Plot

Spock

Spock

Spock is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the original Star Trek series, Spock also appears in the animated Star Trek series, two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, seven of the Star Trek feature films, and numerous Star Trek...

 returns from a time-traveling research project he has been conducting with the use of the Guardian of Forever

Guardian of Forever

The Guardian of Forever is a time portal portrayed in the fictional universe of Star Trek.-Fictional origins:In the Star Trek universe, analysis of the ruins on the Guardian's home world suggests it may be billions of years old but no one knows who built the Guardian...

. When he emerges from the portal, he discovers that apart from Kirk (who had accompanied Spock into the past), no one onboard the Enterprise

USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

The USS Enterprise, NCC-1701, is a fictional starship in the Star Trek media franchise. The original Star Trek series depicts her crew's mission "to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new life and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before" under the command of Captain James...

recognizes him. Spock is further surprised to see that an Andorian

Andorian

Andorians are a fictional race of humanoid extraterrestrials created by D. C. Fontana for the Star Trek universe. They are native to the icy M-class moon Andoria , which orbits a blue, ringed gas giant. Definitive traits include their blue skin, a pair of cranial antennae, and white hair...

 officer, Commander Thelin, has replaced him as first officer.

In the new timeline, history has recorded that Spock died at age 7 undergoing the Kahs-wan ordeal on Vulcan

Vulcan (Star Trek)

Vulcans, or sometimes Vulcanians, are an extraterrestrial humanoid species in the Star Trek universe who evolved on the planet Vulcan, and are noted for their attempt to live by reason and logic with no interference from emotion. They were the first extraterrestrial species in the Star Trek...

. However, Spock remembers that when he took the Kahs-wan, his life was saved by Selek - an adult relative - when a desert creature had attacked them. Realizing what must have happened, Spock knows he must go back through the time gate to his Vulcan childhood, and save the life of the child he was. At first, this proceeds smoothly: Spock assumes the identity of Selek, and is welcomed into the home of Sarek

Sarek

Sarek is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise. He is a Vulcan astrophysicist, the Vulcan ambassador to the United Federation of Planets, and father of Spock...

 and Amanda Grayson. "Selek" journeys into the desert to find his younger self, and saves the boy. However, I Chaya - Spock's pet sehlat - has been gravely wounded. Young Spock is offered a choice: either I Chaya can be treated with medicines (but will live in obvious pain) or his pet can be allowed to die with dignity. Young Spock chooses the latter, and I Chaya dies peacefully. By making this choice, Spock has thus chosen the Vulcan way of life - logic and emotional control - and his elder self, successful in repairing history, returns to the restored present day.

Broadcast

According to the DVD text commentary for this episode, Los Angeles-area stations aired this episode first, instead of "Beyond the Farthest Star" (the actual premiere episode elsewhere) because of favoritism allegations lodged by political opponents of George Takei

George Takei

George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, author, social activist and former civil politician. He is best known for his role in the television series Star Trek and its film spinoffs, in which he played Hikaru Sulu, helmsman of the...

, who was running for public office at the time. Instead of having to offer "equal time" to Takei's challengers, NBC stations in the L.A. area decided to air "Yesteryear" first, since it did not have any scenes with Hikaru Sulu

Hikaru Sulu

Hikaru Sulu is a character in the Star Trek media franchise. First portrayed by George Takei in the original Star Trek series, Sulu also appears in the animated Star Trek series, the first six Star Trek movies, one episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and in numerous books, comics, and video games...

 (Takei's character) in it.

Canonicity

Some elements of this particular episode have made it into the canon over time.

Several concepts that first appeared in the Animated Series' episode "Yesteryear", including The Forge and the city of ShiKahr, were later included in the Enterprise three-part story that started with "The Forge".

External links