Star Trek (TV Series) The Cage (1966) User Reviews

history in the making

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 9 July 2005]

Just think...if Jeffrey Hunter had wound up playing the Captain in Star Trek, he might be alive today. Hunter died in 1969 from a subarachnoid hemorrhage, probably caused by an explosion that imploded instead during a film he was working on in Europe. Interesting thought.

The Cage was the most expensive pilot in NBC history to that point. Though the Star Trek idea had its supporters, the network couldn't see past its nose to pick up the series. They did, however, agree to a second pilot with some changed elements - like a woman who was second in command. The reasons why Hunter did not do the next pilot have been debated. A friend of Hunter's stated that Hunter's wife, Dusty, thought science fiction was low class and didn't want him involved in the show. And, according to Shatner's book, she also made unreasonable demands of the producers.

It's worth remembering that back in the '60s, science fiction, space movies, etc., did not have the "A" status that they do today. B movies only became A movies after Star Wars.

The Cage is a not only very good but touching, and of course, it's fascinating to see "Star Trek" before it became a cult classic. The story concerns a planet that exists basically on Mind Control, and the inhabitants in charge capture Pike in the hope that he can help replenish their race with an earth woman who is there as a result of a ship crashing. Susan Oliver is the woman.

During the run of the series, in order to recoup some of the costs of this fabulously expensive pilot, it was incorporated into a two-part episode, with another actor playing the now near-vegetative Captain Pike.

I love seeing films such as this that were done before all the special effect technology became available, because they were done in such innovative and imaginative ways. The Cage is worth a look to see the genesis of a show that became part of our culture.

Nice look into what Star Trek might have been...

[Tyypo · 8/10 · 1 January 2011]

This is one of my very favorite episodes, and I've always wondered what a Star Trek with Captain Pike would have been like. It has excitement, suspense, and even a thinking plot. It definitely works much better as a stand-alone episode than it does as a backdrop for "The Menagerie". In that capacity, it is used as a flashback to propel a very odd story where Spock commandeers the Enterprise to deliver a badly injured Pike to what appears to be a morally bankrupt race so he can live out an illusion of a normal life. Very un-Spock like IMHO.

That said, it seems apparent to me that Gene Roddenberry lifted some very obvious plot ideas for this pilot from the Twilight Zone episode "People Are Alike All Over". He even borrowed actress Susan Oliver who appeared in that episode in a similar role and a with a similar name ("Teenya" vs "Vina").

Trek with Capt. Pike, paving the way for Kirk and co.

[Bogmeister · 7/10 · 15 June 2006]

Before Scotty and Sulu; before Dr.McCoy; before even Capt. Kirk, Spock (Nimoy) was under command of Capt. Pike (Hunter) in the familiar Enterprise (tho with a crew of only 203, as mentioned). The genesis of this original version of a proto-Federation from Roddenberry can be traced back to the spectacular sf film of about 8 years earlier, "Forbidden Planet." As in that film, it was established that some kind of space fleet exists in mankind's future, on patrol or a Star Trek or just exploring (mostly exploring in Roddenberry's vision). There was a commander Adams in the earlier film; Roddenberry first scripted a Capt. April; when the pilot for a new TV show was finally filmed in late '64, he settled on a Capt. Pike, here a more morose and disenchanted version of Capt. Kirk, tired of the heavy responsibilities associated with such a ship's captaincy. This pilot episode, filmed close to the standards of a feature film, takes on unexpected connotations from the perspective of current times. Since it was later established that this episode took place about 13 years prior to the events of the regular Trek series, one gets the impression of a long line of captains and ship's doctors, all debating, in succession, the values and principles of crew duties and regulations after particularly trying missions, as in an early scene here.

In a clever scripting detail, we sort of come into the middle of a story as the episode begins: the crew just completed some mission or adventure on one of the Rigel planets; there were fatalities, everyone's tired. So the sense is that missions in space have been going on for quite some time. Now, the latest - a bogus distress call and pretty soon the captain is held captive by a race of big-headed aliens with extraordinary powers of illusion. It's amazing that the entire holodeck concept in the TNG series, over 20 years later, is given an early run-through here. As mentioned, the production values are close to those of a feature film - this is especially evident after the restored version of this pilot became available. Pike transits, thanks to such illusionary abilities, from one exotic locale to the next, never knowing what to expect. Jeff Hunter was pretty good as the captain, playing a bit closer to the vest than Shatner, some might say withdrawn, but with obvious leadership charisma. Nimoy, in this early version of Spock, lets loose a grin at least once, definitely a younger, less polished interpretation of his well-known character. I was a bit impressed by Barrett, who would've been 2nd-in-command had this show continued as is here. Back in the sixties, the powers-that-be could not accept a female of such high rank, but she pulled it off. They demoted her to lovestruck nurse by the time the regular show began. Hoyt seemed to exist merely as a 'bartender-as-doctor' personality, with none of the crackle Kelley brought to the role.

