10 Star Trek Episodes That Deserved To Become Classics (But Didn't) 

Not sure if this is already considered a classic, but DS9's "Siege of AR-558" is one of my favorite episodes. It explores the trauma and damage war can do to even the best people, and shows how despite how far human civilization has evolved and progressed, deep down we retain the animal ability to kill. And it has perhaps my favorite and most profound line from Quark: "Let me tell you something about Hew-mons, Nephew. They're a wonderful, friendly people, as long as their bellies are full and their holosuites are working. But take away their creature comforts, deprive them of food, sleep, sonic showers, put their lives in jeopardy over an extended period of time and those same friendly, intelligent, wonderful people...will become as nasty, and as violent as the most bloodthirsty Klingon."

“Spock’s Brain” didn’t make this list--I’m shocked (rather, I’m Spocked)

Dead stop also has my favorite phlox quote. Reed : "It can't be ethical to cause a patient this much pain." Phlox : "It's unethical to harm a patient, I can inflict as much pain as I like."

The main arc in DS9 actually begins in the season two episode "Acquisition" when the Dosi mention that all trade in that part of the Gamma Quadrant must be overseen and approved by the Dominion. Shadowplay and Sanctuary later cemented them as being a powerful, dangerous and ruthless empire.

I never thought Voyager's Dragons Teeth got enough love. At the end it's implied Voyager may have unwittingly spurred the resurgence of a species that would later conquer and dominate a big part of the quadrant. It almost had a Borg feel thinking of what they could later become. Also imagining them becoming powerful and going up AGAINST the Borg. That ending had many layers. I was also a huge fan of the robotic war episode, that was criminally underrated.

One that I rewatch with frequency is “Time’s Orphan” fro DS9 season 6. Such a powerful episode with many correlations to struggling parents. The O’Briens end up giving up Molly only to get her back miraculously in the end. When I first watched it in high school, it didn’t really connect; but as an adult with children of my own, it takes on a whole new meaning.

Love to see that you included "Latent Image" as it's one of my favourite Voyager episodes, but I still would have liked to see "Nor the Battle to the Strong" or "The Sound of her Voice" finally get a mention. They seem to fly under everyone's radar, but they're incredible

Enterprise gets nowhere near enough praise for how it breathed new life into the Andorians as a people and as a culture. There are so many Shran episodes I could argue are classics, but I'm going to go for The Andorian Incident. It's an excellent introduction to the Andorians and Combs' performance especially sells their volatile nature that can quickly cool and even become curious or reasonable when new information is brought to their attention. To this day, imo, the Andorians (and Aenar) have never looked so good on screen as they did in Enterprise. I really do miss the amount of effort that went into bringing their antennae to life as a reflection of their current emotions.

One of the TOS classics for me is "The Devil in the Dark" in which humans learn they were actually the bad guys. There are many good episodes in TNG and DS9 so it's hard to choose. "Quality of life" in TNG left an impression on me, but they had several good episodes on the ethics of when something can be considered a lifeform. For DS9 I liked "Nor the battle to the strong" for showing the ugly side of war Jake has come to terms with.

The repair station episode of Enterprise is my favorite from the series!

Enterprise's Observer Effect. It brings the Organians into the series, and is quite dramatic.

DS9 - For the Uniform - Sisko’s compulsion to bring in Eddington was such a great episode to show the complexity of both characters who both believe they are in the right and justified in their actions HOWEVER, if this IS considered a classic then never mind

I wish I could say that I was sophisticated and that "Measure of a Man" was my favorite episode. But it's "One Little Ship" because a fully working spaceship model shall forever be my dream.

Any episode that features Trip in his underwear will always be a classic in my books.

I always wondered what happened to the station in "Dead Stop". That deserves a follow up of some kind.

Dead Stop was quite the good episode, having a proper horror element to it, but without all the gore and blood and guts spilling out that other horror stories apparently need to make them feel scary, cos it was like a fish catching the baited hook, with a malevolent computer harvesting people to power itself, up there with the early days of the Borg, but, somehow more sinister, it certainly did the job...

