TV Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry that follows the adventures of the starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701) and its crew. It acquired the retronym of Star Trek: The Original Series to distinguish the show within the media franchise that it began.
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79 episodes · 3 seasons · Ended
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Turnabout Intruder (S03E24) Airdate: June 3rd 1969 Written by: Arthur Singer Directed by: Herb Wallerstein Running Time: 50 minutes The cancellation of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) in 1969 remains the most traumatic event in the history of the Star Trek franchise for its fans. While the decision was not entirely unexpected—poor ratings, a low budget, and NBC’s mismanagement of Season 3 had already signaled…More
All Our Yesterdays (S03E23) Airdate: March 14th 1969 Written by: Jean Lisette Aroeste Directed by: Marvin Chomsky Running Time: 50 minutes The “trekkies” who haven’t seen *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) often dread the prospect of watching Season 3, a period widely regarded as the franchise’s nadir. While the season’s episodes are frequently criticized for their convoluted plots, underdeveloped characters, an…More
The Savage Curtain (S03E22) Airdate: March 7th 1969 Written by: Arthur Heinemann & Gene Roddenberry Directed by: Herschel Daugherty Running Time: 50 minutes The final season of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) is often dismissed as a period of decline, a time when the show’s foundational vision began to fray under the pressures of network scrutiny and the limitations of its time. However, this season, which ai…More
The Cloud Minders (S03E19) Airdate: February 28th 1969 Written by: Margaret Arman Directed by: Jud Taylor Running Time: 50 minutes If one seeks an episode of *Star Trek: The Original Series* that encapsulates the show’s greatest strengths, its most glaring weaknesses, and the unfulfilled potential that haunts its legacy, then *The Cloud Minders*—aired near the show’s end—might be the prime candidate. This episode, w…More
The Way to Eden (S03E20) Airdate: February 21st 1969 Written by: Arthur Heinemann Directed by: David Alexander Running Time: 50 minutes The Original Series of *Star Trek* was, in many ways, a mirror of its time—reflecting the social, political, and cultural currents of the 1960s. However, as the series progressed, this reflection became increasingly opaque, with episodes often veering into anachronistic or self-indu…More
Requiem for Methuselah (S03E21) Airdate: February 14th 1969 Written by: Jerome Bixby Directed by: Murray Golden Running Time: 50 minutes The *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) is often lauded for its bold exploration of human themes, from the ethical dilemmas of artificial intelligence to the complexities of human emotion. While *Star Trek: The Next Generation* (ST:NG) introduced Data, a character who epitomised…More
Lights of Zetar (S03E18) Airdate: January 31st 1969 Written by: Jeremy Tarcher & Shari Lewis Directed by: Herb Kenwith Running Time: 50 minutes The Original Series of *Star Trek*, though abbreviated to a mere three seasons, achieved a longevity and cultural resonance that few contemporaries could have predicted. Its brevity, often lamented, inadvertently fostered a fervent, niche following—a fanbase whose obsessive…More
That Which Survives (S03E14) Airdate: January 24th 1969 Written by: John Meredyth Lucas Directed by: Herb Wallerstein Running Time: 50 minutes The Original Series of *Star Trek*, in its prime, was a testament to the show’s ability to transcend the creative and financial constraints that often bound 1960s science fiction television. Even within the frequently criticized third season—widely regarded as the series’ wea…More
The Mark of Gideon (S03E17) Airdate: January 17th 1969 Written by: George F. Slavin & Stanley Adams Directed by: Jud Taylor Running Time: 50 minutes In 1968, the same year that *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) entered its third and final season, the Stanford biologist Paul Ehrlich published *The Population Bomb*, a polemic that would reverberate through the latter half of the 20th century with apocalyptic urge…More
