"The Tholian Web" (season three, episode nine; production code: 064; 15 November 1968): Wikipedia-link.
Commentary: "The Tholian Web" is a classic, one of the best episodes of the series. This episode has it all: a mystery in space, a memorable alien antagonist (the Tholians were referenced in dialogue a few times during the T.N.G.-era, but not seen on screen again until Star Trek: Enterprise, yet the visual of the Tholian web remains iconic), & possibly the most intense conflict between Spock & McCoy in The Original Series.
The final joke of the episode—in which Spock & McCoy pretend not to have watched Captain Kirk's video will during the time when they believed that captain had been lost in space, even though watching Kirk's exhortation had been vital in convincing them to stop quarreling & work together—is unfortunate, & uncuts the episode. This is not the only time a serious episode has been undercut by the obligatory final joke, one of The Original Series's worst tendencies, which developed during the second season.
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