The DS9 Episode "Hard Time" is a standout for me. O'Brien is such a steadfast character throughout the entire series and this episode is when he breaks. He doesn't break for selfish reasons, but because he's (temporarily) no longer the husband/father his family deserves. He put his family ahead of himself and couldn't live with what he has become.

Ds9 The Visitor. I could be wrong but I’ve never heard it mentioned as a classic, and it should. It’s so moving!

I'm happy to see Shadowplay and Dead Stop getting recognition. I love both of them, Dead Stop is one of my favourite Enterprise episodes. I made Shadowplay into D&D adventure that my Players loved!

That voyager episode about the fake uncrewed federation ship sent to rescue the crew of voyager had a brilliant and thought provoking ending with that alien who berates Janeway about her alliance with the borg.

Like you said episodes don't need to have deep meanings to be good. For me there's two episodes of DS9 that I really like no matter how many times I've seen them. The House of Quark(S3E3) and the follow up Looking for par'Mach in all the wrong places(S5E3). Great comedy, Quark finds his courage for love and the beginning of Dax and Worf's relation. What more can you ask for.

I recently re-watched Voyager's "Real Life." The initial premise is so cheesy and almost cringy but when the Doctor goes along with Torres's plan to modify his holo-family it takes a turn that is so dark and heartrending and touches on so many contemporary issues of living in a modern society. Honestly it reminds me a lot of Black Mirror, new tech being used in a new way with serious pain and suffering to follow. And then the Doctor just turns off the simulation and never goes back or mentions them again. Just an amazing episode

I LOVE Bar Association! I've lost count how many times I've watched it. As for a classic that slipped by? I, Mudd leaps to mind. I actually find it funnier than The Trouble With Tribbles, which is also hilarious, but Harry Mudd is just so entertaining a foil.

I would have to say "The Quickening" From DS9.

Its interesting you called it "Left Leaning," and although there is a lot of that. There are also several places where it becomes heavily "Right Leaning." Especially in TNG and DS9. Truly a show for everyone...

Really you could throw a dart at _TAS_ and more likely than not land on an underlooked classic. We had "The Slaver Weapon," "The Lorelai Signal," "Mudd's Passion," "Yesteryear," and "How Sharper Than A Serpent's Tooth," just off the top of my head. I also think "Lift Us Up To Where Suffering Cannot Reach" will be a classic that sparks a thousand thoughtpieces.

Watching Bar Association brings on new light, if you know that Max Grodénchik has been out with fellow actors picketing the SAG-AFTRA strike. Living up to his on-screen persona.

DS9's "His way" is my #1 absolute favorite episode of ALL Star Trek. So what, if I'm a hopeless romantic? Bite me! lol

Latent Image being on this list made my day! The Doctor is my personal favourite Star Trek character, and Latent Image is my favourite episode of Voyager.

The empath reminds me of a original TWLIGHT ZONE

The Devil in the Dark. Showed you need to listen and 2 groups can be mutually beneficial for each other. And side note...Horta is the name of various boiled vegetable dishes and a town in the Azores. Mind blown. Always figures it was a made up word.

I know it’s probably way too early to say, but if “Subspace Rhapsody” doesn’t become a classic, I don’t know what will!

For year, Worf's line in QPid, "Sir, I protest. I am not a merry man!" was my favourite line in pretty much all of Trek. It was only when rewatching Dead Stop that it was finally toppled. The superb interaction between Reid and Phlox during the physiotherapy session was perfection to make the Borg weep. ie Reid: It can't be ethical to cause a patient this much pain? Phlox: It would be unethical to harm a patient. I can inflict as much pain as I like. :D I love it so much, I printed it over an image of Phlox and sent it to my own physio, who has it hanging on her wall. :D

Enterprise: 'Observer Effect.' That's good a good solid premise and it works so well, simply because it lets all the characters have a good slice of the action in the story. Not just the main three. It stands out so much because of that. Original series: 'Let that be your last Battlefield.' It is a late third season bottle show. The make up is...memorable. But it's got a good premise which is genuine Trek. The two guest actors are superb. It's not stretched at fifty mins. And it has an ending with punch, not just a bit of light comedy with Spock. It's a gem for it's time.

