ALL OUR YESTERDAYS

GUEST STARS...

Mariette Hartley and Ian Wolfe.

PLOT SUMMARY...

When Kirk, Spock, and McCoy try to warn a planet of its impending destruction, they end up being transported back to three different eras in the planet's history.

QUICK SCAN...

This episode features a great and tragic love story involving Mr. Spock and Zarabeth, a woman from the distant past. Mariette Hartley ("Genesis II") is affecting as Zarabeth. Spock fans will enjoy his love story. This episode presents a unique time travel story for the series, in that Kirk alone, and Spock and McCoy together, are trapped in vastly different time periods.

SYNOPSIS...

The Enterprise travels to Sarpeidon to warn them that their sun will go nova soon. When they arrive, they are surprised to find everyone on the planet gone, except Mr. Atoz, an alien librarian.

When Kirk hears a damsel in distress, he leaps through an archway, followed by Spock and McCoy. Kirk ends up in one past time era, Spock and McCoy in another. Kirk lands in Medieval times. Spock and McCoy end up 5000 years in the planet's past, during an ice age. Spock falls in love with a pretty woman, who eats meat, and snaps at McCoy.

Kirk finds Spock and McCoy, and they all return to the present. Spock must leave behind a woman he loves, who will die alone in the frozen past.

Review:

Director Marvin Chomsky's, "ALL OUR YESTERDAYS" is an involving, multi-level, Sci-Fi tale, involving time travel, witchhunts, and a love interest for the stoic Mr. Spock. Chomsky also directed the classic Trek episodes, "Day of the Dove" and "And the Children Shall Lead".

Mariette Hartley, ("Marooned," "Peyton Place," "The Incredible Hulk"), is winning, as Zarabeth, Spock's ice age love interest. With her beauty and warmth, it's easy to see why Spock falls for her. I guess Gene Roddenberry liked her also, since he cast her in the post "Trek" Sci-Fi television movie, "Genesis II".

Teleplay writer, Jean Lisette Aroeste ("Is There in Truth No Beauty?") brings bold creativity to the script. The idea of aliens, avoiding their planet's impending destruction, by escaping into past eras via a time portal, is clever and thought provoking.

Writer Aroeste has some fun with character's names. The elderly alien, who runs the time portal chamber on Sarpeidon, and who is referred to as a librarian, has the name, "Mr. Atoz," as in 'A' to 'Z'. Interestingly enough, "Wizard of Oz" writer, L. Frank Baum, is said to have come up with the name for his magical land, in response to a child's query, after glancing at a file cabinet drawer marked, "O to Z".

"ALL OUR YESTERDAYS" is a very unusual "Trek" episode in that it takes place in three different eras: a medieval-type era, an ice age 5,000 years ago, and the "present". Because of the Spock/Zarabeth love angle, the ice age scenes are the most interesting and memorable for me.

"ALL OUR YESTERDAYS" should be fairly watchable for most Sci-Fi viewers. Spock fans may enjoy his romance. "ALL OUR YESTERDAYS" is worth watching today!