Tuesday, Jun. 23 2009 @ 8:05AM
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Time travel is a magic tonic for the writers of Star Trek. For some reason, episodes about time travel generally manage to be more creative and interesting than the average Star Trek episode, even in seasons that suffered from mediocre writing. Outside of "The Wrath of Khan," the two most arguably well-received Star Trek movies were The Voyage Home and First Contact, both of which focused on time travel. It's no wonder that the most recent Star Trek film threw in time travel as a crucial plot element. Success! In fact, Star Trek has gone back to that gravity well for more than 50 episodes and movies, and that's not even counting the fact that whole seasons of Enterprise were focused on time-traveling alien terrorists. The crew of Voyager used the plot device so much that the time cops had to stop by and give them a warning about it! (Maybe that was the writers wryly telling themselves that, as well.) Either way, Star Trek has produced so many good time travel stories that it's hard to narrow it down to a manageable list. These 14 movies and episodes, however, prove that no one does time travel quite as well as Star Trek.
14) Tomorrow is Yesterday
This episode was the first real time travel adventure seen on Star Trek, and it began with a surreal image - a 20th Century fighter pilot spotting a "UFO" in the sky - the Starship Enterprise! Culture shock ensued after the Enterprise crew beamed up the pilot, John Christopher, and debated not letting him return to his own time after all he had seen. The Enterprise succeeded in returning to its own time thanks to the handy "Slingshot around the Sun" maneuver, which would later be used again in Star Trek IV. And the Enterprise crew also managed to beam Christopher back into himself in the past, which made no sense whatsoever and adhered to the long-standing, senseless rule of time travel fiction that two of one person can't exist in the same time. But nevertheless, it was a fun adventure that began the trend of time travel in Star Trek. The later episode "Assignment: Earth" was similar in tone and was good, but was more of a spin-off for new character Gary Seven.
13) Yesteryear
The animated Star Trek series told some pretty good stories, although this episode was the only one Gene Roddenberry considered canon. It's easy to see why, as this excellent, mature tale had Kirk and Spock return to the Guardian of Forever to view Andorian history and accidentally wipe out Spock's existence. After some fun on the Enterprise in which no one recognized Spock, he found out that he had died as a child on Vulcan since he was not there as an adult to save himself. While older Spock reentered the Guardian and succeeded in that task, his beloved pet shelat was fatally wounded defending young Spock from a wild animal. Young Spock was then left with a choice to have a veterinarian save his pet but doom it to a life of pain, or to have it put down. Choosing the latter, Spock learned an important lesson about logic and young viewers were taught about euthanasia. Hmm, maybe Spock in the new films can use the Guardian to go back and save Vulcan...
12) Timeless
The best Voyager time travel episode included an awesome scene in which the ship crash-landed on an ice planet, killing everyone but Chakotay and Harry Kim, all thanks to a colossal screw-up by Kim. Fifteen years later, Chakotay and Kim, who was wracked with guilt, became Federation fugitives and returned against orders to Voyager, where they planned to send a message to 7 of 9 in the past to prevent the accident. Voyager used the reset button too much ("Year of Hell," anyone?) but it didn't feel like a cheat this time. All this and a surprise appearance from Geordi La Forge made this an awesome Voyager episode. Too bad about the other 167 episodes.
11) Cause and Effect
When the Enterprise-D blows up before the opening credits, you know you're in for a ride! In fact, it blew up several times as the Enterprise got stuck in a time loop while trying to save an older Federation ship from a time distortion, inadvertently causing the ships to collide and the Enterprise's warp core to explode. After managing to communicate with themselves in the next loop, the Enterprise crew avoided destruction and finally met the captain of the other ship - Dr. Frasier Crane!
10) Little Green Men
No, Ferengi don't look much like the reputed aliens who crashed at Roswell in 1947, but it nevertheless was fun to watch Quark, Rom and Nog end up there in a sabotaged ship and befuddle the confused, "primitive" American military personnel who captured and had to deal with them. At one point, Quark tried to open Ferengi business negotiations and, when rebuffed, threatened to take his business to the Russians. Hilarious episode.
