The City on the Edge of Forever (27 page)

EDITH

There are great times on the way. Days of gold and nights cool and sweet-smelling. This isn’t the only happiness, this world turning under us. Look up tonight, see them all out there…see them burning, smiling…

CAMERA PANS RIGHT to a doorway where Kirk and Spock are standing beside one another, watching Edith from concealment. CAMERA CLOSE ON THEM, the street scene in b.g. with EDITH’S VOICE UNDER.

SPOCK

She speaks as though you’ve talked to

her.

KIRK

(a little dead)

She doesn’t know who we are.

SPOCK

Her ideas are years ahead of their time.

KIRK

Yes.

SPOCK

My race has a word for her kind of person:
liira
: open.

KIRK

Yes. That, too.

SPOCK

Captain…

Edith finishes, the crowd leaves at once, and Kirk does not even wait for Spock to complete his sentence. He steps out where she can see him.

97 thru 100 SEQUENCE—SELECT BEST ANGLES

(NOTE: this sequence is the heart of the climax. It is
imperative
that the order of action, and the angles on closeups, be tight and specific. No camerawork has been indicated here purposely, so the pace and layout of shots can be best developed by on-set choices.)

Spock moves away so Edith will not see him.

Edith comes to the curb with a smile, waving across to Kirk.

Kirk sees Beckwith emerging from a building. Beckwith does not see Kirk. The building is between Kirk and Spock where he has now moved.

A huge beer truck—as noted previously in Scene 81—lumbers around the corner and into the street as Edith steps off the curb. She doesn’t see it. Kirk and Beckwith and Spock see the truck as it bears down on Edith.

101 thru 107 ANOTHER SEQUENCE—SLOW-MOTION—NO SOUND

as though time—which is our primary subject here—were being silently stretched to the point of unbearability.

Beckwith starts toward the woman.

Kirk’s face twists in anguish as he starts toward Beckwith to stop him from saving Edith’s life. He stops, his hand closes on empty air as it did when she fell down the stairs. He cannot stop Beckwith! He will sacrifice everything for her.

Spock sees what is happening. He moves toward Beckwith.

The truck slips slowly, silently toward Edith.

Spock reaches Beckwith and grabs him in a body-lock that immobilizes him.

Kirk’s mouth opens to scream. His empty hand reaches.

Edith laughs a word at Kirk.

108 XTREME CLOSEUP KIRK
.

109 XTREME CLOSEUP SPOCK
.

110 XTREME CLOSEUP EDITH
.

111 XTREME CLOSEUP THE TRUCK
.

All In Slow-Motion

CUT TO:

112 CLOSE ON KIRK—NORMAL SPEED

and HOLD HOLD HOLD on
his
face as we HEAR the SOUND of the TRUCK SCREECHING TO A HALT. As Kirk’s face crumbles, we know what has happened.

113 ANOTHER CLOSE ON KIRK—IN LIMBO

SPECIAL EFFECT as his face RECEDES FROM CAMERA back and back and back as though it were falling into a bottomless pit, until it is barely a speck of tortured light against a blackness that becomes, in SPECIAL EFFECT, a

RIPPLE-DISSOLVE THRU:

114 ANGLE IN SPACE—THE ENTERPRISE

as the speck of light that is Kirk’s face becomes a star, one of many in an infinity of stars with the
Enterprise
against it. All of this INTERCUT in RIPPLE LAP-DISSOLVE so we get the impression of something happening to the warp and woof of space and time. The face of Kirk, the
Enterprise
, the stars, all OVERLAP as we

RIPPLE-DISSOLVE TO:

115 EXT. PLATEAU OF THE GUARDIANS

as Kirk in EXTREME CLOSEUP emerges from the Time Vortex CAMERA PULLS BACK to FULL FRAME showing us his emergence from the pillar of light. Behind him comes Mr. Spock with Beckwith in a judo-like hold. Both Kirk and Spock are in 1930s garb, Beckwith still in his
Enterprise
uniform. The Guardians are there, waiting. The Time Vortex continues to make its distinctive SOUND, indicating it has not turned off.

1ST GUARDIAN

Time has resumed its shape.

SPOCK

What of the death of the cripple?

1ST GUARDIAN

He was negligible.

SPOCK

But he found Beckwith for us. He
must
have counted.

1ST GUARDIAN

He counted.

(beat)

But not enough. Not in the eternal flow, the greater river.

Kirk, through all this, stands there as if stunned by the hammer. His face is dead. He cannot co-ordinate.

SPOCK

Everything is the same as before?

1ST GUARDIAN

Everything.

