October is upon us once again, and for us Star Trek fans that means binging the franchise's spookiest episodes for Halloween parties and other seasonal get-togethers. If you're not sure which episodes to choose for your watch party, fear not, because Redshirts Always Die has a curated list of the three scariest episodes from the many shows all along the Trek timeline, from The Original Series and beyond!
1. "The Man Trap" (The Original Series)
This was Star Trek's first broadcast episode, which aired Sept. 8, 1966. When Captain Kirk and the crew visit planet M-113 to deliver goods and medical supplies to Dr. Crater and his wife, Nancy (an old flame of Dr. McCoy's), little is as it seems when a salt-sucking creature starts killing members of the Enterprise crew.
This episode is pretty creepy from almost the very beginning, from when Nancy (the creature/Salt vampire) changes her appearance so Bones sees her as he did a decade earlier, to assuming the form of a crewman it killed so it could stalk prey on the ship. The creature's true appearance is especially nightmare-inducing, like Bigfoot crossed with a giant leech, only it hasn't slept in weeks. This is a tense, spine-tingling episode that might keep you up afterwards, too!
2. "Dead Stop" (Enterprise)
If you enjoy existential horror, then you should definitely add this to your spooky Star Trek binge watch! It doesn't have the same trappings as a typical horror-based episode, but its sense of liminal space and audio horror builds a lot of anxiety.
Another creepy aspect of this episode, where the Enterprise (NX-01) docks into a fully automated station for repairs, is how fully automated and comforting everything is, even down to the lights in the station's recreation room. It's convenient but almost too much so.
Eventually, Captain Archer and his crew discover scores of comatose humans at the station's core, including Mayweather, whom the machine replaced with a dead replica to add him to its power source. Archer raving at the automated voice feels a bit too familiar in an era where we have all screamed "REPRESENTATIVE!" into our phones because we want to talk to another human.
3. "Genesis" (The Next Generation)
I know a lot of fans groan over this episode, mostly because of the cringe idea of Captain Picard running around and spraying pheromones everywhere when everyone onboard Enterprise-D starts to de-evolve, but hear me out. There are also some genuinely terrifying moments in this outing, especially if you're an arachnophobe.
When Picard goes down to engineering, he's jump scared by the half-mutated form of Reg Barclay, who's now part spider, part human. It's obvious something went wrong during his de-evolution, and the agony on his collapsed face, now dotted with multiple eyes, is truly disturbing!
So, which of these spooky episodes will best kick off your Trek get-together? Does "The Man Trap" presenting a killer stalking victims much like a classic slasher film mean you should lead off your Halloween party with this episode? Or do you feel "Dead Stop" is the better way to start off the night with its eerie 2001: A Space Odyssey vibes?
Did watching Picard and Data make their way through the darkened Enterprise like a creepy haunted house inform your decision? What about Data's beloved cat, Spot, being transformed into an iguana? Do these elements amp up the spooky factor of "Genesis" to maximum warp for you?
Well, all three Star Trek selections will leave your guests enjoying your Halloween watch party, regardless of the order you serve the episodes up in. Now, share your thoughts and comments on the matter and tell us which are your favorites on our Facebook and X pages.