star trek tos season 1 episode 7

The Galileo Seven (episode)

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Spock faces difficult command decisions when his shuttle crashes on a hostile world populated by barbarous giants.

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Production timeline
• 4.2 Script and story
• 4.3 Effects
• 4.4 Cast and characters
• 4.5 Props and sets
• 4.6 Continuity
• 4.7 Apocrypha
• 4.8 Preview
• 4.9 Remastered information
• 4.10 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Co-starring
• 5.4 Featuring
• 5.6 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.8.1 Unreferenced materials
• 5.9 External links

Summary [ ]

The seven members of the Galileo crew

On the bridge of the USS Enterprise , Captain Kirk receives a signal from Spock that the shuttlecraft Galileo is ready for launch. A crew composed of Spock, Lieutenant Commander Scott , Dr. McCoy , Lieutenants Latimer , Gaetano , and Boma , and Yeoman Mears , has been assembled aboard the shuttlecraft for this scientific mission.

Ferris enters the Enterprise bridge

High Commissioner Ferris enters the bridge from the turbolift and reminds the captain of his objection to this diversion from the greater priority of delivering medical supplies. The plague on the New Paris colonies is spiraling out of control, he contends, and the Enterprise must make the rendezvous on Makus in order for the supplies to be transferred from there to the colony.

Galileo launches

Kirk understands this, but he also states that he is under orders from Starfleet to investigate "all quasars and quasar-like phenomena" and observes that the rendezvous is in five days, while the trip to Makus will only last three. Hence, he reasons, he has 48 hours with which to study the phenomenon.

The Galileo proceeds to launch. While inside the phenomenon, the shuttlecraft encounters some rough turbulence, knocking it off-course. The electrical interference generated by the phenomenon makes sensors unreliable and communication impossible for the shuttlecraft, as well as for the Enterprise . However, Uhura does manage to make out the words "blown off-course" in an extremely garbled transmission. Kirk must attempt a rescue without working sensors inside a quasar-like formation which contains four solar systems in the immediate vicinity.

Act One [ ]

Galileo damaged on surface Taurus II

The Galileo is forced to make an emergency landing on Taurus II , a lone planet at the heart of Murasaki 312.

While Scott attempts repairs on the damaged craft, Latimer and Gaetano are sent out to scout the area and instructed to maintain visual contact with the ship. Meanwhile, on the Enterprise , the sensors remain inoperative and the transporters are not operating in a safe manner. Kirk orders that a second shuttlecraft, Columbus , prepare for launch in order to search the planet's surface for the other craft.

Uhura discovers a type M planet

Tensions mount between Kirk and Ferris as Kirk makes it clear that he plans to use every spare minute to search for his stranded shipmates. Uhura temporarily acts as science officer and helps to narrow the search for Galileo by discovering that one planet in the area, Taurus II, is type M . Kirk has Sulu set course for the planet.

As Scott assesses the damage, he finds that the Galileo has lost a great deal of fuel – so much that they would be unable to reach escape velocity, and to even reach orbit they would need to leave at least five hundred pounds lighter than when they arrived.

Scott and Spock diagnose Galileo 's problems

Noting that very little of the equipment on board is dispensable, and that five hundred pounds roughly equals the weight of three grown adults, Spock prepares himself for the difficult decision of which three crewmen to leave behind in order that the rest may survive.

It is at this point that Spock's cold logic begins to unnerve some of the crew, most noticeably Lieutenant Boma. Boma proposes that they draw lots to determine who stays behind, but Spock replies that he is better qualified to make the decision than would be a "random drawing of lots."

While on their scouting expedition, Latimer and Gaetano hear strange grinding sounds, seemingly coming from all around them in a dense fog . Attempting to escape back to the Galileo , they encounter a giant, spear -wielding, "cave man"-like humanoid. The creature is hostile, and attacks the two crewmen. Taken by surprise, Latimer is hit by a spear in the back, mortally wounding him. He falls from a rock ledge to the ground and Gaetano then attempts to fend off the Taurean with his phaser , firing blind.

Act Two [ ]

Gaetano, successful in driving the Taurean away, is found by Spock and Boma, slumped over, staring dumbfounded at the body of his fallen crewmate. After running a bit ahead to make sure that the giant is gone, Spock returns and examines the spear. He observes a similarity to the Folsom point , commenting that it is "crude" and "not very efficient." Again, Spock's words unnerve his crewmates, particularly Boma, who find it highly inappropriate for him to be musing about archaeology when one of their comrades has just been slain. Spock, logical as ever, responds, " My concern for the dead will not bring him back to life, Mr. Boma. "

Boma and Gaetano decide to carry the body back to the ship. Spock has no objection, since doing so will not interfere with the repair efforts. When he offers to help them, they refuse.

There is no change in the status of sensors, transporters, and communications. The search party has found no sign of the Galileo or its passengers. Kirk orders the Columbus to "widen its course two degrees on every lap from now on." Sulu objects that this leaves significant gaps in the search area, but Kirk notes that they simply do not have enough time to cover the entire planet, and this way they cover the most area, even if they leave gaps in doing so. Kirk advises Sulu to keep his attention on the helm .

Back inside the shuttlecraft, McCoy and Yeoman Mears report to Spock that they were able to gather about one hundred and fifty pounds of non-essential machinery for removal from Galileo . Spock commends them, but observes that even after dumping that weight, they are still 150 pounds too heavy. McCoy and Spock argue a bit about the ethics of leaving behind one man to save six, but they are interrupted by Boma, who upon entering the craft announces that they are ready for Latimer's funeral ceremony. Spock has no interest in performing such a ceremony as his expertise is needed in assisting Scott with the repairs. He attempts to push off the funerary duties to Dr. McCoy, but McCoy insists that it is Spock's responsibility as their commanding officer. Spock accepts this duty, but insists that the repairs take the utmost priority. He argues that by taking care of "first things first" he intends to maximize the chances of survival for the remaining crew. Boma leaves and closes Galileo 's doors.

Later, while Scott and Spock continue to attempt repairs, a ruptured tube leaks all the remaining fuel . The shuttlecraft is now without any means of propulsion . Disappointed by the event, Spock advises a pessimistic Scott to "consider the alternatives," stating, "there are always alternatives."

Mears, Gaetano, and Boma consider the use of force against the Taurean

Outside, loud grinding noises are heard again. Spock identifies the sounds as wood, rubbing on leather. Boma suggests that if the Taureans are a tribal culture , and thereby have a sense of unity, the crew can use that to their advantage. By hurting them, they can be dissuaded from bothering the crew again. McCoy and Gaetano agree that this is a "logical" course of action. Spock is hesitant, but concedes that there is logic to the plan, though he abhors unnecessary violence toward other forms of life. He proposes a third plan – to scare them by blasting phasers near the giants – firing not to injure or kill, but to simply frighten. He sends McCoy and Mears back to the shuttlecraft to assist Scott, while he leads Boma and Gaetano towards the Taureans.

