“And The Children Shall Lead” starts off promisingly enough but quickly devolves into the worst, most horrid, most painful sci-fi I think I may have ever witnessed. I’m not even sure this episode even deserves a proper post-mortem. It’s dead. Let’s leave it that way.

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“The Paradise Syndrome” is a moving, personal, and compelling story. In many ways, it is the precursor to TNG’s “The Inner Light.” And in every way that this episode mirrors its eventual progeny it succeeds masterfully, weaving a bittersweet tale about how elusive, intense, and fleeting true happiness can be. It’s a story of living lifetime within a finite period of time, and then returning to the world of reality – wiser and sadder for the experience. If only the overall production had been able to live up to the story itself …

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“The Enterprise Incident” is easily one of the finest episodes of the series, featuring a compelling spy narrative, wonderful character growth from Spock, and a memorable guest star who just so happens to make the whole thing come together in as close to perfection as possible. This episode is, truly, a joy to watch and experience. But its mastery isn’t simply in its twists and turns – it’s in how well those turns show up on screen. The plot itself isn’t terribly well disguised and it’s quite possible to figure out what is going on just a few minutes into the story … but, as it turns out, doing so proves quite irrelevant to the enjoyment of the episode.

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You may file “Spock’s Brain” in the “What the hell were they thinking?” category. From start to finish this is an episode fit only for Mystery Science Theater 3000. And at that it may be pushing the envelope. Indeed, before this episode is over, the term “Spock’s brain” takes on an unintentional comedic value which is indicative of the episode as a whole. Put simply, this is about as bad as sci-fi can get – to the point where it almost requires ridicule and derision.

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Question: When is a Star Trek episode not a Star Trek episode?
Answer: “Assignment: Earth”

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“Bread and Circuses” is, in many ways, a companion piece to “The Omega Glory.” And while it isn’t quite as blatant as its predecessor, it is still an awkward, clumsy story that seems almost juvenile compared to the rest of the series. That the episode was written by Gene Roddenberry and Gene L. Coon only makes the final result all the more unforgivable. The series creator and head writer ought to know better. That George Lucas guy should have taken lessons from this.

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“The Ultimate Computer” plays upon familiar sci-fi themes: the dangers of too much reliance on science and technology – at the expense of the human equation. In essence, it’s the typical “Prometheus Unbound” story in which the thirst for scientific advancement ignores the moral and practical consequences of an over-reliance on technology. It’s a similar story to what we see in Jurassic Park and 2001: A Space Odyssey. This is classic science-fiction and Star Trek is the perfect vehicle for this kind of story. That the episode succeeds in telling its story is noteworthy for both the series and the genre. Put simply, if you were to recommend any science-fiction story to demonstrate the dangers of rampant progress, this should be part of the conversation.

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“The Omega Glory” is an example of a writer who has a good story to tell, but is unable to tell a good story. The premise, that war (and in this case biological warfare) can utterly ruin entire civilizations, causing them to slur even their most precious ideals is a worthy one. Heck, the consequences of bio-warfare alone are important on their own. The additional layer of losing cultural identity as a result of war in general only adds to a potentially complex and deep study. And for perhaps the first third of the show, the episode seems well on its way to being able to realize a great deal of its potential.

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“By Any Other Name” is a surprisingly smart, insightful episode – almost in spite of itself. The truth is, there are just too many issues with the production – from writing, to acting, to pacing, to Star Trek cliché – to allow the real depth and meaning of the story to come to the fore. The end result is merely average, instead of the much more lofty goals set by the episode’s Shakespearean reference.

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“Patterns of Force” has a very important message to tell and lesson to teach. And you can tell that the episode’s writers and producers and actors made a commendable effort to make this a landmark episode – compelling and profound and worthy of attention. But the foundation of the episode, its most basic premise is too obvious and flawed to allow the full measure of this episode’s weight to be experienced by the audience. Put simply, the story would have worked better as a more general and universal allegory, instead of the clumsy, browbeating approach the episode employs.

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