Star Trek: 10 Episodes That Paid Off Way Later
Star Trek knows how to tease and deliver, even if it takes a little longer than expected.
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00:00There are so many moments of Star Trek that might seemingly just fly under the radar for
00:04a long time, until, years later, a new writer, a new director, and a new audience pick up
00:11and create something beautiful.
00:12I'm Sean Ferrick for Trek Culture, and here are 10 episodes that paid off way later.
00:19Number 10.
00:20The Measure of a Man Coming in the next generation's second season,
00:24The Measure of a Man is considered by many audience members, including this author, to
00:28be the first truly great episode of the series.
00:31It is Star Trek firing on all cylinders, a bottle show that defines not only the importance
00:35of Data to the Enterprise, but affirms the right to life and liberty for all androids
00:39going forward.
00:40The episode featured several follow-ups in the next generation's run, including The
00:43Offspring and Data's Day, but it would actually form the basis of two storylines in subsequent
00:48series.
00:49The first comes in Star Trek Voyager.
00:50The seventh season episode, Author, Author, is effectively a copy and paste of this episode,
00:55dealing instead with the Doctor's rights as an owner of his creative output.
00:59In this case, it's a poor follow-up.
01:01The Advocate of the Day definitively declines to rule on the Doctor's status as a sentient
01:05being, which is both a deliberate nod to Data's trial, but a bit of a cop-out at the episode's
01:10end.
01:11The direct payoff, however, is Bruce Maddox's appearance in Star Trek Picard.
01:14He was badly affected by the synthetic lifeform ban following the attack on Mars, yet he created,
01:19with Alton Soong, a new race of androids based on Data's neurons.
01:23The inclusion of his character makes this a bittersweet continuation, particularly as
01:27neither Data nor Maddox live to see the ban overturned.
01:31Number 9.
01:32Dark Page.
01:33The next generation's seventh season felt like something of a victory lap.
01:36As the show was coming to the end of its run, Star Trek Generations was on the horizon,
01:40which gave the showrunners a chance to revisit some of the recurring characters to give them
01:43a bit of closure.
01:44Loxana Troi, having been introduced back in the first season and popping up periodically,
01:48returns in what turned out to be her most heart-wrenching story.
01:52For it is in this episode that the audience learns that Deanna Troi was not an only child.
01:56When she was a baby, the Trois went on a family picnic.
01:58While there, Kestra Troi, Loxana's firstborn, slipped into a pond and drowned.
02:03The event was blocked from her mind, though after years and much heavy telepathic activity,
02:07those walls came down and the truth was revealed.
02:09Deanna was faced with the choice to resent her mother for keeping this information from
02:13her or to accept this and attempt to move on.
02:15In Star Trek Picard, Nepenthe shows the return of Deanna and introduces the audience to her
02:20daughter, Kestra.
02:21We also learn that, like her mother, Deanna lost a child as well.
02:24It's a bittersweet return for the character, but one heightened by the earlier revelations.
02:28Number 8.
02:29Sins of the Father
02:30Another third season episode of The Next Generation that had ramifications for years to come,
02:35Sins of the Father introduces the audience to Kurn, the second son of Mogh and Worf's
02:39younger brother.
02:40Played by Tony Todd in his pre-Candyman era, this Klingon warrior became the audience's
02:44gateway into the wider machinations of the Klingon Empire.
02:47This episode set the scene for much of what followed with the Empire, arguably only truly
02:52coming to a close with Deep Space Nine's seventh season episode, Tacking into the Wind.
02:57Here, Worf accepts discommendation from the Klingons, agreeing to a lie that his father,
03:02rather than Duros' father, sold out Khitomer to the Romulans, which sets the stage for
03:06Duros to make a bid for Chancellor.
03:08This leads to civil war when the Duros sisters fight Gowron for leadership.
03:12That in turn leads to the destruction of the Enterprise-D as the Duros sisters manage to
03:17overcome the Galaxy-class ship in Star Trek Generations.
03:20Worf is then reassigned to Deep Space Nine, leading to his meeting with Martok and the
03:24eventual fight to the death with Gowron.
03:26The saga of the final days of this era of the Klingon Empire begins with the arrival
03:31of Kurn.
03:32Number 7.
03:33The Price.
03:34The Price introduces several elements to the franchise, including the Barzan race and their
03:39wormhole, the Delta Quadrant and its extreme distance, and of course, the characters of
03:43Aradar and Kull.