The plan appears to be executed successfully, and Spock returns with Boma to the shuttlecraft, leaving Gaetano to stand guard and stay in communication with the ship. When he returns, Scott tells Spock of an idea he has to reconfigure the main reactor to function on the energy from the hand-held phasers . Unfortunately, their only means of escape happens to be their only means of defense. Using the phasers for fuel disallows their use for defensive measures against the giants. Spock and the others conclude that it is their only option. Scott begins the modifications.

The Enterprise transporters are now operational, and Kirk decides to beam three landing parties down directly to the planet in hopes of increasing the chances of finding the lost crew.

Crewman Gaetano is attacked and loses his phaser when a large rock is thrown against his hand. He tries to scramble up a cliff, but cannot, and is ultimately killed horribly by a Taurean.

Act Three [ ]

A Taurean threatens Galileo

Spock, McCoy, and Boma arrive at Gaetano's last known position. He is nowhere to be found but Spock discovers his phaser lying on the ground. Spock orders the other two to return to the craft and hands over Gaetano's phaser to Scott for conversion. Boma objects, but Spock's response is to hand them his (Spock's) phaser as well. Spock then pursues a "scientific curiosity" regarding what happened to Gaetano.

Sneaking up to the Taureans, Spock finds Gaetano's lifeless body and carries it off towards the shuttlecraft. The Taureans soon notice him and begin throwing numerous spears, one of which just narrowly misses Spock's head, but is blocked by the tip a protruding rock. Soon after Spock makes it back, one of the creatures (which followed Spock) begins assaulting the craft itself by slamming large rocks against it, with the terrified crew inside. Spock notes, as much to himself as anyone, that logic has completely failed him in this instance, he had not anticipated that the creatures would attack after seeing their superior weapons, just as he didn't anticipate the resentment shown by his crew during the mission. As the shuttle shakes, Scott reports it'll be another hour at least before the phasers are drained, an hour the crew clearly doesn't have right now.

Scott electrifies Galileo 's hull

Spock comes up with an idea to use the ship's batteries to electrify the outer hull. Apparently the Taureans were actually touching the ship at the time it was electrified, as the creatures leave shortly after.

Boma then argues that it is time to perform the funeral rites for their two fallen crewmates. Eventually, Spock relents and allows the burial, "provided the creatures will permit it."

Kelowitz talks to Kirk on science station monitor

On the Enterprise , landing party two has just beamed back with a few casualties and no shuttlecraft survivors. Lieutenant Kelowitz , who led the party, reports back to the captain, describing the same giant creatures encountered by the Galileo crew. By his account, Ensign O'Neill " got a spear through the body before we even knew they were around. " Lieutenant Immamura survived with severe lacerations and a dislocated shoulder but should be fine.

Commissioner Ferris arrives on the bridge and informs the captain that his time has run out. Ferris now assumes command of the ship under the powers granted him by Title 15, Galactic Emergency Procedures . Kirk orders the remaining landing parties to return and calls the Columbus back in, holding out hope that the Galileo might still report in the time it takes for the others to return. With great reluctance, Kirk commands Sulu to set course for Makus III.

Act Four [ ]

According to Uhura, the Columbus will be back and docked within 23 minutes. Thus, only 23 minutes remain for the search.

Spock, Boma, and McCoy discuss situation as Scott drains phasers

On the surface, Scott has just finished draining the last phaser into the ship's power supply and estimates that they have just enough power to maintain orbit for a few hours, and even enough to perform a controlled-burn re-entry. Scotty says that the ship will be ready to take off in eight minutes. Spock then tells McCoy and Boma that they have ten minutes to bury Gaetano, and that he will assist them.

The Columbus returns to the Enterprise and docks. The landing parties have all been beamed aboard. Kirk is left without any further excuses for delay. Therefore, the Enterprise begins the trip to Makus III at " space-normal speed ", and Kirk, not ready to give up hope for the Galileo crew, orders full reverse sensor scans, beams directed aft.

On Taurus II, the funeral ceremony is interrupted by flying spears. McCoy, Boma, and Spock are attacked by the Taureans again, and race back to the ship. After throwing one of the spears back at the assailants in order to buy more time for the others, Spock turns and makes for the ship as well. But after just a few steps, a large rock is hurled at him and traps him against a rock face. He tells the others to take off without him, but they disregard the command and roll the heavy boulder off of him so that he can return.

Spock hits the fuel jettison button

The three make it back to the shuttlecraft, but the extra time taken to free Spock allowed the Taureans to gather around the ship and physically hold it down to prevent it from taking off. After firing the boosters they are able to break free and take off. Unfortunately, once they attain orbit, they come to the realization that without the boosters, they will not be able to make a soft landing, and if they are not rescued, will face a burn-up in the atmosphere upon re-entry. Spock grimly reminds his party that thanks to Boma and McCoy trying to save him, they will have ruined their slim chance for survival. At this point, Scott reminds Spock of his earlier comment that "there are always alternatives." Spock, in an act that surprises the others, acknowledges that he "may have been mistaken."

" Are you out of your mind? " " Perhaps, Mr. Boma. "

When they achieve orbital altitude, while chasing the Enterprise , Scott estimates they have enough fuel to maintain it for 45 minutes. At this point, Spock commits an act of desperation. He jettisons the fuel and ignites it in the hope that the Enterprise might see the flare and come to their rescue. This leaves them just 6 minutes of orbit. The Galileo crew is shocked, but soon Scott realizes that Spock's action was "like sending up a flare", and offering that it was "a good gamble."

Fortunately, the gamble pays off. The flare catches Sulu's watchful eye, whereupon he informs the captain, and they change course 180 degrees to once again attempt a rescue, this time without Ferris noticing.

Uhura and Mears add to the crew's laughter

As the Galileo 's orbit begins to decay, the five surviving passengers prepare for the inevitable burn-up. Just as the ship is about to incinerate, the Enterprise beams the crew out, alive and well. Upon hearing the good news, an emotional Kirk orders Sulu to resume the course to Makus III at warp factor 1.

With Spock and McCoy safe and sound on the bridge, Kirk confronts Spock at his science station about his actions, trying to get Spock to admit that the flare was a purely emotional act. Spock tries to evade the question by framing the action as a logical decision to act in desperation. Kirk puts it to him directly, asking if he is going to admit that it was a purely Human emotional act. " No, sir. " replies Spock. Kirk then comments that Spock is a very stubborn man. " Yes, sir. " is Spock's response. With the exception of Spock, the bridge crew all has a good long laugh.

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2266

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Finding a needle in a haystack would be child's play. "

" Picturesque descriptions will not mend broken circuits, Mr. Scott. "

" Mr. Spock, life and death are seldom logical. " " But attaining a desired goal always is, doctor. "

" If any minor damage was overlooked, it was when they put his head together. "

" It is more rational to sacrifice one life than six, Doctor. "

" I'm not talking about rationality. " " You might be wise to start. "

" Mr. Scott, there are always alternatives. "

" I'm frequently appalled by the low regard you Earthmen have for life. "

"I am not interested in the opinion of the majority, Mister Gaetano! Components must be weighed! Our danger to ourselves as well as our duties to other life forms, friendly or not!"

