A heartbroken Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) uttered his saddest line at the end of Star Trek: The Original Series‘ greatest episode, and it still haunts the Star Trek franchise 59 years later. Even after a thousand episodes from a dozen TV series, plus 14 feature films, “The City on the Edge of Forever” remains the gold standard of Star Trek.
Credited to Harlan Ellison, although the aired TV episode was heavily rewritten, “The City on the Edge of Forever” sent Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) to 1930s New York City to stop a deranged Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelly) from changing history. Incognito in the Great Depression, Kirk and Spock meet a missionary named Edith Keeler (Joan Collins).
Kirk and Edith fall in love, but in a tragic twist, the Captain of the Enterprise and his Vulcan Science Officer learn that Keeler’s death is a pivot point that would alter history. Kirk must decide whether to give up the woman he loves to protect Star Trek‘s timeline. Captain Kirk makes the right decision — for the universe, but not for his heart.
Captain Kirk’s Saddest Star Trek Line Is Still Haunting 59 Years Later
There is arguably no last line of dialogue in Star Trek more devastating than a broken Captain Kirk saying, “Let’s get the hell out of here,” at the end of “The City on the Edge of Forever.” At that point, Kirk had prevented Dr. McCoy from saving Edith Keeler’s life. When a horrified Bones condemns his Captain for letting Edith die, Spock gently protects Jim and tells McCoy, “He knows, Doctor.”
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Kirk’s decision wrecked him, and it was evident from the look on his face and his body language that James was a shell of himself when he, Spock, and Bones emerged from the Guardian of Forever back in the 23rd century. That history was not altered, and the universe was back in balance, was of no solace to the Captain. This was not a win for Kirk.
“Let’s get the hell out of here” is also stunning dialogue because it contains what was considered a curse word. That NBC’s network standards in 1967 let Star Trek get away with saying “hell” on television is remarkable, and it speaks to the power of that climactic scene. “The City on the Edge of Forever” has played in syndication countless times for nearly six decades, and Kirk’s final line remains.
Even in 2026, Captain Kirk’s “Let’s get the hell out of here” loses none of its haunting power. Though Star Trek‘s episodic format meant Captain Kirk snapped back to normal in the very next episode, and Edith Keeler was not mentioned again, Kirk’s epic heartbreak forever became part of him. It’s one of Captain Kirk’s defining moments as a romantic hero.
“The City On The Edge Of Forever” Is Still Star Trek’s Gold Standard Of Doomed Love Stories
Star Trek, in its various incarnations, has told many more doomed love stories with its pantheon of beloved characters, following the standard set by “The City on the Edge of Forever.” Other Star Trek heroes and heroines have loved and lost, although never with quite the same pathos as Kirk, with the fate of the universe at stake.
Characters like Major Kira Nerys (Nana Visitor) and Constable Odo (Rene Auberjonois) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) and Captain Marie Batel (Melanie Scrofano) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have been forced to make the impossible choice to let go of true love to protect the galaxy.
In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3’s finale, Pike and Batel were given a gift Kirk and Edith Keeler were denied; Chris and Marie got to live a happy life together in an alternate future before Batel gave up Pike and her humanity. The loss of Marie changed Pike, and the aftermath will be seen in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 4.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2’s “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow” was an ode to “The City on the Edge of Forever.” In this time travel love story, it was Lieutenant La’an Noonien-Singh (Christina Chong) who fell in love and lost an alternate reality version of Captain Kirk (Paul Wesley). La’an’s personal tragedy changed her as well, and she continues to evolve.
Star Trek continues to tell stories that touch the hearts and souls of its characters and audiences, and they all owe a debt of gratitude to “The City on the Edge of Forever.” Captain Kirk taught the entire Star Trek franchise about love, loss, sacrifice, and how to exit with a haunting line of dialogue that echoes in eternity.
- Release Date
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1966 – 1969-00-00
- Showrunner
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Gene Roddenberry
- Directors
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Marc Daniels, Joseph Pevney, Ralph Senensky, Vincent McEveety, Herb Wallerstein, Jud Taylor, Marvin J. Chomsky, David Alexander, Gerd Oswald, Herschel Daugherty, James Goldstone, Robert Butler, Anton Leader, Gene Nelson, Harvey Hart, Herbert Kenwith, James Komack, John Erman, John Newland, Joseph Sargent, Lawrence Dobkin, Leo Penn, Michael O’Herlihy, Murray Golden
- Writers
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D.C. Fontana, Jerome Bixby, Arthur Heinemann, David Gerrold, Jerry Sohl, Oliver Crawford, Robert Bloch, David P. Harmon, Don Ingalls, Paul Schneider, Shimon Wincelberg, Steven W. Carabatsos, Theodore Sturgeon, Jean Lisette Aroeste, Art Wallace, Adrian Spies, Barry Trivers, Don Mankiewicz, Edward J. Lakso, Fredric Brown, George Clayton Johnson, George F. Slavin, Gilbert Ralston, Harlan Ellison