10 Most Controversial Star Trek Episodes of All Time

With nearly 1,000 episodes of television among all the various Star Trek Shows, it’s no surprise that some stories have court controversy. Star Trek Has always been ahead of his time with his optimistic view of the future and celebration of diversity. While Star Trek: The Original Series Undoubtedly remaining a product of the 1960s, the show was progressive for its time and was no stranger to controversy. Star Trek Has been responsible for several television firsts over the years and has developed a widespread and passionate fans with very strong opinions.

Any franchise with this much content and such passionate fans will inevitably produce some stories that spark strong reactions. each Star Trek series since TOS Had episodes that got people talking, and Modern Star Trek remains as controversial as ever. Since Star Trek: Discovery Bringing the franchise into the streaming era in 2017, the show was met with conflicting opinions and disappointingly mixed reviews. But this level of controversy is nothing new star trek, As the franchise has always found ways to discuss hot-button topics.

10

“The Devil in the Dark”

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, Episode 25

When the USS Enterprise investigates a series of deaths at a mining facility, Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) encounter a silicon-based lifeform called the Horta. After Spock initiated a mind meld with the Horta, He discovers that the creature was simply trying to protect its young. Like a classic Star Trek The story, “The Devil in the Dark” has a lot going for him, but it controversially has no speaking parts for women.

Star Trek: The Original Series was progressive in setting Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), a black woman, on the bridge of a starship, but she often got sidelined as a character. She doesn’t even get the chance to announce that healing frequencies are open in this episode. Even Gene Roddenberry noted the lack of women in “The Devil in the Dark,” A letter on the subject to producer and writer Gene L. Coon.

9

“Patterns of Force”

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 2, Episode 21

not surprising Star Trek “Plot Nazi” The episode stirred up its fair share of controversy. “Patterns of Force” follows Kirk and his crew as they investigate the disappearance of a Federation observer only to find that He turned an alien planet into a replica of Nazi Germany. John Gill (David Brian) originally intended to bring order to the lawless society of the Ecosians using a good form of fascism.

Gill said that Nazi Germany was the “Most efficient state earth ever knew.” Because of this line and the Nazi imagery throughout the episode, Until 1995, “Patterns of Force” was banned from German television. Rather than inventing a foreign society that only has similarities to Nazi Germany, this Star Trek The episode deals with swastikas, a leader, as well as Nazi slogans and greetings.

8

“Plato’s Stepchildren”

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 10

The Star Trek: The Original Series The episode “Plato’s Stepchildren” was controversial for several reasons. Captain Kirk, Spock and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelly) visit a planet of powerful telekinetic aliens with a culture inspired by ancient Greece. When Kirk wants to stay on the planet, The Platonians punish the captain and his crew members By forcing them to perform for their entertainment.

in one of Star Trek most famous moments, The Platonians force Captain Kirk to kiss Lt. Uhura in one of TV’s first interracial kisses. Although NBC feared the scene would anger some viewers, it reportedly received very little negative feedback. interesting, “Plato’s Stepchildren” was banned by the BBC, Not because of the interracial kiss, but due to “dislike” Content, including torture and sadism.

7

“code of honor”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 4

“Code of Honor” is controversial for being so notoriously bad that Some Star Trek: The Next Generation Actors refused it. When the USS Enterprise-D visits the planet Ligon II to obtain a vaccine, the Ligonian leader kidnaps Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) with the intention of making her his new wife. Although it would have been nice to see more episodes with Lt. Year, “code of honor” certainly does you no favors.

Tasha Yar has no agency left Star Trek: TNGs “code of honor,” as she only reacts to things as they happen to her. The Ligonians receive very little development, And the decision to cast only black actors to populate the primitive society makes the whole thing feel awkward at best. “Code of Honor” uses many of the worst clichés of Star Trek: The Original Series And almost nothing about the episode works.

6

“Conspiracy”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1, Episode 25

When Captain Picard realizes that Starfleet Command has given some strange orders, he takes the USS Enterprise-D to Earth to investigate. Picard and his crew then discover that A race of alien parasites have taken over several high-level Starfleet officers. Picard and Commander Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes) eventually confront the leader of the parasite, who has taken over the body of Lt. Commander Dexter Remick (Robert Schenken).

