The Best Episodes Directed By Brian Volk Weiss

Despite its gifted cast and wonderland of effects, this endearing Christmas comedy is sold short by the studio — till it scores big with moviegoers.

The unlikely holiday classic, and stop-motion first, comes to ghoulish life with persistent vision — and nimble work by a ragtag bunch of misfits.

Kirk, Spock, Picard, Data - the list of great Trek characters is incomplete without the Enterprise, Starfleet's flagship vessel. But Enterprise isn't alone - there's a whole list of Federation vessels that aren't appreciated enough. This episode ensures they are.

A cartoon version of Star Trek in the early 1970s featured original series creator Gene Roddenberry, writer D.C. Fontana, and the series' original stars.

After Gene Roddenberry's death, Trek ventured into yet another incarnation. Deep Space Nine was different from its predecessor, set on a space station. Its 1993 debut featured an African-American Captain and heavily serialized story arcs - both firsts. This was new Trek.

Join a skipper for the story behind Jungle Cruise, and try to spot the backside of water! When Walt decided to create the original immersive attraction, he tasked Imagineers with building a river in the Southern California desert AND the mechanical animals to populate it.

Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion — enter if you dare! When Walt Disney developed the attraction, he didn’t specify if it should be funny or scary. Ultimately, it became a perfect blend of both. Haunted Mansion proved so popular that it inspired several later iterations, including the chilling Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris and the weird and wonderful Mystic Manor at Hong Kong Disneyland.

Lightspeed to Endor! A long time ago…Disney created Star Tours, a thrilling simulator attraction that takes guests to a galaxy far, far away. It inspired Imagineers to build a whole new land — Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. There, guests can use the Force to explore the remote outpost of Batuu and the cutting-edge attractions Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.

Vroom or bust: It took a sweet ride and a rising star — or two — to build a blockbuster from a half-baked idea and the ashes of multiple flops.

From the series regulars and recurring roles down to the folks who just did guest spots, thousands of actors have brought the characters of Star Trek to life. Hear them tell what it's like on their side of the camera lens.

Life is like a box of chocolates — or a charming script unearthed by chance. Despite casting and budget woes, this humble tale became a '90s classic.

1995 brought another Trek series. This one featured a new starship, a return to episodic storytelling, and Trek's first female Captain, Kathryn Janeway. It was also the flagship for Paramount's new television network, United Paramount Network (UPN). Despite running seven seasons, the addition of Seven of Nine wasn't well-received by the entire cast.

Plagued by fledgling UPN's under-performance, Enterprise's premise (a prequel about the Federation's founding) was undercut by the decision to make the third season a reaction to 9/11. Lackluster ratings meant Captain Archer and his crew would only get four seasons.

Turning an unknown into a superstar and revamping the rom-com rules amid many rewrites, this megahit's success still leaves insiders pretty shocked.

The 1980s saw Paramount release three linked Star Trek movies to huge box-office success. The first, The Wrath of Khan, saw Ricardo Montalban as Khan, a villain from the original series, return. It was followed by The Search for Spock, directed by Leonard Nimoy. He returned to the director's chair for The Voyage Home, the biggest Star Trek success yet.

In 1987 Paramount decided Trek should return to its roots: television. ST: The Next Generation would become the first hour-long scripted show sold directly to the syndicated television market. Paramount's gamble paid off. Who hasn't heard of Picard, Data, and Worf?

It all began when Gene Roddenberry convinced Desilu to foot the bill for not one, but two "Star Trek" pilots; thanks to Desilu's boss, America's darling Lucille Ball, the world met Kirk, Spock and McCoy.

Paramount wanted to launch a fourth network with the new Star Trek series Phase II as its flagship. When the network proved unworkable, Phase II appeared doomed - until Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind proved box office hits. Phase II became the 1979 blockbuster Star Trek: The Motion Picture.