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Amazon.com Volume 8 in the DVD series of original Star Trek episodes includes the fascinating two-part drama "The Menagerie." As if guided by the frugal wisdom of schlockmeister producer-director Roger Corman, Trek creator Gene Roddenberry found a clever way of using, instead of losing, extensive and costly footage from the then-unseen, discarded Star Trek pilot, "The Cage." Roddenberry's solution was to integrate pieces of "The Cage" into a whole new story context, and the surprisingly moving result was "The Menagerie." First, a bit of background: "The Cage" starred film actor Jeffrey Hunter (King of Kings, The Searchers) as Christopher Pike, the original captain of the Enterprise. Among Hunter's costars was Leonard Nimoy as Science Officer Spock, who eventually carried over, of course, into the reconfigured series starring William Shatner. Rather than write off "The Cage," Roddenberry conceived of a story line in which Captain Pike would re-appear on the show in a badly disfigured, paralyzed, and mute form--the result of a terrible accident in which the character saved a number of lives but took a pounding in the process. In "The Menagerie," Spock hijacks the Enterprise to transport Pike to a secret destination. During court-martial proceedings for this crime, Spock's defense is presented via archival footage of an old, pre-Kirk mission aboard the Enterprise. That footage, of course, is a re-edited "The Cage." A must-see for Star Trek fans, "The Menagerie" is a stellar example of Roddenberry thinking on his feet. --Tom Keogh
Again the first episode of Star trek and more.July 1, 2008 Angel here(Quebec, Quebec Canada) That's a special and more (review) of the beginning of Star Trek. I like this.
As good as a Star Trek movie!January 26, 2008 Patrick W. Crabtree(Lucasville, OH USA) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
In addition to being a great double episode, this one thus becomes an early "Star Trek Movie," and a darned good one too! I gleaned some of the following information (edited and mixed with my own comments) from Wikipedia for the benefit of consumers here.
Here we get to see the ORIGINAL Captain of the Starship Enterprise, Jeffrey Hunter, who played the role of Captain Pike. Hunter wasn't nearly as theatrical and overdramatic as William Shatner, who ended up in the role of Captain James T. Kirk, but would have, in my opinion, been equally great for the entire series had he stayed on board.
Part one of the two-part episode was broadcast on November 17, 1966 with the second part broadcast a week later on November 24, 1966.
Here, Spock has to trick Captain Kirk and essentially commit treason in taking the Enterprise to the forbidden Planet, Talos IV. At his trial for that infraction, Captain Pike, a man unable to move or speak except through an electronic device, ultimately reveals the story behind Spock's bizarre deception.
New filming took place for the framing story for "The Cage," the Star Trek pilot film which Gene Roddenberry shrewdly utilized in the production of this episode. Since actor Jeffrey Hunter was unavailable to reprise his role as Captain Pike, a look-alike actor, Sean Kenney, played the injured captain in the new scenes of "The Menagerie".
Sadly, in 1969, while flying back to the U.S. from Spain after filming "Viva America!," Jeffrey Hunter suffered the signs of a stroke. After recovering at a hospital in Los Angeles, he suffered another stroke while at home, causing a fall and a skull fracture. He died the following day from his injuries and was ultimately interred in the Glen Haven Memorial Park cemetery in Sylmar, California.
In summary, while this double episode is NOT representative of the typical Star Trek program, it's still a superb entry and any fan of science fiction television would much enjoy this intriguing and coherent story. You don't have to be a Trekkie to "get it".
As good as I rememberSeptember 3, 2007 Fred C. Holland(Oklahoma City) Like many middle aged Americans, I grew up on a steady diet of STAR TREK, Laugh In, Johnny Quest and others too numerous to mention. Not everything is as good to me now as I remember. But this episode is pure gold. I believe the older episode within the newer episode was the pilot. I hope that my kids will have a show or two that when they reach my age, will be as good as they remember. Like this is for me.
Inadvertant Star Trek MasterpieceJune 20, 2007 Brian Overland(Bellevue, WA) "The Menagerie" is a unique chapter in Trek history. Unable to deliver new episodes quickly enough (due to Trek's exceptionally long postproduction times in those days), the producers wrote a 2-part episode based largely around the original pilot for the show, which NBC had rejected. The newer scenes are mostly simple set-ups aboard ship or a starbase.
The story-telling device is ingenious. Spock was the only crew member to carry over from the original cast. In Part I of "The Menagerie," Spock hijacks the Enterprise to take his old captain, Christopher Pike, back to planet Talos IV. In the resulting mutiny trial, images are beamed from the planet. This footage is actually reused from the original Star Trek pilot, "The Cage."
The resulting two-part story is an award-winning masterpiece. Roddenberry was fond of his original pilot and liked to show it by itself. But a great deal is gained by the framing device, or "envelope." (Note that there is little "Cage" footage that did not get reused in "The Menagerie" -- just a couple of brief scenes.) By seeing old and new Enterprise footage side by side, we get a sense of Federation history and continuity. There are some cosmetic changes, which would be natural, but it's basically the same ship. We see how deep the quality of loyalty is in Spock. Normally Spock's loyalty is to Kirk, but Spock's loyalty to his old captain -- also an Earthman -- in my opinion makes Spock all the more admirable.
We also get to see Kirk and Pike side by side. These are similar men, both bold decisive leaders on the young side of 40. But Jefferey Hunter (whose other major role was Jesus) brought less of a sense of humor to Captain Pike than Shatner often did with Kirk.
"The Cage" itself, which makes up the bulk of Part II, is quite good. The big-brained Talosians captured Pike and sought to make him mate and settle down with an Earth woman, Vina (the delightful Susan Oliver). When they see that human hatred of captivity -- as demonstrated by Pike -- is too great, they realize that humans aren't useful to them and they let him go. Using the power of illusion, they offered many enticements. The scene in which they make Vina appear as a green Orion slave girl is the sexiest in all of Star Trek, and it's worth the money for that scene alone.
The final scene (back on the current Enterprise) is one of the most moving in the history of the franchise. As the credits roll, we see Kirk gaze in awe as he sees the Talosians use their mental powers to restore the severely-disabled Pike to a full and joyful life. "He has illusion and you have reality." It is a very humane ending that helps to make up for the Talosians' earlier bad behavior.
Recycled pilot still entertainsJanuary 2, 2007 David Bonesteel(Fresno, CA United States) Gene Roddenberry conceived these episodes to utilize footage from the costly first Star Trek pilot, which had been considered too cerebral by the network. Now that it is possible to view "The Cage" in its intended version, there is really no reason for these episodes anymore. Of course, no one could know that then, and for many years this was the only way that fine pilot could be seen in any form. The framing story, in which Spock (Leonard Nimoy) risks court martial to return his disfigured former captain (Jeffrey Hunter) to Talos IV, is frequently awkward. However, it does provide a plausible pretext for strong conflict between the main characters and a touching send-off for the former captain of the Enterprise, Christopher Pike.
