The 15 Most Controversial Star Trek Episodes Of All Time

Ever since its debut within the Sixties, the “Star Trek” franchise has been a beacon of social progressivism and inclusivity as its characters boldly forge forward into the long run. Nonetheless, not all of its commentary and leaps ahead have been met with out controversy or widespread derision. For as groundbreaking as “Star Trek” is, not all of its tales have securely caught the touchdown, stumbling in its dealing with of sure points throughout its in depth historical past. Throughout the rising variety of tv collection within the franchise, “Star Trek” has run into its fair proportion of controversy over time, each with its followers and behind-the-scenes figures.

To be clear, what makes for a controversial episode is not essentially the episode’s general high quality however the content material inside the episode itself. A number of “Star Trek” episodes have quietly been omitted from their preliminary broadcasts or are noticeably edited in sure areas due to perceived sensitivities on the time. Different episodes have left followers debating for many years over the choices made by the characters and the way they thematically match within the overarching franchise. Listed here are the 15 most controversial “Star Trek” episodes of all time.

One of many main recurring tropes in “Star Trek” includes characters visiting alien civilizations replicating a particular interval and tradition in Earth historical past. The “Star Trek: The Authentic Collection” episode “Patterns of Power” takes this in a sinister route, with the Enterprise visiting a planet modeled after Nazi Germany. To make issues worse, this society is within the midst of making an attempt to exterminate inhabitants of a neighboring planet as a part of its fascist agenda. Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) uncover this tradition is impressed by Starfleet historian John Gill (David Brian), who felt Nazism provided probably the most environment friendly authorities construction.

With its prevalent Nazi imagery, together with the sight of Kirk and Spock sporting Nazi uniforms and clear Holocaust parallels, “Patterns of Power” is a completely uncomfortable episode. That this episode’s premise was pushed by one character’s assertion that the perceived effectivity of Nazism outweighed its apparent risks makes it extra awkward. The episode was banned in Germany for many years because of the nation’s sensitivities surrounding Nazi imagery. “Patterns of Power” did not obtain an official German dub till 1995, although its broadcast was withheld from German public tv till 2011.

The third season of “The Authentic Collection” was a blended bag of high quality, because the manufacturing endured funds cuts and inventive adjustments behind-the-scenes. Although the episode “Plato’s Stepchildren” sadly descends into the third season’s mediocrity, it does embrace one second noteworthy in tv historical past. Pressured to carry out for a gaggle of telekinetic aliens, Kirk kisses Enterprise chief communications officer Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols) on the lips. The scene marked the primary scripted kiss between white and Black actors in American tv historical past.

Cautious of its reception in additional racially insensitive components of america, the chief producers partially obscured the kiss by filming it at an odd angle. Moreover, the executives deliberate to movie the kiss off-screen solely, however Shatner and Nichols labored to make the filmed kiss because the take used for the precise episode. For utterly totally different causes, the United Kingdom banned the episode from being broadcast on the BBC for 30 years. Uncomfortable with the scenes of sadism in direction of the Enterprise crew, the BBC deemed “Plato’s Stepchildren” too disturbing for youthful audiences and stored it off the air.

“Plato’s Stepchildren,” sadly, wasn’t the one episode from “The Authentic Collection” singled out by British tv censors. The third season episode “Whom Gods Destroy” options the Enterprise visiting a distant psychological asylum for the criminally insane with medical therapy for its sufferers. Kirk and Spock uncover that the crafty shapeshifter Garth (Steve Ihnat) has taken over the power together with his fellow sufferers. Taking Kirk and Spock prisoner, Garth plots to flee the planet together with his Orion confederate Marta (Yvonne Craig).

Annoyed over his incapability to board the Enterprise, even after assuming Kirk’s bodily type, Garth has the actual Kirk tortured. Similar to the coercive use of telekinesis in “Plato’s Stepchildren,” the BBC was involved about this plot level. The BBC additionally felt that the scantily clad Marta and her sensual dancing was inappropriate for youthful viewers, banning “Whom Gods Destroy” in the UK till the ’90s. German tv equally did not air the episode till 1988 for presumably comparable causes. Merely put, Yvonne Craig was an excessive amount of for British and German tv to deal with.

