8. 'Miri'
Airing October 27, 1966, “Miri” has the chilling premise of an Earthlike planet where only children have survived a deadly disease. The episode sets a sad fairy-tale mood by placing Kirk, Spock, and McCoy amongst feral children and a frightened teenaged Miri.
The makeup effects for the disease are also purposely disgusting, and the captain’s interactions with Miri may come off as awkward through a modern lens.
It’s not perfect, but “Miri” has enough going for it to be worth watching again after 60 years. The basic metaphor, kids growing up without parental guidance and becoming violent because of fear and misunderstanding, still works.
This episode provides McCoy with one of his most famous examples of medical daring and bolsters the notion that Starfleet's mission is as much about compassion as it is about exploration. When viewed as a story about neglected children and their eventual salvation by the adults around them, “Miri” still has the capacity to stir powerful emotions in viewers.
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