Thrown back in time Enterprise must find a way back to the future without damaging the past. Originally broadcast on January 26, 1967 this is Tomorrow is Yesterday.
The Episode:
Captain’s Log Stardate 3113.2
Enterprise is thrown back in time due to the gravitational effects of a black star. They find themselves orbiting Earth of 1969 and are detected by the Air Force of the time. Soon they are attacked by aircraft and manage to beam the pilot from one of the craft before it is destroyed by their tractor beam. Meeting with Captain John Christopher, Kirk tries to explain the situation but the Captain is skeptical. Over time Capt Christopher comes to accept that they are from the future but is upset when he learns that they can not send him back because he knows too much about their time and technology. Soon Christopher tries to escape but is stopped and Kirk learns that Captain Christopher must be returned because of the historical importance of his son, Shaun Christopher. Now forced to return the Captain to his own time while also erasing their appearance from history, Kirk and a team go to Earth only to be captured. After rescuing Kirk, and beaming up a guard in the process, Spock plans to take Captain Christopher and the Guard back into the relative past and return them to their time before Enterprise appeared. To do this they sligshot around the sun at warp and are able to return the Captain and the Guard as well as go back to their own time.
Is this a ‘Good’ Episode:
This is really a fun one and the start to the much beloved and maligned Trek Trope of Time Travel. So far, nearly every single series in Star Trek history has played with the Time Travel Trope, with it even being the subject of a couple feature films. This, of course, is our first foray into the past with this crew which will certainly not be it’s last.
What I love about this episode is that it is both serious and playful at the same time providing a great story diffused with some elements of humor. I really appreciate it when this franchise can have fun with it’s stories allowing for some lighter moments in between intense ones. What is even better is that this very episode serves as a precursor to the feature film, The Voyager Home, which we will discuss at a later date. In fact, the very means of traveling to the past is used again making this very episode a key moment in Star Trek history.
There is only one major flaw in this episode and that lies in with Captain Christopher himself. You see, even when Spock returns the Captain to his own time at the moment of his departure, he could very well still have the memories of his time on the ship. While he might eventually dismiss these memories as nothing more than a hallucinations, he could have been returned with memories of the future even though none of the events would have occurred.
Overall, this is a fun and rather enjoyable episode and one that I can certainly recommend. To this day, this remains one I can watch over and over and still find it quite entertaining, despite it’s rather gross issue mentioned above.
Gleanings and Cool Bits:
- We learn that there are 12 Constitution Class Starships during Enterprise’s five year mission.
- Enterprise faces a strange situation with an ‘affectionate’ computer after repairs done at Signet 14. Unfortunately it’s a little….misogynistic.
- We see that replicators in the past were not preprogramed but relied on cartridges instead.
Thanks for reading the Retro TV Review, I look forward to discussing the rest of the series with you, one episode at a time every Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Next Review: The Return of the Archons
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Late To The Game 1/17/2022
Special Thanks to Memory Alpha as they are one of the best sources for details on Star Trek information available. Although I have a pretty deep knowledge on the subject, they have proven invaluable as a regular resource.
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