The rest of the cast as the crew in this early version of Trek were quite bland, including an early role for Roarke, later a fixture in some biker films and "Dirty Mary,Crazy Larry"(74). Guest star Oliver was more interesting as the fellow prisoner engaged in futuristic mating rituals with Pike - her Orion slave girl illusion was quite risqué for its time, but that was Roddenberry for you. The entire episode proved to be a highly cerebral, involved effort, too complex for the masses of that time in the view of decision-makers, and maybe even too serious in approach. Unexpectedly, a sequel to this pilot materialized during the course of the regular series, only a third of the way through the first season - "The Menagerie" parts 1 & 2 - where-in we learned the future fate of Pike, not a very pleasant prospect, as it turned out. After this pilot was rejected by the bosses, Roddenberry presented "Where No Man Has Gone Before," starring Shatner as Kirk.

Cerebral Confusion At NBC and Everywhere Else

[DKosty123 · 8/10 · 11 May 2009]

I went to a Trekie revival in the late 1970's hosted by Gene Roddenberry, in person, the series creator. When I first saw this listed here, I was confused by the September, 1966 air date. This episode never aired on NBC or any network originally. If it has been shown intact, it has only happened in later years.

At this revival, Gene showed only the black and white version of this as at that point, the color one had been lost and all he had was the black and white. It was shown on a large arena screen and was on film. He talked about the fact it had never aired and that NBC had decided against running this series based on The Cage.

Gene used The Menagerie two parter as a way to air the pilot later. When the series began, it did not air first. He said that his purpose for the series went totally over the NBC execs heads. That is no surprise as NBC often was the second place network and sometimes fell to number three of three during the late 1960's.

Gene Roddenberry originally pitched this series to NBC as Wagon Train to The Stars, based on his experience writing westerns like Have Gun, Will Travel.Often success would come to NBC by accident. The accident here is that they gave Roddenberry a second chance to start this show.

That is what happened with Star Trek. Star Trek established the teenage generation following for NBC at the perfect time here as NBC would accidentally follow it up with other series this demographic liked. In no small part Rowan & Martins Laugh-In, an experiment in modern comedy-variety series succeeded because frustrated Trekies were looking for more network fare that was not conventional.

Star Trek's fresh, bold, where no man has gone before theme became a credo at NBC as they went very far out later to keep this audience for many years. The Cage is the ultimate place for all this to begin.

A Great Start For The Series

[fiascofilmsco · 4 June 2000]

This show should not be compared to the later Star Trek series, except for the title. This sci-fi ouclassed other shows of the time 2 to 1. There had never been anything like this on television up to this point.

Jeffery Hunter portrays a good starship captain. The supporting cast do an admirable job, too.

Sure, the effects look cheap, but, hey... this was a PILOT for the series. This story was good enough to be decked out into a 2-parter episode in the Star Trek series that began the next year in 1966.

I am glad that Paramount released this show to the home market. It stands alone in its simple story of space travel. And it works!

A Star is Born!

[OttoVonB · 10/10 · 6 March 2014]

Before Star Trek was a fully fledged religion, a multimedia behemoth spanning 5 show, 12 films (and counting), books, video games and the like, it was an unproven, vulnerable and daring concept. Few audiences ever get a chance to appreciate their favorite shows' test runs, and Star Trek again goes the distance by not just unearthing its long lost pilot, but even giving it the extra polish it deserves.

The Cage was rejected as a pilot for being too cerebral and low on action, so while many of its traits came to define the series - transporter beams, phasers, pastel-costumed aliens, class M planets (strangely abundant it seems) - others did not. Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter), less likable but more interesting than Kirk, jumped ship, and the crew was reshuffled. The sometimes quaint technology was also given a small update, so exit 23rd century fax machines.

What is striking, though, is how firmly it sets its tone and grasps its limitations, using exploration and adventure as subtext to its central dual of wits. There's a mean edge to the plot and some of the characters that would come to define what Star Trek can be at its very best, while making us marvel at how out of our depth we might be in the vastness of the universe.

Nearly 50 years on, this stand-alone episode could well be one of the finest science fiction films ever made, never mind the glorious retro-kitsch masterpiece it equally qualifies as. Even despite the limited means, one can feel the creators' total commitment to the universe they are just beginning to explore before our very eyes, and the huge sense of possibility.

Whatever your feelings are about Star Trek, if you have any interest in science fiction, you owe it to yourself to see this. What we have here isn't just some dated television milestone, but a hugely rewarding piece of entertainment in its own right.

Illusion is a trap

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 6 August 2019]

Although Trekkies had seen most of the pilot story for Star Trek as it was worked into the two part Menagerie episode this film which finally debuted over 20 years later intact.

The original captain Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike has the Enterprise answer a distress call from a planet in the Talosian system. They do find a party needing rescue, but it turns out to be a trap and Hunter is taken prisoner.

If you've seen Menagerie you know what the large headed Talosians want with Hunter. Susan Oliver who is the real human survivor of that long ago crash wants him too, to find her attractive.

