All our yesterdays. Possibly the saddest Star Trek episode ever.

[GalaxyX]

Been watching the remastered TOS with my dad for the past month or so. We got to "All our yesterdays" today.

Watching Zarabeth's expression as she walked away from Spock and McCoy is possibly the saddest moment in all of Trek.

I hadn't seen this episode in a while, but it bothered me just as much as the first time I saw it.

 

[KirkSpockTOSFan]

Been watching the remastered TOS with my dad for the past month or so. We got to "All our yesterdays" today.

Watching Zarabeth's expression as she walked away from Spock and McCoy is possibly the saddest moment in all of Trek.

I hadn't seen this episode in a while, but it bothered me just as much as the first time I saw it.

I seen that episode quite a few times, its actually my second favorite episode from season 3. I agree its really sad that Zarabeth cant go back with Spock to his time. This episode reminds of the ending of The City Of The Edge Of Forever were Eidith Keeler dies and Kirk is dramatized by it. Those episodes seem so simlar in some ways.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Been watching the remastered TOS with my dad for the past month or so. We got to "All our yesterdays" today.

Watching Zarabeth's expression as she walked away from Spock and McCoy is possibly the saddest moment in all of Trek.

I hadn't seen this episode in a while, but it bothered me just as much as the first time I saw it.

Yes it is very sad.. to think of her by herself for years until death after spending such a short time with these companions.

This episode reminds of the ending of The City Of The Edge Of Forever were Eidith Keeler dies and Kirk is dramatized by it.

I think you mean "traumatized".

 

[Timewalker]

This episode reminds of the ending of The City Of The Edge Of Forever were Eidith Keeler dies and Kirk is dramatized by it.

I think you mean "traumatized".

This is the reason I never bought the BS of Kirk never having encountered a personal "no-win" scenario. Edith was Kirk's no-win scenario. He could either save her and condemn an entire universe to nonexistence, or let her die and therefore give up his soulmate for the sake of saving his universe's existence. He had absolutely no way to do both.

Spock could have stayed with Zarabeth, but in so doing, would have condemned McCoy to a lonely, bitter existence. The best Trek stories seem to have a common denominator of somebody always having to be sacrificed...

 

[DevilEyes]

All Our Yesterdays is one of my favorites, too, and really one of the saddest Trek episodes.

 

[number6]

This episode reminds of the ending of The City Of The Edge Of Forever were Eidith Keeler dies and Kirk is dramatized by it.

I think you mean "traumatized".

This is the reason I never bought the BS of Kirk never having encountered a personal "no-win" scenario. Edith was Kirk's no-win scenario. He could either save her and condemn an entire universe to nonexistence, or let her die and therefore give up his soulmate for the sake of saving his universe's existence. He had absolutely no way to do both.

Spock could have stayed with Zarabeth, but in so doing, would have condemned McCoy to a lonely, bitter existence. The best Trek stories seem to have a common denominator of somebody always having to be sacrificed...

Kirk never said he didn't encounter no win scenarios, merely that he didn't believe in them. One could take it literally or for the pompous bluster that statement obviously represents.

 

[seigezunt]

Maybe, but I think the ending of This Side of Paradise is the saddest moment.

 

[JiNX-01]

This episode reminds of the ending of The City Of The Edge Of Forever were Eidith Keeler dies and Kirk is dramatized by it.

I think you mean "traumatized".

...
Spock could have stayed with Zarabeth, but in so doing, would have condemned McCoy to a lonely, bitter existence. The best Trek stories seem to have a common denominator of somebody always having to be sacrificed...

Actually, McCoy's existence wouldn't have been all that lonely for long. Neither he nor Spock had been prepared by the atavachron to live in the ice age and would therefore probably die within weeks if not days.

