Why There Are 3 Star Trek: TOS Pilot Episodes (& Which You Should Watch First)

For a newcomer looking to get into Star Trek, it can be intimidating to know where to start. After all, there are 13 different TV series in the franchise to date, not to mention 14 movies, and every fan has their own favorites and least favorites. Still, the simplest and best answer is to go right back to the beginning. The only reason the franchise is still surviving 60 years later is because of the brilliance of The Original Series, which is somehow both of its time and timeless. While certain aspects, such as its production design and occasionally problematic lines or themes, have dated, TOS comprises 79 episodes of fantastically formed sci-fi that can be passed on from one generation to the next.

However, for those attempting to start watching TOS for the first time, making the leap can be somewhat confusing. That is because there are technically three different first episodes of the show, and so blindly jumping into the series without knowing about this weird quirk might be disorientating. The reason for the confusion is rooted in creative clashes with the network, which would eventually cause the cancellation of TOS after just three seasons, but in this case, NBC execs might've known what they were talking about. Working out the best entry point for TOS is more subjective than objective, so there are some things a Trek newbie needs to know before traveling to the 23rd century.

What Are the Three First Episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series?

Hitting Play on TOS Isn't as Straight-Forward as It Seems

Unsurprisingly, given how high-concept and unusual Star Trek was amid the landscape of 1960s television, it took a couple of attempts before creator Gene Roddenberry came up with a pilot episode that network execs approved of. And yet, even then, they weren't entirely happy with the result, meaning that a regularly produced episode was the first one to air when the show launched in 1966. The fact that two separate pilots were shot but another episode was actually the first to broadcast means there are three first episodes of TOS, depending on how you look at it.

Firstly, the original pilot for The Original Series was "The Cage." Featuring Jeffrey Hunter in the lead, this episode focused on Captain Christopher Pike and his crew, including First Officer Number One (Majel Barrett) and Science Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Pike, however, proved unpopular with execs due to his conflicted, troubled nature, and the overall tone was deemed too strange and cerebral. Execs also did not like the idea of both an alien character like Spock and a female character in a high-ranking position. Only able to go to bat for one of them, Roddenberry convinced them to allow Spock to stay and ultimately recast Barrett — his future wife — as Nurse Chapel.

A second pilot was then produced, titled "Where No Man Has Gone Before," now starring William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk and Nimoy's Spock promoted to his First Officer. The episode is essentially in sync with the rest of TOS, except that the crew's uniforms are different and DeForest Kelley had yet to be added to the cast as Bones. Although this was intended to be the first episode aired, NBC ended up kicking off the series with a different episode. Namely, "The Man Trap," the sixth episode produced, which execs felt was a more action-packed installment with more mainstream appeal.

What’s the Best Way to Start Watching Star Trek: The Original Series?

Each Pilot Offers Something Different

With three starting points to choose from, the question of how to start watching TOS is a tricky one, even though streaming has appeared to make the answer simple. For decades, "The Cage" — which never even aired on TV until 1988 — was considered lost media, until the advent of home video suddenly made it accessible. Since the first DVD release of TOS in 2001, "The Cage" has generally been listed as the show's first episode, something that has carried over onto streaming.

But is it really the best place to start? With the lack of Kirk and its subtly different tone, "The Cage" isn't necessarily the best primer for TOS for newcomers. In fact, with Pike serving as the captain of contemporary prequel series Strange New Worlds, "The Cage" serves as a better pilot for that show than it does TOS. On the other hand, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" doesn't quite depict the series in its finished state either, as the lack of fan-favorite Bones is a drawback. Maybe NBC knew what it was doing when "The Man Trap," an episode in which Bones features prominently, was picked to air first back in 1966.

Regardless of which episode is the "true" Star Trek pilot, all three loom large in the franchise's lore. Pike returned in TOS two-parter "The Menagerie," The Next Generation's first season included an episode titled "Where No One Has Gone Before," and the Salt Vampire from "The Man Trap" remains one of Trek's most iconic monsters-of-the-week, even memorably reappearing in Lower Decks.

On the whole, fans generally advise watching TOS in production order, as that is the most natural way of seeing the show progress, but newcomers can start binging in whatever way best suits their tastes. If they want the complete picture, start with "The Cage." If they're only interested in the adventures of Captain Kirk, begin with "Where No Man Has Gone Before." Alternatively, if they're looking for a more accessible episode to ease them into the show, then "The Man Trap" is a solid choice.

The episodic nature of Star Trek: The Original Series means that whatever episode happens to be someone's first, they will hopefully be swept up by the voyages of the Starship Enterprise all the same.