1964 CE
Star Trek Pilot 'The Cage' Produced
Desilu Productions produces the first pilot 'The Cage' featuring Captain Christopher Pike. The pilot is rejected by NBC. #startrek #tvhistory )
Chronological Storyline (42 Milestones)
1965 CE
Second Pilot 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' Ordered
NBC orders a second pilot after rejecting 'The Cage'. This pilot introduces the main cast with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy, and is accepted for series. #startrek #tvhistory
By McFadden, Strauss Eddy & Irwin for Desilu Productions - eBay item photo front photo back, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20656372
Sep 8, 1966 CE
Star Trek: The Original Series Premieres
The series debuts on NBC with 'The Man Trap'. It introduces the USS Enterprise crew and the iconic mission to explore strange new worlds. #startrek #premiere
Sep 15, 1966 CE
Charlie X Episode Airs
The episode 'Charlie X' explores the dangers of omnipotent power when a young man with reality-altering abilities threatens the crew. #startrek #scifi
Sep 22, 1966 CE
The Naked Time Episode Airs
A virus strips away inhibitions, causing crew members to act on their deepest emotions. #startrek #scifi
By Paramount Television - http://www.ebay.com/itm/STAR-TREK-1966-EARLY-VINTAGE-ORIGINAL-NBC-CAPTIONED-8x10-NAKED-TIME-/331457497045?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d2c6807d5, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=38085646
Sep 29, 1966 CE
The Enemy Within Episode Airs
A transporter malfunction splits Kirk into good and evil halves, exploring the duality of human nature. #startrek #scifi )
Oct 6, 1966 CE
Mudd's Women Episode Airs
The first appearance of Harry Mudd, a charming con man trafficking in illegal women, raising questions about gender roles. #startrek #scifi
Oct 13, 1966 CE
What Are Little Girls Made Of? Episode Airs
Nurse Chapel reunites with her fiancé, who is revealed to be an android, introducing themes of artificial life. #startrek #scifi )
Oct 20, 1966 CE
Miri Episode Airs
The crew discovers a planet where a deadly disease has killed all adults, leaving only children. #startrek #scifi )
Nov 10, 1966 CE
The Corbomite Maneuver Episode Airs
Kirk outwits a powerful alien by bluffing, showcasing his tactical ingenuity. #startrek #scifi
Nov 17, 1966 CE
The Menagerie Parts I and II Airs
Spock hijacks the Enterprise to take the disabled Captain Pike to Talos IV, using footage from the original pilot. #startrek #scifi )
Nov 24, 1966 CE
The Conscience of the King Episode Airs
Kirk confronts the man responsible for a massacre of colonists, blurring lines between justice and revenge. #startrek #scifi
Dec 8, 1966 CE
Balance of Terror Episode Airs
The Enterprise battles a Romulan ship using a cloaking device, introducing the Romulans and submarine-style warfare in space. #startrek #scifi
Dec 15, 1966 CE
Dagger of the Mind Episode Airs
A mind-altering device is used to control prisoners, exploring themes of rehabilitation and ethics. #startrek #scifi
Dec 29, 1966 CE
The Alternative Factor Episode Airs
A man from an antimatter universe threatens to destroy both universes, exploring duality and sacrifice. #startrek #scifi
Jan 5, 1967 CE
The City on the Edge of Forever Episode Airs
Kirk and Spock travel through the Guardian of Forever to stop McCoy from changing history, saving a peace activist. Widely praised as one of the series' best episodes. #startrek #scifi
Jan 12, 1967 CE
Operation: Annihilate! Episode Airs
Deadly flying parasites attack the colony on Deneva, leading to Spock's temporary blindness and a solution using ultraviolet light. #startrek #scifi
Sep 15, 1967 CE
Season 2 Premiere: 'Amok Time' Airs
Spock undergoes the Vulcan mating ritual pon farr and fights Kirk to the death, deepening Vulcan lore. #startrek #scifi
By NBC Television - http://tos.trekcore.com/gallery/albums/publicity/misc/spock_tpring2.jpg, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=71368601
Sep 22, 1967 CE
'Who Mourns for Adonais?' Episode Airs
The Enterprise encounters beings resembling Greek gods, forcing the crew to confront ancient myths. #startrek #scifi
Sep 29, 1967 CE
'The Changeling' Episode Airs
