57 Years Later, Star Trek: The Original Series' Best Episode Has Aged Like Fine Wine
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Published Aug 29, 2026, 5:45 PM EDT
El is a Junior TV Features Editor for ScreenRant, with previous experience as The Mary Sue's UK and Weekend Editor. She holds a Bachelor's in International Media and Entertainment Management, as well as an MA and Ph.D. in Creative Writing. There is little she loves more than discussing her favorite TV shows with fellow fans. One day, she hopes to publish an original fantasy novel.
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57 years later, Star Trek: The Original Series' all-time best episode has aged like fine wine. The Original Series' influence on not just the rest of the Star Trek franchise, but science fiction as a whole can't be overstated. Gene Roddenberry's iconic series developed and reinvented many of modern sci-fi's most important tropes and narrative devices, including, of course, the all-important concept of time travel.
Time travel has been a consistent part of Star Trek's storytelling since the first season of The Original Series, with some of the franchise's most celebrated episodes, including recent installments like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 3, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," inspired by one of Star Trek's earliest stories. Even now, nearly six decades later, Star Trek: The Original Series season 1, episode 28, "The City on the Edge of Forever," remains one of the most important episodes of the entire franchise.
Directed by Joseph Pevney and written by renowned science fiction author Harlan Ellison, "The City on the Edge of Forever" sees Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) travel through a sentient time gate known as the Guardian of Forever (Bartell LaRue) to chase a medically unhinged Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley) to Depression-era New York. Arriving a few days ahead of McCoy, Kirk and Spock find work with the 21st Street Mission, under Edith Keeler's (Joan Collins) direct supervision. Edith, like Kirk, is a visionary who dreams of peace.
"The City on the Edge of Forever" won the 1966–67 Writers Guild of America Award for Best Teleplay, and the final broadcast version won the 1968 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.
Unbeknownst to Edith, Earth's future lies in her hands, as there are two possible paths in her life. Either she dies in a traffic accident, and Earth's history, as the audience and the crew of the USS Enterprise know it, remains unaffected, or she lives, and her brave activism delays the United States' entry into World War II, clearing a path for the Axis powers to win the conflict, preventing the United Federation of Planets from ever being formed.
"The City On The Edge Of Forever" Is A Definitive Star Trek Episode
"The City on the Edge of Forever" isn't just one of the best Star Trek episodes; it's also one of its most definitive. Despite the absence of any iconic alien species or space battles, it gets to the heart of Star Trek's central ethos and shows a different side of Kirk. Edith isn't just important because of her place in Earth's history; she's important to Kirk because he loves her, in a way that's different and more meaningful than any of his other romantic dalliances.
Ultimately, he's forced to choose. Can he truly let her die when it could be so easy to save her? William Shatner's performance is impeccable in "The City on the Edge of Forever." The moment of Edith's death is a gut-punch, as he holds McCoy back from running into the street to save her. Few Star Trek episodes show Kirk in such a vulnerable light. It's a split-second decision. The way he turns his back on the scene and squeezes his eyes shut, as if that will help him ignore or forget what's happened, is painfully relatable.
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01
The USS Enterprise is the most iconic starship in science fiction. What is the registry number of Captain Kirk’s original Enterprise from The Original Series?
ANCC-1701-D BNX-01 CNCC-1701 DNCC-74656
✓ Correct! NCC-1701 is the registry of Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise. The “-D” suffix belongs to Picard’s Galaxy-class ship, NX-01 is Archer’s Enterprise, and NCC-74656 is Voyager.
✗ Red alert! The answer is NCC-1701. Kirk’s original Constitution-class Enterprise carried this now-legendary registry. NCC-1701-D is Picard’s Enterprise from TNG, NX-01 is Captain Archer’s, and NCC-74656 belongs to Voyager.
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02
Kirk’s most trusted officer is a half-human, half-Vulcan science officer famous for his logic and iconic salute. Who is this legendary character?
AData BSpock CTuvok DSarek
✓ Correct! Mr. Spock, played by Leonard Nimoy, is the half-Vulcan science officer whose “Live long and prosper” salute became a cultural icon. His struggle between logic and emotion defines the heart of the Original Series.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Spock. Data is an android from TNG, Tuvok is Voyager’s Vulcan tactical officer, and Sarek is Spock’s Vulcan father. Only Spock is the half-human, half-Vulcan first officer of Kirk’s Enterprise.
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03
Starfleet’s most important regulation forbids interference with the natural development of alien civilizations. What is this guiding principle called?
AThe Temporal Accord BGeneral Order One CThe Omega Directive DThe Prime Directive
✓ Correct! The Prime Directive (also known as General Order 1) is Starfleet’s most sacred law. It prohibits interfering with less-developed civilizations — though Kirk, Picard, and Janeway have all famously bent or broken it when lives were at stake.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Prime Directive. While “General Order One” is technically another name for it, the Prime Directive is the universally known term. The Omega Directive and Temporal Accord are separate, more specialized Starfleet protocols.
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04
“Resistance is futile.” This chilling declaration belongs to a cybernetic collective that assimilates entire civilizations into its hive mind. What is this fearsome species called?
AThe Borg BThe Dominion CThe Romulans DSpecies 8472
✓ Correct! The Borg are Star Trek’s most terrifying villains — a hive-mind collective that forcibly assimilates species and technology. Captain Picard was famously assimilated and transformed into Locutus in the landmark TNG episode “The Best of Both Worlds.”