9) Children of Time
Trek is at its best when it uses its sci-fi devices to present genuine moral dilemmas, and the DS9 writers were skilled at doing that, especially in a darker manner than other Trek shows. The Defiant crew faced such a dilemma when they were sucked 200 years into the future and landed on a planet inhabited by 8,000 of their descendants and future Odo. Learning that the Defiant was due to crash on the planet upon returning to the present and that Major Kira would be killed in the accident, the Defiant crew had to decide if they would save themselves and erase their descendants from time, or make sure the future happened as they had seen it. In the end, they decided they could not essentially kill the people they had come to know in the colony, and Kira resigned herself to her fate. However, the flight plan to cause the unique accident failed, dooming their descendants. In the "Holy crap!" finale, Odo revealed that his future self altered the flight plan because he could not allow Kira, who he was in love with, to perish. It was both a powerful and creepy show of affection.
8) The Visitor
This heart-wrenching episode saw Captain Sisko become unstuck in time and randomly appear to his son Jake at sequential points throughout Jake's life. To Captain Sisko's great sadness, Jake wasted his potential as a writer and spent years of his life in order to focus on rescuing his father. And what Jake finally realized, as an older man, was that he had to commit suicide in the presence of his father in order to break the temporal rubber band that attached them. Although Captain Sisko had to witness his son die in front of him, it returned Captain Sisko to the moment he first was cut loose in time and ensured that he and his son would not be separated.
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Tags: Star Trek, Time Travel
41 comments
Comments
Frito said:
Tapestry is probably my favorite episode. It taught me to always fight the Nausican.
Gumbercules said:
These are a great example of what is at the core of all science fiction: Sci-fi isn't about aliens and laser guns, it's about humanity examined under unique conditions. Time travel is VERY overused in Star Trek, but what better way is there to look at the concepts of destiny, regret, and consequences?
Great list, although I'm surprised you left the most recent movie off. Was it not worthy enough?
Kevin said:
I left off the recent film because, while time travel was used as a plot device, I didn't think that element was the film's strength.
JeremyA said:
Damn this was a good list. You've inspired me to rewatch a couple of these episodes later tonight.
Tom said:
I would have left Timeless off the list and put 'Trek XI in it's place. But otherwise I think it is a great list. As usual you deliver the goods. :)
Nick said:
Excellent list! I would probably rank "City on the Edge of Forever" higher, probably up to number 2, but other than that I agree with your list.
jim said:
1. Take a Star Trek crew.
2. Send them back (or forward) in time.
3. ????
4. Profits!
Gasstank said:
Last episode of TNG = Best Last Episode of a Series...Ever
MDK said:
Great list. I remember being particularly excited about the DS9 tribble episode. Though I would have liked to have seen the episode where data ended up meeting Mark Twain or the DS9 crew got stranded in the near future Prison city on Earth, both great episodes.
Of course for every great time Travel episode, there are at least as many horrid ones. Maybe a list sometime of the worst Star Trek Time Travel Adventures?
Photoboy said:
Does the Enterprise episode Twilight count as time travelling? If it does, I'd replace the Voyager episode with it. ;)
alice in said:
of the movies, 2 and 3 were well done but it's whales(4th?) i've watched over and over and still enjoy, prima facia of a classic.
BorgQueen said:
Kick-ass list, man. When time travel is used wisely in Star Trek it really can be amazing and these are the episodes that prove that. I have to say, Sisko getting Kirk's "autograph" in T&T was the real pants-wetting moment, at least for me. Also this list made me realize how many ST episodes have made me cry a little...ok alot....
FuryOfFirestorm said:
What about the TNG episode, "The Inner Light"? Even though it all happened in Picard's mind, the story occurred in the past and skipped ahead every few years, so it was technically time travel (and a damn good story too).
cummins said:
Amazing list, great to see DS9 get some attention!
Kevin said:
"Inner Light" was amazing, but I don't consider it time travel. We saw sequential glimpses of a whole other life Picard lived in his mind. But yeah, talk about an episode that can induce tears!
BorgQueen said:
I freakin BAWLED at "The Inner Light" but I don't think that is time travel. Maybe on a list of best Trek episodes ever =) Can we get some love for Enterprise's "E-Squared?" Kinda neat to see their decendants...
Also in Trials and Tribble-ations, the 2 temporal agents are named "Dulmer" and "Lucsly".... a little X-Files shout-out.
Stephen said:
"I suppose we ought to find a way to blend in."
Cue MASSIVE geekout moment.
No quibbles with the #1 pick - still one of my favourite TNG episodes, and a perfect way to send the crew off.
