10 Events That Changed Star Trek Forever

10. Romulans Revealed

On-screen, we first saw the Romulans in The Original Series episode Balance of Terror. Created by writer Paul Schneider, the species already had a mythic status for the characters. No one from Starfleet had heard a whisper from the enigmatic enemy since the Earth-Romulan War more than a century prior, and after which the Romulan Neutral Zone was established. In point of fact, and this despite some four years of conflict in the 22nd century, no one had even seen the face of a Romulan (and lived to tell the tale). Quite a shock for Spock, then, when the viewscreen flickered on and the Romulan commander looked an awful lot like him.

Not only did this auricular revelation radically alter interstellar politics for the next 150-odd years (and even well into the 32nd century), we also found out fairly recently just how crucial Kirk's presence on the Enterprise was when meeting that Bird-of-Prey in 2266.

In an alternate timeline where Captain Christopher Pike had dodged his destiny and was in command of the Enterprise instead, his less guns-a-blazin' approach had "end-of-the-world type" consequences: a war with the Romulans that killed millions. Also, with Spock horrifically injured in that timeline, any hopes for reunification and lasting peace were scuppered indefinitely. Not even alternate future Pike's Monster Maroons could make up for that!