With their extraordinary brain capacity the Talosians can create illusions to control behavior. But as they say illusion is also a trap.

We can only speculate what might have happened had Jeff Hunter decided to do this series instead of some movie in Europe. But in his own way he's part of the Star Trek pantheon.

This is a must for all Trekkies.

A brief glimpse of what might have been

[movieman_kev · 8/10 · 6 October 2005]

Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) heads the U.S.S. Starship Enterprise in this pilot that the Powers that Be passed on, forcing Gene Rodenberry to make a second pilot with Wialliam Shatner as Kirk as well as making the new version more action oriented, less cerebral and ditching the idea of a woman as second in command. But that would all come later as this review is on the topic at hand. The unaired pilot deals with Pike being held captive in a glass cage by alien beings who possess the powers of mind illusions. It's in both black & white, as well as color (the parts that would be lated integrated into "The Menagerie" 2-part episode of Star Trek) It's more thought-provoking, less "action-packed" then the later series would end up being. And I throughly enjoyed it. This original version can be found as an extra on the Season 3 DVD set of Star Trak by the way.

My Grade: B+

Tables Turned...

[Xstal · 7/10 · 15 February 2022]

If two heads were better than one, the Talosians would look somewhat wrong, instead they look silly, with skulls somewhat hilly, they're after your thoughts to feed on.

Captain Pike has been trapped in their cage, he's developed a bit of a rage, but he does have a beauty, to share conjugal duty, though she's a little bit older in age.

Who has the right to cage anyone or anything against their will, even if it's to punish, it should only be done to those who are a danger to society, which most inmates are not.

Pike's peak...

[poe426 · 10/10 · 18 May 2009]

Juxtaposing everything from FORBIDDEN PLANET to THE OUTER LIMITS, the first pilot for STAR TREK stands the test of Time (at least it does in my opinion). The retro look (which was actually retro even back then) bespeaks a simpler time (a time, unfortunately, when genuinely thoughtful science fiction was in very short supply on the big screen, and totally missing from network television). Prior to STAR TREK, there'd been THE TWILIGHT ZONE and THE OUTER LIMITS (whose episode THE SIXTH FINGER may have inspired the look of the Talosians in THE CAGE), but little else in the way of worthwhile fare. Nor would the promise of this particular vision of STAR TREK ever be realized. Narrow-mindedness consigned Pike's Enterprise to a footnote in the history of the STAR TREK franchise. But what might have been! Jeffrey Hunter as Pike comes across as an even more capable captain than Kirk. (Not that I'm knocking William Shatner; like Sean Connery as James Bond or Robert Conrad as Jim West, he's synonymous with the series- and rightly so: he was a charismatic performer, and shouldered the burden of leading man like a champ.) The less stoic Spock appears fascinated (to coin a phrase) by all things Alien encountered in the pilot. His attitude is almost childlike, and totally at odds with the Vulcan we eventually came to know and love, but Nimoy still manages to infuse the character with a scientific curiosity that's fun to watch. All things considered, THE CAGE is superior televised science fiction. As much as I loved the first season of the first series, I still pine for the series that might have been...

A fitting first episode of the Star Trek Saga

[russem31 · 7/10 · 5 April 2006]

ST:TOS:01 - "The Cage" (Stardate: Unknown), the first pilot created by the late Gene Roddenberry (the Star Trek creator and Great Bird of the Galaxy), the pilot which was rejected by the NBC Executives, is a very fitting first episode for the future Star Trek Saga. The signature score by Alexander Courage, a previous version of the uniforms, the Enterprise starship, and the injected humor are all there. As well as a very human Mr. Spock (played by the great Leonard Nimoy, the only character to make it to the actual series that would ensue) - this will be the only time he actually grins! Also, look out for Majel Barrett as Number One (the first officer to Captain Pike) - although her character would be dropped, she would go on to play Nurse Chapel (as well as Lwaxana Troi in Star Trek: The Next Generation and the Enterprise computer in sequel Star Trek series).

Feature Film Quality that was denied to the series

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 23 April 2013]

When I say "Feature Film" I refer to the look, feel, and the Feature Film Actors used in this very 1950's style Pilot that was rejected by NBC.

The first time I had seen the full cut of this was when it was released by Gene Roddenberry as an "Extended Version" back in 1989, it was released during the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

It was great, but several key scenes had only existed in Black and White Prints at the time, the full Colourised version had been lost, so that version, the best that could be released at the time, was all there was available.

It is only recently with the "Remastered" version of TOS which includes the "Enhanced Content", that the full version of this in full colour has been made available - And so we, the original Fans of Trek, get to see, finally the Original First Pilot AS INTENDED - The way it was shown to NBC Executives way back in 1965 or so.

The Enhanced version I am referring to, was left pretty much the way it originally looked. One of the things that was amazing about this Pilot was the COLOUR, very rich. It brings to mind such 1950's sci-fi classics as "Forbidden Planet".

