10 Best Episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series, According to IMDb

It's impossible to imagine a world without Star Trek in it. Gene Roddenberry's creation, which he explained as "Wagon Train to the stars" influenced not only the look and design of cellphones, but was the doorway to science, math, and engineering for hundreds, if not thousands, of the people who work in those fields today. And it all started with a low rated TV series that barely lasted three seasons.

Star Trek: The Original Series seemed destined to be a forgotten relic before syndication brought it a whole new fanbase in the 1970s, relaunching the franchise to grand new heights that continue to this day. We took the time to find out what the 10 best episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series are, according to the fans over at IMDb...

10 The Devil In The Dark: 8.4

Over the years, the original Star Trek episodes have taken their fair share of jabs, due in part to the many cheesy looking aliens the shows have had. "Devil in the Dark" is a favorite for people to goof on. From the outside, it's easy to see why people would laugh at this episode; the threat is an alien that looks like an old dirty rug. In truth, "Devil in the Dark" shows just how great these stories could be.

In the episode, the Enterprise is sent to investigate a mining colony that is being terrorized by an underground creature. When they find the monster, Mister Spock uses his mind-meld abilities to connect with the creature and discovers that it is only trying to protect its young.

9 The Enterprise Incident: 8.5

After the Enterprise travels into Romulan space, breaking the treaty between the Federation and the Romulan Empire, Captain Kirk and Spock are taken aboard a Romulan ship. Spock claims that Kirk has gone mad and ordered the crew to break the treaty. When Kirk tries to escape, Spock is forced to stop him and in the fight, Kirk appears to die. All of this, of course, is part of a larger plan for the Federation to get their hands on the Romulan cloaking technology. This episode has everything that makes Star Trek great; action, intrigue, and William Shatner playing it up for the audience.

8 Journey To Babel: 8.6

As the Enterprise transports diplomats to a conference on the planet Babel, things go from tense to deadly after Kirk is badly wounded by an assassin and the Enterprise is damaged by a surprise attack. With a spy on the ship, the Captain out of commission, and the delegates all blaming one another, Mister Spock is put in charge.

One of the diplomats on the ship, Sarek, is actually Spock's dad, which comes as a surprise to the Science Officer's shipmates. And adding to all the drama, Sarek is dying and needs a blood transfusion that only Spock can provide.

7 Amok Time: 8.7

The Vulcans pride themselves on their mental strength, always putting logic above all else. That is why they don't like to tell others about the Pon Farr, a period that every Vulcan goes through where they devolve to a more base creature driven by a need to mate above all else. If Spock isn't treated for the condition within eight days, he will die.

To save Spock, Kirk diverts the Enterprise to Vulcan where Spock is to marry T'Pring. At the marriage ceremony, T'Pring stops the proceedings and demands the right of challenge, allowing her to select a person for Spock to fight to the death. The person T'Pring chooses to fight the mad Vulcan? Kirk.

6 The Doomsday Machine: 8.8

Following a trail of decimated star systems, the Enterprise finds the badly damaged USS Constellation. The only survivor is the ship's commander, Matt Decker. Decker explains that the Constellation was attacked by a giant machine that is ripping planets apart and using them for fuel. To stop the planet killer, Kirk decides to fly the damaged Constellation into the machine himself. The plan calls for Scotty to teleport Kirk back to the Enterprise just before the Constellation explodes, hopefully taking out the planet killer at the same time, but when the transporter breaks down, things get scary for everyone.

5 Space Seed: 8.9

There are a number of great adversaries across the seven Star Trek shows and the thirteen movies they have spawned, but no adversary is as great as Khan Noonien Singh. Khan, as the crew of the Enterprise, learns after waking him and his own crew up from suspended animation aboard the SS Botany Bay, was a leader in the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s, controlling a quarter of the Earth as a dictator before being brought down and launched into deep space. Khan quickly tries to take over the Enterprise, leading to one of the best Captain Kirk fights of all time. Without this episode, there would be no Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, and we would all be worse off for it.

4 The Trouble With Tribbles: 8.9

The humor of Star Trek often gets overlooked by the masses, but the shows are actually very funny when they want to be. Perhaps no episode better shows this than "The Trouble With Tribbles". After receiving a Priority One distress call, the Enterprise arrives at Deep Space Station K7 to learn that they were summoned there to protect a grain shipment that is scheduled to be delivered to a planet that the Klingons are also trying to colonize.

With little to do, the crew of the Enterprise uses there time on the station for a little R&R only to find that there are Klingons on K7 as well. While Scotty and Checkov get into a bar fight, the others become obsessed with a man selling little pets called Tribbles. They're cute, they're furry, and they are a whole lot of trouble.

3 Balance Of Terror: 9.0

One of the most in your face episodes when it comes to messages about racism, "Balance of Terror" is an intense episode where the Enterprise and a Romulan ship find themselves in a submarine-style standstill as both crews try to outmaneuver the other. As we learn in the episode, this is the first time anyone from the Federation has ever actually seen a Romulan, and when the crew of the Enterprise learns that Romulans look just like Vulcans, some members begin to question Mister Spock's loyalty to the Federation.

2 Mirror, Mirror: 9.2

A transporter accident sends Captain Kirk and his crew to an alternate universe where they come face to face with evil versions of themselves. Possibly the most referenced episode of any Star Trek series, "Mirror, Mirror" and the evil alternate universe, usually called the "Mirror Universe", has played an important part in other Star Trek series, including Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, and Discovery.

The idea of a reality where evil versions of our heroes exist wasn't a new idea when Star Trek introduced the Mirror Universe, DC Comics showed readers Earth-Three just four years earlier. On Earth-Three, the members of the Justice League were world dominators called the Crime Syndicate of America, and Lex Luthor was a hero.

1 The City On The Edge Of Forever: 9.3

The most celebrated episode of Star Trek not only by fans but by the world, "The City On The Edge Of Forever" sees Kirk, Spock, and Doctor McCoy trapped in New York City in 1930, right at the height of the Great Depression. As Kirk and Spock search for a crazed McCoy who had accidentally injected himself with an overdose of cordrazine, they take shelter in the 21st Street Mission and meet Edith Keeler, played by Joan Collins.

As Kirk finds himself falling in love with Edith, Spock learns her fate. Edith Keeler, the leader of a pacifist movement, will be struck by a car and die in just a few days. Kirk wants to save her, but if he does, there is a great chance that her movement will keep the United States out of World War II, leading to Hitler taking over the world and changing history forever. With no other choice, Kirk must stand by as the woman he loves is killed.

Source: www.cbr.com