Tomorrow is Yesterday

[Six of Twelve]

This was one of my favorite TOS episodes as a kid when it first viewed, and it's still in my top five as an adult. I just don't look too closely at how they accomplished the time travel in order to enjoy this episode.

GREG COX: What is the name of your book that is a sequel to this episode? I'd like to read it.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Yeah, I really liked "Tomorrow Is Yesterday" as a kid, too. It was tremendous fun for Star Trek to branch out into the real world, as it were.

 

[somebuddyX]

I never saw TOS as a kid but I got the Chronology when I was a kid and loved the photos of the Enterprise flying in the clouds.

 

[Trekfan12]

This was one of my favorite TOS episodes as a kid when it first viewed, and it's still in my top five as an adult. I just don't look too closely at how they accomplished the time travel in order to enjoy this episode.

GREG COX: What is the name of your book that is a sequel to this episode? I'd like to read it.

I'd like to know what book Greg wrote too, also what story Warlord wrote as well.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I think he means The Rings of Time by @Greg Cox.

 

[UnknownSample]

About these criticisms... talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. This is one of the classics.
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NO time travel makes sense. Time travel is probably impossible. This method is not especially nonsensical compared to others. At least the slingshot bears some superficial similarity to some scientific principles. However, the 24th century sort of thing, such as "We travelled in time because there were chroniton particles all over the place" is not just nonsense, it's dull.
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As some have said, they didn't beam people back into themselves. For the subjects, they experienced some beaming, then the beaming ceased, without the process having been completed. They've been beamed back into their own personal time streams at an earlier point, so the Enterprise events never happened for them anymore. There is a certain amount of smoke and mirrors in any sort of time travel, since it's apparently not possible. At least this way is interesting and makes you want to take it all apart, to figure out how it works. If you do it falls apart, but no worse than other time travel episodes.

 

[Mytran]

TIY is a character driven, fun story that I enjoy.

But as regards the "beaming into yourself" - whether you believe that the 2 men were dissipated as molecules or magically merged into their earlier selves, the fact remains that nothing remains in their memories of their time on board the Enterprise. The versions of themselves that experienced espionage, Vulcans and chicken soup are gone, forever. If that state of terminal non-being doesn't represent death, I don't know what does.

What it boils down to is that Capt Christopher and the guard should have been returned to their original timeline before Kirk took off for his jaunt around the sun, not after. Once he had left that timeline, their doom was set...

 

[Tenacity]

How could Christopher and the sergeant of been returned to their original places in time before Kirk left orbit? Christopher was beamed out of his disintegrating aircraft a day (or more?) before. The sergeant had been aboard the ship for hours.

 

[Vger23]

About these criticisms... talk about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. This is one of the classics.
----------------
NO time travel makes sense. Time travel is probably impossible. This method is not especially nonsensical compared to others. At least the slingshot bears some superficial similarity to some scientific principles. However, the 24th century sort of thing, such as "We travelled in time because there were chroniton particles all over the place" is not just nonsense, it's dull.
-------------------------
As some have said, they didn't beam people back into themselves. For the subjects, they experienced some beaming, then the beaming ceased, without the process having been completed. They've been beamed back into their own personal time streams at an earlier point, so the Enterprise events never happened for them anymore. There is a certain amount of smoke and mirrors in any sort of time travel, since it's apparently not possible. At least this way is interesting and makes you want to take it all apart, to figure out how it works. If you do it falls apart, but no worse than other time travel episodes.

Then this is another example of "We give this episode / movie a pass because (insert contrived reason based solely on my personal ability to enjoy it and not be biased about it because of it's origins / makers/ timeframe /etc here), while we will mercilessly pummel other Trek episodes / movies for having highly suspect plots / science / continuity etc.

It's cool...I like TIY as well (I pretty much like anything from TOS), but I think when viewed objectively, it's a total nonsensical hot mess.

I just always find it interesting how some people can forgive certain productions despite how absolutely ridiculous and flawed the concept and execution are while others are skewered mercilessly for (perhaps) even less egregious infractions.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

What it boils down to is that Capt Christopher and the guard should have been returned to their original timeline before Kirk took off for his jaunt around the sun, not after. Once he had left that timeline, their doom was set...

How could Christopher and the sergeant of been returned to their original places in time before Kirk left orbit? Christopher was beamed out of his disintegrating aircraft a day (or more?) before. The sergeant had been aboard the ship for hours.

The Enterprise crew was going to change history so that there was no UFO in the Enterprise timeline. Instead of killing the two, they would have at least lived on in their own timeline in which they were apparently abducted and returned by a UFO that left no other physical evidence except a destroyed USAF interceptor. How they were going to change the timeline without the magic transporter so that there was no UFO is another matter.

 

[Mytran]

How could Christopher and the sergeant of been returned to their original places in time before Kirk left orbit? Christopher was beamed out of his disintegrating aircraft a day (or more?) before. The sergeant had been aboard the ship for hours.

Ah, no; what I meant was return them to Earth to continue in their lives a few hours (or days) after their abduction. Since the Enterprise was going to zip back in time and then either proceed along a new divergent timeline (many-timelines model) or rewrite history altogether (single timeline model) there really was no need to keep either man on board.