So happy to see "The Empath" get some love. I really like that episode but I'm a big fan of TOS music and the music in that episode is just so perfect.

I always felt "tacking into the wind' should be better remembered than it is. Its the episode where all of S7 various plot lines start to speed up and come together. The pacing is fantastic and the acting and dialogue top notch.

DS9 the Magnificent Ferengi. Watching the Ferengi doing what they know best with a touch of bravery to rescue Ishka from the Dominion.

I didn't see it listed, but for me underrated episode is Voyager''s "Resistance." It's from season 2, which also gave us "The Thaw" (another underrated episode imo), it deals with authoritarian governments, torture and imprisonment, and mental health issues in a single episode. The real crime comes from it never being brought up again, even though that ending has an insurgent dying in Janeway's arms.

Wesley’s sweater in “Where no one has Gone Before” looks like a giant, worn out tube-sock! 😂😂😂

I love a Private Little War, Tholian Web, All our Yesterdays, Balance of Terror, Day of the Dove, the Doomsday Machine, Galileo Seven

imo Bar Association is absolutely considered a classic these days. even non-Trekkies will reference it. for a personal account, the episode made my Trek Agnostic girlfriend become deeply invested in DS9, which we're now watching through together. my picks of should-be classics, with one from each show: TOS - Tomorrow Is Yesterday TNG - The Most Toys DS9 - Paradise VOY - Extreme Risk ENT - Marauders DIS - That Hope Is You, Part I PIC - Absolute Candor

I have always loved "The Empath". It is an incredible look at TOS' Triumvirate. Add to it the beautiful music score, the very effective minimalist set design, and the top form acting. The Empath will always be a classic to me.

One of my favorites is TNG's The Defector. A Romulan hero defecting because he wants a different future for his daughter than all out war, Data and Picard dabbling in Shakespeare at the beginning, then interweaving it through the story, the interplay between Picard and one of my favorites Tomolak (Andreas Katsulas), and then the surprise reveal only hinted at as the Klingons decloak in Picards final chess match move.

Dead Stop is one of my all time favorite episodes of Star Trek!

I will always have an odd soft spot for "Disaster" from TNG's fifth season. It's an Irwin Allen disaster movie through a Star Trek lens, splitting up the core cast and putting many of the characters into some unenviable positions: Troi finds herself the commanding officer on the bridge due to her rank, Worf is overseeing triage in Ten Forward when Keiko goes into labor, and Picard is stuck on a turbolift with a trio of children. While mostly played for laughs (more on that in a moment) everyone gets a moment to stand out. And it perhaps does the most to change Picard from someone who dislikes children to someone who takes them on a tour of the battle bridge. And on the subject of laughs, this episode has to have the record for quotable lines of any episode of TNG, if not all of Trek. Worf, especially, gets one of the best lines EVER.

The Enterprise episode "First Flight" is awesome.

Latent Image - I love that episode, so underrated and Bob Picardo at his absolute finest.

On Enterprise, the episode Cogenitor, Season2 E-22, where Trip gets involved with a surrogate mother/ treated like an "almost/ borderline slave" of another species is a very strong episode on issues and rights! It is one of the only times, most would think Trip was right to help the girl, and Captain Archer was vastly wrong in how he handled the situation, when the girl wanted Asylum from her race, and Archer did not want to interfere, in order to not mess up their trade agreement with the species and keep the prime directive. The girl would rather die than go back to her race. Worth watching!

New Eden definitely deserves to be considered a classic, I’d like to add SNW’s Memento Mori and Under The Cloak Of War, TOS All Our Yesterdays and TNG The Cost Of Living

Shadowplay was always one of my favorite episodes. I think "The Collaborator" could be on the list as well. Great video!

Hmm not a bad list. I'd put forward "Devil in the Dark", Tin man, Nemesis (the Voyager episode), North Star, Visionary, and Critical Care

guilty pleasure - Devils Due, Prophecy, The House of Quark, Stigma

I actually think Move along home deserves a place on that list. Yes it's a bit silly but i really enjoyed rewatching it recently. It's a also a good episode for Quark. Also i love Bashir moaning pathetically.

