“Massacre” is episode eight of season one of The Time Tunnel.
At the end of the previous episode, “Revenge of the Gods”, Tony and Doug appeared on a plain full of dead soldiers. They were wearing U.S. cavalry uniforms and the initial thought was they were Civil War uniforms, but the territory didn’t seem right. Checking the papers of one of the soldiers revealed he had enlisted in 1868. So, post-Civil War. Then, three Native Americans (during the episode, they are referred to as Indians; it is from the 60s after all) on horses appeared and chased after them. Tony and Doug end up being captured and the leader of their pursuers asks if they want to die like the soldiers, even though they insist they are not soldiers.
At Tik-Toc, General Kirk identifies the uniforms of the soldiers to be post-Civil War cavalry by how they appear. The period is, he says, between 1868 and 1890. The general puts in a call to the Indian Bureau; he wants someone familiar with the Indian Wars period. Meanwhile, they’ve roughly identified the time period as summer 1876.
Doug and Tony are tied up and the leader, Crazy Horse, is speaking to them. They killed many soldiers. Kill Doug and Tony maybe. Where are the rest of Yellow Hair’s men? They explain that they didn’t come with the soldiers and don’t know any Yellow Hair. Shots are fired and their captors go to take a look, then a cavalryman appears and starts cutting them free. He is only able to free Doug, though, and Tony gets caught again when he tries to run.
The cavalryman introduces himself to Tony as Trumpeter Tim McGinnis, B Troop, 3rd Cavalry. The rest of his men are all dead; they got jumped and his troop are the dead soldiers. Doug wants to help Tony; McGinnis tells him he won’t be hurt yet. They will take him to the main camp to show him off. By that time, they will have got aid from the 7th Cavalry, for whom he has dispatches. They are no more than a day’s walk away. Doug decides they need to steal some horses to speed things up. They’re going to take the horses from the Native Americans holding Tony. Two of them are with him and, despite hearing noises, take time before going to see what’s happening. By which time Doug and McGinnis have dealt with the third and stolen the horses.
Dr Charles Whitebird of State University arrives at Tik-Toc; he was contacted by the Indian Bureau and is an expert in the period. He identifies the tribes that can be seen and says it’s one of the most authentic films he’s ever seen. He’s told it’s not a film, but a view of the past. Do Tik-Toc not grasp what the word ‘secret’ means? Whitebird says he’s pure blood Sioux (he’s not; none of the Native Americans in the episode are played by Native Americans by the looks of it).
Tony is being questioned by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. When Sitting Bull mentions Sioux land, Tony tells him it’s everyone’s land. Crazy Horse wants to kill Tony, but Sitting Bull thinks Tony talks strange. Other men say the land belongs to them. Sitting Bull says the land belongs to all too. Tony is very strange for a white man. However, he doesn’t know who Yellow Hair is and everybody does. So, Tony must be lying. Crazy Horse can kill him buy burning him alive. Tony calls Sitting Bull his brother and says he will show him how to die. Sitting Bull stops things before Tony is burnt, because he called Sitting Bull his brother.
Whitebird has identified the time as being shortly before June 25th 1876. Because they have focused on Yellow Hair – Gen. George Armstrong Custer. He and his entire command will be killed shortly. Custer himself is extremely confident, though Captain Benteen is not and feels that Custer is exceeding his instructions to wait. Custer tells him that instructions are not orders.
Doug and McGinnis arrive at the camp and are taken to see Custer. McGinnis reports that his platoon was wiped out but his lieutenant told him the dispatches before dying. General Crook has been attacked and suffered heavy losses. He has had to turn back to regroup and won’t be able to make the rendezvous. Custer decides that means he must attack. He’s not interested in helping Doug get Tony back, or letting him go by himself. If Doug is captured, he may spill what he knows.
In the present, Tik-Toc is struggling to get a space and time fix so they can pull Doug and Tony out. McGinnis helps Doug escape, but Doug doesn’t get far. Tony has to prove himself worthy, by fighting another in combat.
Though it may not look like it now, the portrayal of Native Americans in the episode was, for the time, pretty decent. Sitting Bull is portrayed as a wise individual who would prefer peace and Custer as a headstrong arrogant idiot who got all his men killed.