So far as endings go, “The Authentic Collection” finale went out on a misogynistic whimper because the groundbreaking present got here to a detailed in 1969. The collection finale “Turnabout Intruder” has a vengeful ex-girlfriend of Kirk’s, Janice Lester (Sandra Smith), use an alien machine to change our bodies with him. Blaming widespread sexism in stifling her profession progress, Lester plans to make use of Kirk’s physique to achieve the skilled recognition she believes she deserves. Because the Enterprise crew suspect one thing is incorrect with their captain, Lester shortly descends into hysteria and threatens to sentence any mutineers to dying.

Criticism of the episode’s general high quality apart, “Turnabout Intruder” urged systemic sexism continued to plague humanity effectively into the enlightened twenty third century. That is made worse by Lester’s characterization implying career-minded girls are harmful and shrill, with Shatner’s efficiency because the body-swapped Lester veering into unintentional comedy. Extensively reviled by the followers for its tone-deaf messaging, “Turnabout Intruder” was an embarrassing means for “TOS” to finish its run.

Sadly, even by the ’80s, culturally insensitive racial stereotypes had been nonetheless prevalent on tv, even in progressive reveals like “Star Trek: The Subsequent Era.” The primary season episode “Code of Honor” has the Enterprise go to a planet harking back to a ’40s caricature of Sub-Saharan Africa. Impressed by the energy of safety chief Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby), the planet’s leaders kidnap her with the intention to power her into marriage. As Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) tries to rescue Yar, she is compelled right into a combat to the dying for her freedom.

A dud upon arrival, “TNG” forged members have distanced themselves from “Code of Honor” since its airing, with Jonathan Frakes wishing it was eliminated from streaming providers. When collection creator Gene Roddenberry realized how the episode was continuing, he reportedly had its assigned director, Russ Mayberry, fired. A infamous low level for the collection, “Code of Honor” is extensively considered considered one of the present’s worst episodes.

For probably the most half, “Star Trek” retains its motion comparatively family-friendly, usually avoiding overtly gory and graphic moments of violence. One main exception to this rule is the “Subsequent Era” first season episode “Conspiracy,” with worm-like aliens possessing host our bodies inside Starfleet Command. Picard and Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) uncover the infiltration, confronting the parasites’ chief possessing Lieutenant Commander Dexter Remmick (Robert Schenkkan). This leads Picard and Riker to blast Remmick aside with their phasers earlier than killing the uncovered parasite, stopping the invasion earlier than it might start.

When most enemies are hit by phasers, they merely glow till disintegrating in a superb flash of sunshine. Not so for Remmick, whose chest graphically is blown open whereas his head explodes, unveiling the alien parasite controlling him from inside. The oddly gory second could not get previous British censors, who edited probably the most ugly photographs out, whereas “Conspiracy” carried a content material warning in its preliminary Canadian broadcast. “Conspiracy” is probably the most “TNG” leaned into Cronenberg ranges of physique horror, and on the dimensions, it would not disappoint.

“The Subsequent Era” actually wasn’t accomplished coping with cultural stereotypes in its second season, although they had been performed for goofier impact within the episode “Up the Lengthy Ladder.” The easiest way to succinctly describe this episode is that the Enterprise takes in refugees from Area Eire. This spacefaring set of Celtic nomads preserve a bucolic life-style harking back to a pre-industrial Eire, regardless of these interstellar attain. This features a penchant for alcohol consumption and fiery-tempered girls that will really feel extra at residence in “The Quiet Man” than an episode of “TNG.”

“Up the Lengthy Ladder” has the distinctive distinction of one thing being sexist and anti-Irish all on the similar time, because the Enterprise endures their passengers’ antics. That is coupled with a cloning subplot that goes nowhere quick, together with a second the place Riker kills a clone of himself, with no actual ethical dilemma concerned. “Up the Lengthy Ladder” is an episode that must be seen to be believed, hilarious for all of the incorrect causes in the way it courts controversy.

