History of Star Trek on NBC

Star Trek originally was telecast in the United States on NBC from 1966 to 1969. Although it has become one of the most well-known television programs of all time, it was not a success in its original network run. The following is the complete network broadcast history of the program. All times given are Eastern Standard Time. The schedule below reflects how the show aired on most NBC stations. Some NBC affiliates ran the program at a different night or time, and some did not air it at all, especially during the first season.

Season One (1966-1967)

During its first season on NBC, Star Trek aired on Thursday nights at 8:30 P.M. It replaced Laredo (which moved to Fridays) on the NBC schedule. The network actually debuted the show one week before the beginning of the Fall 1966 season as a "Sneak Preview."

*September 8, 1966: "The Man Trap" ("Sneak Preview")
*September 15, 1966: "Charlie X" (season premiere)
*September 22, 1966: "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
*September 29, 1966: "The Naked Time"
*October 6, 1966: "The Enemy Within"
*October 13, 1966: "Mudd's Women"
*October 20, 1966: "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"
*October 27, 1966: "Miri"
*November 3, 1966: "Dagger of the Mind"
*November 10, 1966: "The Corbomite Maneuver"
*November 17, 1966: "The Menagerie" part 1
*November 24, 1966: "The Menagerie" part 2
*December 1, 1966: pre-empted by a comedy special, "The Jack Benny Hour"
*December 8, 1966: "The Conscience of the King"
*December 15, 1966: "Balance of Terror"
*December 22, 1966: repeat of "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"
*December 29, 1966: "Shore Leave"
*January 5, 1967: "The Galileo Seven"
*January 12, 1967: "The Squire of Gothos"
*January 19, 1967: "Arena"
*January 26, 1967: "Tomorrow is Yesterday"
*February 2, 1967: "Court Martial" (NBC planned to air another episode, "The Alternative Factor," but was forced to change episodes at the last minute)
*February 9, 1967: "The Return of the Archons"
*February 16, 1967: "Space Seed"
*February 23, 1967: "A Taste of Armageddon"
*March 2, 1967: "This Side of Paradise"
*March 9, 1967: "The Devil in the Dark"
*March 16, 1967: pre-empted by highlights of the 1967 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
*March 23, 1967: "Errand of Mercy"
*March 30, 1967: "The Alternative Factor" (originally scheduled to air February 2)
*April 6, 1967: "The City on the Edge of Forever"
*April 13, 1967: "" (season finale)
*April 20, 1967: repeat of "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
*April 27, 1967: repeat of "The Naked Time"
*May 4, 1967: repeat of "Mudd's Women"
*May 11, 1967: repeat of "The Corbomite Maneuver"
*May 18, 1967: repeat of "The Menagerie" part 1
*May 25, 1967: repeat of "The Menagerie" part 2
*June 1, 1967: repeat of "Charlie X"
*June 8, 1967: repeat of "Shore Leave"
*June 15, 1967: repeat of "The Devil in the Dark"
*June 22, 1967: repeat of "The Squire of Gothos"
*June 29, 1967: repeat of "Miri"
*July 6, 1967: repeat of "Arena"
*July 13, 1967: repeat of "Tomorrow is Yesterday"
*July 20, 1967: repeat of "A Taste of Armageddon" (NBC planned to air a repeat of "Balance of Terror," but this was changed at the last minute)
*July 27, 1967: repeat of "The Return of the Archons"
*August 3, 1967: repeat of "Balance of Terror" (originally scheduled to air July 20)
*August 10, 1967: repeat of "This Side of Paradise"
*August 17, 1967: pre-empted by a music special, "An Evening at Tanglewood"
*August 24, 1967: repeat of "Space Seed"
*August 31, 1967: repeat of "The City on the Edge of Forever"

NBC pre-empted Star Trek on September 7, 1967, the last Thursday of the 1966-1967 season, with a repeat broadcast of "Damn Yankees" on General Electric Theater. Beginning September 14, 1967, the network aired a new show, Ironside, in the 8:30 P.M. Thursday time-slot.

Season Two (1967-1968)

For the series' second season, NBC moved Star Trek to a new night: Fridays at 8:30 P.M., replacing The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (which moved to Monday night).

