Episode Reviews – Star Trek: The Animated Series (2016)

This is an archive of my brief, capsule reviews of each Star Trek: The Animated Series episode.  My grade and the Twitter community poll results (on a 1-4 scale) are also included. 

Note: It has to be noted that TAS is graded on a substantial curve.  A TAS “B” grade is not equivalent to a live-action series “B” grade.

01 – “Beyond the Farthest Star”
An interesting sci-fi concept which manages to take advantage of the animated format. It has a strong TOS feel.
My Grade: B-
Twitter Poll: 2.64

02 – “Yesteryear”
This is inarguably an excellent episode. Spock’s character development is as valid as anything presented in TOS.
My Grade: A
Twitter Poll: 3.73

03 – “One of Our Planets is Missing”
This is another strong science fiction concept which feels very much in the spirit of TOS. Quite solid overall.
My Grade: B
Twitter Poll: 3.00

04 – “The Lorelei Signal”
While some of it is nonsensical, it’s great to see Uhura used so effectively. She takes the episode up a notch.
My Grade: B-
Twitter Poll: 2.46

05 – “More Tribbles, More Troubles”
It tries to copy Trouble with Tribbles a bit too much. There are a few funny moments but it’s average on balance.
My Grade: C
Twitter Poll: 2.79

06 – “The Survivor”
Renascent of TOS, but unlike some previous episodes this feels wholly unoriginal. It’s vanilla and mostly dull.
My Grade: C
Twitter Poll: 2.22

07 – “The Infinite Vulcan”
This is insanely ridiculous and unbelievable even for TAS. It just never manages to feel like Star Trek to me.
My Grade: D-
Twitter Poll: 1.71

08 – “The Magicks of Megas-Tu”
This is another compelling science fiction concept, but the Kirk/Miri/Rand dynamic is too weird to carry the day.
My Grade: C
Twitter Poll: 2.67

09 – “Once Upon a Planet”
A sleepy sequel to a popular episode. There was an opportunity to expand on Shore Leave but this doesn’t do it.
My Grade: C-
Twitter Poll: 2.22

10 – “Mudd’s Passion”
Harry Mudd should feel right at home in this series, but it’s really just Mudd’s Women-light. Hilariously awful.
My Grade: C-
Twitter Poll: 2.10

11 – “The Terratin Incident”
It’s unequivocally a silly premise and it’s typical of the series as a whole; goofy with a kernel of a good idea.
My Grade: C
Twitter Poll: 2.17

12 – “The Time Trap”
It’s an actually interesting, legitimate Trek premise with a typically silly ending. Solidly better than average.
My Grade: B
Twitter Poll: 2.43

13 – “The Ambergris Element”
This is a fairly inoffensive story that could only be done in animation. Middle of the road as far as TAS goes.
My Grade: C
Twitter Poll: 2.14

14 – “The Slaver Weapon”
In a vacuum, this is a pretty neat episode of an animated science fiction series. Is it really Star Trek? Ehhh…
My Grade: B-
Twitter Poll: 2.63

15 – “The Eye of the Beholder”
I love the message and the concept is fairly well realized. One of TAS’ strongest and least embarrassing outings.
My Grade: B
Twitter Poll: 2.50

16 – “The Jihad”
I sound like a broken record, but this never captures the spirit of TOS or Trek as a whole. One of their worst.
My Grade: D
Twitter Poll: 1.43

17 – “The Pirates of Orion”
This is one of TAS’s more solid stories. The characters are true and it feels more serious than most episodes.
My Grade: B
Twitter Poll: 2.50

18 – “Bem”
Bem had potential to be an interesting character, but the execution is absurd. It’s an otherwise dull episode.
My Grade: C
Twitter Poll: 2.00

19 – “The Practical Joker”
This is certainly the most juvenile of the TAS episodes. It’s goofy in a way that most episodes manage to avoid.
My Grade: D+
Twitter Poll: 1.88

20 – “Albatross”
In contrast with the last episode, this may be the most serious premise of the series. It’s actually refreshing.
My Grade: B
Twitter Poll: 2.20

21 – “How Sharper than a Serpent’s Tooth”
The story is quite derivative of several TOS episodes. There’s not much to see here. Very average, even for TAS.
My Grade: C
Twitter Poll: 2.44

22 – “The Counter-Clock Incident”
The attempt to add to the history of the Enterprise is admirable & very welcome. It actually works fairly well.
My Grade: B-
Twitter Poll: 2.80

My final GPA for The Animated Series was 2.29.  The final average for the Twitter community was 2.39.