Why one of the guest stars from The Way to Eden hid during her scenes

Star Trek: The Original Series had more good episodes than bad, and even the "bad" episodes are someone's good. In the third season, "The Way to Eden" was considered one of the bad ones, even though it had a lot of good life lessons as I wrote in an essay for Startrek.com. Still, some fans might still cringe and/or skip over the episode in their rewatch cycle. And, if anyone understood that, it was one of the episode's guest stars, Phyllis Douglas who was just credited at "Girl #2."

Douglas, in an undated interview with Star Trek Magazine (and included in the Star Trek book bundle "All I Need to Know I Learned from Star Trek") had already been in one episode of the series before she got this part. Having played Yeoman Mears in "The Galileo Seven," Douglas said she loved doing Star Trek. At least, she loved that part. She didn't feel the same way about The Way to Eden.

""But 'The Way to Eden'? Boy, was I embarrassed to be in that one! If you watch the episode, you'll notice that I hide in every single scene I'm in." "

- Phyllis Douglas

When Douglas got the script for the episode and saw there was going to be singing, she thought the idea of singing on Star Trek was absurd. She also went on to say that she was approached by several of the regular cast members who told her they were embarrassed as well. They went on to say how it was the worst episode they ever made (apparently, they'd forgotten about Spock's Brain), which she agreed with.

But four of the "space-hippies"—Deborah Downey, Charles Napier, Victor Brandt, and
Mary-Linda Rapelye—got together forty years after the episode's original airdate and performed at a tribute concert for James Doohan. And they received a standing ovation. So, clearly, not everyone hated the episode...even at least one of the actors.

Deborah Downey, who'd played Mavig, didn't have as much of an issue on the episode and said the highlight for her was sitting next to Leonard Nimoy for the jam session. She was only eighteen at the time of filming, and it was "a thrill to be on the show."

There will always be differing opinions about whether or not The Way to Eden was the worst episode of The Original Series just as there will always be those fans who adore the episode. In the end, though, it's all a matter of opinion.