Television Review: Tomorrow Is Yesterday (Star Trek, S1X21, 1967)

Tomorrow Is Yesterday (S01E21)

Airdate: January 26th 1967

Written by: D. C. Fontana
Directed by: Michael O’Herlihy

Running Time: 50 minutes

Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS) was always a product of its time, a reflection of 1960s America’s hopes, anxieties, and cultural preoccupations. Yet few episodes wear this temporal specificity as openly as Tomorrow Is Yesterday (1967), a Season 1 instalment that boldly—and paradoxically—abandons the franchise’s futuristic premise by situating its plot almost entirely in 1960s America. By transplanting the USS Enterprise into the past, this episode becomes a fascinating case study of how TOS dealt with its own contradictions, blending science fiction spectacle with a grounded, almost nostalgic vision of contemporary life.

The episode opens with a thrilling aerial sequence: a United States Air Force F-104 interceptor, piloted by Captain John Christopher (Roger Perry), pursues an unknown object in the sky. What Christopher discovers is the Enterprise, accidentally hurled back in time by the gravitational pull of a black star. Transported three centuries into the past, the ship finds itself in Earth’s orbit in 1969. The crew’s first encounter with humanity comes when Christopher is beamed aboard. His disbelief at the future—embodied by the sleek corridors of the Enterprise and the crew’s advanced technology—is palpable. Yet Kirk faces a dilemma: Christopher’s knowledge of 23rd-century technology threatens to destabilise the timeline. To preserve history, Kirk reluctantly detains Christopher, even though the pilot has a wife and two daughters awaiting him.

Meanwhile, the Enterprise must also navigate bureaucratic hurdles. When Kirk attempts to return to the 20th-century airbase to erase records of the ship’s appearance, he is captured by Air Police, forcing his crew to rescue him without compromising the timeline. Simultaneously, the crew devises a plan to return to their own time using a “slingshot” manoeuvre around the Sun—a concept that would later inspire Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986). The episode balances multiple threads: the ethical dilemma of withholding truth from Christopher, the urgency of timeline preservation, and the technical challenge of escaping the past.

Tomorrow Is Yesterday marks the second TOS episode to explore time travel, following the brief allusion in The Naked Time (1966). While the earlier episode introduced the concept cursorily, Tomorrow Is Yesterday delves deeper, showcasing the potential of time travel as a narrative device. The script, credited to D.C. Fontana—a writer who would become pivotal to the series—demonstrates a sophisticated grasp of temporal paradoxes. Fontana tackles the “grandfather paradox” head-on, ensuring that the Enterprise’s actions do not disrupt historical continuity. Her meticulous plotting—such as the need to erase records of the ship’s presence and the careful handling of Christopher’s eventual return—reflects a commitment to logical consistency within the framework of sci-fi storytelling.

Fontana’s script also balances intellectual rigour with entertainment. The tension between Kirk’s moral obligations and the crew’s technical ingenuity drives the suspense, while the interpersonal dynamics—particularly the reluctant bond between Kirk and Christopher—add emotional depth. Christopher’s plight humanises the stakes, reminding viewers that even in speculative fiction, the consequences of altering time reverberate through real human lives.

The episode’s setting is strikingly prescient. Air Force pilots, Cold War-era technology, and the looming possibility of space exploration reflect the era’s optimism, even as the nation grappled with political turmoil, the Vietnam War, and social unrest. Tomorrow Is Yesterday is infused with a can-do spirit, epitomised by its accurate prediction that humans would land on the Moon before the end of 1969—an event that occurred just two and a half months after the episode’s broadcast. This retroactive dating to 1969 (the episode aired in April 1967) underscores the show’s alignment with the real-world Space Race, positioning the Enterprise as an extension of America’s technological aspirations.

The episode’s sunny portrayal of 1960s America—embodied by the Air Force’s professionalism and the implicit trust in institutions—contrasts with the cynicism that would dominate later decades. By 1969, the assassination of JFK, race riots, and the escalation of the Vietnam War had already cast shadows over the nation’s optimism. Yet Tomorrow Is Yesterday retains a utopian edge, suggesting that humanity’s future could still be shaped by collaboration and ingenuity.

The episode’s modest budget is evident in its limited settings: the Air Force base scenes, though sparse, effectively evoke the era’s military infrastructure. The special effects, while rudimentary by modern standards, are serviceable for the time. The Enterprise’s appearance in the sky—rendered via a matte painting and model—holds up as a visual spectacle, while the cockpit shots of Christopher’s F-104 add authenticity. The decision to ground much of the story on the Enterprise and the base allowed the production to economise, focusing resources on the narrative rather than elaborate sets.

Tomorrow Is Yesterday is widely regarded as one of TOS’s stronger early episodes, a testament to Fontana’s craftsmanship and the show’s ability to marry big ideas with accessible storytelling. This contrasts sharply with later time travel ventures like Assignment: Earth (1968), a failed backdoor pilot that strained the series’ resources and tone.

While Tomorrow Is Yesterday occasionally stumbles—particularly in the rushed resolution of Christopher’s story—it remains a standout episode for its thematic ambition and adherence to TOS’s core ideals. Fontana’s script not only deals with complex temporal logic but also underscores the importance of responsibility and empathy in a rapidly advancing world. The episode’s blend of Cold War-era optimism and futuristic speculation captures a unique moment in Star Trek’s evolution, proving that even when grounded in the past, the series could still soar. For all its simplicity, it is a reminder that Star Trek’s greatest strength lay not in its futuristic trappings but in its willingness to confront timeless questions—with a dash of 1960s-style hopefulness.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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