Pilot (Arrow)

"**Pilot**"
"Pilot"
Arrow episode
	Promotional poster
Episode no.	Season 1; Episode 1
Directed by	David Nutter
Story by	Greg Berlanti; Marc Guggenheim;
Teleplay by	Andrew Kreisberg; Marc Guggenheim;
Featured music	"C'Mon Doll" by My Goodness; "Work Hard Play Hard (Radio Mix)" by Tiësto; "We Are the Champions" by Queen; "Blow (Cirkut Remix)" by Ke$ha; "Superload" by Oliver Lieb; "Playing In The Dark" by Jeremy Thurber; "Babes" by Icky Blossoms; "Apparitions" by The Raveonettes;
Cinematography by	Glen Winter
Editing by	Paul Karasick
Production code	296818
Original air date	October 10, 2012
Running time	43 minutes
Guest appearances
	Colin Salmon as Walter Steele; Jamey Sheridan as Robert Queen; Jacqueline MacInnes Wood as Sara Lance; Annie Ilonzeh as Joanna De La Vega; Kathleen Gati as Raisa; Roger Cross as Lucas Hilton; Brian Markinson as Adam Hunt; Ben Cotton as Dave Hackett;
Episode chronology
← Previous; —	Next →; "Honor Thy Father"
	Arrow season 1
	List of episodes

"Pilot" is the first episode of the television series Arrow, which premiered on The CW on October 10, 2012. It was written by series developers Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg, and directed by David Nutter. The episode introduces Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell), a billionaire playboy, his mother Moira Queen (Susanna Thompson), sister Thea (Willa Holland), new bodyguard John Diggle (David Ramsey), best friend Tommy Merlyn (Colin Donnell), ex-girlfriend Laurel Lance (Katie Cassidy), and her father Detective Quentin Lance (Paul Blackthorne). It follows Oliver as he returns to Starling City, after having been shipwrecked for five years, and becomes a bow-wielding, hooded vigilante who sets out to right the wrongs of his father, who died during the shipwreck, and save the city.

Filmed in Vancouver, Canada, the pilot features two timelines on display: Oliver in the present, fighting crime as a vigilante, and Oliver when he is shipwrecked five years earlier. The developers wanted to bring a realistic vision to the character, which translated into a functional costume and no superpowers being featured. The pilot became the highest rated show on The CW in three years. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who generally cited Amell's performance as a highlight. The episode was nominated for various awards, winning three.