star trek original series return to tomorrow

Return to Tomorrow (episode)

Telepathic aliens take over Kirk and Spock's bodies.

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Production timeline
• 4.2 Story and production
• 4.3 Cast and characters
• 4.4 Continuity
• 4.5 Sets and props
• 4.6 Awards and recognition
• 4.7 Remastered information
• 4.8 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Guest stars
• 5.4 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.5.1 Unreferenced materials
• 5.6 External links

Summary [ ]

The USS Enterprise is traveling through a region of space hundreds of light years farther than any Earth starship has ever explored. A great, ineffable intelligence has activated her distress signal relays, giving her strong readings yet remaining invisible to her sensors. The crew arrive at a destroyed class M planet – much older than Earth, Spock determines, and long dead, its atmosphere ripped away by some cataclysmic event about half a million years ago . A male voice suddenly speaks, referring to the ship's crew as his "children" and asking them to come into orbit. He admits the unpromising state of his planet , and says strangely that he too is dead – and death will be the fate of mankind too, should they choose not to visit.

The Enterprise in orbit of Sargon's destroyed homeworld

Act One [ ]

In his captain's log (Stardate 4768.3 – see below ), Captain Kirk states his intention to risk contact; Lieutenant Uhura tells him that the entry will not reach Starfleet for three weeks due to the Enterprise 's distance from known space. Spock's science station probes touch the mysterious planetary speaker, named Sargon , who feeds him the transporter coordinates to a chamber more than a hundred miles beneath the surface. In that deep vastness, Spock detects a serviceable atmosphere and presumes that a landing party should fare well enough. Kirk plans to leave him in command, saying that with this many unknowns " we can't risk both of us being off of the ship. " But Sargon makes his preferences plain by cutting the ship's power completely until Spock is added to the landing party. Kirk now asks Spock to accompany him and leaves Lieutenant Sulu in command of the Enterprise .

In the transporter room , Dr. McCoy , security officers Lemli and Leslie , and Lt. Commander Ann Mulhall have reported for beam-down. Mulhall, an astro-biologist seconded to the operations division , is unknown to Kirk; it turns out that her orders to join the landing party came from Sargon himself. McCoy is apoplectic when he hears Spock's revised approximation of the thickness of solid rock through which the party is to be transported: 112.37 miles. The landing party enters the transporter chamber and take their places on the pads as Sargon announces that he himself will operate the transporter controls. The announcement startles McCoy who has yet to enter the chamber himself, but after Kirk stating to him about "staying behind," McCoy takes his place in the remaining open pad in the chamber and have a "medical look" at who or what Sargon is. Once energized, only Kirk, Spock, McCoy, and Muhall shimmer, and vanish as the two security officers' pads fail to activate – another one of Sargon's surprises.

Deep underground, the Enterprise landing party materializes in a sort of holding area. After the transport is completed, Spock notices that the security guards have not beamed down with them and the Enterprise contacts Kirk. Scott explains that the men are still with him in the transporter room, and still sounds concerned about the landing party's safety when he says that he says that he does not like what is going on, in spite of Sargon's powers to allow contact with the ship and beaming the landing party through much solid rock. Meanwhile, Spock finds that the walls date from the time of the cataclysm and are made from the strongest, hardest material he has ever come across. Mulhall discovers the atmosphere is only slightly different from that aboard ship.

A chamber opens and the unguarded party enter to discover Sargon – energy without substance, matter without form – housed in a glowing spheroid shell. He gives his guests a little history lesson: 6,000 centuries ago, the humanoids of this planet were spacefarers. They colonized throughout the galaxy . Sargon speculates that a Human creation myth were perhaps two beings of Sargon's race. Mulhall objects to this idea, but Spock picks up on it, saying it might explain away some elements of Vulcan pre-history.

Astrobiologist Mulhall disagrees with Sargon's history, scientifically satisfied that earth-Human intelligence evolved independent of alien projects

But 1,000 centuries after the colonial heyday came the ultimate conflict. Possessed of minds "infinitely greater" than the landing party's, having goals beyond their comprehension, Sargon's race fought a superwar, unleashing powers to which even nuclear war pales in comparison. And so the masters of the galaxy all but exterminated themselves, and their homeworld for half a million years has lain dead.

Calling Kirk his "son", Sargon exchanges places with him, taking the captain's body from him and storing his mute mind within the sphere. Sargon is thrilled to have a corporeal form again, and states his intention of using Kirk's, Spock's and Mulhall's bodies.

Act Two [ ]

Leading the landing party to an inner chamber, Sargon/Kirk shows them ten other spheres ranged in two rows. His wife Thalassa 's is the only one still aglow on the lower tier. On the upper, one glows as well – Henoch , of the ultimate conflict's "other side." These essences, too, will require hosts, namely Mulhall and Spock. McCoy complains that Sargon is "burning up" Kirk's body – his heart is beating 262 times per minute. Sargon/Kirk says he and his fellows wish to hold the Human and Vulcan bodies only long enough to build "humanoid robots" with methods and skills "far beyond your abilities." Sargon/Kirk staggers back to the main chamber and, again calling Kirk "son," vacates his body. Kirk's metabolism promptly returns to normal. He says his mind's stay in the receptacle was a "floating in time and space." But the intimate proximity to Sargon during the exchange has affected him deeply: " For an instant we were one… I know him now. I know what he is and what he wants – and I don't fear him."

Mulhall offers her body to science

In a briefing room back aboard the Enterprise , the landing party is joined by Scott, whose assistance will be necessary in the construction of "android robots." Kirk will not order their participation. With such mechanical bodies, Spock says, Sargon and company will be able to leave this planet and share their technology. The resulting advances for "mankind" would be a great leap of ten millennia. Scott is won over by the prospect of starship engines being "the size of walnuts"; Mulhall says that in the interest of science she must cooperate. McCoy finds it a suspicious coincidence that the bodies of both the captain and first officer are required for the task ahead and worries that to such "giants" the Human crew must be "insects." Kirk compares the undertaking at hand with the first Earth missions to the Moon , to Mars , to Alpha Centauri , and reminds McCoy that six generations ago surgery was done with scalpels and catgut. " Risk… " he concludes, " risk is our business. That's what this starship is all about. That's why we're aboard her. " Spock, McCoy, Scott, and Mulhall's doubts about the transference are erased after Kirk's passionate speech.

In the medical lab, McCoy and Nurse Chapel oversee the transference. Thalassa, seeing through Mulhall's eyes, at first looks for her husband in Spock, but Sargon draws her attention "here" – in Kirk's body. She approves of his choice of host, finding it similar to the body he lost in the cataclysm. Henoch is pleased with his own host: the Human-Vulcan hybrid has "strength, hearing and eyesight, all far above your Human norms." Spock's body deals better with the transference too, being "accustomed to the higher metabolism"; Henoch stays in it when the others collapse and for the second time Sargon relinquishes Kirk's body.

In the pharmacology laboratory, Henoch/Spock and Chapel make up a metabolic reduction formula which, administered from a hypospray at 10 cc/hr, should allow the three cataclysm survivors to function in their host bodies. Chapel notices that Sargon's formula has been doctored and fears for her captain. Henoch/Spock confirms that he intends that Kirk die – so as to finish off Sargon. Henoch/Spock then telepathically establishes mind control over Chapel, touching his middle finger to her forehead, making her forget about what he just said.

Act Three [ ]

McCoy makes an entry in his medical log (4769.1 – see below ): Sargon is now in his third possession of Kirk's body, Thalassa is back in Mulhall's, and Henoch continues to possess Spock's.

In a science laboratory , Sargon/Kirk and Thalassa/Mulhall are beginning the assembly of their new android bodies. They reminisce, but the lost scenes of their beloved homeworld turn to a cruel reminder of the insensate future that awaits them. Henoch/Spock enters and enjoys the plight of his sorely tempted but morally rigorous opponents. He for one has no intention of relinquishing his host body. Sargon feels the damage he is wreaking on Kirk's inadequately suppressed metabolism, but does not want to worry his wife and soldiers on.

In the medical lab, Chapel conveys Henoch's bogus metabolic readings to McCoy. Mistaking her evident stress for fatigue, he offers to administer the last few doses of formula to the visitors. Alarmed, Chapel insists she will be up to the task.

In the shop, Scott cannot see how the technology of the ancient colonizers is going to work in the android bodies, which must "need micro-gears and some sort of pulley that does what a muscle does." A happy Henoch/Spock appears in the doorway and corrects him: comprehend its workings though Scott may not, the android form will surpass his Human strength and agility by 100%. To Thalassa/Mulhall, though, Henoch's upbeat manner rings hollow: the android form will house her for a thousand years – is that not what a prison does? She feels a tremor of revolt against the impending surrender of her humanoid existence. Might a Human body not after all be her due, given all the good she proposes to bring to mankind?

In the deck six briefing room, Sargon realizes he can no longer ignore the danger to Kirk's body and calls McCoy. Thalassa/Mulhall arrives first and runs the idea of sacrificing Mulhall past her husband. Seeing that the wrongness of the proposition has escaped her, Sargon/Kirk points out the practical difficulties – it will take months, if not years, for the host bodies to grow accustomed to the presence of their essences. She knows that he, too, longs to resume their physical intimacy – the "intertwining" of senses – and kisses him, asking "can robot lips do this?" Fighting temptation as well as Henoch's vapid medicine, he collapses. McCoy and Chapel arrive to find Sargon/Kirk "dead."

Act Four [ ]

Kirk's vital organs are in good hands, but his mind is trapped in a sphere on the bedside table

McCoy makes an entry in the medical log (4770.3 – see below ). He is sure that Sargon has died, forced to flee the captain's collapsed body, and too far from the receptacle to bring about the exchange of essences. Despite its inhospitality, the vacant body has been brought around in sickbay, its "vital organs now working," as the nurse says.

We can tweak the gender characteristics after you get it up and running, Thalassa

In the shop, Henoch/Spock works on a male-shaped android body. Thalassa/Mulhall wonders why he bothers, since he clearly doesn't plan to return his present body to Spock. He stokes her revulsion, saying the android form is for her – she can occupy it before it has its female features installed. She cannot bring herself to put her consciousness into the android body.

In the medical lab, Thalassa/Mulhall proposes a back room deal with McCoy: she is able to move Kirk's mind back into the functioning body, but she requires that the doctor connive at her keeping that of Mulhall, "whom you hardly know – almost a stranger to you!" Even for such a return, McCoy cannot leave Mulhall to die. Thalassa/Mulhall threatens him, "we can take what we wish… I could destroy you with a single thought!" She projects fire onto McCoy, but soon her godlike posturing disgusts her, and she realizes that physical existence is seductive and corrupting for her kind. Relieved to witness her integrity, Sargon now speaks: he has been sheltering unsuspected in the very fabric of the vessel. Chapel arrives, having been summoned. Thalassa/Mulhall asks McCoy to leave them, stating "Sargon has a plan."

In his study, McCoy is alarmed by a series of explosions from the lab. Unable to enter because the door is sealed, he is calling for aid when Chapel exits – with something plainly on her mind.

Back in the lab, Kirk and Mulhall have regained their bodies. The three receptacles are now charred and burnt out – completely destroyed (it was these McCoy heard exploding). And Spock's mind? Kirk says the loss was "necessary." The urgent task is to terminate Spock's physical form and so put an end to Henoch. Kirk orders McCoy to prepare a hypo fatal to Vulcans.

On the bridge, Henoch/Spock terrorizes Uhura, who screams. He then sits in Kirk's chair and warns helmsman Sulu not to fight him. Chapel stands beside Henoch/Spock. McCoy arrives with Kirk and Mulhall, whom Henoch/Spock stops short by forcing pain upon them near the turbolift . Henoch/Spock then orders Chapel to take McCoy's hypo, the contents of which are known to him from reading McCoy's mind. Chapel is ordered by Henoch/Spock to inject McCoy, which she prepare to do – but suddenly, she injects Henoch/Spock instead. At first he belittles their attempt, but when he senses the undead and powerful Sargon his instinct is to beg. Spock's body collapses, and Henoch flees — but with no host, android nor receptacle at hand, he is destroyed. Chapel swoons, and Spock stands; he is himself again. When Chapel recovers, she explains that she had been carrying (and sharing) Spock's essence (or katra ) which, behind Henoch's back, Sargon had "placed in me." Sargon explains that the hypo, potent enough to "kill ten Vulcans", was a necessary illusion.

Sargon then requests that he and Thalassa borrow Kirk and Mulhall's bodies one last time so he may hold his wife as a living woman before the couple consign themselves to oblivion "forever". The request is duly granted, and Sargon/Kirk and Thalassa/Mulhall share a final kiss. Thalassa/Mulhall tells Sargon/Kirk that oblivion together does not frighten her, and asks him to promise her they will be together — which Sargon/Kirk does. After Sargon and Thalassa have departed, and Kirk and Mulhall are themselves again; Chapel says, with a teary fond look at Spock, that the couple's final kiss was "beautiful."

The Enterprise leaves Arret and continues its exploration of space.

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2268
• Medical log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Memorable quotes [ ]

" One day our minds became so powerful, we dared think of ourselves as gods. "

" We must have Captain Kirk and you – so that we may live again. "

" They used to say if man could fly, he'd have wings … but he did fly. He discovered he had to. Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn't reached the moon , or that we hadn't gone on to Mars or the nearest star ? That's like saying you wish that you still operated with scalpels and sewed your patients up with catgut like your great-great-great-great-grandfather used to. I'm in command. I could order this. But I'm not … because … Dr. McCoy is right in pointing out the enormous danger potential in any contact with life and intelligence as fantastically advanced as this. But I must point out that the possibilities, the potential for knowledge and advancement is equally great. Risk … risk is our business! That's what this starship is all about … that's why we're aboard her! "

" Oh, you are a lovely female. A pleasant sight to wake up to after half a million years. " " Thank you. "

" I'm surprised the Vulcans never conquered your race. " " Vulcans worship peace above all, Henoch. "

" I will not peddle flesh. I'm a physician . " " A physician? In contrast to what we are, you are a prancing, savage medicine man. "

" Spock's consciousness is gone. We must kill his body – the thing in it. "

" Oblivion together does not frighten me, beloved. Promise we'll be together. " " I promise, beloved. "

Background information [ ]

Production timeline [ ].