“Up the Lengthy Ladder” wasn’t the one episode from “The Subsequent Era” to divisively reference the Irish. The third season episode “Excessive Floor” has the Enterprise embroiled in a terrorist plot to impress Starfleet intervention in an area battle. This leads Picard and Knowledge (Brent Spiner) to ponder historic terrorist actions that succeeded in furthering political objectives. Knowledge remembers that the IRA’s actions finally led to the predicted Irish reunification in 2024.

This offhand line from Knowledge generated a good bit of controversy in the UK and Eire on the time of its American broadcast. On the time, the British had been nonetheless contending with an brazenly hostile paramilitary group vying to push them out of Northern Eire for good. After a two-year delay, “Excessive Floor” was broadcast on British satellite tv for pc tv, albeit with Knowledge’s line edited out. It wasn’t till 2007 when “Excessive Floor” was broadcast uncut on British tv, although solely in a late evening time slot.

Whereas “Star Trek” has introduced a extra tolerant imaginative and prescient of the long run, one inclusive aspect it is struggled with is queer illustration. After a number of botched makes an attempt to convey a queer relationship to the display, it was “Star Trek: Deep Area 9” that introduced the franchise’s first same-sex kiss. The fourth season episode “Rejoined” has Jadzia Dax (Terry Farrell) meet Lenara Kahn (Susanna Thompson), the widow of considered one of her Trill symbiont’s former hosts. The 2 battle with their sophisticated emotions for one another, going so far as to share a passionate kiss.

After its preliminary airing in 1995, “Rejoined” obtained a major quantity of suggestions from a divided fanbase over the on-screen kiss. Farrell remembers that whereas the vast majority of the telephone calls obtained by Paramount over the episode had been destructive, the fan mail was largely constructive. Following “Rejoined,” “Star Trek” would keep away from overtly queer relationships on-screen till 2016’s “Star Trek Past” and the next “Star Trek: Discovery.” This marks the second time an on-screen kiss moved “Star Trek” ahead, although extra contentiously than it had with “Plato’s Stepchildren.”

The latter half of “Star Trek: Deep Area 9” has the collection change into an prolonged struggle story with the devastating Dominion Battle. Because the struggle for the galaxy drags on, Captain Sisko (Avery Brooks) makes more and more morally compromising choices to avert the Dominion from defeating the Federation. This involves a head within the sixth season episode “Within the Pale Moonlight,” with Sisko working with former Cardassian spy Elim Garak (Andrew Robinson). Garak bombs a Romulan vessel and implicates the Dominion, with the Romulans declaring struggle on the Dominion, with Sisko tacitly agreeing to Garak’s deception.

“Within the Pale Moonlight” is rightfully thought of probably the greatest episodes in “DS9,” elevated by Brooks’ efficiency because the conflicted Sisko. However simply because the extended Dominion Battle story created stress behind-the-scenes, followers mirrored if “DS9” had strayed too removed from the franchise’s idealistic roots. Equally, followers nonetheless debate if Sisko’s choices had been justifiable or counter to the Federation’s ideas. Battle leaves all contributors’ fingers soiled, and even “Star Trek” was not with out controversy in its dealing with of it.

Even past the Dominion Battle and “Deep Area 9,” “Star Trek” has introduced its characters with main moral challenges throughout the franchise’s historical past. One episode that continues to encourage a wholesome debate from the followers concerning the morality of a beloved character’s choice is the “Star Trek: Voyager” episode “Tuvix.” The second season episode has a transporter accident merge Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Neelix (Ethan Phillips) right into a single composite being, Tuvix (Tom Wright). With Tuvix having a definite character and lifetime of his personal, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) weighs ethical considerations ending his existence to revive her two misplaced crew members.

To be clear, “Tuvix” is mostly well-regarded general as one of many higher episodes to return out of “Voyager.” However simply as Janeway wrestles with the ethical implications of ending Tuvix’s life to convey again Tuvok and Neelix, followers proceed to debate over whether or not she made the proper choice. Even the animated collection “Star Trek: Decrease Decks” provided its personal perspective on this moral dilemma. “Tuvix” is one other instance of nice sci-fi writing, the place the controversy is not linked to a cultural or qualitative fake pas however a query the place there is no such thing as a clear proper reply.