03:44The episode itself is a relatively light fare, appearing somewhat as a love story for
03:48Deanna Troi rather than anything else.
03:50However, this episode would have far-reaching ramifications for the franchise.
03:54For example, Aradar and Kull are stranded in the Delta Quadrant by the episode's end.
03:58Star Trek Voyager would pick up on this storyline in their third season episode, False Prophets.
04:03Actor Dan Shore returned as Aradar, though Kull was recast, now played by Leslie Jordan.
04:08The episode establishes the Ferengi as false gods on a pre-warped planet, using their advanced
04:13technology to gain power.
04:15However, that is not the only element from The Price to come back.
04:18Star Trek Discovery, in its second season, introduced the character of Nan, a Barzan
04:23security officer serving aboard the Enterprise, and later on The Discovery.
04:27This informs us that not only had first contact between the Federation and Barzan people occurred
04:31more than 100 years before the events of The Price, but that Nan must have impressed someone
04:36at Starfleet, as she would have needed sponsorship to gain entry to the Academy.
04:40Barzan was not a Federation member world by the time of The Price.
04:44Number 6.
04:45Elementary Deer Data
04:46Elementary Deer Data is almost as pure a comedy episode as it's possible to get while the
04:52ship is still in very real danger.
04:54Daniel Davis delivers a stellar performance as Professor Moriarty, while Diana Moldauer
04:58is excellent as Dr. Pulaski as well.
05:00However, the best moment of the episode probably must go to Worf's sudden jump as Picard pops
05:05his top hat.
05:06However, this episode makes the list with the shortest payoff time, with only four seasons
05:11between it and Ship in a Bottle, but with the largest behind-the-scenes reason for the
05:15delay.
05:16When this episode was in production, the producers believed that Sherlock Holmes was in the public
05:20domain.
05:21After the episode aired, the estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle got in touch to inform
05:25them that this was not the case and they would need recompense for any future depictions
05:29of the characters.
05:30This killed plans for rapid sequels and left Moriarty in cybernetic limbo.
05:34By the time that Ship in a Bottle was produced, the delay was actually noted on screen, along
05:39with a reference to Pulaski, though not by name.
05:42This would in fact be the final reference to her character to date.
05:45Number 5.
05:46The Infinite Vulcan
05:48The animated series is, quite frankly, the bastard stepchild of Star Trek.
05:51It will generally be found at the bottom of many rankings, though this is hardly a fair
05:55assessment.
05:56There are story ideas as strong as many of the original series, while it's the execution
06:01of those ideas that probably gives the most pause.
06:05However, Star Trek Lower Decks has been striving to bring it back into the audience's mind.
06:09The episode K'Shaun His Eyes Open features the darkest callback in Star Trek Lower Decks.
06:14The Infinite Vulcan introduces a giant cloned Spock.
06:17He is created by the human Dr. Stavos Caniclius V, a remnant of the Eugenics Wars, who is
06:23attempting to find the perfect specimen.
06:25Giant Spock is left on the planet Phylos in an attempt to cure the Phylosians of their
06:29sterility.
06:30Fast forward to K'Shaun His Eyes Open and that same giant Spock makes a cameo as a skeleton,
06:36adorned in a ripped uniform, hanging from the ceiling.
06:39Grim.
06:40Number 4.
06:41Space Seed
06:42Okay, no, this isn't just going to talk about Star Trek 2 The Wrath of Khan, although that
06:46did come 16 years after the release of Ricardo Montalban's first appearance in Star Trek.
06:51While Khan will generally still consistently be referred to as the greatest villain in
06:56the franchise, it is the Eugenics Wars that are introduced in this episode that takes
07:00point here.
07:01The rise of the Supermen and the wars to defeat them would return many times throughout Trek
07:05history.
07:06In Deep Space Nine, Dr. Bashir is revealed to have undergone genetic resequencing as
07:09a child, which leads to a tribunal and an evocation of Khan's name.
07:13Though Bashir is spared the legal ramifications, he later helps to treat others who are like
07:17him, yet not so fortunate.
07:19Star Trek Enterprise would go further.
07:21In the three-part story centering on the Augments and Ariksun, genetic resequencing is again
07:26brought into play.
07:27Here, though, a group of these augmented humans goes on a rampage, proving to be at least
07:32equal to Starfleet's best along the way.
07:34This augmentation is acquired by the Klingons, leading to a full-circle moment in Star Trek.
