The Quinessential Trek Episode

[ijdgaf]

Surprised I didn't see this earlier.

The correct answer is "The Corbomite Maneuver". I've been saying for years that it's the quintessential Trek episode. It's the prototype. So many of the trademarks of what we think of as "Star Trek" today stem from this one episode. Run the franchise through a distillery and that's what you'd get.

[PointyHairedJedi]

Shocking. I'd never have guessed, IJD.

[ijdgaf]

My opinions are factual, sir.

[Nate the Great]

You may have a point about Corbomite Maneuver. Great Trek, but I'm still a little jaded about the notion that the Romulans would buy the idea that we have a weapon thats suicidal and violates the laws of energy conservation.

[Scooter]

Originally Posted by ijdgaf

Surprised I didn't see this earlier.

The correct answer is "The Corbomite Maneuver". I've been saying for years that it's the quintessential Trek episode. It's the prototype. So many of the trademarks of what we think of as "Star Trek" today stem from this one episode. Run the franchise through a distillery and that's what you'd get.

You know, I was going to say "Amok Time" but then I saw your reply and went, "Duh." Definitely "Corbomite Maneuver." It's one of the few episodes that captures the real vastness of space, the sense of how alone and vulnerable Kirk and crew are in their tiny tin can so far from home, surrounded by so much they haven't encountered.

Maybe the Romulans wouldn't have bought it, but Clint Howard did because the humans were just as alien to him as he was to them. I think that's part of the point. It's a great name too, and yet it sounds like something Kirk would pull out of his ass.

[Felicity]

Saddly none of those episodes' titles mean anything to me. I'm terrible at associating names with actual espisodes. I tend to be like "remember that one where Janeway was running around a damaged Voyager and everyone was acting out parts in World War II..." ie. The Killing Game (I learned the title, I am so proud.)

But as for the first episode viewed by a non-trekkie, I fondly remember "Species 8472" scared me to death and was the first epsiode of Voyager (and Star Trek in general) that I ever saw. And while it didn't overview the whole series well, it didn't screw me up either.

I think I'm rambling, in fact I don't think I answered either of the questions posed. Okay so consider these comments with no real purpose.

~Felicity

[PointyHairedJedi]

I think most posts in this forum are considered that way, so you're in good company.

The only series that I can generally remember the episode titles for as well as which episode is which is Star Trek. I can remember a few from the later series, but not many - most of the time I have to look it up to jog my memory.

[Nate the Great]

Reminds me of when the creators of Friends were choosing their episode titles. They said something along the lines of "let's just call it whatever they're going to be talking about around the water cooler the next day." "The One With the Football," "The One With the Unagi," "The One With the Prom Video," etc. Kinda hard to forget episode titles like that, huh?

Might be time for another thread to "rename" Trek episodes into something easier to remember, just for fun. First off I'd rename all of those DS9 episodes that are Latin phrases. Those tick me off.

[Scooter]

Originally Posted by Infinite Improbability

Reminds me of when the creators of Friends were choosing their episode titles. They said something along the lines of "let's just call it whatever they're going to be talking about around the water cooler the next day." "The One With the Football," "The One With the Unagi," "The One With the Prom Video," etc. Kinda hard to forget episode titles like that, huh?

Might be time for another thread to "rename" Trek episodes into something easier to remember, just for fun. First off I'd rename all of those DS9 episodes that are Latin phrases. Those tick me off.

Some people I know habitually rename Trek eps using the "Friends" format -- "The One with the Gorn," "The One with Ricardo Montalban," "The One where the Crew Are Turned into Dodecahedrons," etc. Works great with TOS, because there's usually one thing per episode that jumps out at you like that. But I dunno if it would work as well with later series. Like you'd end up with something like "The One where Janeway Creates a Time Paradox" (...the one?). "The One Where Sisko Glowers a Lot and Avoids Being the Emissary." "The One Where Pulaski Doesn't Die a Horrible Grisly Death."

70s Doctor Who has a similar problem, they all start to sound the same after a while... "City of Death," "Ambassadors of Death," "Robots of Death," "Stones of Blood," "Planet of Evil," "Mind of Evil," "Face of Evil," "Hand of Fear," "Web of Fear" ....

[Derek]

Originally Posted by Infinite Improbability

First off I'd rename all of those DS9 episodes that are Latin phrases. Those tick me off.

"All" those episodes? Is it just me or is there only one? "Inter arma enim silent leges." The episode "Dramatis Personae" is also Latin words, but it's a technical term relating to story. It's as Latin as "Deus ex machina" is.

[Nate the Great]

Okay, so there is only one, but there's a whole bunch more that look like they were translated from Latin, phrases that may speak for the metaphysical theme of the episode, but don't help one figure out which particular plot they're talking about. "The Dogs of War" comes to mind. The whole last half of the series concerns the war, at least in theory, how does "The Dogs of War" help direct you to that particular plot?