Star Trek: The Original Series - "City on the Edge of Forever" Full Reaction!
Added 2024-01-12 18:00:05 +0000 UTCWatch along with your own copy of the episode by syncing up with me!
Comments
Bunny - great reaction, as always. Yeah, this one hits hard - just like Miramanee (that one always got me...) The author here was Harlan Ellison, a super-prominent scifi writer in the 60s and one of my mom's favorite authors. Some of his stuff gets pretty dark. One of his best titles is "I have no Mouth and I Must Scream." Yikes!
John DiGiantomasso
2024-09-01 04:25:44 +0000 UTCAs an "amateur historian" I've thought about the Pearl Harbor situation that you raise for years. And I came to the conclusion that a committed pacifist would have raised holy Hell about the oil embargo on Japan, and pointed out that the only workable response for Japan was war. Remember Keelee was meeting with FDR in 1936! So cancel the Embargo, let Japan overrun the Dutch East Indies and conquer all of China. Hitler takes out the UK. Japan occupies India and Australia, then moves to invade the USSR from the east while the pacifist US stays isolationist. Axis holds all Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa... the Western Hemusphere would be overrun last. Possible, at least in the sense that "anything is possible."
John DiGiantomasso
2024-09-01 04:20:06 +0000 UTCI didn't notice that happened but I will probably watch it again so I will remember to be on the lookout. Was it just me or did Joan Collins lose her shoe when she fell down the stairs?
William Terry
2024-01-30 19:03:11 +0000 UTCConsidered by many to be the best episode. Very cinematic.
Chas Summers
2024-01-24 02:01:37 +0000 UTCThank you!
bunnytails
2024-01-20 22:21:31 +0000 UTCSo I was gonna write some giant paragraph about what a huge episode this is in the STUniverse, a personal favourite of mine, was number 1 on (I think it was) TV Guide's top 50 list of best ST episodes, reportedly William Shatner's favourite episode, how well acted it was by both him and the the legendary Joan Collins as Edith Keeler, etc etc and now all I can think of is "Talking Butthole." 😆 Seriously though, top level shit right here. Tier 1 episode for me and, I suspect, for a lot of other folks for all the reasons I and others have mentioned. Obviously this one is all about Kirk and Keeler's relationship and rightly so, but I'll leave you with one of the lines that strikes me the most in this one: Spock: Interesting. And where would you estimate we belong, Miss Keeler? EK: You? At his side, as if you've always been there and always will. Right in the feels, man. If that doesn't describe Kirk and Spock's friendship I don't know what does 💕 Wonderful reaction as always, B, see you in the next one.
Absolute0
2024-01-18 01:26:29 +0000 UTCWatching these episodes with Bunny makes me see them as new again -- and this time I swear they edited out TWO kisses between Kirk and Edith. Like you could see him or them start and CUT! Did anybody else see this?
Anthony & Meg (Screenplayhouse)
2024-01-14 04:06:35 +0000 UTCRegarding, "Let's get the hell out of here," even as a boy of 11 this did not offend me. It did not vent 'excess' emotion in an immature way. It instead revealed his precise emotion, of being let down once again by the life and death decisions required by his job. This is Pike's frustration with the job -- and now Kirk is as displeased.
Anthony & Meg (Screenplayhouse)
2024-01-14 03:42:51 +0000 UTCI had to pause for a moment and realize my wife and I have been mourning the death of Edith Keeler for about 50 years. This episode is a lot to take in. Even Kirk had to get 'the hell' out of it. The words LET ME HELP are needed in this world more than ever.
Anthony & Meg (Screenplayhouse)
2024-01-13 07:37:12 +0000 UTCThank you! yes, I have finished! :)
bunnytails
2024-01-13 06:09:08 +0000 UTCHaha, I try my best :D
bunnytails
2024-01-13 06:08:32 +0000 UTCWow, thank you so much, Lee! I'll try to keep it up!
bunnytails
2024-01-13 06:08:12 +0000 UTCThe first (and, to date, only) Star Trek series to win a "major' Emmy award doesn't happen until the animated series! (I won't name it here because I don't want to spoil it for Bunny if she happens to react to the animated episodes.) Harlan Ellison won a Writers Guild Award for his "City" script (although there is some contention as to which version he submitted for consideration) and the episode won the 1968 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Lee
2024-01-13 04:03:46 +0000 UTCAhhhhh, I've been waiting for this one. This is the 4th time travel episode in TOS. Probably the best episode in TOS. I heard this episode won an Emmy Award, but I couldn't find any corroboration for this on the Internet. Oh, and Bones is a Doctor, not a Boxer, but he'll sure hypo you to death.
Carlos Stevens
2024-01-13 03:04:58 +0000 UTCI had a feeling this was the problematic one due to comments. There is a plot hole or two, but they're generally ignored. The chief one for me is the man with the milk vaporizing himself. It's possible that the man simply wasn't important enough that his death would change the timeline, but even small things like eating the last pickle in a jar or standing in a ticket line could cause a domino effect that wasn't there before. I like to think that, in some parallel universe, this episode got a part 2 that dealt with the ramifications of that. Congratulations on finishing Season 1. (As I expect you have by now.)
