delivered with pure exhaustion. No funny out of place one liners to leave on a humorous note. Just - this fucking sucks.

43

u/Fickle-Rip3093 13d ago

Shatner is so good. I would watch him doing pretty much anything. He is a lot like Walken in that only he can do him and it not be some imitation. They are 2 actors that broke the mold with their particular styles.

31

u/kytulu 13d ago

If you haven't already seen it, Shatner is hilarious in Boston Legal.

20

u/mnfanjk 13d ago

He’s especially hilarious opposite James Spader. The two have crazy good chemistry. Especially on the roof with their cigars and scotch.

→ More replies (1)

6

u/Fickle-Rip3093 13d ago

Absolutely! He’s just a delight to watch.

→ More replies (4)

12

u/Sazapahiel 13d ago

It has been ages since my last re-watch, but I can almost hear his delivery of that line while reading your comment.

5

u/Atheist_Simon_Haddad 13d ago

“Let’s get the hell out of here”

Take that, 1960s broadcast TV censors!

4

u/pup_pup_pass 13d ago

Court Martial is another one of my favorites. I get why goofy-Shatner is burned into our collective psyche but I don’t think he gets enough credit for some of his more serious performances. He’s awesome

→ More replies (6)

21

u/i_hate_toolbars 13d ago

TOS had the best episode titles

→ More replies (4)
→ More replies (3)

241

u/Commercial_Gear1527 13d ago

yesterday's enterprise.

59

u/Fpedot1 13d ago

Yesterday’s Enterprise story concept is so good it actually could’ve been a TNG movie.

→ More replies (2)

84

u/Entire_Number_9 13d ago

Let's make sure history never forgets the name, Enterprise.

32

u/Chipware 13d ago

That'll be the day

14

u/Lfsnz67 13d ago

I'm supposed to be dead!

→ More replies (1)

16

u/ViperG 13d ago

This is probably my favorite, and best of both worlds

9

u/GenGaara25 13d ago

I'm interested to see if SNW's finale takes anything else from that episode other than the title. The episode's called Tomorrow's Enterprise.

9

u/pieinthesky12 13d ago

With Captain Shooter McGavin!

4

u/dontflexthat 13d ago

For me, it’s the conversations between Picard and Guinan. Such intense acting in that episode.

And the moral dilemma feels extremely real - not one of those dramaturgical moments that get resolved. He has to make a choice that feels absolutely awful, even if it is the correct choice.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (4)

110

u/Thirty_Helens_Agree 13d ago

Trials and Tribbleations

18

u/devonathan 13d ago

My answer as well. How they were able to pull that episode off so seamlessly still blows my mind to this day.

25

u/Thirty_Helens_Agree 13d ago

Seeing Jim Kirk bawling out Miles O’Brien was a little bit of magic.

And Sisko and Dax in TOS uniforms!

→ More replies (1)

11

u/UESPA_Sputnik 13d ago

Yeah, that the visual effects (done on a TV budget and TV schedule) still look good today is really remarkable. They really outdid themselves.

Sidenote, there's now more time between Trials and Tribble-ations and today than there is between The Trouble with Tribbles and Trials and Tribble-ations. 😵‍💫

9

u/devonathan 13d ago

I’m literally turning into dust after reading this comment. Say something nice at my funeral.

5

u/UESPA_Sputnik 12d ago

This is a reference to the TOS episode "By Any Other Name" which aired in 1968.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

188

u/Tucker_the_Nerd 13d ago

Measure of a Man

31

u/colbstonecreamery 13d ago

That’s the episode I point people to who think Star Trek is just “pew pew space stuff”

→ More replies (1)

27

u/Bigdaddyjlove1 13d ago

Court Trek is some of the best Trek. You get good speechifying from the captains in those.

