TOS Episode Tier List Season 1

Star Trek TOS Episode Tier List

Season 1

1 The Cage

The original pilot.  Since this episode is so different from the rest of the series, I will not be rating it.

 

2 Where No Man Has Gone Before

The second pilot, introducing Kirk, Scotty and Sulu.  Great writing, great storyline, I personally love the Galactic Barrier.  Great guest stars too (Sally Kellerman and Gary Lockwood).  S

 

3 The Corbomite Maneuver

The first regular episode of the series.  A really good Kirk episode, showcasing his skills as a captain (and his skills at the art of the bluff).  Also the introduction of Uhura and Dr. McCoy.  Most of the regulars get some good lines in this episode, as does the one off character of Lt. Bailey.  Also young child actor Clint Howard.  A

 

4 Mudd’s Women

The episode that introduces recurring conman, rogue and general PITA Harcourt Fenton “Harry” Mudd.  Space pimp Mudd ends up on the Enterprise trying to sexy women as wives for the miners on Rigel XII.  Also the whole venus drugs that the women take to look beautiful and attract men thing.  B

 

5 The Enemy Within

A transporter malfunction splits Kirk in half, one half having all of Kirks good qualities and the other having all the bad parts.  The idea that neither half can survive without the other, that a person (Kirk) needs their good and bad qualities to be a whole person is an interesting one, however the implication of what possibly happened between “evil” Kirk and Yeoman Rand is a bit disturbing and thus takes his episode down a notch.  B 

 

6 The Man Trap

The salt vampire creature.  A decent episode, the idea of the creature sucking the salt out of people to survive is interesting, but the better parts of the episode in my opinion are the backstory character stuff established for Dr. McCoy.  Overall an ok episode.  B

 

7 The Naked Time

After finding the entire crew of a research station on a dying planet dead, the Enterprise crew contracts a disease that makes everyone uninhibited and brings hidden personality traits to the surface.  This episode established the character of Nurse Chapel and her unrequited attraction for Spock.  Shatner, Nimoy and Takei all absolutely acted the hell out of this one.  A tier

 

8 Charlie X

Charlie Evans, the orphaned human who was raised by non-corporal aliens and given some of their god-like powers.  Charlie’s adolescent antics, while meant to seem like the juvenile actions of an undisciplined, hormonal teenager with too much power in hindsight come off as a bit cringe.  On the plus side this episode did give us Uhura singing.  C

 

9 Balance of Terror

Introducing the Romulans!  Great episode.  The backstory established with the Earth Romulan War and having the Romulans be related to the Vulcans were some great world building.  Using that to comment on racism, and Lt. Stiles later coming to terms with his racism after being saved by Spock was good character writing.  Also the wedding at the beginning and having the groom be killed in the Romulan attack is a great take on the cost of war.  Shoutout also to Mark Lenard in his first Trek role as the Romulan Commander, a very thoughtful, deep, well-written character.  S tier, no question.

 

10 What are Little Girls Made Of?

Nurse Chapels ex kidnaps Kirk and makes an android duplicate of him.  His attempt to use the android to replace Kirk on the Enterprise is foiled by Spock.  Also it turns out Dr. Kirby (Chapels ex) died several years ago on the planet and was replaced by an android.  Good introduction and some good back story for Chapel.  C

 

11 Dagger of the Mind

The Enterprise uncovers dangerous, illegal experiments on inmates at the Tantalus V penal colony.  Guest star Morgan Woodward puts on a tour de force as Dr. Van Gelder in this episode.  This episode also introduces the Vulcan Mind Meld, a mainstay of the franchise.  Overall a decent if dark episode.  B

 

12 Miri

Kirk, Spock and McCoy contract a deadly disease after beaming down to an exact duplicate of Earth and discovering all the adults dead of the disease and only the extremely long-lived children alive.  C

 

13 The Conscience of the King

A travelling theater company beams aboard the Enterprise and Kirk discovers that the leader of the troupe is the presumed dead governor of Tarsus IV colony, who massacred 4000 colonists when Kirk lived there as a child.  Nice Kirk backstory episode.  B

