I saw this on another site and the idea got stuck in my head: What are your 5 or 10 most favorite single episodes of any science fiction series?
I'm even willing to compile these into one list if enough people respond and seem interested.
1. Firefly - Out of Gas 2. Babylon 5 - Sleeping in the Light 3. ST:TNG - All Good Things... 4. ST:TNG - Darmok 5. Dollhouse - Epitaph One 6. Firefly - Objects in Space 7. Red Dwarf - Quarantine 8. Babylon 5 - Passing Through Gethsemane 9. ST:TNG - The Best of Both Worlds 10. Buffy - Hush
*Yeah, I know that last one isn't science fiction. But I put it in there because I'm a rebel. Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
"Shaka, when the walls fell..."
I'd put ST:TNG - Chain of Command on my list.
"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS"
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Hmmmm.
BSG: 33 BSG: Pegasus B5: Severed Dreams B5: The Coming of Shadows B5: Z'ha'dum ST: DS9: In the Pale Moonlight Futurama: The Problem with Popplers Stargate SG1: Window of Opportunity Stargate SG1: The Lost City The X-Files: Jose Chung's From Outer Space
I would second Firefly's Out of Gas and TNG's TBoBWs
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
ST:TNG - The Inner Light Buffy - Becoming (parts 1 and 2) Buffy - Once More, With Feeling Angel - Not Fade Away Dollhouse - Epitaph One
Posted by Raymond Arnold (Member # 11712) on :
Hmmmmmmmmmm.......
Terminator: Samson and Delilah Terminator: Adam Raised a Cain Terminator: Pretty much everything else from season 2. Firefly: War Stories BSG: I have no idea how to narrow this down, there are a lot that are uniformly good. Pretty much anything from the first two seasons. Dollhouse: Epitaph One
I actually didn't much care for Out of Gas. It was good, but it ultimately didn't tell me anything I either didn't already know or cared about knowing, and I felt like it was supposed to.
Posted by JonHecht (Member # 9712) on :
Firefly: Objects in Space BSG: Assorted episodes (Sorry, I watched it in one week so they all blend together) Buffy: Once More, With Feeling
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
I liked "The Long Night of Lando Mollari".
Posted by Selran (Member # 9918) on :
Dr. Who: Blink Buffy: Once More, With Feeling SG Atlantis: McKay and Mrs. Miller SG Atlantis: Sunday Dr. Who: The Doctor Dances
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
I agree with just about everything so far. So as not to repeat...
BSG - Flesh and Bone ST:TOS - The City on the Edge of Forever ST:DS9 - Far Beyond the Stars ST:Voyager - The Year of Hell X-Files - Squeeze/Tooms Doctor Who - Human Nature/Family of Blood Torchwood - Children of Earth (Miniseries)
Posted by Geraine (Member # 9913) on :
ST:TNG : Inner Light
This is my favorite episode of any show, not just scifi. Maybe that is why it was nominated for an Emmy and won a Hugo award. No other episode comes close to this one.
Dollhouse: Epitaph One
Lost: Constant
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
(Technically, All Good Things... was nominated for four Emmys and won a Hugo award, not that I think thats the final word on how close episodes come to each other.)
Edit to add: (Whoops, 33 does the being nominated for an Emmy and winning a Hugo thing as well)
[ April 30, 2010, 11:54 AM: Message edited by: Mucus ]
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
Angel: Smile Time Firefly: Heart of Gold BSG: Unfinished Business DollHouse: Man on the Street (because Patton Oswalt was a very good dramatic actor that time)
Posted by umberhulk (Member # 11788) on :
BSG Flight of the Pheonix The first three episodes of Season 3. Cowboy Bebop: Ballad of the Fallen Angels Cowboy Bebop Knocking at Heaven's Door ghost in the shell stand alone complex: Poker face (seito's flashback episode) Buffy: Once more with feeling First three episodes of Outlaw Star Episodes 2 - 11 of Death Note Episode 24 (i think) of Read or Die
Did I use enough anime for you?
And I'm totally cheating here: Serenity (and the pilot of Firefly)
[ May 01, 2010, 09:34 PM: Message edited by: umberhulk ]
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
Wasn't TNG's "All Good Things..." a two-parter? I don't remember.
Regardless, "The Inner Light" blows it away.
Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
What--has everyone forgotten the original Star Trek series? The reputed fan favorite was "The Trouble with Tribbles."
I definitely agree about the Doctor Who episode, "Blink." That was a classic.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
No, it was the Series Finale, meaning it was technically an extended episode, running for two hours of broadcast time. It is shown as a two parter in reruns.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
STDS9: Far Beyond the Stars STDS9: In the Pale Moonlight STTNG: Chain of Command STTNG: All Good Things... STTNG: Best of Both Worlds B5: Comes the Inquisitor Buffy: Hush Firefly: I would say Serenity, but there are a lot of holes in it I don't care for. So I'll say War Stories. BSG: Crossroads Pt 2. STVOY: Year of Hell
So hard to pick the best B5 episodes. They don't have many singularly excellent episodes because they're all so woven together.
Man this is hard. I'd have to rewatch everything, and I'm sure I'm committing an injustice. Plus my criteria is off. I mean, I could pick what I think are the BEST episodes, or, the episodes that I personally love for whatever reasons. There'd be some overlap, but also a lot of differences.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Well, Severed Dreams and The Coming of Shadows both won Hugos which IMHO are well deserved (beating out ST: The Visitor, Trials and Tribble-ations, and First Contact which are all no slouches either). Sleeping in the Light was nominated.
I just added Z'ha'dum because I like it (SitL is a bit too sad for me)
Edit to add: The way I originally did it would be the P5 ratings which were fairly popular at the time of the show and JMS indicated that he personally felt that ratings were reflective of his own opinions too.
Posted by AchillesHeel (Member # 11736) on :
The Twilight Zone: After Hours, because Anne Francis defines beauty.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mucus: Well, Severed Dreams and The Coming of Shadows both won Hugos which IMHO are well deserved (beating out ST: The Visitor, Trials and Tribble-ations, and First Contact which are all no slouches either). Sleeping in the Light was nominated.
I just added Z'ha'dum because I like it (SitL is a bit too sad for me)
Edit to add: The way I originally did it would be the P5 ratings which were fairly popular at the time of the show and JMS indicated that he personally felt that ratings were reflective of his own opinions too.
I had Severed Dreams and Coming of Shadows on the list at first but bumped them down to an honorable mention list. This is too hard. Posted by daventor (Member # 11981) on :
Sadly, I'm pretty illiterate with regards to scifi television (never watched BSG, Dr. Who, only seen a few Twilight Zone episodes, etc.). But out of what I've seen, my favorites in no particular order are:
Firefly: Out of Gas ST-TNG: The Best of Both Worlds Lost: The Constant Dollhouse: Vows The Twilight Zone: The Last Flight
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: STDS9: Far Beyond the Stars STDS9: In the Pale Moonlight STTNG: Chain of Command STTNG: All Good Things... STTNG: Best of Both Worlds B5: Comes the Inquisitor Buffy: Hush Firefly: I would say Serenity, but there are a lot of holes in it I don't care for. So I'll say War Stories. BSG: Crossroads Pt 2. STVOY: Year of Hell
So hard to pick the best B5 episodes. They don't have many singularly excellent episodes because they're all so woven together.
Man this is hard. I'd have to rewatch everything, and I'm sure I'm committing an injustice. Plus my criteria is off. I mean, I could pick what I think are the BEST episodes, or, the episodes that I personally love for whatever reasons. There'd be some overlap, but also a lot of differences.
Year of Hell? Seriously? What a cheap ending that was.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Sure, but it was only ever going to have two endings: Voyager ends up irreparably damaged for the rest of the show, or the time line is changed and it never happened. ::shrug::
Either way, I thought everything that happened before it was all undone was really quite interesting, and in the same vein with the best of Star Trek's moral investigations, as well as their investigations into personal vendettas. The Krennin became to Janeway what the Borg are to Picard.
Frankly there was very little in Voyager that I found that impressive, so I might have lowered the bar a little bit for this. Most of my favorite episodes were centered around the Doctor, but I really thought this was a good one.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Voyager definitely abused the reset button in a way that DS9 and Enterprise didn't start to approach.
It is no surprise that Ron Moore left it so quickly and based much of his BSG Bible on what Voyager did wrong.
Posted by Bella Bee (Member # 7027) on :
You know, I really like Year of Hell as an episode, but I'm always glad in the end that they didn't keep the ship messed up and everybody blind, dead or miserable.
