3. 'Where No Man Has Gone Before'
The second pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” premiered on September 22, 1966, and was the one that convinced NBC to pick up the series. It’s a good baseline: we’re getting a rougher Captain Kirk and Spock, a different doctor, and an off-model Enterprise, but the tone is vintage Star Trek.
As the episode's wrenching story unfolds, Gary Mitchell's growing abilities force a choice between friendship and duty.
As a 60-year-old hour of television, it is surprisingly robust. Mitchell's progressive transformation, the moral quandary Kirk is in, and the location work on the lithium-cracking outpost feel more like modern prestige sci-fi than 1960s leftovers.
It also confirms the franchise’s basic premise that power must be matched with heart and conscience. To celebrate the anniversary, when you watch some 1966 episodes, “Where No Man Has Gone Before” should be near the top.
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