Star Trek: The Original Serieshas plenty of episodes that are often referenced, quoted, and given as examples of the show’s brilliance, but there’s one particular episode that is unfairly ignored. Thecast ofStar Trek: The Original Serieswas responsible for bringing the franchise’s earliest stories to life, and many of those episodes continue to influence the modern-day spinoff shows. WhilesomeTOSepisodes stick out as easy to identify for their impacton the franchise’s impressive future, some incredibly deserving efforts are left to languish in the shadows.
EveryStar TrekshowowesThe Original Seriesa debt of gratitude. If the William Shatner-led saga hadn’t been so well received, it’s quite possible thatStar Trek: The Next Generationand every other spinoff that forms the entireStar Trektimelinewouldn’t ever have happened. The innovative 1960s space opera established countless tropes and traditions that can still be witnessed in the more recentStar Trekprojects - and the show’s best episode doesn’t get enough credit for its contributions in that respect.
Why “The Devil In The Dark” Is Star Trek: The Original Series' Best Episode
The Horta presents a unique challenge for the crew of the USS Enterprise
Star Trek: The Original Seriesseason 1, episode 25,“The Devil in the Dark,” is very possibly the show’s best effort acrossall three seasons. It breaks the formula in several notable ways, and they all improve the experience. Not only are there hardly any scenes aboard the USS Enterprise, but the crew’s tense away mission to locate and kill the Horta is made even more unnerving by its offscreen antics. The episode also brilliantly pivots at the last possible moment, revealing there’s no actual villain - only different points of view and language barriers.
Star Trek’s Very First Villains Began A Theme Every Series Since Has Followed
Star Trek isn’t defined by standard ‘good vs. evil,’ and, starting with “The Cage,” Star Trek has created villains with complex motivations.
In a show that is largely a sci-fi adventure story,“The Devil in the Dark” slips into the psychological thriller genre. Although the appearance of the silicon-based alien hasn’t aged particularly well, it certainly looks off-putting and non-humanoid enough to illicit a response of discomfort in its audience - even today. The slow-burning narrative is pretty hard to predict, which makes watching until the end an absolute must and impossible to resist.
“The Devil In The Dark” Isn’t One Of Star Trek’s Most Famous Episodes Today
The Horta’s story is often overshadowed by grander Star Trek adventures
With season 1 being so long itself, plus the addition of two more seasons to follow, not everyStar Trek: The Original Seriesepisode can remain in the zeitgeist. Although severalTOSinstallments are still in the spotlight today, “The Devil in the Dark” simply hasn’t made the cut. Granted,there are a lot of great episodes in the very firstStar Trekshow, so the competition to stick out is fierce. Therefore, it’s perhaps not a massive surprise that an episode that focuses on story rather than action has fallen by the wayside.
“The City on the Edge of Forever”
1
28
9.2/10
2
4
9.0/10
“Balance of Terror”
14
8.8/10
“The Trouble with Tribbles”
15
22
8.7/10
6
8.6/10
“Journey to Babel”
10
8.5/10
3
8.4/10
“The Devil in the Dark”
25
8.3/10
That being said, “The Devil in the Dark” does scrape intoIMDb’s top 10-rated episodes ofStar Trek: The Original Seriesand almost every one of the nine entries above is inarguably iconic. So, even if the episode can’t quite hold its own in popular culture and general conversations about the show, it’s at least satisfying to know its quality is respected in some very important ways. On the other hand, with a rating of 8.3/10,“The Devil in the Dark” is still shockingly underrated for how great it is.
“The Devil In The Dark” Remains A Huge Influence Upon Modern Star Trek
Star Trek continues to use themes championed in “The Devil in the Dark”
AlthoughStar Trek: The Original Seriesepisodes like “Mirror, Mirror” have made a much more measurable impact on the larger franchise,“The Devil in the Dark” has influenced the sci-fi saga in slightly less noticeable ways.However, that doesn’t mean they’re less important. The episode had numerous moments and themes that would go on to grow and become a part of the shows that were produced after, and those that continue to be made to this day. In short, the franchise’s nuances about right vs wrong may never have evolved to what they are without “The Devil in the Dark.”
The brief rift between Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and his first officer brilliantly teases a similar dynamic coming back not just between Kirk and Spock (Leonard Nimoy), but other Starfleet captains and their second-in-command.
The Horta being initially viewed as a mindless beast and eventually being seen for what she was - a grieving mother - is aStar Trektropethat subsequent spinoffs have altered and reworked for certain stories. Plus, the brief rift between Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and his first officer brilliantly teases a similar dynamic returning not just between Kirk and Spock (Leonard Nimoy), but other Starfleet captains and their second-in-command. This has been seen most prominently between the various commanding officers of the USS Discovery. Overall, without thisStar Trek: The Original Seriesepisode, the overall franchise would be much poorer.
Star Trek: The Original Series
Cast
Star Trek follows the U.S.S. Enterprise on its five-year mission to explore the galaxy, led by Captain James T. Kirk and First Officer Mr. Spock. The crew confronts a variety of challenges, including Klingons, Romulans, and genetic supermen, as they search for new life and civilizations.
