The first DVD volume of episodes from the original Star
Trek begins with a show that saved the series even before it launched.
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" was actually the second Trek pilot
produced by Gene Roddenberry after NBC rejected "The Cage" (now a subject of
cult fascination. It can be found on Volume 40). A retooled cast now included William Shatner as Captain
James R. Kirk (the middle initial T came later), Leonard Nimoy as Mr.
Spock, George Takei as Ensign Sulu, and James Doohan as Chief Engineer
Montgomery Scott. (DeForest Kelley, Nichelle Nichols, and Walter Koenig signed
on in subsequent episodes.) And so begins the
Star Trek Phenomenon.... |