If you're GenX like Yours Truly, then you remember the thrill of an upcoming fall television season crammed full of new shows. The delivery of the annual TV Guide Fall Preview was a much-anticipated event in many households, and in 1966, viewers got their first glimpse of a new science fiction show that would air on NBC. The show was Star Trek, which premiered on September 8 of that year.
While the show would eventually become one of the most beloved sci-fi series of all time, its initial footing was shaky. NBC rejected Gene Roddenberry's original pilot, "The Cage," because it was too cerebral for their audience; the network ordered a second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," after which the network ordered a full first season. While many episodes remind us why this show became so popular, there are a few that stumbled hard, so let's take a look back as we complete our 3-part series of the worst episodes from each of Star Trek's three seasons.
1. "Court Martial" (Episode 20)
This episode revolves around events during a turbulent ion storm, where Captain Kirk is charged with causing the death of a crewmember, Ben Finney, by jettisoning a research pod before the ship's alerts called for it. The ship's computer records show Kirk jettisoning the pod during a yellow alert, although Kirk is adamant that the ship was on red alert when he released the pod.
Mr. Spock discovers evidence of computer tampering by challenging the ship's computers to 3D chess, as the programming allows him to beat the game that he couldn't before. Dr. McCoy uses a device to mask heartbeats aboard the ship, which enables them to find Finney, who was hiding in the bowels of the Enterprise. Once apprehended, Finney blames Kirk for ruining his career when they were younger, as Kirk reported an error that pushed Finney down to the bottom of the promotional list.
The problem with this episode isn't so much the story as how it's presented. The heartbeat masking tech seems ahead of its time for such an early Star Trek episode, and it seems like a reach. Fans of Captain Kirk might enjoy this outing, but there are too many inconsistencies during the trial itself.
2. "The Conscience of the King" (Episode 13)
Is the leader of an acting troupe a genocidal maniac in disguise? That's the mystery in this episode, where Dr. Thomas Leighton, an old friend of Kirk's, is convinced that an actor called Anton Karidian, whom he saw in a play, is a former Earth governor from a colony on planet Tarsus IV known as Kodos the Executioner. This man ordered the execution of 4,000 colonists in a bid to save the other half of the population from starving to death when a fungus infected the planet's food source. Only a few of the colonists ever saw Kodos, including Captain Kirk, the doomed Tom Leighton, who was murdered early on in the episode, and Lieutenant Kevin Riley, currently assigned to the Enterprise.
Many of the problems with this episode come from unintentionally silly moments that pull focus from the bigger story. For example, when Kirk and Leighton's wife find Leighton dead, they carry him to his home, lay him on the couch, and cover him with a blanket before continuing their conversation! Later, an assassin (who turns out to be Karidian's loopy daughter) poisons Riley's milk with a dollar-store spray bottle the prop people didn't even try to disguise.
3. "The Alternative Factor" (Episode 27)
This episode was the first to tackle the question of parallel universes, and the result is approximately 45 minutes of pure confusion. A man named Lazarus slips in and out of different timelines through what he calls "dimensional corridors" via his small spacecraft and chases an enemy who destroyed his home world, an enemy who turns out to be another version of himself.
This episode is too confusing to be enjoyable. While the show gets parallel universes right in season 2 with "Mirror, Mirror," this one leaves too many questions unanswered.
This concludes our 3-part series of the worst Star Trek: The Original Series episodes from all three seasons. Drop by our Facebook and X pages for more daily Star Trek content and to share your thoughts. Plus, be sure to check out the worst episodes from season 2 and season 3.