Star Trek

The City on the Edge of Forever

Season 1, Episode 28, Aired 4/6/67

Episode Summary

Kirk and Spock must travel into the past in order to prevent a deranged McCoy from altering history... and eradicating their own past.

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Cast & Crew

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William Shatner

Captain James Tiberius Kirk
Leonard Nimoy

Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley

Dr. Leonard Horatio "Bones" McCoy

Fan Episode Reviews (19)

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The Star Trek franchise's greatest episode, bar none!

10

"Perfect"

By bk9net, Nov 20, 2011 Report Abuse

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the best episode of the Star Trek franchise - that includes the other Star Trek series that followed in the 80s and beyond.

"City on the Edge of Forever" combines so many wonderful and riveting elements - time travel; the fate of not only Earth on the line - but the universe; and a heart-wrenching love story involving a choice that no one should ever have to make, that between saving someone you love versus saving billions and billions of people.

"City" is crackerjack from the start, with the first quarter of the episode on the ship and a planet having a strange ancient, abandoned civilization - as well as the mysterious time portal called the Guardian of Forever.

It has a terrifying and unique "Captain's Log" entry from Kirk, i.e., "Captain's log - NO star date - for us, time does not exist". All history has been changed by Dr McCoy, who has gone back in time to 1930s Earth.

By the time Kirk and Spock miraculously track him down in the past, Kirk has fallen head over heels for a woman, Edith Keeler, and is ready to live his life in the past, with her, until Spock finds out that Edith must die to set the "future" straight.

It all leads to a horrific traffic accident in which she dies - an accident that Kirk could have prevented if not for Spock's haunting words, earlier in the episode, "Do as your heart says, and millions of people..." who were never meant to die, will do so.

Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley are top-notch, as is Joan Collins. Yes, THAT Joan Collins, from "Dynasty" and an assortment of B-movies. She's utterly wonderful, despite her British accent being out of place in 1930s New York City.

Some Trek episodes come close to the greatness of "City", but fans of the original Trek know that "City" is an episode that they can watch and cry over, over and over.

As Kirk says at the end of the episode, once "all time is restored" ... "let's get the hell out of here...".moreless

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Kirk and Spock travel to 1930s Earth to save Dr. McCoy and the timeline.

10

"Perfect"

By Celedorian, Nov 20, 2011 Report Abuse

This is almost universally accepted as the greatest episode of the original series and is sometimes cited as the best installment of any Star Trek series. Based on a story by Harlan Ellison with a tight script by Gene Coon, the episode has a cinematic quality that gives it a feature film sort of feel. Joan Collins gives the greatest performance of any of the "Star Trek babes" to guest star on the original series while William Shatner gives, perhaps, his best performance ever. This episode has it all: airtight story, great acting, great special effects, and a more universal appeal than most Star Trek episodes. It's certainly a high point for Trek in the 60s.moreless

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2 0
After being accidentally overdosed with a medical treatment, a hysterical Dr. McCoy beams down to a strange planet and leaps through a time portal. While back in time he inadvertently changes the course of history. Can Kirk and Spock set things right?moreless

9.5

"Superb"

By meathead704, Oct 03, 2011 Report Abuse

"The City on the Edge of Forever" is in my opinion the best episode of Star Trek. The story of Kirk, Spock and McCoy's journey to 20th century Earth is fascinating from the very beginning and keeps the viewer's interest hooked throughout. What's also very good in this episode is how it is shown how man's actions can effect the course of time and what events occur. Edith Keeler's hopes and dreams for peace are noble, but what impact will they have on the world? This is one of the fascinating ideas this episode presents. There are many great episodes of Star Trek but you will not find another better than this.moreless

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1 0
A time-traveling Trek....

10

"Perfect"

By uk6strings, Mar 19, 2011 Report Abuse

"The City On The Edge Of Forever" is one of the most well written and well handled time-travel stories in Star Trek history - far better than any of the original Star Trek series episodes and especially better than the original Star Trek films. There is real warmth, sadness, humor, suspense, and everything in-between in this episode - a well-rounded, character centered, thought-provoking Trek best. The acting is great: Leonard Nimoy and DeForest Kelly are up to their usual high standards, guest star Joan Collins is sublime, and William Shatner is especially at an acting level that hasn't been seen since. It is episodes like this one that makes the Star Trek franchise such a cut above most other TV shows.moreless

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One Life Matters

10

"Perfect"

By sh811a, Nov 30, 2010 Report Abuse

This episode is not just my favorate Star Trek episode ever but it's one of my favorate episodes of TV in general, whether your a fan or not it's a story you'll never forget.

