THE BEST OF Star Trek: THE ORIGINAL SERIES [DVD]

I’m sure there will be some debate about which episodes of the original Star Trek are the “Best” but this DVD includes four episodes fans love.

The first episode is the Harlan Ellison episode: The City on the Edge of Forever. Kirk, Spock, and Dr. McCoy travel back in Time to face a stark dilemma. The second episode is Maggie Mason’s favorite Star Trek episode: The Trouble With Tribbles. Klingons and cute little fur-balls!

I’ve always been fond of Balance of Terror which reminds me of classic submarine war movies. The Romulons have an advanced cloaking device that renders them invisible. The suspense builds as the duel between the Romulon ship and the Enterprise escalates. This disc ends with another fan favorite: Amok Time where Spock has to mate or die! In a surprising move, Spock’s intended Bride choses Kirk as her champion in the brutal Wedding ritual which sets up a fight to the death between Spock and Kirk. I was very taken with Spock’s Bride, the treacherous T’Pring (Arlene Martel).

Are you a fan of any of these Star Trek episodes? Do have a favorite? GRADE: A

19 thoughts on “THE BEST OF Star Trek: THE ORIGINAL SERIES [DVD]

  1. Jeff Meyerson

    All good choices. The Ellison is always cited, but I’m sure if you asked a casual fan, they would name The Trouble With Tribbles.

    Reply
  2. Patti Abbott

    I guess the Ellison one. But on the whole, most of my favorites come from TNG. Stronger writing, stronger cast, better look.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Patti, you’re right about the production values (and casting) being superior on STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. But I admire what the original STAR TREK was able to accomplish on such a limited budget.

      Reply
  3. Michael Padgett

    I’m sure I’ve seen these episodes because I’ve seen the entire original series, some when they were originally broadcast and then the whole series several years ago on one of the streaming services. Plus a couple of the earlier movies. None of the spinoffs. So I’d probably be counted as a casual fan and, as predicted, I’d vote for the Tribbles.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Michael, one of the aspects of the original STAR TREK was the humor in many of the episodes. “Trouble with Tribbles” illustrates this perfectly.

      Reply
  4. Steve Oerkfitz

    Haven’t watched Trek since the original airings. Never watched the spinoffs. Although I have seen the movies. The two favorite episodes cited are usually the City and Tribbles. Both written by actual SF writers- Harlan Ellison and David Gerrold. Most of the episodes were written by writers with little or no experience with SF. I think the show has dated poorly due to the poor production values. I got tired of all the aliens who never seemed all that alien except for funny ears and high foreheads. And the where no man has gone before only to run into someone Kirk knows. In the whole universe. I can stay within a mile of home and never run into anyone I know.

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    1. george Post author

      Steve, I can imagine how much better STAR TREK would have been if it had today’s CGI technology. Back 50 years ago, Special Effects were crude.

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    2. wolf

      Steve, I totally agree!
      And imho the SF content in TMG was really limited compared to the SF stories appearing in those days, maybe because not too many people were into SF as fans like us? :)) 🙂
      Any way I don’t like series with the same cast of characters, the same problems, concepts – even the same sentences spoken all the time.

      Reply
  5. Rick Robinson

    Only four episodes on the disc? But the whole show, all the seasons, can be bought in a set. So…?

    I’ve seen them all, but don’t know the names of many, and can’t come up with a favorite. I much prefer Next Generation with Captain Picard, to the original series.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Rick, I’m tempted to buy DEEP SPACE NINE when it becomes available in Blu-ray. I haven’t seen all those episodes and friends tell me it’s the best of the STAR TREK franchises.

      Reply
  6. Jerry House

    What? No “Spock’s Brain”?

    Actually, I think those four are the best of the original ST. Many of the original episodes just don’t hold up, though I loved them when they first came out. The same thing happened with THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. and other shows from that time.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Jerry, Art Scott told me that a local TV station in California ran a big marketing campaign in their run-up to airing THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. nightly. After a few weeks of anemic ratings, they removed the show from the schedule. Some TV shows and movies just don’t hold up over time.

      Reply
  7. Beth Fedyn

    Lots of good stuff from the original Star Trek.
    I liked Bread and Circuses and A Piece of the Action.

    Reply
  8. Carl V. Anderson

    These are all ones I enjoy, though the Tribbles episode is not one of my favorites. Balance of Terror is a great one. As is City, though the whole mythology behind that one now lends to its mystique. As a young man I was always particularly attracted to Mudd’s Women. The Corbomite Maneuver is one I really like, and Arena. But there are so many good ones, filled with memories imprinted on my mind from watching them as a child with my younger brother.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Carl, I read the original Harlan Ellison script for “The City on the Edge of Forever.” Quite a bit different from what showed up on the screen.

      Reply

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