VOY was such a guilty pleasure show for me, and I cared about the characters - it cheered me up for years. I'd have hated for it to become gloomy. It was never even half as good as DS9, and it was never as sporadically stunningly brilliant as TNG, but for me it was a solid little show with the odd sparkler, this being one.
And now that we have BSG, which really is what VOY probably should have been, I'm extra pleased to have both so I can watch what I feel like depending on my mood. (I don't think they could ever have done the utter darkness of BSG in the Star Trek universe without upsetting a large chunk of fans, so ST:Battlestar would never have been as good - and in the Bizarro Universe where VOY was a pale imitation of this plotline, BSG probably never even existed... *shudder*)
So I'm fine with the reset button in this case.
Posted by Darth_Mauve (Member # 4709) on :
Samurai Jack: The sandal episode.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
quote:Originally posted by Bella Bee: ... and in the Bizarro Universe where VOY was a pale imitation of this plotline, BSG probably never even existed... *shudder*
True. Although I really would have liked seeing the Bizarro Universe where ST:Andromeda replaced VOY
Posted by Herblay (Member # 11834) on :
Doctor Who (Classic): Logopolis Doctor Who (Modern): The Time of Angels / Flesh and Stone Red Dwarf: Dimension Jump Star Trek TOS: Mirror Mirror Star Trek TNG: Yesterday's Enterprise Torchwood: Children of Earth Quantum Leap: Lee Harvey Oswald Firefly: The Train Job BlackAdder (Series 2): Beer Battlestar Galactica: Islanded in a Sea of Stars Lost: Final Season Heroes: The Art of Deception
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lisa: Year of Hell? Seriously? What a cheap ending that was.
Well... it had a few things going for it, and after all, on that show status quo was god.
The writing for the episode was very good- particularly the evolution of characters- Seven being Tuvok's apprentice and helper, Janeway and Chakotay struggling to stay human, etc. Personally I wish they had gone through all that and managed to retain even a lingering hint of it in the show, but it wasn't ever *really* that kind of show. Nothing lasted for very long, and the character arcs were more like pulse monitors.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
quote:Originally posted by Herblay: Heroes: The Art of Deception
Oy
Posted by Achilles (Member # 7741) on :
Out of Gas is not only my favorite episode of Firefly, it's just about my favorite episode of any science fiction series.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
Achilles...I think I agree.
I guess it depends...there were a couple of fantastic moments in Babylon 5 that I liked more, but they were more climaxes of huge story arcs. I don't think they would have made too much sense stand-alone.
But this Out of Gas episode...I think it would do a pretty darn good job as a stand-alone episode. It gives enough background to get to know the characters, and really doesn't depend too much on a larger story arc. I'm actually curious now to know what someone who hasn't seen any Firefly would think of this episode...
But I haven't watched it in awhile. This is just how I remember it.
Posted by Achilles (Member # 7741) on :
I had dismissed Firefly on the first episode "The Train Job" when it first aired. I have since made my peace with that episode, but that first time it didn't last 10 minutes.
I finally got some buzz years later from Sakeriver (thanks, Jake), and came in on SciFi's airing of "Out of Gas". I was completely hooked. To this day I can't watch the ending without a lump in my throat, and that's saying something.
[ May 04, 2010, 02:48 PM: Message edited by: Achilles ]
Posted by DarkKnight (Member # 7536) on :
Firefly Out of Gas is just so far ahead of everything else for me that is hard for me to start ranking others. BSG 33 is a favorite too
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
Star Trek: Voyager was a guilty pleasure for me too. I guess it was a combination of likable characters and goofy-as-hell stories, not to mention how the syndicated midnight showings kept me sane during late-night study marathons in college.
By far my favorite episode of the entire series was "Real Life." No action-packed plot with crazy twists, just one of the best bits of character development you could possibly expect from a show that silly. Mock all you like, but I still get a little choked up whenever I remember the end of that episode.
[ May 04, 2010, 11:34 PM: Message edited by: Speed ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I like that episode too.
Posted by daventor (Member # 11981) on :
I find it very strange that out of the Firefly episodes there are that it was Heart of Gold that was nominated for the 2004 Hugo short-film/presentation and not Out of Gas.
Posted by Week-Dead Possum (Member # 11917) on :
quote:Originally posted by daventor: I find it very strange that out of the Firefly episodes there are that it was Heart of Gold that was nominated for the 2004 Hugo short-film/presentation and not Out of Gas.
