Series This is where everything began.
I will be brief. Star Trek, the original series, is by far my favorite of the bunch.
It also really, really, really didn't age well.
From the designs of the ships and scenarios, the weird recycled props to casual bouts of misoginy. Modern viewers may need a lot of tolerance, and a lot of preparation and understanding beforehand to fully delve into the episodes and not think that Bones was a racist doctor for his treatment of Spock (instead of 'just bantering, as it was normal at the time'), or not be horrified at Spock's treatment of nurse Chapel and other problems such as hamfisted allegories and extremely cheesy moments. The memes didn't make things easier either, painting Kirk as a sexist jerk, redshirts dying left and right and others, but nothing is more farther from the truth (In an era where the romantic idea was 'chase the woman till she loves you', Kirk actually delivers a speech about respecting boundaries!)
But, if the viewer is able to pass through these (MANY) hurdles, what awaits them is basically Star Trek at its most genuine, dramatic and hopeful. This is where the crew ask questions about empathy, exploration and science, where humankind learned to be an utopia, but has to be reminded to keep that way ("keep bigotry out of my ship!"), where Kirk genuinely holds the hand of a despaired alien and say "Don't worry, we humans used to have problems too, but look at us now! And if we did it, you can do it too." or sad because a conflict ended in bloodshed. As memetic as Shatner's acting was (and still is) he was able to pull some nice scenes, especially in memorable episodes such as "The City on the Edge of Forever" and "Balance of Terror" and none of the cast are behind in acting. There is a glowing joy in the eyes of the characters as they want to help others and understand their situation without imposing their values. The trio of Reason, Logic and Heart through Kirk, Spock and Bones is still unmatched to this day with good reason.
The writers weren't afraid to pull punches when it came to gruesome fates, downer endings and explore bizarre concepts, but, to me, what strikes most interesting is how they tried to make inclusion casual (with varying degrees of success) from an indian admiral, to a black scientist and a woman being the equivalent of a JAG prosecutor, all dealt with complete normalcy and respect in the 60's! Of course, without forgetting about Uhura, Sulu and Chekov!
Episodes vary in quality, especially with the shoestring budget that was shrunk even further in the third season, and the writers had to be especially creative with what they got (such as episodes like "Spectre Of the Gun") but they are often pleasant, even if silly at times due how technology marched on, and thought-provoking. Its a chore to withstand all the aged parts and course through the memes, and its completely understandable if one can't get through with them (finding too cheesy and so on), but if you can do it, give this series a chance.
Series The Ultimate Computer review
AS ALWAYS, SPOILERS.
This episode wasn't perfect. But I think if we waited for something "perfect" to put it on the So Cool Its Awesome page we'd have an empty page. This episode was one that made me remember just why I like Star Trek. I've gotta say, for an episode where humans are pitted against computers, it's a surprising aversion of Straw Vulcan. Spock freely admits that the computer is acting illogically. (Turns out to be justified. The doctor who built it, Doctor Daystrom, effectively built it as his brain, but faster and smarter.) I was also pleasantly surprised when Spock mentioned the fact that metal circuts can process information faster than human synapses. For a show that usually Fails Science and Logic Forever, in this episode, they sure...don't. Sure, the first half of the episode is a bit slow, I'll admit that fault freely, it Grows The Beard (If a single episode can Grow The Beard) in the second half. Not to say that the first half of the episode was bad at all. Slow, maybe, but there were those three rapid-fire Crowning Moments Of Heartwarming. The second half, however, is gripping. Emotional Torque (Even the audience is thinking Oh Crap when Kirk looks like he's going to cry after the computer destroys a Starfleet ship), suspense, action, and even an explosion. It even gave Dr. Daystrom, the scientist who built the computer, an intriguing (if Tear Jerker) character arc. And after hearing that the computer was acting illogically, I assumed that shutting off the computer with a Logic Bomb was going to be a Wall Banger. Not so! It was actually more like Talking The Monster To Death, and Character Derailment-free for all involved.
Series Journey To Babel review
SPOILERS AHEAD!!
Okay, so I just talked ranted about an episode that really disappointed me. Now, to be fair, I'm going to gush about an episode I loved. This was the episode that really had me sold, that really made me say "Okay, now I'm a Trekkie." It beautifully meshes heartwarming and fascinating character drama with good suspense. The barely-repressed emotional tension between Spock and his father is intriguing, understated, and beautiful to begin with, but when Sarek becomes the prime suspect in the murder of the Tellarite ambassador's murder (Alas Poor Alien Scrappy. You were hilarious!) you're on the edge of your seat. Amanda Grayson is pure, walking heartwarming. (And surprisingly Moe Moe for an old lady). Uhura is competent in the episode. Even though she only has a few lines, as usual she traces an alien signal as coming from aboard the Enterprise, which later reveals that the spy among them is secretly not from the alien race he appears, and still has contact with the enemy ship through a transmitter in his body. Chekov, despite being a minor character, is also very endearing and competent when manning Spock's usual station. But the Crowning Moment Of Awesome would have to go to Kirk for commanding the Enterprise right after being near-fatally stabbed, despite the fact that he should have been in sickbay, and the Enterprise is being pursued and fired at. That was badass. Oh, and it directly leads to another Crowning Moment Of Awesome in which the pursuing ship self-destructs in the biggest explosion the budget will allow. (Ooooooh, fireworks!)