Stonecrow said:
No love for the episode with Mark Twain? That's one of my all-time favorites.
aznsong50 said:
Aw, come on, I kinda liked Voyager...
chad said:
glad to see tapestry in the top five but surprised City and yesterday's tenterprise did not crack the top five for when i saw the list i thought city would at least be number two if not number one followed by yesterday's enterprise at least all good things made the top five .
bort said:
Good list.
Interositor said:
All Good Things... is flat out proof that Ron Moore knows how to end a series.
Skeletor said:
Fantabulous list, and glad to see one of my all time favorite TNG episodes (Yesterday's Enterprise) made the cut. Picard leaping over the ops console to blow the shit out of Klingon warbirds will always stick in my mind. And it would have made an awesome movie.
But, I can't lie...I was a big Voyager fan, so glad to see the inclusion of a Voyager episode. The finale may have kinda sucked, and they may have had some horrific episodes, but I gotta show some love for it.
Kevin said:
Voyager made two mistakes in its finale... It kind of ripped off "All Good Things" and it didn't bother to show what happened to anyone once they got back (at least in the real reality). After all that build-up, they were home, the end. My girlfriend does give me a hard time when I knock Voyager, though, as it's the one Trek show she liked. I do have to say one thing for it - for better or for worse (or out of an apparent love of torture), I stuck with it all seven years.
Capsulesn'Coffee said:
Awesome list, now I'm feeling wonderfully nostalgic, I grew up watching The Next Generation religiously, a childhood and adolescence well spent if you ask me.
Doc said:
Spock's childhood pet was a "sehlat." And no, Voyager was actually a very good series...the first female Captain (as a lead character) in Star Trek; Voyager was the first all-CGI starship, not to mention Species 8472, the first CGI species in Star Trek; it had well-developed, diverse characters, and some decent storylines in the series to boot.
GreyFox00 said:
makes me wanna go buy star trek on dvd.
OM said:
...Remember, kids: any time you mention City on the Edge of Forever, you owe Harlan "Sexless Dwarf" Ellison money. Better start paying up or the Midget with a Mouth Who Must Scream will sue you and call you lots of nasty names.
(Someone *really* needs to either take him to court and sue *him* for a change, or just beat the crap out of him. Just once to shut him up. Please!)
lou-bert vs. q-bert said:
Ha ha, Fuck Harlan Elison. Did you ever read that original script? It made no fucking sense at all, he was lucky to get the story credit.
Arguably this is one of the best lists TR has ever written. Not only have I seen each Star Trek episode and movie on it, but it's actually spot on.
The most recent movie should have been included as an honorable mention. It basically confirmed Kirk was the youngest Captain in Starfleet history, a fact that had been debated for years.
Gumbercules said:
When DS9 was on, I was stationed overseas, and only saw re-runs occasionally.
We've seen the worst TNG episodes on this website, and I'm curious what the best and worst DS9 episodes are. Could we see a list at some point?
Jimmy Jo Jensen said:
Wow, I just totally love Star Trek!
RT
www.anon-tools.tk
spatimouth said:
There's a episode of Enterprise that aired during last season that's in a alt universe where a ship straight out of TOS gets stuck in the past and it's more powerfull than the more modern ships. That would probably be my fav time travel episode!
Parrish said:
Find it odd that trekkies don't prefer one incarnation or another. Being a trekkie myself I can find enjoyment out of every season and movie made. Great list, though Trials and Tribble-ations would have been higher on my list.
BrianS said:
@spatimouth The episode you're thinking of is a two-parter called In A Mirror, Darkly. It was a re-telling of the Tholian Web episode from TOS. Both episodes were great.
All in all, a good list, but two are my favourite time travel episodes are from Voyager, A Year of Hell ( I & II) and the finale Endgame (I & II), both of these would make my top ten list.
Binaryshock said:
The Visitor is easily one of my favorite episodes from DS9. One of the few episodes in any show that gets me choked up and teary everytime I watch it. Tony Todd is one of my favorite actors and this is a great example of his awesomeness.
kate said:
I like Voyager. The only other eps I've seen in the list are the one with the tribbles and All Good Things. And I think I still preferred the Voyager ep over them
*runs and hides in a corner*
bradbury said:
there was no tv-series named "enterprise". ever. only a soothing blackout over 4 years of alcoholic delirium and drunken rampaging. that is all.
Tyrone said:
Time travel is to Star Trek what pitying fools is to Mr. T
leo said:
What about Time's Arrow?
Norm said:
No Endgame from ST:Voyager? Seriously? It's better than the Voyager that's on the list now.
