Today In History: ‘Star Trek’ Premieres on NBC

Today (September 8) in 1966, Gene Roddenberry’s Star Trek premiered on NBC with “The Man Trap” at 8:30PM as part of a “sneak preview” block.

Starring William Shatner as Captain Kirk, Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock, and DeForest Kelley as Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy, the episode was written by George Clayton Johnson and directed by Marc Daniels.

While it was the first to hit the television airwaves, “The Man Trap” was not actually the first to be produced. “Where No Man Has Gone Before” along with other regular episodes had been produced prior to it. The episode starred characters that would go on to become household names and span four spin-off television series and twelve movies.

Shatner and Nimoy acknowledged the anniversary on his Twitter account:

Happy 48th Anniversary to Star Trek!

— William Shatner (@WilliamShatner) September 8, 2014

Star Trek went on the air 48 years ago today. The stories begin and the vision will LLAP

— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) September 8, 2014

Advertisement for ‘Star Trek’s’ 1966 premiere

Commercial for Star Trek’s premiere on NBC:

Extended previews for the first, second and third seasons:

First season intro: