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Post by scenario on Aug 9, 2024 22:17:32 GMT
If you had to pick one Star Trek episode from any of the series to be the quintessential Star Trek episode, the one that encompasses what Star Trek is and stands for, what episode is it? |
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Post by scenario on Aug 9, 2024 22:19:47 GMT
My episode would be from TOS. The Devil in the Dark.
One of the few truly alien aliens. The evil monster is really just a mother protecting her children. Don't jump to conclusions.
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Post by MrPicard on Aug 10, 2024 12:50:48 GMT
I'd pick TNG's "The Chase". It's a very Roddenberry-esque episode. (The good Roddenberry-esque. Not the "needs more sexy women" kind of Roddenberry-esque.)
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Post by Prometheus59650 on Aug 11, 2024 0:25:38 GMT
I'd pick TNG's "The Chase". It's a very Roddenberry-esque episode. (The good Roddenberry-esque. Not the "needs more sexy women" kind of Roddenberry-esque.) I would have to agree. It has a touch of action and continuing tension from the chase itself, interpersonal bits between Galen/Picard/Troi that sort of echo the chats Kirk often had in his quarters, and, finally, the message that, "We are far more alike than different." It's Star Trek from beginning to end. |
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Post by Sehlat Vie on Aug 12, 2024 13:54:19 GMT
My episode would be from TOS. The Devil in the Dark. One of the few truly alien aliens. The evil monster is really just a mother protecting her children. Don't jump to conclusions. This was mine as well. It has all the elements of a classic Trek; a violent misunderstanding that is ultimately resolved peacefully, once the 'monster's' perspective is heard. It even has Spock's best mind-meld, too. |
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Post by SherlockHolmes on Aug 13, 2024 15:58:38 GMT
"The Corbomite Maneuver" TOS
"WHAT ARE YOU? ROBOTS? WOUND UP TOY SOLDIERS!!! DON'T YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE DYING? "
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Post by Garak Nephew on Aug 13, 2024 16:38:57 GMT
Great question! Quintessential does not necessarily means the best, or the better rated, not even the one with the best script, or the most technically flawless. No, I think quintessential means when something better REPRESENTS what it set out to represent, it has some difficult to pinpoint core that makes it an IDEAL example of what is suppose to reflect.
The examples so far are great choices of Trek fantastic cultural adventure and they all represent what Trek does best: speculation, heart, aspirational, awesome writing. I would add "The Measure of a Man" because of how the ethical-legal speculation mesmerizes us.
But in my head the quintessential Star Trek episode is DS9 "Explorers". Granted, it have some plot holes, some suspension of disbelief, some non-sequitur, but what this episode set out to do is just beautiful! Is just not the sense of awe the ancient bajorans may have felt while space exploring but, must importantly, the sense of awe we should feel at the human soul when love transforms it. This episode does Trek with utter elegance and sophistication, but it turns the mirror around to point to psychology and what it means to Trek there, inside of us. Through Sisko's relationships with Jake and Jadxia, the story examine that we can conquer the stars alright but if we don't nurture friendship and kinship we might as well stayed on this distant rock. That's the ultimate Trek.
Long time ago I lost counts on how many times I have seen this episode but EVERY SINGLE TIME when Sisko said "That's why I am going to build one" something move inside my chest. Is Ben only talking about the Bajoran Solar Sailor? I like to believe that he is also talking about something else, he is the Emissary after all... |
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Post by Sehlat Vie on Aug 16, 2024 22:35:46 GMT
"The Corbomite Maneuver" TOS "WHAT ARE YOU? ROBOTS? WOUND UP TOY SOLDIERS!!! DON'T YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE DYING? " "BAILEY, YOU'RE RELIEVED!" Should have been the first-aired episode, not some monster of the week thing. It's more representative of the product. Not that I hate "The Man Trap," really. I have no problem picking it to watch now and then, it's just very shrug. |
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Post by Yorick on Aug 18, 2024 19:24:25 GMT
Should have been the first-aired episode, not some monster of the week thing. It's more representative of the product. Not that I hate "The Man Trap," really. I have no problem picking it to watch now and then, it's just very shrug. As someone who watched the original series for the first time wildly out of order across several years, the ending of The Man Trap shocked me. Why did they try reasoning with the creature? It was clearly intelligent. They could have taken to Earth and set it up Lake Eyre in South Australia - all the salt it could ever need. Of course, this might have messed up The Devil in the Dark, a much better episode. That, The Corbomite Maneuver, Errand of Mercy, Arena - throw a dart at the first season and your odds are pretty good you’ll hit a quintessential epsidode. |
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Post by Prometheus59650 on Aug 18, 2024 19:34:11 GMT
Should have been the first-aired episode, not some monster of the week thing. It's more representative of the product. Not that I hate "The Man Trap," really. I have no problem picking it to watch now and then, it's just very shrug. As someone who watched the original series for the first time wildly out of order across several years, the ending of The Man Trap shocked me. Why did they try reasoning with the creature? It was clearly intelligent. They could have taken to Earth and set it up Lake Eyre in South Australia - all the salt it could ever need. Of course, this might have messed up The Devil in the Dark, a much better episode. That, The Corbomite Maneuver, Errand of Mercy, Arena - throw a dart at the first season and your odds are pretty good you’ll hit a quintessential epsidode. Yeah, there are a lot of eps in S1 that set it apart as sci-fi TV. All I can say is is that I'm very glad that "The Omega Glory" wasn't the first episode that it might have been. |
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Post by RobinBland on Aug 19, 2024 15:27:25 GMT
The Devil in the Dark. It's all there. Mission statement, intent, themes, a classic morality play with a twist. It remains one of the best, and most quintessential episodes of all Star Trek.
