5 absolutely ridiculous moments in Star Trek TOS

Star Trek, a child of its time, had moments that would make you chuckle or scratch your head today. Let's look at five of those moments.

Nov. 2, 2015 – CBS Television Studios announced today it will launch a totally new “Star Trek” television series in January 2017. The brand-new “Star Trek” will introduce new characters seeking imaginative new worlds and new civilizations, while exploring the dramatic contemporary themes that have been a signature of the franchise since its inception in 1966. The new series will blast off with a special preview broadcast on the CBS Television Network. The premiere episode and all subsequent /

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1. "Spock's Brain" (Season 3, Episode 1)

Imagine waking up one day to find your brain has decided to take a little unscheduled vacation - far-fetched, right? Well, not in the Star Trek universe.

In this episode, the beloved Vulcan's noggin gets nabbed by aliens, leaving the rest of the crew scratching their heads, literally and figuratively, on how to get it back. The episode takes us on a wild goose chase across the galaxy, combining the urgency of a rescue mission with the absurdity of the situation. It's as if someone pitched the idea, "What if we did a sci-fi version of Dude, Where’s My Car? except it's Spock's brain?"

And thus, a legendary episode was born.

The high point (or low, depending on your sense of humor) comes when Doctor McCoy, in a move that screams "only in the '60s," rigs up a contraption that lets him remotely control Spock's body, brain or no brain. We get a Spock, stiff as a board and as expressive as a toaster, being puppeteered around by McCoy, who's probably thinking, "I'm a doctor, Jim, not a ventriloquist!"

This leads to scenes that are a bizarre blend of slapstick and sci-fi, the likes of which you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. It's moments like these that remain so memorably ridiculous, serving up a hefty dose of laughter with a side of "What were they thinking?"

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