" Mr. Spock, respect is a rational process. Did it ever occur to you they might react emotionally? With anger? "

" Strange. Step by step, I've made the correct and logical decisions – and yet two men have died. "

" I intend to continue the search. Foot by foot, inch by inch, by candlelight if necessary, until the last possible moment! "

" I'm sick and tired of this machine! "

" Mr. Spock, remind me to tell you that I'm sick and tired of your logic. " " That is a most illogical attitude. "

" Well, at least I lived long enough to hear that. "

Kirk accuses Spock of being stubborn

" It may be the last action you'll ever take, Mr. Spock, but it was all Human. " " Totally illogical. There was no chance. " " That's exactly what I mean. "

"There's really something I don't understand about all of this. Maybe you can explain it to me. Logically, of course. When you jettisoned the fuel and ignited it, you knew there was virtually no chance of it being seen, yet you did it anyhow. That would seem to me to be an act of desperation." "Quite correct, Captain." " Now we all know, and I'm sure the doctor will agree with me, that desperation is a highly emotional state of mind. How does your well-known logic explain that? "

" Quite simply, Captain. I examined the problem from all angles, and it was plainly hopeless. Logic informed me that under the circumstances, the only possible action would have to be one of desperation. Logical decision, logically arrived at. "

" I see. You mean you reasoned that it was time for an emotional outburst. "

" Well, I wouldn't put it in exactly those terms, Captain, but those are essentially the facts. "

- Kirk and Spock , on Spock's actions

"You're not going to admit that for the first time in your life, you committed a purely human emotional act?"

No, sir. " Mr. Spock, you're a stubborn man. "

Background information [ ]

Production timeline [ ].

• Story outline by Oliver Crawford : 1 April 1966
• Revised story outline: 7 April 1966
• First draft teleplay by Crawford: 25 April 1966
• Second draft teleplay by Crawford: 23 May 1966
• Revised second draft teleplay by Shimon Wincelberg : 18 August 1966
• Revised teleplay by Steven W. Carabatsos : 1 September 1966
• Revised teleplay by Gene L. Coon : 13 September 1966
• Final draft teleplay by Coon: 15 September 1966
• Additional revisions: 20 September 1966 , 22 September 1966 , 27 September 1966
• Day 1 – 22 September 1966 , Thursday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge
• Day 2 – 23 September 1966 , Friday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge
• Day 3 – 26 September 1966 , Monday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge , Transporter room ; Desilu Stage 10 : Ext. Planet surface (Rocks)
• Day 4 – 27 September 1966 , Tuesday – Desilu Stage 10 : Ext. Planet surface (Rocks, Outside the Shuttlecraft
• Day 5 – 28 September 1966 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 10 : Ext. Planet surface (Rocks, Outside the Shuttlecraft
• Day 6 – 29 September 1966 , Thursday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Shuttlecraft
• Day 7 – 30 September 1966 , Friday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Shuttlecraft
• Original airdate: 5 January 1967
• First UK airdate (on BBC1 ): 27 December 1969
• First UK airdate (on ITV ): 20 December 1981
• Remastered airdate: 16 September 2007

Script and story [ ]

• The story of this episode originated from writer Oliver Crawford , who thought about a science fiction retelling of the 1939 film Five Came Back , which co-starred a young Lucille Ball . [1]
• The writing of this episode was influenced by the Spock character having proved popular. Leonard Nimoy noted that, as a result of the character's success, " somebody said, 'Let's do a show where Spock takes command of a vessel' " ( Smithsonian magazine, May 2016 issue, p. 59). However, considering that only two episodes had aired when this episode began filming, this is likely more of a legend than an accurate memory.
• Several lines of dialogue in the preview did not make it into the final cut. The commissioner says, " Do you know what you have done? You've concerned yourself with only seven people. You said something about a needle in a haystack . It's useless. " Kirk replies, " If they're not there, Commissioner, then they're dead by now. "

The word "SCRIPT" is misspelled

• In the closing credits of the show, the title for Script Supervisor is misspelled "SCPIPT SUPERVISOR".

Effects [ ]

• The observation deck model was designed to match up with the set seen in " The Conscience of the King ". ( The Star Trek Compendium , p. 44)
• After this episode was filmed, no new shots of the shuttlecraft miniature were taken. All shuttlecraft model shots used in the series were stock footage from this episode, sometimes matted into different backgrounds.
• A still of the shuttlecraft model, facing forward inside the miniature hangar deck, appears in the end credits of this episode, with the center window of the shuttlecraft open.
• To make the creatures look larger than they really were, small spear and shield props were made for Buck Maffei to fling at the crew. The one that is dropped near the three men is fairly small in size, but in the next shot, it is much larger. ( The Star Trek Compendium , p. 45)
• Wah Chang created the ape-creature makeup. It was considered too grotesque to show in close-ups, but the faces of the creatures can still be seen in a few scenes. A close-up of the creature was filmed, but ended up as a deleted shot . [2] Also, NBC Broadcast Standards ordered that the view of Latimer with the large spear in his back shall not be clearly seen. When Gaetano fires his phaser into the mist, there is an additional mist optical effect, which had to be added in post production, that blocks a view of the impaled officer. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One , 1st ed. p. 306)
• Although the Galileo was destroyed in this episode, it appeared again in two later episodes, " Metamorphosis ", and " The Way to Eden ". However, it wasn't until its final appearance in "The Way to Eden" that the full-scale ship was repainted to read Galileo II . A shuttlecraft of similar design appeared in three episodes: " Journey to Babel ", " Let That Be Your Last Battlefield ", and " The Menagerie, Part I " – being an unnamed Enterprise shuttlecraft in Babel and unnamed starbase shuttlecraft in the other two episodes.

Cast and characters [ ]

• Leonard Nimoy struggled with his role of Spock in this episode because, in many of his scenes, he had to account for the absence of William Shatner . Nimoy later recalled, " I experienced it as a failure […] Put into the position of being the driving force, the central character, was very tough for me. " ( Smithsonian magazine, May 2016 issue, p. 59)
• Phyllis Douglas returned as one of the "space hippies" in " The Way to Eden ". The part of Yeoman Mears was originally written for Yeoman Rand, but Grace Lee Whitney had just been written out of the series. ( The Star Trek Compendium , p. 45)
• John Crawford, in an interview in Starlog magazine, stated that he had a very unpleasant time in his scenes with Shatner on the bridge. ( citation needed • edit )
• Don Marshall previously appeared in the controversial episode "To Set it Right" of Gene Roddenberry 's previous series, The Lieutenant , in which Nichelle Nichols played his character's girlfriend.
• The producers liked Marshall's performance as Boma, and intended to bring the character back. However, by that time, Marshall was already signed with Irwin Allen to co-star in Land of the Giants (which began filming in 1967, but only premiered a year later). ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season One , 1st ed. p. 313)

Props and sets [ ]

• The tool that will later be the laser beacon in " The Squire of Gothos " is sitting above the nacelle of the shuttlecraft in an early scene.