I love Latent Image. Of course, I love all the "I'm on my own on this ship, everyone is agaisnt me" conspiracy episodes.

Dead stop is a real standout to me. It really stuck with me particularly that last shot. Great shout on Shadowplay, an emotive very trek episode.

Thanks for citing The Magicks of Megas II; it and The Jihad are my fave episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series. 🖖

Love tehe Enterprise Acquisition episode. Loved how T'Pol demonstrates her tactical ability and her physical prowess to move silently like a cat around the Ferengi to spread discord between them and also later demonstrating some sense of humour with Archer.

Shadowplay has always been one of my favorite episodes. For the most part is a lot of fun, and it is a little sad learning at the end that the old man was one of the last of his people after they were conquered by the dominion, but the episode as a whole is just so engaging. I would have liked to see more of Taya.

Atempt #6 Please do "Top 10 Greatest Friendships in Star Trek". 🖖💙

I recall I’d been fairly meh on DS9 until Duet. To this day, it’s second on my list of all time episodes after In The Pale Moinlight. For a story written to save money, it’s an undeniable piece of absolute class. The writing and premise are both sound and the acting from Harris Yulin & Nana Visitor is some of the finest seen in the franchises run. They are both totally committed to their parts and their characters reasonings make you look the terrorist and the oppressor in a new light.

I'm glad to see that Latent Image and Bar Association are on the list. I also like the fact that A Private Little War is mentioned because of the message that it was trying to send, especially during that time.

"Thankfully Star Trek has never again even ventured to the left side of the conversation... COUGH" I could feel you staring sarcastically at the camera for that one (even though there isn't a camera for this one) 😂😂

Thank you for mentioning "New Eden"! It deserves it!

Explorers, DS9. Sisko builds a Bajorsn light ship and sails currents of the quadrant with Jake over to Cardassian space. Thus proving an early Bajoran accomplishment that was long denied by the Cardassians.

"Dead Stop seems to slip through most nests ..." Absolutely .. and it's a shame. Rarely will rewatch Minefield but always go right to this episode.

Latent Image has long been a favorite of mine, one that I've rewatched again and again. Nice to see it get some love.

DS9 "The Assignment". Some brilliant ratcheting suspense as the alien possessing Keiko forces Miles to sabotage the station. Plus the episode introduced the Pah Wraiths, who would become surprisingly important in the show's final arc, and set up that Rom was a lot smarter than he let on. "Why is the Federation trying to destroy the wormhole aliens?"

I've always thought that "Latent Image" never got enough credit for how great an episode it is.

I don't why Satan being buff is so odd to you.😂 Just like Jesus, he's usually depicted as rather muscular.

"Dr. Bashir, I Presume" ecame a classic for me once I became a parent of a special needs child

I would like to mention the episode "Author, Author" from the final season of Voyager. This episode is somewhat equivalent to the TNG episode "Measure of a Man" in that it's trying to determine what is a sentient life form. In "Author, Author" they are discussing the rights of a hologram to be considered sentient.

I would have to add the episode rejoined from Deep Space Nine. The trill scientists working on the development of a wormhole Drive/generator seemed like a plot device that Star Trek would have Revisited again

Is Enterprise's CARBON CREEK a classic? It's one of my favorites from that series. It has everything I like about a Star Trek time travel episode without actually being a time travel story.

New Eden is the episode that hooked me on DIS. Easily one of the best episodes of Trek of all time. I really hope we get a follow-up in the 4th season of DIS. The planet is clearly capable of interstellar communication by the 32nd century, but I'd love to see how the culture evolved over 1,000 years.

I'm surprised that Sacred Ground (Voyager) is rarely mentioned. Love the dialogue and the 'process' that Janeway goes through (all for naught!). The 'guide' is one of my favorite characters in all ST-Lore.

TAS episode "Bem" has the hallmarks of classic Trek. An enemy who isn't an enemy in the form of the God on the planet protecting her children. The alien Bem and the crew of Enterprise who learn from their mistakes and grow because of them. Mix in the humorous banter between Kirk and Spock.... classic.

Throwing in Voyager’s The Thaw. I never hear it talked about but would argue it’s one of the best episodes in Trek.

