Newsweek ranked "Arena" as one of the best episodes of the original series, and they note it was a popular episode. In 2016, Business Insider ranked "Arena" the 12th best episode of the original series. In 2016, Empire ranked this the 41st best out of the top 50 episodes of all the 700 plus Star Trek television episodes. They note that Kirk wins in this episode, not by killing a dangerous alien, called the Gorn, but by showing mercy which impresses the powerful aliens that pitted them against each other. In 2016, Radio Times ranked the battle between Kirk and the Gorn, as the seventh best moment of all Star Trek film and television. They note that the action scene was filmed at the Vasquez rocks in southern California, USA. They also praised Shatner's unique acting style in his mission logs, and noted how many aspects of this episode are great examples of the science fiction genre in this period. In 2018, Collider ranked this episode the 7th best original series episode. They praised the Gorn costume and noted that this episode introduces the powerful Metron aliens. In 2017, Business Insider ranked "Arena" the 12th best episode of the original series. In 2018, PopMatters ranked this the 6th best episode of the original series. In 2019, Nerdist included this episode on their "Best of Kirk" binge-watching guide. In 2019, CBR ranked "Arena" as one of the top eight most memorable episodes of the original Star Trek. References External links "Arena" at Memory Alpha "Arena" Screenshots before and after remastering at TrekMovie.com "Arena" Short story and episode comparison Bobby Clark talks about playing the Gorn Star Trek: The Original Series (season 1) episodes 1967 American television episodes Deserts in fiction Television episodes written by Gene L. Coon Television episodes directed by Joseph Pevney