My dad watched TOS with me when it first aired, but I was too young to remember it. My first recollection is watching it in syndication. I went on to read my dad's many books, especially the Star Trek Concordance and the James Blish adaptations.
Thanks, that sent me Googling. "KIM: I'll try extrapolating the verteron exit vector. No, I can't get it. There's a strange phase variance in the radiation stream. We'll have to wait until the probe exits." Episode 6 (another wormhole?!) http://www.chakoteya.net/Voyager/106.htm
I realize you’re not trying to predict quality, just personal enjoyability, but I do wonder how it relates to quality.
I actually think it might be slightly more predictive of the quality of a show overall than of individual episodes. But both ST:TOS and ST:TNG have many great captain-centric episodes that I’m not sure if it is predictive of episode quality particularly.
Great suggestion! Everyone remembers the Gorn, but the Metrons are fairly representative of the incredibly advanced aliens typical of TOS (like the Organians, Thasians, or Providers).
I think I'd suggest a planet-of-the-week episode. From TOS, "This Side of Paradise" or "A Taste of Armageddon." From TNG, maybe "Who Watches the Watchers" or "Up the Long Ladder."
Upon further reflection, I feel like this episode undermines the plot of "The Galileo Seven". Spock is a very able commander in 2x01 when years later he struggles on an away mission…
A little remarked side effect of time travel is that it causes infatuation (Kirk, in "City on the Edge of Forever") and horniness (Spock, in "All Our Yesterdays"). La’An experienced both!
Edit: I forgot about Bashir and Jadzia in "Trials and Tribble-ations" but honestly they just seemed to be acting in character!
Why didn't they just put Batel in the medical transporter's pattern buffer, like M'Benga did with his daughter?