The Menagerie: Part II
- Episode aired Nov 24, 1966
- TV-PG
- 50m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
At Spock's court martial, he explains himself with mysterious footage about when Capt. Pike was kidnapped by powerful illusion casting aliens.At Spock's court martial, he explains himself with mysterious footage about when Capt. Pike was kidnapped by powerful illusion casting aliens.At Spock's court martial, he explains himself with mysterious footage about when Capt. Pike was kidnapped by powerful illusion casting aliens.
Jeffrey Hunter
- Captain Christopher Pike
- (archive footage)
Susan Oliver
- Vina
- (archive footage)
Majel Barrett
- Number One
- (archive footage)
- (as M. Leigh Hudec)
Peter Duryea
- Lt. José Tyler
- (archive footage)
John Hoyt
- Dr. Phil Boyce
- (archive footage)
Laurel Goodwin
- Yeoman J.M. Colt
- (archive footage)
Adam Roarke
- C.P.O. Garrison
- (archive footage)
DeForest Kelley
- Dr. McCoy
- (credit only)
James Doohan
- Scott
- (credit only)
Nichelle Nichols
- Uhura
- (voice)
Meg Wyllie
- The Keeper
- (archive footage)
Frank da Vinci
- Lt. Clifford Brent
- (uncredited)
Michael Dugan
- The Kaylar
- (archive footage)
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Robert Butler(footage from "The Cage")
- Marc Daniels(uncredited)
- Writers
- Gene Roddenberry
- John D.F. Black(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn the script, McCoy and Scott have a scene in which they explain to Kirk how they figured out which computer bank Spock tampered with to lock the ship on course. They took perspiration readings on all banks, and since Spock's sweat has copper in it, traces of copper were found. This scene isn't shown.
- GoofsWhen fighting the Kaylar in the illusion of Rigel 7, Pike holds the Kaylar off with a staff as he backs up the stairs. The staff appears to have a metal blade. When the blade is pushed against the Kaylar's body, the blade flexes like rubber.
- Quotes
Vina: Now THERE'S a FINE choice for intelligent offspring!
Yeoman J.M. Colt: Offspring? As in children?
Number One: Offspring as in... he's Adam, is that it?
- Alternate versionsSpecial Enhanced version Digitally Remastered with new exterior shots and remade opening theme song
- ConnectionsEdited from Star Trek: The Cage (1966)
- SoundtracksTheme From Star Trek
Written by and credited to Alexander Courage
Featured review
Trek's First "Facepalm"
Normally, it's Picard with the Facepalms. But in this episode, it was done by the beautiful Susan Oliver.
How beautiful is she, is she really, pound for pound, more beautiful than any other woman Captain Pike had seen? Or are The Talosians reading his mind and giving Pike what Pike wants to see?
How much do The Talosians want Pike back? What will they do, what will his friends do for him? What CAN be done for him? Starfleet Medical if it existed back then, can't do a damn thing.
This is a man with only his thoughts to keep him company, he is just as alive as anyone else, he just doesn't have arms, legs, or a mouth. He can't even SPEAK to anybody to tell them what he wants.
This is the Christopher Pike that we met in the first part of this, Kirk's Predecessor and Spocks' previous Boss. But this Video we are viewing, which Spock is using to explain "Why" he Kidnapped Pike and stole The Enterprise, shows a Different Pike than the one who looks like Professor X in a Mechanized Wheelchair. We see a Vital Pike, even though he has come to a precipice of his own and is questioning his own Command abilities, as we see when the earlier Pike has a discussion with his "bartender", John Hoyt. In fact that discussion mirrors one Bones had with Kirk in Star Trek II, and it is also most probably the basis of bringing Woopi Goldberg in to The Next Generation to be a Bartender and "A Listener".
But to visit Talos IV is the only Death Penalty on Starfleet's Books, Spock not only jeopardizes himself but Kirk as well.
They have the ability to create Illusions for anyone they come in contact with, and this is why their planet is off limits. At least Starfleet thought this was the only solution 13 years prior to when this happened.
But now we see evidence that Galactic Distances are not a deterrent for their power. In fact the whole second part of this is a trick, a trick for Captain Kirk's benefit, for Spock's benefit, and mostly for Pike's.
They had their eyes on Pike 13 years ago, and that focus never wavered- They still want him, it seems that The Talosians did not need any Human, they needed Pike, Pike was the only one that could do what they needed him to do. Because he was the kind of man Vina wanted, the only man in the galaxy for her, despite the ruin of her body.
