TOS: The City on the Edge of Forever

"The City on the Edge of Forever" is one of the most well-known, most highly regarded episodes in all of Star Trek. It's generally considered the "best" episode of Star Trek and for good reason. I've seen it several times at pretty much every stage of my life and, man, it never loses its effect on me.

If you're unfamiliar with "The City on the Edge of Forever" here's the gist: Basically a series of unfortunate events leads to McCoy accidentally being injected with a dangerous substance wherein he spends 95% of the episode tripping balls. This would be all well and good except that he escapes the Enterprise, teleports to the surface of a strange planet and jumps through a time gate where he inadvertently screws up all of everything and the future (as well as Starfleet and the Enterprise) no longer exists. Kirk and Spock run after him in an effort to right what McCoy has wronged and they encounter GORGEOUS Joan Collins playing Edith Keeler. She just happens to be the key to everything.

This episode is full of history and controversy and you can read about all that elsewhere. I decided to write, instead, what I was thinking as I watched this amazing episode.

1- Why is Kirk giving McCoy advice about how to use his medicine? Never mind. Obviously that's why. Because now McCoy is jacked up.

2- About once an episode, this one included, I want to give Uhura a serious hug.

3- Ha! Kirk is trying to to talk his way out of an arrest by explaining that Spock is Chinese.

"I see you've noticed the ears. They're actually easy to explain."

This does not work. But Spock's Vulcan Nerve Pinch does.

4- Joan Collins is amazing. Should I be watching Dynasty?

5- It's too bad they can't wear flannel on the Enterprise. Shatner is really in his element here.

Seriously. Why isn't flannel standard issue? 

6-  Spock asks Keeler where she thinks they belong.
She replies, "You? At his side, as if you've always been there and always will."
Nailed it.

7- Hey, 1930's New York City looks an awful lot like Mayberry.

Woah.

8- Kirk saving Edith Keeler when she almost falls down the stairs is brilliant! This is so well written.

9- OK, now I'm crying.

"He knows, Doctor. He knows."

10- The last line of this episode is perfect: "Let's get the hell out of here."

That's it. Basically, every time I watch this episode, I feel like I've been stabbed in the heart with a Gorn claw.