In the most recent new episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, “Ad Aspera per Aspera,” Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn) is on trial. Do you feel like you’ve seen a few Star Trek episodes about trials before? The “trial episode” is such a Star Trek staple that when Ducktales (2017) put Scrooge before a tribunal in season 3’s “The Life and Crimes of Scrooge McDuck!,” the episode’s cold open took the form of a “Trouble with Tribbles” parody.
For this week’s Trek Tuesday, we are looking at 10 Star Trek stories featuring trials. Did we include your favorite? Be sure and let us know.
“The Menagerie”
The Star Trek: The Original Series season 1 2-part episode “The Menagerie” was most Trekkie’s first introduction to Captain Christopher Pike. Confined to a box-like wheelchair and unable to communicate except through beeps, contemporary Pike (Sean Kenney) is put on trial.
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As evidence for the court-martial, the current Enterprise crew watches footage of Pike (Jeffrey Hunter), Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Number One (Majel Barrett-Roddenberry) on Talos IV. This thrifty decision allowed the use of recut footage from the unaired pilot, “The Cage.”
The Magicks of Megas-Tu
In Star Trek: The Animated Series season 1’s “The Magicks of Megas-Tu,” the Enterprise is sent to the galactic core to investigate a theory of creation. There, they encounter beings who operate using magic instead of physics. One of these beings is Lucien (James Doohan), who is fond of humans. He reveals his people visited Earth in the distant past.
Later in the episode, the beings put Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Spock, and the rest of the crew on the stand at a recreation of the Salem Witch Trials. But in the end, the Enterprise crew can only absolve themselves by speaking out in defense of the innocent Lucien. Crucially, this is true even after Lucien’s true name is revealed to be “Lucifer.”
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, the Enterprise-A is framed for the assassination of Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner). As a result, Kirk and Doctor Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) must surrender themselves for a Klingon trial.
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As a prosecutor, General Chang (Christopher Plummer) pulls no punches. Ultimately, this trial results in the actually-innocent Kirk and Bones being sent to the frozen penal colony Rura Penthe. However, Kirk and Bones do have adequate representation during the trial: Colonel Worf (Michael Dorn).
Encounter at Farpoint
The very first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation doesn’t just have a giant space entity and saucer separation. It also features a higher power, Q (John de Lancie), putting Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the Enterprise-D crew on trial for all humanity’s crimes.
Given that this is only the first episode of TNG, the crew of the Enterprise-D are freed by the conclusion of the episode. However, they might fairly be considered to have been put on probation. This is because Q is not going to leave those people alone for a very long time (see also: Star Trek: Picard).
The Measure of Man
It’s been established that trial episodes have been a Star Trek tradition since the start. However, TNG was especially fond of the subgenre. There are many trial episodes throughout its 7-season run that could be included on this list.
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One of the most discussed is season 2’s “The Measure of a Man.” In this episode, cyberneticist Bruce Maddox (Brian Brophy) wants to closely study (read: dissect) android Data (Brent Spiner). To save their friend, the Enterprise-D crew must prove Data is a sentient being during a trial.
Devil’s Due
The devil on trial in a Star Trek episode? Apparently, it’s more common than you might think. In TNG season 4’s “Devil’s Due,” Picard finds himself presenting arguments on Ventax II to prove that an entity (Marta Dubois) involved in a pact with that alien civilization is not the devil. This episode slightly twists the TNG trial formula by making Data the impartial judge.
This episode was given a hilarious seasonal parody in the Star Trek: Lower Decks: The Badgey Directive cell phone telephone game. In “Miracle on Ventax 34,” the Cerritos crew must prove an entity involved in a pact with that alien civilization is not Santa Claus.
The Drumhead
Later in TNG season 4, the crew of the Enterprise-D became embroiled in what might be their most famous trial tale. In this episode, an explosion takes place on the Enterprise-D. But given a suspicion of sabotage, a Starfleet Admiral (Jean Simmons) and several additional officials visit the Enterprise-D to investigate.
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Ultimately, this escalates to a witch hunt and a search for conspiracy, culminating in Picard being accused of treason. But given the episode’s powerful final moments, it’s easy to see why it is held in such high esteem.
Tribunal
In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2’s “Tribunal,” the Cardassians accuse Miles O’Brien (Colm Meaney) of working with the Maquis. As such, Miles is arrested and put “on trial.” However, the Cardassian legal system assigns guilt before the trial even begins.
As a fun aside, this was the first DS9 episode to air after the TNG series finale. As such, it includes an offscreen assignment for the Enterprise-D. Apparently, the TNG crew is so into trial tales, they even show up in those that are part of other shows.
Veritas
In Star Trek: Lower Decks season 1, the Cerritos Beta Shift is put on trial. However, it turns out that said “trial” is actually a party being held in the command crew’s honor.
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This episode uses the Star Trek trial tale to examine how context is essential in order to perceive truth. It also introduces the Cerritos doppelgänger crew, who returns in the season 3 finale, “The Stars at Night.”
Supernova, Part 2
Una isn’t the only human augment who wants to join Starfleet. Over the course of Star Trek: Prodigy season 1, Trekkies discovered that Captain Dal R’El (Brett Gray) is an augment. As revealed in “Masquerade,” he is the product of the experiments of the protegees of Doctor Soong (Spiner).
However, in the Prodigy season 1 finale, “Supernova: Part 2,” Dal and the rest of his Protostar crew arrive in San Francisco on Earth. There, they face a Starfleet Tribunal which considers the possibility of Dal’s admission to Starfleet in spite of the fact that he is an augment. But has Starfleet made progress on their treatment of augmented individuals over the course of the century that transpires between “Ad Aspera per Aspera” and “Supernova, Part 2”?
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