Series: Star Trek: TNG
Episode: 3.15 Yesterday’s Enterprise (02-19-1990)
Rating: 4/5
Redshirt Status: -1/.5/22 (only time I think we take away from the RSC.)
Notable Guest Stars:
Denise Crosby – Tasha Yar. SHE”S BACK!
Christopher McDonald – Richard Castillo. He has a long credit list, including a role in the film Thelma and Louise.
Tricia O’Neil- Rachel Garrett. She will also appear in DS9.
Review:
This is a fan favorite for a lot of reasons. One is the return of Tasha Yar for a single episode. This is also an alternative universe bubble so it changes things up a little bit without it changing the main storyline any (for now anyway).
It opens on the Enterprise we are familiar with, but they come across a time..thing. I’m not sure if they actually named it and I missed it or its just unnamed. Out of that Time Thing comes the Enterprise C, and when we turn back to the Enterprise….its completely different.
Worf is gone, as is Troi. Somehow Guinan is still onboard, handling the mess hall that is Ten Forward. She senses something is wrong with this timeline and goes to Picard, who is reluctant to change things at first.
Tasha Yar is back at security, having never encountered the slime monster from Skin of Evil. This episode focuses on the theme of how one incident or choice could effect a whole timeline. The disappearance of the Enterprise-C has caused a intergalactic war with the Klingons, who are winning. So Picard is faced with the choice…send the wounded ship back to die and change the timeline, or have them stay and face the war that currently exists.
Tasha also gets faced with a choice. After coming to the conclusion she was not meant for this timeline, she has the decision to stay where she is, or return on the Enterprise C to the main timeline to effectly die.
The crew of the Enterprise C also has a choice. They can go back home, almost certain to die but save the galaxy, or live longer lives fighting in the future.
This episode is actually rather good both acting and writing wise. I also like some of the camera choices they used to define the time they were in. Lighting also seemed a deliberate choice, as almost all the scenes within the bubble alt-timeline were darker and lit more from the prop, and the main timeline the regular brightness and overhead lighting.
It also doesn’t leave the choices made in this episode completely erased. Tasha Yar’s decisions will continue to effect the Enterprise in episodes to come.
Interesting Notes:
- Written by
- Trent Christopher Ganino
- Eric A. Stillwell
- Ira Steven Behr
- Richard Manning
- Hans Beimler
- Ronald D. Moore
- Michael Piller
- Directed by David Carson
- This episode is sometimes grouped into Mirror Universe but I’m not entirely sure if it is or not. It seems like a different alternative timeline, maybe a timeline bubble.
- This episode is related to future episodes, in particular Redemption in season 4.
Pros:
- Tasha Yar is back
- Wesley Crusher has a Starfleet uniform instead of the ugly grey one they keep him in. At this point I would think he should be wearing the uniform, maybe an academy level with no pips, but still. What is with the grey one?
Cons:
- “Combat date” By the time of the Enterprise 1701 they were already using Stardate, Seems a little weird they changed it due to a war. Also seems weird not to call it a Captain’s log.
Sokorra Lewis 