The final thing I realised, just recently, was this Pilot used Feature Film actors: Jeffery Hunter as Captain Pike, John Hoyt - Himself veteran of "When Worlds Collide" - As Dr Boyce - Peter Duryea, son of Dan, as Lt. Tyler, and Laurel Goodwin, from Elvis Presley's Misnamed "Girls Girls Girls" as the red-haired and flaming Yeoman Colt. Even Majel Lee Hudec, as Majel Barrett/Roddenberry was named back then was originally a feature film "Black Widow" on several 50's Noir films.

If this were just another 40 minutes longer, it could have been released as a major Motion Picture and made some money back for Desilu. Too bad nobody ever thought of this back then. Fortunately, this mini-feature film became the backbone for one of the best Original Series and only double-episode, "The Menagerie" - Hugo Award winning material. So this Pilot did not have to sit on a shelf for 25 years before we were able to see at least parts of it.

But during the 25th anniversary of Trek, it was finally released by Gene, and practically another 25 after that, it was remastered, re coloured, and given to us so watch in the best way possible, in the enhanced edition Blu Ray release.

Watching this brings me back to the first Movies I ever saw as a Kid, the books I read by Heinlein, the short stories of Poul Anderson and Harlan Ellison.

Overlong but has potential of the show that followed.

[alexanderdavies-99382 · 7/10 · 12 September 2017]

I'm not surprised that this first pilot episode of "Star Trek" was deemed a disappointment. It contains some scenes that are interesting and it's good to see Leonard Nimoy in his iconic role. However, I think the running time being that of an hour is too long and the story doesn't include enough plot to fit that length. The early scenes onboard the Enterprise are quite good. The sets representing the interiors don't look all that different from the regular series. I can't imagine anyone else playing the original Enterprise captain except William Shatner as James T. Kirk. Before he entered the picture, an actor by the name of Jeffrey Hunter played the first captain, Christopher Pike. His character differs in many ways to that of Kirk's. The latter character at least has some good qualities as a person as well as a leader. From my vantage point, Pike may be good at being a leader but as a person he leaves a fair bit to be desired. He comes across as a person who is quick to lose patience, is decidedly surly and treats his crew members with less than the respect that they are due. In the scene where the captain has a chat with the ship's doctor and the latter remarks how well Pike treats his crew, I wondered how many the doctor had had when he brought in that bottle of whiskey! When Pike makes that remark to his number one helmsman about her gender, her reaction speaks volumes. The comment clearly wasn't meant as a bit of harmless camaraderie and it isn't treated as such. With those kinds of character traits, I find it hard to root for Pike when he is plunged into danger when the story gets underway. The leading character of a television series had to be fairly likable or sympathetic, otherwise the viewers won't care a damn what happens to him/her. With Kirk and his crew, the viewers always care and always root for them. The rest of the crew are a dull and boring bunch, except for Leonard Nimoy and John Hoyt. They are great. For his first appearance as Spock, Nimoy is quite different to how he usually was. In "The Cage," Spock is more prone to displays of human emotion and he delivers his lines in a more rapid style than in his more thoughtful and deliberately slow manner. I quite enjoy the bits where Pike is plunged into those fantasy worlds where he needs to prove his manhood. Some of it was quite daring for the 1960s! The episode becomes rather cerebral during this juncture, perhaps a bit too much. There is an overall shortage of action and excitement but the interest is still there. About $700,000 was spent on this episode (you wouldn't think so, judging by the general production values). Considering we are talking about 1960s money and that it was spent on one television episode, that was a fortune. If the "Star Trek" show had stayed like this episode, it wouldn't have lasted a season. An interesting misfire.

Okay but not as good as second pilot

[paul-johnson107 · 5/10 · 26 January 2006]

They gave it a go, and hey, it didn't really prove itself to the network as being a worthwhile science-fiction series. Gene Roddenberry done right to give it another shot though, replacing Hunter was probably a good idea, it may just be me but i don't think that role was right for him, William Shatner looked comfortable with the role Hunter seemed stiff and uncomfortable.

This pilot is okay, but just think if a second hadn't of been made star trek may not have been born. I am a big Star Trek fan right from a child, the pilot was a good try but Roddenberry certainly cracked it with making the second din't he.

A groundbreaking sci-fi movie in its own right

[sdlitvin · 7 July 2003]

"The Cage" might have ended up as a TV-movie had NBC decided not to try again with a 2nd pilot and then go to series. If so, then "The Cage" would have been the best sci-fi movie since "Forbidden Planet" (to which it is clearly indebted)--all the more remarkable because it was made on a limited television budget and the poor facilities of Desilu Studios.

Yet Roddenberry's vision yielded a story that overcame the plastic and wooden sets and the hastily put together special effects, to give us our first look into his "Star Trek Universe"--a futuristic united Earth, which has finally been put right enabling mankind to set out for the stars.

