3 episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series always in the top ten

These Star Trek: The Original Series episodes always rank high

With Star Trek celebrating its 55th anniversary today, it’s only fitting that we honor some of the top episodes of The Original Series, and by top episodes, I mean those that have consistently ranked in the top ten among various sites.  Unsurprisingly, there are three episodes that always seem to find a place on these lists, and all three are from the first season.

To cull these three, I reviewed the top ten episodes from six popular sites: Screenrant, Den of Geek, The Hollywood Reporter, Collider, Business Insider, and WatchMojo. And while these sites weren’t consistent with where all of these episodes fell on their lists, their inclusion isn’t surprising to die-hard Star Trek fans.

These Star Trek: The Original Series episodes deserve to be in the top ten

Many fans will say that the first season of TOS was the best as it delivered top-tier episodes more consistently than any other season. And looking at this list, we don’t have to wonder why.

The City on the Edge of Forever consistently claimed one of the top two spots from all six of the sites referenced. Winning a Writers Guild of America Award as well as a Hugo award, the episode forces Captain Kirk to make a heart-wrenching choice between love and humanity.

Balance of Terror found its way onto the list without a fixed position. Some sites listed it as number five while others took it higher into second or third position. The popular episode is a game of cat and mouse between Captain Kirk and a Romulan commander played by Mark Lenard who would later return as Spock’s father, Sarek.

Space Seed is unquestionably one of the best episodes of the series and spawned one of the greatest Star Trek movies as well—The Wrath of Khan. When Khan Noonien Singh, a genetic superhuman, awakens from suspended animation, his decision to rule mankind again pits him in a battle against Captain Kirk and the entire ship.

Other season one episodes that appeared on more than one of the top ten lists are The Corbomite Maneuver, A Taste of Armageddon, Arena, and The Devil in the Dark. Six episodes from the second season also appeared on more than one of these lists: Amok Time, Mirror, Mirror, The Doomsday Machine, Journey to Babel, and The Trouble with Tribbles. Unsurprisingly, only one season three episode appeared in any of the top ten lists—Let That Be Your Last Battlefield which ended up on three.