After watching the new Star Trek movie I was feeling very nostaligic and I wanted to go back and watch some classic episodes. But which episodes should I watch? Well Paramount helped me out with this conundrum and has released two new Star Trek collections: The Best of the Original Series and the Best of The Next Generation! These new single disc collections contain four of the "best" episodes from each series which are now available on DVD!
The Best of Star Trek: The Original Series
This collection features Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise at the beginning of their epic careers.
"City on the Edge of Forever": The Enterprise encounters a portal through space and time and Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are transported back to the 1930s though "the Guardian of Forever" archway. While in the past, Kirk meets a woman named Edith and he falls in love. It turns out the men have changed history and Edith was supposed to die and now their actions have altered history! This episode also ties into the new movie as it is the first explanation of time travel mechanics in the Star Trek series.
"The Trouble with Tribbles"- The Enterprise docks at a space station K7 where they have a run in with some Klingons. The planet that the station is above is under dispute and both the Federation and the Klingon Empire want it for their own. While Kirk deals with the Klingons, Uhura meets a trader named Cyrano Jones who introduces her to a Tribble. She brings it to the Enterprise where we learn that the Tribbles are essentially born pregnant and begin reproducing at an accelerated rate. Soon, the ship and the station are overrun with Tribbles!
"Balance of Terror"- The Enterprise have their first encounter with Romulans! In this episode we learn more about the Earth-Romulan War and the treaty that created the Neutral Zone in the first place. The Romulans attack using a cloaked Warbird and now the Enterprise must find a way to defend itself against this invisible attacker.
"Amok Time"- KIRK VS SPOCK! Spock begins the Vulcan mating ritual of Pon Farr and now he must mate or he will die! Kirk and the Enterprise divert to Vulcan to save the life of their crewmember. Spock's mate to be, T'Pring, initiates a physical challenge to see who is worthy, and she chooses Kirk to fight against Spock!
The Best of Star Trek: The Next Generation
This collection features Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Enterprise-D!
"The Best of Both Worlds" Parts 1 and 2- This two part episode is definitively the best of the entire TNG series. The Enterprise must face against the new robotic menace known as the Borg! When Captain Picard is captured by the Borg, Commander Riker must take command and attempt to save his Captain. But it might be too late, because the Borg have now assimilated Picard into their collective and he has become their voice, LOCUTUS.
"Yesterday's Enterprise"- Timelines collide as the Enterprise-C is thrown forward in time where it meets its future counterpart, the Enterprise-D! But this is not the Enterprise-D that we know, as it has undergone a transformation into a warship. In this new reality, the Federation is at war with the Klingon Empire. Another surprise change is the return of former security officer Tasha Yar, who had died earlier in the series. In order to repair the timeline, the Enterprise-C must return to the past so that the events that have been changed will never occur.
"The Measure of a Man"- The nature of Data's individuality and sentience is called into question when a Star Fleet Commander wants to disassemble him to analyze his robotics. Commander Bruce Maddox claims that Data is just property and has no rights as he is just a machine. Now Data and Commander Riker must stand up for Android rights and save the life of Data.
Overall
These collections are some of the greatest episodes of each series. If you are in the mood for a few classic episodes and don't already own these series, then these are the sets for you. Compared to the other collections they have recently released containing some of the best episodes, these ones fall a little short. There are no special features on these discs, they are only the episodes. The other sets had twice as many episodes. I feel that if you are doing a "best of" collection you should really do the top 10 episodes. These episodes do stand apart but there are several others I would include that didn't make the list. Hopefully there will be a second release which would offer more selection.
ComicsOnline gives Star Trek: The Best of the Original Series and The Best of The Next Generation 3.5 out of 5 classic tales.