Many of these deserve a Retro Ups and Downs.

Is _Siege of AR-558_ considered a classic? Because I think it absolutely is one of the best Trek episodes bar none, not just one of the best DS9 episodes. Quark's speech to Nog at the end of the episode as the Jem'Hadar begin to overrun their position is profound. One of the more profound things ever spoken in Trek and it came from Quark of all people. The follow up episodes of Nog going through his PTSD are also incredibly powerful. _It's Only a Paper Moon_ and others.

I think Albatross is a VERY underrated episode of TAS. Another personal favorite Trek episode that is one of my favorites but most of friends HATE is Deja Q. While not a TV episode, I've always though Search for Spock to be extremely underrated.

Latent Image has always been one of my favorites. I’ve rewatched it plenty of times.

THE " NTH degree" was up there. DWIGHT Schizt was epic in this.

I'm a union carpenter and I bring up the episode in the number 1 spot to union brothers that have never seen start Trek

Latent Image is easily my favorite episode of Voyager.

Honestly I think _Prodigy_ will get more respect over time, despite Paramount memory-holing it. To nominate an unappreciated episode, "All The World's a Stage". They could have taken the easy road and made the Enderprizians a simple cargo cult mimicking Star Trek fandom, but apart from the Garrovick speech near the end one moment stands out: the Enderprizian doctor admitting they know they're not the real "Starflight". By basing their culture on what they understand of the manuals Garrovick left they honor the "En-Son" and his life.

Some of my absolute favourites are on this list. Nice one.

Latent image definitely is the one that jumps out for me… I occasionally put that one one just because I like it

I'm hoping for a part 2!!

Cool list. Definitely many of these eps are excellent ones, and some even are favorites of mine like Bar Association, Dead Stop, Acquisition and New Eden.

9 - Where No One Has Gone Before is my favorite Season 1 episode. 5 - Acquistion is hilarious. Your hate boner for Enterprise has to be raging not to laugh at the wackiness. 4 - Dead Stop is excellent and works great as a companion to the previous episode, Minefield. They feel like two acts of the same story. 1 - Bar Association set the speed of Rom's character development from half impulse to maximum warp.

This list is amazing. Thank you!

all of the Tribble episodes. if that was the way i was gonna go, i couldn't be mad about being suffocated by fluff balls. on another note, this was surprisingly something that made me happy. i wonder if Captain Kirk was the only reason the Federation has a clause about interfering in the affairs of under developed planets...🤔

as my place of business is currently unionizing: Bar Association has come to mean a lot to me.

This was quite a good list, well done. I fully agree about Bar Association. Didn't give it much thought when it first aired, much more poignant on rewatch.

I really liked "Whom Gods Destroy". I really wanted to see more about Capt. Garth's history and legacy.

Bar Association is already a classic, thank you.

While there are quite a few, and many have been mentioned, I overall think TAS has been maligned quite a bit. Two episodes I'd give shout outs to are "One of Our Planets is Missing" and "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth"

Not Acquisition. It can be argued that it just barely avoided breaking canon by the skin of its teeth, but it stretched credulity to breaking point instead. This potentially dangerous alien species nearly succeeded in hijacking an Earth ship that had range limited by the speed it could manage at the time, and it was as much luck as anything else that stopped them, and then they don’t turn up again for another 200 years and nobody recognises them? That suggests nobody bothered to keep the images of the Ferengi on the NX-01 that T’Pol was watching, and that there was no follow up to find out who they were. Apparently neither Archer nor T’Pol, still working for Vulcan High Command at this point, thought to ask the name of their species before sending the hijackers on their way. Come on, pull the other one. I get almost as cross about Regeneration because it means that Picard’s crew never bothered to make sure all traces of Borg were found and destroyed before returning to their own time in First Contact, but what really annoys me about Acquisition is they could’ve avoided all the problems by just using some disposable alien of the week instead of the Ferengi.

"Family" TNG. Picard struggling to come to terms with being Locutus and his brother being an ass, but still loving, was great. And Worf's parents were great.

Like the Empath! Always one of my favorite original series episodes. Even though it was in the3 3rd season.