Star Trek’s 10 Best Spock Episodes, Ranked

Of all the iconic characters to come out of “Star Trek,” one of the most notable of them all is Spock. Primarily the chief science officer on the starship Enterprise, Spock is a fixture on the bridge and the best friend of Captain James T. Kirk. Despite his often emotionless demeanor as a Vulcan, Spock finds himself at odds with his mixed heritage as he represses his human sentiments. Even though Spock’s initial tenure on the Enterprise came to an end with the cancellation of “Star Trek: The Original Series” in 1969, the character is a recurring staple in the franchise.

The role of Spock was originated by Leonard Nimoy, with Zachary Quinto and Ethan Peck each offering their own interpretations of the character in subsequent projects. Simply put, Spock has become the face of “Star Trek,” appearing in numerous series throughout the franchise’s history. This prominence has led to Spock receiving many of the best “Star Trek” episodes across his tenure with the franchise. Here are the 10 best “Star Trek” episodes for everyone’s pointy-eared scientist, Spock.

After making his debut as Spock in “Star Trek: Discovery,” Ethan Peck reprised his role for the spinoff series “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” At this stage in Spock’s life, he is preparing to marry his betrothed T’Pring (Gia Sandhu), which clashes against his career in Starfleet. “Strange New Worlds” episodes that bring the two together often contain comedic undertones, with the strongest to date being “Charades.” The second season episode has Spock endure an accident that leaves him fully human right before he undergoes an engagement ritual with T’Pring and her parents.

Spock trying his best to keep his condition from T’Pring and his prospective in-laws provides a surprisingly deep well of humor. Peck’s turn as the fully human Spock is one of his most entertaining turns as the character, maintaining that baseline depiction with comically human foibles. The episode also brings back Spock’s mother Amanda Grayson (Mia Kirshner), who plays off Peck well. One of the funniest “Strange New Worlds” episodes, “Charades” showcases Spock’s human side in a thoroughly amusing way.

As the first officer of the Enterprise, Spock often takes command whenever Kirk (William Shatner) is otherwise indisposed. Spock’s leadership style takes the spotlight in the first season episode “The Galileo Seven,” when he and a small team’s shuttle crashes on a remote planet. Unable to contact the Enterprise, Spock and his ensemble must fend for themselves in the hostile world as they try to repair their shuttle and escape. However, Spock’s strictly logical outlook and command bristles his fellow survivors as the situation quickly grows more dire.

“The Galileo Seven” is a prime example of showing that, as supremely analytical as Spock is, he is by no means perfect or always right. Spock makes a number of errors in dealing with the crash-landing crisis in the episodes and, given the stakes, these mistakes turn out to be costly. Despite these grave setbacks, Spock maintains his cool and his decisions are always, at the very least, logically thought out. A look at how a Vulcan leader reacts to increased desperation, “The Galileo Seven” is a stronger episode for its examination of Spock more than its usual sci-fi spectacle.

The character of Spock actually predates much of the Enterprise crew, including Captain Kirk, appearing in the original “Star Trek” pilot, “The Cage.” Though “The Cage” itself went unreleased for decades, following the production of a second pilot episode, footage was reused for the two-parter “The Menagerie.” The first season story has Spock abduct his old commanding officer, Christopher Pike, and hijack the Enterprise to go to a forbidden planet, Talos IV. Facing a tribunal for this reckless action, Spock’s defense falls on what occurred on Talos IV when he visited the planet with Pike years ago.

On its own, “The Cage” was full of heady philosophical ideas and was largely rough around the edges, leading to the commissioning of a second pilot. Re-edited as “The Menagerie,” the story is not only refined but fit organically within the “TOS” context that fans know and love. In this new presentation, Spock shows how far he’ll go to save his friends, even if it stands in direct opposition to logic. “The Menagerie” went on to become an essential piece of “Star Trek” lore, especially for “Discovery” and “Strange New Worlds.”

Another story where Spock seemingly goes rogue, “The Enterprise Incident” from the third season of TOS opens with Kirk ordering the Enterprise into Romulan territory. With the ship inevitably intercepted and surrounded by Romulan vessels, Kirk is taken prisoner while Spock receives a friendlier reception. Though wary of Starfleet’s incursion, the Romulan commander (Joanne Linville) takes a romantic interest in Spock, that the Vulcan appears to reciprocate. This culminates in Spock apparently killing Kirk, bringing him deeper into the Romulans’ inner circle as the true scope of the Enterprise’s secret mission is revealed.

While Spock had undertaken cloak-and-dagger type missions before, “The Enterprise Incident” is the most espionage-oriented episode of “TOS.” Spock gets to play surprisingly lethal and romantic, within the bounds of Vulcan and Romulan affection, all at once throughout the episode. Nimoy plays off Linville well, capturing the nuances of their unique romance, even with the complications and subtext of Spock’s true motivations. Nimoy consistently shines within the subtleties his Vulcan role requires and “The Enterprise Incident” gives him plenty of interesting directions to take his performance.

1972’s “Star Trek: The Animated Series” not only proved that the franchise could work in animation, but that the same level of sophisticated sci-fi storytelling seamlessly fit into the medium. The first season episode “Yesteryear” delves into Spock’s childhood on Vulcan, specifically a pivotal moment that helped inform his decision to embrace his dedication to logic. After a routine time-traveling mission alters the timeline and Spock’s existence in it, Spock travels back in time to restore history. This involves Spock visiting Vulcan and ensuring his upbringing proceeds as planned, realizing he had played a crucial role in his childhood all along.

