For a long time, the Star Trek franchise has entertained audiences with its optimistic imaginative and prescient of the longer term. Since the unique sequence aired within the Nineteen Sixties, the franchise has expanded to incorporate dozens of further TV exhibits, films and extra. The sequence was created by Gene Roddenberry and has gone on to develop into an icon of popular culture due to its longevity.

Although Star Trek was—and stays—a sci-fi story, the franchise has typically drawn from the horror style to inform tales, from the unique sequence to trendy exhibits. While a number of the franchise’s horror episodes are remembered as a few of its silliest, others are hailed as classics. When completed properly, the horror of Star Trek may very well be disturbing and unsettling, and simply as efficient as any horror film.

10 “And the Children Shall Lead”

‘Star Trek: The Original Series’, Season 3, Episode 4

The Enterprise came across a Federation colony on Triacus the place the adults died of obvious suicides and the kids have been enjoying unbothered in “And the Children Shall Lead.” The kids have been then taken aboard the ship, the place they have been examined and decided to have amnesia, and shortly started to exert management over the crew. The kids have been being managed by an entity known as Gorgan (Melvin Belli), which was solely seen after they summoned it.

Although not certainly one of Star Trek’s finest episodes, “And the Children Shall Lead” was pretty unsettling. Whenever children have been featured within the authentic sequence, they have been usually portrayed as antagonists, and this episode was no exception. Creepy children are certainly one of horror’s best tropes, and it made full use of that. One of the very best movies to match it to could be The Children of the Corn, however the episode predates the quick story by almost a decade and the movie by almost two.

9 “Wolf in the Fold”

‘Star Trek: The Original Series’, Season 2, Episode 14

In the unique sequence episode “Wolf in the Fold,” Scotty (James Doohan) was on medical go away after struggling a head harm in an accident brought on by a girl. After watching a belly-dancing efficiency, one of many dancers was stabbed to dying, and Scotty was discovered close by holding a bloody knife, and two extra murders adopted. The episode was written by horror author Robert Bloch, well-known for writing the novel Psycho, on which the enduring Hitchcock movie was primarily based.

The premise of “Wolf within the Fold” was type of ridiculous, particularly a long time later. But the episode made use of quite a lot of horror tropes, notably the attention-grabbing pairing of homicide mysteries and demonic possession, the assassin was revealed to be Red Jack (John Fiedler), a demon who possessed Scotty and the unique Jack the Ripper. The episode was additionally a retelling of types of the story of serial killer Jack the Ripper.

8 “Catspaw”

‘Star Trek: The Original Series’, Season 2, Episode 7

In “Catspaw,” after Sulu (George Takei) and Scotty went lacking and a 3rd crew member died all of the sudden, Kirk (William Shatner) organizes a touchdown get together of himself, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley). They first encountered three witches who warned them to show round, then discovered a fortress inhabited by two aliens with what appeared to be magic powers. The episode aired days earlier than Halloween 1967, and like “Wolf in the Fold,” the episode was written by Bloch.

“Catspaw” wasn’t one of many authentic sequence’ finest episodes. It was a bit of foolish at instances, an issue for an episode impressed by a basic horror film. The ghostly wailing within the episode toes the road between hokey and creepy. The episode borrowed closely from the basic movie The House on Haunted Hill. The issues Kirk and crew encounter within the mansion are similar to these within the movie.

7 “Phage”

‘Star Trek: Voyager’, Season 1, Episode 4

The crew got here throughout a planet populated by Vidiians, a race who stole organs to combat a lethal degenerative sickness in “Phage.” After they stole Neelix’s (Ethan Phillips) lungs, the remainder of the crew raced towards time to retrieve the organs, though they have been capable of preserve him alive, he was confined to sickbay and compelled to be motionless, and his physiology made it too tough to create reproduction lungs or give him a transplant.

