Warping through the stars always searching for the next adventure, it’s rare that Star Trek ever comes home to Earth. Through all the series, and highlighted in Enterprise, the third rock from our sun is kinda important in the grand scheme of things but our eyes are always far beyond the stars. So for no particular reason at all – certainly not any recent new series launching – we’re taking a look at Trek’s more Earthbound moments….
Homefront/Paradise Lost
Deep Space Nine Season 4
The Founders said they were everywhere. Now we know they’re on Earth. Recordings revealed a founder during the bombing of a Federation meeting on the home-world and Sisko is recalled. His knowledge and experience with the Dominion is vital to securing Earth against the inevitable war. But while the Dominion may be the enemy, they aren’t Earths greatest threat…
Taking the Sisko away from Deep Space Nine for the rather unique two parter, the story takes place entirely on Earth in a somewhat rare look at life in the 24th century back at home base. We don’t get too much of a glimpse outside of the small set pieces, but having Sisko back living and working on Earth between his office at Headquarters and his family restaurant is a fairly cool thing for the Next Gen era.
Especially as the story is all one big conspiracy with an Admiral manipulating his way towards a coup on Earth…
FAMILY
The Next Generation, Season 4
DS9 wasn’t the first to bring their Captain to Earth for the A story. Following the Best of Both Worlds two parter, bridging seasons three and four with the Borg threat before it was de-escalated, the show went from massive cliffhanger to pausing for some reflection. Captured by the Borg and turned into one of them to help take over Earth, the Enterprise crew were able to bring their Captain back and de-Borgify him so he could get back to work.
Except, being turned into a tool to annihilate your entire civilisation and knowing you’re responsible for the deaths of a stupid amount of people isn’t something you get over after a cup of Earl Grey. So while Worf and his family took the B plot, Picard went to Earth to stay with his brother and get over some family tension with a punch up in the mud before the reality of it all came spilling out. The guilt and shame bringing him to tears and showing a vulnerability his brother – and the audience – hadn’t seen from him before.
An emotionally charged episode, it used the whole idea of being back on Earth to perfectly isolate the captain from his ship to rediscovering himself in the French countryside.
TOMORROW IS YESTERDAY
TOS Season 1
Apparently, flying towards the sun, slingshotting around it and getting away as fast as you can isn’t just a great tactic to escape a baddie. It’s also the best way to introduce time travel to a flourishing sci fi series. Accidentally ending up in orbit of Earth in 1969 thanks to this slingshot ‘time warp’ (not to be confused with the dance), the Enterprise is identified by a NASA pilot as a UFO and in a panic, they beam him aboard to figure out how to undo the potential destruction of the timeline.
Well remembered as the first time Star Trek used time travel as a plot device, the episode is also one of the most fun of the first season. Written by the late – and very much great – DC Fontana, the episode is the first to mirror the real world with the future world within Star Trek and brings a lot of light comedy and action to life as Kirk and Spock essentially engage in a cover up to undo any evidence of them being there before going back home.
TIMES ARROW
The Next Generation Season 5/6
Summoned back to Earth to an archaeological dig, it turns out that there’s evidence of aliens living on Earth as far back as the 19th century. There’s also something else rather unusual that they’ve dug up. Data’s head.
Times Arrow is one of those plots thats best watching rather than a traditionally flippant or sarcastic recap. But the entire premise is Data facing his own mortality and ending up chasing down the reason for his own death. That takes him, by sheer accident, to the 1800’s where he uses local supplies to build basic future toys, somewhat befriends Mark Twain and has Picard and the crew travel back and try and find him and solve the alien mystery.
It also shows that Guinan is alive and well, hiding among the upper class of 1800’s America centuries before the Borg destroy her homeworld giving some insight into why she has such an affection for Picard. The whole episode is a bit silly, a bit contrived, but a lot of fun seeing the Star Trek world clash with San Fransisco on the tail end of the 19th century.
Q2&A: Find out more about SFCQ2
THE ONE WITH THE WHALES
TOS Film Series
Sometimes called The Voyage Home to the layman, The One With The Whales saw 23rd century Earth being accidentally terrorised by an alien probe that forced every ship and outpost in the solar system to lose power as it sucked up all the water on Earth in search of it’s old pen pals who stopped writing back. Long before humanity figured out the alphabet, humpbacked whales on Earth were singing to far off worlds but humanity being careless and selfish led to the species being extinct.
Disgraced Admiral Kirk and his former crew, making a return to Earth in a stolen Klingon ship after stealing, and subsequently blowing up, the Enterprise to bring Spock back to life, have one solution to the problem. Go back in time to before the whales extinction, kidnap some and bring them back to the 23rd century so they can wave hello back to the probe and tell it to stop having a tanty.
After a quick time warp, Kirk and Spock arrive in 1984, park their cloaked ship in Golden Gate Park and go hunting (ethically) for some whales!
