Spoiler Warning: Spoilers are present for each of the episodes on the list below.
Happy Halloween!
To celebrate the spookiest day of the year, I thought it could be a bit of fun to choose five Star Trek episodes that have a “horror” theme or vibe. The Star Trek franchise has dabbled in many genres across its fifty-seven-year history, and there are a handful of episodes that definitely have horror overtones. Though the Star Trek franchise is never quite on par with a dedicated horror film or TV show, there are still some decidedly creepy, spooky, or downright frightening stories – as well as scenes and sequences across many more episodes.
This time, I’ve pulled out five episodes that I think could make for entertaining Halloween viewing! The episodes come from five different shows across Star Trek’s history, and while they’re all very different, the overall trend here is one of horror. So if (like me) you’re a bit of a scaredy-cat… maybe you shouldn’t watch them!
As always, a couple of caveats. This list is just for fun, and I share it in a light-hearted manner. I’m not saying that these episodes are somehow “objectively” the best horror-themed stories in the history of Star Trek – nor even that all of them are among the best that the franchise has to offer. This is all just the opinion of one Star Trek fan, shared in the spirit of Halloween.
I don’t have any other major rules or criteria for this list – other than the episodes had to be horror-themed, spooky, or frightening! I wouldn’t say any of them are the scariest things I’ve ever seen; this is still Star Trek, after all! But echoes of the horror genre are present throughout.
With all of that out of the way, let’s jump into the list!
Episode #1:
Empok Nor
Deep Space Nine Season 5
I adore DS9′s fifth season. It has so many incredibly strong episodes, and Empok Nor is definitely one of them. There’s a genuine fear factor to the presentation of Garak – a character who has already been established, by this point in the series’ run, as being mysterious and even dangerous. Seeing him go “rogue,” and using some of his skills from his time in the Obsidian Order against our Starfleet heroes is truly disturbing.
The interplay between Garak and O’Brien, conducted largely by communicator once the episode gets going, is also fantastic! It reminds me in more ways than one of the film Die Hard, but with a decidedly darker edge. The board game analogy that Garak repeatedly brings up also adds to the unsettling presentation of his character, showcasing his descent into “madness.”
For a Star Trek episode, Empok Nor is also surprisingly violent, with the deaths of several redshirts (or the aftermaths, at least) being shown in graphic detail. There wasn’t much blood or viscera shown – this was pre-watershed television in the ’90s, after all – but when compared with what other Star Trek stories were doing around the same time, the death and mutilation shown in Empok Nor is positively graphic!
The episode manages to ramp up the tension and fear as it progresses, and uses the familiar Deep Space Nine sets and stages in a unique way. Changes in lighting coupled with a distinct lack of DS9′s regular background characters populating the station creates a truly creepy backdrop that heightens the episode’s frightening elements. It has wonderful performances from Andrew Robinson, Colm Meaney, and the late great Aron Eisenberg in particular. All in all, an outstanding start to our list!
Episode #2:
Terminal Provocations
Lower Decks Season 1
This episode, from Lower Decks’ first season, is on the list for one reason: Badgey! Badgey is a truly disturbing villain, and a reflection of contemporary fears of artificial intelligence gone wrong. An unsettling combination of Microsoft Office’s “Clippy” and renegade AI villains like the Terminator, Badgey really succeeds at unnerving me!
The other side of Terminal Provocations sees Boimler and Mariner team up with a friend of theirs to try to undo a mistake – a mistake that soon evolves into another monster to defeat. This computer-core monster is less frightening than Badgey, but it’s still worth noting that it has a couple of creepy moments of its own.
“Trapped on the holodeck” is a Star Trek trope going back to the introduction of the setting in The Next Generation, and there have been several episodes that have managed to evoke a sense of danger from that premise. But Terminal Provocations is arguably the first where this concept has been spun out to be something truly frightening, and the first to use the “broken holodeck” idea to lean into a horror story.
As Badgey pursues Rutherford and Tendi across a variety of environments, we get to see the villainous construct in several different – and increasingly dangerous – situations. The tension on this side of the story builds to a surprisingly emotional climax – one that seems to be in the vein of the likes of Frankenstein. Click or tap here to see my review of the episode, written shortly after its original broadcast in 2020.
Episode #3:
Starship Mine
The Next Generation Season 6
Less out-and-out terrifying than creepy and unsettling, Starship Mine sees Picard trapped aboard a deserted Enterprise-D – while a gang of wannabe terrorists try to steal a dangerous explosive material. As above with Empok Nor, seeing the usually-populated ship abandoned and deluminated is enough to set the stage in a most unnerving way.