*September 15, 1967: "Amok Time" (season premiere)
*September 22, 1967: "Who Mourns for Adonais?"
*September 29, 1967: "The Changeling"
*October 6, 1967: "Mirror, Mirror"
*October 13, 1967: "The Apple"
*October 20, 1967: "The Doomsday Machine"
*October 27, 1967: "Catspaw"
*November 3, 1967: "I, Mudd"
*November 10, 1967: "Metamorphosis"
*November 17, 1967: "Journey to Babel"
*November 24, 1967: pre-empted by a repeat of "Singer Presents Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass", a music special which had aired the previous season on CBS
*December 1, 1967: ""
*December 8, 1967: "The Deadly Years"
*December 15, 1967: "Obsession"
*December 22, 1967: "Wolf in the Fold"
*December 29, 1967: "The Trouble With Tribbles"
*January 5, 1968: "The Gamesters of Triskelion"
*January 12, 1968: "A Piece of the Action"
*January 19, 1968: "The Immunity Syndrome"
*January 26, 1968: pre-empted by a dramatic special, "Flesh & Blood"
*February 2, 1968: "A Private Little War"
*February 9, 1968: "Return to Tomorrow"
*February 16, 1968: "Patterns of Force"
*February 23, 1968: "By Any Other Name"
*March 1, 1968: "The Omega Glory"
*March 8, 1968: "The Ultimate Computer"
*March 15, 1968: "Bread and Circuses"
*March 22, 1968: pre-empted by highlights of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
*March 29, 1968: "Assignment: Earth" (season finale)
*April 5, 1968: repeat of "I, Mudd"
*April 12, 1968: repeat of "Mirror, Mirror"
*April 19, 1968: repeat of "The Doomsday Machine"
*April 26, 1968: repeat of "Amok Time"
*May 3, 1968: repeat of "The Gamesters of Triskelion"
*May 10, 1968: repeat of "Who Mourns for Adonais?"
*May 17, 1968: repeat of "The Changeling"
*May 24, 1968: repeat of "Catspaw"
*May 31, 1968 repeat of "By Any Other Name"
*June 7, 1968: repeat of "The Immunity Syndrome"
*June 14, 1968: pre-empted by a news special, "The Art Game"
*June 21, 1968: repeat of "The Trouble With Tribbles"
*June 28, 1968: repeat of "The Ultimate Computer"
*July 5, 1968: repeat of "Journey to Babel"
*July 12, 1968: repeat of "The Apple"
*July 19, 1968: repeat of "Metamorphosis"
*July 26, 1968: repeat of "The Omega Glory"
*August 2, 1968: repeat of "Return to Tomorrow"
*August 9, 1968: repeat of "Assignment: Earth"
*August 16, 1968: repeat of "The Deadly Years"
*August 23, 1968: repeat of "A Private Little War"
*August 30, 1968: repeat of "A Piece of the Action"

NBC pre-empted the series on the final two Fridays of the 1967-1968 season. On September 6, 1968, the network televised a pro football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers. On September 13, 1968, NBC aired a special episode of the news series White Paper: The Ordeal of the American City, "Cities Have No Limits." On September 20, 1968, NBC began airing The Name of the Game in the 8:30 P.M Friday time-slot.

Season Three (1968-1968)

For Star Treks third and final season, the program moved to a new time on Fridays: 10 P.M., replacing the cancelled Actuality Specials. This move to what is commonly called the "Friday night death slot" resulted in very poor ratings, which eventually led to the program's cancellation at the end of the season.

*September 20, 1968: "Spock's Brain" (season premiere)
*September 27, 1968: "The Enterprise Incident"
*October 4, 1968: "The Paradise Syndrome"
*October 11, 1968: "And the Children Shall Lead"
*October 18, 1968: "Is There in Truth No Beauty?"
*October 25, 1968: "Spectre of the Gun"
*November 1, 1968: "Day of the Dove"
*November 8, 1968: "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky"
*November 15, 1968: "The Tholian Web"
*November 22, 1968: "Plato's Stepchildren"
*November 29, 1968: "Wink of an Eye"
*December 6, 1968: "The Empath"
*December 13, 1968: pre-empted by an episode of the documentary special series Project 20, "Down to the Sea in Ships" (originally scheduled to air December 11).
*December 20, 1968: "Elaan of Troyius"
*December 27, 1968: repeat of "The Enterprise Incident"
*January 3, 1969: "Whom Gods Destroy"
*January 10, 1969: "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
*January 17, 1969: "The Mark of Gideon"
*January 24, 1969: "That Which Survives"
*January 31, 1969: "The Lights of Zetar"
*February 7, 1969: pre-empted by an episode of the special series NBC Experiment in Television, "This Is Sholom Aleichem"
*February 14, 1969: "Requiem for Methuselah"
*February 21, 1969: "The Way to Eden"
*February 28, 1969: "The Cloud Minders"
*March 7, 1969: "The Savage Curtain"
*March 14, 1969: "All Our Yesterdays"
*March 21, 1969: pre-empted by a documentary special, "Hollywood: The Selznick Years"
*March 28, 1969: pre-empted by an NBC News Special recalling the life of former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, who had died earlier that day (NBC had planned to air the season finale, "Turnabout Intruder", but this was cancelled at the last minute)
*April 4, 1969: repeat of "Spectre of the Gun"

On April 11, 1969 Star Trek was pre-empted by a special episode of the documentary series NBC Experiment in Television, "Fellini: A Director's Notebook." The following week NBC cancelled Star Trek, moving The Saint into the 10 P.M. Friday time-slot.

After an absence of several months, NBC brought back Star Trek during summer re-runs on a new night and time: Tuesdays at 7:30 P.M. It replaced The Jerry Lewis Show on the NBC schedule.

*June 3, 1969: "Turnabout Intruder" (season finale, originally scheduled to air March 28, 1969)
*June 10, 1969: repeat of "Is There in Truth No Beauty?"
*June 17, 1969: repeat of "Day of the Dove"
*June 24, 1969: repeat of "Wink of an Eye"
*July 1, 1969: repeat of "The Savage Curtain"
*July 8, 1969: repeat of "Spock's Brain"
*July 15, 1969: pre-empted by an NBC News Special previewing the Apollo 11 moon landing
*July 22, 1969: pre-empted by the 1969 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
*July 29, 1969: repeat of "That Which Survives"
*August 5, 1969: repeat of "All Our Yesterdays"
*August 12, 1969: repeat of "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield"
*August 19, 1969: repeat of "The Tholian Web"
*August 26, 1969: repeat of "The Lights of Zetar"
*September 2, 1969: repeat of "Requiem for Methuselah" (final broadcast)

On September 9, 1969, the final Tuesday of the 1968-1969 season, NBC aired a repeat episode of the documentary special series Project 20, "Mirror of America." On September 16, 1969 the network began airing I Dream of Jeannie in the 7:30 P.M. Tuesday time-slot.

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