Continuity [ ]

• The episode marks the first appearance in Star Trek of the rank of " ensign ", as Ensign O'Neill is mentioned in this episode.
• This episode establishes that there is more than one transporter room on the Enterprise . Kirk clearly uses the plural, "transporters". In all other episodes, only the singular is used.
• Ferris is called "Galactic High Commissioner " because the name United Federation of Planets had not yet been created. Two years later, in " Elaan of Troyius ", the term "Federation High Commissioner" was used instead.
• Beginning with this episode, a somewhat re-orchestrated version of the opening theme is played over the opening credits.
• The tan belts to which phasers and communicators are attached make a re-appearance after being gone for several episodes.
• In this episode, Spock states he doesn't believe in angels, implying that he didn't believe anyone would save him or the others aboard the Galileo, in case the Enterprise didn't come for the rescue. Ironically, in the second season of Star Trek: Discovery , it is revealed that Spock's foster sister and her mother had saved quite a number of people from impending doom wearing a suit that resembled, as Spock himself put it, a " Red Angel ".

Apocrypha [ ]

• Bantam Books published a series of novelizations called " fotonovels " which took photographic stills from actual episodes and arranged word balloons and text over them, to create a comic book -formatted story. The seventh installment was an adaptation of this episode.
• In the novel Dreadnought! , it is stated that Scott demanded (and got) a court-martial against Boma due to his insubordination toward Spock. (Spock had not mentioned anything about Boma's attitude in his own report.) As a result, Boma was discharged from the fleet.
• The alternate reality 's version of events is depicted in issues three and four of IDW Publishing 's Star Trek: Ongoing comic series, " The Galileo Seven, Part 1 " and " The Galileo Seven, Part 2 ".

Preview [ ]

• The preview contains a Captain's Log recorded solely for the preview: " Captain's log, stardate 2821.7. Seven of our shipmates still have not been heard from. Our normal searching system is useless. "

Remastered information [ ]

The remastered version of "The Galileo Seven" aired in many North American markets during the weekend of 16 September 2007 . The episode received fairly heavy treatment, due to the number of special effects in the original. Like all other remastered episodes, the physical model of Enterprise has been wholly replaced by a CGI model throughout the episode. Similarly, Enterprise is universally shot at different – and typically closer – angles than in the original. As might be expected, this episode also required a new CGI model of Galileo itself.

The most widely employed new effect is that of the "Murasaki effect" and the planet Taurus II. Whereas in the original the graphic is largely confined to a long-range viewscreen shot of the Murasaki 312 quasar itself, the remastered version depicts the phenomenon as more of an omnipresent "effect", serving as the background for most shots. Also, in the original, the planet Taurus II is seen as primarily green in color, while the remastered planet is largely grey and rocky, like the surface.

The shuttlebay and launch sequences of shuttles received a thorough reworking. The resting Columbus can now be seen briefly during the Galileo launch, and the Galileo 's takeoff occurs with a more naturalistic "wobble" as the ship stabilizes before achieving forward momentum. Once launched, Galileo now casts a shadow on the shuttlebay to further lend verisimilitude to the sequence. As the "Galileo" departs the shuttlebay the interior shot of the shuttlebay is missing the "Columbus".

The new TOS-R chronometer is also briefly seen in the episode.

The final flight of Galileo has been given perhaps the most significant narrative attention. The "flare" caused by Spock's fuel dump is now more evident, both in close-ups of the shuttle and in long range Enterprise viewscreen images of the planet. As Galileo descends into the atmosphere, the ship glows a brilliant red-orange to indicate the heat – something that did not noticeably occur in the original version.

As of October 2017, the HD-DVD version of this episode is the only place to find the Starfleet Access bonus feature. The feature, for whatever reason, has not been ported over to any Blu-Ray release.

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original US Betamax release: 1985
• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 8 , catalog number VHR 2258, release date unknown
• US VHS release: 15 April 1994
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 1.5, 9 September 1996
• Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 7, 22 February 2000
• As part of the TOS Season 1 DVD collection
• As part of the TOS Season 1 HD DVD collection
• As part of the TOS Season 1 Blu-ray collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• William Shatner as Capt. Kirk

Also starring [ ]

• Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock

Co-starring [ ]

• Don Marshall as Boma
• DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy
• James Doohan as Scott

Featuring [ ]

• George Takei as Sulu
• Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
• John Crawford as Commissioner Ferris
• Peter Marko as Gaetano
• Phyllis Douglas as Yeoman Mears
• Rees Vaughn as Latimer
• Grant Woods as Kelowitz
• Buck Maffei as Creature
• David Ross as Transporter Chief

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Majel Barrett as Computer Voice
• William Blackburn as Hadley
• Frank da Vinci as Brent
• Eddie Paskey as Leslie
• Ron Veto as Harrison
• Command crewman
• Command crew woman
• Command yeoman
• Sciences crew woman
• Frank da Vinci

References [ ]

1925 ; ability ; acceleration ; address ; " all right "; alternative ; analysis ; ångström ; angel ; anger ; answer ; anthropoid ; ape ; area ; argon ; astral anthropology ; atmosphere ; attitude ; auxiliary power ; auxiliary tank ; battery ; bloody nose ; body ; booster ; burial ; cargo ; chance ; choice ; chronometer ; circuit ; " child's play "; Columbus ; commanding officer ; compartment ; competition ; conduit ; contact ; coordinates ; course ; culture ; damage ; danger ; day ; death ; decaying orbit ; degree ; demonstration ; desperation ; diligence ; distress signal ; dozen ; " drawing lots "; ear ; efficiency ; electromagnetic spectrum ; emotion ( emotional state ); emotional outburst ; equipment malfunction ; error ; escape velocity ; estimate ; evaluation ; " excuse me "; fact ; fear ; feeling ; fireman's carry ; " first things first "; flare ; flight deck ; flight hatch ; Folsom point ; foot ; friend ; fuel ; Galactic Emergency Procedures ; Galileo ; geometry ( geometrically ); goal ; hand ; hangar deck ; Hansen's Planet ; Hansen's Planet anthropoid ; harmonic ; haystack ; head ; heart ; height ; High Commissioner ; hour ; hull ; hull plating ; Human ; idea ; image ; Immamura ; inch ; inert material ; " in error "; " in the event "; " in the first place "; investigation ; ion ; ionic interference ; ionization ; ion storm ; krypton ; laceration ; landing party ; lap ; leather ; life ; logic ; M-class ; machine ; magnetic potential ; main reactor ; Makus III ; meteorite ; meter ; mile ; millimeters of mercury ( mercury ); mind ; minute ; mission ; mist ; Murasaki 312 (aka Murasaki effect); Murasaki 312 sector ; neck ; needle ; neon ; New Mexico ; New Paris ; New Paris colonies ; " needle in a haystack "; nitrogen ; North America ; nose ; " of course "; Old World calendar ; O'Neill ; opinion ; opportunity ; Order 480-G ; ordnance condition 1-A ; orbit ; order ; ounce ; " out of your mind "; overload power ; oxygen ; passenger ; person ; phase 1 separation ; phenomenon ; place ; plague ; pound ; power ; power (math): present condition ; pressure ; primary intake valve ; problem ; procrastination ; projectile ; PSI ; quadrant ; Quadrant 779X by 534M ; quantity ; quasar ; radiation ; radio communication ; rationality ; reentry ; rendezvous ; resentment ; respect ; result ; " risk his neck "; scanner ; scientific investigation ; search ; search party ; second ; sector ; sensor ; sensor section ; services ; shield ; shipmate ; shoulder ; shuttlecraft ; signal ; " stand by "; solar system ; space ; space normal speed ; space regulations ; spear ; speed ; standing order ; state of mind ; static interference ; stone ; stubborn ; summer resort ; surface ; Taurus II ; Taurus II anthropoid ; Taurus II system ; thing ; transmission ; transporter ; transporter room ; tribal culture ; tribal rite ; tribe ; victim ; visual contact ; wavelength ; weight ; window ; wood ; word

