Yesteryear by: D.C. Fontana and directed by: Hal Sutherland

 

“Yesteryear” is written by: D.C. Fontana and is directed by: Hal Sutherland.  It was produced under production code 22003, was the 2^nd episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series, and was broadcast on September 15, 1973.

 

You always know you’re in safe hands when you see D.C. Fontana’s name come up as a writing credit for an episode of Star Trek.  “Yesteryear” as the second episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series is a fascinating choice because despite everything this one is very probably going to rank among the very best of the series.  Fontana seems to understand the 25 minute format and what can actually be done with it, weaving a time travel story giving the viewer a glimpse of Spock’s timeline when a mission into the past of the history of Orion, left entirely off-screen, leads to Spock being dead in the present, killed at the age of seven during a Vulcan coming-of-age ritual.  Fontana is surprising in setting up the new timeline, understanding that having only 25-minutes means the story has to get to its actual point and setting, that being past Vulcan, quite quickly.  Now this is an episode where it is clear that there hasn’t been much thought on how time travel mechanics occur, adult Spock is still allowed in the present though with a new first officer for the Enterprise in his place and he and Kirk remembering the proper timeline due to their time travelling before the episode, and the rest of the plot actually has adult Spock helping his younger self through the ritual.  Yes, it’s a bit nonsensical, but Fontana actually manages to overcome those issues in the script with some genuinely amazing character drama.

 

Leonard Nimoy is the one stealing the show throughout the entire episode.  While the first episode of the series had some stilted performances, Nimoy actually blends quite well into this one with the emotion of the character.  Fontana gives Nimoy as Spock plenty to do, Nimoy really bringing out the idea of looking back on his childhood with fondness, young Spock, voiced by Billy Simpson, a child actor related to the production staff, needing the guidance to grow up confident in his identity as mixed.  Fontana doesn’t use terminology like mixed but it is there, before putting in a twist for the episode.  By the time young Spock is saved there is also one final lesson for the young Vulcan, he has to learn to let go and say goodbye to the pet sehlat who steps in to save young Spock at the climax.  This decision reflects the Vulcan ideology and proves his place in society, though this is also an episode that in the brief scenes with Spock’s parents, Sarek being played again by Mark Lenard while Amanda is voiced by Majel Barrett doing her best with a part that doesn’t quite fit her voice.  These are all fascinating aspects packing the episode full of these wonderful ideas, young Spock’s motivation to actually put himself in danger in particular is an interesting episode.

 

Overall, “Yesteryear” is an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series that almost entirely overcomes the issues I had with the pilot.  The expanded voice cast is particularly nice, even with Barrett and James Doohan still providing many of the minor characters’ voices, but having Mark Lenard makes Vulcan feel real all while Leonard Nimoy proves that he understands how to voice act which takes a completely different set of skills.  Yes, the time travel mechanics make no sense, but this is an episode that feels far more mature for a children’s Saturday morning cartoon which is what The Animated Series is, it’s just a fantastic time.  9/10.