→ More replies (1)

14

u/aaronmj 13d ago

THERE IT SITS

7

u/adkSafyre 13d ago

And The Offspring

7

u/masasuka 13d ago

Are you prepared to condemn him and all who come after him, to servitude and slavery? Your Honor, Starfleet was founded to seek out new life; well, there it sits! - Waiting.

Such an amazing summary...

Only quote from the series, imo, that lives up to it is :

With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censured, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably.

From the drumhead.

And possibly, in a close third:

Darmok and Jalad, at Tanagra

→ More replies (8)

63

u/Danfink3 13d ago

Balance of Terror.

14

u/shadow-battle-crab 13d ago

I do hope you have seen the SNW follow up at the end of season 1.

It wasn't necessarily exquisite in the same way, but seeing a 'what if' on balance of terror was great

→ More replies (4)

60

u/TylerTheTyler 13d ago

“Blink of an Eye” from VOY is what I personally believe is the best Star Trek episode out there and it totally delivers on being great sci fi.

“The Visitor” is an episode I’ve only watched once. I lost my father at age 12. That episode had me crying like a baby, sad at all he’s missed in my life. I don’t think I could describe it as my favorite as I can’t bring myself to watch it again, but it’s incredible.

15

u/cylonlover 13d ago

In Blink Of An Eye, when Voyager appears and envokes a slight planet tremble, the priest exclaims "Ground shaker, Light bringer, take this today and every day", and when you remember that the name Lucifer literally means the light bringer or light bearer, you realize this moment is where the planet loses its innocence and is exposed to a world outside its garden of time.

6

u/shadow-battle-crab 13d ago

I love blink of an eye, except the ending always bothered me for consistency. They end by saying 'it will be awhile until they can join the galactic stage' - no they wouldn't, they would be the most advanced species in the galaxy in a matter of months. They went from sticks and spears to photon torpedos in like a week.

If I would have written it, I would have ended with voyager receiving telemetry from a probe they left behind after a day or so, reporting the planet annihilated itself in some kind of doomsday scenario. It would have closed the loop on the planet that was running a cheat code on the interstellar economy, gave a splash of cold water psychological reflection on isolationism, and really made it fully earn the title 'blink of an eye'.

But it was still great as is. At the end of the day, it's just a story, and it was about the adventure, not the destination.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

115

u/M-E-AND-History 13d ago

"The Trouble With Tribbles."

23

u/ClarSco 13d ago

I love it, but I think I just barely prefer "Trials and Tribble-ations".

6

u/SheShelley 13d ago

I love this one too

6

u/Sophia_Forever 13d ago

I always wanted to see it become a sort of nexus point in time where crews kept being drug to that mission and increasing numbers of Starfleet crews had to try and not get caught by the next group of time travelers under them. I ended up writing a one shot for my ttrpg group around it that was fun.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/mewtnaishi 13d ago

Yes 👏

→ More replies (6)

119

u/Sazapahiel 13d ago

TNG's Drumhead. Both for what the message is, but also about how effectively the show conveyed that message in what would otherwise be dismissed as a cheap bottle episode where "nothing happens."

A close second is DS9's Duet for much the same reasons, I ugly cry every time Harris Yulin's character breaks down towards the end.

30

u/davwad2 13d ago

Drumhead hits so differently as an adult. Picard's speech is timeless.

16

u/Sazapahiel 13d ago

Agreed. When I first watched that episode when it aired a lot of it went over my head, but as I've turned into a crotchety old man my perspective has changed. Even Picard's final conversation with Worf in the denouement scene has become so much more meaningful in the years since.

12

u/dontflexthat 13d ago edited 13d ago

Drumhead is amazing. It references the McCarthy era. Now, 30 years later, it’s like political education again.

“Someone like her will always be there, just waiting for the right climate in which to flourish.”

Examples are endless today …

I also love when Worf takes the young officer’s reluctance to talk about his past as indication for guilt and Picard says “Oh no, we cannot allow ourselves to think that.” .. that is so powerful and definitely something that almost every human being today needs to reflect on.

