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All Our Yesterdays (TOS episode)
Encyclopedia
"All Our Yesterdays" is a third season (and the penultimate) episode of Star Trek: The Original Series
, first broadcast March 14, 1969 and repeated on August 5, 1969. It is episode #78, production #78, written by Jean Lisette Aroeste
, and directed by Marvin Chomsky. It guest-stars Mariette Hartley
as Zarabeth. The title comes from a well-known soliloquy given by Macbeth
in Act V Scene V.
Overview: Kirk, Spock and McCoy are trapped in two parts of world's past--a world threatened by a supernova
.
5943.7, the starship
USS Enterprise arrives at the class M planet
Sarpeidon to evacuate its inhabitants, doomed by an impending supernova explosion of the system's star. Oddly, sensors detect no signs of humanoid life on the surface and Captain Kirk
, along with Dr. McCoy
("Bones") and Mr. Spock
, beams down to investigate.
Once there, the landing party finds a sophisticated computer library where they encounter a man named Mr. Atoz — his name being a play on "A to Z", that is, a library. Mister Atoz explains that the library contains an archive of historical data disks. Kirk warns Atoz of the planet's imminent destruction and that they must leave immediately. Atoz however, says he is aware of the destruction of his world, and is already prepared. He informs that he will be joining his wife and family soon. He then activates a machine, called the "Atavachron". By viewing the historic disks, the time portal
can send any who enter back in time to the point recorded in the data.
Kirk hears a woman's scream on the other side of the portal. Without realizing what the doorway is, he rushes through and disappears. McCoy and Spock rush into the portal after him, despite Atoz' warnings not to go through, since they have not been "prepared". The two find themselves transported through time 5,000 years into the past, to when Sarpeidon was in the midst of an ice age
. The two are trapped in the brutal cold and desperately look around for their captain.
Meanwhile, Kirk arrives in an alleyway at a point in Sarpeidon's history reminiscent of England
's Restoration Period. He manages to rescue a disheveled-looking woman from being assaulted by sword-bearing nobles. Kirk chases the assailants away, but then discovers the "maiden in distress" is really a thief
who was attempting to steal the man's purse.
He offers to have McCoy treat the woman's wounds, but on looking whence he came, sees only a stone wall. Kirk steps back to the alley, but cannot locate the time portal. He discovers he can still talk to McCoy and Spock, but cannot get to them.
Spock surmises that all of the planet's inhabitants have escaped their demise by going through the portal to their past, which explains why only Atoz is left. (Atoz later confirms this. He was just about to depart when the landing party arrived.)
Authorities arrive and arrest Kirk for helping the thief. At the same time, McCoy asks his captain about what is going on at his end, and the guards are shaken when they hear the mysterious disembodied voice. The thief then betrays Kirk and tells the guards that he is using witchcraft
, and the voices forced her to steal against her will.
On the verge of freezing to death, Spock and Bones look for shelter and encounter a figure wrapped in heavy furs, who leads the strangers to a warm cave. Unrobing to reveal a beautiful woman, she identifies herself to Spock as Zarabeth, and explains that she and her family have been exiled because one of them was involved in a plot to assassinate Zor-kahn, the tyrant who ruled in her time, or as she wryly puts it, her crime was "choosing my kinsmen unwisely".
Meanwhile, Kirk, taken to a jail cell, is interrogated by a prosecutor. Kirk mentions the "library" from which he came through time, and the prosecutor becomes nervous, realizing what Kirk means, for the prosecutor is also a refugee from Sarpeidon's future. At first, the prosecutor seems to believe that Kirk is innocent, but the guard and thief maintain they heard the mysterious voices and that Kirk must be a witch. Kirk realizes the prosecutor is from the future, and earnestly refers to the library and Mr. Atoz in the hope of getting back. The prosecutor becomes frightened and rushes away, saying he wants nothing more to do with the prisoner.
Back in the ice age, Zarabeth listens to McCoy's and Spock's story of their arrival, and informs them that she too is from Sarpeidon's future. She explains that the Atavachron portal is "one-way" and alters a traveler's molecular structure so that if they return to their time, they will die.
Meanwhile, Kirk sits in his cell and overpowers the jailer when he brings him food. The prosecutor arrives and Kirk confronts him, accusing him of being from Sarpeidon's future and threatening to expose him to the others as a "witch" if he does not help him escape. The prosecutor tries to calm Kirk down, admitting that he is indeed from the future, but Kirk cannot return because of the "preparation" through the Atavachron. Kirk points out that Atoz never prepared him, and the prosecutor says Kirk must return at once, since an unprepared individual can only survive a short time in the past. He guides Kirk back to the alley, and Kirk feels for the portal, soon finding it.
Kirk steps through the portal returning to the library. He confronts Atoz and demands he help him rescue his friends. Atoz refuses to help until Kirk "prepares" himself before returning to the past. Believing his friends are dying and no more time can be wasted, Kirk tries to force Atoz to cooperate, but he shoots Kirk with an energy weapon, knocking him unconscious.