We're so accustomed to that ST Universe by now, that we may forget how truly visionary it was for 1965: A giant warp-powered starship that looked truly futuristic and beautiful, not some cliche rocket shape. The bridge, the very model of a well-designed command center, to be eclipsed only by the sets of "2001: A Space Odyssey" three years later. The transporter. A female second-in-command and a mixed-gender crew. And most important of all, believable, multi-dimensional characters who are supported by all that futuristic technology and special effects, rather than playing second fiddle to them. Roddenberry's staunch insistence on believable characterization was what separated all the Star Trek series from any other sci-fi series--and is what has enabled the Star Trek franchise to last nearly 40 years.

While the Captain Pike character didn't survive into the second pilot or the series, it also represented a fascinating departure from the TV heroes of most past TV series--something you might see in a big-budget first-run movie rather than a TV pilot film. Pike is depressed and just plain burned out from the constant strain of command, and he is seriously contemplating resigning from Starfleet altogether because he just can't take it anymore. Like any harried, burned-out white-collar worker of today, he has unrealistic dreams of just going home at a young age to retire early, or maybe starting his own business, or anything to get him out of that captain's chair. The adventure he has in "The Cage" acts as his redemption, giving him a live demonstration of Dr. Boyce's statement that no matter how tempted a man may be to pack it in and give up on life, he must find a way to meet life on its own terms, not run from it and hide in daydreams of a life that in the end isn't really for him.

Gilded cage

[Lejink · 8/10 · 4 December 2012]

As Mr Spock would say - "Fascinating". I'd only ever seen this pilot episode when it was very cleverly spliced into the Series One two-parter "The Menagerie", but it was great to view it at last as a stand-alone programme. This is the way "Star Trek" might have turned out if this introduction had caught on originally with the commissioning powers-that-be, which only adds to the interest as the keen Trekkie looks for the similarities and dissimilarities between what we have here and what would come to be only a couple of years later when James T Kirk, Bones, Scotty and all joined Spock, the only retained character from "The Cage" on the Enterprise.

So we get the familiar Enterprise craft and bridge, all the sound effects and devices like phasers, transporter and communicators. There are no real titles as such however, likewise the famous theme music isn't played from the outset and of course there's no "captain's log" either. Interestingly Captain Pike uses the phrase "Engage" which skipped Kirk but ended up in the vocabulary of the next captain, Picard, played memorably by Patrick Stewart.

With the exception of Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike (who sadly died only a few years after this was made) and naturally Leonard Nimoy as Spock, I'm not sure I'd have retained any of the precursor characters here, but obviously I might be doing the actors a disservice through the simple expedience of unfamiliarity. Susan Devine makes for a pretty temptress to the smitten captain.

Anyway, the story itself is terrific, suitably out of this world, delivering a thoughtful but imaginative narrative with as much psychology to ponder as action to thrill to.

Proof that Captain Kirk did in fact boldly go where man had actually gone before.

The First Trek And A Compelling One At That

[timdalton007 · 8/10 · 17 June 2009]

Watching Star Trek's first pilot episode The Cage is like watching a historical what if taking place. Famously deemed "too cerebral" at the time of its production The Cage is where one of the most popular television programs of all time got its beginning. While it might be the beginning that never went much further, forty-five years later it is still a compelling piece of entertainment.

To begin with The Cage features some nice performances that make it a tragedy that never got to be developed past this one story. The best example of this is Jeffrey hunter as Enterprise captain Christopher Pike. Hunter's Pike comes across as being perhaps more sensitive then the later Captain Kirk yet just as tough. It's also interesting to note Leonard Nimoy as Spock and contrast his performance here with his later performances as the Spock of The Cage seems a bit less logical and a little more emotional. There's also a nice performance from Susan Oliver in the multiple guises of Vina which show off some considerable talent. Not to mention performances from Majel Barrett and John Hoyt amongst others.

The Cage is also blessed with some nice production values. In particular in the make-up and costumes of the Tallosians which stand-up relatively well even forty-five years later. The sets and the vast majority of the other costumes, while definite sixties creations like many of those in Star Trek: The Original Series, are nice guesses all things considered. There's also an exciting and well staged fight sequence in the middle of the story. Last but not least there's the score by Alexander Courage which shows off not only the Star Trek theme but Courage's skills as a composer. Together they show an inkling of what might have been if this version of Star Trek had not been aborted.

That said everything isn't perfect. If anything can be said to be a major drawback to The Cage it is the special effects. While most of them are passable and still work, some don't. This is especially true of the shots of the Enterprise itself which are far from convincing most of the time. There's also the matter of the warp sequence which looks to be incredibly cheaply done. That said there's also some fine effects like the sequence with Vina at the episodes end. The effects might be questionable but they serve the story well for the most part.

If any single element of The Cage stands out today it is the Gene Roddenberry script. Once you get passed some of the clunky techobabel and some of the dated dialog (like Pike's "women on the bridge" line early on in the episode) there is an intriguing and compelling tale. Beneath the surface it is a tale of a society so lost obsessed with illusion it has lost its other knowledge and its morality (an unintended metaphor for fandom perhaps?). It is also the tale of a man (Pike) who seeks to escape his responsibility and rebels when given the chance. It also contains a Nice little romance in the midst of a nicely constructed story that is far from intrusive and rather compliments the story by giving it an emotional anchor. It's no mistake that The Cage in a later form (the Original Series two-part story The Menagerie) won the Hugo Award which convinces me that, given some editing, The Cage would be just as compelling and watchable today.

