For years Harlan Ellison has snarled about how Gene Roddenberry falsely claimed his script for "City On The Edge Of Forever" had Scotty dealing drugs. Well, maybe he did, and if so, then Ellison had reason to be annoyed. But setting that issue aside, after reading his original script it does seem that the changes that were made- in some respects at least- were a definite improvement.
Ellison has a mercenary character aboard the Enterprise (not Scotty, of course) exploit another crewman's addiction to an illegal drug so he can get himself assigned to a landing party. That way he can beam down and illegally trade with any native inhabitants. As it works out, the dealer, Beckwith, kills the drug addicted crewman and then finds himself convicted of murder with a sentence of death to be carried out on the planet surface. Upon arrival however, he escapes into the past and screws up history.
Okay, the thing that doesn't seem to work so well about this aspect of Ellison's story is the large amount of time spent in the first act introducing these two new characters. Roddenberry's writers wisely turn the focus back on the regular cast with McCoy becoming the victim of an accidental narcotics overdose that renders him temporarily insane. McCoy becomes the unwitting catalyst for the altering of history, making Kirk and Spock's mission now about both repairing the damage to history- and rescuing a friend. This seems far more emotionally involving than had it remained a pursuit of a sleazy drug dealer through time.
Also, by dispensing with the villainous character, they were able to cut out the slightly uncomfortable fact that they were there for the business of executing a prisoner, and in the original script Kirk seems just a touch too eager to carry out that sentence.
Another flaw in Ellison's version is the introduction of a bunch of rather prosaic characters: long-robed ancients whose centuries old task is the servicing of the mechanisms that make time travel possible on their world. Of course this is just an opinion, but the pulsating Guardian Of Forever with it's booming voice speaking in enigmatic riddles (even insulting Spock by suggesting his intellect is too limited to grasp it's internal workings) trumps a bunch of old guys in robes any day. Making the now automated time portal a full-fledged character is a very good idea because it allows the Guardian to become it's own "device" for delivering exposition, and this seems a more direct method than leaving all the explanations to Ellison's original concept of a group of old men.
Also, when history is changed, Ellison has Kirk and company beaming up to the Enterprise and (as in the later episode "Mirror, Mirror") discovering that the vessel is now a pirate ship called "The Falcon". Kirk and Spock take over the transporter room, locking out the bloodthirsty crew, and then leave the rest of the landing party to fend off the pirates while they beam back down to the planet to try and right history.
Considering there's also the pursuit of Beckwith, as well as the love story set in the 1930's, doesn't it sound like there's just too much story here?
In the streamlined re-write, Kirk leaves the landing party on the planet surface as he ventures into the past of the 1930's to repair history, and this seems quite sufficient plot-wise without the addition of a pirate Enterprise.
One thing that would have been nice to see preserved from Ellison's script occurs in the scene where Edith Keeler has been allowed to die in order to correct history. This is not exactly word for word, but Spock comforts the shattered Kirk by telling him that "no woman was ever loved so much, for you were willing to give up the whole universe just for her." It's a very touching, romantic sentiment (coming from the Vulcan no less!) to end on, and represents one of the best aspects of Ellison's version that didn't survive the re-write.
While much of what did make it into the finished episode was undeniably Harlan Ellison's, the changes that were made to his script do seem to have been appropriate and helped to make this exceptionally well done episode, arguably, even better.
Ellison has a mercenary character aboard the Enterprise (not Scotty, of course) exploit another crewman's addiction to an illegal drug so he can get himself assigned to a landing party. That way he can beam down and illegally trade with any native inhabitants. As it works out, the dealer, Beckwith, kills the drug addicted crewman and then finds himself convicted of murder with a sentence of death to be carried out on the planet surface. Upon arrival however, he escapes into the past and screws up history.
Okay, the thing that doesn't seem to work so well about this aspect of Ellison's story is the large amount of time spent in the first act introducing these two new characters. Roddenberry's writers wisely turn the focus back on the regular cast with McCoy becoming the victim of an accidental narcotics overdose that renders him temporarily insane. McCoy becomes the unwitting catalyst for the altering of history, making Kirk and Spock's mission now about both repairing the damage to history- and rescuing a friend. This seems far more emotionally involving than had it remained a pursuit of a sleazy drug dealer through time.
Also, by dispensing with the villainous character, they were able to cut out the slightly uncomfortable fact that they were there for the business of executing a prisoner, and in the original script Kirk seems just a touch too eager to carry out that sentence.
Another flaw in Ellison's version is the introduction of a bunch of rather prosaic characters: long-robed ancients whose centuries old task is the servicing of the mechanisms that make time travel possible on their world. Of course this is just an opinion, but the pulsating Guardian Of Forever with it's booming voice speaking in enigmatic riddles (even insulting Spock by suggesting his intellect is too limited to grasp it's internal workings) trumps a bunch of old guys in robes any day. Making the now automated time portal a full-fledged character is a very good idea because it allows the Guardian to become it's own "device" for delivering exposition, and this seems a more direct method than leaving all the explanations to Ellison's original concept of a group of old men.
Also, when history is changed, Ellison has Kirk and company beaming up to the Enterprise and (as in the later episode "Mirror, Mirror") discovering that the vessel is now a pirate ship called "The Falcon". Kirk and Spock take over the transporter room, locking out the bloodthirsty crew, and then leave the rest of the landing party to fend off the pirates while they beam back down to the planet to try and right history.
Considering there's also the pursuit of Beckwith, as well as the love story set in the 1930's, doesn't it sound like there's just too much story here?
In the streamlined re-write, Kirk leaves the landing party on the planet surface as he ventures into the past of the 1930's to repair history, and this seems quite sufficient plot-wise without the addition of a pirate Enterprise.
One thing that would have been nice to see preserved from Ellison's script occurs in the scene where Edith Keeler has been allowed to die in order to correct history. This is not exactly word for word, but Spock comforts the shattered Kirk by telling him that "no woman was ever loved so much, for you were willing to give up the whole universe just for her." It's a very touching, romantic sentiment (coming from the Vulcan no less!) to end on, and represents one of the best aspects of Ellison's version that didn't survive the re-write.
While much of what did make it into the finished episode was undeniably Harlan Ellison's, the changes that were made to his script do seem to have been appropriate and helped to make this exceptionally well done episode, arguably, even better.