My post ranking every episode of the original Star Trek series remains one of the most popular on the site which means we’re well overdue to have a viewing guide.
This year will mark the 60th anniversary of adventures of the starship Enterprise first appearing on television sets. There’s aspects of the show, like any show, that are of its time, but it also sets the tone echoed by future Trek series where the exploration of ideas has aged remarkably well. This is due, in part, because some of the ideas are timeless and also because the cast plays every episode with serious conviction, whether it’s exponentially multiplying fuzzballs or a giant space hand. Watch a few episodes and don’t be surprised if you fall in love with the series –as so many people have fallen in love since it first aired. This is not dry nor remote science fiction. It has an exuberant music score, colorful lighting, and spirited interplay between memorable characters. This is space opera that will give you some familiar science fiction themes, satisfying allegories, and quite a bit of action.
But not every flying leg kick lands well. With that in mind, I have created viewing guides for folks who want to visit or re-visit the series that launched a thousand starships. In the spirit of all my viewing guides, these are not for completionists. These are guides for folks who want to visit or re-visit strange new worlds the same way you might explore a new band: not with every song they recorded starting with the very first, but with a curated list. All the episodes are available if you want to visit this corner of the Trek galaxy again.
And, in a first for these viewing guides, I have three levels of guide depending on how boldly you want to go. You see, this 60s series is firmly from the era of TV Status Quo, so there’s little continuity to worry about from episode to episode. I mean, you won’t see Chekov in season 1 nor Yeoman Rand in season 2. And then there’s the Organian Peace Treaty, but the fragile detente with the Klingons is quickly understood in all their episodes, as is the scurrilous nature of Harcourt Fenton Mudd. I have adjusted the order to minimize any of those continuity hiccups, but other than that I’ve arranged episodes by increasing quality (per my rankings), with a few moves for tone. Finally, TOS did not have a series finale like most of the other series did (you do not want to end with the actual last episode, “Turnabout Intruder”). Therefore, I was challenged to find “a good note to end on.”
Rest assured, all the episodes in the first tiers are in the later tiers, so it’s just how much of an appetite you have for Trek. Warp speed!
Tier 1 aka A Light TOS Sampler (10 episodes)
This gives you a top 10 that has thrills, chills, and Spock’s beard. It’s sure to be a satisfying itch-scratcher for existing Trekkies looking for an abbreviated re-watch. Plus, any budding Trekker will know if they want to go deeper after this.
- “Where No Man Has Gone Before” (S1, E3)
- “The Doomsday Machine” (S2, E6)
- “The Trouble with Tribbles” (S2, E15)
- “Amok Time” (S2, E1)
- “Space Seed” (S1, E22)
- “Balance of Terror” (S1, E14)
- “The Devil in the Dark” (S1, E25)
- “Mirror, Mirror” (S2, E4)
- “The City on the Edge of Forever” (S1, E28)
- “Journey to Babel” (S2, E10)
By the way, I say “light sampler” above but we start with some heavy episode with the second pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” and then “The Doomsday Machine” before getting to the tribbles. That’s because I wanted you to experience Starfleet Earnest ™ first as well as get the early uniforms out of the way.
Note that some streaming services will list “The Cage,” the original pilot as the first episode, but it, minus a few scenes is entirely covered with “The Menagerie” in Tier 3. “The Cage” is for your completionist watch.
Finally, I’m ending with “Journey to Babel” because I think it gives you a little bit of everything that makes TOS great and not, as the Orions would have you believe, because I was paid off by Dr. McCoy.