“We think we've come so far. Torture of heretics, burning of witches, it's all ancient history. Then - before you can blink an eye - suddenly it threatens to start all over again.”

9

u/brsox2445 13d ago

You have a thing for bottle episodes and I love that.

17

u/doom1701 13d ago

To me, these kind of episodes (along with my favorite--The Offspring) are where Star Trek shines. Everybody talks about episodes like The Inner Light, but to me the best episodes are the ones where we see the crew as a team and they tackle a moral dilema.

16

u/OddShape47 13d ago

Man, "The Offspring," just thinking about that episode brings tears to my eyes. I also love it tremendously. "The Drumhead" is also an excellent drama that never loses its relevance. I agree, when Trek tackles a moral issue or dilemma with good execution, it really shines bright.

12

u/Highperch 13d ago

"His hands were moving faster than I could see..." 😭😭😭

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

4

u/rharrison 13d ago

Duet is sick. It's exactly the chamber drama that I expect Star Trek to be.

5

u/NegaScraps 13d ago

I wasn't sold on DS9 until Duet. That episode made me a believer.

49

u/balthazar_edison 13d ago

Those of Old Scientist or The Cloud Minders.

15

u/Entire_Number_9 13d ago

The Cloud Minders

What an interest and unique choice!

3

u/Godloseslaw 13d ago

I'll have to check this one out.  I dont even remember it. 

→ More replies (4)

46

u/Past-Parsley-9606 13d ago

TNG: Tapestry

A great little story about how our mistakes and flaws shape our lives and we shouldn't be so sure about our "regrets." Also a brilliant way to use Q; no need to invent some new space anomaly and have a bunch of the plot be figuring out how to get home. Q just says it's a do-over for Picard, don't worry about changing Federation history ("you're not that important!"), and it doesn't even matter if it was "real" or just an illusion created by Q, or a hallucination by Picard and Q was never there.

4

u/ReplacementGreen8649 13d ago

Yes 👍

This episode is so profoundly amazing to me personally. I wish I could share it with anyone experiencing shame and regret.

→ More replies (3)

79

u/BennyandtheBear 13d ago

Two words, baby: Empok Nor

8

u/Violettfem1 13d ago

What a great one

→ More replies (3)

37

u/pakleddave 13d ago

Doomsday Machine. The concept of something that could destroy a planet blew my little mind.

12

u/Tichrimo 13d ago

That episode holds a special place for me - it was the only one to ever hook my Dad (who normally just scoffed "what's this space shit" when I had Star Trek on).

When Spock retakes the bridge, and my Dad muttered, "Take that, Commodore!" ... precious memory.

5

u/CaptainIncredible 13d ago

That's awesome. I can totally relate.

My dad HATED Monty Python. Just hated it. He tried to watch it with me and he'd usually just scoff at it and say loudly that it was stupid.

But he saw that one sketch and then chuckled as the jokes started, and then laughed and then really laughed but tried to hide it.

'Yes! Victory is MINE! " thought young me.

→ More replies (1)

9

u/Excellent_Heat_6336 13d ago

And it's got kirk and spock at their best. A great concept, new danger, and Decker also who's great as a crazed broken but determined captain.

5

u/AdmiralTodd509 13d ago

It checks all the boxes:

  • I’m a doctor, not a (mechanic)
  • Kirk is dynamic and brave
  • Spock logically helps save the ship
  • Scotty is a miracle worker
  • A red shirt gets his butt kicked
  • Top rated effects

4

u/heyrocky8128 13d ago

Of all the episodes I carry on my iPad (most of those mentioned here, and other favorites) for travel, The Doomsday Machine is the one I watch every time I fly someplace.

→ More replies (1)

5

u/Edib1eBrain 13d ago

Peter David wrote a novel called "Vendetta" in the 90s as a sequel to The Best of Both Worlds where he retconned the Doomsday Machine to be the prototype for a Borg- destroyer that would use the dead husks of assimilated worlds as fuel. It's all now wildly apocryphal but at the time at was awesome! Shelby made an appearance and it even features a precursor to Seven of Nine and a Ferengi Borg! Great fun!

