"Star Trek" Where No Man Has Gone Before (1966)

Director:

James Goldstone

Writers:

Samuel A. Peeples (written by)
Gene Roddenberry (creator)

TV Series:

"Star Trek" (1966)

Original Air Date:

22 September 1966 (Season 1, Episode 3)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The flight recorder of the 200-year-old U.S.S. Valiant relays a tale of terror--a magnetic storm at the edge of the galaxy!

Plot Keywords:

Space | Psionic Power | Futuristic | Sequel | Star Trek

Cast

William Shatner	...	Captain James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy	...	Mr. Spock
Gary Lockwood	...	Lt. Cmdr. Gary Mitchell
Sally Kellerman	...	Dr. Elizabeth Dehner
George Takei	...	Sulu
James Doohan	...	Scott
Lloyd Haynes	...	Alden
Andrea Dromm	...	Yeoman Smith
Paul Carr	...	Lt. Lee Kelso
Paul Fix	...	Doctor Mark Piper

Runtime:

50 min | Argentina:60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Canada:PG (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Desilu Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Desilu Productions

Trivia:

The change in Gary and Elizabeth's eyes was accomplished by Gary Lockwood and Sally Kellerman wearing sparkly contact lenses. Wearing the lenses was the most difficult part of his role, Lockwood recalled later.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Visible wire used to raise the cable which strangles Lee Kelso.

Quotes:

Spock: We'll never reach an Earth base with him aboard. You heard the mathematics of it. In a month, he'll have as much in common with us as we'd have with a ship full of white mice.
Capt. Kirk: I need a recommendation, not vague warnings.
Spock: Recommendation one: there's a planet a few light days away from here, Delta Vega. It has a lithium cracking station; we may be able to adapt some of its power packs to our engines.
Capt. Kirk: And if we can't? We'll be trapped in orbit there. We haven't enough power to blast back out.
Spock: It is the only possible way to get Mitchell off this ship.
Capt. Kirk: If you mean strand Mitchell there, I won't do it! That station is fully automated; there's not a soul on the whole planet. Even the ore ships call only once every 20 years!
Spock: Then you have one other choice: kill Mitchell while you still can.
Capt. Kirk: [offended] Get out of here.
Spock: It is your only other choice, assuming you make it while you still have time!
Capt. Kirk: Will you try, for one moment, to feel? At least act like you got a heart! We're talking about Gary!
[...]

Movie Connections:

Edited into Galaktische Grüße (1996) (TV)

The true beginning of the legend

Although it was the third Star Trek episode that aired, Where No Man Has Gone Before (the title is taken from the final phrase spoken by William Shatner in the intro) is actually the pilot of Gene Roddenberry's sci-fi classic. Correction: it's the second pilot, since NBC rejected Roddenberry's original pitch, The Cage (it was too cerebral, apparently), but was still willing to give Trek the chance it deserved. The result is one of the show's best episodes, one that covers relevant themes like friendship, power and the misuse of the latter.

Like most Star Trek episodes, it all begins as if it were just another day on the Enterprise. Then, out of the blue, the ship is hit by a magnetic storm. While assessing the material damage, Kirk and the crew make a horrifying discovery: two of the people on board, who have limited psionic abilities, are suddenly more powerful than ever, and soon that newfound power leads to insanity. At this point, Kirk must decide whether to kill them or not, before it's too late, and the choice is made even harder by the fact that one of the psychics is his best friend.

Star Trek has been lauded for its frequent uses of a science-fiction context as tools to deal with more contemporary issues, such as war, genetic manipulations or racism. One of the most significant examples can be found here, with the story taking on religious connotations in the last section. This is not uncommon in the genre, which often relied on ancient myths and legends, which were updated in the futuristic setting. In fact, it's hard to watch Where No Man Has Gone Before and not think of Bellerophon, the man who got so blinded by his power he believed he was to be treated like a god, and was severely punished for his behavior. Of course, the friendship element means there's much more at stake, the script giving Shatner many opportunities to prove he isn't just a charismatic lead with peculiar speech patterns.

Where No Man Has Gone Before isn't just a title, it's a statement. Gene Roddenberry wanted to do something new, something unprecedented, something that people would remember for years after it stopped airing. Boy, did he succeed.