Star Trek’s Guardian Of Forever Explained

The Guardian of Forever first appeared inStar Trek: The Original Series, and later played a role in Star Trek: Discovery. In 1966, Gene Roddenberry introduced the world to Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and the adventures of the USS Enterprise, beginning what would become one of science fiction's most beloved franchises. Many of the ideas introduced in the earliest days of Star Trek remain relevant to the franchise today, and Captain Kirk and his crew remain just as iconic as ever.

In one of Star Trek: The Original Series' most celebrated episodes, "The City on the Edge of Forever," Captain Kirk, Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) travel back in time to 1930s New York City. While there, Kirk meets and falls in love with a soup kitchen operator named Edith Keeler (Joan Collins), who ultimately meets a tragic end that Kirk cannot prevent. With its heartbreaking love story and fascinating time travel premise, "The City on the Edge of Forever" will always be one of Star Trek's finest hours.

The Guardian Of Forever Debuted In Star Trek: The Original Series

The Guardian Of Forever First Appeared In Star Trek: The Original Series Season 1, Episode 28, "The City On The Edge Of Forever"

In Star Trek's "The City on the Edge of Forever," a sentient portal known as the Guardian of Forever sent Kirk, Spock, and McCoy back in time to the 20th century. Located on an ancient planet where timelines converged, the Guardian of Forever created ripples that the Enterprise detected as time distortions. This led them to investigate the planet, where they found the initially inert time portal. As Kirk and Spock speculated about the Guardian of Forever, the portal began speaking to them, explaining that it was ancient and beyond their "primitive" understanding.

After Dr. McCoy inadvertently injected himself with a powerful drug, he dove through the portal in his confused and frenzied state. The Guardian of Forever then revealed that McCoy had significantly altered the timeline, and the portal sent Kirk and Spock back in time to repair the damage. Kirk and Spock emerged in 1930s New York and began working to find Dr. McCoy. Spock eventually determined that Edith Keeler had to die in order to restore the proper timeline, leading to the tragic end of one of Kirk's greatest love stories.

The Guardian Of Forever Made A Surprise Return In Star Trek: Discovery

The Guardian Of Forever Returned In Star Trek: Discovery Season 3, Episodes 9 & 10, "Terra Firma"

Star Trek: Discovery brought back the Guardian of Forever, altering its history a bit in the process. At some point, the Guardian went into hiding due to the Temporal Wars and ended up on the planet Dannus V by the 32nd century. At this point, the Guardian took on the appearance of a man named Carl (Paul Guilfoyle), who tested those who wished to use the portal.

Emperor Philippa Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) began experiencing debilitating hallucinations in Star Trek: Discovery season 3 as a result of traveling from the 23rd-century Mirror Universe to the 32nd-century Prime Universe. After learning of a potential cure on Dannus V, Commander Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) and Georgiou traveled there, where they found the Guardian of Forever. In the guise of Carl, the Guardian sent Georgiou back to the Mirror Universe as a test to see how much she had changed.

Star Trek: Section 31 revealed the origin of how Philippa Georgiou became Emperor of the Mirror Universe's Terran Empire.

From her perspective, Emperor Georgiou spent three months in the Mirror Universe, although only a few minutes passed for Burnham on Dannus V. As Georgiou had tried to find peaceful solutions while in the Mirror Universe, Carl determined that she had passed his test. He then sent the former Emperor to "a time when the mirror universe and the prime universe were still aligned," which turned out to be the early 24th century, as seen in Star Trek: Section 31.

Star Trek Tried To Bring Back The Guardian Of Forever Before Discovery

Star Trek: The Next Generation & Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Almost Featured The Guardian Of Forever

Star Trek Animated Series Yesteryear Guardian of Forever

In "The City on the Edge of Forever," the Guardian's last words to Kirk and his crew ("Many such journeys are possible. Let me be your gateway.") left the door open for the Guardian of Forever to appear in future Star Trek stories. Although the Guardian of Forever appeared in one episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series and returned in Star Trek: Discovery, other Star Trek projects almost featured the sentient portal.

In Star Trek: The Animated Series season 1, episode 2, "Yesteryear," Spock uses the Guardian of Forever to travel back in time and prevent his own death.

In the original draft for the story that would become Star Trek: The Next Generation season 3, episode 15, "Yesterday's Enterprise,"a team of Vulcan scientists were studying history through the Guardian of Forever. They inadvertently caused the death of Vulcan philosopher Surak, which drastically altered Vulcan history. The writers behind Star Trek: Deep Space Nine also considered using the Guardian at one point, but decided against it. There were also rumors that the Guardian would be incorporated into J.J. Abrams' Star Trek (2009) as a way for the Romulans to travel back in time.

The Guardian of Forever remains a memorable part of the Star Trek franchise.

Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek (2009) found other ways to incorporate time travel, ultimately deciding to forge their own paths rather than reuse elements from Star Trek: The Original Series. Still, the Guardian of Forever remains a memorable part of the Star Trek franchise that could continue to pop up in future projects.