07:39The augmentation virus that infects the entire Klingon race erases their cranial ridges,
07:45leading to the smooth-headed Klingons best remembered from the original series.
07:48Though it took 40 years to get there, Khan and the events of Space Seed end up retroactively
07:53explaining the change in the Klingons overall.
07:56Number 3.
07:57The Tholian Web
07:58The Tholian Web hails from the original series' oft-maligned third season.
08:02The budget for the show had been slashed as it went into its final year, with the initial
08:07production of the Tholian Web requiring some creative ideas to make work.
08:11A new Constitution-class model was created, rechristened the USS Defiant, and given a
08:16green hue for all of its scenes.
08:18As well as this, the Tholian web-spinners were introduced.
08:21Both the Defiant and the Tholians would return in the fourth season of Star Trek Enterprise.
08:26Here, it is explained that once the ship vanishes, it reappears in the Mirror Universe.
08:31Captured by the Mirror Tholians, they are attempting to strip it for parts.
08:35However, it is taken by the Terran Empire, leading to some fairly big headaches for the
08:40Tholian assembly.
08:41The two-parter In a Mirror Darkly is one of the best stories in Enterprise, coming right
08:45at the end of its final season.
08:46It ties a nice bow on the story of the Defiant, though it would be mentioned again in Star
08:50Trek Discovery.
08:51It also goes a way to explaining how the Terran Empire remained as strong as it was for so
08:57long with the infusion of future technology.
09:002.
09:01The City on the Edge of Forever
09:02The Guardian of Forever was introduced at the end of the original series' first season
09:06in the episode, The City on the Edge of Forever.
09:09It would return in the animated series episode, Yesteryear.
09:12In both cases, it is a stable method of temporal travel, though it clearly has a mind of its
09:16own.
09:17The entire timeline is referred to as one of the greatest headaches for Starfleet, or
09:21simply Tuesday for James T. Kirk.
09:23However, this entry is less about Kirk as, ironically, it is he who ensures the stability
09:28of the timeline after his encounter with the Defias.
09:32Rather, it is Starfleet themselves and others who engaged in the temporal Cold War who would
09:37come to abuse the artifact.
09:39Star Trek Discovery's third season two-parter, Terra Firma, sees the return of the Guardian
09:44to the franchise.
09:46This time, it appears initially in a different form.
09:48Karl, as it likes to be called, is presented as a man who speaks somewhat in riddles, holding
09:53a copy of the Star Dispatch prophesying Georgiou's death.
09:56This leads to the jaw-dropping reveal of the Guardian, realised in 21st century graphics
10:03rendered beautifully for the modern day.
10:051.
10:06The Cage
10:07Quite frankly, of all entries on this list, The Cage is the one that began paying off
10:12from the moment it was created.
10:14However, as it was not officially aired until 20 years after its filming, not many people
10:19actually knew that.
10:20The introduction of Star Trek, the Enterprise and, of course, Mr. Spock cannot be overstated.
10:25All of the ingredients for what Star Trek would become are present in this first hour.
10:29However, it would be 2009 before Christopher Pike would be reimagined, appearing in the
10:34J.J. Abrams film played by Bruce Greenwood.
10:37While Sean Kenney had played the character in The Menagerie, that came at a time when
10:41not many audience members truly understood who Pike was.
10:44The character would return again, played this time by Anson Mount, for Star Trek Discovery's
10:48second season.
10:49The episode, If Memory Serves, features a convention-breaking moment, opening with clips
10:54from the original pilot showing both Geoffrey Hunter and Anson Mount one after the other.
10:59The episode also sees the return of Veena, played in archive footage by Susan Oliver
11:04and new footage by Melissa George.
11:06The successive mount's take on the character has directly led to a new series of Star Trek,
11:11this time called Strange New Worlds.
11:14Sixty years later, the cage is continuing to deliver on its promise of a brighter future,
11:19helping to greenlight more and more content for the modern audience.
11:23That is everything for this list and I can already tell that there is so much potential
11:29for more lists like this, so if that is something you would like to see, let us know in the
11:32comments below.
11:33Don't forget to like, share and subscribe.
11:35Remember that you can get in touch with us over on Twitter at Trek Culture, you can catch
11:38myself at Sean Ferrick.
11:40You can also tune in to my podcast at You're On Crack Mate, which you can find on Spotify.
11:45Until I see you again, you look after yourselves, you look after your friends and family, you
11:49live long and prosper.