50 Years, 37 Episodes, the Top of Trek

50 years ago today, Star Trek aired for the first time. People think that the current Marvel Comics Cinematic Universe is the first property to encompass coordinated film, television, and comics mediums, but Trek has been doing it for half a century!

I had hoped by this point to have made my way through all of the Trek television storylines, but have gotten stalled out in the middles of the first season of Enterprise. But, by the end of the year Netflix Germany is supposed to have all six series online, so I hope to get back on track soon.

Meanwhile, in honor of today’s anniversary, here are 37 episodes of Trek across most of the series that are near perfect episodes, ranked as I see them thus far: (Links tie into previous thoughts on each episode)

31. “Redemption” (Parts 1 and 2) (TNG 4:26, 5:1)

30. “Unification” (Parts 1 and 2) (TNG 5:7, 8)

29. “Drone” (VOY 5:2)

28. “Devil’s Due” (TNG 4:13)

27. “What You Leave Behind” (Parts 1 and 2) (DS9 7:25)

26. “Strange Bedfellows” and “The Changing Face of Evil” (DS9 7:19, 20)

25. “All Good Things” (TNG 7:25)

24. “The Schizoid Man” (TNG 2:9)

23. “Destiny” (DS9 3:15)

22. “Lower Decks” (TNG 7:15)

21. “Paradise Lost” (DS9 4:12)

20. “Projections” (VOY 2:3)

19. “Prototype” (VOY 2:13)

18. “Space Seed” (TOS 1:22)

17. “The Perfect Mate” (TNG 5:21)

16. “Little Green Men” (DS9 4:8)

15. “Tears of the Prophets” (DS9 6:26)

14. “Call to Arms” (DS9 5:26)

13. “A Taste of Armageddon” (TOS 1:23)

12. “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” (TOS 1:7)

11. “In the Pale Moonlight” (DS9 6:19)

10. “The Visitor” (DS9 4:3)

9. “The Drumhead” (TNG 4:21)

8. “Amok Time” (TOS 2:1)

7. “The Inner Light” (TNG 5:25)

6. “Yesterday’s Enterprise” (TNG 3:15)

5. “The Trouble with Tribbles” (TOS 2:15)

4. “Mirror, Mirror” (TOS 2:4)

3. “Tapestry” (TNG 6:15)

2. “The Best of Both Worlds” (Parts 1 and 2) (TNG 3:26, 4:1)

1. “City on the Edge of Forever” (TOS 1:28)