99. The Practical JokerFORMULA: Balance of Terror + The Squire of Gothos + Shore Leave + Wolf in the Fold
WHY WE LIKE IT: First holodeck in Star Trek!
WHY WE DON'T: Few of the joker's pranks are actually funny.
REVIEW: Whenever Star Trek delves into purely comedic territory, it misses more often than it hits. Case in point, The Practical Joker, in which the Enterprise computer goes a bit nuts and starts playing pranks on the crew. Was this really an appropriate episode into which to bring the Romulans? They're more or less wasted here (which seems to be their lot in life) as the front seat is given to the computer's often unfunny jokes.
Some of it works, like Kirk's shirt that says "Kirk is a jerk" and Spock's instruments giving him a black eye. If you don't find those funny, then the rest will be pretty lame. Dribble glasses are pretty much the top of the pile, with various malfunctions barely qualifying. The Enterprise spewing out a huge starship-shaped balloon, while original, is pure hogwash. The actors do a fair job with what they're given, but the plot is flimsy at best.
Of interest to Star Trek fans is the first appearance of a holodeck, predating The Next Generation by 13 years! With it comes the first holodeck malfunction, so these things were death-traps from the start. Without any living creatures simulated, it even makes sense within the context of possible technological development.
LESSON: Canon or not, the animated series is a gold mine for later series.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: It's only Medium because the holodeck's first appearance is relevant. If we just go by the story elements, I'm afraid we'll stall at Low.
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