The baryon sweep which begins to slowly work its way through the Enterprise-D is a frightening concept, too, and the stakes involved are communicated well. By the time Picard is face-to-face with the deadly phenomenon, we’ve already seen first-hand what it can do to people, and we can see just how deadly it is. Knowing the layout of the Enterprise-D, with Ten-Forward being the forwardmost part of the ship, is a good bit of information to have, too, as it really hammers home that Picard and the villainous Kelsey have literally nowhere left to run.
Playing a game of cat-and-mouse with hostile terrorists aboard the Enterprise-D is surprisingly fun, and Starship Mine put Picard at the centre of the action – which is a narrative space he didn’t always get to occupy. Picard is a very different kind of captain than Kirk had been, so to see him in this kind of spy/action hero role is something different, too.
I also felt that Picard’s actions at the climax of the episode show a ruthlessness that we seldom get to see; a dark, cunning, and utterly cold presentation of the character that’s disturbing in its own right. Maybe Starship Mine isn’t the scariest episode in the franchise – but it’s unsettling in its own way.
Episode #4:
All Those Who Wander
Strange New Worlds Season 1
Across a truly spectacular first season, Strange New Worlds dipped its toes in a variety of different genres. All Those Who Wander is the show’s take on horror – and it absolutely nailed it. All Those Who Wander might be the out-and-out scariest episode on this list – and perhaps even the most overtly frightening that the Star Trek franchise has ever attempted.
The DNA of films like Predator and Alien is present throughout, and All Those Who Wander takes a familiar setting, characters, and even an alien race that we thought we knew and catapults them into a desperate fight for survival against an adversary who feels every inch the predator.
Setting the story aboard a crashed starship on a desolate, icebound planet was a masterstroke, and the hallways of the USS Peregrine feel incredibly claustrophobic as the away team is quite literally being hunted by an apex predator. The Gorn feel like a perfect fit for this role, too, and both the episode and Strange New Worlds as a whole manage to expand our knowledge of the race without treading on the toes of established canon too much. Gorn eggs being parasitic was a particularly masterful stroke of writing – one that loaded the story of All Those Who Wander for a last-second detonation.
There have to be stakes in horror; as the audience, we need to feel that our characters are genuinely in danger, not safe from all turmoil and threats thanks to heavy plot armour. Part of that means that killing off major, named characters – not just nameless redshirts – has to be on the table. And throughout All Those Who Wander, our heroes genuinely seem to be in danger.
Episode #5:
The Haunting of Deck Twelve
Voyager Season 6
We’ve already talked about this episode here on the website – I covered it in-depth for Halloween a couple of years ago. But it’s such a unique and fun spooky story that I think it’s worth including on a list like this one! Click or tap here, by the way, if you’re interested in a more in-depth look at the episode and its spookiness.
What I love about The Haunting of Deck Twelve is its “ghost stories around the campfire” framework. Neelix, a character so often used as comic relief, makes for such an interesting narrator – and there’s a sense, as the episode progresses, that we can’t entirely rely on his recollection of the events. This just adds to the tension, for me, and makes the frame narrative work so incredibly well.
Halloween is a holiday for the little ones, despite its horror theme and frightening elements. And The Haunting of Deck Twelve brings Voyager’s full complement of Borg kids into the story in a relatable and understandable way. The way the frame narrative and flashbacks come together is great, and the episode is stronger than it would have been without Neelix and the kids to set the stage.
There are several jumpscares in this episode, as the USS Voyager encounters a brand-new form of life and begins to suffer malfunctions. Seen through the eyes of the kids listening to Neelix’s tale, these moments are elevated. At points, it genuinely feels like we’re right there around the “campfire” with Neelix and the Borg children.
So that’s it!
I hope this was a bit of fun. There are other examples of the Star Trek franchise trying out a scary or horror-inspired story, but these are five of my personal favourites. All are great episodes in their own right, too!
As I said a few weeks ago, I’ve been feeling kind of burned out on Star Trek. I’m still not sure that I’m in the right frame of mind to jump headfirst back into Star Trek and start writing reviews and such… and maybe that’s the scariest thing you’ll read this Halloween! Just kidding… but franchise fatigue and burnout are issues that the Star Trek franchise is currently dealing with.
Whatever you’re doing this year, whether you’re heading out to a party or preparing a selection of goodies for trick-or-treaters… I hope you have a fantastic Halloween! As for me… well, I’ve got the builders in. So I’ll be dealing with that! Happy Halloween!
Most Star Trek films and TV shows can be streamed on Paramount+ in countries and territories where the service is available, and can also be purchased on DVD and/or Blu-ray. The Star Trek franchise – including all TV series and episodes listed above – is the copyright of Paramount Global. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.
Trekking with Dennis 