Which 5 Star Trek episodes would you pick to introduce someone to Star Trek?

Star Trek is amazing - we know it and you know it! ...But not everybody knows it.
If you had to pick a playlist of 5 episodes to hook someone in, what would you pick?
[NOTE: some folk confused us in the past - we're not The Shuttlepod Show, our names aren't even that similar - we're nowhere near as professional or slick! We're a completely amateur Star Trek podcast - we're Shuttlebay 4!]
#StarTrek #shuttlebay4 #podcast #StarTrekPodcast #trekkies #DeepSpaceNine #DS9

[@jonmyers8046]

Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra!!....Shaka when the walls fell :(

[@johnbrush7854]

Classic epsiode 🖖

[@FreddyKurganNimmo]

"Shut up, Wesley!"😂

[@johnbrush7854]

😅

[@Rhondaandjames]

City on the edge of forever. No contest.

[@md-sl1io]

the inner light and the 'THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS' episode

[@Shuttlebay4]

"Chain of Command" - superb! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mamug3h5qNZneassi=OJeO5KV6xR1f4d4z

[@93SFBG]

Trouble with Tribbles, Doomsday Machine, A Piece of the Action, Enemy Within, Galileo 7

[@PaterExcelsior]

What I love about this particular show… and you can see it happen time and time again like 32:30 - When an episode is mentioned everyone goes “ooooh yeah… love that one” You can really see the huge passion for Star Trek for everyone come through. Love this one.

[@simonjames9252]

Putting those clips in is a lot of effort. Thanks. Great show.

[@Shuttlebay4]

Thanks for the kind words, appreciate it. And I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@harrypothead42024]

4:17 Devil in the dark was my first Star Trek episode so I guess you could say that might be a very good hook

[@Shuttlebay4]

Glad it hooked you in! It's a great classic episode!!!

[@cjpolett2055]

"The Ensigns of Command" - I've got a whole rant on this. Doesn't make anyone's Top 10 or even Top 50 list, but it's a near perfect episode. It has an A plot/B plot, but they're deeply intertwined as your two best/most popular characters, Data and Picard, deal with the same situation from different angles, Data learning about humanity by negotiating with stubborn colonists, Picard negotiating with stubborn aliens (who aren't even humanoid or all powerful!). Both of them have uncharactistic badass moments of victory at the end which are earned, come with the support of those around them, and show growth. And of Data's 4 relationships, it's by far the most healthy.

[@dr.juerdotitsgo5119]

Love this one! Another near-perfect and overlooked episode is "The Enemy". The contrast of two single individuals having to count on each other to survive down there, while up there the two organized societies are on the verge of destroying each other. Brilliant stuff.

[@ThePrytanis]

TNG: The Hunted. Tactical space battles, Prime Directive, good action, all of the cast have a moment. Great intro.

[@PDNH]

TNG "Times Arrow" because part of the storyline is happening right now.

[@jacksavere6988]

Great video! I really enjoyed watching this one- I think I need more of these discussions from you guys!

[@Shuttlebay4]

Wow! Thanks for the kind words! We're just genuine fans who get together and chat about what we love - it's great to see that other people enjoy what we have to say and don't find us boring!!

[@avengercannon]

Tony Todd is up there with Jeffrey Combs as underappreciated actors who always turn in a good performance.

[@Shuttlebay4]

He is so good, he manages to always turn out a really emotive performance, an actor with gravitas.

[@LeChaunce]

Balance of Terror, Corbomite Maneuver, Errand of Mercy, City on the Edge of Forever, and Trouble with Tribbles.

[@buddhull]

I almost totally agree with your TOS picks, but i might squeeze Devil in the Dark or Squire of Gothos in over EoM. -TNG: Where Silence Has Lease, Measure Of A Man, Conundrum, Disaster, Who Watches The Watchers (it pains me to not include Q Who? But rules are rules) -DS9: In The Cards, Civil Defense, Starship Down, Distant Voices, In The Pale Moonlight (I struggle with including this one, but it may be the best single instance of why/how DS9 is in its own league of storytelling, similar to w/The Way of the Warrior Pt. 1 & 2)

[@LeChaunce]

@@buddhull Solid picks all! I only went with Errand of Mercy over Devil In The Dark because the Klingons are so very important to the entire franchise and I felt their first appearance was important. I also wanted to squeeze Journey To Babel and Amok Time in there as well, and to round out the top 10 let’s throw in Doomsday Machine. (Interesting how such a large percentage of my picks are effectively bottle episodes!)

