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.

THE END

Appendix

APPENDIX

2nd Revised Final Draft 12/1/66 

PROLOGUE

FADE IN:

1 ESTABLISHING SHOT—INT. McCOY’S LAB—ENTERPRISE

CLOSE ON ALIEN CREATURE. It is a small creature. It is silver-blue, with a lot of hair, with bright, beady little eyes, maybe even with antenna. Something like a Yorkshire Terrier with a big furry head and a scrawny hairless blue body. It looks alien, but not outlandish. (Cast it to suit yourself.) The hands of DOC McCOY are in the frame, taking a blood sample of the little dingo. We HEAR the VOICE OF CAPTAIN JAMES KIRK OVER:

VOICE OF KIRK (OVER)

Ship’s log: star-date 3134.6. What began as a routine mapping expedition has turned into the darkest enigma of all our flights.

CAMERA PULLS BACK to show McCoy with MR. SPOCK and two ENTERPRISE CREWMEMBERS (male and female optional). The dingo is wired in to the metabolic panel on the wall. They are all intent on what’s happening to it.

MCCOY

It’s growing younger. Little by little. Reversing the aging process.