Why Star Trek: The Original Series' Worst Episode Is Credited To A Fake Writer

Star Trek became one of the greatest sci-fi franchises of all time through being experimental and unafraid to push boundaries. Despite first airing in the 1960s, Star Trek: The Original Series has mostly aged exceptionally well and was ahead of its time for decades. The modern Star Trek movies and TV shows have largely continued expanding on the legacy of the original groundbreaking series, exploring culture, politics, and social themes through the lens of sci-fi.

Even as the recent TV shows have moved away from The Original Series' episodic and forward-thinking nature, most being prequels and spinoffs rather than a linear timeline into the future, the franchise still brings something new to sci-fi. The best Star Trek episodes regularly address current concerns, explore the future of science and society, and have expanded the cast into a more diverse ensemble. That said, the franchise has not been immune from mistakes, and one episode of Star Trek: The Original Series is not just bad, but it has not aged well either.

Season 3 of The Original Series begins with the episode "Spock's Brain," which feels more like a zombie horror than a Star Trek episode. When an alien woman boards the Enterprise, she surgically removes Spock's brain, leaving the crew in a race against time to find it before Spock dies. The episode was wildly unpopular, with reviewers criticizing its campy plot and bad dialogue, with the line "brain and brain, what is brain?" becoming cult comedy. When looking for someone to blame for the episode, the credits are not much help, as "Spock's Brain" was credited to a fake writer.

Star Trek's "Spock's Brain" Episode Is Credited To "Lee Cronin"

Some may know Lee Cronin as the writer of The Mummy, with the 2026 movie being a reimagining of the Mummy franchise that began with Universal Pictures' classic horror before being rebooted with Brendan Fraser. With Cronin's work also including entries in The Evil Dead franchise and the supernatural horror, The Hole in the Ground, it may not seem surprising to people unfamiliar with the filmmaker that he could have written "Spock's Brain." However, there are two Lee Cronins, and the horror writer is not the one responsible for Star Trek's unpopular episode.

"Spock's Brain" was actually credited to a pseudonym. When the episode was written, writer and producer of Star Trek: The Original Series, Gene L. Coon, was under a contract which prevented him from writing for other studios, leading him to adopt the pseudonym "Lee Cronin" and continue writing for Star Trek. This is one of several Star Trek episodes written by Gene L. Coon, and while his effect on the show was key to its success, with him creating the Klingons and being responsible for much of the camaraderie between Spock and McCoy, "Spock's Brain" was a rare failure.

Spock's Brain Was Bad At The Time, And Hasn't Got Better With Age

Star Trek episodes have changed genres before, including entering the realm of horror. However, the premise for "Spock's Brain" did not match the execution, with many details feeling ludicrous rather than frightening. Spock's brainless body was operated as though he was a puppet, leaving Leonard Nimoy with very little to do, and the episode changed some major character details while appearing to move away from the progressive tone that made Star Trek: The Original Series such an iconic show.

The episode has aged terribly, with a surprisingly sexist tone which verged into disturbing. Even aside from the plot issues, the fact that Spock had to talk McCoy through the operation to restore his brain made him appear less surgically talented than he was. Being unable to take full credit due to a contract was likely frustrating, but after many great contributions to Star Trek: The Original Series, it may be a blessing in disguise that Gene L. Coon's name is not attached to "Spock's Brain."