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Borg. The Dominion is the Gamma Quadrant empire from DS9, the Romulans are a rival empire, and Species 8472 is actually one of the few species that the Borg themselves fear. Only the Borg declare “Resistance is futile.”
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05
Captain Jean-Luc Picard commands the Enterprise-D in The Next Generation and later received his own series, Star Trek: Picard. Which acclaimed actor portrays him?
AWilliam Shatner BAvery Brooks CPatrick Stewart DScott Bakula
✓ Correct! Sir Patrick Stewart brought gravitas, Shakespeare, and Earl Grey tea to the captain’s chair for seven seasons of TNG, four films, and three seasons of Star Trek: Picard. His “Make it so” is one of TV’s most iconic catchphrases.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Patrick Stewart. William Shatner plays Captain Kirk, Avery Brooks is Captain Sisko on Deep Space Nine, and Scott Bakula captains the NX-01 Enterprise. Only Sir Patrick Stewart portrays the legendary Jean-Luc Picard.
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06
Starfleet vessels travel faster than light by bending space around them using a matter-antimatter reaction. What is this propulsion system called?
ATranswarp Drive BWarp Drive CSlipstream Drive DSpore Drive
✓ Correct! Warp Drive is the standard faster-than-light propulsion in Star Trek, powered by dilithium-regulated matter-antimatter reactions. Zefram Cochrane invented it in 2063, which led to humanity’s first contact with the Vulcans.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Warp Drive. Transwarp is an advanced Borg technology, Slipstream is an experimental quantum drive, and the Spore Drive uses mycelial network navigation (from Discovery). Standard Starfleet vessels use Warp Drive.
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07
At Starfleet Academy, cadets face a notorious no-win scenario designed to test their character under impossible circumstances. James Kirk is the only cadet who ever beat it — by cheating. What is this test called?
AThe Prometheus Trial BThe Omega Simulation CThe Corbomite Maneuver DThe Kobayashi Maru
✓ Correct! The Kobayashi Maru is an unwinnable rescue simulation that tests how cadets handle certain death. Kirk reprogrammed it so he could win — earning a commendation for original thinking. It was memorably featured in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
✗ Red alert! The answer is the Kobayashi Maru. The Corbomite Maneuver is a TOS episode, not an Academy test. The Kobayashi Maru is the famous no-win scenario that Kirk defeated by reprogramming the simulation — because he doesn’t believe in the no-win scenario.
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08
In the widely regarded greatest Star Trek film, a genetically enhanced superhuman from Earth’s past seeks revenge against Captain Kirk. “KHAAAAN!” Who is this iconic villain?
AKhan Noonien Singh BGeneral Chang CQ DGul Dukat
✓ Correct! Khan Noonien Singh, played by Ricardo Montalbán, is Star Trek’s greatest villain. First appearing in the TOS episode “Space Seed,” he returned in The Wrath of Khan (1982) for a devastating revenge plot that cost Spock his life.
✗ Red alert! The answer is Khan Noonien Singh. General Chang is a Klingon from Star Trek VI, Q is TNG’s omnipotent trickster, and Gul Dukat is DS9’s Cardassian antagonist. Only Khan inspired Kirk’s legendary scream across the cosmos.
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Allowing Edith's death to occur is arguably just as pivotal a moment for Kirk as Spock's sacrifice is for Spock in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" has never been more relevant to Kirk's character than in the moment of Edith's accident. At great personal cost, he saves millions of future lives, including his own, but he'll never truly be the same again.
"The City on the Edge of Forever" is also one of Star Trek's most timeless episodes. That's not just because of the quintessentially human story and the relationship between Kirk and Edith, which acts as an emotional anchor within the episode's time-travel framework. The historical aspect makes the episode feel less dated than other more sci-fi-heavy episodes in the same season. The meticulous period costumes and sets fully immerse the viewer in the 1930s setting; Kirk's unassuming outfit strips away his power as captain and turns him into just another man, one who happens to meet a woman he falls in love with.
It's a testament to Ellison's original script, which, on the surface, is the same as many other time travel stories — Kirk and Spock are dropped in an unfamiliar era and place; one small change can alter the future; the stakes are higher for humanity than ever before — that even now, decades and thousands of other similar stories in Star Trek and beyond later (Doctor Who, for instance, has examined similar situations plenty of times) that this particular episode of Star Trek: The Original Series is more memorable and emotionally resonant than all the rest.
Release Date 1966 - 1969-00-00
Showrunner Gene Roddenberry
Directors Marc Daniels, Joseph Pevney, Ralph Senensky, Vincent McEveety, Herb Wallerstein, Jud Taylor, Marvin J. Chomsky, David Alexander, Gerd Oswald, Herschel Daugherty, James Goldstone, Robert Butler, Anton Leader, Gene Nelson, Harvey Hart, Herbert Kenwith, James Komack, John Erman, John Newland, Joseph Sargent, Lawrence Dobkin, Leo Penn, Michael O'Herlihy, Murray Golden
Writers D.C. Fontana, Jerome Bixby, Arthur Heinemann, David Gerrold, Jerry Sohl, Oliver Crawford, Robert Bloch, David P. Harmon, Don Ingalls, Paul Schneider, Shimon Wincelberg, Steven W. Carabatsos, Theodore Sturgeon, Jean Lisette Aroeste, Art Wallace, Adrian Spies, Barry Trivers, Don Mankiewicz, Edward J. Lakso, Fredric Brown, George Clayton Johnson, George F. Slavin, Gilbert Ralston, Harlan Ellison
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