Trekipedia

The City on the Edge of Forever

Kirk and Spock go back in time to restore history.

• Stardate 3134.0
• Released 6 Apr 1967

While treating Sulu after an accident on the bridge, Dr. McCoy accidentally injects himself with an overdose of cordrazine, an experimental drug. In a delirious state, he transports down to the planet below, to which the Enterprise has come to investigate strange ripples in time. Beaming down with a landing party, Kirk and Spock discover a living machine known as the Guardian of Forever. When McCoy leaps through the machine’s portal, he vanishes into Earth‘s past. Due to something he does there, history is changed and the Enterprise ceases to exist. The stranded landing party personnel decide to try to undo what McCoy has done. Kirk and Spock leap through the device, into Depression-era New York City. There, Kirk meets and falls in love with Edith Keeler, a progressive social worker. Spock manages to use vintage 1930 equipment to construct a tricorder monitoring device, and while replaying footage from the machine, he discovers that Edith has two possible futures: she will either begin a pacifist movement that will delay U.S. entry into World War II long enough for Germany to win, or she will die in a traffic accident. She is the focal point in time to which Kirk and Spock have been drawn. In order for history to resume its course, Edith Keeler must die. Kirk commits the most difficult act of his life when he prevents McCoy from saving her. Returning through space and time, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy discover they succeeded, and history has been restored.

Written by Harlan Ellison
Directed by Joseph Pevney

Cast:

• Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner)
• Commander Spock (Leonard Nimoy)
• Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForrest Kelley)
• Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott (James Doohan)
• Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu (George Takei)
• Lieutenant Nyota Uhura (Nichelle Nichols)

Guest Cast:

• Edith Keeler (Joan Collins)
• Lieutenant Galloway (David L. Ross)
• Rodent (John Harmon)
• Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett)