Return to Tomorrow

Season 2, Episode 20, Aired
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Episode Summary

The Enterprise discovers three discorporate intelligences who seek their help in gaining physical bodies... but one of them has plans of his own.
7.8
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Fan Episode Reviews (4)

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  • Kirk, McCoy, and Dr. Anne Mulhall allow the last survivor's of a lost civilization to borrow their bodies.

    7.5
    "Good"
    By Celedorian, Dec 06, 2010 Report Abuse
    The premise of this episode has aliens to take over the bodies of three Enterprise crewmembers. Two of them are Kirk and Spock, which allows William Shatner and especially Leonard Nimoy to flex their acting muscles. The other is the young pretty Dr. Ann Mulhall, played by guest star Diana Muldaur; because of the Mulhall's alien possession, Muldaur gets to play two different characters as well. All three are superb and sell the presence of the aliens, with Muldaur being one of the best female guest stars the original Trek ever cast. The score for the episode, by George Duning (Star Trek's "sensitive" composer who also did Metamorphosis), is fantastic, too. Sometimes the story drags a bit while the cat and mouse game between the aliens develops, but overall it's a pretty good episode.moreless

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    1 0

  • Kirk, Spock and a female crewmember are approached by a powerful, body-less alien being, who wants to borrow their bodies so that he and two others of his kind may construct android bodies to inhabit. An episode that was much better than I expected...moreless

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By Jay-Spacedust, Dec 06, 2010 Report Abuse
    This is another one of those episodes that I went into not expecting very much from, but to my pleasant surprise it turned out be a very enjoyable story.
    I am surprised that the episode is not rated very high, as in my opinion it is one of the far better episodes down the latter end of the second season.

    I find the title to be rather misleading and generic "Return to Tomorrow" makes it sound like a time-travel episode to me, and I don't think it suits the episode all that well.

    Anyway, the story itself is relatively simple but a good one. I think they were right to not cram too much in, and instead concentrate on the interesting plight of Sargon, who wants to create an android body to inhabit.

    There is a strange moment as Kirk prepares to beam down to the planet, when he says that he doesn't want to risk Spock beaming down too in case the ship needs him. This is fine and perfectly logical except that both Kirk and Spock (and McCoy) both beam down in 99% of stories anyway!

    Dr. Anne Mulhall in many ways comes across as the 'token female crewmember' of the week. There have been a number of such characters before in various episodes, and there would be again. That said, Diana Muldaur plays the part very well, and succeeds in making Mulhall seem familiar and not just a one-off character.
    (Diana Muldaur, of course, would go on to play Dr. Katherine Pulaski in the second season of 'Star Trek: The Next Generation'.)

    Unlike some other reviewers, I didn't particularly find this story to be a rehash of earlier ideas. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded; I knew that something in Sargon's plan would go bad, but enjoyed finding out what exactly.

    All-in-all, I found this an enjoyable and interesting story, and am surprised more people don't like it. It is certainly one of the better instalments from this end of the second season.moreless

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    2 0

  • Dull, dull, dull ...

    5.5
    "Mediocre"
    By peck2000, Dec 06, 2010 Report Abuse
    This episode followed a well-worn groove when it came to setting up ST storylines. It all seems so familar, not because the basic idea has been used before, but because we've seen the plot devices so many times.

    Introduce a female crewmember who will trigger the storyline then be disposed of at the end. In this case it's Dr Anne Mulhall (played by Diane Muldaur), but it's been done before - Marla McGivers (Madlyn Rhue) in "The Space Seed" and Elinor Donahue (Commissioner Nancy Hedford) in "Metamorphosis". Add to the mix one or more super powerful aliens - Apollo (Michael Forest) in "Who Mourns for Adonais?", Korob (Theodore Marcuse) in "Catspaw" and any number of others.

    Enterprise crew members taken over by a sinister outside influence - "This Side of Paradise" and "Wolf in the Fold".

    It all results is a boring and over-familar episode. You could skip this one and miss nothing.moreless

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    3 5

  • After sharing consciousnesses together, Spock locks the door to his cabin when Nurse Chapel comes-a-knockin’

    6.0
    "Fair"
    By hrtonslv, Dec 25, 2006 Report Abuse
    It's comparison time between the 1970s and the 2000s again. I was really bored with this episode when I was young. Today I see it in a whole new light and even shed tears about the thought of Sargon and Feleca being able to hold each other again. This is one of many episodes in fact, that I see with a different set of eyes as an adult vs. a child. Kirk's speech in the briefing room was quite good and defined the whole series message very clearly. "That's why we're aboard her!"moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Anne Mulhall is a doctor in astro-biology, but is wearing red instead of a science/medical blue uniform. Edit
    • Kirk at first opposes Spock beaming down with him. After two seasons of always beaming the three most senior officers into any situation -- known, unknown or actively hostile -- it seems odd that here he's concerned with leaving the ship without its two senior officers. Edit
    • Why did Dr. Anne Mulhall smile when McCoy said his good metabolic rate is back to normal? Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • Guest star Diana Muldaur goes on to play another character in the season 3 episode "Is There No Truth in Beauty?" Edit
    • Diane Muldaur and Majel Barrett would later appear in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Manhunt" together. Edit
    • Diana Muldaur later became a series regular on Star Trek: The Next Generation. She played Dr. Pulaski for one season. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Thalassa/Mulhall: I require only your silence. Only you and I will know that Dr. Mulhall has not returned to her body. Isn't that wroth your captain's life? McCoy: I will not peddle flesh! I'm a physician! Thalassa/Mulhall: A physician? In contrast to what we are, you are a prancing, savage medicine man. You dare defy one you should be on your knees worshiping? Edit
    • Thalassa/Mulhall: Oblivion together does not frighten me, beloved. Promise we'll be together. Sargon/Kirk: I promise... beloved. Thalassa/Mulhall: Together, forever. Sargon/Kirk: Forever... beloved. Forever. Edit
    • Henoch/Spock: I'm surprised the Vulcans never conquered your race. McCoy: Vulcans worship peace above all, Henoch. Edit

  • Allusions

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