10 Star Trek Timelines That Were Erased

2. Slingshot Around The Sun For Saturn

Star Trek Tomorrow Is Yesterday
CBS Media Ventures

Tomorrow Is Yesterday tends to fall between the cracks in Star Trek history. The slingshot-around-the-sun technique was used to great effect in Star Trek IV, though it originates here. The Enterprise is accidentally thrown into the past when it is caught in the gravity of a Black Hole, while en route to Starbase 9. This has the unfortunate side effect of dumping the ship in Earth's atmosphere - in the mid-1960s.

The timeline that is created by the Enterprise's appearance feels like more of a threat than an eventuality. Captain John Christopher has the unlucky honour of being the pilot who spots the ship, only to be beamed aboard. Kirk initially gives him free reign of the vessel, then breaks the news that he can never go home. However, Spock points out that this isn't an option. 

Christopher's son manned the first Earth-Saturn mission. Quite annoyingly, said son had yet to be born - so Christopher couldn't remain removed from history.

This remains the only example of using a slingshot around the sun, combined with the transporter, to deposit people plucked from history back into their earlier selves. Technically, the Enterprise manages to prevent a new timeline from being created, though one wonders how Dulmur and Lucsly would interpret it. 

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"