Unreferenced materials [ ]

Amen ; Athos IV ; axe ; baseball bat ; cat ; chess ; Lake People ; nucleonic attraction ; Rand, Janice ; titanite

External links [ ]

• "The Galileo Seven" at StarTrek.com
• " The Galileo Seven " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " The Galileo Seven " at Wikipedia
• " The Galileo Seven " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• " The Galileo Seven " at the Internet Movie Database

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Star Trek: The Original Series - Episode Guide - Season 1

From small space seeds do mighty Alvera trees grow. This is it, folks, the series of episodes that would launch the world’s all-time biggest science-fiction franchise (Star Wars ain’t science-fiction: It’s pure science *fantasy*).

Looking back on these 45-minute slices of tubedom today dates the show terribly, to be sure, but if one gets past the Styrofoam sets, rubber monsters and cheesy acting, one can discern a smart script in several TOS season 1 episodes. Check out “The Menagerie,” “Tomorrow is Yesterday” and of course “City on the Edge of Forever” for some top-quality notions that would still play well today.

1. The Man Trap – An Enterprise away team beams down to M-113 (they just didn’t have much flair for naming planets in the 23rd century…) to visit the Craters, an archaeologist couple. Three Red Shirts are laid to waste by the Mrs., who is revealed to be a shape-shifting alien who lives on salt – particularly those found in humanoids. **

2. Charlie X – The first of many Insane God! plots, “Charlie X” has at center the titular near-omniscient being who is kept under control while aboard the Enterprise only by the charms of Yeoman Rand... **

3. Where No Man Has Gone Before – Aaaaaand here’s another Insane God! When the Enterprise is about to pass through the “Great Barrier” and leave the Milky Way galaxy (but why?), a pair of Enterprise crew members develop – you guessed it – godlike powers that they can barely control. **

4. The Naked Time – The entire crew contracts and/or spreads a disease whose symptoms include drunkenness. Everyone, including Spock, acts goofy, but Kirk and McCoy have survived stronger stuff than this, for certain… **

5. The Enemy Within – The episode that spawned dozens of “transporter accident” plot lines, including all the silly ones: Captain Kirk is divided into two halves, the “good” (read: wimpy) and “evil” (overly aggressive). Sigh. *

6. Mudd’s Women – What a character, that Harry Mudd. The colorful intergalactic trader and his “cargo” of three scantily-clad babes first visit the Enterprise then a mining colony wherein he attempts to pawn off the females. Unfortunately, the women only work properly if viewed through beer goggles – or rather a drug haze. ***

7.  What Are Little Girls Made Of ? – Nurse Chapel’s fiancé turns out to be a literal bad boy: He’s applied his science genius to the manufacture of duplicates, with which he hopes to swamp the Federation. ***

8. Miri – On a planet strongly resembling Earth, an apocalyptic scenario has left only children alive. One of the strong scripts of season 1, yet rarely mentioned as a highlight. ***

9. Dagger of the Mind – Alternatively, “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest at Warp Five.” An a planet which consists entirely of mental hospitals, one lead doctor is doing some insidious experimentation indeed…***

10. The Corbomite Maneuver – The Enterprise runs afoul of a cube more colorful than those of the Borg, which eventually leads to confrontation with a seemingly powerful and highly threatening alien. Kirk et al work to over-clever the alien, who is, believe it or not, not all that it seems…***

11-12. The Menagerie, parts I and II – Spock unexpectedly hijacks the Enterprise. In a court martial setting, he reveals that he only sought to take his former captain, Christopher Pike, to a planet on which he may live out his life in full, as opposed to the paralytic state that his last mission left him in. ****

13. The Conscience of the King – Kirk suspects an old actor friend of his may in actuality be a murderer. He invites the friend and his troupe aboard the Enterprise, where some good ol’ Shakespearean-style assassination attempts of Kirk go down. ***

14. Balance of Terror – In the Enterprise’s first meeting with the Romulans, Kirk’s counterpart face-reveals, with the crew shocked to find that Romulans are the spitting image of Vulcans. Star Trek Guide realizes that the greater purpose of addressing xenophobia and racism are in play here, but was there really not a single image of a Romulan in any Starfleet Academy textbook…? ***

15. Shore Leave – An uninhabited planet triggers vivid hallucinations among the crew when Kirk has them take shore leave there. Surely this was influenced by Stanislaw Lem’s Solaris, right…? **

16. The Galileo Seven – After an away team crashes in a shuttlecraft on a planet inhabited by big ol’ ape creatures, a couple of Red Shirts die and Spock takes a lot of trash-talking from a lieutenant who, in another episode, might just become a Red Shirt himself…***

17. The Squire of Gothos – The Enterprise finds an entire planet gone gravitationally rogue, and the crew finds it’s but a plaything of Trelane, a being of a mold somewhere between an Insane God and Q -(of the Next Generation era shows). In fact, an entire wing of fandom he mentally retconned Trelane into a full-on Q. So you can imagine how this episode goes. A prototypical example of ST:TOS. ****

18. Arena – Dude! This is the one where Kirk fights the lizard guy! **

19. Tomorrow Is Yesterday – The Enterprise accidentally time-travels back to 1969. Once in the past, they rescue air force captain John Christopher from an aviation disaster – but in doing so they create quite the violation of the Prime Directive, indeed. Imagine interfering with *your own* primitive pre-warp drive culture. Star Trek Guide prefers to think of this entire episode as a prologue to Star Trek IV… ***

20. Court Martial – The court martial of James T. Kirk, to be specific. (Kirk must hold the all-time Starfleet record for court martial hearings.) Rather than take on Spock as defense attorney – Doesn’t he know that Vulcans never lose in these situations? – he has an eccentric Matlockian lawyer represent him. Spock produces some computer 3D chess results as rather tenuous “evidence” and (spoiler) Kirk wins. ***

21. The Return of the Archons – An Insane God! has controlled inhabitants of a world looking a lot like 19th-century America for a few centuries until the Enterprise crew comes along … **

22. Space Seed – Here it is, the episode that eventually launched both Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and a zillion hilarious memes. The Enterprise comes across the Botany Bay, a ship on which a handful of genetically-engineered soldiers from the Eugenics Wars of the 1990s (we know, we know) remain in stasis. And then Khan and Kirk has a doozy of a fistfight. ***

23. A Taste of Armageddon – The Enterprise encounters a pair of planets engaged in a bizarre form of warfare: Essentially each planet’s supercomputer fights the other virtually, randomly drawing names to represent those killed in computer battle. ***

