Few tv collection have been as revolutionary as Star Trek. Launched in 1966, Star Trek survived two rejected pilot episodes, diminished budgets, and a second season cancelation to grow to be some of the worthwhile franchises ever. Along with the unique collection, the franchise has included a number of motion pictures and eleven spin-off collection.
As profitable as Star Trek has been, it isn’t excellent. Throughout the 884 episodes aired on the time of this writing, Trek has aired quite a lot of stinkers. Listed below are 25 of the worst, chosen from the unique collection and its many spin-offs. Within the equality, a core Trek idea, each collection has at the very least one consultant, however no collection has greater than three entries on the checklist. And that is sensible as a result of irrespective of how nice Trek will be, some episodes ought to have by no means been beamed to our tv units.
1 – “Project: Earth” (The Authentic Collection, Season Two, Episode Twenty-Six, 1968)
Whereas the unique collection (TOS) stays one of many all-time nice tv collection, even essentially the most devoted Trekkies agree that the collection’ third and closing season is disappointing. However the high quality dipped even within the second season, as demonstrated by the finale, “Project: Earth.” Meant to be a back-door pilot for a brand new present by Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, “Project: Earth” sends the Enterprise to 1968 Earth, the place they meet agent Gary Seven, who would have been the hero of this proposed present. The gambit didn’t launch a brand new collection and compelled Kirk and Spock to be supporting characters on their very own present.
2 – “Spock’s Mind” (TOS, Season Three, Episode One, 1968)
A letter-writing marketing campaign satisfied CBS to reverse plans to cancel Star Trek after two seasons, however season three reminded them to watch out what they wished for. The issues start with the season three premiere, “Spock’s Mind,” which includes an alien who, you guessed it, steals Spock’s mind. Trek usually indulges its foolish facet however hardly ever belittles the characters or insults the viewers. “Spock’s Mind” does each. Wacky with out profiting from the forged’s skill, “Spock’s Mind” was a becoming start to the lackluster closing season of TOS.
3 – “The Solution to Eden” (TOS, Season Three, Episode Twenty, 1969)
Regardless of its twenty third Century setting, Star Trek has all the time been deeply within the current, usually discovering analogies to trendy figures within the reaches of area. As clunky as these metaphors might typically be, they have been by no means as annoying because the space-hippies in “The Solution to Eden.” Beneath the management of quack educational Dr. Severin, the area hippies hijack the Enterprise to journey to the paranormal planet Eden. Even ignoring the irritating kidnappers, the episode feels stuffy and preachy, surprisingly backward for the progressive collection.
4 – “The Magicks of Megas-Tu” (The Animated Collection, Episode Eight, 1973)
After the problems with season three of TOS, Star Trek: The Animated Collection appeared like an unlikely miracle. So whereas the collection did undergo from shoddy animation, even by the requirements of television cartoons of the day, it gave followers just a bit extra time with the Enterprise crew. However “The Magicks of Megas-Tu” pushes issues too far. The cartoon medium lets writers indulge their sillier facet with its story of Kirk and his crew encountering a determine from Earth mythology and faith, on this case, the Satan. For all its discuss of purpose over dogma, “The Magicks of Megas-Tu” comes off as sillier than the beliefs it tries to critique.
5 – “Code of Honor” (The Subsequent Era, Season One, Episode 4, 1987)
Star Trek: The Subsequent Era (TNG) famously had a tough starting, as Gene Roddenberry struggled to deliver Star Trek into the 80s and imposed arcane storytelling guidelines on writers. However “Code of Honor” is a foul episode, even by season one requirements. There’s nothing inherently improper with pitting the crew towards a tradition that differs from theirs, however writers drew from racial stereotypes when imagining the dangerous guys. Dangerous even by Nineteen Sixties requirements, “Code of Honor” makes a mockery of the franchise’s ideas of tolerance and acceptance.
6 – “The Youngster” (TNG, Season Two, Episode One, 1987)
After TOS grew to become a cult hit within the Seventies, CBS deliberate a sequel collection referred to as Star Trek: Section II, which introduced again a lot of the authentic crew and paired them with new characters. The success of Star Wars satisfied Paramount to make Star Trek: The Movement Image rather than Section II, however a number of the canceled present’s scripts did get utilized in TNG. Sadly, many of those episodes felt outdated as requirements shifted radically within the decade between writing and filming. That’s very true of the TNG season two premiere, “The Youngster,” wherein an alien entity impregnates Counsellor Troi. Past the being pregnant’s icky implications, “The Youngster” makes Troi an emotionless idiot in her personal story.
