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A possible alternative solution to Kirk's dilemma in this episode:

Provided Edith Keeler is effectively out of the picture, would it make that big a difference to history whether she died in a pedestrian/vehicle collision or disappeared mysteriously and was never heard from again? If not, Kirk could just take her back with him to his time. Hell, he did much the same thing with that whale expert from the 1980s in Star Trek IV.

PapaPalpatine wrote: ↑Fri Apr 27, 2018 11:32 pm A possible alternative solution to Kirk's dilemma in this episode:

Provided Edith Keeler is effectively out of the picture, would it make that big a difference to history whether she died in a pedestrian/vehicle collision or disappeared mysteriously and was never heard from again? If not, Kirk could just take her back with him to his time. Hell, he did much the same thing with that whale expert from the 1980s in Star Trek IV.

My headcanon has always been that was what he was thinking in Star Trek IV.

Fair point. In "Tomorrow is Yesterday" - the only reason they don't just abduct the Air Force officer is because of some vital descendant's contribution to exploration. And that was only a couple episodes before this...

What it comes down to is accepting the rules of The Guardian of Forever. You can go back to when you want, and apparently come back when plot stuff happens, but it's not even clear you can bring back 1930s clothes, let alone displace a whole person from time.

I love Chuck's banter between the Guardian and Spock.

Actually, they don't have a portal.

Apparently, the Guardian just takes you back whenever the hell he wants.

In addition to CharlesPhipps good point, according to Chuck's review of "Voices in the Dark," the original script of City on the Edge of Forever made is clear that Kirk only had the two choices - save Edith Keeler, with Third Reich conquering much or all of the world, or let Edit Keeler die.

For what it's worth, the latter might have been kinder for Edith Keeler as well. For a real idealist, someone who actually dedicated her life to her ideals, living to see those same ideals and one's life's work contribute to apocalyptic global horrors might have been far worse than a brief encounter with a van. One destroys your life, while the other might destroy the reason for living.