60 years of Star Trek: Kirk's "Balance of Terror" quote remains the franchise's finest moment

Full text

On September 8 of this year, Star Trek turns 60. Six decades is an impressive milestone by any standard, even for a franchise that's no stranger to landmark accomplishments. In a nice bit of symmetry, "Balance of Terror," an episode widely regarded as one of The Original Series ' finest hours (no runtime pun intended), celebrates its own diamond anniversary in December. Written by Paul Schneider and directed by Vincent McEveety , Season 1's fourteenth episode introduces the Romulans — who'd go on to become prominent and compelling adversaries — through a tense cat-and-mouse hunt between Captain James T. Kirk ( William Shatner ) and an unnamed Romulan commander ( Mark Lenard , also known for playing Sarek in Star Trek: The Next Generation ).