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 "excerpt": "\"Where No Man Has Gone Before\" is the second Star Trek pilot (TOS), written by Samuel A. Peeples, directed by James Goldstone, aired September 22, 1966 as the third broadcast episode; it introduced Shatner's Kirk and convinced NBC to greenlight the series.",
 "snippet": "\"Where No Man Has Gone Before\" is the second Star Trek pilot (TOS), written by Samuel A. Peeples, directed by James Goldstone, aired September 22, 1966 as the third broadcast episode; it introduced Shatner's Kirk and convinced NBC to greenlight the series.",
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 "markdown": "# Where No Man Has Gone Before\n\n\"Where No Man Has Gone Before\" is the second pilot episode of the American science-fiction television series *Star Trek: The Original Series*, written by Samuel A. Peeples and directed by James Goldstone, which convinced NBC to order the series after the first pilot, \"The Cage,\" had been rejected.<sup>[1](https://www.startrek.com/news/50-years-later-where-no-man-has-gone-before)</sup> It first aired on September 22, 1966, as the third episode broadcast of the first season.<sup>[2](https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/noman.php)</sup>\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Role in the series | Second pilot, commissioned after \"The Cage\" failed to sell the series to NBC; its acceptance led to the series being greenlit<sup>[1](https://www.startrek.com/news/50-years-later-where-no-man-has-gone-before)</sup> |\n| Broadcast position | Third episode of season one aired, on September 22, 1966; written by Samuel A. Peeples, directed by James Goldstone<sup>[2](https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/noman.php)</sup> |\n| Plot | An energy barrier at the galaxy's edge mutates Kirk's friend Gary Mitchell into a god-like entity disdainful of the \"mortals\" around him<sup>[3](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/video/780396025/)</sup> |\n| Legacy | Starfleet Academy received its first mention here, and TNG later adopted the gender-neutral title \"Where No One Has Gone Before\"<sup>[4](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/starfleet-academy-isnt-the-first-time-that-star-trek-tried-to-go-back-to-school)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Where_No_Man_Has_Gone_Before_%28episode%29)</sup>  |\n\n## Why a second pilot was made\n\nNBC executives who viewed \"The Cage\" concluded that [Gene Roddenberry](https://www.edgepedia.org/gene-roddenberry) and Desilu Studios could produce mature science fiction, but that the story in that first pilot was not what the network wanted. In an unusual step, NBC requested a second pilot and made clear to Roddenberry that it wanted a simpler, less erotic action-adventure story and a somewhat different cast.<sup>[1](https://www.startrek.com/news/50-years-later-where-no-man-has-gone-before)</sup> Roddenberry invited other writers to pitch story concepts, and out of three possibilities, \"Where No Man Has Gone Before\" by Samuel A. Peeples, \"Mudd's Women\" by Stephen Kandel, and \"The Omega Glory\" by Roddenberry himself, the network selected Peeples's script for production.<sup>[1](https://www.startrek.com/news/50-years-later-where-no-man-has-gone-before)</sup> After viewing the finished film, NBC was sold, and *Star Trek: The Original Series* was officially greenlit.<sup>[1](https://www.startrek.com/news/50-years-later-where-no-man-has-gone-before)</sup>\n\nShooting on the second pilot began in July 1965.<sup>[6](https://time.com/4480743/star-trek-pilot-gallery/)</sup> [Leonard Nimoy](https://www.edgepedia.org/leonard-nimoy) was the only cast member retained from the first pilot, continuing as the half-Vulcan Mr. Spock, while [William Shatner](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-shatner) replaced [Jeffrey Hunter](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeffrey-hunter) as the captain.<sup>[6](https://time.com/4480743/star-trek-pilot-gallery/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/the-striking-similarities-in-star-trek-and-doctor-whos-struggles-for-existence)</sup> The female first officer from \"The Cage\" was dropped entirely, and Scotty, Sulu, and later McCoy were added to the ensemble.<sup>[7](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/the-striking-similarities-in-star-trek-and-doctor-whos-struggles-for-existence)</sup>\n\n## Plot\n\nWhile exploring the energy barrier at the galaxy's edge, a barrier that had crippled an earlier ship, the *Valiant*, the *Enterprise* passes through it and crew members with high ESP ratings are affected. Kirk's longtime friend and helmsman, Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell ([Gary Lockwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/gary-lockwood)), begins developing telekinesis and other superhuman powers, and psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Dehner ([Sally Kellerman](https://www.edgepedia.org/sally-kellerman)) is similarly changed.<sup>[3](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/video/780396025/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/noman.php)</sup> Power corrupts, and Mitchell comes to see the crew as beneath him; Kirk attempts to maroon him on a nearby planet and finally must battle one-on-one with a former friend who is now a powerful being.<sup>[2](https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/noman.php)</sup> Dehner, the sole voice initially curious about the superbeing, ultimately helps Kirk stop Mitchell at the cost of her own life.<sup>[2](https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/noman.php)</sup>\n\nThe episode is presented as an illustration of the axiom that absolute power corrupts absolutely, words spoken during its dénouement.<sup>[8](https://anthonypignataro.com/2021/09/23/a-close-reading-of-star-treks-where-no-man-has-gone-before/)</sup> It also established series elements beyond the plot: Mitchell's gravestone reads \"James R. Kirk,\" and the episode contains the first mention of Starfleet Academy, when Mitchell recalls his college days with Kirk.<sup>[2](https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/noman.php)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/starfleet-academy-isnt-the-first-time-that-star-trek-tried-to-go-back-to-school)</sup>\n\n## Production and effects\n\n**Visual effects.** Unlike \"The Cage,\" which used rear projection onto frosted screens, the viewing-screen graphics from the second pilot onward were separate optical elements inserted in post-production, so actors had to imagine what they were not seeing. The galactic barrier, scripted to resemble an aurora borealis, was created in part by flooding a brightly-lit cloud tank with colored ink and paint, photographing the results, and matting the footage to the size of the main viewing screen.<sup>[1](https://www.startrek.com/news/50-years-later-where-no-man-has-gone-before)</sup>\n\n## Reception and releases\n\nThe episode is consistently listed by critics among the original series' best efforts. In 2013, *Wired* ranked it one of the top ten episodes of the original series, noting Kirk's plea for compassion and the absence of series regulars such as Dr. McCoy, Uhura, and Chekov. In 2016, IGN ranked it number six in a top ten of original-series episodes and 17th among all [Star Trek](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-trek) series; in 2018, PopMatters ranked it the fourth best episode of the original series. Zack Handlen of The A.V. Club gave it a 'B+', calling it \"an awkward episode\" that is \"not without its charms.\"<sup>[9](https://www.avclub.com/star-trek-where-no-man-has-gone-before-1798205488)</sup>\n\nIn 1967, Roddenberry was invited to submit both pilots and assorted production material to an institution for safekeeping, and he took a print of the pre-broadcast version to the World Science Fiction Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.<sup>[5](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Where_No_Man_Has_Gone_Before_%28episode%29)</sup>\n\n## Legacy\n\nThe title phrase entered the franchise's famous opening narration, \"to boldly go where no man has gone before,\" and *Star Trek: The Next Generation* adopted a gender-neutral and species-neutral version of the episode's title for its own episode \"[Where No One Has Gone Before](https://www.edgepedia.org/where-no-one-has-gone-before).\"<sup>[5](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Where_No_Man_Has_Gone_Before_%28episode%29)</sup> Because it was the first produced episode of the Kirk era, it is often treated as the natural starting point of the original series in production order, and the showrunner of *Star Trek: Strange New Worlds* has said he intends that series to end at the Enterprise of \"Where No Man Has Gone Before.\"\n\n## References\n\n1. [50 Years Later: Where No Man Has Gone Before, David Tilotta and Curt McAloney, StarTrek.com (2016)](https://www.startrek.com/news/50-years-later-where-no-man-has-gone-before)\n2. [\"Where No Man Has Gone Before\" | Star Trek: TOS | Jammer's Reviews, Jamahl Epsicokhan](https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-tos/s1/noman.php)\n3. [Star Trek: The Original Series (Remastered) S1 E4, Paramount+](https://www.paramountplus.com/shows/video/780396025/)\n4. ['Starfleet Academy' isn't the first time that 'Star Trek' tried to go back to school, Space.com](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/starfleet-academy-isnt-the-first-time-that-star-trek-tried-to-go-back-to-school)\n5. [Where No Man Has Gone Before (episode), Memory Alpha](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Where_No_Man_Has_Gone_Before_%28episode%29)\n6. [See the Trippy Look of the Long-Buried Original Star Trek Pilot, TIME](https://time.com/4480743/star-trek-pilot-gallery/)\n7. [The striking similarities in 'Star Trek' and 'Doctor Who's' struggles for existence, Space.com](https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/the-striking-similarities-in-star-trek-and-doctor-whos-struggles-for-existence)\n8. [A Close Reading of Star Trek's 'Where No Man Has Gone Before', Anthony Pignataro (2021)](https://anthonypignataro.com/2021/09/23/a-close-reading-of-star-treks-where-no-man-has-gone-before/)\n9. [Star Trek: \"Where No Man Has Gone Before\", The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/star-trek-where-no-man-has-gone-before-1798205488)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Adapted and franchise screen series › Space and science-fiction franchise television*\n\n*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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 "credit": "\"Where No Man Has Gone Before\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/where-no-man-has-gone-before-epgpy33nw6. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.",
 "credit_md": "\"[Where No Man Has Gone Before](https://www.edgepedia.org/where-no-man-has-gone-before-epgpy33nw6)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/where-no-man-has-gone-before-epgpy33nw6](https://www.edgepedia.org/where-no-man-has-gone-before-epgpy33nw6). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).",
 "credit_html": "\"<a href=\"https://www.edgepedia.org/where-no-man-has-gone-before-epgpy33nw6\">Where No Man Has Gone Before</a>\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), <a href=\"https://www.edgepedia.org/where-no-man-has-gone-before-epgpy33nw6\">https://www.edgepedia.org/where-no-man-has-gone-before-epgpy33nw6</a>. <a href=\"https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\">Edgepedia Community License 1.0</a>.",
 "speakable": "\"Where No Man Has Gone Before\" is the second Star Trek pilot, written by Samuel A."
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