In one of the most unique films in the Star Trek world, The Voyage Home is the only of the series to be set in the year it was released, and the only film to date without an antagonist. There’s no bad guys to chase, no villains to defeat. Just a problem that needs solved and all wrapped up in a lesson about treating the environment better. Displacing the crew into a less sophisticated and less refined environment brings several fun moments from Chekov asking people on the street for directions to a nuclear reactor, Scotty not knowing how to use a computer with a mouse and keyboard, and Spock trying, and failing, to figure out how to speak the local lingo.
Taking away the Enterprise, the final frontier, and near everything Star Trek but the characters, it’s just a fun, light and extremely accessible film that thankfully graced ITV’s Christmas schedule for decades so we could all enjoy it every year!
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
- Little Green Men (DS9): Quark, Rom and Nog stuck with Odo in 1947 New Mexico as the core aliens in one of the worlds biggest conspiracy theories. Really fun and playful episode!
- City On The Edge of Forever (TOS): A tragic story and one of Star Trek’s best hours. Alas, it’s a better tragedy, drama or time travel story than a trip to the homeworld (and it gets in all the lists!)
- Futures End (Voyager): Recently listed on the time travel list, so it did get eliminated. Though it is a fun two parter, The Voyage Home did it better!
- Picard Season 2: Yeah, we know. It was a mixed season but some of the best moments were in the 21st century setting. Unfortunately, as an arc it was a season of moments over Earthly encounters.
- Past Tense (DS9): Excellent episode(s). But a little too close to home for escapism these days!
Did we miss out your Favourite Kirk-Spock moments? Get engaged and let us know at Starbase Europa!
About the author
A Fistful of Down To Earth Adventures
Warping through the stars always searching for the next adventure, it's rare that Star Trek ever comes home to Earth. Through all the series, and highlighted in Enterprise, the third rock from our sun is kinda important in the grand scheme of things but our eyes are always far beyond the stars. So for no particular reason at all - certainly not any recent new series launching - we're taking a look at Trek's more Earthbound moments.... Homefront/Paradise Lost Deep Space Nine Season 4 The Founders said they were everywhere. Now we know they're on Earth. Recordings revealed a founder during the bombing of a Federation meeting on the home-world and Sisko is recalled. His knowledge and experience with the Dominion is vital to securing Earth against the inevitable war. But while the Dominion may be the enemy, they aren't […]
Some Scary Ship! The Griffin Incident; Strange New Worlds S4E02
Returning from a conference for future leaders of Starfleet, Spock and La'an (with Kirk hitching a ride) find a long-lost ship adrift. The USS Griffin's disappearance nine years prior had never been explained, becoming a bit of folklore within the fleet. Stum,bling upon it by chance, the trio board the ship hoping to find an answer to the mystery only to get more than they bargained for... Writers: Robbie Thompson Director: Axelle Carolyn I'll preface this now by pointing out I love creepy sci fi settings.. The isolation of being trapped on a derelict ship with no escape and no one to call for help has always been something I've enjoyed from the obvious Event Horizon, even to old classics like The Thing. So I was excited for this one by the trailer alone and can't say I was disappointed! […]
Mars Attacks! Valles Marineris; Strange New Worlds S4E01
Since losing Batel at the end of the last season, life for the crew of the Enterprise hasn't stopped. Mainly because Pike won'd let them. Racing from mission to mission without even a water break in between, the crew are getting a little run down after six months of back to back nonsense. And it's all because of Pike running away from the loss and burying himself in adventure to keep the grief at bay. As Admiral April pops over for a chat, and to offer Pike a promotion he doesnt seem too interested in, a break doesn't seem to be coming any time soon. Writers: Henry Alonso Myers, Alan B. McElroyDirector: Chris Fisher Sent to investigate some new weird space stuff, things go completely mental when the Enterprise gets pulled into it and thrown, Caretaker style, into an unfamiliar […]
Mark Mitchell; 1969-2026
It's with great sadness we report that our Director of Operations, Mark Mitchell, has sadly passed away suddenly earlier this week. Mark was one of our longest serving members and a huge part of what helped shape what SFCQ2 is today. Having served in leadership as a CO, throughout fleet support and originating the role of Director of Administration, Mark's unyielding dedication to the club and his multiple contributions over the decades undoubtedly make him worthy of his Legend handle. From writing the entire base for our modern Academy to being vital in the fleet restructure, to offering support and advice to countless members to support leadership and direction, Mark's efforts serve, and will likely continue to serve, as the backbone of everything that makes Q2 with his primary goal always being to offer the best of everything and push […]
Gamma Quarter 2403 Promotions & Citations
Throughout it’s entire existence SFC has grown, evolved and thrived due tot he commitment and passion of our officers and crew. Keen members can make a huge difference within their unit or the fleet as a whole, and we like to ensure members are rewarded and recognised for all they bring to the organisation. Starting this quarter, we're opening every new period within the fleet celebrating those who have made an impact and engaged in being a positive influence in their unit or in Q2 overall. The most obvious form of rewards comes from our naval-based rank structure. Utilising the same base rank structure seen on screen, SFC takes members through their journey as a Starfleet officer by giving members a chance to rise throughout the ranks from Ensign to Captain. Having had an active and exciting year, Lt Commander […]