 

[Tribbles]

It is really a sad episode, and I feel so badly for Zarabeth and Spock. I believe there's a book based on the episode about Zarabeth having Spock's child after that incident, so I tell myself that at least she had the baby for company. It's not much solace, however, because no mother would want a child condemned to such conditions, and, wow, delivering your own baby with no one to help must be really painful. Also, everytime she looked at the baby, she'd think of Spock and how she lost him, I'm sure. There really just isn't a way to make it a happy ending for the poor girl!

My favorite moment of the episode is when McCoy snaps one of his usual insults at Spock, and Spock gets crazy eyes for a second before hauling him up by the neck. Whoa! Maybe you want to find a sparring partner who can't break you in half so easily, Doctor...

 

[A beaker full of death]

Honorable mention:

No beach to walk on.

Only...that I was happy.

 

[GalaxyX]

City on the Edge of Forever and This Side of Paradise are pretty sad too, but this one beats them by a mile.

Edith Keeler died, and now doesn't remember a thing. Kirk was devastated, but he (eventually) could and did recover.

Same thing with the native indian woman. She died, therefore not remembering anything after the fact. Again, Kirk has his ship and his friends to help him recover, which he once again did.

Zarabeth was unjustly sent to that period of time. She got a taste of companionship for a couple of days, then was thrust back into loneliness for the rest of her life. The way she walked away at the end, totally defeated and demoralized. Pretty depressing ending if you ask me. I can't think of a worse ending in any Star Trek series episode (maybe DS9's "Hard Time")

 

[Timewalker]

It is really a sad episode, and I feel so badly for Zarabeth and Spock. I believe there's a book based on the episode about Zarabeth having Spock's child after that incident, so I tell myself that at least she had the baby for company. It's not much solace, however, because no mother would want a child condemned to such conditions, and, wow, delivering your own baby with no one to help must be really painful. Also, everytime she looked at the baby, she'd think of Spock and how she lost him, I'm sure. There really just isn't a way to make it a happy ending for the poor girl!

There is. It's called Yesterday's Son, by Ann Crispin. It's a decent story, but poor Zarabeth still doesn't get her happy ending - she's long-dead by the time Spock meets his son. The scene where they hold a long-delayed funeral for her is a real tear-jerker.

 

[Daddy Todd]

I believe there's a book based on the episode about Zarabeth having Spock's child after that incident...

There is. It's called Yesterday's Son, by Ann Crispin. It's a decent story, but poor Zarabeth still doesn't get her happy ending - she's long-dead by the time Spock meets his son. The scene where they hold a long-delayed funeral for her is a real tear-jerker.

And there's a sequel called Time for Yesterday, which kind of reads like a Star Trek/Darkover mash-up. I liked it!

Crispin was contracted to write another trilogy about Zar (Spock & Zarabeth's son) but it was canceled after she wrote the first draft of the first book. She was kind enough to e-mail me the draft several years ago. It was pretty short, but I liked where it was going. Maybe the project could be revived some day under a different editorial regime at Pocket...

 

[Ssosmcin]

This episode contains my favorite (pre-CGI) graphic in the series, one that would have been amazing had this been the final episode instead of Turnabout Intruder. The shot of Beta Niobe going nova and Sarpiedon being destroyed as the Enterprise warps away just in time. The music TOTALLY sells it, with the two note blast of horns from "Adonias" sounding after the smash cut to the exploding star, then third season sign-off music takes over. Outstanding, very memorable image which impacted me so much that I just don't get the same feeling watching the CGI version.

 

[buckeyenation]

well, for my money, city on the edge of forever is the saddest...all our yesterdays never was a favorite of mine to begin with. but mariette hartley sure does look good, though

 

[TheKeeper]

I love the scene where Spock finally confronts his loss of emotional control. He's confused and arguing with himself, while Zarabeth waits patiently in the foreground for the (inevitable?) resolution. Beautifully played.

