On August 1, 1966, Bob Justman, an associate producer of Star Trek, wrote Gene Roddenberry: “It is important that you compose, without delay, our Standard Opening Narration for Bill Shatner to record. It should run about 15 seconds in length, as we discussed earlier.”

Here is Roddenberry’s first draft, on August 2: “This is the story of the United Space Ship Enterprise. Assigned a five year patrol of our galaxy, the giant starship visits Earth colonies, regulates commerce, and explores strange new worlds and civilizations. These are its voyages… and its adventures.”

The second draft, that same day: “This is the adventure of the United Space Ship Enterprise. 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. These are its voyages and its adventures…”

Later that day John D. F. Black, another associate producer, sent a memo with two revisions, saying his goal was to add more drama. A ~16-second version: “Space…the final frontier…endless…silent…waiting. This is the story of the United Space Ship Enterprise…its mission…a five year patrol of the galaxy…to seek out and contact all alien life…to explore…to travel the vast galaxy where no man has gone before…a STAR TREK.” An ~11-second version: “The U.S.S. Enterprise…star ship…its mission…a five year patrol to seek out and contact alien life…to explore the infinite frontier of space…where no man has gone before…a STAR TREK.”

Justman sent another memo that day. “This is the story of the Starship Enterprise. Its mission: to advance knowledge, contact alien life and enforce intergalactic law … to explore the strange new worlds where no man has gone before.”

Then, like a true procrastinator, Roddenberry made no progress on it for eight days until Shatner was ready to record it on August 10. “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.”

(These drafts were published in Inside Star Trek: The Real Story, by Herbert F. Solow and Robert H. Justman.)