Published Feb 21, 2026, 6:25 PM EST
Dalton is a freelance writer, novelist, and filmmaker from Orlando Florida. He currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, and pursues writing full-time. He is an avid reader, film buff, and amateur historian who also publishes novels on the side. Dalton graduated from the University of Central Florida with a BFA in Film and he often applies his industry-specific knowledge when writing about film and television. Along with his blog, Dalton's critical essays on film have been published in various places online.
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The Star Trek franchise has done its fair share of horror episodes, but the very first is one of the worst outings of the entire Original Series. Star Trek: The Original Series is noteworthy for its utopian science fiction and thought-provoking stories with rich themes. However, the '60s TV gem also has plenty of off-the-wall moments and downright weird episodes.
The Enterprise crossed paths with strange phenomena during their five-year mission, and the show delved into other genres frequently. Star Trek often intersected with fantasy, and it's safe to say that TOS wasn't pure sci-fi. The series had a few horror episodes too, but the franchise's first frightening story wasn't very good.
"Catspaw" Is A Kooky Misfire From TOS Season 2
Released to coincide with Halloween, "Catspaw" is without a doubt one of the strangest episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series. Season 2, episode 7, finds Kirk, Spock, and McCoy captives of aliens who create a world of terror on a desolate planet. "Catspaw" is filled with traditional horror imagery of witches and spooky castles, and even a black cat.
The characters make frequent reference to trick or treating, so "Catspaw" wears its Halloween theme right on its sleeve. Unfortunately, the kookiness of the story doesn't make up for a lackluster script that sags in the middle with overlong scenes of boring dialogue. Horror author Robert Bloch penned the story, but something was lost in translation.
"Catspaw" was the first episode that Walter Koenig filmed as Pavel Chekhov, but it was not the first episode to air.
There are plenty of weird and funny episodes of Star Trek, but "Catspaw" often paints outside the boundaries of the show's own internal logic. Kirk and company don't act like they usually do, all so that they can fall into the obvious traps the villains set out for them. The sci-fi is clearly an afterthought which harms the overall product.
A Much Better Horror Episode Came Later In Season 2
One reason that "Catspaw" isn't as well-remembered is because it is overshadowed by a much better horror episode that released later in season 2. Season 2, episode 14, "Wolf in the Fold", is a tense mystery in which Scotty is accused of committing murders that are eerily similar to the crimes of Jack the Ripper.
Robert Bloch returned to write "Wolf in the Fold", and his ideas integrate much better with the Star Trek mythos. The Enterprise crew acts logically, and even with a horror theme, "Wolf in the Fold" lives up to the utopian ideals of the franchise. Instead of rattling chains and dime store Halloween decorations, the murder mystery is legitimately frightening.
There were highs and lows in Star Trek: The Original Series season 2, and there's no better illustration of that fact than in "Catspaw" and "Wolf in the Fold". The latter is an underrated Star Trek classic, while the former is a relic best left in the past. Thankfully, the franchise didn't give up on horror after its first misfire.
Source: StarTrek.com
Created by Gene Roddenberry
First Episode Air Date September 8, 1966
English (US) ·