Well here is it my friends. No point in pretending, this is one of the best episodes of the entire series. Some would say THE best, but one or two are better in my opinion. But we can discuss those another day. Today we're discussing....
Plot:Suffering from an accidental overdose of cordrazine, Doctor Leonard McCoy goes back to 1930s Earth, forcing Kirk and Spock to go after him and prevent the Enterprise and the Federation from being erased from history.
Guest Stars:Joan Collins as Edith Keeler
Nitpick:McCoy being able to safely get off the ship in his manic state is ridiculous to be honest. Spock's theory explaining how time is fluid and so the currents may sweep McCoy to the two is a little...well, contrived.
Summary:
Teaser-The Enterprise is orbiting an uncharted world. As the ship orbits the planet is being shaken by what Spock describes as ripples in time. One wave explodes the helm, inuring Sulu. When McCoy arrives he decides to give Sulu a small dose of a strong medicine. It works, but when another time wave rocks the ship McCoy accidentally injects himself with the entire hypo. He then becomes instantly paranoid, and races off the Bridge in a manic state.
Act 1-McCoy is able to get off the ship and onto the planet. Kirk and a landing party is forced to follow, especially since McCoy is in the middle of the time displacements. They beam down to find a strange structure among some ruins. While the officers search Kirk and Spock wonder what the structure could be. Spock says it is the focus of the time displacements. McCoy keeps evading the search and when Kirk asks what the Guardian is, it answers that he is the Guardian of Forever. It then starts showing images from the past, and says it could be their gateway. As Kirk and Spock watch the images, McCoy appears and is subdued by Spock. Kirk wonders if thet could use the time portal to go back and relive the accident, but before they can McCoy wakes up and jumps through the gateway. The Guardian says he has gone into, what was. And the landing party discover the Enterprise is no long there. In fact, the Guardian confirms that there whole world is gone.
Act 2-Now alone, Spock is trying to track down the era which McCoy entered in order to go back and fix whatever he did to change history. Spock says he may be able to narrow it down to a week, maybe a few days before McCoy got there. The Guardian says that if they are successful they will be returned, as if none of them had gone. Kirk and Spock enter the gateway, and emerge in the 1930's. They quickly realize that blending in may be a problem. They try to steal some clothes, but are stopped by some officers. In a scene I can't explain you have to see it, Kirk and Spock race away and into the basement of a building. There, they run into a woman named Edith Keeler. She explains she runs the 21st Street Mission and allows them to stay. It's pretty clear very fast that she and Kirk are attracted to each other. In the kitchen of the mission, Edith Keeler explains to the assembled her vision of where man kind will be headed. Saying that things are dire now, but better days are coming. The amazing inventions she says are coming are decades away. Later, Spock is trying to get images off his tricorder but the equipment at hand is insufficient. My summary is going to leave out the little touches in he romantic scenes, this episode really needs to be watched to be appreciated. Spock steals some tools to help with his work with the tricorder, and when Edith calls them on it Kirk charms her into forgiving them. Clearly starting to fall for her. Edith asks Kirk to walk her home, and the two talk about how they see the world the same way. Later, Spock has started pulling images from his tricorder and stumbles onto Edith's obituary. When Kirk comes in, Spock warns him before showing the images. The images then show that a few years from then Edith would meet with president. Then the circuits blow. Kirk realizes she becomes an activist, but Spock says instead she will die. This year. In a traffic accident. Since both can't be true, Spock surmises Keeler is the focal point in time. McCoy altered her destiny somehow, either he kills or prevents her from being killed. They have to fix this mistake, and when Spock asks what if Edith has to die. Kirk cannot answer.
Act 3-In a back alley, McCoy appears screaming about people being after him. He accosts a bum while wondering where he is. Meanwhile Kirk and Edith are getting even closer. McCoy thinks he's on Earth but it can't be, and then passes out on the street. The bum takes McCoy's phaser, and vaporizes himself. The next day, McCoy arrives at the mission where Edith takes him in to care for him. Just missing being seen by Spock. A little later Spock has fixed the tricorder and found the answers. In the new time line, Edith was an activist for peace at the wrong time. Her activism cause the U.S. to delay entry into war. That allowed Germany to develop the Atomic Bomb first, and conquer the world. Because McCoy kept her from dying in an accident as she was meant to. Kirk admits he is falling in love with her, but Spock insists that for things to go back to normal Edith must die.
Act 4-In the mission McCoy awakens and is feeling better. However he refuses to believe where is, thinking its a hallucination of some kind. Later, Kirk saves Edith from tripping and Spock points out she could have died there. But Kirk knows it's not time yet. Spock reminds her if he saves her life, millions will die who did not die before. Edith checks on McCoy who is fully recovered, and grateful to Edih for saving his life. She says they can discuss that later, her young man is taking her to a movie tonight. Later Kirk and Edith are crossing the street when Edith drops McCoy's name. Kirk is stunned, and she explains he's across the street in the mission. Kirk rushes over to get Spock..and the two run into McCoy and are reunited. Curious, Edith crosses the street without paying attention. Kirk sees what is about to happen, as does McCoy who is about to save her. But Kirk grabs him in the last second allowing the car to hit her. When McCoy asks if Kirk knows what he just did, Spock explains that he did indeed as Kirk is heartbroken. Back on the Guardian's planet, the three are safe and Kirk simply wants to get out of there.
Final Thoughts:It could be easy to make fun of this if you want. The time travel plot makes no sense! The story is boring! It isn't really science fiction! Captain Kirk following in love with an ordinary girl? Please! However true those things may be, what elevates it to greatness is the amazing script and acting. The plot is paced perfectly leading to that final scene which you can see a million times, and will still gut punch you when Kirk makes that sacrifice. I also love how there's no happy ending, wink at the camera like usual. Just a heartbroken Kirk saying "let's get the hell out of here". Perfect. This episode won a Hugo Award and is to this day considered one of, if not THE, best of science fiction.
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