• Story outline by John Dugan : early- May 1967
• Revised story outline by Gene L. Coon : 9 May 1967
• First draft teleplay by Dugan: 29 June 1967
• Second draft teleplay: 11 October 1967
• Final draft teleplay by Gene Roddenberry : early- November 1967
• Additional page revisions by Roddenberry and John Meredyth Lucas : 18 November 1967 , 20 November 1967 , 21 November 1967 , 22 November 1967 , 24 November 1967
• Filmed: 20 November 1967 – 28 November 1967
• Score recorded: 29 December 1967
• Original airdate: 9 February 1968
• Rerun airdate: 2 August 1968
• First UK airdate (on BBC1 ): 17 August 1970
• First UK airdate (on ITV ): 16 January 1983
• Remastered airdate: 7 July 2007

During the syndication run of Star Trek , no syndication cuts were made to this episode.

Story and production [ ]

• Writer John T. Dugan wrote the original script of this episode after he had read an article about highly sophisticated robots. In his original draft, Sargon and Thalassa continue their existence as spirits without bodies, floating around the universe. However, Gene Roddenberry , who did an uncredited re-write on the script, changed the ending to the aliens fading out into oblivion. This led to Dugan using his pen name John Kingsbridge in the episode's credits. [1] ( The Star Trek Compendium )
• Dugan (a devout Catholic) stated: " That line totally went against my philosophy and cosmology, I didn't want to be associated with it. The oblivion idea is Roddenberry's philosophy, not mine. (…) That might be a small thing, but I have a reputation and a philosophy and everybody who knows me knows what I stand for; I certainly don't stand for oblivion in the afterlife. (…) When you write a script, you don't expect to have your "world view" changed by a producer. The rest of Roddenberry's changes were all trivial (…); the big thing was the change in the episode's philosophy. " ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two , p. 529)
• Dugan's original outline was approved by NBC program manager Stan Robertson on 15 May 1967 , with the conditions that " the highly cerebral portions of the story would be eliminated and the complex nature of the plot would be materially simplified ". ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , pp. 331)
• Robertson also found Sargon's speculation about " your own legends of an Adam and an Eve were two of our travellers " to be sacrilegious and offending to Christian viewers, hence the line by Ann Mulhall stating that " our beliefs and our studies indicate that life on our planet, Earth, evolved independently " had to be inserted into the script. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two ) (Interesting to note that The Twilight Zone episode "Probe 7, Over and Out" in which Adam and Eve are actually revealed to be space travelers, aired on CBS four years prior.)
• The names of the Arret survivors have some cultural connections to Earth. In Greek mythology , Thalassa was a sea goddess. Some Assyrian and Mesopotamian kings were named Sargon. In the Bible , the name Henoch appears several times (sometimes spelled "Enoch" or "Hanoch"), including as the father of Methuselah .
• The name of the planet itself, Arret ("Terra", Earth in Latin , inverted), is never mentioned onscreen, much as Neural , the site of " A Private Little War ", is also unspoken.
• Joseph Pevney was originally slated to direct this episode; however, he quit the series after " The Immunity Syndrome ", citing the lack of discipline from the actors after producer Gene L. Coon left the show. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two )
• The preview of this episode features a different take of the scene just before Thalassa zaps McCoy. In the preview, Muldaur says, " I could destroy you with one thought! " In the completed episode, she says, " I could destroy you with a single thought! "
• This episode is the latest in any season to feature a new score, albeit a partial one, by George Duning. Parts of the new score would be heard for the rest of the season, including the menacing Henoch cues in " Patterns of Force " and " The Omega Glory ". However, most of this score, notably the love themes, would never be reused in another episode. This sets it apart from other scores, such as those from " Who Mourns for Adonais? " and " Elaan of Troyius ", whose themes would be reused extensively.
• Still photos of a smiling Spock leaning against a doorway and a non-canonical image of William Blackburn , dressed as the android were used in the end credits of " The Immunity Syndrome ". That episode was produced before this one, but did not go to air until 19 January 1968 .
• Blackburn told about his experiences filming this episode. Because of his latex android make-up, he could not eat or drink properly during the 12-hour shooting day and had to consume nourishment through a straw. The white, blank eyes of the android were achieved with him simply moving and holding his eyeballs upwards. ( TOS-R Season 2 DVD Special Features)
• In clips from the second season blooper reel, Blackburn peels off his latex coating with glee and is helped by assistant director Tiger Shapiro , who says, " Well, son, you wanted show business. Goddammit, you got it! " In another segment, William Shatner grabs one of the globes and proclaims, " Have no fear. Sargon is here. " And in another clip, Shatner jumps a line with DeForest Kelley in sickbay by saying, " I'm fine, Bones. " Kelley responds, " Are you all right? " They both crack up laughing. In the next take, they can't even begin to speak before they dissolve into helpless giggles.
• A still image taken from the blooper above, of Blackburn removing the latex android make-up from his head appears in the end credits of " By Any Other Name ". That episode was produced the week before this one and aired two weeks later, on 23 February 1968 .

Cast and characters [ ]

• This episode marks George Takei 's return to the series after an absence of some months while filming The Green Berets . His last appearance was " I, Mudd ", which was ten episodes earlier in production order.
• As a lieutenant commander , Ann Mulhall has the distinction of being the highest-ranking named female Starfleet character shown in TOS. However, her operations division uniform will be reused for unnamed female background characters in future episodes (" The Tholian Web ").
• James Doohan was the voice of Sargon.

• William Blackburn plays the android that is meant for Sargon's wife. Production photos of his make-up test appeared in the end credits of " The Immunity Syndrome " and " By Any Other Name ".
• Walter Koenig does not appear in this episode.

Continuity [ ]

• It is unclear how Arretan might have inspired the Adam and Eve story on Earth, especially since they ended their galactic colonization before their civil war. Their colonizing period, which occurred 600,000 years ago , is the earliest estimate for the appearance of Homo heidelbergensis , an early ancestor Humans share with the Neanderthals .
• This is the second time a reference is made in Star Trek about the Apollo moon program , after " Tomorrow is Yesterday ". Filmed more than a year-and-a-half before the first lunar landing, Kirk rhetorically asks McCoy in this episode, " Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn't reached the Moon ? " The first manned Apollo mission, Apollo 1 (intended to be a test-flight of the Command and Service Module in Earth orbit only), never flew, since a tragic fire claimed the lives of three astronauts . This happened on 27 January 1967, months before the script was submitted to the production team and a full year before this episode aired. The first Apollo mission in which astronauts orbited – and technically "reached" – the moon was Apollo 8 in December 1968, ten months after this episode aired. However, the Apollo 11 astronauts were the first to "reach" the moon by landing on it in 20 July 1969, after Star Trek was canceled. Kirk's next comments about going " on to Mars and then to the nearest star " seem to suggest that he is referring to the Apollo 11 lunar mission.

Sets and props [ ]

• One of the fiberglass globes was re-used later as part of the Romulan cloaking device in " The Enterprise Incident ", and for M-4 in " Requiem for Methuselah ".
• The stand for one of the globes was later turned upside-down and used as a piece of technology on Atoz 's desk in " All Our Yesterdays ".
• This episode features colorful back lights on the Enterprise sets, mostly green and purple, which were not used since the early episodes of the first season .

Awards and recognition [ ]

• This episode and its writer, John T. Dugan, earned a Writers Guild of America Award nomination in the category Best Written Dramatic Episode in 1968 . ( Star Trek Inside No. 9 )
• Director Ralph Senensky nicknamed this episode "The Huge Ping Pong Balls". [2] Senensky also described this episode as "about which the less said the better". [3]

Remastered information [ ]

The remastered version of this episode aired in many North American markets during the weekend of 7 July 2007 . It featured new effects shots of the Enterprise and a new, more realistic version of Sargon's homeworld. It also included shots of the planet matted into interior viewscreen shots. [4]

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original US Betamax release: 1986
• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 27 , catalog number VHR 2379, 2 July 1990
• US VHS release: 15 April 1994
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 2.8, 21 July 1997
• Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 26, 19 June 2001
• As part of the TOS Season 2 DVD collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• William Shatner as Capt. Kirk

Also starring [ ]

• Leonard Nimoy as "Mr. Spock "
• DeForest Kelley as "Dr. McCoy "

Guest stars [ ]

• Diana Muldaur as Ann Mulhall
• James Doohan as Scott
• Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
• George Takei as Sulu
• Cindy Lou as Nurse
• Majel Barrett as Christine Chapel

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• Arretan android
• Frank da Vinci as Brent
• James Doohan as Sargon (voice)
• Roger Holloway as Roger Lemli
• Jeannie Malone as Nurse
• John Hugh McKnight as command lieutenant
• Diana Muldaur as Thalassa
• Leonard Nimoy as Henoch
• Eddie Paskey as Leslie
• William Shatner as Sargon (body)
• Command crew woman
• Security guard

References [ ]

6,000 centuries ago ; 500,000 years ago ; ability ; Adam and Eve ; agility ; alien intelligence ; alloy ; Alpha Centauri ; answer ; Apollo 11 ; Arret ; Arret native ; Arret system ; artery ; astrobiology ; atmosphere (aka air ); atmosphere report ; attitude ; bed ; best friend ; blood ; body ; body function (aka bodily function ); body temperature ; " Bones "; bottle ; briefing ; briefing room ; catgut ; cc ; century ; children ; choice ; class M ; coincidence ; communication channel ; composition ; consciousness ; conn ; Constitution -class decks ; contact ; coordinates ; crisis ; danger ; day ; death ; degree ; demonstration ; descendant ; diagram ; distance ; distress signal relay ; drawing ; Earth ; energy ; engineer ; engineering ; error ; euphoria ; evolution ; experimentation ; exploration ; eye ; eyesight ; Fahrenheit ; fatigue ; fear ; feeling ; finger ; flesh ; flower ; formula ; great-great-great-great-grandfather ; God ; hailing frequency ; hand ; hearing ; heart ; heartbeat ; heart rate ; hello ; home ; host body ; hour ; Human (aka mankind ); humanoid robot (aka mechanical body or android robot ); hypo ; injection ; insect ; intelligence ; " in time "; jelly ; " just a moment "; kiss ; knee ; knowledge ; lake ; landing party ; landing party duty ; legend ; liar ; life (aka lifeform ); life support ; light year ; lip ; location ; Luna ; lungs ; machine ; Mars ; matter ; McCoy's great-great-great-great-grandfather ; medicine man ; metabolic rate ; metabolic reduction injection ; metabolism ; microgear ; mile ; Milky Way Galaxy ; million ; mind ; minute ; miracle ; mission ; mistake ; month ; muscle ; name ; negaton hydrocoil ; nitrogen ; nuclear age (aka nuclear era ); opportunity ; order ; oxygen ; pain ; patient ; peace ; pharmacology ; pharmacology laboratory ; physician ; place ; plan ; planet ; poison ; power ; prejudice ; prison ; pulley ; question ; race ; receptacle ; rescue ; risk ; rock ; room ; Sargon ; Arretan ; Arretan vessel ; savage ; science officer ; Scots language ; search ; security guard ; sharing ; seed ; sensor probe ; scalpel ; science officer ; scientist ; second-in-command ; security guard ; sensor ; silver ; size ; standard orbit ; " stand by "; star system ; Starfleet ; stranger ; strength ; subspace radio ; subterranean chamber ; surface ; technician ; temperature ; thing ; thought ; thousand ; transporter ; transporter beam ; transporter coordinates ; transporter device ; transporter room ; traveler ; tricorder ; truth ; unconsciousness ; vault ; vital organ ; voice ; vote ; Vulcan ; Vulcan prehistory ; wall ; walnut ; war ; week ; " what in the devil "; wing ; wisdom ; word ; worship ; year

Unreferenced materials [ ]

alien ; illogic ; jungle

External links [ ]

• " Return to Tomorrow " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Return to Tomorrow " at Wikipedia
• " Return to Tomorrow " at MissionLogPodcast.com
• " Return to Tomorrow " at the Internet Movie Database
• 1 Bell Riots
• 2 Daniels (Crewman)

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Star Trek: The Original Series

“Return to Tomorrow”

Air date: 2/9/1968 Written by John Kingsbridge Directed by Ralph Senensky

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

Review Text

An alien being named Sargon—who exists as pure energy without a form—invites a small team to beam down to a planet that had been destroyed half a million years earlier. Sargon asks Kirk to volunteer his own and two of his crew members' bodies (Spock and Dr. Mulhall, played by Diana Muldaur), so Sargon, his wife, and an old enemy turned friend (or so we think) can create robot bodies and spread their awesome knowledge to the rest of the galaxy.

The episode does a great job of being intriguing until the final act degenerates into a mindless muddle. The plot, initially compelling and with rigid rules, throws all the rules out the window in an inane, arbitrary ending sequence that borders on incoherence. That's too bad, because the aliens' quest is an interesting, often poignant one—as they find their newfound human sensations almost too appealing to relinquish. The villain of the story inhabits Spock's body, giving Nimoy an interesting break from the norm.

There's also a speech in the episode that seems to epitomize Trek 's sense of adventure, but it's so overplayed with dramatics and Shatner's scenery chewing that it comes off looking self-important and silly. It practically forms the model for every Shatner impression (particularly Kevin Pollack's) that has since been performed. I got a chuckle out of it, although I wasn't supposed to.

Previous episode: A Private Little War Next episode: Patterns of Force

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Comment Section

58 comments on this post.

Why does Dr. Mulhall wear red if she's an astrophysicist? Why isn't she wearing blue?

What I dislike most in this episode is the revelation that the prime directive apparently only applies to other, less advanced cultures - the moment they meet superior beings they cant't wait to learn whatever they can from them with no concern for meddling with the natural development of their own society. It's more than only little bit hypocritical...