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield (S03E15) Airdate: January 10th 1969 Written by: Oliver Crawford Directed by: Jud Taylor Running Time: 50 minutes Gene Roddenberry, the architect of *Star Trek*, was a man of contradictions. His vision for a utopian future free from prejudice was undeniably noble, yet his execution often veered into didacticism, as if he feared audiences might miss the point unless it was bludgeoned…More
Whom Gods Destroy (S03E16) Airdate: January 3rd 1969 Written by: Lee Erwin Directed by: Herb Wallerstein Running Time: 50 minutes Among the myriad ailments that afflicted the oft-criticised third season of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (*TOS*), a pervasive lack of originality stands out as particularly damning. By 1969, the show’s creative wellspring had been sapped by drastic budget cuts and the departure of key…More
Elaan of Troyius (S03E02) Airdate: December 20th 1968 Written by: John Meredyth Lucas Directed by: John Meredyth Lucas Running Time: 50 minutes The Original Series of *Star Trek* (TOS) was born from a tension between two opposing forces: the idealistic vision of Gene Roddenberry, who sought to craft a cerebral, socially conscious science fiction narrative, and the commercial demands of network television, which prio…More
The Empath (S03E08) Airdate: December 6th 1968 Written by: Joyce Muskat Directed by: John Erman Running Time: 50 minutes Fandoms, by their very nature, are tapestries of divergent opinions, and *Star Trek* enthusiasts are no exception. Within the vast universe of Trekkies, few episodes polarize as sharply as *The Empath*, a 1968 instalment that remains a lightning rod for debate. To some, it is a bold, philosophical…More
Wink of an Eye (S03E13) Airdate: November 29th 1968 Written by: Lee Cronin Directed by: Jud Taylor Running Time: 50 minutes One of the most enduring frustrations for science fiction enthusiasts is encountering a concept brimming with intellectual promise, only to watch it squandered in a narrative that fails to grasp its full implications. This is precisely the tragedy of *Wink of an Eye*, the eleventh episode of *S…More
Plato’s Stepchildren (S03E12) Airdate: November 22nd 1968 Written by: Meyer Dolinsky Directed by: David Alexander Running Time: 50 minutes The original *Star Trek* series, which aired from 1966 to 1969, occupies a singular position in television history. Beyond its role as the progenitor of a sprawling multimedia empire, the show was a bold experiment in using speculative fiction to confront the social and political…More
The Tholian Web (S03E09) Airdate: November 15th 1968 Written by: Judy Burns & Chet Richards Directed by: Herb Wallerstein Running Time: 50 minutes One of the most reliable indicators of a high-quality episode of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) is its enduring influence on the broader *Star Trek* universe. Episodes that became cultural touchstones, inspired sequels, or were referenced in subsequent films and t…More
For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky (S03E10) Airdate: November 8th 1968 Written by: Rik Vollaerts Directed by: Tony Leader Running Time: 50 minutes The third season of *Star Trek: The Original Series* has long been regarded as a mixed bag, a final gasp of creativity constrained by dwindling budgets, studio interference, and the immutable structural limitations of its episodic format. By this point in…More
Day of the Dove (S03E11) Airdate: November 1st 1968 Written by: Jerome Bixby Directed by: Marvin Chomsky Running Time: 50 minutes Gene Roddenberry’s vision for *Star Trek* was never merely to entertain; it was a deliberate attempt to reimagine humanity’s trajectory in the shadow of the Cold War. At its core, the series sought to present a utopian future where ideological divides had been transcended, yet this optimi…More
Spectre of the Gun (S03E01) Airdate: October 25th 1968 Written by: Gene L. Coon Directed by: Vince McEveety Running Time: 50 minutes The third season of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) remains a contentious chapter in the franchise’s history, often dismissed as a casualty of network penny-pinching and creative exhaustion. With NBC executives demanding drastic budget cuts, the production team resorted to cost-…More