Much tougher to pin down one for the other shows... I guess I might go with these, not because they're the "best" necessarily, but because they investigate that element of human wanderlust and desire for exploration and communication.
TNG: Tin Man or maybe First Contact (the episode, not the movie).
DS9: Far Beyond the Stars - which also happens to be one of the best episodes of all Star Trek. Funny that one of the most off-format of all the DS9 episodes sort of exemplifies what the show was about.
Voyager: One didn't readily spring to mind, but, maybe, Blink of an Eye...? Janeway interrupts the voyage home to explore, and understand.
Enterprise: The Andorian Incident...?
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DSC: Er...
Prodigy: I haven't watched all of S2 yet, so I'll hold off on this one. To be fair, I haven't yet watched S5 of DSC either, so I'll use that as my excuse for not picking an episode.
I won't even bother with the other animated show.
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Post by SherlockHolmes on Aug 28, 2024 21:34:54 GMT
"The Corbomite Maneuver" TOS "WHAT ARE YOU? ROBOTS? WOUND UP TOY SOLDIERS!!! DON'T YOU KNOW WHEN YOU ARE DYING? " "BAILEY, YOU'RE RELIEVED!" Should have been the first-aired episode, not some monster of the week thing. It's more representative of the product. Not that I hate "The Man Trap," really. I have no problem picking it to watch now and then, it's just very shrug. I really really REALLY REALLY REALLY hate the the season DVDs and Blu-rays, all versions are in Broadcast Order. I kinda miss the 40 Volume set because it had them in Production order (Except the Cage, it was on Volume 40 after Turnabout Intruder) People must've been confused as crazy when the cast and sets were suddenly different in "Where No Man has Gone Before" only to be switched back the next week. |
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Post by Sehlat Vie on Sept 4, 2024 4:29:43 GMT
"BAILEY, YOU'RE RELIEVED!" Should have been the first-aired episode, not some monster of the week thing. It's more representative of the product. Not that I hate "The Man Trap," really. I have no problem picking it to watch now and then, it's just very shrug. I really really REALLY REALLY REALLY hate the the season DVDs and Blu-rays, all versions are in Broadcast Order. I kinda miss the 40 Volume set because it had them in Production order (Except the Cage, it was on Volume 40 after Turnabout Intruder) People must've been confused as crazy when the cast and sets were suddenly different in "Where No Man has Gone Before" only to be switched back the next week. Yeah, I finally broke down and bought the Blu-Ray set, only to have them all in broadcast order, which I also despise, since it makes no sense, esp. in the first season. I also wish the Blu-Ray box set has a listing of the episodes in the case somewhere; I hate plugging each disc in to see which episodes are on that particular disc. I also have Kino Lorber's "Buck Rogers" Blu-Ray set and each disc has the episodes on it listed (even if the final disc erroneously begins with an episode listed on the end of the previous disc). Ah, the perils and pratfalls of physical media collection...  |
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Post by SherlockHolmes on Sept 16, 2024 16:23:15 GMT
I really really REALLY REALLY REALLY hate the the season DVDs and Blu-rays, all versions are in Broadcast Order. I kinda miss the 40 Volume set because it had them in Production order (Except the Cage, it was on Volume 40 after Turnabout Intruder) People must've been confused as crazy when the cast and sets were suddenly different in "Where No Man has Gone Before" only to be switched back the next week. Yeah, I finally broke down and bought the Blu-Ray set, only to have them all in broadcast order, which I also despise, since it makes no sense, esp. in the first season. I also wish the Blu-Ray box set has a listing of the episodes in the case somewhere; I hate plugging each disc in to see which episodes are on that particular disc. I also have Kino Lorber's "Buck Rogers" Blu-Ray set and each disc has the episodes on it listed (even if the final disc erroneously begins with an episode listed on the end of the previous disc). Ah, the perils and pratfalls of physical media collection... I don't understand it. Both of the releases of VHS tapes were in production order (The Columbia House dual episode sets were just in random order all together), The Betamax releases were in production order, The Laserdisc Releases were in production order, The First DVD release (The 40 volume set) was in production order. Then You get to the seasons of TOS and that's all out of the window. Every season release (Original DVD, Remastered Dvd, and Blu-ray) has them in broadcast order, which is Atrocious. It was Atrocious when NBC butchered the release in 1966, and it is now. Paramount/CBS are dumb as rocks for releasing them in this way. Also the fact even the blu-ray does not continuously play the episodes through (You have to pick an episode after each plays.) At least TNG Remastered has continuous play Also the Cases are still HORRIBLE. Like not as bad as the Season DVDs horrible, but the blu-ray case still sucks. |
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I am so sorry...
Jul 14, 2024 1:18:27 GMT