Star Trek: The Cage (1964) - The Pilot That Started It All

Returning to the original Star Trek episode that shaped sci-fi history.

Written by Buttonface

Before Star Trek became a cultural phenomenon, there was The Cage—the original pilot that almost brought the franchise to life.

Summary of The Cage

In this original pilot of Star Trek, Captain Pike and his crew encounter an alien species, the Talosians.

Talosians have the ability to manipulate human thoughts and emotions. They use this power to entice Pike staying on their planet as a companion to a marooned human woman.

However, Pike refuse, not giving in when offered a false vision of happiness.

Production

The original Star Trek pilot, “The Cage”, was rejected by NBC, who instead commissioned a second pilot, “Where No Man Has Gone Before”. “The Cage” was later edited down and included as part of a two-part episode, “The Menagerie”, in the first season of Star Trek.

No, she does a good job, all right; it’s just that I… can’t get used to having a woman on the bridge.
~ Captain Christopher Pike

Buttonface Says…

What the Hell? I had this idea that I was going to review all the stuff I watch, but I’ve run into two problems. One, I watch a lot of good stuff. What am I supposed to do write a dang book kissing some movie’s butt? The second is that some of the stuff is beyond reviewing.

Is this terrible? Probably? Did Star Trek go on to be terrible? Probably? I really can’t tell you because all I see is absolute brilliance.

Star Trek has defined my fandom, much of my art and writing… Hell, the damn show has been a part of my life. I grew up loving TOS cuz my mom did. She loved it so much that we watched The Next Generation’s first episode when it aired. I was eleven and she bought special crackers and potted meat for us to snack on.

I also still like potted meat for some reason.

So, is the original pilot for Star Trek great? Fuck man, I don’t know? Probably?