116 CLOSER ON SPOCK & BECKWITH

with the Time Vortex behind them, fairly close. Beckwith abruptly twists out of the grip Spock has on him and, without a moment’s hesitation, flings himself back into the Time Vortex. Mr. Spock gives a strange HOWL of frustration—so uncharacteristic of him—and makes a move to follow, but at that instant the VORTEX BECOMES SILENT, DARK. Spock whirls on the Guardians.

SPOCK

He went back! It was all for nothing!

1ST GUARDIAN

No.

SPOCK

But he’s in there, Old Earth. 1930!

1ST GUARDIAN

The Vortex cannot be set for the same exact time twice. He has created a fracture and plunged into it.

SPOCK

Then where is he? Escaped?

1ST GUARDIAN

Not this time. He wanted Forever. The Vortex has given him Forever. Like the Möbius strip that has no end, that curves back on itself eternally, he is locked in time.

SPOCK

Forever? He cannot escape?

1ST GUARDIAN

His Forever will be in the heart of an exploding sun, a nova. He has named

his own doom…

117 SPECIAL EFFECT—ON BECKWITH

as he materializes in the exploding, fiery heart of a supernova. We see him appear, scream in incredible anguish and then vanish…then reappear alive, scream as he dies again…and then vanish once more…reappear…scream…die…over and over and over as we

FADE TO BLACK
 
and
 
FADE OUT.

END ACT FOUR

EPILOGUE

FADE IN:

118 INT. KIRK’S CABIN—ESTABLISHING

as Kirk stares out at the stars through a port. (If there is no port in the cabin, dammit,
build one
! This is absolutely essential to this scene, and the tone of the climax!) He is now dressed in
Enterprise
uniform.

SPOCK’S VOICE O.S.

Co-ordinates from the bridge, Captain.

Kirk does not turn around. Spock moves INTO FRAME behind him.

SPOCK

Jim…

Kirk holds a beat, then slowly turns. The deadness in his eyes there, then a small change in expression tells us he is startled.

KIRK

Mr. Spock…that’s the first time you’ve ever called me anything but Captain.

SPOCK

(gently)

On my world the nights are very long. The sound of the silver birds against the sky is very sweet. My people know there is always time enough for everything. You could come with me for a rest. You would feel comfortable there.

KIRK

(hopelessly)

All the time in the world…

SPOCK

And filled with tomorrows.

(beat)

But can you tell me something I need to understand? Something that defies all logic I know?

Kirk looks at him desolately.

SPOCK (CONT’D.)

I would not intrude, but it…troubles me…I believe that is the phrase…it troubles me deeply.

Kirk makes a motion with his hand that signifies, “Go ahead and ask.”

SPOCK (CONT’D.)

You could not stop Beckwith, I understand that.

(beat)

But…Beckwith…amoral, evil, a killer. Selfish and capable of anything. Why—

KIRK

(interrupts)

Why did he try to save her, at risk of his own life?

SPOCK

Yes.

Kirk is silent for several beats, then:

KIRK

We look at our race, this parade of men and women, and the unbelievable harm and cruelty they do.

(beat)

And we sigh, and we say, “Perhaps our time is past, let the sharks or the cockroaches take over.”

(beat)

And then, without knowing why, without even thinking of it, the worst among us does the great thing, the noble deed, that spark of impossible human godliness.

(beat)

And we say, “Perhaps the human race is entitled to a little more sufferance. Let them keep trying to reach the dream.”

SPOCK

(softly, understands)

Evil can come from Good, and Good from Evil.

(beat)

But the little man…Trooper…

KIRK

(a bitter smile)

He was negligible. He fought at Verdun, and he was negligible. And
she
…

SPOCK

No,
she
was not negligible.

KIRK

(simply; groping for understanding)

But…I loved her…

SPOCK

No woman was ever loved as much, Jim. Because no woman was ever offered the universe for love.

Kirk looks at him. There is understanding in his face. A sadness he will never ever lose, because his loss is so great. But through friendship, caring, Spock has shown him understanding. His smile is in no way happy, but it shows resignation. He nods at Spock, and Spock goes. We HOLD several BEATS on Kirk staring out at the star-flecked distance as the SOUND of FULL-AHEAD ALARMS RINGS through the
Enterprise
and the CAMERA MOVES SMOOTHLY IN PAST KIRK to FULL FRAME on the stars.

DISSOLVE TO:

119 EXT. SPACE—USS ENTERPRISE (STOCK)

as the ship speeds off into the darkness and we HOLD on the stars once more. The stars, like Kirk’s love—eternal.

FADE TO BLACK:
 
and
 
FADE OUT.