Return to Tomorrow (9 Feb. 1968)

The Enterprise is guided to a distant, long-dead world where survivors of an extremely ancient race - existing only as disembodied energy - desiring the bodies of Kirk, Spock and astro-biologist Ann Mulhall so that they may live again.

Director:

Ralph Senensky

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator), John Kingsbridge

Stars:

William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
William Shatner	...	Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock
DeForest Kelley	...	Dr. McCoy
Diana Muldaur	...	Ann Mulhall
James Doohan	...	Scott
Nichelle Nichols	...	Uhura
George Takei	...	Sulu
Cindy Lou	...	Nurse
Majel Barrett	...	Nurse Christine Chapel

Storyline

From a planet bereft of life for half a million years, the Enterprise hears the voice of Sargon, who is able to control the ship and tells them to transport to specific coordinates which target them to a subterranean chamber. The away party consisted of Kirk, Spock, McCoy and astro-biologist Ann Mulhall; the security guards they planned to take along were prevented from de-materializing. Sargon is one of only three survivors of the planet's intelligent race - pure energy, matter without form. They tell the away party that they once started life on Earth and many other places. Suddenly Sargon possesses Kirk's body, saying he requires Spock and Ann Mulhall's bodies, too, in order to give the only other survivors of his race new life. He promises the bodies will be returned after they build superior mechanical robots as their definitive bodies, then leaves Kirk's and allows them to beam up and freely make up their minds. McCoy isn't tempted by curiosity and potential benefits, but Kirk ...

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Plot Keywords:

dead person | husband wife reunion | treachery | 23rd century | alien planet | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 1968 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television, Norway Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In Kirk's speech on risk, he states "Do you wish that the first Apollo mission hadn't reached the moon?" At the time of the original airing, only one year after the launch pad fire that killed the Apollo 1 crew, reaching the moon was far from certain and the risks were enormous.

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Goofs

Sargon says, "... the records of our travels were lost in the cataclysm that we loosened upon ourselves." The correct word is "loosed".

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Quotes

Thalassa: Oblivion together does not frighten me, beloved.

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Connections

Featured in William Shatner's Star Trek Memories (1995)

User Reviews

Reelin in the years

This is one of two episodes that has Diana Muldaur, the actress that would play Dr. Pulaski for The Next Generation twenty years later. She happens to play a the female doctor that contains the love interest of the two disembodied spirits. One of the better episodes of the show, it still contains many of the irregularities that plagued the original. Dr Ann would only appear in one other episode despite her apparent importance to the ship at that moment. Also it seems unlikely that super intelligent beings wouldn't be able to create an android that would not be able to "feel" in the loose physical sense of the word. Also for some reason Dr McCoy becomes does not suspect anything is amiss although he is always the most paranoid character. Still a fun 60s SciFi memory.