The producers submit episodes for consideration, the panel doesn't review the entirety of the series. I don't know if one series is allowed to submit more than one entry of the same series, or if it is not done for other reasons, but generally industry awards depend on the creators or owners of content making submissions. Possibilities abound as to why one got the nod, and not t'other.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
quote:Originally posted by Week-Dead Possum: ... I don't know if one series is allowed to submit more than one entry of the same series, or if it is not done for other reasons ...
They are, for the Hugo at least. For example Star Trek took all the nominations in 1968 (IIRC) and Babylon 5 had multiple nominations in at least one of its years (although it subsequently held back in order to not split votes).
Posted by Ecthalion (Member # 8825) on :
Most of my favorite episodes are already listed
Firefly = Objects in Space & Out of Gas DS9 = The Die is cast, Pale Moonlight B5 = War without end, Z'ha' dum STtos = Obsession or Mirror Mirror Voy = year of hell, killing game TNG = Measure of man, best of both worlds SG1= dunno the episode name but its the one where they are caught in a time loop. that episode is just fun
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
That was this.
quote:Originally posted by Mucus: Stargate SG1: Window of Opportunity
I was tempted to put in The X-File's Monday and TNG's Cause and Effect to start a theme.
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
quote:Originally posted by The White Whale: 1. Firefly - Out of Gas
I never did get around to watching Firefly. I've been meaning to for a long time, kept putting it off. This thread lit a fire under me to start streaming it on Netflix.
I just saw this episode tonight.
Wow. Just... wow.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
quote:Originally posted by The White Whale: I'm actually curious now to know what someone who hasn't seen any Firefly would think of this episode...
quote:Originally posted by Sean Monahan: I never did get around to watching Firefly. I've been meaning to for a long time, kept putting it off. This thread lit a fire under me to start streaming it on Netflix.
I just saw this episode tonight.
Wow. Just... wow.
Have you not seen any other episode before? If so, did you feel lost at all? Or was there enough background given for you to feel like you knew what was going on?
Posted by naledge (Member # 392) on :
My personal favorite:
Space Above and Beyond: "The Angriest Angel"
-nal
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
quote:Originally posted by The White Whale: Have you not seen any other episode before? If so, did you feel lost at all? Or was there enough background given for you to feel like you knew what was going on?
I've been watching them in order, so I've seen the previous 7 or so. If I hadn't, I think I'd have been able to follow what was going on, but I don't think I would have been very invested in the characters.
Posted by dantesparadigm (Member # 8756) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sean Monahan:
quote:Originally posted by The White Whale: 1. Firefly - Out of Gas
I never did get around to watching Firefly. I've been meaning to for a long time, kept putting it off. This thread lit a fire under me to start streaming it on Netflix.
I just saw this episode tonight.
Wow. Just... wow.
I love how there are still people who haven't seen Firefly. Come on friends, there's no excuse at this point.
Posted by Sean Monahan (Member # 9334) on :
quote:Originally posted by dantesparadigm: I love how there are still people who haven't seen Firefly. Come on friends, there's no excuse at this point.
That's not all. I'm only in season 2 of BSG, and I haven't started Lost or the 2005 season one of Doctor Who yet.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
I just started Lost (my uncle has been hounding me for years), haven't seen a single BSG episode, and have tried Doctor Who but it didn't grab me, even after 6 episodes. Maybe I'll try again sometime.
Posted by umberhulk (Member # 11788) on :
Sort of related: Adam Baldwin is the best Baldwin.
Does Firefly kind of remind anyone else of Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop?
Posted by Ron Lambert (Member # 2872) on :
White Whale: As for Doctor Who, see if you can get ahold of the episode titled "Blink." That is reputed to be the all-time fan favorite, and it is the episode I regard as being the highest quality genuine Science Fiction. It had fascinating, quite rational (and vastly entertaining) time travel elements, and great horror/drama with the "Weeping Angels"--seemingly stone statues who will attack you if you do not watch them constantly ("Don't even blink! You blink, and you're dead!). That one episode made the whole Doctor Who series worthwhile.
I hear that this season will include a sequel, or at least a revisiting of the Weeping Stone Angels from "Blink." My basic cable does not include BBC America, but a friend of mine who does have it is going to record the two-parter for me, so I won't have to wait until they air it on the SyFy channel next year (which is part of basic cable).
