Greatest ‘Star Trek’ Episode Ever Written is Shrouded in More Behind-the-Scene Drama Than the Actual Plot Itself
If there is one episode in the Star Trek series that can be considered the best, it is The City on the Edge of Forever. It is arguably the most famous Star Trek episode and was written by science fiction writer Harlan Ellison. However, the story behind its creation is even more dramatic than the plot of the movie.
The episode aired on April 6, 1967, and was the last episode in the first season of the Star Trek series. People enjoyed watching this episode since it introduced many elements and focused on the characters’ development that other episodes did not pay much attention to.
Harlan Ellison Was Upset With the Change of the Original Script
The City on the Edge of Forever won the Hugo Award in the category of Best Dramatic Presentation as well as the Writers Guild of America Award in the category of Best Episodic Drama on Television.
For Harlan Ellison, the success of the episode was not sweet at all. He was very dissatisfied with this because they appeared to edit out most of the episode and did not keep his idea intact. Before the show aired, his script was edited, and this developed enmity between Ellison and Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.
One of the biggest changes was the elimination of the subplot connected with Lieutenant Richard Beckwith, who was involved in drug trafficking and killed another officer in order to hide the traces. This story was darker, but in its stead, it was changed with a storyline where Dr. McCoy accidentally gets drug overdosed and alters the timeline.
The moral outlook, ethical dilemmas, and flawed characters in Ellison’s script were more complex than Roddenberry’s vision. The final version of the show was not as dark as the original script. In Ellison’s version, Kirk and Spock find that the Nazis won World War II after Keeler lived. But the final version was limited to the consequences of Keeler’s death only.
These differences saddened Ellison, and it did not take long to express his dissatisfaction to the public. Ellison openly criticized Roddenberry and others who rewrote the script, arguing that the revised script failed to capture the true spirit of the story. In 1995, he published The City on the Edge of Forever: The Original Teleplay, which included the original script and his comments on the changes made (via Vox).
What Made The City on the Edge of Forever the Greatest Star Trek Episode?
While Ellison was not satisfied with the end product of the episode, The City on the Edge of Forever is considered one of the best episodes in the Star Trek series with regard to plot design and the emotion it created. It can be observed in the later Star Trek series, where they retain the basic concept of the episode and the rules governing time travel.
According to Screen Rant, it was ranked in TV Guide’s 100 Best Episodes of Television. Although there was no space battle or any complex action in the episode, the audience was able to remain interested because of the emotions it conveyed. The situation of sacrificing one for the many and the classic Star Trek philosophy are defined when Edith Keeler dies.
In the episode, Edith Keeler shows Starfleet’s principles of hope, compassion, and cooperation during difficult times. Kirk has to stop McCoy from saving her, sacrificing personal happiness for the greater good, which became a classic Star Trek moment that made the episode the series’ best. Moreover, Ellison’s public displeasure and attempts to reveal the changes made to his script are an important part of this episode’s legacy.
Star Trek Season 1 is available on Paramount Plus.