24. This Side of Paradise – As Philip J. Fry of Futurama fame once summarized, “Remember that episode where [Spock] got high on spores and smacked Kirk around?” That’s this one. **

25. The Devil in the Dark – Can you say, “It’s life, but not as we know it”? When mysterious deaths are reported at a mining colony, an Enterprise away team finds a whole new form of life living within the rocks, and those interfering Federation types are clueless until Spock pulls the ultimate mindmeld with this egg laying omelette-like alien … ***

26. Errand of Mercy – More like “Errand of Klingon Butt Kicking”! The Enterprise is dispatched by the Federation to the planet Organia, which has fallen into the hands of the Klingon Empire. All pretense of peace is thrown aside once new planetary ruler Kor attempts to impart his bloody agenda. ****

27. The Alternative Factor – This one’s sort of a combination of “The Enemy Within” and an Insane God! storyline. Kirk meets a man/noncorporeal being whose evil twin has incredible powers that he’s willing to use… **

28. The City on the Edge of Forever – Universally regarded as one of the top two or three ST:TOS episodes, and it’s still not 25% as good as Harlan Ellison’s original scripts! Time-travel shenanigans lead to a hard look at 1930s America as well as an interesting twist on the preserve-history trope. *****

29. Operation: Annihilate! – Upon arrival at Deneva, the Enterprise crew finds that the planet has been overrun with “macroscopic single-celled organisms” (technically very impossible) and most of the population driven mad-unto-death. Spock is infected and the race to find a cure is on! And have mercy: William Shatner features in a double role in this one… **  

Star Trek: The Original Series

• There are no inadequacies

STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES follows the 23rd century adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the U.S.S. Enterprise, a powerful interstellar spacecraft dispatched by Starfleet to explore the galaxy and seek out new life and civilizations.

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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Season 1, Episode 7

The serene squall, where to watch, star trek: strange new worlds — season 1, episode 7.

Watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — Season 1, Episode 7 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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Cast & crew.

Anson Mount

Captain Christopher Pike

Rebecca Romijn

Science Officer Spock

Babs Olusanmokun

Dr. M'Benga

Christina Chong

La'an Noonien-Singh

Celia Rose Gooding

Nyota Uhura

Critics Reviews

Episode info.

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• User reviews

Episode list

S1.E0 ∙ The Cage

S1.E1 ∙ The Man Trap

S1.E2 ∙ Charlie X

S1.E3 ∙ Where No Man Has Gone Before

S1.E4 ∙ The Naked Time

S1.E5 ∙ The Enemy Within

S1.E6 ∙ Mudd's Women

S1.E7 ∙ What Are Little Girls Made Of?

S1.E8 ∙ Miri

S1.E9 ∙ Dagger of the Mind

S1.E10 ∙ The Corbomite Maneuver

S1.E11 ∙ The Menagerie: Part I

S1.E12 ∙ The Menagerie: Part II

S1.E13 ∙ The Conscience of the King

S1.E14 ∙ Balance of Terror

S1.E15 ∙ Shore Leave

S1.E16 ∙ The Galileo Seven

S1.E17 ∙ The Squire of Gothos

S1.E18 ∙ Arena

S1.E19 ∙ Tomorrow Is Yesterday

S1.E20 ∙ Court Martial

S1.E21 ∙ The Return of the Archons

S1.E22 ∙ Space Seed

S1.E23 ∙ A Taste of Armageddon

S1.E24 ∙ This Side of Paradise

S1.E25 ∙ The Devil in the Dark

S1.E26 ∙ Errand of Mercy

S1.E27 ∙ The Alternative Factor

S1.E28 ∙ The City on the Edge of Forever

S1.E29 ∙ Operation -- Annihilate!

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Screen Rant

Star trek: discovery’s biggest time travel shock is season 1 burnham.

Captain Michael Burnham faced her younger self in Star Trek: Discovery season 5, and it was shocking how much Michael has changed from season 1.

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Discovery Season 5, Episode 4 - "Face The Strange"

• Specialist Michael Burnham's shocking return in Star Trek: Discovery season 5 reveals a stark contrast to her future self, Captain Burnham.
• The time travel adventure in Discovery season 5, episode 4 sends Captain Burnham and crew on a dangerous mission to face their past and possible future.
• Captain Burnham's evolution into a compassionate leader highlights her remarkable transformation, making her the most evolved Captain in Star Trek history.

The biggest shock of Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4's time travel was seeing Specialist Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) from Star Trek: Discovery season 1 again, and how much Michael has changed. Written by Sean Cochran and directed by Lee Rose, Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange," was a thrilling time travel adventure that sent Captain Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green), Commander Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie), and Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) into key moments of the USS Discovery's past and possible future. And what Burnham dreaded came to pass: facing her younger self.

In Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4, "Face the Strange," the villainous Moll (Eve Harlow) and L'ak (Elias Toufexis) smuggled a Krenim Chronophage, or a Time Bug, aboard the USS Discovery. The Time Bug trapped Discovery in a series of loops, sending the starship uncontrollably hurtling through time. However, Captain Burnham and Commander Rayner were able to operate independently in the time loops, and Stamets was also spared because his tardigrade DNA allows him to live outside of space-time. The Discovery trio went about destroying the Time Bug, but Burnham had to reveal herself to Discovery's bridge crew to save the ship. Further, Michael had to literally contend with herself from Star Trek: Discovery season 1.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 5 Returning Cast & New Character Guide

Why michael burnham was shockingly different in star trek: discovery season 1, discovery season 1 michael was defined by her biggest mistake..

Captain Burnham confronting Specialist Michael Burnham from Star Trek: Discovery season 1 was as shocking for her as it was for the viewers at home. The contrast between both Michaels, who were 5 years of age and 935 years apart after the USS Discovery time traveled to the 32nd century, was stunning. Captain Burnham is physically different from Specialist Burnham, not just because her hair is longer, and she wears a Starfleet Captain's uniform. There is a warmth and compassion to Captain Burnham that is absent from her younger self , who was just weeks removed from the biggest mistake of her life.

Specialist Michael Burnham thought Captain Burnham was a changeling imposter, as she couldn't fathom herself as a Starfleet Captain.

At the point in Star Trek: Discovery season 1 that Captain Burnham arrived at, Specialist Michael Burnham was still mired in guilt and sorrow for her mutiny that ignited the Klingon War and led to the death of her mentor, Captain Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh). Michael was resigned to spend the rest of her life in prison, and Discovery season 1's Burnham does not believe she deserves to be in Starfleet. The younger Michael's appearance is harsher than Captain Burnham's , and she is more prone to judgment and not looking before leaping into action. Captain Burnham beat Specialist Burnham in hand-to-hand combat because she was more centered and in control of herself, but also filled with empathy for the younger Michael.

Michael Burnham Is Star Trek's Best Captain Evolution

No captain has changed for the better as much as burnham..

Star Trek: Discovery season 5, episode 4 is a powerful reminder that Michael Burnham is the most evolved Captain ever in Star Trek . By comparison to some of her peers, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) did not change very much as he aged, except for facing his own regrets. Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) in Star Trek: Prodigy is essentially the same as when she was the USS Voyager's Captain, just with a higher rank. Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) isn't as stern as he was when he was Captain of the USS Enterprise-D, but Jean-Luc never had to overcome the obstacles to the Captain's chair that Michael Burnham did.

It was incredibly touching for Michael to see how much she changed for the better.

Seeing Star Trek: Discovery season 1's Specialist Michael Burnham again is a stark reminder of how far Burnham has come. By Star Trek: Discovery season 5, Captain Burnham is confidently at peace with herself, has reconciled her gravest mistakes, and has proven her worth by saving the galaxy multiple times. Burnham has also known true love with Cleveland Booker (David Ajala), and she has the friendship and support of her found family, the crew of the USS Discovery. Specialist Michael Burnham is only at the start of her long, hard road to redemption , and becoming Captain Michael Burnham is her destiny in Star Trek: Discovery. It was incredibly touching for Michael to see how much she has changed for the better.

New episodes of Star Trek: Discovery season 5 stream Thursdays on Paramount+

Star Trek's 10 Best Monster Episodes

• Star Trek embraces peace but also explores monster movie elements for some thrilling episodes.
• Shows like Voyager & Next Generation weave classic monster movie themes with sci-fi twists.
• Even as monsters take center stage, empathy remains a core theme in the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek has a message of peace and tolerance and seeing beyond the surface, but it's not above doing an all-out monster movie from time to time. From its inception in 1966, Star Trek has taught audiences not to judge alien species by appearances . For example, Star Trek: Voyager villains Species 8472 were terrifying, Alien -inspired creatures, who turned out to be benevolent aliens that had been driven to violence by the actions of the Borg Collective. Earlier episodes like Star Trek: The Original Series ' "Devil in the Dark" revealed hidden emotional depths to a creature that was ostensibly a disgusting rock monster.

Despite Star Trek 's message of empathy, sometimes the writers can't resist creating scary monsters and super creeps. Star Trek has always drawn on the history of science fiction, and the big monster movies popularized by studios like RKO are no exception . Over nearly six decades, Star Trek TV shows have drawn on classic monster movies like The Thing From Another World and King Kong , giving them a Gene Roddenberry-style twist.

10 Times Star Trek Went Full-On Horror And Gave Us Nightmares

Star trek: voyager, season 2, episode 15, "threshold", story by michael de luca, teleplay by brannon braga.

Star Trek: Voyager 's notorious salamander episode , "Threshold" begins as an exploration of theoretical transwarp barriers and becomes something more akin to The Phantom of the Opera or King Kong . When Lt. Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) breaks the transwarp barrier, he begins experiencing some bizarre side effects. Breaking the transwarp barrier has triggered a strange evolution in Paris' body, which turns him into a salamander, who decides they need a mate in the form of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).

...the monster movie elements ensure that "Threshold" is never boring.

There are some obvious monster movie parallels in "Threshold", from the way that the reptilian Paris carries an unconscious Janeway like the Phantom of the Opera to the body horror of the Voyager helmsman's transformation. The climax of the notorious Star Trek: Voyager episode, in which the "monster" that is now Paris fights off the crew to take Janeway as his mate, is pure King Kong . It's a Voyager episode that is rightly panned for its lack of narrative cohesion, but the monster movie elements ensure that "Threshold" is never boring.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 7, Episode 19, "Genesis"

Written by brannon braga.

Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 19, "Genesis" is essentially The Island of Dr. Moreau set aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) return to the Enterprise to discover that the crew has devolved into various terrifying monsters. For example, Lt. Reginald Barclay (Dwight Schultz) is de-evolved into a spider-like creature, while Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn) devolves into a savage proto-Klingon that tries to kill Picard. The cause of these transformations is a mistake made by Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) while reactivating a cell that would have given Barclay immunity to the flu.

Gates McFadden injects what could have been a very silly story with genuine tension.

Although the science is just as dubious as Star Trek: Voyager 's "Threshold", Star Trek: The Next Generation season 7, episode 19, "Genesis" has the benefit of being much more atmospheric. Interestingly, "Genesis" was directed by Dr. Beverly Crusher actor Gates McFadden , who injects what could have been a very silly story with genuine tension. The climax, where Picard tries to fend off an attack from a prehistoric Worf, while Data tries to concoct a cure using the DNA of Nurse Ogawa's unborn baby, is well directed by McFadden, giving this daft TNG outing an exciting monster movie vibe.

"Genesis" was the only episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation to be directed by Gates McFadden.

Star Trek: Every Actor Who Also Directed Episodes Or Movies

Star trek: the original series, season 1, episode 26, "the devil in the dark", written by gene l. coon.

"The Devil in the Dark" is a classic Star Trek monster episode , because it hinges on Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Lt. Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley) learning to understand a creature beyond their understanding. Investigating a supposed monster that is attacking a mining operation on Janus IV, they soon discover that the titular " devil in the dark " is no monster, but a mother protecting their young. It's thanks to Kirk and Spock's open-mindedness that the miners manage to avert the destruction of the entire Horta race .

The scene in which Kirk has to reason with the baying mob invokes images of the villagers with torches and pitchforks in the climax of Universal's classic monster movie, Frankenstein .

From a visual effects perspective, the actual Horta in Star Trek: The Original Series may look hokey by today's standards , but it tells a story about the need for empathy. TOS' cave monster isn't able to communicate with the miners, and so has to resort to violence. Similarly, the miners want violent recriminations from the "monster" that killed their colleagues. The scene in which Kirk has to reason with the baying mob invokes images of the villagers with torches and pitchforks in the climax of Universal's classic monster movie, Frankenstein . Thanks to Kirk, however, the Horta has a happier ending than Frankenstein's monster.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Season 2, Episode 12, "The Alternate"

Teleplay by bill dial, story by jim trombetti and bill dial.

In one of Constable Odo's best Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes , a mysterious monster stalks the corridors of DS9 late at night. It's believed to be the mysterious sample that Odo (Rene Auberjonois) and scientist Dr. Mora Pol (James Sloyan) brought back from the Gamma Quadrant. However, in reality, it's Odo, who is under the influence of mysterious alien toxins, and the stress of seeing his "father" again. "The Alternate" is a fun Star Trek spin on Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde , that has some genuinely unnerving moments of horror.

Odo's monstrous alter-ego is less Mr. Hyde, and more like the titular Blob from the classic 1958 sci-fi monster movie.

Odo's transition into the monster toward the end of the episode is horrifying to watch as he rants and raves while struggling to remain in a solid state. Odo's monstrous alter-ego is less Mr. Hyde, and more like the titular Blob from the classic 1958 sci-fi monster movie. Interestingly, Dr. Julian Bashir (Alexander Siddig) doesn't categorically confirm it's the alien toxins that caused the transformation, suggesting another cause. As the gelatinous monster bears down on Dr. Mora Pol, it becomes clear that the real cause of the transformation is Odo's father issues.

All 4 Star Trek Characters Played By James Sloyan

Star trek: voyager, season 3, episode 12, "macrocosm".

