Polygon has published a ranked list of five Star Trek: The Original Series episodes that were controversial or poorly received on broadcast but have since gained critical appreciation. The article argues that instalments once dismissed as too slow, too preachy or too talky have proven ahead of their time, tackling themes such as leadership under pressure, racism and the ethics of war that remain relevant to modern audiences.

Featured entries include "The Galileo Seven" (Season 1), in which Spock's reliance on pure logic is tested and found wanting after a shuttle crash strands the crew; "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" (Season 3), a blunt allegory about racism starring Frank Gorshin; and "A Taste of Armageddon" (Season 1), which imagined a "sanitised" computer-simulated war decades before films like WarGames explored similar ground. The list also cites "The Cage", the original 1965 pilot rejected by NBC as too cerebral, as the series' most dramatic reputation turnaround, though the article's account of its story and a fifth entry was cut off before completion.

– Polygon ranks five Star Trek TOS episodes once panned, now praised
– Includes "The Galileo Seven", "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield", "A Taste of Armageddon"
– "The Cage" pilot, rejected by NBC in 1965, cited as biggest reversal