The 50 Greatest Star Trek moments of all time
David Brown selects his personal highlights from a half century of the sci-fi franchise
20. "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" - Darmok
It's quintessential Star Trek: two captains learning to work together despite a massive communications barrier. OK, so it's best not to dwell too hard on the feasibility of the Tamarians being able to construct a language based entirely upon metaphor. Instead, just revel in the joy of seeing Picard and Dathon trying to find a path through the confusion and build trust and understanding between their two races.
19. "The line must be drawn here!" - Star Trek: First Contact
Picard's hatred for the Borg is at its most vehement here - all the personal disgust he feels at being violated and made to act against his will coming to the surface in one angry outburst. But is his obsession clouding his judgement? It takes wise counsel from 21st century engineer Lily Sloane to set him on the right path...
18. "No bloody A, B, C or D" - Relics
TNG had many callbacks to the Original Series (Bones in Encounter at Farpoint, Spock in Unification etc) but none were as effective as James Doohan poignantly playing Scotty as a man who feared he'd outlived his usefulness. Adjusting to life in the 24th century where miracle working was the job of a new generation, Scotty seeks refuge in a Holodeck recreation of HIS Enterprise, giving the audience chills up the spine as he sits himself in the captain's chair.
17. "Pinocchio is broken" - The Measure of a Man
The issue of sentience comes under scrutiny in this powerful Data-centric story, as he's ordered to serve under Captain Bruce Maddox, who wishes to disassemble and study him so that more androids can be made for Starfleet use. The franchise is at its philosophising best as we see a grim-faced Riker prosecute the case while Picard champions Data's self-awareness.
16. The Ceti eels – Star Trek II: the Wrath of Khan
It’s the moment that a deranged Khan proves that he means business: in order to get control over Chekov and Terrell, he inserts burrowing eel larvae into the ears of the two Starfleet officers. Eels that wrap themselves around the cerebral cortex to leave the victim susceptible to outside suggestion. As Chekov screams, the audience cowers, wishing that Khan had just decided to master basic hypnotism instead.
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