SuicuneSol
2024-01-13 00:02:33 +0000 UTCI have enjoyed re-watching each episode with you. I have seen this episode countless times going all the way back to its first airing on NBC Thursday April 6, 1967, 8:30p ET - BUT - after many reactions and opinions expressed in so many discussions in the last 56 years, yours is the first to use the term "talking butthole." I thank you for that, bringing a new unique observation, that also gave me a little chuckle!
Dave Riley
2024-01-12 22:39:28 +0000 UTCAdding to what Gregory said previously, I hope you have the chance at some point to read Harlan Ellison's original script for this episode. It had to be drastically rewritten to fit the format of the show, and this led to decades of acrimony between Ellison and the entire Star Trek writing staff. And one correction to Gregory's post: the vagrant overloaded the phaser, which is why it disintegrated him. Not unlike the phaser that was left in Kirk's quarters in "The Conscience of the King" that was meant to kill him. Both weapons had a rising tone indicating the imminent danger. Edited to add: your reactions to these classic Star Trek episodes have all been terrific, but this one was especially enjoyable. Seeing you go through the moments of humor as Kirk and Spock navigate their way through Depression-era New York and the joy of their reunion with McCoy, followed shortly thereafter with Kirk restraining McCoy from saving Edith and the horror of that moment... not to mention your always-sharp focus on the story and theories about what is happening and how it will resolve. All of this makes for one great reaction channel, easily among the best. Thanks for taking this journey and letting us accompany you, Bunny!
Lee
2024-01-12 20:35:41 +0000 UTCThanks!
bunnytails
2024-01-12 19:33:17 +0000 UTCSo well written and performed. This one hits hard. Now that you have watched it, IMHO one of the best episodes in all of TOS. Really enjoyed your reaction Bunny.
YungAtHart
2024-01-12 19:32:07 +0000 UTCFirst off, Bunny, I don't THINK I've mentioned this episode by name myself, though you may have seen my Top 10 list of original series episodes for me, back before you had decided to do this watch project. If I did accidentally mention this one, though, I'm sorry, and I'm also sorry some people are making comments that would impact your ability to watch and enjoy. It's been amazing watching you react for the first time to a show and a franchise that I dearly love, and seeing things with fresh eyes from you really helps breathe some new life and perspective into something I've seen numerous times. With that said, if I DID gush about this episode, it's with good reason. :) This is my favorite episode of the series, for sure. There's so many great things about it, and I know I'm not alone -- this episode is constantly rated by fans and critics alike as being one of, if not THE best, episode of the original show. Joan Collins was a huge coup to get as a guest star for this episode -- while many well known and experienced people had guest spots on the show, Joan was the most famous during this time period and everyone was really impressed with how well she did her work on set. She does indeed do a great job here, and as you pointed out, some great chemistry with Edith and Kirk here. Which makes what happens to her -- what HAS to happen to her -- even more tragic. As a history major, I'm aware of the 'decision point' theory in historical circles -- that one minor event somewhere in time can have a huge impact on what happens after, and also leads to a bunch of 'what if' situations. That said, I'm not totally sure that Edith's pacifist movement would have led to this outcome. It wouldn't have changed Japan bombing Pearl Harbor and the United States getting involved in the war, nor would it have changed Hitler declaring war on the US a few days later. There's also serious debate -- and a ton of doubt -- if Germany nuclear bomb program ever could have born fruit. However, I still love the premise as it makes for a great episode and how much one person can make as a difference in the world, when so many of us feel powerless in our day to day lives. This episode really had no RIGHT to be as good as it was, as it went through a LONG painful and troublesome development period. I highly suggest you read the Wikipedia article on this episode, as it goes into a lot more detail about this. You'll come away even more impressed, I think. Your reaction at the end to Edith's death was great and emotional, and helped to drive home what Spock always said, that 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few'. Edith was right about peace, but not at that time, as World War 2 had to happen to rid the Earth of the evil of the Nazi's and save millions of people. Concerning the homeless guy -- yes, he accidently turned on the Kill setting for McCoy's Type 1 phaser (that's the smaller kind, the type you usually see is the more powerful Type 2.) And the weapon was dissolved along with him. We saw it also in Wrath of Khan, when the Captain of the Reliant committed suicide. Congrats on making it almost to the end of Season 1! If you have time, would love to hear your thoughts afterwards on what your favorite and not so favorite episodes from this season was. Finally -- the show was fined (I think $5000?) for having Kirk use the word 'hell' at the end of the episode. The writer and director REALLY wanted him to say that to drive home how Kirk was feeling right then and pushed for it, knowing they would get punished for it. It's kind of like how the studio was fined for having Clark Gable say 'damn' at the end of Gone With The Wind. Nowadays. I don't think anyone even considers those swears. LOL
Greg Polander
2024-01-12 19:25:02 +0000 UTC