7 – “Masks” (TNG, Season Seven, Episode Seventeen, 1994)
After just a few bumpy seasons, TNG grew to become a incredible collection crammed with high-concept tales and beloved characters. However because the characters rose in prominence, the actors gained extra management over the tales, and never all the time for the higher. Working example: “Masks,” wherein the android Lieutenant Information encounters an alien entity with data of a misplaced tradition’s mythology. The alien possesses Information, driving him to behave out tales from the tradition’s previous. The story permits actor Brent Spiner to point out off his vary, however it doesn’t make for an attractive episode. By the point the credit roll, followers have had their fill of Information for some time.
8 – “Transfer Alongside Residence” (Deep Area 9, Season One, Episode Ten, 1993)
Darker and extra politically advanced than its predecessors, Star Trek: Deep Area 9 (DS9) pushed the Star Trek idea to new depths. These richer themes make the season one misfire “Transfer Alongside Residence” extra embarrassing. When a few of Star Trek’s dumbest-looking aliens go to the station, Sisko and his crew get caught in a sport, which topics them to infantile challenges. A ridiculous episode, “Transfer Alongside Residence,” does a disservice to an in any other case compelling collection.
9 – “Let He Who Is With out Sin…” (DS9, Season 5, Episode Seven, 1996)
It ought to have been a coup when Michael Dorn’s Klingon Starfleet workplace Worf got here aboard Deep Area 9, bringing a fan-favorite onto a brand new present. However the present too usually turned Worf into an incompetent grouch, notably within the season 5 episode “Let He Who’s With out Sin…” Worf and his fiancée Jadzia Dax go to the pleasure planet Risa, however the free nature of the inhabitants offends the Klingons. Worf sabotages the planet’s local weather management system, and whereas he’s chastised for the motion, the present additionally forgives him for being an insecure boyfriend. Actually, it’s an episode with out honor.
10 – “Revenue and Lace” (DS9, Season Six, Episode Twenty-Three, 1998)
The Ferengi solely lasted just a few episodes as the first enemy in TNG, because the grasping aliens have been extra annoying than harmful. So it is a miracle that DS9 turned the reviled aliens into wealthy and beloved characters, largely due to performances by Armin Shimerman as Quark and Aron Eisenberg as Nog. That stated, Ferengi-centric episodes tended to be among the many present’s weakest, particularly “Revenue and Lace.” By making the male Quark gown like a girl, the present indulges in too many drained sitcom jokes from the 70s and 80s.
11 – “State of Flux” (Voyager, Season One, Episode Eleven, 1995)
The Ferengi made for horrible large bads on TNG, however they’d nothing on the Kazon. Deliberate to be the first enemy race of Star Trek: Voyager (VOY), the Kazon have been a tribal individuals dwelling within the Delta Quadrant the place the USS Voyager was stranded. Impressed by a simplistic misunderstanding of California gangs and designed like Oompa-Loompas with pine cones glued to their heads, the Kazon rank among the many worst aliens within the franchise. The primary Kazon-focused episode, “State of Flux,” highlights all the issues with the aliens, which the collection by no means fixes.
12 – “Elogium” (Voy, Season Two, Episode 4, 1995)
No character in Trek was set as much as fail like Neelix, launched as a information and cook dinner for the Voyager when it received misplaced within the Delta Quadrant. Ultimately, Neelix grew to become a likable crew member, largely due to Ethan Phillips’s heat efficiency. However for the primary few seasons, writers made Neelix extremely irritating and controlling, particularly regarding his girlfriend Kes, an Ocampan who seemed like an grownup however was, the truth is, two years outdated. Neelix’s poisonous conduct climaxes within the season two episode “Elogium,” wherein Kes enters an Ocampan mating state. It makes nasty implications about Kes, and Neelix comes off as clingy and gross, undercutting Phillips’s pure likability.