The Prime Directive is a convenience to hang a plot on and not much more. It's a nice idea, but it's not consistently enforced in any way at all. Right now I'm watching Bread and Circuses, in which we hear that they take an oath to die rather than to violate the PD, but they violate it all the time, especially in self-defense. Besides, Sargon contacted them, they didn't violate the PD by initiating contact.

Holy crap I just realized Dr. Mulhall in this episode is Dr. Polaski from TNG season 2, except much younger (and surprisingly attractive back then). I only recognized her by her voice, and then I started noticing her face was similar, but I thought it was my imagination, but no, it's Dr. Polaski alright.

Just watched this episode again last night. The episode raises all kinds of questions. Some answered, some not. But the first which came into my mind happens very early in the episode. As they approach the planet Spock says it registers as Class M. A moment later he informs Kirk that the atmosphere was ripped away thousands of years ago. So how can it currently be registering as Class M? Unless the sensors are so powerful they can detect what the planet's atmosphere used to be. A minor technobabble quibble, but it stuck out to me for the first time.

Was it ever canonically established that "class M" includes atmosphere? It was widely assumed (and, once assumed, may have fed back into canonical scripts). But the designation could refer to a more limited set of geophysical traits (mass, magnetic field, surface temperature) without reference to chemical composition. When I hear Spock say, as he often did, "Class M, nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere," I take that as two different facts. Strider's nitpick about Mulhall's uniform is fair, but there's also this: why send an astrobiologist (her stated specialty) to investigate a lifeless planet? (Or was this the one where Mulhall was summoned by the aliens?)

@ Grumpy. I get what you mean mentioning how they always say Class M, Earth type conditions (or variations). But I always took that to mean Class M meant, planets similar to Earth, including atmosphere. I've always thought they kept repeating that phrase for the benefit of first time viewers who otherwise wouldn't know what Class M meant. But it could mean two separate things. At any rate, it shows how powerful the Enterprise's sensors are. :)

This is not one that I ever thought of as a "classic" episode; you won't find it on very many "best of" lists. However, on a recent viewing I was struck by how much I enjoyed it, and how well it represents what the message of Star Trek is and should be. And it isn't just the "risk is our business" speech, though that is indeed one of the very best moments in all of Trek. Star Trek was a breakthrough in television science fiction because at its very core was the simple idea that people could live together and respect one another -- not only among themselves, but even with alien beings from the edge of the galaxy, whose very natures stretched the limits of our understanding. The writers and producers of Trek were very brave about presenting such an idea on national television at a time in which America was descending into violence and chaos. "Return to Tomorrow" presents this idea as well as any episode of Trek I've seen. It begins with Kirk's visible agitation over a distress signal his officers can't explain, but the agitation gives way to curiosity and wonderment in short order as Sargon reveals himself and begins to explain who and what he is. Sargon, for his part, has the power to take what he wants from the Enterprise crew, who to him are at about the level mice are to us, but is committed to their right to life and self-determination even at the cost of his and his wife's existences. Finally, a (literal) meeting of minds convinces Kirk that the mutual possibilities of Sargon's proposal are worth any danger to himself. Ultimately, Sargon and Thalassa choose to sacrifice themselves rather than cause harm to what to them are the most inferior of beings. And all of it is, indeed, tied together with the understanding that "RISK is our business". The risk undertaken by the Enterprise and her crew, in this case, but what Roddenberry and co. were saying, by extension, was that risk is the business of all of us. It's risky to trust others. It's risky to put our faith in the intentions of people we don't understand. Mutual trust is a hard-won commodity, but Kirk chooses to trust his instincts in the case of Sargon -- and the result is that even beings at opposite ends of the evolutionary scale are able to communicate with, work with, and understand one another. This was pretty heady stuff in 1968, and is just as remarkable now. Sci-fi TV before Star Trek was mostly space monsters, and much of it post-TOS has been slickly-produced cynicism. Even TOS had its share of "captured by hostile aliens" plots, and so an episode like "Return to Tomorrow" is a breath of fresh air and a pleasure to watch. It is, as I now believe, a classic episode after all. (As for the definition of "Class M" planets, it's made pretty clear from the very beginning, when Spock runs his scan of the Talos system in "The Cage" and notes that "Number four appears to be Class M.... oxygen atmosphere.")

I completely agree with Brundledan, this is a wonderful episode. I love the "risk" speech. I love the fairly mature plot. It is paced well, and is truly a pleasure to watch. I think Brundledan would probably agree with me that I love the true-sci-fi episodes. bettering the human race, exploring the unknown. This episode is so much better then the black face-white face social commentary schlock that makes up a good chunk of star trek. Also, you make a great point about modern sci-fi being slickly designed cynicism.

I can't believe it took me until the final scene to realize that Ann Mulhall was played by Diana Muldaur! I think it's the eyebrows that gave it away. Also interesting how similar her character's name was to her actual name.

I really, really liked this episode for the reasons stated by Brundledan. So far I found season 2 a bit difficult to get through so this was very welcome.

Bravo to Brundledan, who makes the case for this episode very well. I guess further commenting is somewhat superfluous. I guess I'll try: The thing about Kirk's "RISK...IS OUR BUSINESS!" speech is that Shatner could have played it more, uh, subtle, naturalistic, etc., but instead he went for broke. He took, in other words, the riskier course. Look, I find it hammy and ridiculous, but it's also charming, elevating, and inspiring. It is all of those things, and part of the thing that stands up about Shatner's acting choices is that there is something inseparable about this man's bravado from its more ridiculous aspects. Which, you know, is true of the series at large. I think a different actor would maybe have been able to sell the gravitas of Kirk's speech without chewing the scenery, having that glint in his eye, etc. -- but I'm not entirely certain I want anyone to. In addition to this, it really gets to me that Kirk brings up the first Apollo mission landing on the moon so casually like that. Again, there's some risk to this. History could have proven them wrong; the Apollo mission could have burned up and never made it to the moon, and then, well, this episode looking foolish would have been a small problem/consequence of this, but still, there it is. There is a go-for-broke mentality to this: "we should take the chance on being hurt by *believing* in something, daring to risk being wrong." In some respects, this episode is as much engaged with the idea of grace in aging and death, not just on a personal level but on the level of society, as something like "The Inner Light" is. Yes, it's not as good (how often is Trek that good?), but this is also an episode which presents a few models on how to deal with the inevitability of death -- staving it off with technology (the robot bodies), completely using other people (as Henoch does), or accepting it with courage (as Sargon does). Thalassa finds herself torn between the Henoch and Sargon models of how to behave, and in that she makes the conflict seem human-scaled and relatable, even though Henoch and Sargon are more ideas (of evil and good, respectively) than fully-fleshed out characters. And through Thalassa, we understand how tempting it must be, to let Mulhall disappear and live again. She's going into death. And yet, she has to make the right choice. In addition to (quite genuinely) being an idea-play about a possible future for the human race, where we have developed far beyond where we are now, and then can choose whether to deal with this like Sargon and Thalassa on the one hand, or Henoch on the other, this is also a story about aging, and old people; older people have superior knowledge and experience, and can choose to use this knowledge to instruct and help the young, or to exploit the young to hang onto everything they have. There is something of the conflict between generations, writ large, and I think the ambiguity here of whether or not Sargon's people actually are responsible for seeding humans (are they the beings from "The Chase"?) related. They may, or may not, be our "parents," but they could well be, and as a result how do parents choose to deal with their children -- by manipulating and using them for their own benefit, or letting them live their lives? There is something going on with Chapel in this episode -- Henoch may be using alien powers, but I think he is using some Vulcan telepathy on Christine, when he touches her head and brainwashes her into being his slave. If Spock *wanted* to, I think, he could do this; use Christine, use her trust of him and attachment to him for his benefit, either through Vulcan mind control powers or just through everyday emotional manipulation. But he doesn't, and Henoch's rough treatment of her highlights how Spock's stoicism is a form of kindness to her. (I think Spock was tempted to use Chapel in "Amok Time," after he thought he wouldn't be able to go to Vulcan -- something the episode hints at and promptly dropped.) Henoch's inability to see Chapel as anything but a pawn is his downfall -- he stops being able to think of those around him as anything but people to be used. And she turns on him. That she gets to be the hero, in a sense, and also is able to share consciousness with Spock is something like a way of the episode "compensating" Christine for how she suffers. Spock will never show her the love she wants, but she gets some moments of intimacy with him, in some sense, justifies her faith in him, even if her faith in Spock, I think, left her open to be exploited by Henoch. Which really ties in with the episode's themes. The risk Kirk et al. took really *did* leave them open to Henoch; Kirk, Mulhall and Spock (and Chapel) just *barely* escaped with their bodies and their freedom intact. But being open to new experiences is not wrong, and those risks are worth it. Risk is their business. The episode still has a slowish pace at times and its plot has some turns that don't quite make sense -- Sargon's powers change pretty suddenly, and the question of whether the possessed individuals' original minds are left in those glowing jars or stay in their bodies is unresolved. (How can Spock be stored in Chapel, and Kirk and Mulhall briefly possessed, if up to that point they were all housed in receptacles?) Sargon remains something of a blank, and in general it's an odd choice to have the episode's emotional dynamics be carried basically by characters we don't know. But these seem to me to be mostly unimportant -- weaknesses, sure, and I don't think this episode is a classic, but I think it does what Trek does very well. A high 3 stars.

I'm in the "strongly like" camp, as well. I consider the "Risk is Our Business" speech classic and well done, whether one judges the entire episode as a classic, and despite what second-handed clowns like Kevin Pollack use to earn their way through life. But it's all been written better by William B and Brundledan so I won't reiterate it here. Funnier than Pollack would have been the opportunity presented in the Nurse Chapel / Henoch Filling Hypos scene, something that Mel Brooks, Monty Python, or Saturday Night Live might have spoofed. Did you notice how Henoch has to touch Christine's head to make her forget that she noticed the hypos were different? Okay, fair enough. But then he immediately launches into a rationalization (no doubt for our benefit, but she IS there in the scene) about why he's done that. Uh, why didn't he then catch himself, silently curse, then place hand on her head again to make her forget THAT? Of course, in the realm of beating a dead horse (unlike Pollack, right?) a good spoof might have him then prancing about again, silly grin, carrying on about what he'll next do, only to catch himself a second time, make her forget, then himself forget as he prattles on a third time, only to... Now that... (pause) would be... (pause) funny, Kevin.

DutchStudent82

A nice and enjoyable episode. 3 stars. Some minus points however : This planet is NOT class M, as far as star trek classifications goes this is a class K world (like mars is) I like consisicy, and it is not given here. As a reminder how star-trek classification works : Class M, is a rocky planet with atmosphere that naturally has plant and annimal life, suitable for humanoid life Class L is a rocky planet with atmosphere that naturally has plantlife but no annimal life, suitable for humanoid life. Class K means without atmosphere, and no life, but can be made habitable with pressure domes and such. Class D is also without atmosphere and no life, and the surface can not be terraformed, sub-surface habitats are however possible (like monitor stations/research stations) Class H means toxic to humanoid life, uninhabitable, even if it has atmosphere and life on it. Class N means toxic to MOST life humanoid and otherwise, sulfuric world, all water (if any) excist only as vapor, extremophiles and silicicium-based lifeforms may however still live here. Class Y means toxic to ALL life Class J means gas-giant So clearly this is a K-class world. Now minus point 2 : why the rush in self-destructing. this race could have learned the federation A LOT, and even if they deemed themselves "to dangerous" to recieve their new android-body's, least they could have done was give SOME tech manuals as a thank you for the assistance in the first place? We DID help them for the possible "gains" after all, so if we were willing to take the risk why chicken out now? How is kirk ok with them self-destructing and not trying to talk them in "stay a little longer we still could learn a lot"?? missed oportunity I say. Also Making sex (ok kissing still point stands) in ONEOTHERS persons body?? and everybody standing around it is ok with that?? serious?? It is one thing to LEND a persons body, one complete other what you use it for, and sexual pleasure SURELY was NOT included in the agreement. And did we really need multiple awkward relationships ak sexism [TM] again?? it's all that sexism that makes me dislike TOS in the first place.. your the army, behave professional!

Love evil-grinning Spock!

I agree with Jammer that this episode is very intriguing but the ending is a bit of a mess. I do think Kirk's speech is very important for the Trek cannon - yes maybe Shatner's dramatics overdoes the moment but that is a very minor nitpick. Kirk makes very valid arguments for what they should do and reaffirms Trek's purpose - good to reestablish again. Also nice to see Muldaur's first appearance in Trek - a very attractive woman and good actress. Always preferred her over Crusher as doc on TNG. Great soundtrack from George Duning - really nails the romantic music and creating an atmosphere. Some good moments between Muldaur and Shatner. It is a captivating story about love lost for so long and found again. Not clear how Henoch dies or what kind of powers Sargon has but it does seem as if it gives the writers some kind of convenience for a nice ending. Ultimately this is one of the "purer" TOS sci-fi episodes for me. Some of the ideas are very interesting - how Sargon et al evolved into energy beings, their planet being destroyed in some cataclysm but they preserved themselves in a chamber over a 100 miles beneath the surface. The pacing is a bit slow - a lot of good ideas in this episode but the ending leaves a bit to be desired. I'd rate this 3 stars out of 4 for its concepts and intentions.

I like this episode, but I think there is a problem with it. Although it turns out Sargon and his wife are benevolent, Dr. McCoy rightly points out that the aliens wanting the bodies of the two highest ranking officers seems suspicious. Kirk gives a lame explanation about him and Spock being the best matches (maybe so, but surely somebody else would have been an okay match). Of course, the real reason Kirk and Spock are chosen for the mind transfer is because this a TV show, and they are the stars of the show. So I guess a certain amount of artistic license has to be allowed.