“Phage” was an amazing episode for Janeway’s (Kate Mulgrew) character, because it pressured her into the moral dilemma of selecting between saving Neelix or a whole species. The plot shared some similarities with the basic horror movie The Hills Have Eyes, and the concept of getting one’s organs stolen all of the sudden is definitely terrifying—and the grotesque look of the Vidiians made the episode much more disturbing. The episode was impressed by the real-life occasions of the bubonic plague.

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6 “Darkling”

‘Star Trek: Voyager’, Season 3, Episode 18

In “Darkling,” the Doctor (Robert Picardo) developed a “personality improvement project,” wherein he took on spectacular traits from the holocharacters of historic figures in his Starfleet database, however a malfunction with this system meant he additionally bought some unfavorable traits, as properly, in a second persona with messy hair and dangerous posture. His evil persona grew to become fixated on Kes (Jennifer Lien) and injured the person she was keen on romantically pursuing by pushing him off a cliff.

“Darkling” pulled from the basic novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, which has since been tailored into numerous films and TV exhibits. The Doctor’s twin personalities have been taken proper from the story’s plot, though the style wherein they took place was completely different. And like the unique, the episode explored the darker facet of humanity, particularly attention-grabbing for a personality just like the Doctor.

5 “The Thaw”

‘Star Trek: Voyager’, Season 2, Episode 23

In “The Thaw,” within the aftermath of a pure catastrophe, Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) and B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) discovered 5 stasis chambers linked to a life-support system. Two of the occupants had suffered coronary heart assaults and died, whereas the opposite three have been ready to be reanimated, their minds nonetheless lively in a type of digital atmosphere. There, they have been underneath management by a clown (Michael McKean) and his circus troupe, who used their worst fears towards them.

Of all Star Trek exhibits, Voyager delved into horror most frequently, together with in “The Thaw,” a wierd, surreal episode which tapped into the creepiness of clowns and the ability of human worry, clearly impressed by Stephen King’s basic It, which had achieved this to nice impact due to Tim Curry’s function because the horrifying Pennywise. McKean’s function within the episode was amongst his most memorable. The episode additionally had components much like The Matrix.

4 “Impulse”

‘Star Trek: Enterprise’, Season 3, Episode 5

In “Impulse,” the NX-01 answered a misery name from a Vulcan ship drifting in an asteroid subject, and whereas the ship couldn’t safely navigate the sphere, a shuttle might. When they arrived on the Vulcan ship, they discover the crew of usually impassive Vulcans had remodeled into aggressive, violent monsters. Ultimately, the trigger was discovered to be trellium, a substance within the asteroid subject which affected the mind, and it started to have an effect on T’Pol (Jolene Blalock), too.

“Impulse” made it clear one thing was incorrect instantly, opening with the usually calm T’Pol screaming as she’s strapped down in sickbay. The episode was a transparent reference to zombie films, particularly contemplating the style started a resurgence proper across the time it aired, however the impression of trellium on the Vulcans was extra according to George A. Romero’s movie The Crazies, wherein residents of a small city turned homicidal resulting from publicity to a poisonous chemical.

3 “Empok Nor”

‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’, Season 5, Episode 24

In “Empok Nor,” Garak (Andrew Robinson) joins Chief O’Brien (Colm Meaney) and a staff of engineers to salvage tools on the deserted Cardassian station Empok Nor, equivalent to Deep Space 9. The complete station was booby-trapped, and regardless of believing the station was deserted, they rapidly found two troopers remained, and a drug designed to extend xenophobia had made them extra violent. After being uncovered to the drug, Garak grew to become violent, as properly, and was additionally answerable for some deaths.

“Empok Nor” shared some similarities with The Thing, significantly in its setting and ambiance, and it solely bought extra tense because it went on, particularly with its use of leap scares. The episode additionally had components of slasher movies, because the crew was picked off one-by-one by the remaining Cardassians. Some contemplate it to be probably the most unsettling of Star Trek’s horror episodes, thanks partially to showcasing Garak’s darkish facet.

2 “All Those Who Wander”

‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’, Season 1, Episode 9