The Enterprise crew was going to change history so that there was no UFO in the Enterprise timeline. Instead of killing the two, they would have at least lived on in their own timeline in which they were apparently abducted and returned by a UFO that left no other physical evidence except a destroyed USAF interceptor. How they were going to change the timeline without the magic transporter so that there was no UFO is another matter.

What I think happened is that the transporter beam twinklies distracted the planebound Capt Christopher enough so that the version of the Enterprise he was following had sufficient time to escape. Once that Capt Christopher was sparkle-free, it seemed to him that UFO had simply vanished - in truth, he could have continued his pursuit and captured it on film (again) if he had so wished.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Twinkles and sparkles!

 

[UnknownSample]

How could Christopher and the sergeant of been returned to their original places in time before Kirk left orbit? Christopher was beamed out of his disintegrating aircraft a day (or more?) before. The sergeant had been aboard the ship for hours.

Because the slingshot involved going back in time (as they approached the sun fast and close in, I believe), before they started forward again, shooting away from the Sun, again close in and fast. The Enterprise was back in time at that point when the original beam outs occurred.

 

[UnknownSample]

Then this is another example of "We give this episode / movie a pass because (insert contrived reason based solely on my personal ability to enjoy it and not be biased about it because of it's origins / makers/ timeframe /etc here), while we will mercilessly pummel other Trek episodes / movies for having highly suspect plots / science / continuity etc.

It's cool...I like TIY as well (I pretty much like anything from TOS), but I think when viewed objectively, it's a total nonsensical hot mess.

I just always find it interesting how some people can forgive certain productions despite how absolutely ridiculous and flawed the concept and execution are while others are skewered mercilessly for (perhaps) even less egregious infractions.

As if the ultimate way to judge drama is by nitpicking the fake science, with human concerns, mood, humor, drama, all taking a distant second place. It's all fake science. Are you prepared to junk all your favorite 24th century time travel stories? Because they make no more sense. You have to ignore all the massive contradictions just to make time travel "work" at ALL.
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You're combining the whole board into one poster, in a way. I don't pick apart the details of other episodes as you talk about.

 

[Mytran]

For myself, I am inclined to be far more forgiving of the fake science if the story itself is good.

However, finding reasons to justify even the flakier episodes (Alternative Factor, Mark of Gideon) can be fun and rewarding in itself!

 

[Greg Cox]

I think he means The Rings of Time by @Greg Cox.

Yep, that's the one!

 

[plynch]

This has always been a pretty forgettable ep for me.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I thought it was fun to see the characters interact with modern society and vice versa. I'm not bothered by the wonky time travel logic.

 

[Tenacity]

Let's try this, The Enemy Within was the 5th episode produced, Tomorrow is Yesterday was the 21st episode produced. In The Enemy Within two separated Kirks were beamed into a single common body.

Is it possible that that procedure is basically what we saw with Christopher and the sergeant?

In the case of Christopher, he was in his aircraft and after a brief glimpse of the Enterprise, there was nothing. Christopher suddenly "remembers" the events of the next day (or so), but he also remembers never being out of his aircraft. The integrated memories of the two Christophers are just as real.

From the perspective of the Air Force, Christopher was in contact with the ground every few seconds.

KIRK: If the Captain feels duty bound to report what he saw, there won't be any evidence to support him.
CHRISTOPHER: That makes me out to be either a liar or a fool.
KIRK: Perhaps.

This dialog from Kirk states that Kirk fully expect Christopher to remember his time on the Enterprise.

With the sergeant, he patrolled a corridor to a point outside the statistical services office, suddenly he "remember" the next several hours. Seeing a light in the office, confronting two men, being in a strange room, being served soup. But he also distinctly remembers that he just walked up the corridor a few seconds before.

No missing time, no erased memories. Both men remember being on the ship, but they both also remember never being out of their "here and now."

Does this work?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Let's try this, The Enemy Within was the 5th episode produced, Tomorrow is Yesterday was the 21st episode produced. In The Enemy Within two separated Kirks were beamed into a single common body.

Is it possible that that procedure is basically what we saw with Christopher and the sergeant?

In the case of Christopher, he was in his aircraft and after a brief glimpse of the Enterprise, there was nothing. Christopher suddenly "remembers" the events of the next day (or so), but he also remembers never being out of his aircraft. The integrated memories of the two Christophers are just as real.

From the perspective of the Air Force, Christopher was in contact with the ground every few seconds.

KIRK: If the Captain feels duty bound to report what he saw, there won't be any evidence to support him.
CHRISTOPHER: That makes me out to be either a liar or a fool.
KIRK: Perhaps.

This dialog from Kirk states that Kirk fully expect Christopher to remember his time on the Enterprise.

With the sergeant, he patrolled a corridor to a point outside the statistical services office, suddenly he "remember" the next several hours. Seeing a light in the office, confronting two men, being in a strange room, being served soup. But he also distinctly remembers that he just walked up the corridor a few seconds before.

No missing time, no erased memories. Both men remember being on the ship, but they both also remember never being out of their "here and now."

Does this work?

I proposed this upthread, but didn't follow through with a complete analysis like this. It still doesn't answer all of the questions the episode raises, such as how they were able to actually change history, but I think it works for the transporter well enough as a humane thing to do with the people they beamed up.