10 False Star Trek Facts You Probably Still Believe
2. Kirk Was The First Captain Of The Enterprise
Thanks to the second season of Star Trek Discovery, modern audiences are better acquainted with Captain Christopher Pike. Pike was Kirk's predecessor as captain of the Enterprise, leading the crew almost ten years before James T. Kirk.
However, even Pike was not the first captain. The original pilot of Star Trek, The Cage, opens with Pike in control and so, on screen, Jeffrey Hunter was the man who was first seen in the captain's chair. But, the animated series which aired in the '70s and is largely considered canon, established that Pike was still not the first.
The initial pitch to the studio that Roddenberry put forward included Captain Robert M. April in command of the Enterprise, though this was changed by the time the show went to pilot. Author Fred Bronson included Commodore April (pictured) in the Animated Series episode The Counter Clock incident. While the canon of the series was in doubt for years, by 2007 Star Trek's official site incorporated the series as canon, enshrining April as the Enterprise's first commander.
In the first season of Star Trek Discovery, this is further confirmed by Saru. He asks the computer to list the most decorated Starfleet captains in history and there, top of the list, is Robert April. While we have yet to see a live action incarnation of this character, he stands as proof that both Kirk and Pike were taking on the big seat from the original Captain of the Enterprise.