“Yesteryear” is arguably the best episode in “The Animated Series” and certainly an important one for Spock in any series. Posing as his own distant cousin Selek, Spock gets to be the mentor his younger self (Billy Simpson) needed growing up. This culminates in helping the young Spock being able to let go of his beloved pet in a painful learning moment. The most mature episode of “TAS,” “Yesteryear” is a must-watch story for any serious Spock fan.

Despite his constant reserved demeanor, there is an enormously conscious amount of emotional repression Spock endures in keeping with Vulcan tradition. The first glimpse at the extent of this inner turmoil is revealed in the first season episode “The Naked Time.” While investigating a Starfleet outpost, the Enterprise is infected by a strange contagion that unleashes the infected’s inhibitions. This includes Spock, whose human emotions finally break through his Vulcan veneer and force him to confront them head-on.

Of all the characters infected over the course of “The Naked Time,” the most heartbreaking of all is Spock. Most of the other infected characters’ behavior is played for laughs, but Spock has to reconcile with never telling his mother how much he truly cared for her. Nimoy plays these moments with soul-searing gusto, with Spock trying and failing to keep his wonton emotions in check. “The Naked Time” effectively informs the audience that, as calm as Spock normally appears, there is a great deal of inner turbulence that he contends with at all times.

There are several “Star Trek” episodes that involve external forces causing Spock to drop his logical facade. One of the most notable is the first season episode “This Side of Paradise,” with the Enterprise visiting colonists on a remote planet. As the crew investigates how the colonists are able to withstand the planet’s lethal radiation, they are infected with spores that leave them uncharacteristically happy and unwilling to leave. Spock is the first crew member infected, striking up a romance with his old acquaintance Leila (Jill Ireland) who is among the colonists.

If “The Naked Time” showed the tortured emotional side of Spock, “This Side of Paradise” lets him finally be joyfully happy. Through his life with Leila, Spock experiences the positive effects of his human emotions and is finally allowed to exhibit romantic love. The most bittersweet part of “This Side of Paradise,” of course, is the knowledge that this outward joy can only ever be temporary. After the incident is resolved, a restored Spock concedes that, for the first time, he was happy, in one of the saddest moments for his character as his logic returns.

For as unflappable and staid as they appear for most of “Star Trek,” the Vulcans come from a violent background before they embraced the philosophical tenets of logic. This more barbaric side of their history is explored in the second season episode “Amok Time,” particularly how it relates to Vulcan courtship. Spock grows emotionally volatile as he undergoes pon-farr, a biological function when Vulcans enter a mating period. In order to save his friend, Kirk agrees to take Spock to Vulcan, only to discover a more dangerous part of the species’ mating ritual firsthand.

Preceding emotional episodes for Spock in “TOS” showcased his sadness and happiness as his Vulcan facade faltered. “Amok Time” displays Spock’s anger as he is barely able to contain himself while pon-farr clouds his mind and self-control. This puts his friendship with Kirk to the ultimate test, culminating in the two fighting to the death as part of the mating ritual. The aftermath brings Spock back to his senses, revealing how much he cares for his best friend, with Nimoy delivering every inch of Spock’s emotional journey here.

Though “Star Trek: The Next Generation” initially avoided referencing Spock, the fifth season two-parter “Unification” brings the iconic Vulcan front and center. After Spock leaves Starfleet to become a Federation ambassador, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) learns Spock has been spotted on Romulus. Picard and Data (Brent Spiner) secretly travel to Romulus where they discover Spock is working on an unsanctioned mission to peacefully unite Vulcan and Romulan society. However, the three figures’ presence on Romulus has not gone undetected by hostile parties, putting all three at great risk.

Of all the returning “TOS” characters to appear in “TNG” and its associated movies, Nimoy’s return as Spock feels the most impactful and organic. The story continues Spock’s journey from “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country” while setting him up for his role in the 2009 “Star Trek” reboot film. On a more character-focused note, it shows the lengths Spock will go, even out of Starfleet, to make a difference. The episode’s closing scene, with Spock revealing how much he loves his occasionally estranged father Sarek (Mark Lenard) also serves as a beautiful, if bittersweet, coda to their relationship.

The most complicated relationship in Spock’s life is between him and his father, stemming from Spock choosing to enlist in Starfleet rather than enrolling in the Vulcan Science Academy. This estrangement is the emotional centerpiece of the “TOS” episode “Journey to Babel,” with Sarek and Amanda (Jane Wyatt) visiting the Enterprise on a diplomatic mission. Sarek suffers a medical emergency, requiring Spock to join in a risky medical procedure to save his father as they reconcile their troubled dynamic. This comes as the diplomatic mission is threatened by assassins both on and tailing the Enterprise.

“Journey to Babel” offers more about Spock’s backstory than any other episode in all of “TOS,” especially his upbringing and family life. Nimoy plays well off Lenard and Wyatt, with the three exploring the wrinkles of Spock’s dynamic with his parents. That this is all done under the usual unflappable Vulcan demeanor makes Nimoy and Lenard’s performances all the more subtle in their delivery. One of the best “Star Trek” episodes ever, regardless of character focus, “Journey to Babel” is Spock at his most quietly nuanced.