The Cage stands as an interesting piece of television history. With nice performances, good production values and a script as impressive now as it was then The Cage represents the beginning of one of television's most popular series. It also stands out as a fascinating what if of how Star Trek might have been.

Good but could have been better!

[j-jarosz · 7/10 · 26 November 2006]

I received "The Cage" on VHS as a present because I am a big time Star Trek fan. I think that the story line is good and considering that in "The Menagerie" episode they return Captain Pike to the planet of the pilot episode it becomes even more intriguing. I believe as a pilot it should have had more interaction with the ship, the crew and one or two foreign worlds. The Star Trek plot was "to explore new worlds, seek new life and new civilizations, and to boldly go where no man has gone before" but the pilot involved only one world and should have probably included more of a voyage and alien interaction (perhaps a ship battle). That is probably why the NBC executives rejected this first pilot and requested a second pilot episode. I found this an interesting story which would have fit in well as an episode later in the series, but did not do well to introduce Star Trek as a TV series. Perhaps that is why they included it in "The Menagerie" because by then the characters were set and the interactions with foreign worlds were already known. If you cannot find "The Cage" then watch the two parts of "The Menagerie" episode and you will see most of the pilot episode. I may be mistaken, but I believe that "The Cage" was also recast and retitled in another episode of Star Trek in the future.

"There's a way out of any cage and I'll find it".

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 14 March 2011]

The quote above is from Captain Chrostopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) stranded on the planet Talos IV, but it could just as well have been Gene Roddenberry considering how he might bring his visionary space-Western to the small screen back in the Sixties. With hindsight, one wonders how the execs at NBC didn't see the potential for a cerebral sci-fi show back then, but then again, cerebral execs are putting things like 'Jersey Shore' on TV today, so what do I know.

The story line for 'The Cage' should be familiar to anyone who's seen both parts of 'The Menagerie' which debuted in Star Trek's first season. Roddenberry used most of the footage to explain the eventual fate of Captain Pike in what many consider one of the best stories of the entire series. Watching it in both it's original and restored versions is an interesting exercise, as we get a unique glimpse into what Roddenberry might have been originally thinking about. Majel Barrett for example could have been destined to be second officer in command one day. Introduced as Number One on the bridge of The Enterprise, Barrett's role was downgraded to Doctor McCoy's assistant once the series got underway, and as a blonde to boot.

Though it's not as apparent in 'The Menagerie', Spock is presented here as a bit too strident considering his character's development over time; one might say he was almost emotional. Other than Pike, Spock and Number One, the rest of the crew seemed rather bland, with John Hoyt's portrayal of Dr. Boyce as the only other character of significance. It might be his age worked against his making the final cut. Sure it's discrimination, but can you see him arguing with Spock each week the same as McCoy after having that bartender/doctor talk with Pike?

A couple things I got a kick out of - did you catch the old style 1960's TV set in the Captain's quarters with the wood cabinet? That's as stylish as it got back in the day. Also, I don't recall another episode of Trek in which the crew, when not on duty, would walk around in casual clothes on board the Enterprise. In fact I don't recall anyone ever being out of uniform unless it was on shore leave or in costume as part of a story line.

Fortunately for us fans, 'The Cage' is readily available for viewing today, released almost two decades after the original series run, in 1988. Though the special effects and cinematography aren't anywhere near what you'd expect to see in films made today, for it's time the show was breaking new ground and would have an impact on both TV and movies in the future. It's probably a cliché to say that the series went where none had gone before, but still, it all had to start someplace, and this was as good a place as any.

Star Trek- The Cage

[Scarecrow-88 · 6/10 · 22 July 2011]

