Ep 1. Rendezvous with Yesterday

The Time Tunnel is an American sci-fi TV series that aired from 1966 to 1967. The show follows the adventures of two American scientists who get trapped in a time machine known as the Time Tunnel. The scientists, Tony Newman (James Darren) and Doug Phillips (Robert Colbert) are sent on a series of adventures through time to try and find their way back home.

In the first episode of season one, titled "Rendezvous with Yesterday," Tony and Doug are getting ready to test the Time Tunnel for the first time. Their team of scientists and military personnel look on as they prepare to send an unmanned probe through the device.

However, things don't go as planned. The probe is launched but quickly disappears from the screen. The team is confused, but before they can figure out what went wrong, Tony and Doug are suddenly pulled into the Time Tunnel.

They find themselves in the middle of a French battlefield in 1917 during World War I. They quickly realize that they have traveled back in time and are stranded in the middle of the warzone. They dodge bullets and explosions as they try to find safety.

As they make their way through the battlefield, they come across a wounded soldier named Jiggs (Keith Andes). Tony and Doug try to help him, but they are quickly captured by the Germans.

They are taken to a German prison camp, where they meet a group of other soldiers who have been taken prisoner. The group includes an American pilot named Captain Varion (Robert Duvall) and a British soldier named Hobbes (John Zaremba). The prisoners are intrigued by Tony and Doug's stories of their time travel and ask them to try and find a way to escape.

Tony and Doug decide to use the Time Tunnel to escape, but they soon discover that the device has been damaged in the journey. They are unable to return to their own time and are forced to stay in the past.

As they try to find a way to repair the Time Tunnel, they continue to get involved in historical events. They are forced to rescue a French woman named Suzanne (Lee Meriwether) from a German officer, and they even get involved in a dogfight between the Germans and the French.

Throughout the episode, Tony and Doug struggle to come to terms with their new reality. They wrestle with the ethical implications of traveling through time and interfering with historical events. They also must learn to adapt to life in a different time period, including adjusting to the lack of modern technology.

In the end, Tony and Doug are able to repair the Time Tunnel, but they are forced to leave Jiggs and the other prisoners behind. As they travel back to their own time, they realize the enormous responsibility they have been given to protect the timeline and avoid altering history.

Overall, "Rendezvous with Yesterday" is a thrilling and suspenseful introduction to The Time Tunnel. The episode sets the tone for the rest of the series and showcases the unique challenges faced by Tony and Doug as they navigate through time.