Back in the ice age, Mr. Spock slowly reverts to the barbaric nature of ancient Vulcans
, an effect that may be the result of remaining in the past when those Vulcans are living. McCoy notices the hostile changes in Spock when the Vulcan reacts angrily to one of his typical insults. Spock begins to fall in love with Zarabeth, losing all intention of returning to the future, and wanting only to remain with his new love. McCoy, however, is not convinced that they are trapped despite Zarabeth's statement that trying to return through the portal would cause death; he believes that only Zarabeth is somehow unable to return, but he is willing to risk death for himself.
Back in the library, Kirk awakens on a cart just in time to stop Atoz from wheeling him into the time portal, and forces him to find his companions. Trying various disks, Kirk locates Spock and McCoy in the ice age and opens a portal. Meanwhile, McCoy, with Spock and Zarabeth at the base of the ice cliff where they arrived, hears Kirk's voice and manages to drag Spock away from Zarabeth long enough to follow it back to the library. The three are happily reunited, and with time running out, they watch Atoz slam a disk into the machine and make a panicked run for the portal and disappear.
Realizing they have seconds before the planet is destroyed, the landing party quickly returns to the Enterprise, which safely warps
away just as the star explodes.
(#39) (Simon & Schuster
).
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
, first broadcast March 14, 1969 and repeated on August 5, 1969. It is episode #78, production #78, written by Jean Lisette Aroeste
Jean Lisette Aroeste
Jean Lisette Aroeste was a U.C.L.A. librarian and Star Trek fan who became one of only four writers with no prior television writing credits to sell scripts to the program.Her first sale, "Is There in Truth No Beauty?", was an unsolicited script which Star Trek co-producer Robert H...
, and directed by Marvin Chomsky. It guest-stars Mariette Hartley
Mariette Hartley
Mary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
as Zarabeth. The title comes from a well-known soliloquy given by Macbeth
Macbeth
The Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
in Act V Scene V.
Overview: Kirk, Spock and McCoy are trapped in two parts of world's past--a world threatened by a supernova
Supernova
A supernova is a stellar explosion that is more energetic than a nova. It is pronounced with the plural supernovae or supernovas. Supernovae are extremely luminous and cause a burst of radiation that often briefly outshines an entire galaxy, before fading from view over several weeks or months...
.
Plot
On stardateStardate
A stardate is a date in the fictional system of time measurement developed for Star Trek, commonly heard at the beginning of a voiceover log entry such as "Captain's log, stardate 41153.7...
5943.7, the starship
Starship
A starship or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for traveling between the stars, as opposed to a vehicle designed for orbital spaceflight or interplanetary travel....
USS Enterprise arrives at the class M planet
Class M planet
Class M is a fictional classification for planets and planetoids in the Star Trek science fiction media franchise. In the Star Trek: Enterprise series, T'Pol uses the Vulcan term Minshara class, which may be the origin of the later Federation designation.Their atmospheres comprise nitrogen and...
Sarpeidon to evacuate its inhabitants, doomed by an impending supernova explosion of the system's star. Oddly, sensors detect no signs of humanoid life on the surface and Captain Kirk
James T. Kirk
James Tiberius "Jim" Kirk is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. Kirk was first played by William Shatner as the principal lead character in the original Star Trek series. Shatner voiced Kirk in the animated Star Trek series and appeared in the first seven Star Trek movies...
, along with Dr. McCoy
Leonard McCoy
Leonard "Bones" McCoy is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by DeForest Kelley in the original Star Trek series, McCoy also appears in the animated Star Trek series, seven Star Trek movies, the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and in numerous books,...
("Bones") and Mr. Spock
Spock
Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...
, beams down to investigate.
Once there, the landing party finds a sophisticated computer library where they encounter a man named Mr. Atoz — his name being a play on "A to Z", that is, a library. Mister Atoz explains that the library contains an archive of historical data disks. Kirk warns Atoz of the planet's imminent destruction and that they must leave immediately. Atoz however, says he is aware of the destruction of his world, and is already prepared. He informs that he will be joining his wife and family soon. He then activates a machine, called the "Atavachron". By viewing the historic disks, the time portal
Time portal
Time portals are doorways in time, employed in various fiction genres, especially science fiction and fantasy, to transport characters to the past or future....
can send any who enter back in time to the point recorded in the data.
Kirk hears a woman's scream on the other side of the portal. Without realizing what the doorway is, he rushes through and disappears. McCoy and Spock rush into the portal after him, despite Atoz' warnings not to go through, since they have not been "prepared". The two find themselves transported through time 5,000 years into the past, to when Sarpeidon was in the midst of an ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. The two are trapped in the brutal cold and desperately look around for their captain.
Meanwhile, Kirk arrives in an alleyway at a point in Sarpeidon's history reminiscent of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
's Restoration Period. He manages to rescue a disheveled-looking woman from being assaulted by sword-bearing nobles. Kirk chases the assailants away, but then discovers the "maiden in distress" is really a thief
Theft
In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...
who was attempting to steal the man's purse.