A powerful space probe named Nomad nearly destroys the Enterprise, later inspiring the movie 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture'. #startrek #scifi )
Oct 6, 1967 CE
'Mirror, Mirror' Episode Airs
Kirk and his crew are transported to a parallel universe where the Federation is a brutal Terran Empire, introducing the Mirror Universe. #startrek #scifi )
Oct 13, 1967 CE
'The Apple' Episode Airs
The Enterprise visits a planet where a computer (Vaal) controls the primitive society, echoing the Garden of Eden. #startrek #scifi )
Oct 20, 1967 CE
'The Doomsday Machine' Episode Airs
A planet-killing probe threatens the Enterprise, featuring a disabled starship and Commodore Decker's sacrifice. #startrek #scifi )
Oct 27, 1967 CE
'Catspaw' Episode Airs
The crew is trapped in a castle by aliens who use magic-like powers, a Halloween-themed episode. #startrek #scifi )
By NBC Television - eBay photo, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37063436
Nov 3, 1967 CE
'I, Mudd' Episode Airs
Harry Mudd returns, now ruling over a planet of androids, with a plot to create a slave army. #startrek #scifi
Nov 10, 1967 CE
'Metamorphosis' Episode Airs
The crew meets Zefram Cochrane, inventor of the warp drive, who lives with a cloud-like entity. #startrek #scifi )
Nov 17, 1967 CE
'Journey to Babel' Episode Airs
Spock's parents visit the Enterprise during a diplomatic mission, revealing Vulcan-Human tensions. #startrek #scifi
Nov 24, 1967 CE
'The Deadly Years' Episode Airs
A radiation disease rapidly ages the crew, with Spock and Kirk acting as old men. #startrek #scifi
Dec 1, 1967 CE
'Obsession' Episode Airs
Kirk becomes obsessed with killing a cloud creature that killed his former captain, raising questions about vengeance. #startrek #scifi )
Dec 8, 1967 CE
'Wolf in the Fold' Episode Airs
A Jack the Ripper-like entity possesses crew members, murdering women, with Scotty as a suspect. #startrek #scifi
Dec 15, 1967 CE
'The Trouble with Tribbles' Episode Airs
Small, rapidly reproducing creatures overrun the Enterprise, providing comedic relief and a commentary on consumerism. #startrek #scifi
Dec 29, 1967 CE
'The Gamesters of Triskelion' Episode Airs
Kirk and his crew are forced to fight as gladiators for alien gamblers. #startrek #scifi
Jan 5, 1968 CE
'A Piece of the Action' Episode Airs
The Enterprise visits a planet mimicking 1920s Chicago gangsters, leading to a cultural contamination crisis. #startrek #scifi )
Jan 12, 1968 CE
'The Immunity Syndrome' Episode Airs
A giant space amoeba drains the Enterprise's energy, requiring Spock to sacrifice himself in a shuttlepod. #startrek #scifi
Jan 19, 1968 CE
'A Private Little War' Episode Airs
Kirk arms one faction on a primitive world to counter Klingon influence, referencing the Vietnam War. #startrek #scifi
Sep 20, 1968 CE
Season 3 Premiere: 'Spock's Brain' Airs
An alien woman steals Spock's brain, forcing the crew to operate him remotely. Considered one of the worst episodes. #startrek #scifi
By Paramount Television - eBay item front back, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29139419
Sep 27, 1968 CE
'The Enterprise Incident' Airs
Kirk fakes insanity to steal a Romulan cloaking device, with Spock posing as a defector. #startrek #scifi
Oct 4, 1968 CE
'The Paradise Syndrome' Airs
Kirk loses his memory and lives with a Native American-like tribe, while Spock must save the planet. #startrek #scifi
By NBC Television - ebay item front back, Public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=30279074
Nov 22, 1968 CE
'The Tholian Web' Airs
The Enterprise is trapped in an interspatial web by Tholians, while Kirk is lost in another dimension. #startrek #scifi
Feb 14, 1969 CE
'The Way to Eden' Airs
A group of space hippies hijack the Enterprise in search of a paradise planet. #startrek #scifi
Mar 28, 1969 CE
'All Our Yesterdays' Airs
The crew travels into a planet's past via a library machine, with Spock regressing to a primitive state. #startrek #scifi )
Jun 3, 1969 CE
Star Trek: The Original Series Finale Airs
The final episode 'Turnabout Intruder' sees a female former lover of Kirk swapping bodies with him, exploring gender roles. #startrek #finale