When Remick begins to transmit a signal to other parasites, Picard and Riker fire their phasers at him until his head explodes, in one of Tng S Great scenes. Due to the graphic elements, “Conspiracy” was either edited or banned in the United Kingdom, and A warning was shown before the episode in Canada. Despite this, “conspiracy” regularly makes it onto lists of favorites TNG episodes, and it remains one of Star Trek Most shocking moments.

5

“Up the Long Ladder”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2, Episode 18

Like “Code of Honor,” “Up the Long Ladder” is another episode that feels dated even for the 1980s. Not only does the episode use exaggerated Irish stereotypes, however It also fails in its intended commentary on immigration. “Up the Long Ladder” follows two separate stories that never come together. One involves the Irish Bringloidi colony, while the other involves the advanced Mariposa colony of clones.

“Up the Long Ladder” tries to be funny and, while some of the jokes land, others fall flat. Commander Riker comes across as a bit of a creep to the daughter of the Bringloid leaderand later, Riker kills a clone of himself without consequences. There are some interesting ideas in “Up the Long Ladder,” but they get buried under the awkward humor and disparate storylines.

4

“The High Ground”

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3, Episode 12

“The High Ground” is a tough one Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode with one line of dialogue that makes it controversial. The episode follows Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), as She finds herself a prisoner of a terrorist group on a war-torn planet. Merciful to a fault, Beverly begins to sympathize with the terrorists, even as she abhors their methods. The story takes an interesting look at both sides of the conflict, never fully taking either side.

When Captain Picard and his crew talk about instances in Earth’s history where terrorism has proven effective, Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) mentions the 2024 unification of Ireland. When “The High Ground” aired, the conflict known as the Troubles was still ongoing in Northern Ireland, leading the BBC to ban the episode. “The High Ground” was not shown unedited in the United Kingdom until 2006.

3

“written”

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Season 4, Episode 6

When the widow of one of Jadzia Dax’s (Terry Farrell) former hosts visits Deep Space 9, the two struggle with their lingering feelings for one another. As Jadzia and Lenara Kahn (Suzanna Thompson) work together to create an artificial wormhole, they begin to grow closer despite the fact that It is taboo in trill culture to be involved with a previous employer. The two women eventually share a kiss in Jadzia’s quarters

As one of the first lesbian kisses on television, the scene with Jadzia and Lenara stirred quite a bit of controversy when it first aired in 1995. The DS9 The production office reportedly received more calls and letters than they had for any previous episodes, With both negative and positive reactions. Ultimately, “Rejoined” tells a story of lost love and the episode generally receives positive reviews today.

2

“tubix”

Star Trek: Voyager Season 2, Episode 24

in one of Star Trek: Voyager’s Most talked about episodes, Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and Lt. Tuvok (Tim Ross) are merged together in a transporter accident, and become a new person named Tubix (Tom Wright). Two weeks after the accident, the Doctor (Robert Picardo) finds a way to separate Tuvok and Neelix, but Tubix has become his own person and does not want to die.

Faced with an impossible decision, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) eventually goes ahead with the separation, even as Tubix begs for his life. The moral conundrum at the heart of “Tubics” has no easy solutions, And Janeway’s decision has stirred controversy among fans since the episode aired. Even today, “tubix” remains a hot-button topic among Trek Fans, especially since Star Trek: Lower Decks offered his own take on Twovix’s dilemma in the season 4 premiere, “Twovix.”

1

“These are the voyages…”

Star Trek: Enterprise Season 4, Episode 22

The series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise Follow Commander Riker and Counselor Troy as they recreate the final mission of the Enterprise NX-01 on the holodeck. Critics of the finale felt that the framework made the episode feel too much like Star Trek: The Next Generation and said a smile from the leader Enterprise. Because of this, the episode often makes it onto lists of the most hated Star Trek Episodes.

Another controversial aspect of the episode is the death of Commander Trip Tucker (Connor Trinneer), which some have argued felt forced and inflicted more unnecessary suffering on T’Pol (Jolene Blalock). It makes sense that Enterprise would end with the founding of the United Federation of Planets, but the holodeck setting makes “These are the Voyagers…” feel like an empty ending for the Enterprise NX-01 crew, cementing it as one of Star Trek Most controversial episodes.