Original artwork, not a still
Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, its five year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life, and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before...
— Star Trek: The Original Series · 1966
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
These words are the series' mission statement: curiosity as a job description. "To boldly go" became the textbook split infinitive, and the speech has been recited, parodied and rewritten for nearly sixty years, with "man" quietly becoming "one" for later generations. Fans say it as a toast, a motto for any new venture, or the opening bell of a long road trip.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for Star Trek: The Original SeriesShow the scene
The speech opens every episode of the original Star Trek, spoken over the Enterprise sweeping past the camera as the cast credits fly by. William Shatner delivers it as Captain Kirk, and the title sequence was put together in a hurry from effects footage and shots from the two pilots. The series reached screens with "The Man Trap", premiering in Canada on CTV before America. Sequels kept the pattern: The Next Generation changed "no man" to "no one" in 1987.
Sources (3)
- Memory Alpha: TOS opening title sequencesopening paragraphsReference checked
- Memory Alpha: The Man Trap (episode)Background informationReference checked
- Memory Alpha: Star Trek: The Next GenerationOverviewReference checked
Context reviewed
