Television Review: The City on the Edge of Forever (Star Trek, S1X28, 1967)

The City on the Edge of Forever (S01E28)

Airdate: April 6th 1967

Written by: Harlan Ellison
Directed by: Joseph Pevney

Running Time: 50 minutes

The task of identifying the finest episode within the sprawling canon of Star Trek, a franchise spanning decades and countless instalments, is a daunting one. The sheer volume of its output—from series to films to spin-offs—means no single episode can ever be universally acknowledged as the pinnacle of quality. However, when narrowing the focus to the original series (or TOS), the answer becomes far more straightforward. With its concise three-season run, the competition is inherently limited, and consensus has solidified around one episode in particular: The City on the Edge of Forever. As the penultimate episode of Season 1, it has long been hailed as not just the best of TOS but one of the greatest television episodes ever produced. Its status as a near-unanimous fan favourite, coupled with critical acclaim and its lasting cultural resonance, cements its place as the gold standard for what the series could achieve at its peak.

The plot of The City on the Edge of Forever is deceptively intricate, yet it unfolds with remarkable clarity and emotional weight. The USS Enterprise encounters a mysterious planet plagued by temporal distortions, which injure Lieutenant Sulu. While tending to him, Doctor McCoy accidentally inject himself with large dose of cordrazine, a stimulant, triggering a psychotic episode. In his delirium, McCoy flees the ship via transporter and stumbles upon the Guardian of Forever, an enigmatic entity that serves as a temporal portal. By the time Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the landing party arrive, McCoy has already travelled into the past, altering the timeline. The crew loses contact with Starfleet, a stark indicator of the timeline’s corruption. Determined to undo McCoy’s actions, Kirk and Spock follow him into the past, materializing in 1930s New York City during the Great Depression. Navigating this alien world—both in time and context—they must locate McCoy, unravel the changes he wrought, and restore the timeline. Their investigation leads them to Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), a compassionate activist running a soup kitchen, portrayed by Joan Collins. Kirk develops a romantic connection to her, complicating their mission. However, Spock’s analysis reveals a grim truth: Keeler’s survival of a fateful traffic accident would empower her to lead a pacifist movement that delays the U.S. entry into World War II, allowing Nazi Germany to triumph. To preserve history, Keeler must die—a choice that tests the crew’s ethics and fractures Kirk’s heart.

The episode’s enduring legacy is rooted in two key figures: Harlan Ellison, the writer behind the original script, and Joan Collins, whose performance as Edith Keeler left an indelible mark. Ellison, a celebrated science fiction author, crafted a story that blended high-concept sci-fi with profound human drama. Though Gene L. Coon and D.C. Fontana rewrote portions of the script to fit TOS’s format, Ellison’s vision remained intact. His frustration with producer Gene Roddenberry’s editorial changes is well-documented, but the final product undeniably honours his intent. The episode’s themes of sacrifice, love, and the weight of destiny resonate with timeless urgency. It was this ambition that earned it the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1968. Ellison’s work here stands as a testament to what happens when speculative fiction grapples with moral ambiguity and emotional complexity.

Joan Collins’s turn as Edith Keeler is nothing short of iconic. Though her screen time is limited even within a episode, Collins imbues Keeler with such warmth, intelligence, and idealism that her eventual fate feels devastating. Long before her role as Alexis Carrington in Dynasty cemented her fame, Collins showcased her range by balancing Keeler’s vulnerability with quiet strength. The character’s tragic arc—her nobility juxtaposed with her unknowing threat to history—makes her one of TOS’s most memorable guests. Collins’s chemistry with William Shatner adds emotional depth, particularly in the poignant final moments where Kirk must let her walk into the path of a speeding truck. Keeler’s presence elevates the episode from a time-travel puzzle into a meditation on sacrifice and the cost of progress.

Behind the camera, director Joseph Pevney deserves praise for orchestrating the episode’s ambitious scope. Juggling multiple timelines, periods, and settings—including the bleak alien planet of the Guardian and 1930s New York—Pevney maintained a fluid narrative rhythm. The Guardian’s lair, though constructed on a reused set, feels suitably enigmatic, while the Depression-era sequences, filmed on the same “Mayberry” set used in earlier episodes, are revitalized through clever lighting and costume design. The budget, then a record for TOS, allowed for expansive sets and special effects,. Minor nitpicks are negligible compared to the episode’s overall visual ambition. Pevney’s direction also masterfully balances action, melodrama, and introspection, ensuring the story’s emotional crescendos hit with full force.

Time travel, a concept TOS had explored in earlier episodes like Tomorrow Is Yesterday, is deployed here with unprecedented sophistication. The episode’s handling of the “grandfather paradox”—the notion that altering the past could erase one’s own existence—is treated with rigorous logic. Kirk and Spock’s determination to preserve the timeline, even at the cost of personal happiness, underscores the series’ core theme of responsibility. The resolution—Keeler’s death—is tragic but inevitable, a stark reminder that some sacrifices are necessary for the greater good. Yet the episode tempers its grimness with moments of levity, such as McCoy’s bewilderment at 20th-century technology or Spock’s deadpan observations about Earth’s history. These touches prevent the narrative from becoming overly solemn, preserving the show’s balance of intellect and accessibility.

For all its gravitas, The City on the Edge of Forever remains deeply rooted in the spirit of Star Trek. William Shatner and Gene Roddenberry frequently cited it as their favourite episode, a testament to its alignment with the series’ ideals: courage, empathy, and the search for meaning in a vast, indifferent universe. While The Trouble with Tribbles is often its closest rival in fan polls, its lightheartedness and self-referential charm cannot compete with Forever’s emotional depth and thematic heft. Where Tribbles is a love letter to the series’ whimsy, Forever is its existential reckoning—a story that asks audiences to confront the moral weight of their choices and the sacrifices required to uphold a just future.

The City on the Edge of Forever transcends its time and medium. It is a masterclass in storytelling, blending technical ambition, philosophical depth, and stellar performances into a cohesive whole. Its legacy endures not merely because it is a “good episode of Star Trek” but because it is a landmark in television history—a reminder of what the medium can achieve when creativity, intellect, and heart converge. Nearly six decades later, its themes of sacrifice, love, and the fragility of history feel as urgent as ever, ensuring its place as the gold standard against which all Star Trek episodes are measured.

RATING: 9/10 (++++)

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