The first episode of this series to deal with time travel sees the Enterprise hurtled back in time to 1960s Earth, the result of the gravitational pull of a black star. The starship is glimpsed by a stunned Air Force major (Roger Perry, the "Count Yorga" films), and the crew beam him aboard, hesitant to return him to Earth due to the knowledge that he gleans about the future of space travel. At the same time, Kirk and others have to get inside a top secret base to obtain the audio and visual records of the majors' sighting of the starship. All of this, while figuring out how they can possibly get back to their own time.
Written by the prolific D. C. Fontana, 'Tomorrow Is Yesterday' shows its audience a pretty good time, placing some of its main characters in a setting that is archaic to them. It's endlessly amusing, especially in a scene where Kirk is caught red-handed by Air Force personnel and tries to take on all of them at once. There's also a silly throw-away bit of business with the computer intelligence on the starship requiring an overhaul since it now tends to address the people requesting information as "dear". The major, a generally agreeable sort, reacts with an appropriate wide-eyed sense of wonder yet a steely determination to remain in his time and place (and report everything that he has experienced). What is truly funny is the thunderstruck reaction of an Air Police sergeant (Hal Lynch, "The Way West") who also ends up beamed aboard the starship after he fiddles with a communicator. The scene with an amused Kirk patiently giving evasive answers to an interrogator (Ed Peck, "Bullitt") is likewise good for some chuckles.
It's true enough that 'Tomorrow is Yesterday' does go for this comedic value more often than it does true dramatic tension, but the script IS quite entertaining, even if one doesn't buy into the "science" presented here at all. Overall, it's a charming episode, with a good guest-star performance by Perry and typically good camaraderie among the regular players.
Directed by Michael O'Herlihy (the brother of actor Dan O'Herlihy), whose other TV credits include 'Hawaii Five-O' and 'The A-Team'.
Seven out of 10.
Written by the prolific D. C. Fontana, 'Tomorrow Is Yesterday' shows its audience a pretty good time, placing some of its main characters in a setting that is archaic to them. It's endlessly amusing, especially in a scene where Kirk is caught red-handed by Air Force personnel and tries to take on all of them at once. There's also a silly throw-away bit of business with the computer intelligence on the starship requiring an overhaul since it now tends to address the people requesting information as "dear". The major, a generally agreeable sort, reacts with an appropriate wide-eyed sense of wonder yet a steely determination to remain in his time and place (and report everything that he has experienced). What is truly funny is the thunderstruck reaction of an Air Police sergeant (Hal Lynch, "The Way West") who also ends up beamed aboard the starship after he fiddles with a communicator. The scene with an amused Kirk patiently giving evasive answers to an interrogator (Ed Peck, "Bullitt") is likewise good for some chuckles.
It's true enough that 'Tomorrow is Yesterday' does go for this comedic value more often than it does true dramatic tension, but the script IS quite entertaining, even if one doesn't buy into the "science" presented here at all. Overall, it's a charming episode, with a good guest-star performance by Perry and typically good camaraderie among the regular players.
Directed by Michael O'Herlihy (the brother of actor Dan O'Herlihy), whose other TV credits include 'Hawaii Five-O' and 'The A-Team'.
Seven out of 10.