Star Trek Turns 40

Background: Originally published September 14, 2006. One of my Facebook friends this past week messaged that he was watching "City On The Edge Of Forever," his favorite episode from the original series. It didn't take long for others to reply that their favorite episodes were "Journey To Babel" and "The Trouble With Tribbles." Not surprisingly, all of those episodes made my top five list of episodes below.

     I ceased calling myself a Trekkie or a Trekker some time between the demise of Voyager and the launching of Enterprise. However, I still look back with fond memories at the original NBC television series that turned 40 years old this past week.
     I chuckled to myself recently while I was googling different actors' names on the internet. Frank Overton played numerous unmemorable roles in different movies and television series over the years. But it wasn't playing the sheriff on To Kill A Mockingbird, or his role of the father on The Twilight Zone's highest-acclaimed episode "Walking Distance" that earned attention for Overton. Instead, one internet website said Overton is best remembered and "famous" for his role of Elias Sandoval on the Star Trek episode "This Side Of Paradise." That 1966 episode was Overton's last acting appearance before he died of a heart attack one year later.
     The television show that was once described as the "wagon train into space" captured a loyal group of followers over the years, including myself. Here is my top five list of the best episodes from the original Star Trek series:
*  THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER
     A deranged Dr. McCoy goes back in time during the depression on Earth and somehow changes history so that the Nazis win World War II. The pivotal point is a pacifist social worker at a New York City mission, played by Joan Collins. McCoy's presence keeps Collins from getting killed, and her pacifist activism delays the United States' entry into World War II. Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock travel back in time to allow Collins to be killed, as she was destined to be, and to allow history to evolve as we know it today. Time travel, ethical dilemmas, and nostalgic romance all make this episode the best one ever on many people's lists.
*  BALANCE OF TERROR
     This cat and mouse episode pits the Enterprise against a Romulan ship that can hide behind a cloak. Somewhat reminiscent of an old-time war movie between a ship and submarine, this episode is not only a classic war story, but it is also important for introducing the Romulan race into Star Trek culture.
*  JOURNEY TO BABEL
     Back in the 1960s, before we had special effects, this episode stood out for its introduction of numerous alien species and colorful characters on board the Enterprise while they travel to a diplomatic summit. Add to the mix a plot of sabotage on board, and the estranged relationship between Mr. Spock and his parents (his mother played by Father Know Best's Jane Wyatt), this episode has non-stop action and suspense.
*  THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES
     This episode is often considered a favorite by many, simply because of its comical nature. Deep space station K-7 eventually becomes overrun with tribbles, furry creatures that multiply faster than rabbits. At one point, Lt. Uhura informs Captain Kirk that tribbles provide love, something that money can't buy. Kirk replies "Too much of anything, even love, is not necessarily a good thing."
*  THIS SIDE OF PARADISE
     While the four episodes above are often seen on different people's top ten lists, this episode is usually farther down the list of Star Trek's original 69 episodes. The Enterprise is sent to evacuate a colony before harmful radiation reaches the colonists' planet. Unknown by the Enterprise crew, the planet's inhabitants are perfectly safe because of spores from a particular flower that "shoot" themselves into a human host's body.
     This episode is memorable for many Trekkies because the spores infect Mr. Spock and cause him to experience emotions. I like this episode because of another memorable line that Mr. Spock says near the end, after he's freed from the spores' influence: "If there are self-made purgatories, then we all must live in them. Mine can be no worse than someone else's."
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     I never did collect the entire Star Trek series on video, which is good, since DVDs are now making videotapes obsolete. But if Wally World Video in Sutherlin ever offers the original Star Trek series to rent, I'll probably be there on Friday nights paying a dollar to check out an episode.