Nearly 60 Years Later, Star Trek’s Chilling Death Still Defines Sci-Fi Horror

Nearly sixty years after its debut, the franchise still points back to the first episode ever aired, "The Man Trap," for its tone. That blend of science fiction, horror, action and thoughtful introspection began with the offscreen death of Nancy Crater. Star Trek: The Original Series premiered on NBC on September 8, 1966, with "The Man Trap," a story of lost love, extinction and salt vampires.

It introduced William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk, Leonard Nimoy's Mr. Spock and DeForest Kelley's Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy. Although the show was cancelled after three seasons, it accrued a legion of fans and lived on in syndication and spin-offs. Its early mix of genres continued to influence the franchise for decades.

"The Man Trap" itself was not intended to be the first aired episode. The original pilot, "The Cage," starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike and was rejected; Desilu commissioned a second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," which introduced Kirk and won the network.

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