Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the USS Enterprise may come to a lackluster conclusion in the offensively bad "Turnabout Intruder," but many of the episodes leading up to this unfortunate finale have their moments.

Star Trek: The Original Series season 3 begins with "Spock's Brain," which is often listed as one of the worst episodes of the series, but it has a certain so-bad-it's-good quality to it. "Plato's Stepchildren" (episode 10) features one of the first interracial kisses shown on television when a powerful alien forces Captain Kirk to kiss Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols). While this was a groundbreaking television moment, the episode itself is pretty terrible and thus didn't make it onto this list. Season 3 also features the infamous "space hippies" episode (episode 20, "The Way to Eden"), as well as several episodes that are simply forgettable.

10 "The Savage Curtain"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 22

While conducting a geological survey on the planet Excalbia, a floating image of Abraham Lincoln (Lee Bergere) suddenly appears on the Starship Enterprise's viewscreen. Captain Kirk and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) travel down to the planet with Lincoln, where they encounter Surak (Barry Atwater), the "father" of Vulcan civilization. The inhabitants of the planet have decided to test the human philosophies of good and evil by pitting historically "good" figures against historically "evil" ones.

Kirk, Spock, Lincoln, and Surak try to negotiate for peace, but Surak and Lincoln are killed. The Excalbians call off the fight after Kirk and Spock kill two of the evil fighters, including Kahless (Bob Herron), a mythological Klingon warrior. "The Savage Curtain" may not be a particularly strong episode overall, but it establishes several important elements of Vulcan and Klingon history. Plus, the episode has some fun moments as Kirk rolls out the presidential welcome mat for fake Lincoln.

9 "That Which Survives"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 17

When the Enterprise encounters a strange planet, Captain Kirk and a landing party beam down to investigate. After a mysterious woman (Lee Meriwether) appears on the Enterprise and kills the transporter operator, the ship suddenly finds itself 990.7 light-years from the planet, unable to communicate with the landing party. The same woman who appeared on the Enterprise also kills one of the of the landing party.

Dr. M'Benga (Booker Bradshaw) makes his second appearance here, after popping up in Star Trek season 2's "A Private Little War." Star Trek: Strange New Worlds brought back Dr. M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) as the Chief Medical Officer on the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount).

Eventually, Kirk and his crew learn that the woman is a recreation of Losira, a member of the Kalandan species who programmed the planet to defend itself against intruders. "That Which Survives" gives most of the main characters a moment to shine — Kirk, as he appeals to Losira; Spock, as he commands the Enterprise in Kirk's absence (and hilariously explains to Uhura how he hit his head on the command chair); and Chief Engineer Scotty (James Doohan), as he keeps the ship from exploding as it rapidly accelerates past warp 10.

8 “For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky”

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 8

While this Star Trek episode doesn't quite live up to the brilliance of its title, it does tell a fascinating story that offers insight into the character of Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley). As the third member of Star Trek's most famous trio, McCoy didn't have as many episodes dedicated to him as Kirk and Spock. At the start of “For the World Is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky," McCoy discovers he has an incurable, fatal disease.

As Dr. McCoy is still working through his feelings regarding this diagnosis, he accompanies Kirk and Spock on an away mission to a generation ship disguised as a large asteroid. McCoy falls in love with Natira (Kate Woodville), the leader of the people on the ship, and he initially elects to remain with her. However, after finding a cure for his disease in the ship's archives, he returns to the Enterprise.

7 "Spectre Of The Gun"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 6

When Captain Kirk and his crew ignore a warning to make with the reclusive Melkotians, they find themselves living through a recreation of the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, Scotty, and Ensign Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) all transport down to the planet's surface. A Melkotian emissary informs them that they have been sentenced to death for tresing.

DeForest Kelley had previously appeared in two other projects featuring the O.K. Corral. In You Are There season 4, episode 8, he portrayed Ike Clanton, and in 1957's Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, he played Morgan Earp.

Each member of the landing party has been assigned to be one of the outlaws killed at the O.K. Corral, while three men who appear to be the Earp brothers prepare to fight them. Kirk's ultimate refusal to kill anyone impresses the Melkotians, who then allow the Enterprise to approach their planet. While Star Trek has dealt with similar themes before, "Spectre Of The Gun" is a fun episode with its unsettling Western facades and impressive final showdown.

6 "Is There In Truth No Beauty?"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 5

In "Is There In Truth No Beauty?," the telepathic Medusan Ambassador Kollos comes aboard the Enterprise accompanied by psychologist Dr. Miranda Jones (Diana Muldaur). As a non-humanoid Medusan, Kollos's natural appearance causes madness in any humanoids who look at him without eye protection. Although she does not immediately reveal this, Jones is blind and wears a special sensor web that allows her to perceive the world around her.

Star Trek: Prodigy introduced a new Medusan character in Zero (Angus Imrie), who built themselves a special containment suit to protect those around them from their appearance.

