The third season of Star Trek's original series is a mixed bag of truly excellent episodes, ("Is There in Truth No Beauty,") odd callbacks to historical figures ("The Savage Curtain,") and just plain outlandishness ("Plato's Stepchildren"). The show's writers took many chances in this season; however, some episodes are almost unwatchable because of their premise, incomplete story arcs, and weak writing, so let's take a look at 3 that fell so flat that fans still talk about them today.
1. "And the Children Shall Lead" (S3E04)
In this episode, Captain Kirk responds to a distress call from a scientific outpost on the planet Triacus to find all the adults dead while their children seem oblivious and ask Kirk to play with them. He's shocked by the discovery and takes the children aboard after laying the parents to rest on Triacus. Once aboard the ship, the children call upon a "friendly angel" who wants them to take over the Enterprise and eventually other planets.
There are a few problems with this episode; firstly, while the angel is eventually revealed as a monster who manipulates the innocent to gain power over others, the backstory Spock gives for the Gorgan seems incomplete. How did he gain the children's trust? Were the children unable to see their parents' remains, or was the gorgon's control absolute?
What makes this episode so cringe is the hand movements the children do to make the crew hallucinate, and especially William Shatner's acting when Tommy Starnes does that embarrassing fist-pumping motion at Kirk. He starts chewing the scenery like a starving man, and as much as I love the original series, it is difficult to watch.
2. "The Way to Eden" (S3E20)
What happens when a handful of rebellious hippies infiltrate the Enterprise? Sadly, not much. I do wonder if this episode was simply a product of its time, when hippie culture was everywhere and quite a few TV shows tried to cash in.
The hippies, led by Dr. Sevrin, are searching for Eden. Yes, that Eden. During their stay, they try to coax others, like Sulu, to join them. They taunt Kirk, calling him "Herbert," and even have a space jam with Spock and his Vulcan lyre (and what was Tongo Rad doing to the security guards during the musical scene? It looked like a weak imitation of the Vulcan neck pinch, only for the ears!)
This episode feels like the writers wanted to give Walter Koenig the spotlight by bringing in a woman from Chekov's past, which could have worked in another story. The hippie vibe makes the whole episode feel silly, and the callbacks to Christianity feel like they're delivered with a sledgehammer.
3. "The Lights of Zetar" (S3E18)
This one could've been titled "The One Where Scotty Falls In Love Again" because when it comes to romance, Montgomery Scott falls for different women like a space-faring Howard Wolowitz. In this instance, it's Lieutenant Mira Romaine, who is on her way to a new assignment at Memory Alpha, which stores a Federation library. A strange storm attacks first the ship and then Memory Alpha, killing everyone there. Romaine appears to have gained a kind of second sight, but in reality, it is the disembodied will of the last 100 people from the planet Zetar.
One of the most bothersome aspects of this episode is that Scotty treats Romaine just as he did Carolyn Palamas in "Who Mourns for Adonais?" (S2E02). Despite Romaine's obvious intelligence and skill, Scotty writes off what she experiences as one might write off a child with a big imagination. He treats her like a prize and not a person, which doesn't align at all with the franchise's values.
Did I include any of your worst episode choices for the 3rd season of the original Star Trek series? What are some of your "Worst. Episode. Ever!" picks? Drop by our social media pages and let us know!