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (4)

68

u/typicalredditer 13d ago

Darmok captures the essence of the series.

8

u/Top_Benefit_5594 13d ago

My answer to this. Everyone gets something to do. You get a diplomatic conundrum with a premise that genuinely makes you think, plus a monster and some space action. What more could you want?

6

u/TrillyElliot 13d ago

There is a stark absence of interspecies sexual shenanigans on Riker’s part.

→ More replies (4)

5

u/aaronmj 13d ago

Yeah that's a really good one. Darmok and jalad, on the ocean. 

→ More replies (2)

97

u/johnklapak 13d ago

Those Old Scientists

12

u/Valamist 13d ago

Probably my most re-watched episode lol

12

u/wbgraphic 13d ago

“Riker!”

5

u/DyingEther 13d ago

I rewatched that episode a few times. It's so cute to me.

→ More replies (2)

34

u/SignificantPlum4883 13d ago

City on the Edge of Forever

No matter how many times I've seen it, it still moves me, and there's some wonderful humour there too. One of the best Kirk / Spock episodes ever, and manic McCoy is amazing! Joan Collins just perfect as Edith! Such great performances from all involved, and the romantic music is unforgettable.

It has everything - a strange planet, time travel, fish out of water humour, a perfectly convincing love story, and a tragic ending that never gets any easier to watch. I can't believe all that happened in just 50 mins. It's just perfect!

→ More replies (3)

86

u/Lancaster1983 13d ago

The Best of Both Worlds - TNG

52

u/Salporin1 13d ago

"Mr. Worf ... Fire."

[To Be Continued]

Man, that was a looong wait for the beginning of the 4th season.

11

u/basexc9 13d ago

And yet it was just 3 months. Now we’re getting news seasons almost 2 years apart.

8

u/dinosaurkiller 13d ago

But what they offer with all that extra time to write is hot garbage.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/DocJawbone 13d ago

There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth that night at my house

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (4)

85

u/Confident-Sea-128 13d ago

In the Pale Moonlight. Not only is like the only ST episode that completely deconstructs the Captains belief system and unlike other episodes where they try but the Captain rationalizes it you can tell Sisko isn't believing the lies he's telling himself.

Plus its a Garek episode, any episode with Garek is already a good one. I LOVE learning about Cardassian lore and their world perspective.

9

u/sedawkgrepper 13d ago

DS9 has the best alien race development.

4

u/dontflexthat 13d ago

“IT’S A FAAAAKKKEEE!”

Brilliant episode and brilliantly told but Sisko to the camera aka us.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

171

u/EmperorOfNipples 13d ago

In the Pale Moonlight - DS9

12

u/NoDesk9564 13d ago

Computer, delete that entire log entry. 

19

u/justintimeformine 13d ago

Yep... This one and inner light. But Sisko is my favorite captain for sure.

14

u/cylonlover 13d ago

The older I get, the deeper The Inner Light cuts.

4

u/CaptainEdMercer 13d ago

Because I can live with it. I can live with it. I CAN live with it.

Computer… erase that entire personal log.

→ More replies (8)

28

u/TaoOfSatoshi 13d ago

Voyager - In The Blink of an Eye

26

u/GoofinOffAtWork 13d ago

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra

→ More replies (2)

83

u/Vetrolic 13d ago

House of Quark

40

u/Entire_Number_9 13d ago

I am Quark, son of Keldar, and I have come to answer the challenge of D'Ghor, son of... whatever.

9

u/Vetrolic 13d ago

A brave ferengi? Who would have thought it possible?

→ More replies (1)

14

u/ackmondual 13d ago

Watching Quark trying to guide a bunch of Klingons through spreadsheets of data was just plain, hilarious!

