All Our Yesterdays

After watching this episode several times I have come to the conclusion that this should have been the series finale. It was an absorbing trip backward in time, to the different aspects of various civilizations and the various stages of evolution---such as Vulcan in primitive times, the time of so-called witchcraft and how Kirk coped with it, the trials of poor Zarabeth and how she almost escaped...and how Kirk and Co. escaped back into the 23rd century just barely in time before the sun went supernova. I enjoyed this one and have always felt that it should have been the fitting conclusion to a superb series.

One of the best episodes of TOS. Had more than just Kirk being the focal point. The interplay between Spock and McCoy was very good and definitely proves there was never any loveloss between the two. And Mariett Hartleys legs were incredible.

The much maligned third season of TOS had some poorly executed episodes, partially because of biting budget cuts and partially because of Fred Freiburger taking over from Gene Roddebberry as the producer. However this penultimate episode is both a cleverly written story and well made.

By keeping focus on the three central protaganists of Kirk, Spock and McCoy, the director is able to paper over the cracks of the budget cuts that plagued series three by cleverly utilising previously used sets and props with one of TOS's most popular gimmicks, the 'time travel' story. Admittedly this is a more narrowed use of that gimmick than before but by centralising the story on the three most beloved characters in TOS, director Marvin J Chomsky keeps the dynamic going just enough so you don't notice the plot holes or the budgetary compromises forced on him,such as no scenes set on board the Enterprise and the limited number of sets used.

Some series three episodes creak and groan, either through bad writing ('Spocks Brain'), or being overly ambitious with the resources available ('The Savage Curtain', 'The Empath'). 'All our Yesterdays' is a good example of a director who realises the confines he has to work with and makes them work to his advantage. Good use is made of the limited set ups he was allowed, the special effects budget was sparingly but well used and by keeping the focus on the characters rather than the scale, he hides the shortcomings well. This is possibly the best episode of season three for all those reasons.

Not everything works here - I would've excised Kirk's cheap looking and variably acted middle ages world to focus more on Spock's ice age romance- but in Season 3's handful of good episodes this is definitely one to savour. Mariette Hartley looks great, and is really touching as she sadly turns away and accepts her fate at the end.

The writers finally managed to let their imaginations go. When a star is about to nova, the big three arrive on the planet, hoping to help evacuate the population. They beam down to a library, watched over by a rather abrasive Mr. Atos, a librarian who also has several holographic duplicates. He tells the boys that he is the last one left on the planet and he is leaving soon. All the others have used a device that reads discs and can send people back in time to a place they will enjoy being. Unfortunately for Kirk, he hears a screaming woman and rushes through a kind of portal and finds himself in a time lack that of the Three Musketeers. He is subdued and kept in prison, accused of being a witch. Simultaneously, Spock and McCoy make their ways through the portal, but find they have inadvertently used a disc putting them in the ice age. Nearly freezing to death, they are rescued by a beautiful woman in animal skins, played by Mariette Hartley. She had a magical quality as an actress. In a cave, over a hot spring, the twosome is given shelter. McCoy is practically frozen and Spock and the girl cover him to keep him warm. During this time, Spock, being 5000 years in the past, begins to revert to his primitive self. He and Mariette begin a bit of a relationship. His emotions, the emotions that the Vulcans avoided when they evolved, are back and he nearly kills McCoy. All principles have been told that they may never go back through the portal because they will die if they try. Kirk finds an ally as a judge from the time is also a time traveler.

This is a highly creative episode that sets up conditions under which the characters must function. The plot ebbs and flows and keeps one involved. There are similarities to "City on the Edge of Forever," my favorite, but it can stand on its own.