This is a classic "deep thought, big idea" Trek show: Non-corporeal aliens wanting to borrow crew bodies to build their own android bodies and revive their species is pretty darn high-concept. Some classic moments here like Kirk's risk speech come in slow-paced story that is heavy on mystical tones but light on logic and tension. Because the stakes never feel very high here, it's easy to doze off, but the stylish direction and thoughtful performances/dialogue make it a 3-star episode for me. Not much to add here, but one final note: Does anyone else find it ironic that the android bodies in this episode (see when the male android raises its hand while Henoch and Thalassa are examining it) actually look more like today's lifelike robots (see the freaky one in Japan) than Data and anything else we see from TNG forward? Sometimes TOS was really ahead of its time and TNG was really more dated in its vision of the future.

Why does Chapel and the other nurse have red cross badges but Mccoy has the standard science badge? Why bother with a drug that’s super deadly to Vulcans when a phaser set to vaporise does just fine?

I think most will argee that the freshest, most original thing about this episode is that the super-powerful aliens are well-meaning, respectful and have no insideous plans. They simply wish the help of humans. The humans - socialised to distrust the alien motives - altruistically offer help anyway. This altruism in the face of risk, and the kindness of the aliens, makes the episode's message fairly unique. What spoils it all is that one of the aliens reveals himself to be evil. This hokey cliche was wholly unnecessary. The episode's "help aliens build robot" plot had enough risks and dangers to make the generic "evil alien" subplot superflous. Granted the subplot does offer some nice additional themes (absolute power can corrupt absolutely), but such themes are as old as Trek itself. Indeed, Trek's pilot - Where No Man Has Gone Before - features a man buckling under the pressure of becoming a God-like alien. So, in a way, this bit of tacked on moralising spoils the episode's more interesting and original moralising. It's a excellent, above average, interesting episode, but with a little less conventional action and/or villainy, it would have been great.

RandomThoughts

Hello Everyone! @Tanner As far as the deadly drug goes, as I recall, the entity in Spock was able to use and augment his mental abilities, so he'd be able to sense if someone was coming at him with a phaser and stop them. But someone believing the hypospray was deadly, and eventually injecting Spock/entity with it, caused entity to leave. In conclusion, no one could get close enough to Spock to shoot him, so they had to resort to subterfuge. Regards... RT

If Sargon and his race could make android bodies for their minds. Why did they not make them in the past, instead of putting their consciousness in the sheres. They certainly could have done so in the past and escaped the planet in ships. Building them perhaps underground .

This has always been one of my favorite episodes. And, for me, the ending never unraveled even a little bit. Thalassa explained to McCoy quite clearly that they had powers Sargon wished them to never use. That would include the powers of life and death. When their consciousness inhabited the Enterprise, that would have been no different than their android bodies. I never had any trouble with it at all. This was a wonderful morality tale steeped in genuine science fiction. And the "risk is our business" speech will forever be the most inspiring words Trek has ever produced for me.

Hello Everyone! @Tony That... is a good question. Make androids, put minds in them, walk around and maybe get off the planet someday. Instead of just hanging around in the globes. I had never thought of that... Regards... RT

Other Chris

About a third of the way through, right around Kirk's big speech, I thought to myself "hey, we might have something special here!" And then it turned into the same old shit. Nice to see Nimoy get to show some range, though. He was very slick here.

A good ep. Intriguing storyline - not perfect handled, but generally well done. Love Muldaur here, and later in TNG as Pulaski - a beautiful, talented lady. Not a fan of the Shatner histrionics in the Risk speech. What could have been the highlight of the ep gets chewed to bits instead. Enjoyed Nimoy's portrayal of Henoch and Nurse Chapel's role. Definitely above average.

Sleeper Agent

-The risk-speech was a bit over the top in its execution; for a while I was convinced Kirk was still possessed by the alien. -Immediately when Sargon enters Kirks body, he starts to talk ... like ... Kirk. That was a bit dissapointing, but I understand. -Once again a missed opportunity to use Uhura. She would've been a perfect host for Thalassa. I understand why though; but what a shame. -Didn't really buy into the whole android body main plot, but on the other hand, I feel it really wasn't about that. -Bones gets no credit but he is the true hero of this episode. III / IV

Brundledan's brilliant comment on this episode (from 5/13/14) is worth reading in the context of what I would call "pure Star Trek" vs. modern day sci-fi including "nu-Trek". "Return to Tomorrow" is a beautiful episode -- not perfect by a long-shot (especially the ending) but it is great sci-fi and Kirk's "risk is our business" speech is so fundamental to what Trek is about. And by the way, happy 89th birthday Mr. Shatner!

EventualZen

Only a 5/10 for the disappointing ending. @4:00 Uhura says Kirk's subspace message will take over 3 weeks to reach Starfleet, I'm sure that violates continuity some how with the Enterprise D travelling further but never mentioning comm-range. @10:05 The energy being Sargon said his species once seeded the galaxy 6000 centuries ago & his ancestors could have been Adam & Eve. This explains why there are so many humanoid species in the galaxy better than the TNG episode The Chase. Every time Diana Muldaur (Ann) spoke I couldn't help imagining her as Dr. Pulaski, she actually looks beautiful here, she really changed in the 20 years between this & TNG season 2.

After watching many of the allegory-intense TOS episodes recently, this episode was a breath of fresh air. Most engagingly, the setup is an early take on the now classic Sci-Fi concept of ancient species that were once like humans but somehow became so advanced they destroyed themselves. I like how Kirk mentioned that humanity may be already superior in one way to Sargon in that it already overcame a similar self-inflicted disaster (presumably he means WWIII and the post-atomic horror but even the Cold War would be a sufficient example). Sargon dismisses Kirk's point and says that his people already evolved past an atomic incident, but one wonders if Sargon's people ever united in peace the way humanity did. The being that possesses Spock is from the "other faction", which implies there was still dissent and unrest among Sargon's people. This other faction ends up being Sargon's Achilles' heel by stopping his plan and showing that a part of his people never got past the original conflict. This chink in the armor also adds another dimension to Kirk's "Risk is our business" speech. Indeed, humanity is willing to take such risks for curiosity's sake but it appears that in this particular case humanity is better off without the reward of overwhelming power. It's worth mentioning since others commented on the disappointing ending that there was a controversy with this episode's writer John Dugan, a Catholic. He wanted Sargon and Thalassa to live on in the end as spirits without bodies, which is how he ended it in the original script. Roddenbery changed it so the two would simply fade into oblivion. Dugan was pretty upset by this change as he believed there should be an afterlife for even these beings and ended up using a pseudonym in the credits because of the change. I'm not sure the change materially affects the story, but it's funny Roddenbery went to such lengths. Anyway, this episode speaks to many of Trek's strong points and I think Jammer underrated it quite a bit (to be fair, he was right about Shatner overacting). I give it a high 3 stars. Random Historical Fact Check: Kirk rhetorically asks "What if the first Apollo mission failed?" Apollo I was the victim of a tragic fire that forced the mission to abort. Naturally though, NASA made more attempts after that.

"It's worth mentioning since others commented on the disappointing ending that there was a controversy with this episode's writer John Dugan, a Catholic. He wanted Sargon and Thalassa to live on in the end as spirits without bodies, which is how he ended it in the original script. Roddenbery changed it so the two would simply fade into oblivion." What a petty argument? Are both of them under the assumption that Kirk is a wizard and can "just tell" when a person dies whether their spirit 'goes on' or fades into nothing? I don't even know what it means to argue about this point. Catholics already believe that we have an afterlife *and* that you see nothing special when someone dies. Haha, what a dumb thing to fight about. And actually, the idea of disembodied human spirits floating around isn't even a Christian concept afaik. Or if it is one it's one of those quasi-pagan superstitious beliefs they had been in the 1500's when the old religions were still bound up with the new in many places.

Wow, this must indeed be the epicenter of shatnering. Not only does Sargon go through all stages of inhabiting a human body, which is at first extremely painful, then very nice, then painful again; but also the whole briefing looks like Kirk is fighting a toothache or something. Compare that to Nimoy just boyishly enjoying his bad guy. Or Diana Muldaur, who I think hasn't changed that much at all. Even back then Ann Mulhall conveys a quiet but resolved competence. I also actually like Dr Pulaski, but I guess I let you scream at me for that in a different comment section :) As to the speech, a similar point has been made - much more effectively imo - in The Immunity Syndrome, where they simply point out that look, we have come all the way here, this is what we do, so it *would* be kind of stupid to turn around and do what? go back home and hide under the bed? So yes I think it is comically oversold here, but you guys are right, it just wouldn't be Kirk without Shatner. I also like that the aliens actually are who they say they are. Genuinely surprising when Sargon says 'ok let's get to work building those robots to teach the humans the things'. It sounds a lot like a con, but for once it's not. Btw the funniest Shatner impressions have to be the ones that come from his crewmates, in interviews I found on youtube. Nimoy and especially Koenig do a great Kirk, sometimes to his face. Priceless.

Very enjoyable episode, nevertheless the moment when the transparent globes are no longer needed for switching souls (Kirk destroys them in sickbay actually giving up on Spock and Mulhall believed to be inside, a detail which does not bother anyone much), the logic string of the story telling is done for, unfortunately. What's also a plot mistake, is the temptation the aliens feel by staying in human bodies instead of proceeding into robotic bodies later. Robots mean much more of an extended life expectancy (with changing parts as they may become defect) than clinging to mortal bodies which are aging and dying some day (or by accident quite suddenly). And being able to construct such sophisticated bots should mean also to incorporate some sensors in them coming close to human feel. After all, it's just nerve ends collecting the impulses and the result (as sensation) is still done in the brain.

@Kubershark, yes, watching Spock was lots of fun! @Rahul is spot on, this is a beautiful episode. Episodes like "Return to Tomorrow" give Trek its soul. And the touchstone for that is Kirk's incredible "risk is our business" speech. I never get tired of hearing it. I was reminded of Kirk's speech recently by an equally inspirational speech in the current season 5 of The Expanse. Call it the "Great things are achieved by embracing great dangers" speech. Courtesy "The Expanse," a show that in this day and age, seems to have more of Trek's soul than Trek itself. https://youtu.be/xd26sQ58zHk?t=71

Jammer is spot on - a great potential story early on, that descends into chaos. (Or rather, as I saw it, not so much chaos as 1940s Hollywood-style 'romance / jealousy' with sentimental orchestral strings to unnecessarily hammer home the message). It's a real 'could have / should have' episode. The premise of incorporeal minds was fascinating, though one would immediately question why they hadn't originally built robot receptors before they voluntarily went into the spheres. The hijacking of The Enterprise before making a polite request to 'borrow' 3 bodies, was an excusable plot device, as no-one got hurt in the initial stages. As for the Henok using of Spock's body, that was a highpoint, as we got to see Nimoy getting the chance to emote again. Kirk's "risk" speech was melodramatically delivered, but a good moment: "Do you... WISH.. that the Apollo mission hadn't got to the moon? Then to Mars...?" It's a sobering thought that this was shown a full two years before the moon landing, and now it's only days since a drone flew over the surface of Mars. Fine stuff. As others have pointed out, it was also good that Nurse Chapell got to share her body briefly with Spock, in a wish-fulfilment of her dreams. Small wonder that it didn't put her off him! But in the end, I simply couldn't believe in those incorporeal minds retaining their passions and jealousies, and the whole thing turning into a botched melodrama. 2.5 stars

On this viewing, for some reason I found myself thinking how forgiving everyone, crew and Sargon alike, seems to be of Thalassa. She had shown a very dark side of herself that I don't think can be blamed simply on Henoch's evil influence unless you're her mom and you subscribe to the "just fell in with the wrong crowd" theory of moral development. She planned to kill Mulhall for her body and was willing to torture McCoy to get his cooperation. Is this the kind of person Mulhall trusts to borrow her body one more time so she can enjoy a final kiss, or the kind of person the supposedly high-minded Sargon wants to kiss?

As I continue the search to the purpse of life and love, being battered along the way with false dawns, but remaining incurably optimistic as a Star Trek fan, my comments: This is the most romantic ending to a Star Trek episode ever, with perhaps only Metamorphosis coming close. I am sure there many holes in the plot, with even the concept of binary sex being challenged. But look beyond our current limitations and marvel at the idea of love being presented here. After refusing her own temptations of power, Thalassa and Sargon choose to be together for oblivion, together. Imagine that, when current realtionships are so fragile. Imagine CHOOSING to be with one person for oblivion, having already spent half a milliion years as energy trapped in a ball. Takes your breath away. Meanwhile, back on Earth, there is still huge danger that the pursuit of total power may get us all killed, facing the same problems as Sargon and his band. Who would we choose to survive the extinction of mankind? A most thought provoking and romantic episode of Star Trek. I like it even more every time I watch it, being jealous of those who have never had the pleasure. TOP MARKS!

Amazing. Muldaur used to be incredibly sexy back in the day. Sad she turned into such a bitter old shrew by the time of TNG. That said, the regular cast turns in some great performances this show. Spock tampering with the hyposprays, plotting to kill Kirk, all the while a friendly smile upon his face, is frankly, chilling. Top drawer TOS era trek. (Drek compared to 90s trek and the film's so TOS gets its own "rating" standards.) :)

Interesting episode, and the idea of the crew's bodies being taken over is a Trek staple. Not to be a pain, but Dr. Mulhall should be wearing a blue shirt, not a red one.

Why didn't they build the robots back when their planet was dying, then they would not have had to spend millions of years living in those globe things.

I pretty much agree with Jammer. Some intriguing fascinating stuff then wtf in the final act? And Kirk's "in the business of risk" speech is the most ridiculous sophistry I think Kirk ever engaged in. Probably Shatner knew the speech was nonsense and decided to go full Shat mode. We're in the business of risk so we should allow three officers (including the top two commanders) to be possessed by spirits? What could POSSIBLY go wrong? It's ridiculous, and if I were McCoy I would suspect Sargon planted this enthusiasm in Kirk's head when he first possessed him. You know that soon after, Starfleet must have added a "DO NOT WILLINGLY BE POSSESSED" rule to the books.

And to be clear, the speech IS great, but using it for this situation is ridiculous.

Kind of fascinating how themes of consent are filtered through this story; it's obviously not the focus, but for a 1960s story to just take that element seriously is wildly progressive

Every time I watch this I wonder why someone doesn't suggest in the briefing room scene that they take the globes to the planet they left Harry Mudd on and get the androids there to build three androids for Sargon and co to move into - after all, those had a conservative lifespan of a quarter of a million years, not the paltry one thousand that the ones Sargon etc build and were completely life-like.