I finally had an opportunity to sit down and watch "The Cage" in complete uncut form. I was motivated primarily by the passing of my beloved uncle, a sci-fi lover to the core, a model collector, builder, an painter who especially had a fondness for Star Trek. I wish down deep in my heart that I could have had a chance to watch "The Cage" with him. I imagine it would have been a great, enjoyable experience. Alas, this wasn't the case. His memory permeated throughout this viewing, lingering in my mind as I tried to enjoy the old pilot that was rejected, pre-Shatner, with Jeffrey Hunter as the Captain of the Star Ship Enterprise, his predicament, being held captive by a race of telepath aliens with enormous heads protruding grotesque veins. The aliens have powerful mental abilities that use delusion to overpower their "species" in an underground *zoo* where they keep them. Hunter must somehow determine a way to free himself from their grasp. The aliens attempt to "persuade" Hunter to abandon his duties elsewhere, embrace the pleasures of illusion that they provide (any dream or fantasy he so desires is offered, but the thought of being held captive against his will is not what Hunter's Captain so wishes), including the introduction of a beautiful woman named Zena, the kind of gorgeous creature many a man might consider trading away their post on a starship vessel for, who is willing to please him in any way. The version of "The Cage" that I watched was hosted by the late Gene Roddenbery who seemed quite jovial about introducing us to the pilot never before seen in its entirety, with uncut black and white footage interspersed most impressively with the color footage later used in the great two-parter, "The Menagerie" . Susan Oliver, while not exactly the most gifted actress, is certainly cast for her stunning looks, in particular when she dances around in scraps of clothing and green make-up for Hunter's Captain Christopher Pike. Majel Barrett, Mrs. Roddenbery, who would later become Bones' sick bay assistant and Deanna Troi's mother on The Next Generation, is Pike's "Number One", the second in command, a surprise for audiences back in 1966, the idea that, yes, a woman could be a prominent crew member, having to assume the Captain's role while he's *missing in action*. Leonard Nimoy, the only member of this Enterprise crew to star in the series that would later develop as the iconic Classic Star Trek us Trekkies know and love, isn't as interesting a character (although he does have his pointy ears, Roddenbery addresses how his character "looks like Satan" with a bright smile on his face) as he would become. Mr. Spock expresses himself more, his voice loud, not as unemotional and introspective as the character would later appear. To be honest, the plot of this pilot didn't overwhelm me and the cast I considered underwhelming. Nice seeing John Hoyt as Dr. Phillip Boyce, Pike's confident, who knows that his captain, tired of the strain that comes with keeping a crew safe and the casualties that often can result with exploring strange new worlds, is where he needs to be even if he is contemplating resigning from his post. While handsome, Hunter really didn't register with me, rather stiff, but that could be because I thoroughly enjoy Shatner as Kirk and Pike lacks the qualities his "replacement" has. As a curio, I think "The Cage" is essential viewing, if just to see the designs of the bridge and officers' uniforms in their rarest form. The black and white footage has audio issues and a rough cheapness that doesn't translate well.

The Original Pilot Episode

[Rainey-Dawn · 8/10 · 14 January 2017]

Season 1, episode 0. This is the original pilot episode of Star Trek. It is copyrighted 1964, was completed in 1965. It was released on VHS in 1986 and first aired on television in 1988. This episode was reworked into the season 1, two part episode (episodes 11 & 12) called "The Menagerie". "Where No Man Has Gone Before" became the pilot episode for Star Trek TOS by orders of the network.

This pilot is much like the Star Trek we all come to know but not with Captain James T. Kirk commanding the Enterprise, instead it is Captain Christopher Pike in command.

The Vulcan Mr. Spock is in this episode - played by Leonard Nimoy - but the character is a bit different. Here we have a young, eager to learn Spock instead of the well seasoned and logical Spock that we all know from the rest of the episodes.

Majel Barrett is in the pilot as Number One. After this episode Barrett played the role of Nurse Chapel and the voice of the ship's computer.

The Cage was considered to be partly lost, only known footage to survive was from The Menagerie, outside of some b&w footage Roddenberry had made on 16mm for reference purposes - that must have been put together to create the 1986 VHS tape because in 1987 a film archivist found an unmarked and must 35mm of The Cage with the unused trimmed footage. Using the Menagerie, 35mm with the cut scenes, the archivist put the film back together - thus we have a fairly good restoration of The Cage today.

Recommended viewing for Star Trek fans and Sci-Fi fans in general. The Cage does have a lot of things that made Star Trek "Star Trek" but with some noticeable differences.

I am fond of this episode that was once thought lost.

8.5/10

The value of a woman

[jallen-04858 · 6/10 · 2 November 2019]

The moral of this story is: Ugly women have no value. Without her good looks, Vina has nothing to contribute and may as well stay on a dying planet with a pack of cruel aliens.

What would modern science fiction be without this?

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 24 November 2010]

It is surprising that this episode didn't air before 1988, largely because much of the footage was used to make the two-part episode 'The Menagerie' at a later date. This story predates the era of Captain James T. Kirk; here Christopher Pike, played by Jeffrey Hunter, captains the Enterprise. The only familiar face from the original series is Mr. Spock although he doesn't appear to be quite as emotionless in this pilot. He is not the only familiar voice however as Majel Barrett who plays Number One here will go on to provide the voice of the computers in many later series.

For anybody who hasn't seen 'The Menagerie' the plot involves a species of telepathic aliens who lure the crew of the Enterprise to the planet Talos IV with a false distress beacon from a ship that crashed their eighteen years previously. The beacon claims that there are several survivors and when they get there that appears to be the case until Vina, the sole woman in the group, lures Captain Pike away from the group then vanishes along with the other 'survivors'. Pike is captured by strange large-brained who put him in a glass-fronted cage. As part of their experiments on him they make him experience several illusions involving Vina. It turns out that she is real and they are hoping that Pike will be a suitable mate for her! Unlike later episodes this story mainly concerned just one member of the crew, namely the captain and Vina, the rest of the crew were very much secondary characters here. Jeffrey Hunter and Susan Oliver did a good enough job in the lead roles and the rest of the crew weren't too bad even if one or two of them were a little wooden. The special effects do look very dated and in the opening scenes I worried that might spoil the story but I soon found myself ignoring them, after all a decent story with good characters is more important than great special effects… something that one or two directors these days seem to have forgotten.