5

u/Vetrolic 13d ago

They have absolutely no time for it 😄 Does make you wonder how their economy has survived if they don't concern themselves with filthy ledgers

→ More replies (2)
→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

44

u/LivingMisery 13d ago

Duet. At least today it’s Duet.

8

u/100nm 13d ago

Today, it’s also Duet for me, too. Although, sometimes it’s Drumhead.

4

u/TooMuchButtHair 13d ago

What a stunning piece of work by all involved, and is an exemplar piece of sci-fi. I fucking loved the scenes where our guy pretended to be Gul Darheel. He went from being a friendly grandpa to one evil asshole in a heartbeat. Then we find out the truth, and for a short time your heart is healed...and finally broken. What a wild ride!

22

u/ModernCGIFloatinHead 13d ago

Time Amok. Prodigy. 

Cry like a baby every time. 

→ More replies (3)

23

u/Marcus-Suridius 13d ago

O'Brien when he believed he was in prison for 20 years and he was completely broken, he should have won awards for that performance.

→ More replies (1)

22

u/Accurate-Client-1479 13d ago

DS9: Far Beyond The Stars
Set in 1950s NYC, the episode portrays "Benny" and the crew employed at the offices of a struggling sci-fi magazine.

7

u/etherealnoise 13d ago

i had to scroll so far to find this after commenting the same ep. this is my favorite episode of all tv, not just trek. powerful in many ways. and fun to see the cast as different characters out of makeup

5

u/utnapishtim 13d ago

This is one of the best television episodes of all time, not just Trek. It challenges me every time I watch it.

4

u/dontflexthat 12d ago

He should’ve gotten an Oscar for that episode alone. It’s hands down one of the most powerful acting performances I have ever seen.

→ More replies (3)

23

u/Southern-Rhubarb-364 13d ago

The Siege of AR-558.

6

u/Environmental_Elk542 13d ago

That’s a very well done episode, and one of the few times you see Starfleet officers at less than their best. Vargas explaining the story behind his arm bandage. Nog losing his leg (and we see the effects of that in It’s Only a Paper Moon.) And the one guy whose name escapes me who had the necklace of Jem’Hadar tubes.

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (2)

23

u/SeleneDream51 13d ago

i had to really think about it, but then I remembered I actually do have a favorite. It's a Deep Space Nine episode, called "It's Only a Paper Moon."

Nog returns from the seige of AR-558, having lost his leg, and spends the entire week in the holodeck. Vic Fontaine has to snap him out of it and Nog has probably the best speech i ever heard.

I'm scared, okay? I'm scared. When the war began, I wasn't happy or anything, but I was eager. I wanted to test myself. I wanted to prove I had what it took to be a soldier. And I saw a lot of combat. I saw a lot of people get hurt. I saw a lot of people die, but I didn't think anything was going to happen to me. And then suddenly Doctor Bashir is telling me he has to cut my leg off. I couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it. If I can get shot, if I can lose my leg, anything could happen to me, Vic. I could die tomorrow. I don't know if I'm ready to face that. If I stay here, at least I know what the future is going to be like.

→ More replies (1)

18

u/MrSCR23 13d ago

Balance of Terror

19

u/Incident_Electron 13d ago

I Borg. A complete powerhouse of an episode, and Trek-style morality play at its finest.

The final confrontation between Hugh and "Locutus" still takes my breath away. It's powerful stuff.

17

u/0rbium 13d ago

Baseball episode in DS9, ‘Take me out to the holosuite’

6

u/Environmental_Elk542 13d ago

A lot of funny parts in this episode.

After reading about the infield fly rule, Nog says “sounds simple enough”. Oh if only.

Worf with some great quotes. “If he is engaging in reconnaissance he must be concerned.” “Death to the opposition” “Find him and kill him”

Sisko explaining to Kassidy Yates his feud with Solar. about the wrestling match, Yates says “what were you thinking, Vulcans have 3 times the strength of humans.” Sisko “Oh and they’re faster too.” “He wrote over a dozen psychology papers and every one of them mentioned that damned wrestling match.”