If you find this just isn’t enough, then it’s on to Tier 2 for you:
Tier 2 aka A Healthy Portion of TOS (25 episodes)
If you haven’t shied away from 60s TV shows or old sci-fi films before OR you want a rewatch that includes more than a “greatest hits” compilation, this should satisfy some serious Star Trek cravings:
- “Where No Man Has Gone Before” (S1, E3)
- “The Immunity Syndrome” (S2, E18)
- “A Piece of the Action” (S2, E17)
- “The Tholian Web” (S3, E9)
- “Balance of Terror” (S1, E14)
- “Errand of Mercy” (S1, E26)
- “That Which Survives” (S3, E17)
- “Return to Tomorrow” (S2, E20)
- “Who Mourns for Adonais?” (S2, E2)
- “The Enterprise Incident” (S3, E2)
- “Wolf in the Fold” (S2, E14)
- “The Conscience of the King” (S1, E13)
- “A Private Little War” (S2, E19)
- “Arena” (S1, E18)
- “Day of the Dove” (S3, E7)
- “A Taste of Armageddon” (S1, E23)
- “Friday’s Child” (S2, E11)
- “The Doomsday Machine” (S2, E6)
- “The Trouble with Tribbles” (S2, E15)
- “Amok Time” (S2, E1)
- “Space Seed” (S1, E22)
- “The Devil in the Dark” (S1, E25)
- “Mirror, Mirror” (S2, E4)
- “The City on the Edge of Forever” (S1, E28)
- “Journey to Babel” (S2, E10)
Much like tier one, I give you two serious episodes before we get into the lighter “A Piece of the Action.” In addition, both “Balance of Terror” and “Errand of Mercy” have been moved up in the viewing order counter to their rankings because they do contain continuity connected to later episodes. Sharp-eyed readers of the TOS rankings will note that I had back-to-back Klingon episodes which I think works in terms of ranking episodes but in a binge watch can come across as the the worst of over-used villains in Saturday morning cartoons. Kirk doesn’t trust too many Klingons in one place and neither should you. Finally, I’ve also kept opening with the second pilot and ending with “Journey to Babel.”
Now, just looking at all these stellar episodes makes me feel stuffed, but if you’re hungry for more, for you there’s Tier 3:
Tier 3 aka Give Me a Veritable TOS Feast (40 episodes)
You say you want a smorgasbord of O.G. Star Trek OR you’ve watched it before and just want some Internet denizen to give you a viewing guide? Well, put on your starfield-print stretchy pants, because your expectations for a lavish sci-fi meal are about to be fully realized:
- “Where No Man Has Gone Before” (S1, E3)
- “The Man Trap” (S1, E1)
- “The Return of the Archons” (S1, E21)
- “Obsession” (S2, E13)
- “By Any Other Name” (S2, E22)
- “Patterns of Force” (S2, E21)
- “The Enemy Within” (S1, E5)
- “I, Mudd” (S2, E8)
- “Bread and Circuses” (S2, E25)
- “The Changeling” (S2, E3)
- “The Squire of Gothos” (S1, E17)
- “The Cloud Minders” (S3, E21)
- “The Ultimate Computer” (S2, E24)
- “Court Martial” (S1, E20)
- “The Menagerie” (Parts I & II) (S1, E11&12)
- “The Galileo Seven” (S1, E16)
- “The Immunity Syndrome” (S2, E18)
- “A Piece of the Action” (S2, E17)
- “The Tholian Web” (S3, E9)
- “Balance of Terror” (S1, E14)
- “Errand of Mercy” (S1, E26)
- “That Which Survives” (S3, E17)
- “Return to Tomorrow” (S2, E20)
- “Who Mourns for Adonais?” (S2, E2)
- “The Enterprise Incident” (S3, E2)
- “Wolf in the Fold” (S2, E14)
- “The Conscience of the King” (S1, E13)
- “A Private Little War” (S2, E19)
- “Arena” (S1, E18)
- “Day of the Dove” (S3, E7)
- “A Taste of Armageddon” (S1, E23)
- “Friday’s Child” (S2, E11)
- “The Doomsday Machine” (S2, E6)
- “The Trouble with Tribbles” (S2, E15)
- “Amok Time” (S2, E1)
- “Space Seed” (S1, E22)
- “The Devil in the Dark” (S1, E25)
- “Mirror, Mirror” (S2, E4)
- “The City on the Edge of Forever” (S1, E28)
- “Journey to Babel” (S2, E10)
After watching all these episodes, I can’t promise you’ll ace Trek trivia quiz, but you’ll have some deep knowledge of one of the most influential science fiction series around. And if you’ve grown a new appreciation for why that’s so, well, it’s only logical.