My answer will go in this post, but I’ll be making several revisions because for me at least, the answer is complex. That being said:
I started out as a hardcore TOS (the original series) fan. When TNG (the next generation) came along, and once the very shaky first couple seasons had gone by, I gained a real appreciation for Picard’s personality over Kirk. Where Kirk was basically a “cowboy,” Picard tried to use diplomacy and guile to gain the upper hand in conflicts. In the end, TNG won out over TOS, but it was a long, tough sell. TNG ended up being my second favorite franchise, with TOS being number 3.
When DS9 (deep space nine) was in first run, I only watched it a couple times. I felt that the storylines were weak and the characters wishy-washy. Further, Dr. Bashir pissed me off regularly because A) he was a womanizer, and B) he NEVER SHUT THE HELL UP. I felt that Captain Sisko wasn’t a strong commander. In sindication, I learned to moderately enjoy the series, but honestly, only a very few eps were worth it to me. That opinion remains to this day: DS9 is my least favorite.
Next is VOY (Voyager) with Kate Mulgrew as Captain Janeway. During first run, I watch two eps and refused to watch it again. It was painfully bad IMO. First, Mulgrew’s voice sounded like someone who’d smoked for 40 years. I actually couldn’t stand to hear her speak. Then there’s Tuvoc, a BLACK Vulcan (spare me.) Then Nelix the Talaxian, who was a manipulator and liar in the beginning. And the outrageously annoying doctor! I hated his arrogant ass with a purple passion. The list goes on. Anyway, one time YEARS later, I had nothing to do one weekend, so I started binge watching it. Shockingly, I found myself enjoying it, and eventually really liked it. I even got past Mulgrew’s voice. Voyager became my favorite franchise.
When ENT (Enterprise) aired (it’s a prequel series to TOS), I watched a few eps then quit. I couldn’t get used to Scott Bakula being the lead. I can only place him in Quantum Leap, a show that I found refreshingly different, and in which his performances were great. I never felt the cast gelled together the way they did in the other franchises. The biggest single turnoff for me was Bakula’s Captain Archer was always sticking his nose in where it didn’t belong, or where he wasn’t wanted. He was arrogant and smugly superior. And he didn’t get better as the series went on. I always wanted to reach into the TV, grab him by the collar, and bitch-slap him. ENT is my 4th in rank of the franchises. I ended up watching the entire franchise in fits and starts.
Now I’ll try to figure out my favorite episodes. I’ll edit this post as I come up with them.
Favorite episodes
TOS
Mudd’s Women
Dagger Of The Mind
Balance Of Terror
Shore Leave
A Taste Of Armageddon
Errand Of Mercy
City On The Edge Of Forever
Amok Time
A Piece Of The Action
Who Mourns For Adonais
Spectre Of The Gun
Wink Of An Eye
Elian Of Troyius
Let That Be Your Last Battlefield
TNG:
The Perfect Mate
Darmok
Tapestry
11001001
The Neutral Zone
Elementary Dear Data
Q Who (the first “Qpisode”)
Deja Q
Remember Me
Data’s Day
Qpid (this is the Sherwood Forest one)
Hero Worship
Cause and Effect (very good ep)
The Perfect Mate (Famke Janssen’s debut in film)
I, Borg
The Inner Light (voted best TNG episode)
Time’s Arrow (perhaps my fav)
Relics (James Doohan is in this one)
A Fistful of Datas
Chain of Command
Ship In A Bottle (companion episode to Elementary Dear Data)
Tapestry (also a huge fav)
Thine Own Self
VOY
The 37’s
Twisted
Lifesigns
The Thaw
Tuvix
Future’s End (Ed Begley Jr. is in this one)
Distant Origin
Year Of Hell (Kurtwood Smith is in this one)
Mortal Coil
Message In A Bottle
Demon
Living Witness
In The Flesh
Course: Oblivion (companion to Demon)
One Small Step
Fair Haven (this ep was critically panned, but I loved it)
Blink Of An Eye
Spirit Folk (companion to Fair Haven)
The
Haunting Of Deck 12
Shattered
DS9
The House Of Quark
Destiny
Little Green Men
Trials And Tribble-ations
The Magnificent Ferengi
Waltz
Honor Among Thieves
In The Pale Moonlight
His Way
It’s Only A Paper Moon
Badda-Bing, Badda-Bang
Extreme Measures
What You Leave Behind, part 2
ENT
None