When the Enterprise ends up outside of the known galaxy, Spock must mind meld with Kollos so that the Medusan can help guide the ship back to known space. In the end, Dr. Jones links her mind with Kollos and the two depart the Enterprise. While the episode's plot is fairly standard, the Medusans are fascinating and truly alien. Plus, Dr. Jones is a compelling character as a female doctor who doesn't fall for Kirk's flirtations.

5 "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 15

One of Star Trek's most recognizable episodes, "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" gets heavy-handed with its message, but nonetheless delivers a memorable and well-acted story. The story follows Captain Kirk and his crew as they encounter two opposing survivors of a planet torn apart by civil war. The two men, Lokai (Lou Antonio) and Bele (Frank Gorshin), both have distinct black and white coloring, but Lokai is white on the right side and black on the left, while Bele is the opposite.

While this distinction means everything to Lokai and Bele, Kirk and his crew initially do not even notice the difference. In the end, the two men learn that they are likely the last surviving of their people, but they decide to continue their never-ending pursuit of one another. In the final lines of the episode, the Enterprise crew underline the message, noting that their hate is the only thing Lokai and Bele have left. The message is on the nose, but it's a good reminder that remains relevant today.

4 "The Enterprise Incident"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 2

When Captain Kirk takes the Enterprise into Romulan space, he and Spock are invited aboard the Romulan flagship. As part of an elaborate plan to steal a Romulan cloaking device, Spock distracts the Romulan Commander (Joanne Linville) while Kirk steals the device. The Romulan Commander begins to develop feelings for Spock, and she tries to persuade him that he would be better off among the Romulans rather than the humans. Meanwhile, Kirk plays insane and is surgically altered into a Romulan, which is great fun.

Spock sticks to the plan, but he cannot help but ire the Romulan Commander. It's nice to see a woman in such a high position among the Romulans, even if she does get easily enamored with Spock. While it's annoying that she never gets a name, the Romulan commander is a fascinating character and it's hard to blame her for falling for Spock. The plot to steal a cloaking device also makes for a fun story centered around a cool piece of sci-fi technology.

3 "The Tholian Web"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 9

When the Starship Enterprise finds the missing USS Defiant adrift in space, Captain Kirk gets pulled into the space between two dimensions. As Spock and the rest of the crew wait for the next period of "interphase" when Kirk will supposedly appear again, an unknown ship approaches the Enterprise. The newcomers reveal themselves as the mysterious Tholians and they claim that the Enterprise has violated their space.

The Star Trek: Enterprise season 4 two-parter, "In a Mirror, Darkly" reveals that the Defiant was pulled into the Mirror Universe and ended up in the hands of the Terran Empire.

Spock and Dr. McCoy disagree about how to handle the situation, as the Tholians begin weaving a web of energy around the Enterprise. Spock and McCoy watch a video that Kirk left behind in the event of his death, in which Kirk urges them to work together. In the end, Spock and McCoy work together to restore Kirk, making "The Tholian Web" one of the best episodes for the Vulcan and the good doctor.

2 "Day Of The Dove"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 7

When the USS Enterprise responds to a distress call from what they believe to be a human colony, the landing party is quickly overtaken by a group of Klingons led by Commander Kang (Michael Ansara). Although the Enterprise crew gains control over the Klingons when they beam them up to the ship, an energy-based lifeform traps most of the Enterprise crew below decks. The entity then provides ancient weapons and manipulates the emotions of both crews.

Kirk and Spock conclude that the entity must feed on violence, and they begin making their way through the ship to discuss the situation with Kang. Aside from a particularly unpleasant moment when a crazed Chekov tries to assault Kang's wife Mara (Susan Howard), "Day of the Dove" is a strong episode that ends with Kirk and Kang temporarily working together. Kang is a formidable foe who matches Kirk in every way, and Michael Ansara and Susan Howard both deliver compelling performances.

1 "All Our Yesterdays"

Star Trek: The Original Series Season 3, Episode 23

In the penultimate episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, Spock and Dr. McCoy end up trapped in the ancient past of a planet's ice age. As Spock reverts back to the more emotional nature of the ancient Vulcans, he develops feelings for the only other inhabitant of the planet, a young woman named Zarabeth (Mariette Hartley). Spock wants to stay in the past with Zarabeth, and he grows increasingly hostile towards McCoy. Spock tries to send McCoy through the return portal alone, but ultimately realizes they will have to return together.

Kirk spends the episode trapped in a later time period and eventually convinces another time traveler to take him to the portal to find Spock and McCoy.

After they make it back to their own time, Spock returns to his normal, logical self, but his romance with Zarabeth clearly affected him deeply. Spock's emotions and tragic love story are beautifully portrayed by Leonard Nimoy. Dr. McCoy has some good moments, too, as he tries to convince Spock that they must return home. Solid performances from everyone involved elevate a rather simple story into the strongest episode of Star Trek: The Original Series season 3.