[TOS] The City on the Edge of Forever

[TOS] Season 1, Episode 28 (Netflix: S1 E29): The City on the Edge of Forever

Rating: 5

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Essential Star Trek. Not only does this episode provide a thoroughly entertaining ride, it subverts expectations in a number of ways unusual to the original series. It’s one of the first layers Trek adds to color it’s idealistic premise. The plot is expertly structured to maximize the arrival of Bones, who has numerous great scenes. Kirk is also put in a genuinely troubling position, having to make a choice the viewer has a visceral connection to.

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Read more at Memory Alpha

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Notes:

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Bones accidentally stabs himself with cordrazine!

It makes him crazy!

Bones is on the loose! I guess Bones has his own knock-out combo

They meet a nice time portal thing that calls itself the Guardian of Forever

Bones goes through to the past!

Bones must have changed something in the past! Enterprise is no longer there!

Spock has a plan to go back a little earlier than when Bones arrived, but it’s hard to plan for an exact time. This creates a situation where Kirk and Spock arrive and have time to prepare for Bones’s arrival. It makes for good build up to Bones showing up.

Hey maybe Scotty or Uhura should’ve gone instead of Spock. You know, someone who isn’t an alien. But then I guess we’d miss out on all the banter these two have.

Spock and Kirk assault a police officer and steal clothes

It’s Joan Collins. She can tell when Kirk lies. That makes it difficult to tell her what they’re up to, and where they’re from

Kirk tells a guy to shut up

File under: Jerk Kirk

Kirk and Spock have to work to pay for parts to build something that can tell them what needs to happen

Bones arrives!!

They set up Keeler as being like-minded to Kirk. She’s presented as being ahead of her time, an idealist, dreaming of a future where people explore the stars instead of fight in wars. It almost seems like she’s a window into the writer’s views, but it turns out better than that.