4. “Shore Leave”
One of the things I love about the original Star Trek is the variety of tones it takes from episode to episode. While the series is largely an adventure drama, it can have light-hearted, even comedic episodes that show the fun that can be had when trekking through the stars.
While “Shore Leave” is not an outright comedy, it is definitely lighter in tone than many other Star Trek episodes. It depicts the crew of the Enterprise visiting a strange planet that sensors say contains no animal life, only plants. Despite this, Dr. McCoy sees a white rabbit and little girl straight out of Alice in Wonderland, and curioser and curioser things appear as the episode progresses.
Eventually, it is discovered that everything on the planet is manufactured to offer entertainment and relaxation. The final conceit of the episode is that, even as people advance and become more technologically sophisticated, we still need time to play and have fun.
As I said, part of the appeal of this episode is its lighter tone—though there is still action and peril throughout the episode. Not only that, but it incorporates the lighter, more playful tone into the episode’s thesis. Yes, we may have high-stakes dramas most weeks, but sometimes, you just need to finally defeat that jerk who bullied you in college (as Kirk does to Finnegan in this episode).
Another fun aspect of “Shore Leave” is that the planet is actually revisited in the 1973 Star Trek: The Animated Seriesepisode, “Once Upon a Planet.” This episode is actually more of a dramatic outing than “Shore Leave” was, but it is still a great follow-up to the classic TOS episode.