If early reviews were anything to go by, the original Star Trek didn’t stand much of a chance to venture beyond a few episodes. Yet, when “The Man Trap” premiered in 1966, entertainment changed forever. The pilot was actually the sixth episode in Star Trek‘s production order. But choosing “The Man Trap” as the debut episode was no accident.
Created by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek was going to be unlike anything else that came before it, which is also why the choice was made to air the episodes out of order. Selling such a cool, high-concept sci-fi series like Star Trek depended on getting the audience on board with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise‘s adventures. That meant forging an immediate connection with people watching at home. The show needed to capture audiences’ imaginations and hold on tight.
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When Star Trek was first beamed into peoples’ living rooms, executives chose “The Man Trap” because of its all-encompassing elements. The episode managed to display most of its main crew members (although Scotty is only heard, never seen) while also giving viewers an episode that was entertaining, but not overly complex with its themes or storylines.
While there were other episodes with more detailed storylines and bigger plot themes, “The Man Trap”‘s straightforward presentation helped keep things simple for conveying Star Trek‘s overall concepts. It also showcased cool technology that became central to the show, like the transporter. The transporter was not part of Roddenberry’s initial outline. It was an idea that came later, partially due to budget constraints. The transporter allowed the Enterprise crew to go between locations much faster and cheaper, at least from a production point of view. It saved creators from having to shoot scenes and create transition sets. Beaming folks and supplies around was easy — and viewers loved it.
By the time Star Trek was green-lit and in full-swing production, the transporter — one of its most captivating concepts — was not going to be seen until much later in the series. This is why executives felt it was better to put “The Man Trap” first and introduce the technology right out of the gate. Executives felt the transporter was better seen for the first time, rather than explained by the characters. It also didn’t hurt that another early episode, “The Corbomite Maneuver,” was still in post-production and not ready to air. When executives looked at the roster of other available episodes, “The Man Trap,” seemed like the best choice.
Despite the thought process behind it, “The Man Trap” was met with significant negativity. One of the biggest trade publications in Hollywood had extremely harsh words for the show back in ’66 and had little faith the series would ever get off the ground. Even Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner, had less than kind words for the episode in his memoir, calling it “one of our worst ever.” Nonetheless, Star Trek defied critical expectations and lasted 80 episodes over three seasons.
To this day, the transporter remains one of Star Trek‘s biggest contributions to pop culture. Though it was never actually spoken in the series, the familiar phrase, “Beam me up, Scotty,” has transcended pop culture boundaries, proving the power of merging innovative ideas with great storytelling.
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