10 Most Important Episodes Of Star Trek: The Original Series

While it may not have technically been the first episode to air thanks to decision made at NBC, Where No Man Has Gone Before can still rightly be considered the very first episode of Star Trek. Following the rejected pilot, it was the first episode to be produced and was originally intended to be the first put to air in the US (which it still was in the UK.)

The Man Trap may have been the first episode put to air, but make no mistake, Where No Man Has Gone Before is where Star Trek as we know it truly began. It was the episode that established the now-famous "space: the final frontier..." speech, which would go on to become an iconic staple for the franchise.

Moreover, this episode was also the first to reference the Starfleet Academy, the first to establish the concept of stardates, not to mention the first to show a game of tri-dimensional chess.

More importantly, this episode was the true genesis for everything that Star Trek stands for. This is where the show established its unique identity and, in turn, paved the way for all of the incredible stories and lessons that would be told not only in TOS, but also all TV series and films that followed it.

As stated before, Star Trek is one of the single most iconic pop culture phenomenons in our history and this is where it all started.

Star Trek really did go where no one had gone before and this was its maiden voyage.