7 Episodes Of Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3 You Can Completely Skip

Star Trek: The Original Series season 3 is generally regarded as the show's worst season, and the season indeed delivers several episodes that can be skipped over entirely. Star Trek only narrowly avoided cancellation before its third season, and it ended up with a smaller budget and a new timeslot. Gene Roddenberry also stepped back from production, and writers Gene L. Coon and D.C. Fontana had also left. This led to weaker scripts overall, resulting in a season full of average (and truthfully, skippable) episodes.

While most of Star Trek's iconic moments and beloved episodes come in earlier seasons, season 3 still delivers some memorable moments for Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley). "Plato's Stepchildren," for example, may not be a good episode of television, but it's when Star Trek depicts one of the first interracial kisses on TV (the only reason it's not on this list). While die-hard Trek fans will likely find something to like even in the season's worst episodes, casual viewers can skip a lot of the season without missing much.

7"Spock's Brain"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 1

The season 3 opener, "Spock's Brain," has the reputation of being the worst episode of Star Trek ever made. And while I don't necessarily believe this to be true, I wouldn't say it's a good episode of television. There's something charming about the ridiculousness of it all, pushing "Spock's Brain" into "so bad, it's good" territory for many. Still, that doesn't necessarily mean it's worth watching, unless you're curious what all the fuss is about.

The story follows Captain Kirk and his Enterprise crew as they set out in search of Spock's brain after it's stolen by a mysterious alien woman. Kirk follows the woman's ship to an icy planet with a colony of primitive men living on the surface and a civilization of women living underground. The women need Spock's brain to be their "Controller," but Kirk and McCoy eventually figure out how to get the Vulcan's brain back. If you can turn your own brain off for a bit, "Spock's Brain" has some fun moments, but it never overcomes its nonsensical premise.

6"The Paradise Syndrome"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 3

When Captain Kirk awakens without his memory on the Earth-like planet Amerind, he is taken in by the planet's Native American-inspired inhabitants, who believe Kirk to be a god. Kirk soon falls in love with the tribe's priestess, Miramanee (Sabrina Scharf), and the two embark on a romance that leads to Miramanee becoming pregnant. While Kirk and Miramee make a believable couple, that's about the only good thing about "The Paradise Syndrome." The episode's plot makes little sense, but the worst element is its abysmal treatment of indigenous peoples and their culture.

While Kirk falls in love on Amerind, Spock commands the Enterprise, working to prevent an asteroid from colliding with the planet.

Despite not having his memory, Kirk is presented as a savior who is far more intelligent than the "primitive" locals. And if that weren't bad enough, the Natives turn violent at the first sign of trouble, stoning Kirk and Miramanee when Kirk can't stop a storm. The pregnant Miramanee dies from her injuries, and a grief-stricken Kirk returns to his life aboard the Enterprise. It's a dark and tragic ending that Miramanee doesn't deserve, ultimately making the episode one to skip.

5"And The Children Shall Lead"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 4

Another episode considered by many to be one of Star Trek's worst, "And the Children Shall Lead," follows the crew of the Enterprise as they encounter a group of children with strange powers. The five children appear to have no concern about their dead parents (who were part of a scientific expedition team), and they can summon an entity called Gorgan (Melvin Belli). Gorgan represents pure evil and has plans to conquer the galaxy, but Kirk and Spock manage to break Gorgan's hold on the children and free the Enterprise.

While the child actors are mostly fine, "And the Children Shall Lead" really doesn't have much going for it. The episode is boring and repetitive, and it combines several elements from other, better Star Trek episodes. Aside from Kirk and Spock, the rest of the crew are too easily ensnared by Gorgan, and there's no real suspense throughout the story. All in all, there's nothing memorable or even particularly interesting about this episode, making it a slog to get through and so easily skipped.

4"The Empath"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 12

In "The Empath," the Enterprise travels to the planet Minara II to find the research station there deserted. Soon after visiting the planet, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy are transported to a mostly empty underground chamber. There, they encounter a mute woman whom Dr. McCoy names Gem (Kathryn Hays), before they are attacked by two aliens known as Vians. Gem has empathic abilities and can heal others, and she uses her abilities to heal both Kirk and McCoy when the Vians brutally torture them.

The BBC did not air this episode until the early 1990s. It was one of four episodes the station banned due to depictions of "madness, torture, sadism, and disease." The others were "Miri," "Plato's Stepchildren," and "Whom Gods Destroy."

The Vians have said that if Gem proves her willingness to sacrifice herself for another, they will save her people from an impending supernova. Kirk pleads for Gem and McCoy, and the Vians eventually listen to him, restoring them both to perfect health. "The Empath" has some interesting ideas and McCoy has some great moments in Star Trek, but it plods along at a glacial pace and centers on dubious ethics. Most of the episode's runtime is spent watching the Vians torment Gem and the landing party, which is depressing and difficult to watch.

3"Elaan Of Troyius"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 13

When the Enterprise transports Elaan (France Nuyen), the Dohlman of Elas, to her arranged marriage, Captain Kirk must help teach Elaan how to behave among the Troyians. Elaan has no desire to marry the Troyian king, and she fights against Kirk's attempts to teach her to be "civilized." Kirk eventually falls for Elaan after touching her tears (which supposedly have a magical effect), and in the end, she relents and agrees to go through with the marriage to the king of Troyius.

Throughout the episode, Elaan makes it clear that she does not want to change everything about herself to become the Troyian king's bride. Elaan's treatment throughout the episode is deeply uncomfortable, as she's presented as "an uncivilized savage" (Kirk's words), who must be taught proper manners. In the end, Elaan has no choice in her fate, eventually shrinking herself and submitting to the Troyian way of life. The whole thing feels icky, with sexist and racist overtones, and can definitely be skipped.

2"The Way To Eden"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 20

Sometimes referred to as the "space hippy episode," "The Way To Eden" is another one that regularly appears on lists of the worst Star Trek episodes. When the Enterprise rescues the passengers of a stolen space cruiser, they claim to be on their way to the mythical planet of Eden. The group takes over the Enterprise, makes their way to the planet they believe to be Eden, and steals a shuttlecraft to take to the surface.

One of the hippies is a former flame of Ensign Chekov named Irina Galliulin. This character was originally going to be Joanna McCoy, the daughter of Dr. McCoy, who would've been a love interest for Captain Kirk.

The planet turns out to be covered in plants that secrete acid and trees that bear poisonous fruit. Most of the group returns to the Enterprise after being found on the planet, but the unstable Dr. Sevrin (Skip Homeier) eats a piece of fruit and dies. Nothing about this episode really works. There's not enough story here to fill an entire episode, and the "space hippies" are mostly one-note characters who take over the Enterprise far too easily. All in all, you won't miss much by skipping "The Way to Eden."

1"Turnabout Intruder"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 24

In the 1960s, television shows did not have distinct series finales the way they do today, so Star Trek's last episode was just a regular episode with no definitive conclusion. In "Turnabout Intruder," the Enterprise answers a distress call to find Dr. Janice Lester (Sandra Smith), a former lover of Captain Kirk's, among the survivors. Once aboard the Enterprise, Lester switches bodies with Kirk, as she believes "it's better to be dead than to live alone in the body of a woman." And here lies the problem with the episode.According to "Turnabout Intruder," women cannot become starship captains, which makes no sense considering everything we know about the Federation. Lester is presented as hysterical and insane for her unwillingness to accept the role of a woman in her society. The episode ends up being one of Star Trek: The Original Series' most obviously sexist outings, and an unfortunate ending for the series. Better to end things on the far better "All Our Yesterdays" and pretend "Turnabout Intruder" doesn't exist.