TMC
10-20-2016, 04:12 PM
http://www.agonybooth.com/star-treks-best-time-travel-episodes-part-1-tos-tas-tng-49630
Time travel is a popular sub-genre in science fiction, because it opens up so many new creative possibilities, and the stories can often be vicarious wish-fulfillment for the audience. Let’s face it: who wouldn’t be intrigued by the idea of meeting a historical figure one admires, or going back to correct a mistake that was made in one’s own life? Or, alternatively, who hasn’t dreamed of going forward in time to see if we’ve finally gotten those flying cars we were promised?
And so, science fiction has frequently played with the idea and elements of time travel, sometimes in humorous ways, sometimes in dark or troubling ways, and sometimes in unoriginal and repetitive ways (e.g., a character or group has screwed something up and caused a major change, and the protagonist or protagonists have to go back and fix it). Star Trek has tackled time travel a lot, which makes sense given the open nature of its format. Four of the Star Trek movies have involved time travel, with just those four showing a wide range of ways in which it can be used. And within the six TV series, there are dozens of episodes that involve time travel, and I’ll be looking at the ones that did it best.
First, for this article, I’ll be looking at the best time travel episodes from the first three Star Trek series: TOS, TAS, and The Next Generation.
Time travel is a popular sub-genre in science fiction, because it opens up so many new creative possibilities, and the stories can often be vicarious wish-fulfillment for the audience. Let’s face it: who wouldn’t be intrigued by the idea of meeting a historical figure one admires, or going back to correct a mistake that was made in one’s own life? Or, alternatively, who hasn’t dreamed of going forward in time to see if we’ve finally gotten those flying cars we were promised?
And so, science fiction has frequently played with the idea and elements of time travel, sometimes in humorous ways, sometimes in dark or troubling ways, and sometimes in unoriginal and repetitive ways (e.g., a character or group has screwed something up and caused a major change, and the protagonist or protagonists have to go back and fix it). Star Trek has tackled time travel a lot, which makes sense given the open nature of its format. Four of the Star Trek movies have involved time travel, with just those four showing a wide range of ways in which it can be used. And within the six TV series, there are dozens of episodes that involve time travel, and I’ll be looking at the ones that did it best.
First, for this article, I’ll be looking at the best time travel episodes from the first three Star Trek series: TOS, TAS, and The Next Generation.