Is There in Truth No Beauty? (S03E07) Airdate: October 18th 1968 Written by: Jean Lisette Aroeste Directed by: Ralph Senensky Running Time: 50 minutes For “trekkies” Season 3 of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS remains a bittersweet chapter. By 1968, the show was visibly struggling under budget cuts, rushed scripts, and network interference, with episodes often dismissed as lacklustre or formulaic. Yet amid the…More
And the Children Shall Lead (S03E05) Airdate: October 11th 1968 Written by: Edward J. Lakso Directed by: Marvin Chomsky Running Time: 50 minutes The third season of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) arrived at a pivotal moment in American history, when the fractures in post-WW2 consensus were widening into chasms. The Vietnam War’s unrelenting brutality, the civil rights movement’s intensifying demands, and the…More
The Paradise Syndrome (S03E03) Airdate: October 4th 1968 Written by: Margaret Armen Directed by: Jud Taylor Running Time: 50 minutes The final season of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) remains a much-criticised era, marked by dwindling budgets, rushed production schedules, and increasingly desperate creative gambits to salvage a show already teetering on cancellation. Amid this chaotic backdrop, episodes like…More
The Enterprise Incident (S03E04) Airdate: September 27th 1968 Written by: D.C. Fontana Directed by: John Meredyth Lucas Running Time: 50 minutes The third season of *Star Trek: The Original Series* is widely regarded as the most uneven and least appreciated of the show’s run, a decline often attributed to dwindling budgets, creative fatigue, and the network’s increasingly intrusive demands. Yet, even amid its medioc…More
Spock’s Brain (S03E06) Airdate: September 20th 1968 Written by: Lee Cronin Directed by: Marc Daniels Running Time: 50 minutes The infamy of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) Season 3 is nearly as enduring as the show itself, with fans and critics alike often dismissing it as the franchise’s nadir. This perception crystallised from the very first episode of the season, *Spock’s Brain*, which has cemented its sta…More
Assingment: Earth (S02E26) Airdate: March 29th 1968 Written by: Art Wallace & Gene Roddenberry Directed by: Marc Daniels Running Time: 50 minutes The 1990s are often hailed as the golden age of *Star Trek*, a period marked by the enduring success of *The Next Generation* and its three subsequent spin-offs—*Deep Space Nine*, *Voyager*, and *Enterprise*—each maintaining thematic coherence and quality despite their dis…More
Bread and Circuses (S02E14) Airdate: March 15th 1968 Written by: Gene Roddenberry & Gene L. Coon Directed by: Ralph Senensky Running Time: 50 minutes Trekkies justifiably revere *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) Season 2 as the show’s zenith. This season delivered timeless classics—*The Doomsday Machine*, *Amok Time*, and *Trouble with Tribbles*—that cemented the franchise’s legacy as a cornerstone of science f…More
The Ultimate Computer (S02E24) Airdate: March 8th 1968 Written by: D. C. Fontana Directed by: John Meredyth Lucas Running Time: 50 minutes The notion that artificial intelligence (AI) might one day supplant human labour to a genocidal extreme is not a modern concern. The fear of machines turning against their creators, a motif rooted in science fiction’s DNA, has been a recurring theme for decades. Long before conte…More
The Omega Glory (S02E25) Airdate: March 1st 1968 Written by: Gene Roddenberry Directed by: Vince McEveety Running Time: 50 minutes Gene Roddenberry’s legacy as a visionary architect of science fiction is undeniably secure, thanks to *Star Trek: The Original Series*, a franchise that redefined television storytelling and became a cultural touchstone of the 20th century. His creation’s blend of optimism, social commen…More
By Any Other Name (S02E21) Airdate: February 23rd 1968 Written by: Jerome Bixby & D. C. Fontana Directed by: Marc Daniels Running Time: 50 minutes In its original iteration, *Star Trek* operated as a tightrope walker between cerebral science fiction and pulpy, escapist entertainment. While Gene Roddenberry’s vision aimed to tackle social and philosophical issues through a futuristic lens, the series often had to inf…More
Patterns of Force (S02E23) Airdate: February 16th 1968 Written by: John Meredyth Lucas Directed by: Vince McEveety Running Time: 50 minutes The enduring appeal of *Star Trek* lies in its ability to transcend its own era, offering a vision of humanity’s future that feels both aspirational and timeless. Yet, some episodes betray their 1960s origins through narrative shortcuts, cultural assumptions, and the pragmatic d…More