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
Where is this in the series?
I started watching the Dr. Who (2005), with Christopher Eccleston as the Doctor. I'm 6 episodes in and it just hasn't grabbed me.
A friend recommended I skip until the next Doctor...which is where it seems the Blink episode is to be found.
Should I stick with the rest of the Eccleston Doctor? Or skip right to the next one?
Posted by Speed (Member # 5162) on :
I watched Season 1 of Dr. Who, and I thought it was fine, but I wasn't thrilled enough to keep on when Season 2 rolled around. In fact, I still haven't seen most of 2. But late last year BBC America ran a marathon of seasons 3 and 4, and I was flabbergasted by the improvement in quality.
I'd seen Blink and loved it, but I assumed it was a fluke. It is still probably the best single episode, but there are many episodes that come surprisingly close to that high mark. In a couple years the show went from a charming retro novelty to one of the best shows on TV.
I don't think you'll miss too much by skipping straight to season 3, and if you like it you can always go back and catch up. But don't make the same mistake I did--don't blow it off until you give Tennant (and Martha Jones) a chance.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Why season three of SGA is the best season:
2 guest appearances by RDA (Real World and Return)
McKay & Mrs. Miller
Tao of Rodney
Sunday
*sniffle* I need more tissues . . .
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Those really are some absolutely excellent episodes of television. In general, there were some great episodes that season. "Sateda" was great too. But you named the Big Three.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Sateda was good, but it's not even in my top 5 for the season. Possibly not even in my top 10 -- it depends how I feel about Richard Kind that day. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Wow even for the season? What were your top 10 for the season?
OR more fun! What are your top ten for the SERIES. Muahaha.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Ah, McKay-Carter gate bridge.
One thing I really liked about that era was the world-building with technology and characters naturally crossing over between series. Especially technology developing without reset buttons.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: OR more fun! What are your top ten for the SERIES. Muahaha.
Too hard. Especially since I haven't seen any of 4 or 5 for a while.
For S3, not in order of preference, my top ten (on days Richard Kind doesn't irritate me ): Irresistible, Real World, Common Ground, McKay and Mrs. Miller, Return I, Return II, Irresponsible, Tao of Rodney, The Game, Sunday. If Kind is irritating me, take out the two Ir's and sub in Sateda and Echoes.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I think of 4 and 5, The Shrine is probably my favorite. It's the one where McKay has the Alzheimer's like disease. Both the script and the acting were a cut above the rest.
You hit all the good stuff from 3 I think. It's been so long since I've seen some of these, I really wish I had the money to get the dvds and catch up, but I spent all my dvd money for the year on West Wing and BSG. Hard to pass up a sale. Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: I think of 4 and 5, The Shrine is probably my favorite. It's the one where McKay has the Alzheimer's like disease. Both the script and the acting were a cut above the rest.
Oh, agreed. That one was very good.
I think my main beef with S4 and 5 was that they took Michael -- a character I liked and had some sympathy for -- and turned him into a distasteful ogre. But yeah, there were some good episodes in the last two seasons too. If nothing else, there was the second Mrs. Miller ep. Oh, and the one on Earth with Bill Nye and the guy whose name I never get right.
I don't own S5, but S4 will be up when I finish S3.
Posted by Geraine (Member # 9913) on :
quote:Originally posted by umberhulk: Sort of related: Adam Baldwin is the best Baldwin.
Does Firefly kind of remind anyone else of Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop?
Which is funny because Adam Baldwin isn't even related to the other Baldwins.
And Firefly does remind me of a cross between Outlaw Star and Cowboy Bebop. Cowboy Bebop had one of the best endings of a show I've ever seen.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Which is funny because Adam Baldwin isn't even related to the other Baldwins.
He's got a genetic advantage.
Posted by The White Whale (Member # 6594) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: Oh, and the one on Earth with Bill Nye and the guy whose name I never get right.
Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Right. Him! Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
You forgot Neil deGrasse Tyson? Outrageous!
I loved that episode too, not just because Rodney experienced some much needed character growth, but because of Nye and Tyson. I loved the part where Nye starts to give a little speech and Jewel Staite says something like "Now's not the time Nye!"
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I know who he is. I just always get his name wrong (and in a different way each time), so I have given up.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)