What episode was the first regular Star Trek episode broadcast after the pilots?

“What episode was the first regular Star Trek episode broadcast after the pilots?” The answer is “The Man Trap.” NBC broadcast it in the United States on September 8, 1966, making it the first aired episode of Star Trek.

The distinction matters because the series had two pilot productions. “The Cage” was the original pilot, and “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was the second pilot that persuaded NBC to order the series. Neither was the first regular episode broadcast in the United States. “Where No Man Has Gone Before” was later scheduled as the third aired episode.

“The Man Trap” follows the Enterprise crew as they visit an outpost for medical examinations and encounter a shape-shifting creature that extracts salt from human bodies. It was actually the sixth episode filmed, but the studio selected it as the premiere because its horror-oriented story seemed immediately compelling.

A common mix-up is “Mudd’s Women,” another early production considered for the premiere. “The Corbomite Maneuver” was also filmed before the broadcast debut, but it aired later.