Series What Are Little Girls Made Of review
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Okay, so before I begin, let me explain: I am definitely a fan of Star Trek. I am just not a fan of this episode. In case you don't remember, this is the one in which Kirk investigates Nurse Chapel's long lost fiance, presumed to be dead, but is actually living in an elaborate mad science lab, creating androids. This is also the one in which two thirds of our beloved Power Trio do absolutely nothing, and Mc Coy is not even seen. The episode has a lot of legitimate suspense, but the "Robotic double" plot point is a complete Missed Moment Of Awesome. When Kirk has his robotic double made and sent onto the Enterprise, it seems like the episode may be speeding up, but in the end, but then what? The robotic double doesn't wreak havoc on the Enterprise, doesn't try to harm the crew. Nothing. All the drama that could have been milked out of it is gone. Another reason to call this episode Discontinuity is that Kirk is a real Jerk Ass to Andrea. He uses her as a Human Shield at one point, and forces a kiss on her at another. Now, granted, she's not human, but this doesn't reflect well on a man who's supposed to be a Chivalrous Pervert Officer And A Gentleman. Besides, lack of respect for non-human but clearly sentient, sapient and conscious beings (the robots all get killed) is another problem. And the strawmanning of the logical, emotionless robots made me glad Spock was just sitting aboard the enterprise being useless. Couple that with a whole lot of Easy Evangelism from Kirk, and an Anvilicious Science Is Bad Aesop when the Enterprise wouldn't have even existed if not for science, and you has an episode that boldly goes where no episode has gone before...down the tubes.
Series Plato's Stepchildren: Too Much and Not Enough Credit
Plato's Stepchildren is, despite taking place in that third season everyone writes off, a pretty standard episode of the original series that could've aired while Gene was still helming things. It's got the old-fashioned setting that saves money and lets everyone use their props from other productions, it's got a pretty standard Immortal Immaturity plot where a bunch of godlike beings use their nigh-omnipotent powers to treat the cast like human toys for their own amusement. Albeit, at least this time, they have a utilitarian objective in mind, hoping to force Doctor Mc Coy to stay among them and use his advanced medical skills to make up for their deteriorated immune systems, and he's Forced to Watch as most of the episode consists of his friends being psychologically tortured until he agrees to stay. But it's clear that their childish sadism is also a major factor, so a lot of it's very much psychological Torture Porn.
Special effects and music are pretty standard for a budget-saving episode, and as usual, most of the actors are at least making a token effort to salvage a mediocre script, each in their own way, although as usual Shatner and Nimoy can't quite avoid looking like fools. But overall, it's kind of a turkey, especially with the constant info-dumping and stock plots in ready supply better-done elsewhere in the franchise.
What this episode is most famous for is Kirk and Uhura's interracial kiss, which, laundry list of caveats about what the "actual" first televised interracial kiss was, was a pretty big deal in the 1960's while the Civil Rights movement was still ongoing. And to be fair, there's something modern in both parties admitting that they'd normally be thrilled to kiss if it were consensual, but are deeply uncomfortable with being forced to.
Still, in context, that's not the saving grace of the episode. Oh, when I saw this episode as a kid, that did stick out to me. I wasn't yet ten years old, and growing up in the American South, I didn't fully appreciate that biracial relationships were, you know, a thing? I don't think my younger self meant anything racially insensitive by it; just wasn't something I was exposed to. But it didn't go much further than going "Huh, that's weird. I didn't know that could happen."
What is the saving grace of the episode is Michael Dunn's incredible performance as Alexander, the put-upon and much abused court jester, mocked and shunned by the inhabitants of the planet for his shrunken physical stature and his inability to manifest their psionic powers, something which they credit to his lacking intellectual potency. In the context of the plot, it turns out this is bunk, and that the same genetic disability that made him a little person also made his body incapable of absorbing the local mineral that is the actual source of their psionic powers. And ultimately, he goes through a complete character arc and the full spectrum of human emotions, emerging the most heroic of the cast.
In the process, my younger self, raised on The Wizard of Oz and other programs for children that treated little people as jokes, or at least as exotic window dressing, suddenly had to reckon with Michael Dunn's humanity. That he really was a human being, just like me, with hopes and dreams, and that he deserved to be treated like one rather than a joke or a toy, got under my skin, made me think about that when other little people showed up in future programs. It was, in my mind, the ancestor of the modern decision to give little people more humanity, and in the process treat them like people.
Of course, Michael Dunn was already a successful actor in other programs before this, and there were other little people after him. But to the extent to which some portion of this episode is worth watching and remembering, it's he and Alexander rather than the kiss.