Trust me, that joke is hilarious, because the ratio works; for at its best, Star Trek could transcend its cheap sets and hammy acting to deliver moments of true sublimity. But the rest of the time, it was just a "BAM!" and "POW!" away from rivaling the old Batman series in sheer campiness. Not that campiness is necessarily a bad thing, only that in Star Trek you often have to adjust your expectations episode to episode, sometimes even scene to scene.
Hence, your ability to enjoy the original series really depends upon your threshold tolerance for its peculiar blend of sublimity and goofiness. As such, I've curated a brief sample of about a dozen episodes as an introduction to Star Trek; if you find yourself digging the series after watching these, then you're probably in for a treat with the whole series. If not, well, I guess we'll just have to be friends for different reasons.
1. The Trouble With Tribbles
I once introduced the show to a classmate and self-proclaimed "sci-fi nerd" who had somehow never watched the series. She yawned through the first few episodes I showed, before she warmed up to this one. She told me that if I'd started her with this episode, she probably would have gotten into it much quicker. I see her point: every one here gets a hilarious character moment, the actors are all clearly having a ball, and there's a fun little who-dun-it. The episode takes itself just seriously enough to have stakes, but not so much that we forget to enjoy ourselves.
2. Space Seed
So whenever I try to get folks into the franchise, I without fail start them off with the incomparable Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan--which is a sequel to this episode. Now, one does not need to see the original episode to enjoy the film--but the episode ain't half bad itself, and thus might serve as another good entry way into the series. (It's also the episode that Star Trek Into Darkness riffs upon).
3. Where No Man Has Gone Before
Surely someone has written a paper by now about Star Trek's weird preoccupation with god-like beings (arguably every other episode is either a god-like being, time-travel, or an alternate earth--probably to save money on sets). Yet before the series quickly beat its own trope to death, this early episode did it first and did it best, as a mysterious phenomenon at the edge of the galaxy randomly endows a pair of crew-members with god-like abilities. More intriguingly, this show, so famed for its utopic faith in humanity, opens with someone quickly corrupted by his new found powers. The series complicates its own positivism before it even has a chance to establish it.
4. The Naked Time
A space virus infects the crew and makes everyone crazy! Sulu prances around with a sword quoting the Three Musketeers! An Irish crewmember sabotages engineering while singing about ice cream! Spock cries! If you like insane campiness, then have we got an episode for you!
5. The Menagerie
An earlier pilot of the show--featuring a Captain Pike--had been shot and rejected by Paramount. It was consequently cannibalized for the show's sole 2-parter, where in flashbacks Spock must explain to a tribunal why he hijacked the Enterprise to transport his former captain (the now-wheelchair-bound Pike) to a forbidden planet. Despite the obviously stitched-together nature of the episode, it manages to provoke some legitimately haunting questions about whether reality really is preferable to fantasy--and has a crackerjack twist-ending to boot. "Captain Pike has an illusion, and you have reality. May you find your way as pleasant."
6. Balance of Terror
In what I'm tempted to call Hunt For Red October In Space, the Enterprise must hunt down a Russian--er, Romulan--commander whose submarine--er, starship--runs on an experimental cloaking device that could spark full-scale war!
7. Amok Time
I maintain that William Shatner, whatever his faults, was the perfect over-the-top actor for the swashbuckling Captain Kirk. Nevertheless, you'll get no argument from me that Spock is hands down the most interesting character--and this is all his episode. In what could have easily been a total nerd-wank, Leonard Nimoy elevates material about arranged marriages, family politics, and Vulcan mating season from high camp to high art. Also, you get to see Spock absolutely embarrass Kirk in hand-to-hand combat, and who doesn't want to see that?
8. Mirror, Mirror
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Ever wondered why a goatee is how you know you're in the evil universe? You're welcome.
9. I, Mudd
No plot-summary could possibly capture the sheer lunacy of this episode. Suffice to say, if campy Star Trek is your favorite Star Trek, then this is your episode par excellence. Plus, you get to learn how to blow up a computer with "Everything I say is a lie!"
10. By Any Other Name
So what do you do when hyper-advanced aliens disguised in human form hijack your ship to fly back to the Andromeda galaxy? Well if you're Kirk, you mack on the cutest one till you save the day. Nuff said.
11. Metamorphoses
Just a poignant little love story between the long-lost inventor of warp drive and a being of pure energy. (As a bonus, you'll also better get the Futurama episode).
12. City on the Edge of Forever
Generally considered Star Trek's finest episode--although I've discovered that you really need to already be on the show's wavelength for it to fully affect you, and as such is not the one you should start with (and by corollary, if after a dozen episodes this one still doesn't get to you, then you should just call it quits). The best of the many time-travel episodes. Simply, if you had to sacrifice the woman you love to stop Hitler, would you? Pray you never find out--though Kirk does.
Which episodes would you use to introduce potential newbies?
(Just don't start with the Gorn. For Pete's sake!)
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