{5\/5} “There are great times on the way, days of gold and nights cool and sweet-smelling. This isn’t the only happiness, this world turning under us. Look up tonight, see them all out there… See them burning, smiling…”<\/p>\n
Star Trek: Harlan Ellison’s City on the Edge of Forever — the Original Teleplay<\/strong> adapted by Scott Tipton & David Tipton, published in 2015<\/p>\n The Enterprise chronometers are running backwards and they trace the effect to a planet. When a crewmember threatens to turn in his drug dealer, the man — Beckwith — transports down to the planet. Kirk and Spock beam down and discover the guardians of forever, beings uncountably old who have a way of viewing all of time. Beckwith jumps into the stream to escape, and Kirk and Spock follow him when they discover he’s somehow changed history. <\/p>\n Scripts that came in to Star Trek<\/strong> were often edited by Gene Roddenberry and\/or other staff writers. I was aware that Harlan Ellison’s script was one of these but I hadn’t read his original teleplay until now.<\/p>\n It’s a terrific story in either version — in the grand scheme of things, it’s the same story. This version has a few things that don’t quite fit in with the Star Trek<\/strong> world we know.<\/p>\n One thing this version has is a terrific role for Yeoman Rand. The romance aspect of the story is handled beautifully, as is the dialogue between Kirk and Spock.<\/p>\n The artwork is astonishing, some of the best I’ve seen.<\/p>\n I’ve read 1 collection (I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream<\/strong>) and 1 screenplay (I, Robot<\/strong>) that Ellison wrote, as well as one anthology (Dangeous Visions<\/strong>) he edited. I’ve also read bits of fiction and nonfiction he wrote here and there — his introductions to things are always glorious.<\/p>\n