1. “The Enterprise Incident”
This may be controversial to say, but I actually think “The Enterprise Incident” is a better episode than “Balance of Terror.” There are only three Romulan episodes of The Original Series with the third, "The Deadly Years," featuring them in a lesser role. However, in this instance, it is inevitable to compare "Balance of Terror" and "The Enterprise Incident." While the season 1 outing is a thrilling game of cat and mouse, this one has espionage and intrigue mixed with reflections on self and identity.
An important facet of “The Enterprise Incident” is how it develops the Romulan Commander as a person and character. We get a taste of this in “Balance of Terror,” but the mix of D.C. Fontana’s writing, Joanne Linville’s performance, and John Meredyth Lucas’s direction brings the character to life, even though (as in “Balance of Terror”) we never learn the Commander’s name.
This well-developed character is then mixed with a story in which Kirk and Spock are actually the ones doing a bad thing, with Spock attempting to distract the Commander while Kirk steals the Romulans’ cloaking device. The combination is one where we must consider what really does distinguish Romulans from Vulcans (or even from Humans) while also enjoying a thrilling heist plot.
This balance of tones and contrast of character goals makes for a sophisticated episode of Star Trek. No, it does not have the profound speeches about ethics and philosophy, but it has subtler investigations to what it means to be different and to balance duty with one’s own desires. It also gives a depth to Romulans that is lost when they are become mere conniving villains in The Next Generation.
Also, this episode is actually the first time we see the D-7 Battlecruiser (in the original, non-remastered version of the series), which is one of my absolute favorite ship designs in all of Star Trek. It is funny, though, that this episode establishes the design as Klingon in origin, even though we’re first seeing it as a Romulan ship!
See? TOS season 3 isn’t so bad!
In fandom, it is common to learn about, and often internalize, the widely held opinions about various aspects of a given work. Star Trek is no different, and the original show’s third season certainly has a reputation for awfulness, but upon closer exploration, perhaps that reputation isn’t entirely deserved.
As I said at the start, this list was actually hard to limit to only five. This is in contrast to my list of the top 5 season 1 episodes, where I actually felt I was stretching to a certain extent. Despite some decidedly goofy episodes (and some terrible ones…“And the Children Shall Lead,” anyone?), TOS season 3 offers an embarrassment of riches.
I left off some classics, like “Day of the Dove,” “Plato’s Stepchildren,” “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield,” “Requiem for Methuselah,” and even “Spock’s Brain,” and there are plenty of others worth watching, too. So, if you haven’t for a while, I recommend pulling up the third season of Star Trek and seeing what you find. It may be far better than you remember!
So, do you agree with our list? Share your thoughts and comments on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages. Star Trek: The Original Series is now streaming on Paramount+. However, for those who don't subscribe to the service, season 1 of TOS can currently be seen for FREE on PlutoTV.