The Best Episodes of Star Trek Season 1

Episode Rankings

1. #1 Fan Favorite
   

   7.2/10(6751 votes)

   #1 - The Man Trap

   S1:E19/8/1966

   Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy meets a former girlfriend when the enterprise brings supplies to a remote archaeological survey group. Still attractive to McCoy, the woman's current appearance hides a dark and deadly secret.

   Director:Marc Daniels

   Writer:George Clayton Johnson

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   Director:Marc Daniels

   Writer:George Clayton Johnson
2. 

   7.0/10(6301 votes)

   #2 - Charlie X

   S1:E29/15/1966

   Raised from boyhood by non-corporeal beings, 17 year old Charles Evans is picked up and transferred to the Enterprise. On board the ship, the teenager proves dangerously unable to wield his enormous psionic powers with maturity.

   Director:Lawrence Dobkin

   Writers:D.C. Fontana, Gene Roddenberry

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   Director:Lawrence Dobkin

   Writers:D.C. Fontana, Gene Roddenberry
3. 

   7.7/10(7253 votes)

   #3 - Where No Man Has Gone Before

   S1:E39/22/1966

   When Enterprise encounters a Force Field at the edge of the Galaxy, one of the crew members psionic abilities are accelerated to God like proportions causing him to become a powerful murderous being.

   Director:James Goldstone

   Writer:Samuel A. Peeples

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   Director:James Goldstone

   Writer:Samuel A. Peeples
4. 

   7.8/10(5923 votes)

   #4 - The Naked Time

   S1:E49/29/1966

   An alien virus strips the enterprise crew of their inhibitions, causing chaos as each crew member is overcome by hidden emotions. Meanwhile, the Enterprise is being pulled inexorably into a nearby planet's gravity well.

   Director:Marc Daniels

   Writer:John D. F. Black

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   Director:Marc Daniels

   Writer:John D. F. Black
5. 

   7.6/10(5619 votes)

   #5 - The Enemy Within

   S1:E510/6/1966

   Split by a transporter malfunction into two beings with very different personalities, the resulting twin Captain Kirk proves that neither a purely evil nor a sweetly good captain can survive without the missing half.

   Director:Leo Penn

   Writer:Richard Matheson

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   Director:Leo Penn

   Writer:Richard Matheson
6. 

   6.7/10(5507 votes)

   #6 - Mudd's Women

   S1:E610/13/1966

   Rescuing the crew of a ship from an asteroid belt, the Enterprise plays host to conman extraordinaire, the cunning Harry Mudd and his cargo: three beautiful women looking for suitors.

   Director:Harvey Hart

   Writers:Gene Roddenberry, Stephen Kandel

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   Director:Harvey Hart

   Writers:Gene Roddenberry, Stephen Kandel
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7. 

   7.5/10(5331 votes)

   #7 - What Are Little Girls Made Of?

   S1:E710/20/1966

   Helping nurse Christine Chapel search for her fiancé, the Enterprise finds a detached Dr. Korby working on a plan to create Android duplicates of key figures, beginning with James Kirk.

   Director:James Goldstone

   Writer:Robert Bloch

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   Director:James Goldstone

   Writer:Robert Bloch
8. 

   6.9/10(5164 votes)

   #8 - Miri

   S1:E810/27/1966

   On a planet populated by children whose aging process has been slowed artificially. Kirk’s landing party members contract a virus that kills adults. Despite their violent attacks, Kirk is determined to help the children.

   Director:Vincent McEveety

   Writer:Adrian Spies

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   Director:Vincent McEveety

   Writer:Adrian Spies
9. 

   7.4/10(5005 votes)

   #9 - Dagger of the Mind

   S1:E911/3/1966

   When a wild eyed maniac escaping from the Tantalus Penal Colony turns out to be one of the psychiatric staff, Kirk investigates the institution and discovers a chilling exercise in mind control.

   Director:Vincent McEveety

   Writer:Shimon Wincelberg

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   Director:Vincent McEveety

   Writer:Shimon Wincelberg
10. 

    8.0/10(5624 votes)

    #10 - The Corbomite Maneuver

    S1:E1011/10/1966

    Threatened by the sinister captain of a powerful alien vessel, Kirk claims that the Enterprise carries a powerful explosive which will destroy both ships. The move produces unexpected actions from the alien adversary.

    Director:Joseph Sargent

    Writer:Jerry Sohl

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    Director:Joseph Sargent

    Writer:Jerry Sohl
11. 

    8.2/10(5589 votes)

    #11 - The Menagerie (1)

    S1:E1111/17/1966

    Apparently summoned to Star Base 11, Kirk, Spock and McCoy visit a former Enterprise Commander, the paralyzed and horribly disfigured Christopher Pike. Uncharacteristically, Spock commandeers the Enterprise, then turns himself in for court martial.

    Directors:Marc Daniels, Robert Butler

    Writer:Gene Roddenberry

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    Directors:Marc Daniels, Robert Butler

    Writer:Gene Roddenberry
12. 

    8.1/10(5343 votes)

    #12 - The Menagerie (2)

    S1:E1211/24/1966

    Spock's court martial reveals the actions of Captain Pike on his previous visit to Talos IV, where the powerful Talosians tried to persuade Pike to breed with women provided for the purpose.

    Directors:Marc Daniels, Robert Butler

    Writer:Gene Roddenberry

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    Directors:Marc Daniels, Robert Butler

    Writer:Gene Roddenberry
13. 