[@morebaileyskim]

So glad I found this channel so fun listening to you all I feel like I’m working with some friends in the background having a conversation that I keep wanting to chime in on 😂 😂 😂

[@Shuttlebay4]

That has made my day! That's exactly what we were hoping for. Shuttlebay 4 isn't very polished or scripted, or even very planned! We always hoped it would capture the vibe of a group of mates chatting about 'Trek, because that's what we are! For us it extends the Strek Trek Convention beyond the Convention. Live Long And Prosper, Chris!!

[@jimdetry9420]

All 5 of my picks would come from the original series.

[@rhylin26]

“Under the Cloak of War” from Strange New Worlds.

[@TakeitEasy...]

Assuming zero knowledge, my five in order: Encounter at Farpoint, A Matter of Honor, First Contact, The Wire, and finally Space Seed. How the Federation works roughly, introduction to some of the ideals, introduction to the galaxy at large, and how we treat contact with new species or those perceived by the viewer as lesser.

[@Shuttlebay4]

That's pretty solid. A lot of those I wouldn't have picked but I completely get why you've picked them and I can't argue with the logic (are you a Vulcan!?)

[@_WillCAD_]

My five: TOS City on the Edge of Forever TOS The Trouble With Tribbles TNG Hollow Pursuits DS9 Trials and Tribblations DS9 The Visitor In that order. Each one is a stand-alone that doesn't require any prior knowledge of the main characters, and they represent several different tones and aims - heart-rending tragedy, belly-laughing comedy, mental health, more comedy but HOLY CRAP the effects!, and a heart-warming father-son story.

[@Shuttlebay4]

That's a great choice, I love the mixture of episodes there - and I'm sure that Trials And Tribble-ations would make someone smile after watching The Trouble With Tribbles. City On The Edge Of Forever and The Visitor really demonstrate that Trek and do great heart-wrenching drama. The Visitor is such an emotional watch,

[@johnbrush7854]

Great choices and reasoning 🖖

[@allthingsnerd.4484]

Balance of Terror, Measure of a Man, Drumhead, Best of Both Worlds, In The Pale Moonlight.

[@Shuttlebay4]

Some epic 'Trek there. That watchlist sounds like a good night in to me!

[@alrice8302]

Bloody brilliant editing again.

[@wfanking1187]

You are Brit? Cool

[@jamesodonnell3636]

Balance of Terror, The Devil In the Dark, Errand of Mercy, Mirror Mirror, and Operation Annihilate...

[@Shuttlebay4]

Interesting that you've focused on TOS - but I guess it's where it all started! Particularly love Balance of Terror and The Devil In The Dark.

[@LeChaunce]

@@Shuttlebay4 To be faaaaiiiir, you did say Star Trek, not The Star Trek Franchise. 😛

[@Shuttlebay4]

@@LeChaunce Ha ha! Very true!

[@vichraev.5386]

The one I picked when I introduced my girlfriend to Trek was TNG: The Inner Light (probably because it's my most beloved episode).

[@Shuttlebay4]

It is a beautiful episode, a solid pick.

[@bobingabout]

15:26 I think we can forgive "Best of Both worlds" as a single episode. Even though if you watched on TV it was the last episode of 1 season, and the first episode of the next... There was also a VHS release where Best of Both Worlds was a single movie length episode. Technically a special directors cut release of it, with commentary extras, but still, it has been released as a single episode.

[@Shuttlebay4]

A good point. Also, I have the Blu Ray edition where parts 1 and 2 are edited together like a TV movie.

[@dr.juerdotitsgo5119]

The best way to lure someone into Trek, especially if it's someone under 40 or 30, it would be DS9's "In The Pale Moonlight". You don't need much context, it's not really character-driven, and it's just about the behind the scenes of war. Any war.

[@joe9739]

"Who Mourns Adonias?" is the one that got the ball rolling for me👍 But if I was showing someone else, id try either "Yesterday's Enterprise" or "Way of the Warrior"

[@Shuttlebay4]

I really enjoyed out discussion on Yesterday's Enterprise, and our next chat is covering Way Of The Warrior!