Return to Tomorrow (S02E22) Airdate: February 9th 1968 Written by: John Kingsbridge Directed by: Ralph Senensky Running Time: 50 minutes The enduring legacy of *Star Trek* lies in its ability to balance episodic storytelling with profound philosophical inquiries, often embedding its most resonant themes in episodes and films that linger in the cultural memory less than the likes of *The City on the Edge of Forever*…More
A Private Little War (S02E16) Airdate: February 2nd 1968 Written by: Gene Roddenberry Directed by: Marc Daniels Running Time: 50 minutes The initial scholarly attempts to dissect the fervent popularity of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) during its 1966–1969 run often fixated on the Vietnam War’s omnipresence in American consciousness. While audiences grappled with nightly news broadcasts depicting the bloody…More
The Immunity Syndrome (S02E19) Airdate: January 19th 1968 Written by: Robert Sabaroff Directed by: Joseph Pevney Running Time: 50 minutes The enduring success of *Star Trek* has often been attributed to its philosophical depth, moral ambition, and pioneering spirit. Yet, originality was rarely a defining ingredient in its formula. From the outset, the franchise thrived on revisiting and reworking established narrati…More
A Piece of the Action (S02E20) Airdate: January 12th 1968 Written by: David P. Harmon & Gene L. Coon Directed by: James Komack Running Time: 50 minutes The old adage that necessity is the mother of invention holds particular resonance for the latter stages of *Star Trek: The Original Series*. Confronted with relentless network demands to slash budgets, the show’s creative team faced a Herculean challenge. The soluti…More
The Gamesters of Triskelion (S02E17) Airdate: January 5th 1968 Written by: Margaret Arman Directed by: Gene Nelson Running Time: 50 minutes The second season of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) is widely celebrated as the pinnacle of the franchise’s initial run, a period that crystallised the show’s identity through episodes like *The Trouble with Tribbles*. Yet, this same season also sowed the seeds of a grad…More
Trouble with Tribbles (S02E13) Airdate: December 29th 1967 Written by: David Gerrold Directed by: Joseph Pevney Running Time: 50 minutes The enduring debate among *Star Treks* enthusiasts over which episode of *The Original Series* (TOS) stands as the definitive pinnacle of the franchise often devolves into impassioned, almost tribal, arguments. Yet when it comes to identifying the most universally beloved instalmen…More
Robert Bloch (S02E07) Airdate: December 22nd 1967 Written by: Robert Bloch Directed by: Joseph Pevney Running Time: 50 minutes *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) has, since its 1966 debut, cultivated a fervent, multigenerational fanbase, its enduring appeal rooted in Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a utopian future defined by rationality, inclusivity, and interstellar cooperation. Yet, for all its progressive crede…More
Obsession (S02E18) Airdate: December 15th 1967 Written by: Art Wallace Directed by: Ralph Senensky Running Time: 50 minutes The enduring strength of *Star Trek* as a franchise lies in its capacity to revisit core thematic ideas through divergent narrative lenses, a flexibility that allowed it to thrive even in its formative years. Nowhere is this more evident than in Season 2 of *The Original Series*, which produced…More
The Deadly Years (S02E11) Airdate: December 8th 1967 Written by: David P. Harmon Directed by: Joseph Pevney Running Time: 50 minutes The inexorable march of time, with its toll on both mind and body, has long served as a haunting motif in speculative fiction—a testament to humanity’s universal fear of decay and oblivion. *Star Trek: The Original Series*, despite its optimistic veneer, occasionally grappled with such…More
Friday’s Child (S02E03) Airdate: December 1st 1967 Written by: D. C. Fontana Directed by: Joseph Pevney Running Time: 50 minutes The second season of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) is widely regarded as the most cohesive and impactful of the show’s three seasons, producing episodes that cemented the franchise’s foundational themes, characters, and ethos. Many of these episodes have endured as timeless classi…More