While I don't imaging this would appeal to non Star Trek fans all people who enjoyed the various series, especially The Original Series, should check this out if they get a chance… I wonder how different science fiction would have been today if the studio hadn't decided to give this series a second chance, albeit with a mostly different cast.

What would Kirk have done?

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 8 May 2022]

This pilot for Star Trek is most notable for the fact that the only familiar member of the crew on the Enterprise is Mr. Spock. There's no Sulu, no Uhura, no Bones, no Scotty and no Chekov. The Captain of the ship is Christopher Pike, played by Jeffrey Hunter, for whom shouldering the responsibility of captain is becoming too much. Kirk, where art thou?

Actually, I take all of that back. The most notable thing about The Cage is not the unfamiliarity of the cast: it's drop-dead-gorgeous blonde Susan Oliver as Vina, sole survivor of a space-crash on the planet Talos, which is inhabited by telepathic beings. When Captain Pike is captured by the aliens, placed in a illusory paradise and expected to mate with Vina, no-one would blame the man if he turned his back on his duties as captain and got on with the job at hand. Sure, Vina's beauty is also an illusion created by the aliens, but he doesn't know that.

Pike, however, isn't about to let a load of vein-throbbing brainiac ETs force him to make sweet, sweet love to the hottest piece of skirt this side of Rigel IV. Oh no, he takes orders from no-one and attempts to escape at every opportunity. Even when the aliens provide him with two more women -- the Enterprise's 'number one' (Majel Barrett) and Yeoman Colt (Laurel Goodwin), both of whom have the hots for the captain -- he is determined to break free. Would Kirk have been keen to leave in such a hurry?

I guess The Cage is about being master of one's own destiny, even if that means giving up a good thing, and it kinda reminds me of The Matrix in that respect: take the blue pill and live a lie, or take the red pill and face reality. It's all a bit too highfalutin and cerebral for my liking (and there's no bullet time or kung fu) but that's Gene Roddenberry for you.

A Senior Trekker writes......................

[celineduchain · 5/10 · 5 March 2022]

Here we are right back at the very beginning. The Cage was one of a selection of speculative scripts with which writer/producer Gene Roddenberry sough to launch his space fantasy upon America's television audiences. After a considerable amount of delays, disappointments and a certain amount of re-writing, it was eventually made in 1964/5 although not broadcast in its complete form until the VHS release in 1987. So, it may be the first Star Trek but it was definitely not the first Star Trek that audiences got to see and grew to love.

But is it any good?

For those raised on the works of Science Fiction writers of the 1930's, 40's and 50's it was close to perfect. Outer space, rocket ships, alien beings, landing on strange planets, monsters and the scientist's daughter in scanty clothing: it pretty much had it all. In fact the influence of the highly acclaimed Forbidden Planet, made in 1956, can be felt throughout. We can see what Gene Roddenbery was trying to achieve and, at the same time, we can see why the studio preferred the "Western in Space" style of the second pilot, Where No Man has Gone Before.

The overall quality is beautiful, with an incredible amount of attention to detail. It was only on re-watching it recently after the return of the Captain Pike/Vina story to Star Trek Discovery that I noticed that a couple of crew members were wearing wound dressings as a reference to their recent battle. Of course, Doctor McCoy would soon have the gizmos to put paid to the need for anything like that. And talking of doctors, I really liked John Hoyt as ship's doctor Boyce. Although he apparently didn't think much of the part, he gave it a memorable gravitas and set the tone for the Captain/Doctor relationship aboard Star Trek ships for decades to come.

Majel Barrett as the eponymous Number One was way ahead of her time as a cool, capable FEMALE member of the bridge crew but at least she was able to return in the more acceptably feminine role of Nurse Chapel until the Enterprise computer voice should provide her with a decent pension plan. Gene Roddenberry had fought long and hard to have Leonard Nimoy appear as an alien crew member but it is surprising to look back and see him here without his customary stern demeanour. Apparently, his character had to be lightened up in the Cage in order to offset Jeffrey Hunter's rather solemn delivery.

Star Trek regular, Malachi Throne provided some of the voice work and I believe that if you look closely you may catch a glimpse of Grace Lee Whitney in one of the planet-side scenes. At the time of writing, only Sandra Lee Gimpel who played one of the Talosians and Laurel Goodwin who was only 23 when she was cast as Yeoman Colt are still with us.

Yes, it is very good. And shortly it will receive a whole new audience as the long awaited Star Trek; Strange New Worlds comes to our screens in 2022 with Anson Mount playing the part of Captain Christopher Pike.

Senior Trekker scores every episode with a 5.