The City On The Edge of Forever

[Too Much Fun]

The worst offenders for "love interest of the week" in my opinion were the nonsense between Spock and Droxine in "The Cloud Minders" and McCoy/Natira in "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky."

I hate to bring up this episode, but I can't think of a worse 'love interest of the week' than whoever Jadzia wants to throw her life away for in "Meridian" (forgot the guy's name). It was much more convincing when she wanted to leave her whole life behind to be with someone knowing there would be serious dangers and consequences involved in "Re-Joined".

As for "The City on the Edge of Forever", I disagree that how quickly it happens makes the romance in that episodes unconvincing. I think they did as good a job as they possibly could doing that within the constraints of a 45 minute television episode.

And I don't know how anyone could not find the ending powerful, with someone having to let this woman he adores die when he knows he could have saved her. I was charmed by Keeler's kindness and idealism, so it was easy for me to understand why Kirk would adore her for that too.

 

[MikeS]

Beautiful episode. Made all the better through no magical-reset-button-happy-ending. A true Trek classic.

And why can't a man fall in love with a woman within a week? I know I have. Her ideals and her values spoke deeply to Kirk. Then he finds out she must die. The scene where she dies is beautifully portrayed without being graphic. McCoy, Kirks friend, shouting, thinking he's lost his mind. The unemotional Spock, truly feeling his friends' pain.

On another note, what happens to the phaser that the bum destroys himself with? I don't think it would be destroyed along with him. Perhaps it was found by the CIA...

 

[TheKeeper]

We were lucky to get some indication that City's events took place over a week. By the third season, characters were falling bat-sh-- crazy in love in a matter of hours (looking at you, Methuselah and Yesterdays! )

 

[Timewalker]

On another note, what happens to the phaser that the bum destroys himself with? I don't think it would be destroyed along with him. Perhaps it was found by the CIA...

That seems to be a forgotten story element, much like the poor little Borg baby in Voyager.

However, someone wrote a wonderful essay in Best of Trek called "The Disappearing Bum" where he speculated that the bum's death is why there is no Star Trek the TV show when Kirk and Janeway visit the late 20th century (in 1984 and 1996, respectively). The author suggests that the bum had a family to support, and when he didn't come home, they thought he had abandoned them. The oldest son then had to take on the responsibility of feeding his mother and siblings... and later in life, he continued the life of crime started during the Depression years. He ended up in Los Angeles, and happened to meet up with a certain police officer... and killed him. The police officer was Gene Roddenberry (as GR was once a police officer), and since he was killed before he ever thought of Star Trek, that's why Kirk and Janeway weren't beset by hordes of fans!

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The phaser clearly is destroyed along with the bum.

This is the best Star Trek story ever. Period.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

This has and will always remain my favorite Trek, both the filmed version and the original teleplay by Harlan Ellison. And, as I've prattled about many times over, I prefer the ending in the original teleplay because it says so much more about humanity than any of Roddenberry's pedestrian polemic speeches that were shoehorned in a great many episodes. More importantly, it shows it rather than hits us over the head with any "message."


Kirk, our hero, is paralyzed by indecision, unable to save the love of his life. Beckwith, the villain, is seized by a fleeting moment of "humanity" and attempts to save Keeler. It is only the alien, driven by logic, that does what must be done in the end, allowing Keeler to perish.

We are flawed, inconsistent creatures, and that ending demonstrates that brilliantly without the polemic.

 

[Timewalker]

I've read Harlan Ellison's script, and if it had not been intended as a Star Trek episode, it would have made a fine movie.

But Gene Roddenberry's major objection, as I understand it, was that Beckwith was a drug dealer - and he didn't want drug dealers aboard the Enterprise.

 

[scotpens]

Best Trek Ever. . . They're on location (40 Acres), so at least it's not bottled up.

Parts of the episode were shot outdoors on the Culver City "Forty Acres" lot, but not on location. "On location" means outside the studio.

Sorry, didn't mean to be anal (you should pardon the expression).

 

[scotpens]

. . . Gene Roddenberry's major objection, as I understand it, was that Beckwith was a drug dealer - and he didn't want drug dealers aboard the Enterprise.

IIRC, in Ellison's original teleplay, Beckwith was selling a drug called "jewels of sound" to the Enterprise crew. Sounds like an oldies collection.

. . . I prefer the ending in the original teleplay because it says so much more about humanity than any of Roddenberry's pedestrian polemic speeches that were shoehorned in a great many episodes.

Kirk, our hero, is paralyzed by indecision, unable to save the love of his life. Beckwith, the villain, is seized by a fleeting moment of "humanity" and attempts to save Keeler. It is only the alien, driven by logic, that does what must be done in the end, allowing Keeler to perish.

And that ending would have been perfect if TCOTEOF had been a TV-movie or a one-shot episode of an anthology. But as a Trek story, it had to fit into the show's continuity. Kirk MUST sacrifice his personal happiness to prevent history from being changed. He's the hero, after all -- that's his job!

