"Yesterday's Enterprise" Remains Must Watch Television 35 Years Later

History has not forgotten the name...Enterprise.

Thirty-five years ago, Star Trek: The Next Generation gave us what is still one of the greatest time travel stories in franchise history: “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” With a teleplay written by Ira Steven Behr, Richard Manning, and Ronald D. Moore and directed by David Carson (who would also go on to direct Star Trek Generations), this episode has it all—alternate timelines, moral dilemmas, space battles, and, most importantly, the shocking return of Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar.

Even after all these years, “Yesterday’s Enterprise” holds up because it doesn’t just use time travel as a gimmick. It forces us to wrestle with the weight of fate, sacrifice, and the hard choices that come with command. The moment the Enterprise-C emerges from that temporal rift, the stakes shoot through the roof. The warm, hopeful TNG we know is suddenly gone, replaced with a grittier, war-torn reality where Starfleet is barely holding it together against the Klingons. And the only way to fix it? Send an entire crew back to their deaths to restore the timeline. Absolutely and painstakingly Brutal.

Denise Crosby returned to the role of Lt. Tasha Yar in "Yesterday's Enterprise"

One of the smartest things the writers did was bring back Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar. Her original exit in season one has been talked about and chronicled going on 35+ years now. (“Skin of Evil,” we’re looking at you.) But in “Yesterday’s Enterprise”, she gets a real arc and ample time to shine. This Tasha—seasoned, battle-hardened—sees a chance to make her death meaningful and takes it. Her sacrifice not only gives her character the send-off she deserved, but also lays the groundwork for TNG’s later twist with Sela. It’s a win all around.

What’s even wilder is that “Yesterday’s Enterprise” was almost a Star Trek movie. Ronald D. Moore originally envisioned a big-screen version featuring Kirk and the Enterprise-A, tangled in a similar timeline-altering dilemma. While that version never happened, the DNA of that idea is all over this episode. The cinematic quality is undeniable—director David Carson brought in dramatic lighting, intense battle sequences, and some of TNG’s most high-stakes performances. The episode feels big, and that’s part of why it still resonates today.

Kacey Rohl as Rachel of Star Trek: Section 31 streaming on Paramount+, 2024.  Photo Credit: Michael Gibson/Paramount+

And now, with Section 31 finally out (for better or for worse), there’s one more reason to revisit “Yesterday’s Enterprise”—Captain Rachel Garrett. Her inclusion in the movie as a young upstart science officer cracks open the door for more Enterprise-C stories in the future. This crew, largely left in the background of Trek lore, suddenly has the potential for a spotlight moment. Could we finally see their fateful last stand against the Romulans? A full Enterprise-C miniseries? The possibilities are endless; Paramount just needs to pull the trigger and return to Trek storytelling that fans want, not what they think they want.

At the end of the day, “Yesterday’s Enterprise” remains a masterclass in Star Trek storytelling. It’s a what-if scenario done right, packed with emotional depth, tension, and one of the franchise’s best uses of time travel, even if Jonathan Frakes still to this day doesn’t know “what the fuck happened in that episode.” It’s TNG firing on all cylinders, and 35 years later, it’s still just as compelling as ever.