So in what sense is humanity doomed to "perish," as threatened in Sargon's first message, now that Sargon has had to abandon his plan of passing his society's knowledge on to his "children"? Or was their brief contact sufficient to prevent that fate? Or was that just a trick to secure their cooperation? The whole episode would look different if viewed from the perspective that Sargon is no more trustworthy than Henoch or Thalassa.

A very good episode that manages both an intimate, low stakes story and an epic, millennia-spanning feel. - To the question as to why Sargon and co didn’t build robot bodies back in the day, it’s possible that: A) the disaster that trashed their planet might have come on too fast for them to get artificial bodies ready, maybe just getting into their globes was all they could muster. B) they didn’t have that tech yet and only came up with adequate robot body designs while they were sitting around thinking for the last 500,000 years or whatever. - Perhaps the androids from I, Mudd were Sargon’s people’s butlers? Just waiting around for the return of their creators? - Kirk’s “risk” speech is great. I know Shatner catches a lot of flak for the giant mouthfuls of scenery he chews but honestly it’s one of the reasons Kirk was such a standout character and thus one of the main reasons TOS worked. Subsequently Shatner’s ACTING!! is one of the reasons we have decades of trek to pour over. So while it makes me chuckle at times, I still have an appreciation for his style. - It’s always fun to see Nimoy get to stretch his acting legs a bit. He does a great job in this episode of making henoch seem like a distinct personality. - I very much liked the poignant ending, Sargon and Thalassa accepting their fate as long as they can accept it together. Very touching. 3.5/4 hypospray shenanigans.

Proud Capitalist Pig

Is Captain Kirk insane? I’d remind Kirk of a simple two-word phra--uh, two-letter word, I mean--that is best used whenever an alien entity asks to “borrow” your body to house its consciousness. This beautiful word, which isn’t said enough in our society, and is the best protection against scam artists, charlatans, and ungrateful bums, is the useful and emphatically delivered word, “No.” “No.” It’s *my* body. You can’t have it! (Those pro-choice feminists have a point, you know, and I applaud them.) Sargon can kiss my ass and go to hell. Sure, he has all the power in the world to destroy my starship and kill everyone on board. But I say this without irony--far better to be disintegrated in a fiery death than to have an alien entity “possess” my body for whatever nefarious purpose it has in mind. “Risk is our business” when it comes to acceptable risks like defending a Federation colony, facing down a pile of Commie Klingons or exploring some bizarre gas cloud with evil proclivities. But in “Return to Tomorrow,” the risk is a foolish one, and I agree completely with the plaintive, sarcastic reactions of McCoy and the incredulous, hilarious skepticism of Scott when Kirk is trying to convince them to sign their bodies away for--get this--SCIENCE! (I mean, shit, I would at least ask for money.) Kirk’s entire argument is based on what the crew could obtain from Sargon’s promised gifts and insights regarding scientific progress. That MILF scientist played by Diana Muldaur (who went on to play Rosalind Shays--a magnificently conniving, cutthroat bitch--in L.A. Law) enthusiastically agrees to be used as a meatsuit because of *what her scientific mind could gain in knowledge.* The message here is as true today as it was then--we will literally sell our souls during our quest to figure out “how to fly.” Well, you can’t use AI slaves if they all rise up and destroy humanity, can you? For scientific progress to work, you must control it at all times and at all costs. You must come out on top of any arms race. And you must have a prophet motive in mind for your innovation to be fully embraced and integrated into society. But here, Kirk is about to make the proverbially fatal mistake of relinquishing such control. He’s giving up his very mind in the name of progress. And he’s goddamn lucky that Sargon isn’t a malicious interloper--which, by the way, Spock’s alien definitely is. Spock, you see, is possessed by The Evil Alien. I mean, duh. This is my whole point--what do you *think* will happen when you give up your autonomy to a stranger for no good reason? Other than hosting a pricelessly hysterical Leonard Nimoy performance, you’re just going to be eaten alive if not shoved aside. And don’t get me started on Nurse Chapel. Some friend of Spock’s she is. “Spock,” fully possessed by a maniacal pesky pervert, rises up from the bed leering, sneering and complimenting her on her foxy body. All this airhead can say in response is, “Thank you!” Where’s her revulsion? Where’s her horror? Where’s, frankly, her disgust? Oh, that’s right! This is the 1960’s where “brainless blonde bimbo” is a redundant term! You know, The Haunting of Bly Manor (on Netflix), without giving away too many spoilers, has a shocking scene in its seventh episode “The Two Faces, Part Two” where the prospect of body possession is treated with all the terror and devastation that such an idea deserves. Seems like we all need more Henry James and less Albert Einstein, amirite?! Kirk’s big speech is delivered well by Shatner, but it’s pure nonsense considering the circumstances. This speech would actually have worked really well in “The Immunity Syndrome” when the crew needed Spock’s help to face down their scary encounter with a space monstrosity. In that context, it quite possibly would have brought tears to my eyes. Here, I wanted to throw things at the screen and relieve Kirk of his captaincy. Despite Shatner and Muldaur delivering sensational performances, and Nimoy a hilarious, entertaining one, “Return to Tomorrow” is clumsy, hammy, and completely collapses under its own weight. Keep your aliens off my body! Speak Freely: Spock -- “Not even a Vulcan can know the unknown, Captain.” My Grade: C-

"prophet motive" Haha, the Grand Nagus would like to have a word :)

@Proud Capitalist Pig I know this episode isn't regarded as a Trek classic, but I think it should be. In fact I think it could even have been the pilot episode (if it was made earlier). The idea of taking risks and the near impossible situations it presents the crew, I think, is a very worthy premise for an episode. Here, the upside and downside risk are basically unquantifiable, infinite. Engines the size of walnuts as an upside example, the destruction of the Enterprise and maybe even the human race etc. as the downside. I don't think Kirk can just walk away either... I'd encourage you to check out Brundledan's comment from 2013 -- thought it was one of the best comments I've ever read on this site. It really helps frame this episode in terms of the beauty of sci-fi and what made TOS so special for me. As I said in a prior comment, this is great sci-fi. The "risk is our business" is kind of the soul of Trek, the idea of exploring and not knowing what you will encounter. Doing some kind of cost-benefit analysis won't always come with well-defined inputs (and even outputs), as this episode exemplifies. But I agree with you that the episode collapses under its own weight -- just with respect to the ending where the plot machinations are a confusing mess. But there was potential for a 4* episode here. I think I'd give it a B+ on your scale!

Even though Sargon protests heartily, the similarities of this story to nuclear destruction are obvious. I never thought about it in my younger years, but Sargon, Thalassa, and Hanoch are located within a bomb shelter. There are some great elements to this episode. The story behind the planet's destruction would have made a great standalone episode. Trish wrote: "The whole episode would look different if viewed from the perspective that Sargon is no more trustworthy than Henoch or Thalassa." Very true. According to Sargon has powers that Hanoch doesn't suspect. He didn't include Thalassa in that statement, but that would have to apply to her as well. She didn't know that he had taken up residence in the Enterprise. It would take a very great power to rip the atmosphere away from the planet. Just saying. Sargon includes himself in thinking his race were gods. I wonder just how the Prime Directive works in an episode like this where aliens promise wonders if humans lends them their bodies for a short time. Kirk is useless in this aspect as he's already been dazzled by Sargon. But Dr. Mulhall and Spock make the conscientious decision to allow the entities to use their bodes. Regarding Kirk's speech, yes, it is totally hammy. But Shatner make have done that extra deliberately in this case. It almost makes him seem somewhat childish, but when he assumes Sargon's character, I really felt like I was watching a different actor. It was wonderful. As far as love stories go throughout Star Trek, this is, in my opinion, hands down the best. No tragedy here. The two aliens went off into oblivion together, fearless. That made for a great love story.

I apologize for the typos on my post above.

@Rahul Out of curiosity, and as a courtesy to you for your input, I took your advice and Control-F'd the name "Brundledan" on this page. So Brundledan's take is that Kirk's decision to accede his autonomy to a total stranger is part of the spirit of Star Trek--that the "risky business" of being in Starfleet includes putting blind faith in the kindness of strangers, of making that leap for the sake of communication, of understanding, of progress and of the betterment of one's character. Lofty and admirable, but hardly workable and definitely actionable. I'm still dubious. I think a straight body possession story might have been the way to go here, as we still would have learned about the aliens' core motivations without any minor changes in the plot. Making it about "consent," as others above point out, frames the episode in very deliberate way. If Gene Roddenberry wanted to convey that true harmony and acceptance means willingly giving up your control to your neighbor, well, that may fly with aspirational Star Trek viewers but would never fly in the real world. Maybe that's the argument, that this is something that we all should aspire to. But I think most people, including myself, are highly cynical with a healthy dose of skepticism. I'm again reminded of The Haunting of Bly Manor*, which is fresh in my mind having just watched the series with my family over the past few days. In that series, the motivations of certain characters are exactly the same as the aliens' motivations here--prolonging life. It's an understandable wish to be sure, and one might certainly empathize with Sargon here. But as pointed out in both Bly Manor and in "Return to Tomorrow," sometimes things are just too big of an Ask. Good to hear from you as always! * = Folks, if you're a fan of horror, ghost stories, love stories, creepy psychological dramas, or all of the above--watch this Netflix show! It thrilled, chilled, and moved this old Pig to tears.

@Peter G Oh, yikes! Hahahhaha. Stupid homonyms--an occupational hazard of the English language. Despite my username, I encounter the word "prophet" just as much as the word "profit" in my travels, so I was bound to mess this up sooner or later. Yes, that should be "profit motive" in my comment. And to be frank, most "prophets" indeed have a healthy profit motive to be sure, so we should all bear that in mind.... Look at that, me giving free advice. Maybe Star Trek is rubbing off on me.

@Proud Capitalist Pig Great to hear from you as well - look forward to more of your Trek thoughts. Re. this episode — Of course we’d be totally skeptical / cynical if somebody like Sargon (analogy could be the government) asked to possess our bodies to do X, Y, Z. The environment today is one where one has to be very skeptical of all the BS narratives that come one’s way. Can’t trust government, major media to be independent and objective, public health etc. So with this healthy dose of skepticism, it turns into cynicism when some “authority” figure genuinely asks for trust (and a lot more than that). I totally get that. But if we put ourselves in Kirk’s shoes, growing up in a utopian 23rd century, there’s far less reason to be skeptical and maybe no reason to be cynical. The other thing to consider is that Kirk had joined with Sargon so maybe that gave him an added understanding of things — and so Kirk is perhaps biased to adopt Sargon’s proposal. And thus the episode goes along its way with Henoch providing some antagonism, which comes across as silly given the more mature nature of the main theme.

Well we know that an episode has 52 minutes and has to tie up all the loose ends in the last several minutes. This time the drama is with Spock's body needing to be killed since the crew believes (incorrectly) that his mind has already been destoyed. The all powerful but morally benevolent incorporeal being has any power than can be imagined by the viewer, and thankfully returns the status quo in the ending. Nimoy gets to portray dual personalities and Nurse Chapel gets to share Spock's essence that she has the hots for but was never able to penetrate before. Kirk gets to make out with the female lead but it's not really him doing it, as opposed to many season 3 episodes when he really does get the goods. There is not really much sci fi in the episode other than McCoy enduring the blue flames of punishment, and the lighting that occurs during body switching. So this episode was produced while those before and after used a lot of outdoor sets that are more expensive, correct me if I'm wrong. This was 60's television that had to be done start to finish in less than a week, and one of a series of many weeks that were done on the fly by the producers, which had many mutinies going on all the time with directors and producers and Roddenberry doing whatever it takes to hold the ship together. I'm sure they wouldn't have suspected that many decades later people would be over analyzing every aspect of every show with much of the technology the show inspired now reality. I watched this episode decades ago, but while revisiting now the sets, scores, and bit character parts picque the most interest since we obviously already know the story.

Well, all I can say is there is a great love for the series, otherwise people wouldn't be overanalyzing it. One thing I found while doing some research is that in the original writing, Sargon and Thalassa were to go off together, alive. Roddenberry nixed the ending on that, instead having them making the fateful decision to end it all by committing suicide.

I enjoy the informed, intelligent posts here as a way to open my mind. I used to dismiss Return to Tomorrow but can now better appreciate its good qualities. I'm not big on romances, so this is an episode that does not appeal to me, but that does not make it inferior. My sense is perhaps unfairly colored by Diana Muldaur who has a certain body language and speaking style that comes across to me as snobby and off-putting. It's not role specific because I get the same negative vibes from her in Is There in Truth No Beauty? and later in TNG. I guess it's just me. Consequently, I do not feel in a position to fairly review and rate this episode.

In this episode Nimoy plays an alter ego, as happened a few times such as the spores that made him happy, the frozen cave in the past with the woman who offered him meat which he enjoyed because Vulcan culture used to be omnivorous, and to some extent mirror mirror and spock's brain. Much of the drama revolves around his character conniving to keep the body he inhabits and get rid of the Captain and Sargon who would presumably try to stop him. I'm trying to focus on this instead of the annoying violin that plays when the main characters are kissy kissy. A major plot hole I did not see mentioned above, if the energy entities are so all powerful as they seem, and two express benevolence as to the human's rights to their own selves, albeit the obvious temptation ........ why couldn't Sargon ask to be transported to a star base or another planet where they could commence the task of building their android receptacles? If they waited a half million years couldn't they wait another week? ..... why did they have to do it right then using the command crew as guinea pigs? And the answer of course is that the show has TV stars that have to be involved in each dilemma, and be depicted making out with the female lead, or doing someting to save the situation. Body snatching/character inversions appears in quite a fe w episodes like mirror, turnabout, weak vs. strong Kirk, what are little girls made of, amok time, etc. Nimoy goes on to portray a snatched body in The Invasion of the Body Snatchers remake. One of my favorites.

