Tomorrow Is Yesterday

It seems that time travel is a fascinating topic no matter what the TV series. A model kit of the F-104 was recently marketed that featured the aircraft in this particular episode (from AMT, I think).

The Enterprise goes back, by accident, to the "present time" (late 1960s, when this episode was aired). The starship is damaged and in a very low orbit; in fact, low and slow enough for a fighter jet to possibly intercept it. A fighter jet is sent up to investigate the sighting The F-104 jet is "contemporary" for the late 1960s and, did, in fact, sometimes carry nuclear weapons ( air to air missiles with a "low" yield that were still quite capable of damaging Enterprise; as Mr. Spock correctly surmises). Such is the beginning of this episode and I believe D. C. Fontana, the writer, based the beginning on a an actual incident (the "Mantell case";; where a USAF fighter plane may actually have been shot down by a U. F. O.).

It occurred on January 7, 1948 and involved three F-51 aircraft (P-51 Mustangs as they were known in WWII). The commander of Godman Air Force Base (now closed) in Kentucky was notified of a U. F. O. Near his base. Three F-51s were on a routine ferry flight that happened to be in the air were requested to investigate this. Two of them went to the highest level they were able to (no oxygen equipment in them due to it being a routine ferry mission) and turned around. One F-51, piloted by Captain Thomas Mantell, continued to climb and chase the U. F. O. ; much like the pilot of the F-104 in this episode does. And, as the F-104 in this episode does, the F-51 disintegrated in flight.

Captain Thomas Mantell was found, dead, in the wreckage of his P-51 the next day. This DID happen; a military fighter plane chased a UFO and disintegrated. What happens in the Star Trek episode based on this? Watch it and find out.

In some ways this has similarities to Star Trek IV, the Voyage Home as we see an interaction between some of the USS Enterprise crew and the then contemporary (late 1960's) America. Watching this in 2020 is an incredible experience as we see footage of US fighter jets that at the time were at the forefront of technology but now hail from a lifetime ago. It's a real tribute to the show that you forget that this was made 50 years ago and believe that Kirk too is looking back in time. The scene where the fighter pilot spots the Enterprise is an iconic one and there are plenty of clever touches in this episode that make it one of the best in Season 1

A black star takes an almighty grip, maximum warp is required to slip, hurtle into the past, to the 60s they're cast, no time better for partaking a trip.

The Enterprise finds itself in the skies of 1969 and has to erase itself from events and activities that result while finding a way to return to the time from whence they came.

The first episode of this series to deal with time travel sees the Enterprise hurtled back in time to 1960s Earth, the result of the gravitational pull of a black star. The starship is glimpsed by a stunned Air Force major (Roger Perry, the "Count Yorga" films), and the crew beam him aboard, hesitant to return him to Earth due to the knowledge that he gleans about the future of space travel. At the same time, Kirk and others have to get inside a top secret base to obtain the audio and visual records of the majors' sighting of the starship. All of this, while figuring out how they can possibly get back to their own time.

Written by the prolific D. C. Fontana, 'Tomorrow Is Yesterday' shows its audience a pretty good time, placing some of its main characters in a setting that is archaic to them. It's endlessly amusing, especially in a scene where Kirk is caught red-handed by Air Force personnel and tries to take on all of them at once. There's also a silly throw-away bit of business with the computer intelligence on the starship requiring an overhaul since it now tends to address the people requesting information as "dear". The major, a generally agreeable sort, reacts with an appropriate wide-eyed sense of wonder yet a steely determination to remain in his time and place (and report everything that he has experienced). What is truly funny is the thunderstruck reaction of an Air Police sergeant (Hal Lynch, "The Way West") who also ends up beamed aboard the starship after he fiddles with a communicator. The scene with an amused Kirk patiently giving evasive answers to an interrogator (Ed Peck, "Bullitt") is likewise good for some chuckles.

It's true enough that 'Tomorrow is Yesterday' does go for this comedic value more often than it does true dramatic tension, but the script IS quite entertaining, even if one doesn't buy into the "science" presented here at all. Overall, it's a charming episode, with a good guest-star performance by Perry and typically good camaraderie among the regular players.

Directed by Michael O'Herlihy (the brother of actor Dan O'Herlihy), whose other TV credits include 'Hawaii Five-O' and 'The A-Team'.

Seven out of 10.