Star Trek: Voyager has many creepy episodes , but "Macrocosm" is the most overt monster episode. Like Star Trek: The Next Generation 's "Genesis", also written by Brannon Braga, "Macrocosm" has a silly concept that is realized like a survival horror movie. The monsters faced by Captain Janeway and the Doctor (Robert Picardo) are effectively giant viruses that become airborne, infecting those they come into contact with. To repel the viral infection of the USS Voyager, the Doctor created an antigen which Janeway eventually detonated inside the holodeck, killing the assembled macroviruses.

"Macrocosm" finally gave Captain Janeway her Ellen Ripley moment.

"Macrocosm" got a wryly funny sequel in Star Trek: Lower Decks ' season 4 premiere, "Twovixed", but the episode itself is a decent homage to the Alien franchise. As the Star Trek franchise's first female captain, it's great to see Janeway getting to be an action hero like Captain Kirk in Star Trek: The Original Series , or Picard in Star Trek: First Contact . While the monsters themselves weren't anywhere near as terrifying as Alien 's Xenomorph, "Macrosm" finally gave Captain Janeway her Ellen Ripley moment.

Star Trek: Discovery, Season 1, Episode 3, "Context is for Kings"

Teleplay by gretchen j. berg, aaron harberts, and craig sweeny.

The disgraced Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) is given a second chance after her mutiny aboard the USS Shenzhou in a Star Trek: Discovery monster episode. "Context is for Kings" explores what happened to the USS Glenn, the second of Discovery 's crossfield-class starships . Following a catastrophic accident while experimenting with spore drive technology, the ship's entire crew were killed, save for the tartigrade creature they had captured and wired to the spore drive. Freed from its shackles by the accident, the creature rampaged through the Glenn, killing a Klingon boarding party and turning its attention to Burnham and her away team .

The true monster in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, episode 3, "Context is for Kings" is Starfleet themselves.

The true monster in Star Trek: Discovery season 1, episode 3, "Context is for Kings" is Starfleet themselves. The cruelty that the crew of the USS Glenn had shown to the tartigrade was unbecoming of Starfleet, and showed how far they were willing to diverge from their principles to defeat the Klingon Empire . Captain Gabriel Lorca (Jason Isaacs) hammers this point home by having the tartigrade brought aboard the USS Discovery, taunting it as it tries to break free from the forcefield.

Jason Isaacs 10 Best Acting Roles (Including Star Trek: Discoverys Lorca)

Star trek: lower decks, season 4, episode 2, "i have no bones yet i must flee", written by aaron burdette.

Star Trek: Lower Decks introduced Moopsy into the canon in the season 4 episode, "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee". Visiting an alien menagerie, newly promoted Lt. junior grade Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Commander Jack Ransom (Jerry O'Connell) had to conted with Moopsy, a soft fluffy creature that also happened to drink bones . Mariner and Ransom came up with a suitably irreverent Lower Decks solution to their problem, by punching out Ransom's teeth and using them as treats to lure the Moopsy back into its cage.

Moopsy is basically a monstrous Tribble, unable to control its base urges.

Moopsy was the sort of creation that could only feature in the irreverent world of Star Trek: Lower Decks , and yet it plays on existing creatures in the canon. Moopsy is basically a monstrous Tribble, unable to control its base urges. However, Mariner and Ransom don't kill the creature to save themselves, they find a humane - if slightly painful - solution to their situation. Not only that, but Mariner also unmasks the truly dangerous monsters - greedy humans seeking to bulk up their business portfolios , in this case by staging a hostile takeover of an alien menagerie.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Season 1, Episode 9, "All Those Who Wander"

Written by davy perez.

"All Those Who Wander" combines the classic Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Arena" with Alien to provide a terrifying episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . The vicious Gorn babies that are encountered by the Enterprise away team are relentless, rampaging through the ship and killing everything in their path. It's through the noble sacrifice of Lt. Hemmer (Bruce Horak) that the away team is able to get back to the safety of the USS Enterprise. However, the scars of the terrifying encounter between the Enterprise and the Gorn carry over into Strange New Worlds season 2 .

The Gorn infants move like raptors, drawing comparisons with the climax of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park

Because there's genuine dramatic stakes and a cost to life, Star Trek: Strange New World 's Gorn survival horror movie is the best version of the subgenre after the classic movie, Star Trek: First Contact . As an hour of television, it wears its genre influences on its sleeve, particularly the similarities between the icy crash site with the colony in Aliens . However, it's not just the Alien franchise that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds riffs on in "All Those Who Wander". The Gorn infants move like raptors, drawing comparisons with the climax of Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park .

Complete History Of The Gorn In Star Trek

Star trek: the next generation, season 1, episode 23, "skin of evil", teleplay by joseph stefano & hannah louise shearer.

Armus (Ron Gans) in Star Trek: The Next Generation , is a truly monstrous creation, and even refers to himself as " evil " . Unlike the Horta in Star Trek: The Original Series , Armus isn't attacking the Enterprise away team to protect its children, he's doing it because he's a monster. A black, oily mass of everything impure and evil rejected by a " race of Titans ", Armus was abandoned on the planet Vagra II . There, he fantasized about torturing any visitors to the planet, but he quickly got bored after killing Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby).

Tasha Yar was no red shirt, and her death at the hands of the monster of the week makes "Skin of Evil" an impactful entry in the TNG canon.

"Skin of Evil" is one of Star Trek 's best monster episodes because, like "All Those Who Wander", it takes a toll on the characters. Star Trek: The Next Generation loses Tasha Yar to this monster, which proved that it would be a very different show to Star Trek: The Original Series . A TOS version of "Skin of Evil" would have played out in a similar fashion, but with the deaths of some disposable red shirts thrown in . Tasha Yar was no red shirt, and her death at the hands of the monster of the week makes "Skin of Evil" an impactful entry in the TNG canon.

Star Trek: The Original Series, Season 1, Episode 5, "The Man Trap"

Written by george clayton johnson.

Star Trek 's best monster episode is also its very first, setting the tone for those that would follow . Star Trek: The Original Series , season 1, episode 5, "The Man Trap", features a Salt Vampire that feeds on salt, which can also shapeshift to take the form of anyone that can help it achieve its goals. In essence, "The Man Trap" is Star Trek 's take on the 1951 movie The Thing From Another World , later remade by John Carpenter as The Thing . Both the Star Trek episode and the Thing movies center on a shapeshifting creature that feeds on the human characters.

"The Man Trap" was chosen by the network as the first episode of Star Trek: The Original Series to air due, in part, to its strong monster-of-the-week.

Both iterations of The Thing and Star Trek: TOS season 1, episode 5, "The Man Trap" also play on paranoia and being unable to trust your own eyes . In "The Man Trap", the Salt Vampire has the ability to take the form of the woman most desirable to each of the male characters. For example, Dr. McCoy believes it to be his former lover, Nancy, driving a wedge between him, Kirk and Spock. "The Man Trap" was chosen as the first episode of Star Trek: TOS to air in 1966, and its influence can be felt in Star Trek 's monster episodes nearly 60 years later.

All these episodes of Star Trek are available to stream on Paramount+.