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Return to Tomorrow

"Return to Tomorrow" was the 51st episode of Star Trek: The Original Series .

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References [ ]

Characters [ ], episode characters [ ], novelization characters [ ], starships and vehicles [ ], locations [ ], races and cultures [ ], materials and substances [ ], foods and beverages [ ], drugs and treatments [ ], science and medicine [ ], measurement and classification [ ], anatomy [ ], technology and weapons [ ], communications and tactics [ ], states and organizations [ ], ranks and titles [ ], other references [ ], chronology [ ], appendices [ ], related media [ ].

• TNG - TLE novel : The Buried Age

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• " Return to Tomorrow " article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
• ↑ The character of Clifford Brent was not named in the episode but the same actor, wearing an officer 's Starfleet uniform , was addressed as Brent in TOS episode : " The Naked Time ". The same actor also played the character of Vinci .
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Return to Tomorrow

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Star Trek Re-Watch: “Return to Tomorrow”

Season 2, Episode 19 Production episode: 2×22 Original air date: February 9, 1968 Star date: 4768.3

Mission summary

Enterprise is drawn to an unexplored star system by a strange distress signal…or is it? The signal doesn’t seem to exist, yet it’s affecting Uhura’s channels—but there’s definitely something , maybe, trying to get their attention and… Oh look! There’s a planet up ahead. It’s a formerly-Class M planet now with a dead atmosphere, and completely lifeless. Or is it? A voice speaks to the crew using only the power of his mind; he identifies himself as Sargon, and directs them to kindly park their ship in orbit. Kirk’s understandably hesitant since the planet’s dead and all, but Sargon’s invitation is ominous, if not compelling: “And I am as dead as my planet. Does that frighten you, James Kirk? For if it does, if you let what is left of me perish, then all of you, my children, all of mankind must perish, too.”

Kirk remembers that their mission says something about seeking out new life, so he agrees to give Sargon the benefit of the doubt. Spock’s already initiating some “first contact” of his own—Sargon tells him, “Your probes have touched me, Mister Spock.” But the science officer’s instruments only detect energy deep below the surface of the planet (where else would it be?), where their transporters can’t reach. Not to worry, Sargon has it all under control. He even sets their transporters for them with the coordinates of a chamber with a breathable atmosphere. Kirk asks Dr. McCoy to join him, but Spock-blocks his second-in-command who is looking forward to studying their new friend. After all, what if something happens to both of them? All the power goes out and Kirk gets the message: Sargon wants the Vulcan along. The power comes back on and Spock accompanies Kirk to the transporter room, where they find a grumpy McCoy and a beautiful astrobiologist, Dr. Ann Mulhall, who answered a mysterious summons of her own and reported there without Kirk’s orders. Kirk doesn’t even know who she is, but what’s there to complain about?

Sargon beams down the away team, sans their two red shirts. Oddly, the security guards are fine; they were just left behind on Enterprise , the luckiest break of their probably short lives. The others end up in a vault that was created half a million years ago, when the planet’s atmosphere was ripped away. Its walls are made of a strange alloy Spock has never seen before. One of these fancy walls opens and they discover an inner chamber with a large glowing sphere inside: Sargon, or what’s left of him.

SARGON: Sealed in this receptacle is the essence of my mind. SPOCK: Pure energy. Matter without form. KIRK: Impossible. MCCOY: But you once had a body of some type? SARGON: A body much as yours, my children, although our minds were infinitely greater.

Kirk asks why he keeps calling them his children, and he explains that they may be distantly related, as they seeded the galaxy with life “six thousand centuries” ago, which is, uh, a long time. He even says the magic words: “Adam and Eve.” Sargon reveals that his race evolved to the point where they considered themselves gods, but despite their advanced minds, they still destroyed their civilization with war. Kirk cuts to the chase and asks how they can help. In answer he convulses, and Sargon speaks from the captain’s body: “I am Sargon.”

McCoy points a phaser at him and orders him out of Kirk’s body, but Spock comments that this is useless while Sargon is in control. Meanwhile, Sargon revels in the flood of new sensation in a living body instead of his receptacle—phenomenal cosmic power, itty-bitty living space.

SARGON (In Kirk’s body): Lungs filled with air again. To see again. Heart pumping, arteries surging with blood again. A half a million years. To be again. Your captain has an excellent body, Dr. McCoy. I compliment you both on the condition in which you maintained it.

Unfortunately, Sargon’s presence pushes Kirk’s body to dangerous limits: his blood pressure is increasing and he’s running a 104-degree fever. Meanwhile, the sphere glows feebly with the essence of Kirk’s mind, which is too weak to allow him to speak to them.

Sargon brings them to another chamber with many rows of dark receptacles. Only two of them glow with life energy: Henoch, one of his enemies from the war, and Thalassa, his wife. He asks to borrow Spock’s and Mulhall’s bodies long enough to build android bodies. Kirk’s body weakens and Sargon switches minds with him again. The captain collapses, but his body readings return to normal. He tells them:

When Sargon and I exchanged, as we passed each other, for an instant we were one. I know him now. I know what he is and what he wants, and I don’t fear him.

McCoy and Mulhall think he’s nuts, but Sargon allows them to return to Enterprise to discuss the situation, with the understanding that if a single person doesn’t want to cooperate, they will be free to go.

Kirk convenes a meeting with McCoy, Spock, Mulhall, and Scott, since he’d be working with the aliens to build their new bodies. Mulhall and Spock are fascinated with the possibilities for scientific discovery and technological advancement, but McCoy is dead set against it: “It all seems rather indecent to me.” He just wants to know why they should go along with this, and Kirk delivers a passionate speech that sways his vote:

They used to say if man could fly, he’d have wings. But he did fly. He discovered he had to. Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn’t reached the moon, or that we hadn’t gone on to Mars and then to the nearest star? That’s like saying you wish that you still operated with scalpels and sewed your patients up with catgut like your great-great-great-great-grandfather used to. I’m in command. I could order this. But I’m not because Doctor McCoy is right in pointing out the enormous danger potential in any contact with life and intelligence as fantastically advanced as this. But I must point out that the possibilities, the potential for knowledge and advancement is equally great. Risk… Risk is our business. That’s what the starship is all about. That’s why we’re aboard her.

They beam the three receptacles aboard and perform the transfer in Sickbay. As soon as Henoch is in Spock’s body, he begins flirting with Nurse Chapel, while Sargon (in Kirk’s body) and Thalassa (in Mulhall’s) go at each other. They kiss, but things heat up too quickly and they collapse, their bodies unable to handle the burden of the alien minds inhabiting them. Henoch is having no trouble with his borrowed Vulcan physiology, so it’s up to him to work up a “metabolic reduction” formula to make it possible for Sargon and Thalassa to function in their human hosts.

It turns out Henoch isn’t entirely on the level. He likes Spock’s body and doesn’t want to give it up for a mechanical one, so he prepares a different formula for Sargon, so he will die in Kirk’s body. When Chapel notices his deception, he makes her forget it and forces her to believe the hyposprays are correctly loaded.

As Sargon weakens but shrugs it off, certain that he was given the correct formula, Henoch tries to tempt Thalassa into keeping her own body. She doesn’t relish the thought of being in a robot body that can’t feel anymore than he does. In turn, she tries to convince Sargon.

THALASSA: In time, a host body will become accustomed to us, husband. Injections will no longer be necessary. SARGON: That will take months, perhaps years. We haven’t that choice, Thalassa. THALASSA: Husband. Feel the touch of my hand, husband. SARGON: No, beloved. If we torment ourselves— THALASSA: Beloved. What will that word mean to a machine? SARGON: Our thoughts will intertwine. THALASSA: Will they, husband? Will they intertwine like this? Can two minds press close like this? Can robot lips do this?

They kiss, and once again it’s too much. Sargon collapses and McCoy pronounces him dead. Now all that remains of Kirk is his mind, trapped in the receptacle in Sickbay, though they can keep his body functioning for a time.

Henoch completes Thalassa’s android body, but she’s horrified when she sees it. His taunts drive her to propose a bargain with Dr. McCoy: she will restore Captain Kirk’s mind to his body if he will allow her to keep Mulhall’s body. All he has to do is pretend that she switched back and none will be the wiser.

MCCOY: Neither Jim nor I can trade a body we don’t own. It happens to belong to a young woman. THALASSA: Who you hardly know. Almost a stranger to you. MCCOY: I will not peddle flesh. I’m a physician. THALASSA: A physician? In contrast to what we are, you are a prancing, savage medicine man. You dare defy one you should be on your knees worshipping? I could destroy you with a single thought.

And she tries to do just that, surrounding McCoy with flames and causing him great pain. She relents, realizing that Sargon was right to limit the use of their power. Sargon congratulates her for not succumbing to the temptation. It seems he didn’t die after all, he simply transferred his consciousness into Enterprise ’s computer systems. McCoy goes to his office, leaving Thalassa and Sargon to discuss their plans.

A moment later, the ship shakes and Nurse Chapel exits Sickbay in a kind of trance. Dr. McCoy returns to discover Kirk is fine, Mulhall is back in her own body, and the receptacles have been destroyed—taking Spock’s mind with them. Dr. Mulhall tells him that Thalassa has joined Sargon and Kirk tells him it was necessary to sacrifice Spock:

Bones, prepare a hypo. The fastest, deadliest poison to Vulcans. Spock’s consciousness is gone. We must kill his body, the thing in it.

On the Bridge, Henoch is torturing Uhura and terrorizing the crew, while Chapel stands blankly by his side. Kirk, Mulhall, and McCoy arrive to stop him, but he inflicts pain on the captain and Mulhall. McCoy tries to inject him with the poison, but Henoch instructs Chapel to take the hypo from him and inject the doctor instead. She seems to comply, but turns it on Henoch at the last moment. Sargon prevents him from transferring to a new body and he collapses to the deck.

Kirk laments the loss of his friend, but Sargon comforts him: “I could not allow your sacrifice of one so close to you.” The lights flicker and he switches Spock’s consciousness from Chapel’s body back into his own. It was all a trick! Chapel’s and Spock’s minds shared her body for a while, so Henoch wouldn’t discover him. Sargon made McCoy think he had filled the hypo with poison so Henoch would read his mind and believe it, when it was merely a sedative meant to convince him to flee and destroy himself.

However, Sargon has come to a sobering conclusion after Henoch’s actions. “We now know we cannot permit ourselves to exist in your world, my children. Thalassa and I must now also depart into oblivion,” he says. He asks only for one small favor: to borrow Kirk’s and Mulhall’s bodies for one last time. The captain and doctor agree, allowing the aliens to share a touching moment, and a final kiss before departing.

THALASSA: Oblivion together does not frighten me, beloved. Promise we’ll be together. SARGON: I promise, beloved. THALASSA: Together forever. SARGON: Forever beloved. Forever.

“Return to Tomorrow” is a breath of fresh air after a stretch of crappy and mediocre episodes. I remembered this as one of several bodyswap/alien possession episodes of the series, but was truly stunned with how compelling and moving it is. It’s easy to mock Shatner’s melodramatic turn as Sargon (“Heart pumping, arteries surging with blood again.”) but he couples this same moment with a more nuanced performance, walking jerkily as though unaccustomed to legs after eons without a body, which neither the talented Leonard Nimoy or Diana Muldaur replicate when they act possessed in turn. Nimoy, of course, clearly enjoyed the opportunity to stretch his acting—and facial—muscles, playing out of character and allowing Hen-Spoch (did you see what I did there?) to smirk, smile, and scheme his way through his scenes.

This episode is remarkable because it isn’t about our usual Star Trek characters or their actions. It’s really focused on the relationships between Sargon, Henoch, and Thalassa, what happened to their civilization, and their efforts to regain some of their lost glory. Although Kirk and the others do give them the means to play out their power struggle and attain closure, they are pretty much stripped of any agency or ability to affect the outcome. Sargon, at least, is trying to make up for their mistakes by guiding the humans to a better end; it’s no surprise that he takes Kirk’s body, because they’re driven by the same passion and idealism for the future, and they share some of the same arrogance about their abilities and potential. He’s also just as good as the captain at tricking his enemies.

After a long run of space douches, Sargon is the real deal: despite his power and his frequent manipulations of the crew, he is compassionate and trustworthy. Even in the wake of a war that devastated his planet, he thought to include the opposing side in their repository of minds, though that turned out to be another mistake. His decision to seek oblivion at the end is also unexpectedly noble and satisfying. Though he doesn’t get to follow through on his desire to help humanity, just his example should provide some perspective as humans continue to evolve—and better that he encountered the Enterprise crew than faded into obscurity on his planet. As McCoy will say years later under different circumstances, “He’s really not dead, as long as we remember him.”

Along with an impressive plot that would be good science fiction even without the Star Trek setting, complete with some surprising twists that actually work, this is also a love story glimpsed through brief moments between Sargon and Thalassa, with a bittersweet ending. The romantic in me completely agrees with Christine Chapel’s assessment: “It was beautiful.”

I only have one glaring nitpick on this one: why didn’t Sargon build android bodies instead of receptacles and a giant underground chamber, if they had the knowledge and materials? Perhaps they didn’t have enough time, or it wouldn’t have done them any good without a way off the planet? Speaking of which, is a planet Class M if you can’t breathe on it anymore? Why is Mulhall in a red uniform if she’s a scientist? And what’s with everyone addressing Mr. Scott as “Engineer” all the time?

Finally, it’s interesting that Spock seems to agree with Sargon’s suggestion that they are related, claiming it would “explain certain elements of Vulcan prehistory.” Henoch discovers that the Vulcan body is more compatible with his mind, the receptacles are reminiscent of Vulcan katric arks, and we know Vulcans are capable of transferring their minds into other bodies as well.

All in all, a fantastic episode.

