10 Things You Didn't Know About How Star Trek Got Started

5. The First Star Trek Episode To Air Was Not The PilotMan Trap Five episodes were "in the can" when the producers had to decide which to broadcast first. For various reasons, four of them were deemed not to be a suitable introduction to the world of Star Trek. By default, "The Man Trap" was selected as the debut episode. Viewers were generally not impressed. "The Man Trap" is a standard space-monster story about a "salt vampire" attacking crewmembers, and the plot unfolds at a snail's pace. The pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," was the third episode to air, creating some confusion because its retro costumes looked different from those worn in the rest of the series. It also featured a somewhat different cast. McCoy and Uhura weren't there yet. Sulu made an appearance, but his job title was physicist, not helmsman.

Contributor

Debbie Gilbert is an award-winning journalist who's been writing for magazines and newspapers since 1988. A Memphis native who grew up near Graceland, she became a Star Trek fan in 1975.