The prequel collection “Star Trek: Enterprise” begins in a galaxy earlier than the creation of the United Federation of Planets and its Prime Directive to not intrude with extra primitive civilizations. The dearth of this non-interference coverage comes below scrutiny within the first season episode “Expensive Physician.” The Enterprise encounters a dying race, with Physician Phlox (John Billingsley) figuring out that their genetic potential has stagnated. Confronted with this ethical conundrum, Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) decides to present them a therapy giving them extra time to work with a neighboring race.

The unique ending to the episode had Phlox stand in opposition to Archer’s choice to intervene earlier than the community had it rewritten to its extra hopeful conclusion. Billingsley was in opposition to this modification, feeling it eliminated the ethical ambiguity central to the story and his character’s arc. Followers had been equally divided by the general episode, with its revised ending offering a cop-out for the Enterprise crew from leaving a race to presumably die. “Enterprise” featured different moral problem episodes, although they had been usually dealt with extra gracefully than “Expensive Physician.”

When “Enterprise” resulted in 2005, it concluded the franchise’s renewed run on tv that started in 1987 with “The Subsequent Era.” The “Enterprise” collection finale, “These Are the Voyages…,” wrapped with a callback to the “TNG” period,” with Riker revisiting the ultimate journey of Archer’s Enterprise by way of an elaborate Holodeck simulation. Archer prepares to present a speech commemorating the official constitution creating the Federation, however Chief Engineer Journey Tucker (Connor Trinneer) is killed on a mission. Seeing how Archer handles the dying of a pal and leads the Federation provides Riker the inspiration he must make his personal command choices.

“Enterprise” viewers had been incensed that the present’s collection finale basically made the principle forged aspect characters to Riker’s story, advised solely inside the Holodeck. That Journey’s dying was relegated to a simulated program was one other main slight to followers of the present and character. A number of forged members, together with Scott Bakula, had been additionally upset by how the present finally ended. Over a decade later, “These Are the Voyages…” continues to be reviled as one of many worst and most disrespectful “Star Trek” finales ever.

Klingons have obtained a number of radical redesigns over the course of “Star Trek” historical past, together with at first of “Star Trek: Discovery.” The present’s first season revolved across the Federation’s struggle in opposition to the Klingon Empire roughly a decade earlier than “The Authentic Collection.” The collection opens with a shot of the redesigned Klingons, with purplish pores and skin, elongated ridges, and fewer hair in favor of extra pronounced ridges and alternatively formed eyes and noses. Whereas “Discovery” utterly reinvigorated “Star Trek” on tv for a brand new technology, followers had been considerably much less enthusiastic concerning the newest Klingon redesign.

The backlash to the brand new Klingon design was so vocal that “Discovery” quietly revised it to be barely nearer to basic Klingons in its second season. “Star Trek: Unusual New Worlds” went a step additional, making Klingons extra visibly resemble their “TNG” period counterparts. By its second season, “Unusual New Worlds” reversed the controversial Klingon change altogether, with the ’80s design restored. The Klingon redesign ordeal is a main instance of the outdated axiom to not repair one thing that wasn’t damaged within the first place.

Whereas “Star Trek” had often skirted the road of together with material for extra mature audiences, it had stored a lot of its on-screen content material comparatively family-friendly. Because the franchise moved into the streaming period with “Discovery,” “Star Trek” did transfer to barely much less kid-friendly storytelling. The primary season episode “Select Your Ache” incorporates the primary ever use of the f-word within the franchise, together with motion pictures, as Ensign Sylvia Tilly (Mary Wiseman) shouts in pleasure. That is instantly adopted by chief engineer Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) repeating and emphasizing the identical profanity, giving the viewers two f-bombs for the value of 1.

Followers had been divided by the utilization of such flagrant profanity in “Star Trek,” with “Discovery” boldly going the place no different present had gone earlier than. Purists had been uncomfortable with that degree of vulgar language being brazenly utilized in “Star Trek,” one thing they made clear in social media and message board posts. This is able to additionally set off a formal criticism in Canada, the place the episode was broadcast primetime and unedited with out a content material warning. After this, “Star Trek” would use the f-word sparingly, other than a number of notable situations in “Star Trek: Picard.”