Star Trek’s First Masterpiece Episode Had a Completely Different Ending (& Caused a Years-Long Feud)

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First broadcast in 1967, “The City on the Edge of Forever” is widely considered one of the greatest episodes in Star Trek history. When the show was new, Gene Roddenberry worried about its future and brought in talented science fiction writers to help ensure its success. Harlan Ellison was a crucial part of this effort, and William Shatner specifically credited him with helping Star Trek get through its first season. However, Ellison’s most celebrated script, “The City on the Edge of Forever,” caused significant conflict during its production.

“The City on the Edge of Forever” is widely considered one of the greatest episodes in Star Trek history. It’s a sweeping time travel adventure where the USS Enterprise encounters the Guardian of Forever and is thrown back to New York City during the Great Depression. The crew must prevent a change to the past, but Captain Kirk realizes doing so means sacrificing the woman he’s falling in love with. The episode famously ends with Kirk making the heartbreaking decision to let Edith Keeler, played by Joan Collins, die in a traffic accident, preserving the timeline at any cost.

Harlan Ellison’s Captain Kirk Made A Very Different Decision

However, this wasn’t the story Harlan Ellison originally wrote. Ellison, a famous science fiction author, had a much darker view of people than Roddenberry. His initial story began with a member of the Enterprise crew dealing drugs and escaping to another planet, which is how the time travel element started. Roddenberry, who wanted Star Trek to portray a hopeful, perfect future, changed the beginning to fit his vision.

While significant, this adjustment was minor compared to the larger changes Roddenberry made to the story’s conclusion. Ellison’s original vision had Kirk actively trying to save the woman, driven by love over logic, but Spock stopped him. Ellison believed this was a more realistic and compelling choice, and he was deeply disappointed with how the episode actually aired. He discussed this in an interview that recently gained attention thanks to Women’s World magazine.

The original script had a very different ending than what actually aired. In the script, Kirk tries to save her, driven by his love for her, even if it means risking everything – the ship, the future, everything. He’s about to reach her when Spock, always logical, stops him, and she’s tragically hit by the truck. The final version shown on TV, where Kirk passively allows it to happen, is completely unsatisfying and undermines the entire point of the story. It ruins the emotional impact, the artistic integrity, and the deeply human tragedy I was aiming for.

Ellison Didn’t Even Want His Name on the Script

Harlan Ellison was deeply upset with the script and demanded his name be taken off it. He said this led to several arguments with Gene Roddenberry, even a threat of being blacklisted in the industry. Roddenberry wouldn’t remove Ellison’s name, and their disagreement turned into a decades-long rivalry. Ellison often spoke publicly about his anger, while Roddenberry insisted Ellison was being unreasonable. They started to mend their relationship in the late 1970s, and Ellison was even asked to submit a script idea for a Star Trek film.

The brief peace between Roddenberry and Ellison didn’t hold. Roddenberry falsely stated that Ellison had initially written the character of Scotty as a drug dealer, which sparked a renewed conflict. He later took back the claim, but it had already spread among fans and been reported by various publications. Ellison protected his original script by copyrighting it and eventually published it in 1996. It was later turned into a highly acclaimed graphic novel by Scott Tipton, David Tipton, and J.K. Woodward. Upset with how the studio profited from the episode, Ellison later sued CBS for better payment.

“The City on the Edge of Forever” is often considered a highlight of Star Trek, but its production was quite controversial. The first draft of the episode portrayed Captain Kirk as more emotional and impulsive, and it originally showed Spock causing the death of Kirk’s love interest. It’s interesting to consider how the relationship between Kirk and Spock might have evolved if that original version had been filmed.

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2026-04-13 17:40