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CBS.com is streaming the entire thing!
Important note: I have not watched this recently. This is based on memory. I plan to re-watch soon, though, and see how it holds up.
The series is dated and often slow, but has a great deal of charm. Plus, it spawned the entire genre of slash. If you watch it, you’ll see why. There’s a great buddy dynamic between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. The supporting cast is very likable, though there are few of the sort of supporting character-centric episodes you get in more recent shows.
William Shatner looks good with his shirt off, and I enjoy his unique placement of pauses and emphases, though possibly not in the way that was intended. Leonard Nimoy’s performance can be appreciated in a non-ironic way.
There is very little continuity, so watching episodes out of order and skipping episodes is fine. If you value your sanity, you will skip the supremely anvillicious message episodes. There are probably about ten of them, unfortunately. My nominees for the most awful are the one with the Nazi aliens, the one where Kirk gets bitten by a poisonous gorilla-lizard and recreates the arms race, and the one where everyone is half white and half blackface. “Are you blind, Kirk? Can’t you see that I’m white on the left side, and he’s white on the right side?!”
Can’t Miss:
The Naked Time. They all lose their inhibitions and Sulu strides sweaty and shirtless through the halls, brandishing a fencing foil.
Amok Time. Canon fuck or die. Canon. Spock must return to Vulcan to mate. He loses control of his emotions, throws a bowl of soup at Nurse Chapel, and he and Kirk sweatily writhe around on each other. Witness the birth of slash!
Mirror, Mirror. There’s an alternate evil Enterprise where Spock has a goatee and is even sexier than usual.
The Trouble With Tribbles. A comedy episode in which furballs breed like rabbits. Very cute.
The City on the Edge of Forever. Oh, the poignance of time travel! Harlan Ellison wrote, then engaged in a massive lawsuit over this, if I recall correctly.
The one with Spock’s parents. ETA: Journey to Babel.
Worthwhile:
All the episodes with Romulans are pretty good.
Arena; The Gamesters of Triskelion. Aliens make them gladiate with giant can-openers; Kirk takes off his shirt. Actually, there may be a third one with that plot.
Devil in the Dark. They’re all menaced by a giant underground rug. I like the story.
Charlie X. Slow but I always enjoy stories with psychic evil kids.
The Enemy Within. A transporter accident splits Kirk into good but weak, and strong but domineering Kirks. Probably not supposed to be hilarious.
Shore Leave. Theodore Sturgeon transcribes an acid trip in the form of a teleplay.
This Side of Paradise. Spock gets high.
Anything whose plot synopsis does not involve aliens whose society is a) bigoted, b) controlled by a computer, c) resembles any Earth culture including but not limited to Nazis, generic Native Americans, Greek Gods, and the Old West OR has an anti-war or other social message discernable from the one-line summary OR has a blatantly sexist premise is probably worth watching once.
Avoid:
Anything whose plot synopsis involves aliens whose society is a) bigoted, b) controlled by a computer, c) resembles any Earth cultures including but not limited to Nazis, generic Native Americans, Greek Gods, and the Old West.
Anything in which you can discern an anti-war or other social message or blatant sexism from its one-line summary.
Catspaw. The show ran out of money, so aliens capture Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, transport them to a room draped in black cloth, and taunt them in voice-over for an hour. Every bit as boring as it sounds.
Elaan of Troyius. Even more sexist than usual.
Spock’s Brain. Aliens steal Spock’s brain. Also the writers’.
The Way to Eden. There are space hippies in this.
Important note: I have not watched this recently. This is based on memory. I plan to re-watch soon, though, and see how it holds up.
The series is dated and often slow, but has a great deal of charm. Plus, it spawned the entire genre of slash. If you watch it, you’ll see why. There’s a great buddy dynamic between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. The supporting cast is very likable, though there are few of the sort of supporting character-centric episodes you get in more recent shows.
William Shatner looks good with his shirt off, and I enjoy his unique placement of pauses and emphases, though possibly not in the way that was intended. Leonard Nimoy’s performance can be appreciated in a non-ironic way.
There is very little continuity, so watching episodes out of order and skipping episodes is fine. If you value your sanity, you will skip the supremely anvillicious message episodes. There are probably about ten of them, unfortunately. My nominees for the most awful are the one with the Nazi aliens, the one where Kirk gets bitten by a poisonous gorilla-lizard and recreates the arms race, and the one where everyone is half white and half blackface. “Are you blind, Kirk? Can’t you see that I’m white on the left side, and he’s white on the right side?!”
Can’t Miss:
The Naked Time. They all lose their inhibitions and Sulu strides sweaty and shirtless through the halls, brandishing a fencing foil.
Amok Time. Canon fuck or die. Canon. Spock must return to Vulcan to mate. He loses control of his emotions, throws a bowl of soup at Nurse Chapel, and he and Kirk sweatily writhe around on each other. Witness the birth of slash!
Mirror, Mirror. There’s an alternate evil Enterprise where Spock has a goatee and is even sexier than usual.
The Trouble With Tribbles. A comedy episode in which furballs breed like rabbits. Very cute.
The City on the Edge of Forever. Oh, the poignance of time travel! Harlan Ellison wrote, then engaged in a massive lawsuit over this, if I recall correctly.
The one with Spock’s parents. ETA: Journey to Babel.
Worthwhile:
All the episodes with Romulans are pretty good.
Arena; The Gamesters of Triskelion. Aliens make them gladiate with giant can-openers; Kirk takes off his shirt. Actually, there may be a third one with that plot.
Devil in the Dark. They’re all menaced by a giant underground rug. I like the story.
Charlie X. Slow but I always enjoy stories with psychic evil kids.
The Enemy Within. A transporter accident splits Kirk into good but weak, and strong but domineering Kirks. Probably not supposed to be hilarious.
Shore Leave. Theodore Sturgeon transcribes an acid trip in the form of a teleplay.
This Side of Paradise. Spock gets high.
Anything whose plot synopsis does not involve aliens whose society is a) bigoted, b) controlled by a computer, c) resembles any Earth culture including but not limited to Nazis, generic Native Americans, Greek Gods, and the Old West OR has an anti-war or other social message discernable from the one-line summary OR has a blatantly sexist premise is probably worth watching once.
Avoid:
Anything whose plot synopsis involves aliens whose society is a) bigoted, b) controlled by a computer, c) resembles any Earth cultures including but not limited to Nazis, generic Native Americans, Greek Gods, and the Old West.
Anything in which you can discern an anti-war or other social message or blatant sexism from its one-line summary.
Catspaw. The show ran out of money, so aliens capture Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, transport them to a room draped in black cloth, and taunt them in voice-over for an hour. Every bit as boring as it sounds.
Elaan of Troyius. Even more sexist than usual.
Spock’s Brain. Aliens steal Spock’s brain. Also the writers’.
The Way to Eden. There are space hippies in this.
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