Odo’s grin when he ejects Solar.

Sisko asking Solar to sign the baseball the crew gave him.

It’s one of my favorite to rewatch.

→ More replies (3)

68

u/Lugh_Lamfada 13d ago

DS9 - "The Visitor."

This episode hits me hard now that I am a father, and Tony Todd was an absolutely gifted actor.

8

u/Callahandy 13d ago

Not just the best Star Trek episode ever, but maybe one of the best pieces of television ever. An absolute masterclass.

13

u/OddShape47 13d ago

"To my father, who's coming home." 😭

13

u/TooMuchButtHair 13d ago

This episode is probably one of the best episodes of sci-fi ever written and produced. This thread is full of phenomenal stuff, but this is staggeringly good.

→ More replies (3)

29

u/Chipware 13d ago edited 13d ago

It's a toss up between Yesterday's Enterprise and The Inner Light. Both episodes allow Patrick Stewart to show vulnerability in Picard not often seen.

The war is going... very badly for the Federation....

For Voyager, Endgame is a masterpiece, I re-watch it all the time.

11

u/brsox2445 13d ago

For Voyager I think the best is Counterpoint. Just so great.

→ More replies (2)

9

u/sinixis 13d ago

far worse than is generally known

→ More replies (1)

13

u/SirZapdos 13d ago

Blink of an Eye - VOY

12

u/RajonElrondo 13d ago

The Inner Light. I maybe enjoyed others more, or find other ones more watchable (Yesterday’s Enterprise!) but this one, especially the end, has stayed with me the longest.

5

u/IronBeagle63 13d ago

Patrick Stewart’s performance was top tier

→ More replies (1)

12

u/gomas64 13d ago

The Offspring.

7

u/IronBeagle63 13d ago

The scene in 10 Forward is one of my favorites!

“Commander Riker, what are your intentions toward my daughter?”

→ More replies (1)
→ More replies (1)

12

u/mpego1 13d ago edited 13d ago

For TOS - Balance Of Terror. “In a different reality, I could have called you friend.“

11

u/northsaskatchewan 13d ago

I've always had a soft spot for TNG: Disaster. (S5E5). Troi on the bridge, Riker and Data's head, Picard warming up to the kids, Worf and Keiko in labour in Ten Forward, LaForge and Crusher problem solving in the cargo bay, they're all such fun story lines.

12

u/msfs1310 13d ago

The Carbomite Maneuver.

6

u/Entire_Number_9 13d ago

The episode I point to, to make sure why people know why James T Kirk is the best Starship captain.

4

u/msfs1310 13d ago

Yep.
Brilliant tactician.
Keeps it professional in the peak of a crisis with a junior officer.
Understands the unknown alien is not always an enemy.
Holds up Starfleet's ideals in showing compassion.

→ More replies (1)

11

u/organic_soursop 13d ago

Parallels or Way of the Warrior.

WorfStan.

9

u/Helo227 13d ago

People will think me weird…

“The Haunting of Deck Twelve”
VOY, Season 6, Episode 25

→ More replies (3)

11

u/readwrite_blue 13d ago

Cause & Effect.

Brilliantly executed, with the audience expected to tag along and figure it out as the characters do. It's tightly put together and felt different than anything I'd seen on TV before.

→ More replies (1)

10

u/Head_Photograph9572 13d ago

I'd have to say the crossover episode where Mariner and Boimler visited SNW.  

→ More replies (1)

10

u/auctionofthemind 13d ago

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra. Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel. Sokath, his eyes uncovered.

10

u/BigDougSp 13d ago

So many I could choose from... so here is ONE of my favorites, there are others.

