‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘All Our Yesterdays’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It wasn’t all that long ago, that we took the time to discuss how sometimes science fiction shows such as Star Trek, need to let loose and have a little fun with the story from time to time. Simply because you need to reward the audience once in a while for sticking with the show through the good and the bad and the supremely cerebral. And when one considers the fact that the final leg of this final season has offered up some incredibly up and down moments and some heavy plotlines, the show seemed overdue for another loose episode that the audience can just sit back and outright enjoy and thankfully, the penultimate episode of this tale took the time to offer up just that.
​
A feat that was accomplished in ‘All Our Yesterdays’ by having the Enterprise arrive at a doomed world. For the star that once nourished life on the planet Sarpeidon, was preparing to deprive every being on this world of life, by going Nova. And the fact that every trace of lifeforms on this planet disappeared quickly, merited investigation, which brought the away team face to face with a single librarian who promised them answers about where everyone went, if they just took the time to learn a little bit about this world. But some screams and the desire to help, put the away team in some perilous places. For the three of them stepped into different periods of time in the planet’s history and it seemed as though there was no going back for the away team.

For others that planted themselves into the past, revealed that returning through the portal would cause sudden death, since their bodies were prepared on a cellular level to function properly in the past. Which meant that James Kirk would forever be trapped in a Victorian-esque era, where he has been accused of being a witch, while Spock and Bones would stay chilly in an ice age with a lonely woman named Zarabeth and well, this is news that doesn’t settle with Kirk or McCoy. Because they don’t believe in giving up and that prompts Kirk to take a moment and truly ponder upon his situation and realize… that he can survive this mess after all. For he simply jumped through the portal to help someone in need, which means he was never ‘prepared’, and it turns out, he was absolutely right. 

But while Jim makes it back to the future in one piece, his friends are struggling to figure out a unified way forward in their frozen temporal prison. For Spock finds himself reverting to his Vulcan roots, which makes him quite illogical and irrational and romantic as well, the latter of which motivates him to want to settle down with Zarabeth. But McCoy knows that this is unnatural behavior for Spock and once logic and science find root in his mind once again, they too come to realize they can pass through the portal and survive to see another day. But they don’t have long to make that happen. For the star is ready to blow. But thankfully, Kirk and the mysterious librarian are able to rescue the duo from a frozen fate, allowing for the away team to return to the Enterprise and watch the destruction from the safety of the bridge.

If anything, this was just a satisfying and fun episode. One that offered up a delightful plot, since it featured some unique twists and turns, and truly, the whole dying in the past thing is handled in such subtle and smooth fashion that you don’t think twice about the actual lack of danger until Kirk puts two and two together. But alas, while this is an entertaining and downright refreshing tale, it is bittersweet in nature as well. For this is it my fellow nerds and geeks, we’re near the end of our journey with Captain Kirk and his intrepid crew. Because there is only episode left in the five-year mission for us to enjoy, and it really is a shame to know that we only get to spend one more hour with a group of heroes that changed the face of science fiction forever. Until next time.

---