"The Counter-Clock Incident" is the

series finale A series finale is the final installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. It may also refer to a final theatrical sequel, the last part of a television miniseries, the last installment of a literary series, or ...

of the American animated

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...

television series ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vario ...

'', the 22nd episode overall. This episode was the sixth and final episode of the second season. It first aired in the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters ...

Saturday morning lineup on October 12, 1974, and was written by

Fred Bronson Fredric M. "Fred" Bronson (born January 10, 1949) is an American journalist, author and writer. He is the author of books related to #1 songs on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and other books related to various music charts as well. He is also ...

under the pen name "John Culver". Bronson used a pen name because he was NBC's publicist at the time and was concerned that it would look improper to get a screen credit. Bronson would eventually work on two '' Next Generation'' episodes (" Ménage à Troi" and "

The Game The Game or The Games may refer to: Sports and games * The Game (dice game) (German: ''Das Spiel''), a dice game designed by Reinhold Wittig * The Game (mind game), a mind game, the objective of which is to avoid thinking about The Game itself * ...

"). The episode established that the ''Enterprise''s first captain was Robert April. Set in the 23rd century, the series follows the adventures of Captain James T. Kirk (voiced by

William Shatner William Shatner (born March 22, 1931) is a Canadian actor. In a career spanning seven decades, he is best known for his portrayal of James T. Kirk in the ''Star Trek'' franchise, from his 1965 debut as the captain of the starship ''Enterpri ...

) and the crew of the

Starfleet Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...

starship ''Enterprise''. In this episode, the ''

Enterprise Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to: Business and economics Brands and enterprises * Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company * Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company * Enterprise ...

'' is unwillingly pulled by a smaller craft into the heart of a supernova and finds itself in another universe.

Plot

stardate ''StarDate'' is a science radio program of The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory, broadcast on over 360 radio stations. It is a daily guide to the night sky and breaking astronomical news. Typically heard without formal introdu ...

6770.3, the

Federation A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...

starship A starship, starcraft, or interstellar spacecraft is a theoretical spacecraft designed for interstellar travel, traveling between planetary systems. The term is mostly found in science fiction. Reference to a "star-ship" appears as early as 188 ...

'' is transporting very distinguished guests: its first commander, Commodore Robert April (voiced by

James Doohan James Montgomery Doohan (; March 3, 1920 – July 20, 2005) was a Canadian actor, author and soldier, best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series ''Star Trek''. Doohan's characterization of the Scottish ...

), and his wife,

Sarah Sarah (born Sarai) is a biblical matriarch and prophetess, a major figure in Abrahamic religions. While different Abrahamic faiths portray her differently, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all depict her character similarly, as that of a pio ...

(voiced by

Nichelle Nichols Nichelle Nichols (, born Grace Dell Nichols; December 28, 1932 – July 30, 2022) was an American actress, singer, and dancer best known for her portrayal of Nyota Uhura in ''Star Trek'' and its film sequels. Nichols' portrayal of Uhura was g ...

), the first medical officer on the starship equipped with warp drive, who had designed many of the tools in Dr. McCoy's sick bay. Their destination is a diplomatic conference on the planet

Babel Babel is a name used in the Hebrew Bible for the city of Babylon and may refer to: Arts and media Written works Books *Babel (book), ''Babel'' (book), by Patti Smith * Babel (2012 manga), ''Babel'' (2012 manga), by Narumi Shigematsu * Babel (20 ...

and his planned retirement ceremony, when it encounters a ship flying at fantastic speeds directly into a supernova. The ''Enterprise'' attempts to assist by grabbing the vessel with a tractor beam and locking onto it, but instead both ships are pulled through the supernova and into a negative universe where time flows backwards and "everything works in a counterclockwise fashion." Consequently, everyone aboard the ship begins to grow younger. The young woman piloting the ship, Karla Five (also voiced by Nichols), takes them to her homeworld, Arret (

Terra Terra may often refer to: * Terra (mythology), primeval Roman goddess * An alternate name for planet Earth, as well as the Latin name for the planet Terra may also refer to: Geography Astronomy * Terra (satellite), a multi-national NASA scienti ...

