Star Trek: The Next Genreation had an episode that had a time travel story very similar to Hugh Jackman’s X-Men: Days of Future Past.

When it comes to science fiction and fantasy, there have been several attempts at time travel, dating back to the iconic 1985 film, Back to the Future. While the Michael J. Fox film was iconic in many ways, fans have collectively agreed that one of the best time travel logic to date has to be Hugh Jackman’s X-Men: Days of Future Past.

The film created an excellent premise and brought about the mixing of the two beloved groups of X-Men, one from the past headed by James McAvoy, and the other headed by Patrick Stewart’s character. However, there is another one of Stewart’s past projects that took a similar approach to time travel that Jackman’s film took.

Hugh Jackman’s X-Men: Days of Future Past Has Similarities To One Star Trek Episode.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation, the fifteenth episode of the third season, Yesterday’s Enterprise, sets up a plot similar to the one in Hugh Jackman’s X-Men: Days of Future Past. A ship from 22 years in the past ends up appearing in the path of the protagonists, and they are forced to find a way to save all those onboard.

There was a lot at stake during this episode. The main characters were forced to hide a lot of information from those from the past, and they had to make a lot of very tough choices. In the first acts of the episode, the people from the present learn that those from the past could end up causing catastrophic events simply because of their presence in their timeline.

Additionally, they also have to make the tough decision of sending back all of the people from the past to almost certain doom, so that they can save the lives of billions. Among this, there is one storyline for a character that imitates a key factor of Jackman’s arc in the 2014 film.

Ending a War Before It Began

Tasha Yar was a very important character in the Yesterday’s Enterprise episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Towards the end of the episode, she learns that she was supposed to die in the original timeline, and what made the news all the worse was that her death would not have much meaning.

Tasha Yar in Star Trek: The Next Generation I Credit: Paramount Pictures

Learning this news, she wanted her passing to amount to something, and what better way to make an impact that prevented a war that would go on to kill people in the masses? Wanting to make a difference, she decided to go back in time with the rest of the members of Enterprise-C and sacrifice herself for the greater good.

Although Logan does not end up dying by the end of X-Men: Days of Future Past, there is no denying that Jackman’s character has a similar arc to Denise Crosby’s. Both the characters go back in time to fix past mistakes and change reality as they know it. They try to make things better and save lives, even if it means that they have to die in the process.

Anna Paquin in X-Men: Days of Future Past I Credit: 20th Century Studios

While there is no clear answer about which of the two executed this arc better, it is safe to say that both have quite a lot of similar aspects.

X-Men: Days of Future Past and Star Trek: The Next Generation are available for streaming on Disney+ and Paramount+ respectively.