10 Star Trek Episodes Based On Real-Life Events
7. The Enterprise Incident
The third season episode of the Original Series sees the Enterprise assigned to steal a Romulan cloaking device. Under orders from Starfleet command, Kirk begins to act erratically, eventually directing the ship to travel into the Neutral Zone, in violation of treaty stipulations. Though the crew question this, they carry out the order and are quickly surrounded by several Romulan vessels, including some adapting the Klingon D-7 design.
The episode was based loosely on the Pueblo incident which took place in 1968. The American vessel USS Pueblo was ordered to patrol the waters from Japan to North Korea, remaining outside North Korean nautical borders. However, while on patrol, it was approached and challenged by several vessels.
The North Koreans accused them of violating their territory, alleging that their borders extended to 50 nautical miles into the ocean, rather than the standard 12. Despite several hours of a stand-off, the Pueblo was finally boarded. Though they had radioed for help, none was forthcoming. The USS Enterprise patrolled the seas 510 nautical miles south of their location, yet the aircraft they had aboard were not suited for air to surface assault.
It would take eleven months of psychological and physical torture before the crew of the Pueblo was allowed to return home, a fate much worse than was imposed on their Star Trek counterparts.