 

14 The Galileo Seven

While a Federation diplomat spars with Kirk over leaving a stranded away team to make a rendezvous on time, the team including Spock, McCoy and Scotty fight for their lives on a planet inhabited by primitive cavemen while trying to repair their downed shuttlecraft.  A good look at Spock’s leadership skills and style.  Also the first appearance of the shuttlecraft, which will be seen numerous times throughout the series.  B

 

15 Court-Martial

Following the apparent death of a crewmember Captain Kirk is court martialed at Starbase 11 for causing the death of the crewman, Lieutenant Ben Finney, who Kirk had a history with.  The history between Finney and Kirk and Shaw and Kirk build good backstory for the captain.  It was fun to see a Starfleet/Federation base and the inner workings of Starfleet (also good world building).  Guest star wise Elisha Cook, Jr. shines as Kirk’s lawyer, the somewhat eccentric Samuel T Cogley.  B

 

16 The Menagerie, part 1

Having apparently received a message from former Enterprise captain Christopher Pike, Kirk Spock and McCoy beam down to Starbase 12, only to discover that Captain Pike is disabled and wheelchair-bound after a recent accident.  While Kirk, McCoy and Commodore Mendez try to get to the bottom of the mysterious message that summoned the Enterprise, Spock kidnaps Captain Pike and steals the Enterprise.   Kirk and Mendez pursue the Enterprise in a shuttlecraft, only catching up after Spock stops the ship and allows himself to be arrested.  With the ship locked back on course, Spock faces court martial, in his defense he presents video evidence-footage of the Enterprises previous visit to the forbidden planet Talos IV 13 years earlier.  This is a fun episode and a very creative way to reuse/canonize The Cage, the unaired pilot episode.  S

 

16 The Menagerie, part 2

With the Enterprise locked on course for Talos IV, Kirk and Mendez are forced to watch the footage of the Enterprise’s visit to Talos IV, which is later discovered to be being received from Talos IV.  As the ship arrives at Talos, the truth behind Spocks motivation is revealed by the end of the footage and a message to Kirk from the Talosians.  Pike is invited to spend the rest of his life on Talos IV, unfettered by his disabled body.  The Commodores presence on the Enterprise and in the shuttle is also revealed to be an illusion.   Although most of the episode is The Cage footage, it’s still a good conclusion to part 1, with a very poignant ending with Pike getting to live the rest of his life with the illusion of health.  A tier

 

17 Shore Leave

The crew visit an idyllic looking planet for shore leave, only to discover that the planet is actually a highly advanced amusement park, where a persons dreams and wishes seem to come true.  Hijinks ensue.  A fun, lighthearted episode written by one of the greats of science fiction, Theodore Sturgeon.  B

 

18 The Squire of Gothos

While travelling through a “star desert” The Enterprise encounters a seemingly impossible planet and a powerful, mischievous being calling himself Trelane, the Squire of Gothos.  Kirk’s cleverness in outwitting Trelane is a lot of fun, as is the plot twist of Trelane being a “small naughty boy”.  A

 

19 Arena

Kirk fighting the Gorn!  Despite the somewhat low-budget, rubbery appearance of the Gorn costume, the concept of the Gorn and the reason for their animosity toward the Federation make for an interesting episode.  Kirk having compassion for the Gorn captain at the end and sparing his life is very Trek in the series best tradition.  Definitely an A episode.

