D.C. Fontana was one of if not THE best writer on TOS. She gave some amazing scripts including today's episode. So is it wrong for me to say the script is only ok? Let's talk about the very first time travel episode in Trek history. Kudos to her by the way for guessing the Apollo mission to the man would happen on a Wednesday.
Plot:The Enterprise is hurled back in time to the year 1969, where the US Air Force sights it as a UFO. The crew must find a way to erase evidence of their visit before trying to get back to their future home.
Guest Stars:Roger Perry as Captain Chirstopher
Nitpick:The conclusion to how the problem is solved makes no sense. Hoe does beaming the two people into their bodies at a different point work? And "if it never happened" why did we waste half an episode trying to get back the record tapes at the base? The gag of the computer with the female personality is so sexist and stupid at that it baffles me why they did it.
Summary:
Teaser-An airforce base on 1969 Earth is going through routine drills when something strange appears on the radar. The commander is alarmed when the officer reports the object just suddenly appears there. A fighter jet is scrambled to intercept..what turns out to be the Enterprise!
Act 1-In order to escape the pull of a black star the Enterprise was forced to pull away so fast that it send hurtling through space. As the crew recovers Spock reports that they are in orbit around Earth. Uhura picks up a radio broadcast regarding the first manned moon shot coming up in the next week. When Kirk mentions that was in the late 1960's, Spock reports that they are also. A time warp was created which sent them back in time. A aircraft is closing fast, as the Enteprrise struggles to get out of the atmosphere. The jet closes in, and Kirk decides to catch it with the tractor beam. As the ship breaks up, Kirk has the transporter room beam the pilot aboard. The pilot is brought aboard, and says his name is Captain Christopher. Kirk tries to explain what happened, and that they are from the future. Kirk brings him to the Bridge, and while Christopher looks around Spock expresses his concerns about returning the captain now that he has seen the future. If someone else finds out, it could drastically alter history. In his quarters, Kirk explains to Christopher they can't return him. Spock says Christopher made no relevant contribution to it wont change history to not return him (which is stupid of course it would). Scotty reports that the engines are coming back, even though they have no where to go in this time period.
Act 2-Spock reports he has additional news and Kirk finds Christopher is not in his quarters. He figures that Christopher is trying to flee the ship, and catches him in the transporter room trying to escape. In Sick-Bay as Christopher recovers McCoy asks what they can do if they can't get back. They can't got to Earth, that's 400 chances to change the future. Christopher awakens and Spock appears to say he made an error, they have to return Christopher now. His son will helm the first Saturn probe which is significant. When Christopher says he has no son, he realizes he will. Later Spock reveals that the air force base has film and radio recordings confirming the Enterprise (or the UFO) and Kirk decides they need to go back and get those records. Kirk and Sulu beam down to find the records section and steal the images. That way there wont be any evidence to support what Christopher reports. This is all pointless in the end of course. But when Kirk and Sulu are caught by a Sergeant on the base, the sergeant is accidentally beamed to the Enterprise.
Act 3-Kirk insists on keeping the sergeant in the transporter room, which doesn't seem to a problem, while he and Sulu finish their task. As they check out the photo section, an alert goes off sending authorities to check it out. When Kirk sees the men enter, he makes a distraction so Sulu can safely beam aboard with all the reports. Kirk is arrested however and is questioned by the sargeant. Christopher knows where Kirk is being held but refuses to help unless he goes with them. Spock reluctantly agrees. Spock, Sulu and Chrstopher beam down and find Kirk. But when Kirk signals to beam up, Christopher pulls a gun and says he is not going.
Act 4-Christopher is adamant but Spock comes from behind and nerve pinches him. On the ship, Spock has formulated a theory on how to solve their problems. By using a sling shot effect around the sun, they will be sent into another time warp. As they move faster they will go back to the day before they appeared in the sky. When they break free they will it will be as if nothing ever happened and they will return Christoper and the sergeant at a point before they were taken (dear god this makes so little sense I couldn't even type it). Then they will remain in the time warp until they reach their correct time, assuming it doesn't tear the engines apart first. The gambit works. Christopher and the sergeant are returned with no memory of what happened, and the Enterprise safe returns to the 23rd century a little banged up but no worse for wear.
Final Thoughts:So is this a good episode or bad? It's really good, you just have to kind of accept the plot holes that come along. Yesterday the plot holes were so stupid it hurt the episode. Here, yeah they're there but the story still works and the characters make the show fun.Like Christopher's first reaction to Spock or Kirk and Sulu amused while they search the airforce base or even the silly scene where the sergeant is surprised to get chicken soup. And of course the classic scene of the officer grilling Kirk, something mirrored years later in Star Trek IV. That's why the episode is memorable and fun to watch.
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