[@mikcnmvedmsfonoteka]

My TOP 3 Picks from each series! TOS: Balance of Terror, City on the Edge of Forever, Trouble with Tribbles. TNG: The measure of the man Inner light The Defector DS9: In pale moonlight Emissary Little green man Voyager: Tuvix Living witness Equinox Enterprise: The Andorian Incident Stratagem Similitude Lower Decks: wej Duj I, Excretus First First Contact Prodigy: Time Amok Kobayashi All the World's a Stage STD idk mirror universe, Lorca... Picard 3 season. SNW Pilot ?

[@exile220ify]

No Strange New Worlds?

[@mikcnmvedmsfonoteka]

@@exile220ify SNW: Pilot - Strange New Worlds, A Quality of Mercy, Spock Amok tough my personal favorite is Those Old Scientists. I have nothing against SNW , characters are likeable, its nice and brightly lit not like Discovery but I have problems with SNW. I really don't like that they made Gorn into Xenomorphs and few other flaws. Otherwise it's watchable unlike Discovery

[@Shuttlebay4]

Wow! You've put some effort into that - a great list, I can't really disagree with any of that, thanks for sharing - I really appreciate it.

[@patrickmusson4571]

Considering that 713 episodes of Star Trek were made between 1965 and 2005, it would be virtually impossible to choose only 5 episodes to hook a newbie to Star Trek. I am also purposefully leaving out Discovery because I have a low opinion of Alex Kurtzman, the destroyer, and only S3 of Picard was any good.

[@Shuttlebay4]

It is tricky, I'm sure if I had to do this again I'd pick a different 5!

[@jensphiliphohmann1876]

The TNG Borg episides are quite good, I think. Many of us are currently worrying about AI taking over.

[@Shuttlebay4]

I know people who have lost their income due to AI - their work has been assimilated. AI is possibly the biggest economic disrupter ever - I just hope it gets used to advance humanity rather than the salaries/bonus of a few billionaires!

[@rhylin26]

Peak Performance from TNG.

[@exile220ify]

My list (in no particular order) "The Measure Of A Man" - ST:TNG "Broken Bow" - ST:ENT (premiere) "Strange New Worlds" - ST:SNW (premiere) "The City On The Edge Of Forever" - ST:TOS "Heart Of Glory" - ST:TNG Honourable mention: "Tomorrow Is Tomorrow Is Tomorrow" (ST:SNW), because now we know Khan is Canadian :)

[@Shuttlebay4]

Brilliant to see Broken Bow in there, I think it's the strongest of the pilot episodes.

[@exile220ify]

@@Shuttlebay4 For me, the title of best premiere episode is a tie between Broken Bow and Strange New Worlds. Both are STRONG episodes that got their shows off and running quickly.

[@TheWebcrafter]

0:01 - My Top Five 'INTRODUCTION TO STAR TREK' Episodes. ‘HARD TIME’ [Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 4 Episode 19] ‘DUET’ [Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Season 01 Episode 19] 'MUSE' [Star Trek: Voyager - Season 06 Episode 22] ‘THE MEASURE OF A MAN’ [Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 02 Episode O9] ‘ENCOUNTER AT FARPOINT’ PT 1&2 [Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season 01 Episodes 01 & 02]

[@Shuttlebay4]

It's interesting to see that 'The Measure of A Man' features a lot in these lists, it's such a fantastic episode.

[@tteros5998]

Dude, nu-Trekas an intro? And I liked you, too.

[@Shuttlebay4]

Forgive us!!!

[@jensphiliphohmann1876]

08:23 Volcans should be quite good at Poker, I guess.

[@simpleman5688]

Arena.

[@BeakersAreCool]

The episode were Jadzia met her other hosts was 'Facets', Rejoined examined the fact that Dax was previously married to the other host but the host is currently joined to a female, and Jadzia is still in love, it finds a way to examine homosexuality for an American audience without the episode being banned.

[@Shuttlebay4]

Star Trek has always tackled social issues, it's a shame DS9 wasn't able to delve into sexuality the way it wanted to. To have Garak as openly gay, or at least non-straight would have been fantastic. Thanks for the comment, those Trill episodes are great ones.

[@jensphiliphohmann1876]

What about _ENT: Terra Prime_ ?

[@moneymikz]

Whichever ones have the most screen time of Deanna Troi 🤤

[@mikemartin8408]

Gawd! people who speak in acronyms drive me crazy

[@darthmaul13]

U should have cut his feed as soon as he mentioned discovery!!!!! Discovery is NOT trek!!!