 

20 The Alternative Factor

The one with the two Lazaruses.  After experiencing strange spatial effects in orbit of an uninhabited planet Kirk and co. beam down and discover a being known as Lazarus.  Lazarus turns out to be two Lazaruses (Lazarii?), one matter and the other antimatter from an alternate universe.  The spatial effects are the two Lazarii fighting each other in a magnetic “warp” between universes.  The idea is ok, the execution of the episode is mehh, partly because the script was changed last minute to remove the romance between the black female engineer and one of the Lazarii (to comply with production code).  The result is a bit messy and confusing.  D

21 Tomorrow is Yesterday

The first true time travel episode.  Warping away from a collapsed star throws the Enterprise back in time to 1969 Earth, where they are spotted in the atmosphere by the US Air Force as a UFO.  As the first time travel story it does a good job of exploring the ramifications of travelling to the past and the potential consequences of changing history.  The slingshot effect used for time travel is a nice call back to the end of “The Naked Now”.  A

 

22 The Return of the Archons

While investigating the last known location of a starship which disappeared a century ago, the Enterprise find a planet where the society has been enthralled by a computer containing the consciousness of the planets long dead leader Landru.  Overall, this one’s kinda mehh.  The story is ok, though I find it a bit boring.  C tier.

 

23 A Taste of Armageddon

On a diplomatic mission the Enterprise finds itself in the middle of a war between two neighboring planets, a war fought by computer simulation but with very real casualties.  The idea of a war fought entirely digitally is intriguing, if scary.  Kirk’s speech to the Eminians about what war really is and its true cost in death and destruction is a good look at the truth of warfare and how that truth can get lost in a sanitized “computer war”.  B

 

24 Space Seed

Khaaannnnn!  The episode that introduces later movie villain Khan Noonien Singh.  The idea of the Eugenics Wars on Earth is the 1990s and Khan and his genetically engineered ilk escaping Earth on a sleeper ship and being in suspended animation for over 200 years is a nice bit of world building.  Guest stars Ricardo Montalban and Madlyn Rhue both shine in this episode.  Also, the Botany Bay is a neat looking ship design.  S tier.

 

25 This Side of Paradise

The Enterprise arrives at a colony believed to have been destroyed by radiation, only to discover the colonists alive and well and apparently immune to the radiation.  Spores from a native plant give humans protection from the radiation, but also makes them extremely uninhibited.  The away team and later the entire crew save Kirk desert the Enterprise after being affected by the spores.  The message of the episode, that “maybe we weren’t meant for paradise” is an interesting look at the colony planet where humans can’t live and man having to willingly face struggles and hardship vs. the biblical paradise.  B

 

26 The Devil in the Dark

Responding to a distress call from a mining colony the Enterprise helps the miners investigate a creature that has been damaging mining equipment and has killed nearly 50 miners.  It is discovered that the creature is a Horta, a silicone-based lifeform, and the silicone nodules found throughout the mines are her eggs.  This was a good episode about differences, preconceived notions and fears, and the consequences of misunderstanding.  A

 

27 Errand of Mercy

With a war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire imminent, the Enterprise attempts to stop a Klingon invasion of a neutral planet in a strategically important sector.  The attempt to stop the Klingons from enslaving the planets seemingly bronze age inhabitants is rendered moot when the inhabitants are revealed to be powerful noncorporeal beings, who forcibly but a stop to the impending war and impose a treaty on both sides.  This episode introduces the Klingons, one of the most popular species in the franchise.  Jon Colicos steals every one of his scenes with his acting as Kor.  A fun, engaging, high stakes story.  A

 

28 The City of the Edge of Forever

While investigating a planet surrounded by strange temporal energies, the Enterprise crew discovers the Guardian of Forever, an ancient time portal.  An accidentally drugged McCoy goes through the portal and changes history, causing the Enterprise to never exist.  Great episode.  The stakes, the time travel element, the bittersweet truth that to restore history Edith Keeler must die, also guest star Joan Collins makes a memorable appearance as Edith Keeler.  S Tier.

 

29 Operation…Annihilate!

After receiving a distress call on a private frequency from Kirk’s brother on Deneva, the Enterprise arrives to find the colony overrun by neural parasites and Kirk’s brother and sister-in-law dead.  After Spock is attacked by one of the parasites Dr. McCoy devises a way to weaken and kill the parasites using UV radiation, first on Spock, then on the whole colony.  Interesting, fun episode with some nice world building and some backstory for Kirk.  This episode also establishes Kirk’s older brother Sam (played by Shatner with makeup and a mustache) and his family.  A strong end to the season.  A Tier.