STAR TREK! Top Ten...

[SirAndrewD]

In honor of the very disappointing STD episode from Sunday here is....

The TOP TEN STAR TREK EPISODES!

1) The Visitor DS9 - A truly heartfelt, difficult and amazing episode. Something that resonates to anyone that has lost a parent. Beautiful, profound, well acted and one of the most amazing and well cemented character studies of the deep bond between father and son in the Sisko family.

2) City on the Edge of Forever TOS - Even though the episode is only a tiny bit of Harlan Ellison's brilliant writing, his ideas seep through in every scene. Kirk's awful decision at the end to let the woman he loves die for the future is agonizing to watch every single time.

3) Measure of a Man TNG - The age old question of what is life, where do we define sentience and what counts as sentient. The best courtroom drama episode of Star Trek, and a tour de force from Patrick Stewart.

4) Amok Time TOS - A rich deep dive into the alienness of Spock and his world. A truly magical moment when Spock's veneer of logic drops when he realizes his friend is still alive. A truly heartfelt testimony to friendship.

5) The Pale Moonlight DS9 - The darkest Star Trek episode ever. The Federation at war, losing, pressed to its final desperate stands. In that time, our heroic Federation idealists lose their ideals, and sell their souls irredeemably for a chance at victory. No one comes out clean, no one is fine. No one regrets it.

6) The Inner Light TNG - One of the most haunting Star Trek Episodes. Picard lives an entire lifetime in a probe, grows old and dies, only to find it's a fantasy. Beautiful, touching, and deeply explores what Picard really desires.

7) The Trouble with Tribbles TOS - The best comedy episode, bar none. Effortless humor with well lived in characters we care about. The iconic introduction of the beloved Tribble. A simple joy to watch.

8 ) Sarek TNG - A deep tribute to Mark Lenard and his amazing character of Sarek. Truly haunting homage to the Vulcan people and how much they hide their emotions behind the veneer of logic. The revelation of Sarek's deep and intense love and admiration for Spock and Amanda are as touching as they are sad.

9) Trials and Tribble-ations DS9 - An amazing love letter to Star Trek. A connection that DS9 makes with TOS and the tie off to the Tribble story line. Manages to be both funny and exciting, and lets us be enriched by Sisko's admiration for his childhood hero in James T, Kirk.

10) Blink of an Eye VOY - The only Voyager episode to make the list. The idea of Voyager, locked in time dilation above a planet that grows to first worship it, and then desperately seek to understand why it's there over centuries that is only a few hours to Voyager. One of the most fascinating episodes of Star Trek made, delving into everyone's desperate drive to understand the universe around them.

So, there's mine, what's yours?

[BanzaiCat]

I don't think I could go that deeply into generating a Top 10 but I know I agree with your number one episode.  O0