13 – “The Combat” (Voy, Season 5, Episode Fifteen, 1999)
As with Neelix, writers usually undermined the Voyager’s commanding officer Chakotay. However his issues stemmed much less from dangerous plots and extra from the producers’ disastrous resolution to rent a charlatan to advise on the characters’ Indigenous heritage. In consequence, too many Chakotay-focused tales traded closely in stereotypes about Native peoples, and actor Robert Beltran finally grew bored with the position, as demonstrated by his lackluster efficiency. All these issues come collectively in “The Combat,” which brings again Ray Walston as kindly Starfleet Academy groundskeeper Boothby, however the stereotypical nonsense turns into tiresome.
14 – “Minefield” (Enterprise, Season Two, Episode Three, 2002)
If we’re being beneficiant, we are able to see what the writers of Star Trek: Enterprise (ENT) deliberate for Tactical Officer Malcolm Reed. As a collection in regards to the beginnings of Starfleet, ENT featured characters nonetheless getting used to the thought of area journey, together with Reed, the son of naval officers who struggled to regulate to Earth’s latest navy department. However too usually, Reed got here off as whiny and incompetent. These grating qualities come to the fore in “Minefield,” wherein Reed’s incapability to disarm a mine leaves him trapped underneath garbage. Reed spends the remainder of the episode both mocking the command model of Captain Archer or complaining about his profession, leaving us to surprise why they need to rescue him within the first place.
15 – “A Evening in Sickbay” (Ent, Season Two, Episode 5, 2002)
Within the eyes of most Trekkers, ENT has the weakest forged of any collection. However nobody dislikes Porthos, Captain Archer’s beagle greatest good friend. So it will appear that the season two episode “A Evening in Sickbay” would stand among the many greatest, wherein Archer spends the night by the facet of his sick canine. Regardless of the photographs of the lovable canine, “A Evening in Sickbay” focuses an excessive amount of on Archer’s romantic life, leaning exhausting into the collection’ tendency to leer at its feminine characters. The episode tries to undo any affection we’d have for the dog-loving Pathos, rendering him an inappropriate chief.
16 – “These Are The Voyages” (Ent, Season 4, Episode Twenty-Two, 2005)
ENT tends to rank towards the underside of the Star Trek reveals. However even the angriest critic agrees that the present deserved higher than its closing episode, “These Are the Voyages.” As a substitute of giving the crew a correct sendoff or wrapping up the storyline from its markedly improved fourth season, “These Are the Voyages” focuses on Commander Riker from TNG. Riker makes use of his ship’s holographic laptop to go to a simulation of the primary Enterprise. Though the episode ends with a beloved character expressing admiration for a less-popular crew, the gesture feels condescending, solely underscoring the present’s lesser standing.
17 – “Into The Forest I Go” (Discovery, Season One, Episode Six, 2017)
One would assume followers can be so completely happy to get a brand new Star Trek television collection in over a decade that they might forgive any oddity in Star Trek: Discovery (DISCO). However Discovery radically broke from custom with deeply emotional tales, placing revisions of basic characters, and a darker total tone. Lots of these modifications come collectively in “Into the Forest I Go,” which reveals the backstory of Klingon Voq, who serves on the USS Discovery disguised because the human Ash Tyler. Not solely does the storyline embrace upsetting depictions of bodily and psychological abuse, however it additionally options Klingon nudity, one thing nobody needed.
18 – “Mission Daedalus” (Discovery)
Maybe essentially the most jarring facet of DISCO is its abandonment of the ensemble mannequin established by TNG and the TOS motion pictures, focusing virtually completely on Michael Burnham and barely on different crew members. Regardless of Sonequa Martin-Inexperienced’s pure charisma, followers can’t assist however surprise in regards to the different individuals on the USS Discovery. “Mission Daedalus” makes a mockery of these complaints by lastly devoting consideration to cyborg crew member Airiam solely to kill her by the episode’s finish. Moderately than construct the character, the backstory solely justified the cloying climax, wherein Ariam’s demise supplied extra motivation for Michael Burnham.
19 – “Ephriam and DOT” (Quick Treks, Season Two, Episode 4, 2019)
Star Trek: Quick Treks (STK) has been probably the greatest components of contemporary Trek, brief one-off episodes that permit us spend a bit extra time with varied characters across the franchise. The primary season hit greater than it missed, due to the horror-infused “Calypso” and hilarious Tribbles origin story “The Hassle With Edward.” At first look, “Ephriam and DOT” continues the custom, a slapstick-heavy story of a robotic and a tardigrade playfully battling one another on the Enterprise. Regardless of path from Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, “Ephriam and DOT” makes a important mistake by making a tardigrade the hero, given the abuse heaped upon such creatures in DISCO.