Eugene’s Rating: Warp 6 (on a scale of 1-6)

Torie Atkinson: The first thing I did when I was able to finally peel my eyes away from this breathtaking episode was look up whether the writer had contributed anything else to Star Trek . When I learned he didn’t, I became heartbroken. “Return to Tomorrow” is what science fiction (and Star Trek in particular) is all about: the pursuit of science and new experiences, the beauty of connecting to one another in a mostly empty universe, and the feeling of limitless possibilities. Bodyswapping is one of my least favorite SFnal tropes, but “Return to Tomorrow” pulled it off with finesse. It’s a love story—not just between Sargon and Thalassa, but a paean to the richness of the human consciousness.

There are so many great scenes, and one of the early ones is Kirk’s round-table discussion about whether or not to loan their bodies to these beings. (How great is it that this is a choice?) Kirk tries to appeal to everyone’s interests, but McCoy says, “Then I’ll still want one question answered to my satisfaction. Why? Not a list of possible miracles, but a simple basic understandable ‘why’ that overrides all danger.” It’s not just a risk analysis he wants, but an explanation, an understanding. It’s the most important question in the world: Why? Kirk explains that human history has, in a way, been an attempt to answer that question. Why go to the moon, to the stars? Why do anything so dangerous as to put human life on the line? Because the mere potential and possibility of what we can achieve is so great that it’s worth the risk. Maybe it just hit a weak spot— you all know how I feel about the Apollo program —but I was most moved by his invocation of the manned spaceflight program. Here is a fictional future starship captain referencing a real-life scientific accomplishment that hasn’t happened yet but is accepted as part of human history. It’s presented as something that will happen, absolutely, without reservation, because men can do that. Because men will always reach beyond them for answers to “Why?”

But this isn’t just a cold examination of the importance of scientific progress—it’s a tribute to love and the intangible human experience. Humans are fundamentally lonely, trapped inside their own minds and bodies (or spheres…), but when they connect—when they find a piece of themselves in someone else—something beautiful and luminous happens. I liked that when Kirk gets his body back, he says he’s not afraid anymore, because he felt and understood Sargon. The real achievement here is that despite the fact most of the episode involves our main characters acting as puppets, I never for a moment felt like I was watching anyone other than Sargon, Thalassa, and Henoch. There was nothing cheesy about it, and those personalities, so different (and yet so not…) from our heroes, were commanding, compassionate, and all their own. I ached for Sargon and Thalassa when they spoke of not wanting to be forgotten, begging Kirk to “rescue us from oblivion,” and yet in the end they chose oblivion as a final act of compassion. Most painful, of course, was watching the two of them in their new bodies come to terms with the ultimate inadequacy of machines to communicate love. I still think the androids would have been fine until they came up with a better solution 1000 years down the line, but their decision to disappear together was touching and, well, romantic.

I also want to note something I found insanely impressive in this episode: plot coherence. It was smart and never used plot coupons to shortcut to something. Sargon gives Kirk time to think about his proposal because “After all these centuries, we can wait a few more hours.” Thalassa suggest enlisting actual engineers to help build the android. And most importantly, the final reveal was actually clever . I can’t tell you how impressed I was about the resolution. Major props here to Nurse Chapel, who manages to be strong, funny, and sweet all at once. We don’t see her character nearly often enough, but every time she’s around she just shines. It still kills me that Barrett could have been Number One—she’s a scene-stealer and such a rich and fabulous actress.

My one unresolved question though: what do you all think the “cataclysm” was? It seemed like an environmental disaster of some kind (an environmentalism metaphor?), since the atmosphere was ripped away, as opposed to, say, a war.

Torie’s Rating: Warp 6

Best Line: Probably Kirk’s famous “risk is our business” speech, but these lines just before it cracked me up: “Scotty, I need your approval, too. Since you’ll work with them, furnishing them all they need to make the android robots. You won’t be working with them, you’ll be working with us, our bodies. They’ll be inside us, and we’ll be—”

Syndication Edits: None, it seems.

Trivia: In the original script, Sargon and Thalassa continue on as spirits, but Roddenberry rewrote the ending, prompting writer John T. Dugan to use his pen name John Kingsbridge.

One of the fiberglass receptacles reappears in later episodes as a Romulan cloaking device (“The Enterprise Incident”) and as the robot M-4 (“Requiem for Methuselah”). Sargon’s stand is reused in “All Our Yesterdays.”

In a deleted scene, Sargon’s planet is referred to as “Arret” (Terra backwards). The name “Sargon” apparently comes from Assyrian and Mesopotamian kings, “Henoch” appears in the Old Testament, and “Thalassa” is the name of a Greek sea goddess.

A new musical score was composed for this episode, unusual this late in a season, and never reused except for the Henoch score in “Patterns of Force” and “The Omega Glory.”

This episode marked George Takei’s return to the show after his 10-episode absence to film The Green Berets .

Diana Muldaur (Mulhall) was so good, she returned to Star Trek not once, but twice: as Dr. Miranda Jones in the third season “Is There in Truth No Beauty?” and of course as Dr. Katherine Pulaski in season two of Star Trek: The Next Generation , where she still has little affection for androids.

The idea that humanity was seeded by other races is revisited in the episode “The Paradise Syndrome” and resurfaces in the TNG episode “The Chase.”

Other notes: This episode provides material for several clips in the famous Star Trek blooper reel , most notably Shatner touching Sargon’s sphere and saying, “Have no fear, Sargon is here.”

Kirk refers to the Apollo moon landing, which wouldn’t happen until the following year with Apollo 11.

Previous Episode: Season 2, Episode 19 – “ A Private Little War .”

Next Episode: Season 2, Episode 21 – “ Patterns of Force .” US residents can watch it for free at the CBS website .

This post originally appeared on Tor.com .

About Eugene Myers & Torie Atkinson

Unfotunately, the ending as discussed here is apparently the ending used in the “remastered version” and contains a huge disappointment for those of us who actually saw the original series when it WAS the original series,upon its first air dates. The funny moment between Spock, Chapel, and other main cast members has been totally eliminated. Without it, the ending given falls quite flat. This is not the only such major goof up, flub, or mess made in doing the “remastered version”…several other key plot moments were eliminated in various episodes, one so badly edited out that the scene clearly leaps from one position to another without continuity. Additionally, the CGI used in “remastering” –hard to call it that as it is neither a redo or a restoration but a completely alien add in that so changes the look of everything going on outside the ship that requires a moving shot that it is utterly jarring to people familiar with the real series– essentially destroys the realistic feel imparted by the use of film shots with model technology. Far from substandard or “only” the best at the time, that method gave a nicely realistic feel to the motion patterns utterly lacking in all CGI work involving space/air/water craft in ANY cinematiceffort to date. It IS the current fad, and it probably looks Coooooooooooolll to those who have no reality check on how such things move, but to those of us who do, CGI fakery destroys the illusion of reality that served this series (and good filmwork) so well.

@ 1 DJ Brumby

We only review the unremastered, original versions of these episodes, so I haven’t seen the remastered version you’re talking about. Did they delete the whole poison bait-and-switch at the end? This episode didn’t have any syndication edits so I’m wondering if this was a DVD issue.

My guess is that Dj Brumby has only seen the broadcast version of the remastered episode, which is edited for time, just as the non-remastered versions were in syndication. On the DVDs and blurays the episodes are full length. I actually enjoy having both versions available. Although my heart will always lie with the original versions, it’s interesting to see the new effects shots too. The blurays are the best way to go in this case, since they offer the option of watching the episodes with the new effects or the original ( and also FINALLY include the original mono soundtracks in addition to the re-jiggered remixes ).

@2 Torie – Brumby is referring to the little tableau at the end, after Sargon and Thalassa leave. Kirk makes a gently whimsical remark about the aliens appreciating their “cooperation,” Dr. Mulhall says “I was happy to cooperate, Captain,” and Christine makes a little sound and when everyone looks at her, she’s crying just a bit, and says “It was beautiful.” That’s the last line in the original episode. I’ve seen one syndication where almost all of it was edited out and only Chapel’s “It was beautiful” was left.

I remembered this from my short, not very felicitous time on the MythSoc mailing list, an explanation of how this episode is a retelling of the doctrines of transubstantiation, consubstantiation, and pansubstantiation:

Re: [mythsoc] Transubstantiation Number 1112 In a message dated 1/15/2003 11:27:24 AM Central Standard Time, thiophene@… writes: > Where’s the connection to transubstantiation? > Oh dear–where to begin? I am hampered by not remembering the names of the alien characters…. Okay. Transubstatiation is the theory that the inner reality of a thing (its essence) becomes something else while retaining its outward form (accident). i.e., Kirk, Spock et al exemplify transubstatiation when they (their inner reality or essence) vacate their bodies (accidents) in order to allow another essence to inhabit them. (Unlike the inner realities of bread and wine, they don’t simply disappear but, since the show must go on next week, their essences are placed in globelike containers.) Later in the show, the Spock-essence is placed in the body of Nurse Chapel and does NOT replace her essence–they share the one body. This exemplifies consubstatiation, which as I understand it is the Lutheran version in which the bread and wine remain bread and wine in both essence and accident but also are imbued with another reality. At the very end of the show, the leader of the aliens takes over the ship and spreads his essence throughout the ship. This is pansubstantiation. I don’t know if it is standard theology in any major religion but might well obtain in various nature cults. What I’ve been calling ‘essence’ or ‘reality’ above simply means the unique identity, soul if you will, inner reality of any given thing. Anne P.S. Epscopalians just call it “Real Presence” and leave you to figure out what that means to you….

@5 etomlins

That’s a rather fascinating analysis. Is there any way to, uh, substantiate that this might have been a conscious effort by John Kingsbridge?

My one minor gripe watching this episode is, when it’s revealed the receptacles are destroyed and it’s believed that Spock’s conciousness is gone, Kirk’s reaction seems matter of fact. Even when Henoch flees and they bellieve Spock’s body dead, Shatner really underplays the grief that Kirk would feel. I wish he had shown more emotion, at least a flicker of remorse over his face in sickbay. It just seems a very restrained reaction considering the depth of their friendship. compare his reaction here to his concern in “A Private Little War” or even “Spock’s Brain” ( and of course the naked grief shown “Star Trek II – The Wrath Of Khan ).

After all, it’s not as though Shatner is renowned for his subtlety ( most of the time ).

In the same way I think that Kirk tugging on his boot in “Wink Of A Eye” is responsible for nearly all of the mythology around Kirk’s reputation as a shagger of alien babes*, I think Shatner’s monologue in the briefing room here is the basis for almost all comic impersonations of Kirk. A close contender might be Shatner’s mincing little performance in the turbolift in “And The Children Sall Lead.”

At any rate, there’s a great little bordering on self-parody of Kirk in that briefing room scene. Here’s the gem scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiFEzc_gsuw

* In reality, IIRC Bones shagged as many alien babes as Kirk did in the entire series run.

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Star Trek S2 E20 "Return to Tomorrow" » Recap

Original air date: February 9, 1968

The Enterprise's mission leads them to uncharted territory, hundreds of light years beyond the territories explored by any Earth ship, pursuing a mysterious signal that turns out to originate from a world dead half a million years, sent by an alien that calls itself "Sargon" and begs the Enterprise for assistance.

It turns out that Sargon is one of only three aliens who survived the cataclysmic war that destroyed the planet millennia ago, and only at the cost of secluding their mental energies inside of orbs and forsaking their physical forms. Sargon begs with the Enterprise to allow the three of them to temporarily borrow the bodies of three of the Enterprise's crew, that they can have bodies long enough to employ their hyper-advanced technology and create robot bodies to inhabit instead.

After much deliberation, Kirk, Spock and Dr. Mulhall agree to become the hosts for the three aliens. Unfortunately, Henoch, the alien who chooses Spock's body, decides he would rather keep an existence of stolen flesh and blood, and makes plans to sabotage Sargon's plan by indirectly killing Sargon and persuading Sargon's wife, Thalassa, to side with him.

Gargoyles fans will recognize this plot as the one re-used for that series' episode "Possession."

Return to Tropes:

• Agony Beam : Thalassa and Henoch both use their mental abilities to inflict pain. Thalassa grows a conscience and stops. Henoch, on the other hand....
• Atmosphere Abuse : The Enterprise finds a planet whose atmosphere was ripped away by a cataclysm half a million years earlier.
• Cessation of Existence : Sargon says "Thalassa and I must now also depart into oblivion" before he dies, implying a disbelief in any sort of life after death. The idea is muddled a bit by his suggestion that him and Thalassa will be together forever after their deaths, which sort of requires them to still exist after death. note  The inconsistency is a result of the original draft by John Dugan saying they would still exist "into eternity" — just as disembodied spirits. Roddenberry changed it to match his atheistic philosophy, which upset the devoutly Catholic Dugan.
• Cradling Your Kill : In the James Blish novelization of the episode, Kirk, nearly breaking down in tears, does this with Spock's 'dead' body after Henoch has been forced to flee. Kirk didn't give the lethal injection himself, but it was done on his orders.

