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

Thalassa is a Greek name for the sea. Henoch is a variation of the Hebrew name Enoch, who in the Book of Genesis was a man taken bodily to Heaven without dying.

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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: [in Dr. Mulhall's body] Can robot lips do this?
[Kisses Sargon in Captain Kirk's body]

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Connections

Referenced in Criminal Minds: The Big Game (2007)

User Reviews

Worth seeing just to see an evil Spock

Okay, this is an average episode that is still pretty interesting,...though I've gotta admit that the plot is pretty hard to believe--even for a sci-fi series. Think about it--some god-like and practically immortal beings are stuck inside orbs well beneath the surface of a planet. They need to borrow some of the bodies of the Enterprise crew in order to then fashion android bodies for themselves. You'd really think that being that powerful, they wouldn't need to go through all this rigmarole! Well, regardless, there are three super-beings still alive after all these many, many millenia and so Kirk, Spock and Diana Muldaur's character allow the three beings to use their bodies temporarily. However, the being inside Spock is selfish and evil and tries to kill off his rival being and he has no intention of giving Spock back his body. It's all very unusual, but not super-compelling. The episode is worth watching but is not among their best.