    7.1/10(4849 votes)

    #13 - The Conscience of the King

    S1:E1312/8/1966

    Contacted by one of the other two witnesses to the crimes of mass murderer “Kodos the Executioner,” Kirk is persuaded that the criminal may be disguising himself as an actor in a traveling theatrical troupe.

    Director:Gerd Oswald

    Writer:Barry Trivers

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    Director:Gerd Oswald

    Writer:Barry Trivers
14. 

    8.8/10(6511 votes)

    #14 - Balance of Terror

    S1:E1412/15/1966

    Despite the earlier Romulan war, the Romulans have never been seen in person. The Enterprise, in pursuit of a Romulan aggressor, makes a discovery that causes suspicion about a senior crew member.

    Director:Vincent McEveety

    Writer:Paul Schneider

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    Director:Vincent McEveety

    Writer:Paul Schneider
15. 

    7.3/10(5076 votes)

    #15 - Shore Leave

    S1:E1512/29/1966

    When McCoy sees the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland, the crew begins to realize that the planet they are visiting seems to have the dangerous power to turn any thought into reality.

    Director:Robert Sparr

    Writer:Theodore Sturgeon

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    Director:Robert Sparr

    Writer:Theodore Sturgeon
16. 

    7.6/10(4884 votes)

    #16 - The Galileo Seven

    S1:E161/5/1967

    Crash landing on a planet populated by hostile giants, the 7-man crew of the shuttlecraft Galileo find themselves unable to communicate with the enterprise or to escape the planet's atmosphere.

    Director:Robert Gist

    Writers:Oliver Crawford, Shimon Wincelberg

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    Director:Robert Gist

    Writers:Oliver Crawford, Shimon Wincelberg
17. 

    7.2/10(4786 votes)

    #17 - The Squire of Gothos

    S1:E171/12/1967

    Encountering an uncharted planet in an empty region of space, Kirk and his crew are entertained by Trelane, a playful being who lacks the self-control to wield his great psionic powers with discipline.

    Director:Donnie McDougall

    Writer:Paul Schneider

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    Director:Donnie McDougall

    Writer:Paul Schneider
18. 

    7.9/10(5199 votes)

    #18 - Arena

    S1:E181/19/1967

    With both their ships held captive by powerful beings, Kirk and the captain of the alien vessel are placed on an asteroid to fight for their lives and the lives of their crews.

    Director:Joseph Pevney

    Writers:Gene L. Coon, Fredric Brown

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    Director:Joseph Pevney

    Writers:Gene L. Coon, Fredric Brown
19. 

    7.9/10(4961 votes)

    #19 - Tomorrow Is Yesterday

    S1:E191/26/1967

    In a freak accident the Enterprise is sent back to 20th century Earth, and must find their way back without changing history.

    Director:Michael O'Herlihy

    Writer:D.C. Fontana

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    Director:Michael O'Herlihy

    Writer:D.C. Fontana
20. 

    7.4/10(4586 votes)

    #20 - Court Martial

    S1:E202/2/1967

    Captain Kirk's career is at stake when he is put on trial for the loss of a crewman during an ion storm.

    Director:Marc Daniels

    Writers:Don Mankiewicz, Steven W. Carabatsos

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    Director:Marc Daniels

    Writers:Don Mankiewicz, Steven W. Carabatsos
21. 

    7.1/10(4448 votes)

    #21 - The Return of the Archons

    S1:E212/9/1967

    The Enterprise encounters a seemingly peaceful civilization run by a "benevolent" being named Landru... who intends for them to join his people.

    Director:Joseph Pevney

    Writers:Gene Roddenberry, Boris Sobelman

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    Director:Joseph Pevney

    Writers:Gene Roddenberry, Boris Sobelman
22. 

    8.7/10(6195 votes)

    #22 - Space Seed

    S1:E222/16/1967

    The Enterprise picks up a crew of genetic supermen from the 20th century... and their leader, Khan, plans to create a new empire.

    Director:Marc Daniels

    Writers:Gene L. Coon, Carey Wilber

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    Director:Marc Daniels

    Writers:Gene L. Coon, Carey Wilber
23. 

    8.0/10(4808 votes)

    #23 - A Taste of Armageddon

    S1:E232/23/1967

    The Enterprise arrives at a planet to establish diplomatic relations and finds itself in the middle of a "peaceful" war that threatens to destroy the ship.

    Director:Joseph Pevney

    Writers:Gene L. Coon, Robert Hamner

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    Director:Joseph Pevney

    Writers:Gene L. Coon, Robert Hamner
24. 

    7.8/10(4665 votes)

    #24 - This Side of Paradise

    S1:E243/2/1967

    The Enterprise crew try to rescue colonists from deadly radiation, but instead encounter strange alien spores that seem to offer paradise.

    Director:Ralph Senensky

    Writers:D.C. Fontana, Jerry Sohl

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    Director:Ralph Senensky

    Writers:D.C. Fontana, Jerry Sohl
25. 

    8.3/10(4960 votes)

    #25 - The Devil in the Dark

    S1:E253/9/1967

    Kirk investigates a series of grisly murders on a mining planet that are the work of a seemingly hostile alien creature.

    Director:Joseph Pevney

    Writer:Gene L. Coon

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    Director:Joseph Pevney

    Writer:Gene L. Coon