, backwards), and seeks the help of her son, a much older man named Karl Four (also voiced by Doohan). In a race against time for the increasingly de-aging ''Enterprise'' crew, they work out a solution for getting back home. With

Captain Kirk James Tiberius Kirk is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Originally played by Canadian actor William Shatner, Kirk first appeared in ''Star Trek'' serving aboard the starship USS ''Enterprise'' as captain. Kirk leads ...

and his crew members reduced to children, "April, now a thirty-year-old man, retakes command and must bring the ''Enterprise'' to safety before it's too late." The attempt to get back home is successful, and then he and his wife, Sarah, use the

transporter Transporter may refer to: * Transporter (vehicles), types of vehicles designed to transport items * Transporter wagon, a railway car designed to carry another railway car * Volkswagen Transporter, a model of van * Transporter bridge, a bridge wh ...

to restore themselves and the rest of the crew to their proper ages.

Casting

Actress

Majel Barrett Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (; born Majel Leigh Hudec;
, ''

Christine Chapel, Communications Officer M'Ress and the ''Enterprise'' computer, was given screen credit for this episode but was not part of it.

Novelization

Science fiction author

Alan Dean Foster Alan Dean Foster (born November 18, 1946) is an American writer of fantasy and science fiction. He has written several book series, more than 20 standalone novels, and many novelizations of film scripts. Career ''Star Wars'' Foster was the ghost ...

expanded this story under the title ''Star Trek Log Seven'', making it the first third of a full novel. He prefaced the animated story with scenes depicting a young Starfleet officer named Robert April being shown

Matt Jefferies Walter Matthew Jefferies (August 12, 1921 – July 21, 2003) was an American aviation and mechanical artist, set designer, and writer. He is best known for his work on the original ''Star Trek'' television series, where he designed many of the s ...

' original blueprints for a then-uncompleted ''Enterprise'' and being told he was to be given command of the new ship, then following through to the christening of the ''Enterprise'' and Captain April giving the order to embark on their first mission. At the conclusion of the material from the animated episode, Foster adds new story about the ''Enterprise'' being sent on a mission to secure a reclusive brother-sister team of scientists who are reported to have a new weapon capable of destroying planets. In the process, Kirk runs up against

Klingon The Klingons ( ; Klingon language, Klingon: ''tlhIngan'' ) are a fictional species in the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek''. Developed by screenwriter Gene L. Coon in 1967 for the Star Trek: The Original Series, original ''Star Trek'' ('' ...

s intent on acquiring the scientists for the Empire and must contend with Captain Kumara, whom he had known back in his

Academy An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

days. Foster concluded his story by revealing that the ''Enterprise''s adventure with the Klingons had been a test by an advanced alien race calling themselves "The Wanderers". In fact, all of the inhabitants of the planet on which they had found themselves as well as the brother-sister scientists were actually members of the Wanderers. During this revelation, they discuss the illogical nature of the other universe where a society would begin with all possible knowledge that they would ever have and then de-evolve, or how a person would be "born" as a senile old person in a grave and then die in their mother's womb.

Reception

Mark A. Altman and Ed Gross commented that the episode's premise "works far better than it has a right to, thanks to its message that the elderly have a lot to teach us and can be productive members of society." They added that the script "features the same wit and intelligence that characterised the animated missions throughout its two-year run." This episode was noted as case where the fictional ''Star Trek''

technology changes the size of the entity being transported, along with "

The Terratin Incident "The Terratin Incident" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American animated science fiction television series ''Star Trek''. It first aired in the NBC Saturday morning lineup on November 17, 1973, and was written by Americ ...

" from the same TV series. '' TheGamer.com'' ranked Captain April as the 10th best captain of ''Star Trek''. In 2019, ''Den of Geek'' ranked this the 3rd best morality play of the entire ''Star Trek'' franchise. In 2020, ''ScreenRant'' said this was "not a bad episode" but that it was "somewhat goofy" and noted an IMDB rating of 7.1 out of 10 at that time.

References

External links