10 Most Important Episodes Of Star Trek: The Original Series

11. Honorable Mention: The Cage (Pilot)

While The Cage is, technically, the very first episode of Star Trek ever produced and the first pilot that was pitched to NBC in 1965, it was not the definitive beginning to the series.

It was not responsible for introducing people to Star Trek or getting them interested in watching the series, as it was initially rejected by NBC. From there, a new pilot had to be produced and The Cage was re-purposed as flashback footage in the season one episode, The Menagerie.

The Cage would not be aired on television in its entirety until late 1988, just under twenty years after TOS had already concluded and one year after its follow-up, The Next Generation, had already started. Still though, it is technically the first episode of Star Trek ever made and deserves a mention for that.