Television Review: All Our Yesterdays (Star Trek, S3X23, 1969)

All Our Yesterdays (S03E23)

Airdate: March 14th 1969

Written by: Jean Lisette Aroeste
Directed by: Marvin Chomsky

Running Time: 50 minutes

The “trekkies” who haven’t seen Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) often dread the prospect of watching Season 3, a period widely regarded as the franchise’s nadir. While the season’s episodes are frequently criticized for their convoluted plots, underdeveloped characters, and overreliance on recycled premises, the penultimate episode, All Our Yesterdays, stands out as a rare gem in this otherwise disappointing stretch. Though it is not a flawless example of the series’ strengths, the episode offers a compelling exploration of time travel, a theme that has long been a cornerstone of Star Trek, and delivers a moment of unexpected hope in an otherwise bleak season.

The episode opens with the USS Enterprise arriving at the orbit of Sarpeidon, a planet orbiting the dying star Beta Niobe. In a matter of hours, Beta Niobe is set to go supernova, a cataclysmic event that will obliterate Sarpeidon and its inhabitants. Despite the planet’s lack of spacefaring technology, Captain James T. Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Leonard McCoy are dispatched to warn the Sarpeidonians of the impending disaster. However, when the trio beams down, they find the planet eerily empty, save for a library operated by an eccentric figure known as Mr. Atoz. Played with a slight comical flair by Ian Wolfe, Atoz is a time traveler who has mastered the art of temporal manipulation. He appears unphased by the impending catastrophe, having already foreseen the planet’s destruction and using time travel to escape it.

The episode’s plot takes a surreal turn when Kirk, Spock, and McCoy inadvertently become trapped in different eras of Sarpeidon’s history. Kirk is transported to what appears to be the Early Modern Period of the planet, a world that eerily mirrors 17th-century France. Here, Kirk is accused of witchcraft by a prosecutor (played by Kermit Murdock), later revealed to be a Sarpeidonian time traveler from the future. It soon becomes clear that the Sarpeidonians have harnessed time travel to escape their doomed planet, using it to avoid the supernova. However, their ability to travel backward in time is limited; they must first prepare for a journey to the past, after which they cannot return to the future. This creates a precarious situation for the Enterprise crew, who are now trapped in different time periods with no clear way to escape.

The episode’s script, written by Jean Lisette Aroeste, a UCLA librarian and former writer for Star Trek Season 3, is a standout in a season otherwise marred by poor storytelling. Aroeste’s work on Is There in Truth No Beauty?, one of Season 3’s better episodes, is evident in All Our Yesterdays. The character of Mr. Atoz, with his eccentricity and comical detachment, is a direct nod to Aroeste’s profession, and the episode’s handling of time travel is more coherent than in many other Star Trek episodes. While the script does not grapple with the Grandfather Paradox or the ethical implications of time travel, it presents a plausible scenario: a civilization that has mastered time travel may lack the technological or cultural inclination to develop space travel. This logic, though simplistic, makes the episode’s premise more convincing than many of its contemporaries.

Structurally, the episode is divided into three distinct timeframes: Sarpeidon’s present, the Early Modern Period, and the Ice Age. While the first two segments are uneven in quality, the Ice Age segment is the most compelling. Here, Spock is, together with McCoy, sent 5,000 years into the past, where he is trapped in an Ice Age-era Sarpeidon. He is sheltered by Zarabeth, a beautiful woman exiled to the past by a tyrant. As Spock succumbs to the emotional and physical challenges of his new environment, he experiences a tragic romance with Zarabeth, a relationship that mirrors the doomed love between Jon Snow and Ygritte from Game of Thrones. Spock’s gradual emotional transformation—from stoic logician to a being capable of love—highlights the human (and Vulcan) capacity for vulnerability. However, his inability to stay with Zarabeth, due to the limitations of time travel, underscores the futility of their connection. Leonard Nimoy’s portrayal of Spock is a masterclass in restraint, and his chemistry with Mariette Hartley’s Zarabeth adds a humanizing touch to the episode.

The episode’s direction, handled by veteran television director Marvin Chomsky, is constrained by budget and resources. The film is low-budget, with minimal special effects and no use of the Enterprise set. The Ice Age segment, while visually sparse, is effective in its depiction of a prehistoric world, relying on practical effects and a sparse score to convey the cold, harsh environment. The Early Modern Period segment, by contrast, is a recycled set from a 17th-century period piece, a decision that feels more like a cost-cutting measure than a narrative choice. This inconsistency in the episode’s pacing and visual style is a minor flaw, but it does not detract from the emotional and thematic depth of the Ice Age segment.

Despite its flaws, All Our Yesterdays is a testament to the enduring appeal of Star Trek’s time travel theme. While the episode’s structure is uneven, its exploration of time as both a tool and a prison is a refreshing departure from the series’ usual fare.

However, the episode’s potential as a series finale is undercut by the fact that it was followed by The Turnabout Intruder, an episode often cited as one of the worst in Star Trek history. This irony is a cruel twist: a season that had one of its best episodes as its penultimate installment is then followed by a disaster. The episode’s success is thus a bittersweet one, a reminder of how fragile the Star Trek legacy is.

RATING: 6/10 (++)

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