Journey to Babel (S02E15) Airdate: November 17th 1967 Written by: D. C. Fontana Directed by: Joseph Pevney Running Time: 50 minutes Season 2 of *Star Trek: The Original Series* is widely regarded as the series at its zenith, a period where the show’s creators consistently delivered episodes that encapsulated the essence of what made *Star Trek* groundbreaking. These episodes harmoniously blended speculative ideas, m…More
Metamorphosis (S02E02) Airdate: November 10th 1967 Written by: Gene L. Coon Directed by: Ralph Senensky Running Time: 50 minutes The *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) established the foundation of the entire *Star Trek* universe not merely by introducing its basic setting, characters, and core concepts, but also by embedding subtle hints about its future history. Many of these hints were later revised or retcon…More
I, Mudd (S02E12) Airdate: November 3rd 1967 Written by: Stephen Kandell Directed by: Marc Daniels Running Time: 50 minutes *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) is renowned for its cerebral exploration of science fiction concepts and moral dilemmas, yet few episodes deviate so sharply from its philosophical core as *Mudd’s Women*. A campy, self-aware comedy that revels in its own absurdity, the episode’s popularity…More
Catspaw (S02E01) Airdate: October 27th 1967 Written by: Robert Bloch Directed by: Joseph Pevney Running Time: 50 minutes The earliest incarnation of *Star Trek* (*The Original Series* or TOS) was undeniably shaped by the constraints and conventions of 1960s American broadcast television. Among these was the requirement for occasional holiday-themed episodes, a formulaic staple designed to capitalise on seasonal mood…More
The Doomsday Machine (S02E06) Airdate: October 20th 1967 Written by: Norman Spinrad Directed by: Marc Daniels Running Time: 50 minutes The *Star Trek* franchise, envisioned by Gene Roddenberry as a beacon of optimism and utopian ideals, has long served as a canvas for exploring humanity’s potential for growth and harmony. Yet beneath its shimmering veneer of hopeful futurism, the original series occasionally delved…More
The Apple (S02E08) Airdate: October 13th 1967 Written by: Max Ehrlich Directed by: Joseph Pevney Running Time: 50 minutes The enduring cultural impact of *Star Trek* is best exemplified by its ability to embed itself into global lexicons. Few terms better illustrate this phenomenon than “redshirt,” a colloquialism for expendable individuals, which originated in *The Original Series* (TOS) as a trope rooted in the sh…More
Mirror, Mirror (S02E10) Airdate: October 6th 1967 Written by: Jerome Bixby Directed by: Marc Daniels Running Time: 50 minutes Star Trek, more than any other science fiction franchise before or since, has demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to interrogate humanity’s hopes and fears through speculative storytelling. This potential was not confined to its depiction of an optimistic future but extended to the creatio…More
The Changeling (S02E08) Airdate: September 29th 1967 Written by: John Meredyth Lucas Directed by: Marc Daniels Running Time: 50 minutes The episodic structure of *Star Trek: The Original Series* (TOS) necessitated a constant cycle of storytelling, with many concepts and narratives being revisited or reimagined across decades. This cyclical nature meant that certain themes and plots resurfaced in new formats, sometim…More
Who Mourns fo Adonais? (S02E04) Airdate: September 22nd 1967 Written by: Gilbert Ralston Directed by: Marc Daniels Running Time: 50 minutes The Ancient Aliens hypothesis—popularised by Erich von Däniken’s *Chariots of the Gods* and later co-opted by the *Stargate* franchise and the History Channel—has long oscillated between imaginative speculation and pseudo-historical triviality. Yet the premise of extraterrestria…More
Amok Time (S02E05) Airdate: September 15th 1967 Written by: Theodore Sturgeon Directed by: Joseph Pevney Running Time: 50 minutes Season 2 of *Star Trek: The Original Series* is widely regarded as the show’s zenith, eclipsing the uneven experimentation of its inaugural season. While Season 1 stumbled through awkward pacing, inconsistent characterisation, and clunky episodes, Season 2 emerged with greater confidence…More
