The Guardian of Forever portal can take you back in time, but what is the Guardian of Forever? Is it a being or an artifact, a construction with magic powers? No one knows but, just when one is in trouble and finds out a mistake is made the Guardian of Forever appears and gives you the possibility to fix it. A mind warping thought for the sci-fi movies. Or is It a wishful thinking when things go wrong or right and we “knew it”, but did not act in time? When looking back at grand historic events, we can’t really help ourselves but ask could the things have been different? And if we really could go back in time, could we actually change anything? Will it be possible? Can only one person affect the course of history? What about me, can I change the present if I went back in time and revised my choices? There is a Star Trek episode for every dilemma of this kind 😊 and in 1967 there was Star Trek Season 1 Episode 29, The city in the edge of forever.
Kirk is the captain of the starship Enterprise one of the best flying machines of his world. And his world is an advanced world, a world of abundance. However, someone goes crazy and Kirk’s whole world disappears, is gone. The ship is gone, all the previous generations their fully lived lives undone, murdered, their inheritance all the achievements erased. The captain finds himself in a desolated place and needs to save the world, save his ship, save his friends, save himself.
So, he goes to fix the problem to claim his life back, to get back his world. He finds himself in a poor world, one of scarcity one where nothing make sense and no one will understand him. But there is no time for hesitation must find some clothes first. And then find some work, and food, the basic necessities come to the forefront of his life. The lucky break comes as a second job with 22 cents per hour, what a joy. Not all is bad, there is the beautiful woman with an amazing smile, maybe he should forget all the troubles and be positive, enjoy the good things that are still. There was that nice conversation maybe she can understand him, maybe just a hug. Maybe just a kiss, if he did that does not mean that deep inside he accepted the new world he gave up on what made him. Does not mean that he erased all that made him, all that he was, just because it was convenient. But how can this be wrong, how can love be wrong? Spock asks is it really love; can you really love when you are in such a difficult situation and not allowed to be yourself? Kirk can’t see that but Spock helps him, tells him about his situation, and what is the danger of accepting the poor world.
Spock understands that if Kirk fell in love with the convenient acceptance of the situation nothing can be done, and in the movie, this also changes the poor world to a world without hope and changes the future to a Nazi world to continue. Death of the beautiful woman in the movie is the symbolic message of the choice that Kirk made, he will not compromise out of the convenience of the moment, he will choose to live his own life, his destiny.
What about you, o captain of thy self, I ask?
And Dostoevsky replied first:
“It became clear to me that life and the world, as it were, depended upon me. I might even say that the world had existed for me alone. I should jab myself, and then there would be no world at all, for me at least. Not to mention that perhaps there will really be nothing for any one after me, and the whole world, as soon as my consciousness is extinguished, will also be extinguished like a phantom, “
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