I just can't get behind the rest of the episode, though.
- Beta Niobe is hours from going nova, and Starfleet sends one starship? To do what, exactly?
- When they land, Spock's tricorder doesn't detect any lifeforms, including the real Mr. Atoz?
- Spock is reverting to the savagery of Vulcans of 5,000 years ago? Why doesn't McCoy have any urges to build pyradmids or worship golden calves? Is it because they weren't "prepared" through the Atavachron? If so, shouldn't this "preparation" adapt people to live in their destination time? I could believe Spock would have reverted if he had been prepared, and not reverted if he hadn't been prepared, but the way it was done doesn't make sense.

I don't claim to be the sharpest tool in the shed, but I picked up on all of this while watching it as a child in the seventies. "Yesterdays" gave my WTF-ometer too much of a workout.

 

[Michael]

All Our Yesterdays is my favorite episode of the orginal Star Trek; for so many reasons, a lot of them already mentioned in this thread. I know, there are some flaws in the logic of this episode. The reverting of Spock's behaviour is quite dubious, for one thing. The 'Kirk trapped in the Middle Ages' storyline is also something I could do without.

But there's one thing that this episode has going for it and that's the relationship between Spock and McCoy. I love their scenes together. I'm also fascinated by the backstory of Zarabeth, who was sent back in time by a tyrant and is forced to spend the rest of her live in cold isolation. (It also helps that she is so skillfully portrayed by the beautiful Mariette Hartley.) In the end this episode tells us so much about Spock, one of the most intriguing characters in all of Trek. Only after he is sent back in time several millennia in the past and has lost the confines of his Vulcan logic he can find love and companionship. Talk about isolation, eh ...

Last but not least I'm also quite fond of the dreamlike, melancholic atmosphere that is created in this episode by the cinematographic imagery of the snowy past of Sarpeidon. In my opinion, All Our Yesterdays is one of the best looking episodes of the whole series.

As for how well this episode works as a series finale ... Live ssosmcin, I always felt that the last shot of the Enterprise escaping Beta Niobe going supernova had the quality of a good farewell for the series as a whole.

 

[Neutral Zone]

Out of the 'City on the Edge of Forever' and 'All Our Yesterdays' I would go for the first one but the other is damn close. In either case it was a no win situation for Kirk or Spock both had to sacrifice the women they had fallen in love with. As for sadness, I would say that both are equal.

 

[SeerSGB]

I think you mean "traumatized".

This is the reason I never bought the BS of Kirk never having encountered a personal "no-win" scenario. Edith was Kirk's no-win scenario. He could either save her and condemn an entire universe to nonexistence, or let her die and therefore give up his soulmate for the sake of saving his universe's existence. He had absolutely no way to do both.

Spock could have stayed with Zarabeth, but in so doing, would have condemned McCoy to a lonely, bitter existence. The best Trek stories seem to have a common denominator of somebody always having to be sacrificed...

Kirk never said he didn't encounter no win scenarios, merely that he didn't believe in them. One could take it literally or for the pompous bluster that statement obviously represents.

Well in City there is a "win" for Kirk, in that he saves McCoy and sets history to right. Fine he had to make a personal sacrifice, but he still "won" (to use a term) the mission.

 

[Ssosmcin]

I just can't get behind the rest of the episode, though.
- Beta Niobe is hours from going nova, and Starfleet sends one starship?

They were the "only ship in the quadrant."

- When they land, Spock's tricorder doesn't detect any lifeforms, including the real Mr. Atoz?

Spock was pointing it the wrong way.

- Spock is reverting to the savagery of Vulcans of 5,000 years ago? Why doesn't McCoy have any urges to build pyradmids or worship golden calves? ...the way it was done doesn't make sense.

Them crazy Vulcan's and their telepathy. He was probably feeling the barbaric vibes, like he felt the crybaby Vulcans on The Intrepid.

Needless to say, I made all that up.

I love how Scotty is always right by the phone throughout the episode when Kirk calls...until the very end. Kirk calls, Spock and McCoy have this 45 second conversation, we get back to Kirk who's still trying to reach him! How funny would it be to slightly edit this episode so it looks like Scotty took off and ditched them there?

"Scotty, are you still there?"
Cut to:

"F him!"