Where no man has gone before
"Where no man has gone before" is a phrase made popular through its use in the title sequence of the original 1966–1969 Star Trek science fiction television series, describing the mission of the starship Enterprise.
The complete introductory speech, spoken by William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk at the beginning of each episode, is: Space: the final frontier.
[1] A variation of the phrase "where no man has gone before", "by oceans where none had ventured", was first used by the noted Portuguese poet Luís de Camões in his epic poem The Lusiads, published in 1572.
For example, H. P. Lovecraft's novella The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, written in 1927 and published in 1943, includes this passage: At length, sick with longing for those glittering sunset streets and cryptical hill lanes among ancient tiled roofs, nor able sleeping or waking to drive them from his mind, Carter resolved to go with bold entreaty whither no man had gone before, and dare the icy deserts through the dark to where unknown Kadath, veiled in cloud and crowned with unimagined stars, holds secret and nocturnal the onyx castle of the Great Ones.
The phrase itself was subsequently worked into the show's opening narration, which was written in August 1966, after several episodes had been filmed, and shortly before the series was due to debut.
It is the result of the combined input of several people, including Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and producers John D. F. Black and Bob Justman.
Assigned a five year galaxy patrol, the bold crew of the giant starship explores the excitement of strange new worlds, uncharted civilizations, and exotic people.
Their ongoing mission: to explore strange new worlds; to seek out new lifeforms and new civilizations; to boldly go where no man has gone before!The final phrase is referenced in-universe as Kirk narrates his final captain's log at the conclusion of Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country; he notes that the next crew of the Enterprise will continue "boldly going where no man... where no one... has gone before", a change prompted by criticism from aliens earlier in the film of the crew's human-centrism.
The full monologue was once again spoken at the end of the Star Trek: Enterprise series finale, "These Are the Voyages...," by the captains of the three main starships (NCC-1701-D, NCC-1701, and NX-01) to bear the name Enterprise; Patrick Stewart spoke the first two sentences, William Shatner the third and fourth, and Scott Bakula — as Captain Jonathan Archer — the final sentence.
In the 2009 film Star Trek, the monologue is spoken by Leonard Nimoy and uses his version from The Wrath of Khan with the word "continuing" removed.
[13] The phrase was parodied on the retail box of the 1987 computer game Space Quest: The Sarien Encounter, which read "His mission: to scrub dirty decks...to replace burned-out lightbulbs...TO BOLDLY GO WHERE NO MAN HAS SWEPT THE FLOOR!"
