50 Years of "Star Trek" The original Series

#4 "Spectre of the Gun"

(originally titled "The Last Gunfight") is an episode from the third season of the original science fiction television series, Star Trek, that was first broadcast on October 25, 1968, and repeated on April 4, 1969. This show was the last episode to air on NBC at 10p.m. on Fridays. It is episode #61, production #56, and was written by former producer Gene L. Coon (under the pseudonym of Lee Cronin) and directed by Vincent McEveety.

In this episode, having been found trespassing into Melkotian space, Captain Kirk and members of his crew are sent to die in a re-enactment of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral..

Loved the early 1950ish TV... minimalist set decoration--

But the Melkotian bad guy... and plot was way less than abstract artsy!

I'll take it from here, Bendy... and Gene Coon's nom de plume gets his just reward--

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#3 "And the Children Shall Lead"

is a third season episode of the original science fiction television series, Star Trek, and was broadcast October 11, 1968. It is episode #59, production #60, written by Edward J. Lakso and directed by Marvin Chomsky.

In this episode, on a distant planet, Kirk, Spock and McCoy find a scientific team dead, and their children who, unknown to the crew, have great powers at their disposal.

When the guest star is a lawyer, the results cannot be good and here they prove this to the nth degree.

No, you cannot do this-- I'm... a lawyer!

Logically, if they were my offspring... I'd whip their hind ends until they couldn't hold shucks!

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#2 "Spock's Brain"

is the first episode of the third season of the original science fiction television series, Star Trek, first broadcast September 20, 1968. It was the first episode to air after NBC moved the show from 8:30 P.M. to 10 P.M. on Friday nights. It was repeated July 8, 1969. It is episode #56, production #61, written by Gene L. Coon (under the pseudonym Lee Cronin) and directed by Marc Daniels.

In this episode, an alien female beams aboard the ship and, after incapacitating the rest of the crew, surgically removes Spock's brain. Kirk and the crew have just hours to locate and restore it before Spock's body dies.

Yes, the episode had some nice... eye candy for Kirk to charm--

But this abomination is almost a tie with #1 below, so, close, but no #1 cigar for Void-Head Spock--

Logically I deserved a bad review... but 2 years and a fine!

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Drum Roll...

Please!

Maestro, the Fairfare...

if you will.

#1 "The Way to Eden"

is the twentieth episode of the third season of the original science fiction television series, Star Trek was broadcast February 21, 1969. It was written by Arthur Heinemann, based on a story by Heinemann and D. C. Fontana (using the pen name "Michael Richards"), and directed by David Alexander.

In this episode, the Enterprise is hijacked by a madman-scientist and his fanatical, hippie-like followers who are blindly obsessed in finding a mythical planet of perpetual paradise. is the nineteenth episode of the second season of the original science-fiction television series, Star Trek, first broadcast February 2, 1968, and repeated on August 23, 1968. The screenplay was written by Gene Roddenberry, based on a story by Don Ingalls under the pseudonym Jud Crucis, and directed by Marc Daniels. It was intended as an allegory about America's involvement in the Vietnam War.

First, it is not the good Doc Sevrin using a hand sign... that make me throw up a little in my mouth--

But this attempt to pay tribute the 1960s 'Hippie... Movement' smells worse than the hippies ever did!

Did I really... look like that?

Did you... ever!

All these stinkers come from the final Third Season and the only one I've even seen in probably 30 years is "Spectre of the Gun" that I pulled up from Netflix to show a friend just exactly what early 1950ish TV minimalist set decoration was--

Okay, y'all talk amongst yourselves...

while I make a beer run.

The only hippies I hate worse than old hippies is future hippies.

I thought that I had seen every episode, but there are some that I clearly missed.

Star Trek had one of the best intros ever:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdjL8WXjlGI

“Spectre of the Gun” was actually a very cool episode, particularly with Spock doing the mind meld with Kirk and the others there.

my rocket scientist nephew pointed out to me recently that that NASA’s em-drive bear remarkable resemblance to a warp drive. I did some research on the matter and found that in 2015 the scientific community generally peed on it. However, in 2016, the scientific community was generally taking a wait and see attitude as other researchers were working on verifying NASA’s results.
http://bit.ly/2oKpTWj

At least the Space Hippies suffered at the end of the episode.

Herbert!!

Re: I thought that I had seen every episode, but there are some that I clearly missed.

Go to List of Star Trek: The Original Series episodes to see all of them in order of broadcast.

And all the Star Treks are streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime

Thank you! I didn’t know that they were available through Amazon Prime.

Excellent, Bender2!

“Spectre of the Gun” was actually a very cool episode, particularly with Spock doing the mind meld with Kirk and the others there.

Agreed! I was surprised to see this one on the list. The eerie sets and music are spot on. Love the final "shoot out".

Most of the last season episodes were weak tho I actually liked 3 of the 4 you listed.

I do agree that the one about the children was awful.

So bad they were good!

I agree with 1 through 3, but I liked “Spectre of the Gun” also. Always cool to see the Enterprise crew in different historical situations.

By the third season the series had already been cancelled, and budgets cut. Many of those scripts were clearly written to take advantage of existing sets and costumes. Aside from OK Corral World, there was Nazi World, Roman World, 20s Gangster World, and a time travel trip to the Depression. Some like the last two were pretty good, the first two should have been on your list.

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This thread needs more Bones!!!!

The Way to Eden?

Seriously? Sure, the plot is thin and the characters are cardboard cut-outs...

...but Kirk & Spock kick liberal’s butts...what could be wrong with that?

You forgot The Empath...gahhhhh, horrid!

The best episodes of Star Trek are not to be found in TNG. Nor are the worst.

In the pale moonlight is the best Star Trek episode of all time. Period.

The worst probably is the Star Trek: Enterprise series finale.

I actually liked most of these TNG episodes. #4 is pretty good, as well as #3. #1 is pretty terrible. no comment on #2.

Yep I liked Spectre of the Gun.

One I didn’t like was an episode with primitive peoples at war,in which one side was called Yangs and the other Comms. And the Yangs somehow had a tattered American flag and the US Constitution as revered symbols. Though of course I understand the symbolism of the episode.