Gateway to the Future " Far from the centre of Galaxy M - 674 , the dying sun grew colder , its planets slowly being pulled in . . . " Summary . The starship " Enterprise " observes the slow death of a star system . Captain Kirk feels a bit of sadness . Though he knows that star s are formed and destroyed constantly , seeing the end of something so majestic was thought - provoking . He considers the inevitable end of the Sol system in the distant future , and how , by that time , man would have long since left Earth for other worlds . he thinks how part of his job is to seek out new worlds for colonization , and to make peaceful contact with other species . Scanning the fourth planet , Spock picks up a lifesign . A landing party assembles , and Kirk , Spock , Shafer and Hurst beam down in environmental suit s to withstand the freezing atmosphere . Traversing the landscape and passing a mountain range , they come upon two blinking , flashing columns . Between them , an ancient robed figure appears . He identifies himself telepathically as the " Guardian of the Future " and says that he has long awaited their arrival . Explaining that his time left is short , the Guardian says that he must show them the future before he departs . The Guardian asks Kirk what he would like to see . His appearance reminds Kirk of pictures of he ' d seen as a boy , so he decides to trust him . Kirk replies that he ' d like to see what happens on Earth after they return from their voyages , and the Guardian says that they only need call him telepathically and they will be returned to the present . Telling Spock to accompany him , Kirk tells the others to stay behind in case anything should happen . Kirk and Spock step between the pillars and find themselves in Los Angeles . They saw sleek RADAR - guided cars move over the freeway , some bound for Mexico and others headed for the Canada and the Alaska n oilfields . Though thinking at first that nothing had changed , they caught sight of a military installation with a massive weapon aimed at the downtown heart of the city . Rocket s flew over the city , responding to ground - based weapons - fire . Taken aback , the two were suddenly surrounded by a group of unkempt young people , armed with phaser s . Identifying himself as " Captain Kirk of the USS " Enterprise " " , one of the young men laughed , saying that the " Enterprise " was destroyed last week . The youths identified themselves as " Arrowists " , and Kirk recalled them as a group of hippie s that formed sometime before his mission . They took on their name as a reminder of the pre - Columbian American Indian s and how they had hunted in peace with their bows and arrows . Though the Arrowists didn ' t believe in using phasers , they ' d changed their minds when the military tried to wipe them out . Horrified by the thought of a military dictatorship seizing power on Earth , Kirk asked for more information . The Arrowists were puzzled that anyone from the " Enterprise " could have survived and they didn ' t know what was happening , but went on to explain anyway . A year ago , the military decreed that all Arrowists should live in restricted areas , give up their bows and arrows , and live on whatever food the military allotted to them . They Arrowists rebelled , and over nine thousand had died . The military had constructed a massive weapon that could devastate Los Angeles , but it could only be fired once . Spock asked if anyone minded if he contacted the " Enterprise " , and the lead Arrowist pleaded with him not to . With that , Spock drew a phaser and stunned all of the Arrowists . Kirk warned Spock that he ' d better have a good reason for his actions . Spock reached into the pocket of an Arrowist and pulled out a slip of paper that read " Long live the Arrowists ! Anybody else is an " enemy " ! " Glaring at the military installation across the freeway , Kirk asked Spock its meaning . Spock replied that he could tell him once they captured it . He reminded his captain that they had traveled into the future , but they did not know how far , or whether it was actually Earth that they had arrived upon . Inside the installation , Kirk recognized that the soldiers were all alien s , Nobians . He had encountered them before ; they had long faces and were impervious to phasers . They had fingers that were capable of an electrical discharge equivalent to a thunderbolt . Kirk and Spock defeated one Nobian after another in hand - to - hand combat . Seizing control of the massive blaster weapon , Kirk swung it around and fired it at the barren hillside behind the , rendering the one - shot weapon useless . Spock congratulated the captain amid piles of unconscious Nobians , explaining that this was not the original Earth , and that Sol had long since burnt out . The " Enterprise " they ' d heard about was probably another starship sent out centuries in their future . He admitted that he didn ' t know what planet they were actually on , but that it would someday be saved from its alien captors . Thinking about their native time , Kirk and Spock were returned to their present . Kirk thanked the Guardian and said that he would make a record of their visit . The Guardian expressed relief that future generations would be warned of the Nobian threat . Memorable quotes . " " The radio said " Enterprise " had been destroyed by an asteroid bombardment as it passed near Mars ! " " " " He could see Spock chopping - rabbit - punching man after man - sometimes pausing to land an uppercut to an alien jaw as he charged through the emplacement . " "