15 'Star Trek' Episodes That Sell The Series To Newcomers Better Than The Pilot

Series: Star Trek, Season 1, Episode 28

Original Air Date: 6 April 1967

"The City on the Edge of Forever" begins with Dr. McCoy accidentally overdosing on a drug. He transports down to a planet, where he meets the Guardian of Forever. McCoy is then transported back to 1930s New York City, changing history so much that the Federation of Planets never existed. Kirk and Spock are able to follow McCoy through time to undo the damage McCoy did to the timeline.

As you might expect, Kirk falls for a social worker (played by Joan Collins), and things don't go well. The only way to preserve the timeline is to allow his newfound love to die in a car accident, which represents a difficult choice for the Captain. This episode is one of the best-written from the first season, and it won numerous awards, including the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and several others.

The Guardian of Forever is one of the franchise's greatest plot devices to rarely see screen time. It appeared once in Star Trek: The Animated Series in 1973 and wasn't seen again on screen until 2020 when it played a significant role in a two-part episode of Star Trek: Discovery. This is a fantastic episode to show a prospective fan because the writing is exemplary. (It was penned by famed sci-fi author Harlan Ellison, although he had a legendary beef with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry over changes to his script.)

Series: Star Trek, Season 1, Episode 8

Original Air Date: 15 December 1966

“Balance of Terror” is an important episode in the franchise, as it introduces the Romulans and the practice of cloaking as a plot device. The episode focuses on the Enterprise's investigation of recently destroyed Federation outposts along the Neutral Zone. The outposts were systematically destroyed, leading to a confrontation between the Enterprise and the Romulan vessel.

The episode plays out as a cat-and-mouse game between Captain Kirk and the Romulan commander. Because of the cloaking device, the conflict plays out much as it would in submarine warfare, as each vessel has advantages and disadvantages over the other. Ultimately, Kirk outmaneuvers the Romulans, nearly destroying the ship.

Kirk finally contacts the Romulan captain for the first time in a face-to-face conversation and offers to beam aboard the survivors. The Romulan refuses, choosing instead to activate his ship's self-destruct. The episode is a fantastic example of Kirk's military strategic capabilities while simultaneously showcasing the advantages and disadvantages of starship combat. The acting is exceptional, especially Mark Lenard's performance as the Romulan captain, making “The Balance of Terror” one of the highest-rated episodes of the original series.

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 2, Episode 9

Original Air Date: 13 February 1989

Star Trek: The Next Generation spent a lot of time detailing Lt. Commander Data's desire to be more human. This was something the series latched onto from the very beginning, and the best example of the prejudice he faced made up the plot of "The Measure of a Man." In the episode, Commander Bruce Maddox arrives on the Enterprise, requesting that Data be transferred to him so he can access his positronic brain and find out how he works.

The Commander's point of view was that Data was a brilliant piece of technology, but he wasn't a "person" and lacked the rights others enjoyed. This leads to a trial to determine whether or not Data was a sentient being, capable of making his own decisions and deserving the same rights as others. Captain Picard offered the defense, while Commander Riker reluctantly acted as the prosecutor.

The episode is about what makes a person a person, or as the title implies, the measure of a man. Each point made by both sides is compelling, and it helps to define the nature of Data in a way that hadn't been done previously. This is an excellent episode and a good introduction to the primary characters. It also examines elements of Data's past, making it an ideal standalone episode you can show a prospective fan without having to offer up much backstory.

Series: Star Trek, Season 1, Episode 24

Original Air Date: 16 February 1967

There are many exceptional episodes from the original series fans latched onto over the years, and "Space Seed" is likely the best of all of them. If you don't recognize him from the image, the man standing beside Captain Kirk is none other than Khan Noonien Singh from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. That's arguably the best movie in the entire franchise, and it's effectively a sequel to this episode.

In the episode, the Enterprise finds the SS Botany Bay, which is found to hold several people cryogenically frozen from the 1990s. They are Augments — genetically augmented humans from the late-20th century who were the basis for the Eugenics Wars. It later becomes evident that one Augment, Khan, is the same man who declared himself the absolute ruler of 25% of Earth and is, in fact, one of the most dangerous people in history.

A confrontation ensues, the Enterprise is nearly lost, and Kirk gets the upper hand, stranding Khan, a member of his own crew, and all of the Augments on the planet Ceti Alpha V. This episode has a historic place in the franchise; thanks to the movie it helped create, so it's often at the top of lists as the best of the original series. Despite its importance to the franchise, it's a one-off episode and a great one to show prospective fans.

Series: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Season 3, Episode 15

Original Air Date: 19 February 1990

Tasha Yar was killed during the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, but her time on the series wasn't at an end. She returned in "Yesterday's Enterprise," which brings some time travel shenanigans into play centered around a fascinating 'what if' scenario. In the episode, the Enterprise-D encounters the Enterprise-C in a rift in spacetime. The vessel was believed lost two decades earlier during the Federation-Klingon war.

When the ship appears, Tasha Yar is back at her post on the bridge, everyone's Starfleet uniform is different, and both Worf and Counselor Troi are absent. Guinan is the only person onboard who senses something has changed, and she informs the captain of her concern. Through her intuition and an encounter with Yar, Guinan becomes convinced that the only way to return to the proper timeline is for the Enterprise-C to return to the past and be destroyed.

Ultimately, that happens, but Yar chooses to accompany the vessel since she's not meant to be alive in the timeline once it resets. Like any episode that challenges the concept of a 'what if' scenario, much thought, and care went into writing to ensure everything made sense and aligned with Star Trek canon. That makes it an ideal episode to show someone, as it helps bridge the gap between the Federation's militant and diplomatic concepts while detailing many of the characters' backstories.

Series: Star Trek, Season 2, Episode 13

Original Air Date: 29 December 1967

The Enterprise begins "The Trouble with Tribbles" by going to a Deep Space Station to guard a shipment of grain. Their arrival resulted from a high-priority distress call, which upsets Kirk. Still, he offers the protection of his vessel and allows his crew to take shore leave on the space station. There, they find Tribbles, living puffballs that appear completely benign and as adorable as possible.

It doesn't take long for the Tribbles to reproduce at an insane rate, threatening the ship. At the same time, the Enterprise crew gets into a bit of a brawl with some Klingons, resulting in the cancelation of shore leave. Eventually, Kirk and his crew uncover a Klingon plot to poison the grain they were protecting, forcing the Klingons to leave the space station, but not before Scotty beams the troublesome Tribbles onboard their ship.

“The Trouble with Tribbles” is a fun episode, as it shows a completely benign thing turned into a threat to the ship. Kirk's reaction to finding them (pictured) is classic Trek, and the episode is often found on top 10 lists online. It's a good episode to show a newbie because it's lighthearted on the surface, while still filled with subterfuge and a nefarious threat underneath.