He offers to have McCoy treat the woman's wounds, but on looking whence he came, sees only a stone wall. Kirk steps back to the alley, but cannot locate the time portal. He discovers he can still talk to McCoy and Spock, but cannot get to them.
Spock surmises that all of the planet's inhabitants have escaped their demise by going through the portal to their past, which explains why only Atoz is left. (Atoz later confirms this. He was just about to depart when the landing party arrived.)
Authorities arrive and arrest Kirk for helping the thief. At the same time, McCoy asks his captain about what is going on at his end, and the guards are shaken when they hear the mysterious disembodied voice. The thief then betrays Kirk and tells the guards that he is using witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
, and the voices forced her to steal against her will.
On the verge of freezing to death, Spock and Bones look for shelter and encounter a figure wrapped in heavy furs, who leads the strangers to a warm cave. Unrobing to reveal a beautiful woman, she identifies herself to Spock as Zarabeth, and explains that she and her family have been exiled because one of them was involved in a plot to assassinate Zor-kahn, the tyrant who ruled in her time, or as she wryly puts it, her crime was "choosing my kinsmen unwisely".
Meanwhile, Kirk, taken to a jail cell, is interrogated by a prosecutor. Kirk mentions the "library" from which he came through time, and the prosecutor becomes nervous, realizing what Kirk means, for the prosecutor is also a refugee from Sarpeidon's future. At first, the prosecutor seems to believe that Kirk is innocent, but the guard and thief maintain they heard the mysterious voices and that Kirk must be a witch. Kirk realizes the prosecutor is from the future, and earnestly refers to the library and Mr. Atoz in the hope of getting back. The prosecutor becomes frightened and rushes away, saying he wants nothing more to do with the prisoner.
Back in the ice age, Zarabeth listens to McCoy's and Spock's story of their arrival, and informs them that she too is from Sarpeidon's future. She explains that the Atavachron portal is "one-way" and alters a traveler's molecular structure so that if they return to their time, they will die.
Meanwhile, Kirk sits in his cell and overpowers the jailer when he brings him food. The prosecutor arrives and Kirk confronts him, accusing him of being from Sarpeidon's future and threatening to expose him to the others as a "witch" if he does not help him escape. The prosecutor tries to calm Kirk down, admitting that he is indeed from the future, but Kirk cannot return because of the "preparation" through the Atavachron. Kirk points out that Atoz never prepared him, and the prosecutor says Kirk must return at once, since an unprepared individual can only survive a short time in the past. He guides Kirk back to the alley, and Kirk feels for the portal, soon finding it.
Back in the ice age, Mr. Spock slowly reverts to the barbaric nature of ancient Vulcans
Vulcan (Star Trek)
Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...
, an effect that may be the result of remaining in the past when those Vulcans are living. McCoy notices the hostile changes in Spock when the Vulcan reacts angrily to one of his typical insults. Spock begins to fall in love with Zarabeth, losing all intention of returning to the future, and wanting only to remain with his new love. McCoy, however, is not convinced that they are trapped despite Zarabeth's statement that trying to return through the portal would cause death; he believes that only Zarabeth is somehow unable to return, but he is willing to risk death for himself.
Back in the library, Kirk awakens on a cart just in time to stop Atoz from wheeling him into the time portal, and forces him to find his companions. Trying various disks, Kirk locates Spock and McCoy in the ice age and opens a portal. Meanwhile, McCoy, with Spock and Zarabeth at the base of the ice cliff where they arrived, hears Kirk's voice and manages to drag Spock away from Zarabeth long enough to follow it back to the library. The three are happily reunited, and with time running out, they watch Atoz slam a disk into the machine and make a panicked run for the portal and disappear.
Realizing they have seconds before the planet is destroyed, the landing party quickly returns to the Enterprise, which safely warps
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
away just as the star explodes.
40th Anniversary remastering
This episode was digitally re-mastered in 2006 and was first aired April 21, 2007 as part of the remastered 40th Anniversary original series. It was preceded a week earlier by the remastered version of "And the Children Shall Lead", and followed a week later by the remastered version of "A Piece of the Action". Aside from remastered video and audio, and the all-CGI animation of the Enterprise that is standard among the revisions, specific changes to this episode also include:- The planet Sarpeidon is given a more Earth-like detail.
- The supernova of Beta Niobe at the end is interpreted quite differently by showing the star becoming a Crab NebulaCrab NebulaThe Crab Nebula is a supernova remnant and pulsar wind nebula in the constellation of Taurus...
-like nova and Sarpeidon's breaking up and being destroyed as the Enterprise warps away.
Sequels
Author A.C. Crispin wrote two novel sequels to this episode, titled Yesterday's Son (#11), and Time for YesterdayTime for Yesterday
Time For Yesterday is a novel by A. C. Crispin set in the fictional Star Trek Universe. It is a sequel to Crispin's earlier novel, Yesterday's Son, and describes a second encounter between the crew of the USS Enterprise and Spock's son, Zar....
(#39) (Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
).
External links
- Remastered "All Our Yesterdays" at Trekmovie.com
- A Handful of Dust precursor to 'All Our Yesterdays'; story outline and analysis