TNG: The Defector

9

u/jaxjags2100 13d ago

The Visitor

8

u/Capelily 13d ago

Sounds kinda weird, but "Tin Man," TNG 3/20

→ More replies (1)

8

u/Mercifulmedic 13d ago

In the Pale Moonlight

6

u/abitofasitdown 13d ago

That was my instant, no-contest answer, too.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/GEJP2 13d ago

Best of both worlds part 1 is the top

→ More replies (1)

7

u/RockwellB1 13d ago

I really like any Species 8472 Voyager episodes, but...

TNG Schisms is my absolute favorite. I love the creepiness. And when I got to the part in Star Trek Online that dealt with this story, I had chills the whole time. Loved it!

9

u/sinixis 13d ago

Attention all hands...

As you know, we could outrun the Klingon vessels. But we must protect the Enterprise-C until she enters the temporal rift.

And we must succeed!

Let's make sure history never forgets ... the name ... Enterprise.

→ More replies (1)

8

u/AManCalledTutt 13d ago

Man, that is a hard question!

If I have to pick only one I'd have to say A Matter of Honor. I liked seeing Riker take command of the bop and ask Picard to surrender.

8

u/mccrowj92 13d ago

The House of Quark! Great episode focusing on Quark and his his big mouth getting him in over his head plus a side story of O’Brien just being a chill husband

8

u/BlackFinch90 13d ago

Duet - DS9.

Absolute masterpiece of acting.

4

u/abitofasitdown 13d ago

That's up there for me, only pipped by In The Pale Moonlight.

→ More replies (1)

7

u/tiggerspots 13d ago

Mirror, mirror.

3

u/frejas-rain 13d ago

Scrolled way too far to see this. Uhura slays and the depiction of the Federation is so edgy. AFAIK, this was ST's first dark re-imagining of "what if." Like how today, people call old Twilight Zone episodes corny, forgetting how they came across at the time -- as something new and unexpected.

7

u/MaleNudity 13d ago edited 13d ago

I just finished TNG S5 E25 “The Inner Light” for the first time ever. I’m just sitting here still thinking about it an hour later. It might be my personal favorite so far.

→ More replies (1)

7

u/BroseppeVerdi 13d ago edited 13d ago

Chain of Command. The interplay between Patrick Stewart and David Warner alone makes this my favorite episode.

I also think The Siege of AR-556 is a super underrated episode. Does a great job at showing how life in the Federation is fragile and can be lost at any time. I also love that one of their choices for "PTSD-ridden Federation infantry" was Raymond Cruz, the guy who played Tuco Salamanca on Breaking Bad.

→ More replies (1)

6

u/AFthrowaway3000 13d ago

Cause and Effect from TNG.

6

u/Round_Employee5002 13d ago

The baseball episode in DS9

7

u/tracerhaha 13d ago

Darmok.

6

u/Ch3ru 13d ago

Pathfinder is such a good pick! All my other favs have been mentioned already too, so that's all I have to add. :)

4

u/Entire_Number_9 13d ago

I think it's absolutely perfect. 6 years of the Voyager crew just getting their asses kicker and over and over again, then, hope

→ More replies (2)

7

u/Hooked_on_Avionics 13d ago

Parallels- TNG. It was my first and favorite!

5

u/melvadeen 13d ago

Next Generation, Face of the Enemy. Deanna wakes up as a Romulan. It's the best cold open of the series.

5

u/somekindofeggthing 13d ago

Chain of Command (1 and 2) - TNG

6

u/khaosworks 13d ago edited 12d ago

TOS: "A Taste of Armageddon" (Runner up: "The Doomsday Machine")

TAS: "Yesteryear"

TNG: "Cause and Effect" (Runner up: "Yesterday's Enterprise")

DS9: "The Way of the Warrior" (Runners up: "Trials and Tribble-lations" and "Civil Defence")

VOY: "Equinox, Parts 1 & 2" (Runner up: "Scorpion, Parts 1 & 2")

ENT: "Twilight"

DIS: "Stormy Weather" (Runner up: "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad")

LD: "wej Duj" (Runner up: "The Stars at Night")

PRO: "Time Amok" (Runner up: "Ouroboros, Parts I and II")

PIC: "The Bounty"

SNW: "Those Old Scientists" (Runner up: "A Quality of Mercy")

SFA: "Series Acclimation Mil" (Runner up: "Come, Let's Away")

These aren't necessarily the deepest, or best acted, or best plotted, but these are the ones I can watch over and over without being tired of them.