There is not much I can really say that hasn't already been said. Sci-Fi writer legend Harlan Ellison always knew how to mix both sci-fi and human emotion well, it wasn't just a well conceived concept of time travel it's really by it's nature a romantic tragidy. Kirk I really felt was at his emotional best, we really do feel humanity flow though him. And his relationship with Edith Keeler is believable both do have great chemestry, it's also the first time Kirk has ever really been in love. Sure Kirk has had interplays with plenty of women but they never really went very far.

The Edith Keeler character is a psychc that you actually really like and care about due to her warm sweet persona and intelgence, she is very much a person ahead of her time which is how both Kirk and her bond so well because he is a person that is from that time she predicted.

And all that is part of what make the episode all the more tragic, when Kirk is faced with the gut wrenching uthinism dilema to save the future and billions of lives one must die.

The ending I'll admit is one of the most heartbreaking and haunting endings I've ever seen that litterally put tears in my eyes. One person really does matter because one can touch so many, Edith touched Kirk's heart and ours.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- What happened to Spock's superior Vulcan hearing? He was only a few feet away when McCoy first enters the mission and talks to Edith. Edit
- Why does Spock "borrow" the fine tools by picking the lock instead of just asking permission? Edith Keeler already knew that he was working on a "radio" on his off-hours, was there some reason he thought she wouldn't let him use them? Edit
- The Guardian says it can only display the passage of time at a fixed rate. Fair enough, most VCRs only fast forward at one speed. But why can't it start at any given point? Once they've determined the speed it displays at, why not just tell it, "Start at 1900" and time from there? Instead the implication is it can only start displaying at the same single point over and over. If its users wanted to view the last days of a million-year-old civilizaton, this must have been very inefficient for such an advanced race. Edit
Notes
ADD NOTES
- Ellison's first draft was written in 1966 when only the first two pilots had been produced. In this version, a crewman called Beckwith, suffering from drug addiction, travels back in time. Kirk and crew pursue him, meeting Edith, an innocent who would kill herself if she knew her destiny. Spock prevents Edith's rescue. Ellison's story won the Writer's Guild of America award for Outstanding Dramatic Episode Teleplay in 1967-68. The Transmitted episode was a final rewrite by Gene Roddenberry, it won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1968. Edit
- In the 2008 Emmy Awards, history being changed due to the time travel, was in the list of the Most Memorable Drama TV Moments. However, it didn't make it to the top 5. Edit
- This episode is listed on the Star Trek: Captain's Log Fan Collective DVD box set as being William Shatner's favorite episode. Edit
Quotes
ADD QUOTES
- McCoy: This looks like old Earth around 1920 or '25. Edith Keeler: Would you care to try for '30? McCoy: I am unconscious, or demented. Edith Keeler: I have a friend that talks about Earth the same way that you do. Would you like to meet him? McCoy: I'm a surgeon, not a psychiatrist. Edit
- Edith Keeler: I still have a few questions I'd like to ask about you two. Oh, and don't give me that "questions about little old us?" look. You know how out of place you are around here. Spock: Interesting. Where would you estimate we belong, Miss Keeler? Edith Keeler: You? At his side, as if you've always been there and always will. (to Jim) And you... you belong... in another place. I don't know where or how. I'll figure it out eventually. Spock: I'm finished with the furnace. Edith Keeler: "Captain." Even when he doesn't say it, he does. Edit
- Spock: Captain, I must have some platinum. A small block would be sufficient--5 or 6 pounds. By passing certain circuits through there to be used as a duodynetic field core... Kirk: Mr. Spock, I've brought you some assorted vegetables, baloney and a hard roll for myself, and I've spent the other 9/10ths of our combined salaries for the last three days on filling this order for you. This bag doesn't contain platinum, silver, or gold, nor is it likely to in the near future. Spock: Captain, you're asking me to work with equipment which is hardly very far ahead of stone knives and bearskins. Edit
Allusions
ADD ALLUSIONS
- Kirk: Well... we'll steal from the rich and give back to the poor later. This paraphrases a line attributed to Robin Hood, a fictional folk hero from old England and the subject of numerous books, films and television shows. Edit

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