10 Episodes That Should Have Changed Star Trek Forever - But Didn't

Hey, look at this major discovery that would help us hugely on our quest! Let's forget it immediately!

If you're a Star Trek fan, and haven't been living under a rock for the past year or so, there's a good chance that you've probably witnessed a fair bit of grousing over a couple of story elements from Star Trek Into Darkness. JJ Abram's inclusion of both Khan's regenerative blood and Scotty's transwarp beaming formula caused a sizable ripple among Star Trek fans, and both could have lasting impact on the fundamental make-up of the universe. Some fans contend that these should mean dramatic changes in the worlds created by Gene Roddenberry, in that they effectively cure death and eliminate the need for starships respectively - but in all honesty, they probably won't. Of course, it's impossible to know if either of these story elements will be referenced in the next Star Trek movie, and I think the complaints over them are overblown, but they bring up an interesting topic of discussion. Namely, what other times has Star Trek introduced a new discovery of some sort that should fundamentally change the way the show works, only to sweep it under the rug and never mention it again? To explore that quandry specifically, we're looking at ten famous Star Trek episodes that looked ground-breaking, but which ultimately had no long term effect on the Trek universe.
Contributor
Contributor

Michael is one of the founders of FACT TREK (www.facttrek.com), a project dedicated to untangling 50+ years of mythology about the original Star Trek and its place in TV history. He currently is the Director of Sales and Digital Commerce at Shout! Factory, where he has worked since 2014. From 2013-2018, he ran the popular Star Trek Fact Check blog (www.startrekfactcheck.blogspot.com).