Friday, November 13, 2009

Top Ten Star Trek Episodes, the Original Series, No. 1


The City on the Edge of Forever, from season one, is the best original series Star Trek episode. It is probably the best episode of all the multiple series that would follow. It is considered one of the greatest television shows. Winner of the 1968 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, it was written by science fiction writer Harlan Ellison.

In the episode, the Enterprise orbits a planet which is sending out temporal energy. Dr. McCoy suffers a hypospray accident and goes mad. He transports to the planet. Captain Kirk leads an away team to find him. What they find is the "Guardian of Forever" a living machine which is portal to any point in time. McCoy runs through the portal and changes the timeline. The time he runs to is the Great Depression. Kirk and Spock decide to go through the portal to stop McCoy from changing the timeline.

The episode features Joan Collins as Edith Keeler, a woman that Kirk falls in love with. Her performance is charming and will probably be her best known role. There is humor. There is tragedy and sacrifice. Thee are lines of Star Trek's great optimism. This is one of the finest television shows ever made.

Here is "The City on the Edge of Forever."

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