Return to Tomorrow
Return to Tomorrow (Memory Alpha; SD Video) finds the crew of our favorite starship lured by a powerful distress beacon to a dead world, where a disembodied voice who identifies himself as Sargon tells them that, though he is long dead, the crew must help preserve what is left of him or all mankind will perish.
It’s all happiness and roses.
Begin Spoilers
Sargon and two others kept their minds alive in an elaborate underground bunker when their race destroyed themselves. Now, half a million years later, they want to borrow three human bodies and construct themselves new, robot bodies to live in.
Why didn’t they build robot bodies instead of the elaborate underground bunker? That’s an excellent question.
But the one who borrows Spock’s body does not want to be a robot; he wants a living body. So he plots to kill Sargon and escape.
Why doesn’t he just jump into the robot for now, escape later, and do his shenanigans out of sight of Sargon? That’s an excellent question, too.
Now it’s up to the crew to… watch, pretty much, as the three duke it out and the major characters play no role in the rest of the episode.
End Spoilers
For all that, the idea of this episode is interesting, and provides the characters with a great excuse to show their science side. As Kirk says,
Kirk: Risk. Risk is our business. That’s what this starship is all about. That’s why we’re aboard her.
It also gives Nimoy a chance to shine playing a baddie, which he does far too well to do it so rarely. He has this perfect smirk that drips uncaring malice, while still making you like the guy because it’s so obvious that he’s just doing exactly what he most wants to do in the world. And as a contrast to the normally staid Spock, the condescending Henoch is a perfect foil.
Best bit of ironic dialog
Spock: Captain, I do wish to inspect whatever this is that lived that long ago.
Kirk: I would like to have my science officer with me on something as unusual as this, but it is full of unknowns and we can’t risk both of us being off the ship.
Best bit of totally silly dialog
[With no context] All readings are off the charts, Captain.
Grade
B+
