So after opening the set with two fast-paced songs, I think we should slow things down just a bit with one of the very few actually romantic songs in Five Year Mission's oeuvre. The episode City on the Edge of Forever is a fairly quiet, and entirely tragic tale of a doomed love affair. Kirk and Spock travel back in time to depression-era United States hot on the tail of a deranged McCoy, and once there Kirk falls in love with Edith Keeler. He is then forced to let her die as a result of the cruel dictates of time travel as explained using the cold and unyielding logic of Mr. Spock. Chris Spurgin's lyrics perfectly capture the combination of hope and sadness that are the hallmarks of this episode, resulting in a song that is beautifully sorrowful.
The underlying Star Trek episode is also somewhat topical this week, as it won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1968, and the Hugo awards for 2015 will be presented this Saturday at the upcoming WorldCon in Spokane, Washington. I don't think there are any television episodes as well-written as City on the Edge of Forever up for an award this year (after all, it is very hard to top something that was written by Harlan Ellison), but there are several excellent movies nominated for the Long Form Best Dramatic Presentation category, so there is that to look forward to.
Previous Musical Monday: Balance of Terror by Five Year Mission
Subsequent Musical Monday: Miri by Five Year Mission
Dream Five Year Mission Set
Musical Monday Playlists Five Year Mission Musical Monday Home
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