20 – “Kids of Mars” (Stk, Season Two, Episode Six, 2020)
Quick Treks sadly goes out with a whimper, due to the overwrought closing episode “Kids of Mars.” The episode follows two tween ladies at a Federation college whose contentious relationship modifications when each of their fathers die in an Android revolt. Set to Peter Gabriel’s wealthy cowl of “Heroes” by David Bowie, the episode feels extra like a public service message than a correct story, particularly with its trite message. Making issues even worse, “Kids of Mars” operates as a setup for the primary season of Star Trek: Picard, which incorporates a number of the franchise’s worst moments.
21 – “Stardust Metropolis Rag” (Picard, Season One, Episode 5, 2020)
Followers hoped the TNG sequel collection Star Trek: Picard (PIC) would enhance nostalgia, reuniting them with the Captain from their favourite present. However PIC deliberately swerved away from nostalgia, embracing a grimmer tone and presenting Picard as out of contact and unheroic. The opening to “Stardust Metropolis Rag” illustrates the issues with this strategy, because it reveals the brutal dismemberment and demise of Icheb. A teenage former Borg who appeared within the second half of VOY, Icheb solid a mom/son bond with Seven of 9. His demise scene in PIC felt unnecessarily merciless, with low-cost shock worth to upset the viewers.
22 – “Farewell” (Picard, Season Two, Episode Ten, 2022)
One of the best factor to be stated about “Farewell” is that it ends Picard’s disastrous second season, which in some way combines the Borg, Q, alternate realities, and time journey. The season finale tries to tie up all these story threads, together with the institution of a brand new Borg Queen and the exit of a number of predominant forged members, whereas additionally giving an emotional goodbye to outdated TNG characters Q and Wesley Crusher. The result’s a sloppy and unsatisfying story that makes Picard appear much more overwhelmed than regular. Fortuitously, the closing of “Farewell” made method for PIC’s wonderful third season, lastly reuniting Picard along with his former TNG crew.
23 – “All These Who Wander” (Unusual New Phrases, Season One, Episode 9)
Not like most Star Trek collection, Unusual New Worlds began sturdy and solely improved. Set between DISCO and TOS, the present returns to the standalone tales of Trek’s heyday whereas giving characters and ideas a contemporary twist. The strategy primarily works, however not in a single particular case, as discovered within the season one episode “All These Who Marvel.” The episode reintroduces the Gorn, a reptilian species first launched as a sympathetic monster in a silly-looking masks in TOS. Unusual New Worlds borrows closely from the Alien franchise to make the Gorn harmful predators, which robs the creatures of their authentic attraction.
24 – “An Embarrassment of Dooplers” (Decrease Decks, Season Two, Episode )
At its greatest, Decrease Decks lovingly teases the wackier components of Star Trek lore whereas additionally telling strong sci-fi tales. However Decrease Decks’s rapid-fire humorousness can typically grow to be exhausting, devolving right into a collection of references as a substitute of jokes or tales. Such is the case of the season two episode “An Embarrassment of Dopplers,” which finds the USS Cerritos on a disastrous diplomatic mission with an alien who duplicates when made uncomfortable. A humorous thought, in idea, rapidly turns into tiresome, regardless of the involvement of nice character actor Richard Form.
25 – “Misplaced and Discovered” (Prodigy, Season One, Episodes One and Two)
Actually, it feels dangerous to incorporate poor Star Trek: Prodigy on this checklist. Trek’s second animated collection was an ideal option to introduce the collection to youngsters, due to its rag-tag crew of lovable aliens. However after one critically acclaimed season, Paramount canceled Prodigy and eliminated the present from its streaming service, making it very tough to look at. Regardless of this dangerous luck and the truth that the present’s single season was largely pleasant, Prodigy did start with a whimper, due to the two-part premiere “Misplaced and Discovered.” The back-to-back episodes take too lengthy to determine the present’s central premise, and Prodigy’s premature demise solely intensifies the sting of misplaced time.
