5) “Darmok,” The Next Generation, Season 5
A great episode to lure in people who wouldn’t ordinarily watch Star Trek. Fun and exciting but also deeply philosophical and smart. It’s a good story because it is loosely based on Gilgamesh which is, of course, the first story! So it’s vetted. Chaka, when the walls fell!

4) “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” The Next Generation, Season 3
TNG’s spiritual response to “Mirror, Mirror,” an alternate timeline in which our heroes are at constant war. Lt. Yar is back and the Enterprise-C has a woman captain. Plus Guinan kinda saves the day. The moment when the bridge darkens is the most badass lighting cue in television.

3) “Mirror, Mirror,” The Original Series, Season 2
I still remember seeing this at the age of 10. The ion storm near the Halkanian planet caused the ship to flip-flap back and forth for a moment and then — whammo — we’re somewhere else and Spock had a goatee. And instantly, somehow, I knew how the whole episode would play out. A bizarro world where the good guys are bad and ohmygod did I mention that Spock had a goatee. It’s so clever and so much fun and I went around saying “your agonizer, please” for years. I love Star Trek so much.

2) “The Inner Light,” The Next Generation, Season 5
Great men are adaptable, so when Picard just can’t get back to his ship he creates another life for himself. But is it reality? This episode is a 100x better and more insightful than The Matrix and the tones of a Ressikan Flute always make me cry. We love seeing our characters in places outside of where we expect them to be, and this is the humdinger of them all.

1) “The City on the Edge of Forever,” The Original Series, Season 1
Yeah, I know, everyone always picks this one, but I watched again to make sure and, yes, it really is the best. It just hums. Joan Collins’ Edith Keeler is a fascinating figure — someone so kind who, if left alone to promote pacifism at a key point in history, could potentially ruin the world. The ending just destroys me. Our 3 main characters, our eternal archetypes, are there. Kirk is clutching Bones after blocking him in his tracks. He’s holding on for dear life with his eyes shut. “I could have saved her!” Bones cries, as Edith now lies dead in the middle of the road. “He knows, doctor. He knows,” Spock replies, and even though the Vulcan is cold and logical, he’s hurting, too. Once they pop back through the Guardian and return to the planet, Shatner delivers the best line reading of his career. A simple “let’s get the hell out of here.” It’s a throwaway line, but the spin he puts on it is absolutely heartbreaking. This is science fiction at its absolute finest, using a way out and fantastical concept to address universal themes like loss and fate. It is, unquestionably, the greatest Star Trek episode of all time.

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