 

[Mistreaper]

It is one of the best Trek tos of all time to me.

 

[Too Much Fun]

The last time I watched it, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell the bum was using. I thought an original series phaser looked like a gun. That device didn't look like the "Star Trek" phaser or any other device I'd ever seen on that show, yet it could vaporize someone like a phaser, and unlike a phaser, it vaporized the person holding it when discharged. Wtf?

 

[Timewalker]

Handguns come in lots of different sizes, depending on their intended function, right? Same with phasers. Sometimes you really don't want anybody to know you've got one.

And the reason the bum disappeared is because he accidentally set the phaser on "overload" and didn't know enough to let go of it.

 

[scotpens]

The last time I watched it, I couldn't help but wonder what the hell the bum was using. I thought an original series phaser looked like a gun. That device didn't look like the "Star Trek" phaser or any other device I'd ever seen on that show, yet it could vaporize someone like a phaser, and unlike a phaser, it vaporized the person holding it when discharged. Wtf?

IIRC, the bum picked up McCoy's Type 1 phaser, the small, easily concealed limited-range model that looks like an electric shaver. The more powerful Type 2 phaser, normally worn in plain sight on a weapons belt, consists of a Type 1 combined with a pistol-like device.

. . . And the reason the bum disappeared is because he accidentally set the phaser on "overload" and didn't know enough to let go of it.

Yes, that was obvious from the "phaser overload" sound effect dubbed into the scene. That phaser sure overloaded quickly, though. From "The Cage" and "The Conscience of the King," I was under the impression that once a phaser is set to overload, it takes a couple of minutes to build up enough of a charge to self-destruct.

 

[buckeyenation]

Quite possibly Trek's finest hour.They are more action packed episodes to be sure, but this one has such a dark undertone (apart from the rice picker story, that oddly enough, also happened to me) it makes up for lack of action.Ever notice, though, Kirk and Spock get busted by a cop for stealing clothes, and get busted by Edith Keeler for lying and breaking into that toolbox. For two smart guys, that's pretty bad!

 

[trevanian]

Ever notice, though, Kirk and Spock get busted by a cop for stealing clothes, and get busted by Edith Keeler for lying and breaking into that toolbox. For two smart guys, that's pretty bad!

"Miss Keeler -- You're not exactly catching us at our best."

 

[Destructor]

Count me in as a fan. I would play this as an example of 'best Trek there is'.

 

[A beaker full of death]

I thought an original series phaser looked like a gun.

Just like the Phasers in several of the movies and some of the ones in TNG, Phaser 1 fit into phaser 2.

http://www.dreadnaught-industries.com/star_trek_resin_props.htm

 

[A beaker full of death]

Ever notice, though, Kirk and Spock get busted by a cop for stealing clothes, and get busted by Edith Keeler for lying and breaking into that toolbox. For two smart guys, that's pretty bad!

"Miss Keeler -- You're not exactly catching us at our best."

My friend is obviously.... chinese.

Absolutely brilliant delivery, all the way through mechanical rice picker.

 

[scotpens]

My friend is obviously.... chinese.

Absolutely brilliant delivery, all the way through mechanical rice picker.

What makes that scene so funny is that Kirk is trying to B.S. his way through the situation, improvising an elaborate and ridiculous explanation for Spock's unusual appearance, and the cop couldn't care less! All the cop cares about is that he caught two guys red-handed stealing clothes.

Minor anachronism: Edith's line about going to see a “Clark Gable movie.” This is supposed to be 1930, when Gable was still a little-known bit-player. The picture that made him a famous star was Red Dust, co-starring Jean Harlow, in 1932.

 

[trevanian]

My friend is obviously.... chinese.

Absolutely brilliant delivery, all the way through mechanical rice picker.

What makes that scene so funny is that Kirk is trying to B.S. his way through the situation, improvising an elaborate and ridiculous explanation for Spock's unusual appearance, and the cop couldn't care less! All the cop cares about is that he caught two guys red-handed stealing clothes.

Minor anachronism: Edith's line about going to see a “Clark Gable movie.” This is supposed to be 1930, when Gable was still a little-known bit-player. The picture that made him a famous star was Red Dust, co-starring Jean Harlow, in 1932.

Makes me wonder if our folks just ignored Kellam Deforest, who would most certainly have caught this goof. She could have said she was going to see a 'talkie' and been true to the period.

As to the rice picker stuff, there was still a certain broadness to comedy at that time (all you have to do is look at the tag scenes in BONANZA, to which TOS at times bears amazingly strong resemblance), and it was just another TOS virtue that a number of it castmembers had the flare for it and had folks who could write that stuff for them. I attribute a lot of that to Coon, but obviously others got into the act as well (I'm guessing, "I don't want to, Jim" and that whole bit from THIS SIDE OF PARADISE is all DC Fontana.)