Star Trek: The Original Series
Series, 1966, Kirk, Set in 2265–2269
Star Trek: The Original Series is #1 of 26 in release order and #4 of 26 in chronological order in the Star Trek.
The story
Space. The Final Frontier. The U.S.S. Enterprise embarks on a five year mission to explore the galaxy. The Enterprise is under the command of Captain James T. Kirk with First Officer Mr. Spock, from the planet Vulcan. With a determined crew, the Enterprise encounters Klingons, Romulans, time paradoxes, tribbles and genetic supermen led by Khan Noonian Singh. Their mission is to explore strange new worlds, to seek new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no man has gone before.
Star Trek: The Original Series recap
In the 2260s, Captain James T. Kirk commands the USS Enterprise on a five-year mission of exploration, with his half-Vulcan science officer Spock and the ship's doctor, Leonard McCoy, along with Scotty, Uhura, Sulu and, from season 2, Chekov. In season 1, the crew meets the Romulans for the first time across the Neutral Zone, fights the Klingons for the planet Organia, revives the 20th-century tyrant Khan Noonien Singh from a sleeper ship and maroons him on Ceti Alpha V, and Kirk, Spock and McCoy go back to 1930s New York, where Kirk has to let the woman he loves, Edith Keeler, die to save history. Spock also hijacks the ship to bring the crippled Captain Pike to Talos IV. In season 2, Spock returns to Vulcan to mate and fights Kirk in a ritual duel, a transporter accident sends Kirk and others into a brutal mirror universe, a planet-killing machine nearly destroys the ship, and a station fills with tribbles. In season 3, the crew faces more alien tests and strange planets, and the Romulans have a cloaking device that Kirk and Spock steal.
Star Trek: The Original Series ending explained
There is no finale. The show is cancelled after three seasons, and its last episode is a body-swap story in which Kirk's former lover Janice Lester takes over his body to command the Enterprise until Spock and the crew see through it. The crew's story continues in The Animated Series and then the films, which pick up after the five-year mission ends.
Where to watch Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series is streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 8.4/10, Rotten Tomatoes 75%
Where it fits
- Release order: first, before Star Trek: The Animated Series.
- Chronological order: after Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, before Star Trek: The Animated Series.
What to watch before Star Trek: The Original Series
Nothing. Star Trek: The Original Series is the first of the Star Trek essentials, so it's the place to start.
Cast
- William Shatner as James T. Kirk
- Leonard Nimoy as Spock
- DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy
- James Doohan as Scott
- George Takei as Sulu
- Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
- Walter Koenig as Pavel Chekov
- Frank da Vinci as Vulcan Aide
- Eddie Paskey as Lieutenant Ryan (uncredited)
- Ron Veto as Harrison
- John Winston as Lieutenant Kyle
- Majel Barrett as Christine Chapel
Created by Gene Roddenberry.