• Energy Beings : Sargon, Thalassa and Henoch qualify.
• Foreshadowing : Henoch's comment about wondering that the Vulcans had not conquered Earth could be an early sign that he's the bad guy.
• Gilligan Cut : "You're going to WHAT?"
• A God Am I : Apparently, Sargon's people developed this attitude as a result of their minds becoming so powerful , which led to the war that destroyed their world. Thalassa has a moment of this when McCoy tells her he won't trade Mulhall's body for Kirk's life ("You dare defy one you should be on your knees worshipping? I could destroy you with a single thought!") and uses her powers to torture him, but quickly becomes horrified with herself .
• Grand Theft Me : Henoch, unbeknownst to the others, has permanent designs on Spock's body, and convinces Thalassa to attempt the same.
• Green-Eyed Monster : Henoch has more than a little of this.
• Kill the Host Body : Kirk resorts to injecting Spock's body with lethal poison to destroy Henoch. Subverted when it turns out that Sargon arranged for them to think that the hypo was deadly so that Henoch would flee and render himself vulnerable, and that Spock's consciousness was hidden within Nurse Chapel.
• Kissing Under the Influence : Sargon and Thalassa are a very Happily Married couple who smooch no less than 3 times while borrowing Kirk and Mulhall's bodies.
• When Sargon is in Kirk's body, the hamminess is up to eleven. Yes, even by Shatner's standards.
• Nimoy is clearly having a ball getting to play someone completely different from Spock.
• Our Ghosts Are Different : The G word is never used, but this is essentially what Sargon, Thalassa and Henoch are.
• Possession Burnout : Possessed bodies have their metabolic and heart rates shoot up to dangerous levels (presumably native to the aliens' original forms) ; Spock's Vulcan physiology can tolerate it for several hours, but the humans can only take it for a few minutes before risking death.
• Power Echoes : When the aliens possess humans they gain echoing voices.
• Psychotic Smirk : Henoch gives a few in Spock's body.
• Readings Are Off the Scale : Dr. Mulhall announces this while she and Dr. McCoy are scanning Sargon's underground sanctuary.
• Red Shirts : Two of them are ready to beam down with the landing party, and no doubt breathed a sigh of relief when they didn't beam down after all.
• Right for the Wrong Reasons : McCoy naturally has his doubts about letting Sargon, Thalassa and Henoch borrow bodies. His concern proves well founded, but not for the reasons he expected as the danger comes from Henoch refusing to leave Spock's body and plotting to kill Kirk's body to ensure Sargon's death.
• Sense Freak : All of the aliens enjoy the sensations of life again after taking human bodies, and Henoch does use the fact that their robot bodies will not have this sensory ability to try and persuade Thalassa to side with him.
• There's a brief moment where McCoy sees Chapel leaving sickbay and yells "Nurse Chapel, what in the devil?!" — right after Spock's consciousness was stored in Chapel's body. That's him. Majel Barrett actually got to play Spock for those few seconds.
• Sufficiently Advanced Alien : Sargon, Thalassa and Henoch, aliens who survived the destruction of his world half a million years ago by becoming Energy Beings of pure thought.
• Telepathy : Sargon, Thalassa and Henoch are capable of this. Henoch abuses the power to brain wipe Chapel.
• Together in Death : Sargon and Thalassa ultimately choose this, deciding that they do not fear oblivion so long as they are together.
• Willing Channeler : Essentially what they're all doing, although Roddenberry and Gene Coon insisted on removing anything that seemed the least bit "spiritual", to the point that author John Dugan, a devout Catholic, used his pseudonym Kingsbridge on this. Roddenberry had rewritten the final scene to say that the Arretians departed into "oblivion" rather than just deciding to go on existing without bodies in "eternity" or "infinity" as Dugan had wanted it. He was a university professor and all his students and colleagues knew his beliefs.
• Your Mind Makes It Real : Sargon used his abilities to make McCoy believe he loaded a hypo full of poison so that Henoch would believe it as well and flee Spock's body after Chapel injected him with it.
• Star Trek S2 E19 "A Private Little War"
• Recap/Star Trek: The Original Series
• Star Trek S2 E21 "Patterns of Force"

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Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 26, Episodes 51 & 52: Return to Tomorrow/ Patterns of Force [DVD]

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Product Description

"Return to Tomorrow," Ep. 51 - Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Ann Marshall allow noncorporeal beings to inhabit their bodies so that these aliens can prepare androids for themselves. But one entity secretly plans to remain in Spock's body. "Patterns of Force," Ep. 52 - On a routine check of planet Ekos, nuclear missles are fired at the U.S.S. Enterprise. Kirk and Spock investigate and find the planet is controlled by latter-day Nazis.

Product details

• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 2.4 ounces
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ DVD, Closed-captioned, Dolby, Color, Full Screen, NTSC
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 40 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ June 19, 2001
• Actors ‏ : ‎ William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, James Doohan
• Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
• Language ‏ : ‎ English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Studio ‏ : ‎ CBS Paramount International Television
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00005BCK7
• Writers ‏ : ‎ Gene Roddenberry
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
• #149,406 in DVD

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Star Trek (The Original Series) - Return To Tomorrow

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Star Trek (TV Series)

Return to tomorrow (1968), diana muldaur: ann mulhall, thalassa, photos .

Quotes 

Thalassa : Oblivion together does not frighten me, beloved.

Thalassa : [in Dr. Mulhall's body]  Can robot lips do this?

[Kisses Sargon in Captain Kirk's body] 

Thalassa : Doctor, would you like to save your Captain Kirk?

Dr. McCoy : But you said that was impossible.

Thalassa : We have many powers Sargon did not permit us to use. He thought them too tempting to us. This body pleases me; I intend to keep it.

Dr. McCoy : I see. And Henoch intends to keep Spock's body, of course.

Thalassa : Henoch's plans are his own affair. I wish only to exist in peace as a living woman.

Dr. McCoy : If you're asking my approval...

Thalassa : I require only your silence. Now only you and I will know that Dr. Mulhall has not returned to her body. Isn't that worth your captain's life? Doctor, we can take what we wish: Neither you nor this ship nor all your worlds have the power to stop us.

Dr. McCoy : Neither Jim nor I can trade a body we don't own. It happens to belong to a young woman...

Thalassa : Who you hardly know - almost a stranger to you.

Dr. McCoy : I will not peddle flesh. I'm a physician.

Thalassa : A physician? In contrast to what we are you are a prancing, savage medicine man. You dare defy one you should be on your knees worshiping? I could destroy you with a single thought.

[Painful energy field engulfs the doctor, then stops] 

Thalassa : Stop. Sargon was right, the temptations within a living body are too great. Forgive me.

Capt. Kirk : When Sargon and I exchanged, as we passed each other, for an instant, we were one. I know him now. I know what he is and what he wants, and I don't fear him.

Dr. McCoy : That's the most ridiculous statement I've ever heard. An alien practically hijacks your body and then corks you into a bottle, and you...

Ann Mulhall : [interrupting]  I'm afraid that I must agree with Dr. McCoy. You could be suffering from a form of... of false euphoria.

Capt. Kirk : That's twice you referred to us as "my children."

Sargon : Because it is possible you are our descendants, Captain Kirk. Six thousand centuries ago, our vessels were colonizing this galaxy, just as your own starships have now begun to explore that vastness. As you now leave your own seed on distant planets, so we left our seed behind us. Perhaps your own legends of an Adam and an Eve were two of our travelers.

Ann Mulhall : Our beliefs and our studies indicate that life on our planet Earth evolved independently.

Mr. Spock : That would tend, however, to explain certain elements of Vulcan prehistory.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–1999) is a science fiction television series based on Gene Roddenberry ’s Star Trek , created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller , and produced by Paramount Pictures .

Emissary [1.1]

Past prologue [1.3], a man alone [1.4], babel [1.5], captive pursuit [1.6], q-less [1.7], the passenger [1.9], move along home [1.10], the nagus [1.11], vortex [1.12], battle lines [1.13], the storyteller [1.14], progress [1.15], if wishes were horses [1.16], the forsaken [1.17], dramatis personae [1.18], duet [1.19], in the hands of the prophets [1.20], the homecoming [2.1], the circle [2.2], the siege [2.3].

- Krim, to Benjamin Sisko and Li Nalas

Invasive Procedures [2.4]

[Sisko is blocking Verad Dax's escape]

Cardassians [2.5]

Melora [2.6], rules of acquisition [2.7], necessary evil [2.8], second sight [2.9], sanctuary [2.10], rivals [2.11], the alternate [2.12].

Dr. Mora Pol: You are truly a remarkable life-form, Odo.

Armageddon Game [2.13]

Whispers [2.14], paradise [2.15], shadowplay [2.16], playing god [2.17], profit and loss [2.18], blood oath [2.19], the maquis, part i [2.20], the maquis, part ii [2.21], the wire [2.22], crossover [2.23], the collaborator [2.24], tribunal [2.25], the jem'hadar [2.26], the search, part i [3.1], the search, part ii [3.2], the house of quark [3.3], equilibrium [3.4], second skin [3.5], the abandoned [3.6], civil defense [3.7], meridian [3.8], defiant [3.9], fascination [3.10], past tense, part i [3.11], past tense, part ii [3.12], life support [3.13], heart of stone [3.14], destiny [3.15], prophet motive [3.16], visionary [3.17], distant voices [3.18], through the looking glass [3.19], improbable cause [3.20], the die is cast [3.21], explorers [3.22], family business [3.23], shakaar [3.24], facets [3.25], the adversary [3.26], the way of the warrior [4.1], the visitor [4.3], hippocratic oath [4.4], indiscretion [4.5], rejoined [4.6], starship down [4.7].

(Quark and Hanok are trying to disarm an unexploded torpedo)

Little Green Men [4.8]

The sword of kahless [4.9], our man bashir [4.10].

Bashir presses the button and floods the world

- Falcon and Hippocrates Noah; after Bashir destroys the world

Homefront [4.11]

(Joseph has cut his finger)

Paradise Lost [4.12]

Crossfire [4.13], return to grace [4.14], sons of mogh [4.15], bar association [4.16], accession [4.17], rules of engagement [4.18], hard time [4.19], shattered mirror [4.20], the muse [4.21], for the cause [4.22], to the death [4.23], the quickening [4.24], body parts [4.25], broken link [4.26], apocalypse rising [5.1], the ship [5.2], looking for par'mach in all the wrong places [5.3], ...nor the battle to the strong [5.4], the assignment [5.5], trials and tribble-ations [5.6].

(We see Quark, in much the same situation that K-7's bartender was left in, with one tribble perched on his head and hundreds more scattered throughout the bar)

Let He Who Is Without Sin... [5.7]

Things past [5.8], the ascent [5.9], rapture [5.10], the darkness and the light [5.11], the begotten [5.12], for the uniform [5.13], in purgatory's shadow [5.14], by inferno's light [5.15], doctor bashir, i presume [5.16], a simple investigation [5.17], business as usual [5.18], ties of blood and water [5.19], ferengi love songs [5.20], soldiers of the empire [5.21], children of time [5.22], blaze of glory [5.23].

(Trying to fight off the Jem'Hadar, Eddington is mortally wounded)

Empok Nor [5.24]

In the cards [5.25], call to arms [5.26], a time to stand [6.1], rocks and shoals [6.2], sons and daughters [6.3], behind the lines [6.4], favor the bold [6.5], sacrifice of angels [6.6], you are cordially invited... [6.7], resurrection [6.8], statistical probabilities [6.9], the magnificent ferengi [6.10], waltz [6.11], who mourns for morn [6.12], far beyond the stars [6.13], one little ship [6.14], honor among thieves [6.15], change of heart [6.16], wrongs darker than death or night [6.17], inquisition [6.18], in the pale moonlight [6.19], his way [6.20], the reckoning [6.21], valiant [6.22], profit and lace [6.23], time's orphan [6.24], the sound of her voice [6.25], tears of the prophets [6.26], image in the sand [7.1], shadows and symbols [7.2], afterimage [7.3], take me out to the holosuite [7.4], chrysalis [7.5], treachery, faith, and the great river [7.6], once more unto the breach [7.7], the siege of ar-558 [7.8], covenant [7.9], it's only a paper moon [7.10], prodigal daughter [7.11], the emperor's new cloak [7.12], field of fire [7.13], chimera [7.14], badda-bing badda-bang [7.15], inter arma enim silent leges [7.16], penumbra [7.17], 'til death do us part [7.18], strange bedfellows [7.19], the changing face of evil [7.20], when it rains [7.21], tacking into the wind [7.22], extreme measures [7.23], the dogs of war [7.24], what you leave behind [7.25].

Dukat burns Winn alive. However her death is enough of a distraction for Sisko to hurl himself, Dukat and the Book in the fire caves; Dukat and Book are destroyed; Sisko ends up in the Celestial Temple and talks with his mother.

• U.S.S. Defiant (NX-74205) dedication plaque.
• Avery Brooks – Benjamin Sisko
• Nana Visitor – Kira Nerys
• Alexander Siddig – Doctor Julian Bashir
• Colm Meaney – Chief Miles O'Brien
• René Auberjonois – Constable Odo
• Cirroc Lofton – Jake Sisko
• Armin Shimerman – Quark
• Terry Farrell – Jadzia Dax [Seasons 1–6]
• Michael Dorn – Lieutenant Commander Worf [Seasons 4–7]
• Nicole de Boer – Ezri Dax [Season 7]

External links

• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine quotes at the Internet Movie Database
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine at StarTrek.com
• Contrary to a comment from NY Comic Con, Michael Piller and I pitched our ideas for DS9 to Gene, and he gave us his enthusiastic approval.
• We pitched the concept and characters. We didn't lay-out 7 years of story arcs. It was far too early to know where it was going.
• Rick Berman, Twitter, October 13th 2014.
• Rick Berman, "Berman Refutes Sirtis Assertion That Roddenberry ‘Hated’ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" Adam Cohen, October 13, 2014.
• I think Deep Space [Nine] was the show that really took Star Trek as far as you could take it. You have the original series which is a sort of a landmark, it changes everything about the way science fiction is presented on television, at least space-based science fiction. Then you have Next Generation which, for all of its legitimate achievements is still a riff on the original. It's still sort of like, ok, it's another star ship and it's another captain – it's different but it's still a riff on the original. Here comes Deep Space [Nine] and it just runs the table in a different way. It just says ok, you think you know what Star Trek is, let's put it on a space station, and let's make it darker. Let's make it a continuing story, and let's continually challenge your assumptions about what this American icon means. And I think it was the ultimate achievement for the franchise. Personally, I think it's the best of all of them, I think it's an amazing piece of work.
• Ronald D. Moore , 'Ending an Era' featurette Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Season Seven DVD, interview dated December 10, 2002.
• Marina Sirtis "Berman Refutes Sirtis Assertion That Roddenberry ‘Hated’ Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" Adam Cohen, October 13, 2014.
• J. Michael Straczynski "Is This The Smoking Gun Proving Deep Space ine Ripped Off Babylon 5?" Ryan Britt, TOR.com , Feb 26, 2013.
• George Takei , Exclusive: GEORGE TAKEI THANKS FANS FOR 40 YEARS OF 'STAR TREK' - PART 2 Sean Elliot, IF Magazine , interview 11/20/2007.
• Joss Whedon , Angel TV Preview , Entertainment Weekly published in issue #727-728 (12 September 2003).

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