The Cage - Star Trek TV Original Pilot [ Synopsis | Editorial Reviews ]
Production # 1
Air Date: never aired as an episode
Stardate: Unknown
Ten years before James T. Kirk takes command of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Captain Christopher Pike and his starship crew receive a distress signal from the planet Talos IV and beam down to investigate. Tracking the beacon, the landing party discovers crash survivors from a missing scientific expedition; among the survivors is a beautiful human female, Vina. Pike is concerned for the woman's safety, yet allows himself to become distracted by her beauty and is subsequently captured by the Talosians who live beneath the planet's surface. The distress signal and expedition survivors, except for Vina, are revealed to be but illusions created by the Talosians to lure the Enterprise and Pike to the planet.
The Talosians are a strong race, yet after decades of illusory indulgence, they have physically atrophied and need sturdy beings to rebuild and repopulate their barren planet. In Pike, with Vina, the Talosians hope they have finally found the one being who can serve as their breeding stock for a healthier and even more powerful race.
The Talosians use their power of illusion to interest Pike in Vina, presenting her in various disguises: a Rigellian princess in distress, a green Orion animal woman, and a loving, compassionate companion. When Pike resists, the Talosians lure Pike's female first officer and yeoman from the Enterprise to offer further temptation. By then, however, Pike has discovered that primitive human emotions neutralize the Talosians' ability to read minds, and he eventually escapes to the surface of the planet along with his fellow prisoners.
The Talosians confront Pike and the three prisoners before they can beam up, but the captain refuses to negotiate, threatening to kill himself and the others rather than submit to the Talosians' demands. Frightened at losing their only source of repopulation, the Talosians inspect the U.S.S. Enterprise's records and discover that the human race is far too independent to be of adequate service to them.
Faced with no other choice, the Talosians release the humans. After the first officer and yeoman beam up, Pike remains behind with Vina, urging her to leave with him. Despite her growing attraction to the captain, Vina is unable to leave the planet. It is revealed that an expedition had indeed crash landed on Talos IV. Vina, the only survivor, was greatly injured and disfigured. With the aid of the Talosians' illusions, however, she is able to appear beautiful and feel healthy.
The Talosians pledge to continue to provide Vina with the appearance of health and beauty while allowing her to roam the planet free of intervention. Realizing that she will be in good hands after all, Pike returns to the U.S.S. Enterprise. The Talosians, in an act of good will, send the captain an image of Vina on the starship's viewscreen. Not only is she beautiful again, aided by the Talosians' illusory powers, but by her side is another illusion - that of the handsome Christopher Pike. [ back to top ]
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Watching "The Cage" is like visiting some parallel universe. That's the Star Trek theme song, and there's the Enterprise, and that's Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock... but wait--he's smiling and firing weapons. And who are the rest of these duds manning the controls? If this were any other series pilot, it would probably be laughed out of the galaxy with its wooden acting, silly costumes, and cheesy special effects. But this was Star Trek's dry run, and so it is a must-own collectible for every Trekker, as well as instructive viewing for anyone interested in the evolution of a TV show. Now, there are some who staunchly believe that Jeffrey Hunter's Christopher Pike was the Enterprise's best captain. Pike doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his leadership abilities; reflecting on a recent devastating battle, he anguishes, "I should have smelled trouble when I saw the swords and the armor." He is also "tired of being responsible for 203 lives" and is considering resigning his Starfleet commission. But Pike is roused from his ennui after the Enterprise answers a distress call on the planet Talos IV, and he is imprisoned by super-intelligent aliens with the telepathic power to manipulate memories. Susan Oliver guest-stars as Vina, whom the aliens select as Eve to his Adam. The lackluster (and virtually all-white) crew includes Marjel Barrett as a somber Number One and John Hoyt as Dr. Boyce, who dispenses martinis as well as advice. This episode never aired, but some scenes were used in the two-part original series episode The Menagerie. --Donald Liebenson
From the Back Cover
A real collector's item! Star Trek's unaired pilot stars Jeffrey Hunter as captain of the Enterprise. "The Cage" was reconstructed with black and white footage from Gene Roddenberry's workprint and color footage from "The Menagerie."TREK TRIVIA
[ back to top The Cage ]
Peter Duryea (Jose Tyler) is the son of '50s Western superstar Dan Duryea.
Majel Barrett (Number One) appeared in the original Star Trek series as Nurse Chapel, in the Star Trek films as Dr. Chapel, and in The Next Generation series as Lwaxana Troi.
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