A Fistful of ‘Spirk’
We've been spoiled with Spock in the past few years with Discovery introducing a younger iteration of the character long before he became the refined man of logic that made him famous, and continued that story through Strange New Worlds and his time under Captain Pike's command. As Strange New Worlds continues, giving more history to the original series line up and the early meetings of Spock and Kirk as it makes way for the beginning of the Kirk era, we thought we'd look back at some moments that made the partnership one of the most popular combinations in science fiction. JOURNEY TO BABEL TOS Season 2 Spock's got a bit of an issue with sharing. Secret brother who was shunned. Secret sister who's fate was classified. And despite trusting the Enterprise crew with his life, it was clearly only […]
Related
A Fistful of ‘Spirk’
We've been spoiled with Spock in the past few years with Discovery introducing a younger iteration of the character long before he became the refined man of logic that made him famous, and continued that story through Strange New Worlds and his time under Captain Pike's command. As Strange New Worlds continues, giving more history to the original series line up and the early meetings of Spock and Kirk as it makes way for the beginning of the Kirk era, we thought we'd look back at some moments that made the partnership one of the most popular combinations in science fiction. JOURNEY TO BABEL TOS Season 2 Spock's got a bit of an issue with sharing. Secret brother who was shunned. Secret sister who's fate was classified. And despite trusting the Enterprise crew with his life, it was clearly only […]
A Fistful of O’Brien
Entering the Star Trek world as an unnamed extra with a few bits of dialogue, O'Brien soon became a fixture on the Enterprise D as it's transporter chief before moving to Deep Space Nine to head up engineering and operations on what was thought to be a backwater outpost before it became one of the most strategically important stations in the quadrant!As the only enlisted or non commissioned officer to feature in the main cast of any Star Trek show to date, O'Brien stands as the only working class hero in the Star Trek universe with a vast and varied career taking from the front lines of the Cardassian war as a soldier, to the front lines of the Dominion War as an engineer, retrofitting DS9, keeping the Defiant from blowing itself apart, and even sniping Dominion troops. All in […]
A Fistful of Justice
Although it's one of the worlds most legendary science fiction shows, Star Trek has always dabbled with format and genre's, all dressed up behind deep space adventures. Whether using the holodeck for a touch of fantasy, or diving into the horrors of war through Deep Space Nine's run, the variety of story telling never seems to fit one mould. But out of all the different tales told in the wonderful world of Starfleet, one that always promises to deliver is the court room drama. This month we're diving into the most captivating of Star Trek's courtroom drama's with a Fistful of Justice! AD ASTRA PER ASPERA Strange New Worlds, Season 2 One of the most modern examples of Strar Trek's court room drama saw Pike's own Number One, Una-Chin Reilly, under court martial for a serious breach of Starfleet regulation […]
A Fistful of Sisko
In the past few years, Star Trek has made several nods to it's past. But while The NExt Generation and Voyager had their continuations, Deep Space Nine continued to 'black sheep' of the family with it's history and name drops being few and far between. Until Academy when we had an entire episode based around the legend of Starfleet's most complex captains. Starting his show as a widower and single parent, Benjamin Sisko started his time in Star Trek as a reluctant hero turned religious icon who's become a prime figure in Bajoran history, the Federation-Dominion war and much more. If you missed his series, first of.... why?! And also, if you want a quick intro - here's our Sisko top five to see what the fuss is all about. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzBkvzPoofQ IN THE PALE MOONLIGHT Season 6, Episode 13 Lets […]
A Fistful of Honour Beyond Bloodshed
Feared throughout the galaxy due to being fearless warriors who thrive on battle and bloodshed, the Klingon's are one of Star Trek's most iconic races and yet, with all their history, perhaps the most misunderstood. Starting off in the original series as authoritarian and distrustful antagonist, they were written as a parallel to Russia with the Klingon Empire in a cold war with the Federation following a long conflict. The Klingons would have a bit of reinvention in the movies thanks to higher budgets giving the producers a chance for a more alien look, while their culture and history would get a little more depth on The Next Generation thanks to the inclusion of Worf, the first Klingon member of Starfleet. But Worf's views on the Klingon culture weren't quite spot on. From a noble house, Worf was displaced and […]
A Fistful of Familiar Surroundings
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. President Forward During the Next Generation multiple set pieces were re-used and recycled from the set pieces built for the film franchise. From the obvious re-use of internal corridors, to smaller pieces such as Dr Crushers office being McCoy's, it's hard for a keen eye to ignore how much the productions shared between them. But as The Next Generation became the dominant forcer with ongoing production and full standing sets, eventually the turn tabled and by the final original cast instalment, it was the TNG stages that became the obvious redress solution. The most jarring of the films set re-uses was the office of the president. As Kirk and McCoy were charged with assassination, a political poop show begins and the Federation […]