And Vina is apparently still there. It really doesn't matter what a person looks like, or even what they can or can't do. What is most important is what's in their Heart, and The Talosians are the only ones who can do anything for Pike- And for Vina.
But the Vital Pike was not ready to do this in the 13 year old Video The Talosians are transmitting, he fights them, tries to keep them out of his mind by keeping violent thoughts. And he fails, this is where Vina gives the Facepalm.
Now that I have seen The Cage several times on its own, and The Menagerie a few times, what makes it is not just The Cage on its own, it is The Cage being Inserted into the Framing Story of The Menagerie that makes it a much better story.
And the Style of The Cage is Early 60's while The Menagerie is late 60's, actually The Cage was filmed in 50's Cinematic Style, this is what made it look like one was 13 years earlier than the other.
Watching these today is almost like watching Tom Paris from Voyager's "Captain Proton" serials- This is how The Future was envisioned in the 60's- You'll see that Spocks' Library Computer Station was controlled by Hand Gestures.
In 2013, there are now hand devices that can be operated with hand movements, computers that have Touch Screens, even "Communicators" that are not much larger than those on this show, some of them even flip open. And today, four years later... We have iPhones that are face- unlocked and gesture operated, powerful hand-computers and communicators. And the Wand Company even made WORKING Communicators.
Would we have thought of these things without Trek?
How beautiful is she, is she really, pound for pound, more beautiful than any other woman Captain Pike had seen? Or are The Talosians reading his mind and giving Pike what Pike wants to see?
How much do The Talosians want Pike back? What will they do, what will his friends do for him? What CAN be done for him? Starfleet Medical if it existed back then, can't do a damn thing.
This is a man with only his thoughts to keep him company, he is just as alive as anyone else, he just doesn't have arms, legs, or a mouth. He can't even SPEAK to anybody to tell them what he wants.
This is the Christopher Pike that we met in the first part of this, Kirk's Predecessor and Spocks' previous Boss. But this Video we are viewing, which Spock is using to explain "Why" he Kidnapped Pike and stole The Enterprise, shows a Different Pike than the one who looks like Professor X in a Mechanized Wheelchair. We see a Vital Pike, even though he has come to a precipice of his own and is questioning his own Command abilities, as we see when the earlier Pike has a discussion with his "bartender", John Hoyt. In fact that discussion mirrors one Bones had with Kirk in Star Trek II, and it is also most probably the basis of bringing Woopi Goldberg in to The Next Generation to be a Bartender and "A Listener".
But to visit Talos IV is the only Death Penalty on Starfleet's Books, Spock not only jeopardizes himself but Kirk as well.
They have the ability to create Illusions for anyone they come in contact with, and this is why their planet is off limits. At least Starfleet thought this was the only solution 13 years prior to when this happened.
But now we see evidence that Galactic Distances are not a deterrent for their power. In fact the whole second part of this is a trick, a trick for Captain Kirk's benefit, for Spock's benefit, and mostly for Pike's.
They had their eyes on Pike 13 years ago, and that focus never wavered- They still want him, it seems that The Talosians did not need any Human, they needed Pike, Pike was the only one that could do what they needed him to do. Because he was the kind of man Vina wanted, the only man in the galaxy for her, despite the ruin of her body.
And Vina is apparently still there. It really doesn't matter what a person looks like, or even what they can or can't do. What is most important is what's in their Heart, and The Talosians are the only ones who can do anything for Pike- And for Vina.
But the Vital Pike was not ready to do this in the 13 year old Video The Talosians are transmitting, he fights them, tries to keep them out of his mind by keeping violent thoughts. And he fails, this is where Vina gives the Facepalm.
Now that I have seen The Cage several times on its own, and The Menagerie a few times, what makes it is not just The Cage on its own, it is The Cage being Inserted into the Framing Story of The Menagerie that makes it a much better story.
And the Style of The Cage is Early 60's while The Menagerie is late 60's, actually The Cage was filmed in 50's Cinematic Style, this is what made it look like one was 13 years earlier than the other.
Watching these today is almost like watching Tom Paris from Voyager's "Captain Proton" serials- This is how The Future was envisioned in the 60's- You'll see that Spocks' Library Computer Station was controlled by Hand Gestures.
In 2013, there are now hand devices that can be operated with hand movements, computers that have Touch Screens, even "Communicators" that are not much larger than those on this show, some of them even flip open. And today, four years later... We have iPhones that are face- unlocked and gesture operated, powerful hand-computers and communicators. And the Wand Company even made WORKING Communicators.
Would we have thought of these things without Trek?
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