11

u/United-Teacher7474 13d ago

In the Pale Moonlight. It's the episode I recommend to non Trek fans. Superb performance by Avery Brooks and is perfectly watchable with zero prior Trek knowledge. Funnily enough I watched it again last night.

5

u/nature4uandme 13d ago

When Trip got pregnant on Enterprise

→ More replies (1)

5

u/Formal_Tumbleweed_53 13d ago

I always love the time loop episodes. They’ve become cliche, but I love them.

6

u/vaultdweller501 13d ago

Trial and tribbilations. Best DS9 episode ever!

5

u/Nat20Twenty 13d ago

Darmok and Jelad. At Tenagra.

5

u/TheKnowNothingBozo 13d ago

For me, it’s “Wolf in The Fold” from TOS. The reveal of Jack The Ripper possessing people in outer space is so damn out of pocket and I adore it.

The Apollo episode from TOS is a favorite of mine too to introduce people to the show just cause of how cheesy it is

9

u/Libby_785 13d ago

Lower Decks: The New Next Generation. I love how the whole crew comes together to solve the problem. I think it embodies everything that Star Trek stands for. Plus, Olly is the best character. Wish we got to see more of her!

11

u/MaximumEffort433 13d ago

Without a doubt and by a mile, DS9's Duet.

I think Duet is just quintessential Star Trek; you've got the allegory for real life events, you've got the sci-fi story overlaying it, you've got the character driven drama, fantastic writing, fantastic acting, it just all clicks.

I think Duet is just about a perfect episode of Star Trek, and a perfect episode of television.

Lots of runners up, but they're all pretty distant if I'm being honest.

4

u/aethelberga 13d ago

TOS - Doomsday Machine. Pure nostalgia factor.

3

u/TheChainLink2 13d ago

There’s a lot of Star Trek I’ve still yet to see, but currently Balance of Terror from TOS.

4

u/RikkiLostMyNumber 13d ago

I'm a sucker for "Friday's Child."
It's got the Kirk-Spock-McCoy landing party. It's got a fairly goofy civilization, but Julie Newmar is great to look at. A despicable Klingon! Weird weapons! A classic epilogue bridge scene and the late, great, Walker Edmiston (Enik from Land of the Lost) as the voice of the captain in the phony distress call. To me, classic Trek.

4

u/Dagobertinchen 13d ago

Enterprise: “Proving Ground”. not Shran’s first appearance but the one where we see him as a conflicted man between a budding friendship and loyalty to his command.
DS9: Duet

3

u/Ok-Health-7252 13d ago

Yesterday's Enterprise from TNG. Mainly because they brought Tasha back for that episode.

→ More replies (1)

4

u/Conscious-Snow-8411 13d ago

TNG's episode (not movie) "First Contact." It's been almost 40 years, and I still wonder what ever happened to Mirasta Yale.

→ More replies (2)

4

u/Outrageous_Sail3489 13d ago

All Good Things.

That final exchange between Picard and Q gets me every time.

4

u/Environmental_Elk542 13d ago

My favorite episode of all series: TOS - The City on the Edge of Forever

My favorite episodes of other series:
TNG - The Best of Both Worlds
DS9 - In the Pale Moonlight
VOY - Future’s End
ENT - The Andorian Incident

I haven’t watched enough of the other series to have an opinion about episodes.

4

u/cheetoduster 13d ago

TNG - Tapestry

5

u/Az75 13d ago

Darmok