# STAR TREK: The Menagerie Part 1 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2005, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746 "2005-03-03T13:19:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/1 "2005-03-03T13:19:50Z")
Week 11 **The Menagerie Part 1** \*\* Synopsis\*\*: The Enterprise is called into Star base 12 by former Captain Christopher Pike. Once they arrive they find that the message is a fake as Captain Pike is severely infirmed due to an accident. It turns out that Mr Spock, for reasons unknown, is behind the deception and commandeers the Enterprise to bring Pike to the Forbidden Talos Star System. Kirk and Commodore Mendez begin a court marshal to try Spock for Mutiny. As testimony Spock shows a recording of Captain Pike’s original trip to Talos 4. It turns out that this recording is coming from the Planet itself Will Spock be sentenced to Death? Will Kirk lose his command? Wow, this is a superb episode. We have our favourite first Officer showing off his great knowledge of computers and the ship by not only faking the transmissions and the Captain’s voice but also rigging the ship so that it’s course cannot be altered. The Original Enterprise sure is different, very reminiscent of the Enterprise in “Where No an has Gone Before” The Cliff hanger ending through me for a loop… I missed the title and didn’t know it was part 1…had to read TV guide. The Talosians that we see briefly in this episode are really interesting looking aliens. There is something that is not quite right about how they look. I’m not talking just make up, these guys look just slightly off. I was creeped out by Pike in the powered wheelchair. The facial scar is just disgusting. Though the idea that all he can say is yes or no seems off though. Have they not heard of the Morse code? Oh… is it me or are they now referring to Spock as Vulcan now? To be concluded next week… ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/2 "2005-03-03T13:35:28Z")
Am I the only one that noticed that black haired woman (#1? What kind of name is that, anyway?) looks a lot like the nurse that’s in love with Spock? Or that the Pike in the wheelchair doesn’t look anything like the Pike shown in the other parts of the episode? What gives? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/3 "2005-03-03T14:44:52Z")
I thought this was a great episode. This is everything a show about space exploration should be! I’m going to guess that since this was “the actual events of 14 years ago” that somehow the old crew escapes with their lives, but I can’t wait for next week’s episode. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/4 "2005-03-03T15:09:19Z")
Why is Spock smiling? He doesn’t now. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/5 "2005-03-03T15:26:39Z")
He must have dabbled with using facial expressions as part of communications with humans earlier in his career. Probably didn’t enhance information transfer enough to be worth the bother of keeping up. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/6 "2005-03-03T15:48:43Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Or that the Pike in the wheelchair doesn’t look anything like the Pike shown in the other parts of the episode? Well, yes. The Pike in the wheelchair is horribly scarred, so of course he doesn’t look like his former self. And the credits say he is played by a different actor. Other than that. . . ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/7 "2005-03-03T15:56:02Z")
Didn’t notice that in the credits but that would explain it. I really never did notice it wasn’t Hunter until very recently, hence the comment ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/8 "2005-03-03T16:06:34Z")
Jeffrey Hunter (from my hometown!) gave two [interviews](http://www.geocities.com/Area51/3253/regular/hunter_interviews.html) last year where he talks about _Star Trek_. One where he’s all enthusiastic, and another just six months later where he’s sort of dismissive about the whole idea of doing another television series (remember _Temple Houston_ on NBC two years ago?). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/9 "2005-03-03T16:14:12Z")
That was an actor playing the injured Pike? Why bother? It would have been cheaper to grab a head from the props room and stick it on a box. If Desilu wouldn’t spring even for a more sophisticated communications system for him than that silly light, it seems odd that they’d actually pay a day player to push the button. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/10 "2005-03-03T16:20:35Z")
Did you notice that Pike’s hospital room has an old-fashioned hinged door with doorknob, instead of the automatic sliding doors we see everywhere else? Maybe Pike was scooting around too much. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/11 "2005-03-03T16:43:41Z")
That’s hilarious, **Walloon**! Well, I’m all curious. Great episode, I’m heavily intrigued, by both story lines. I love the “mystery island” kind of story that we’re seeing in the flashbacks, and I’m really wondering what Mr. Spock is up to. Odd, isn’t it, that there would be anyway that one person could take over the whole ship like that? You’d think they’d design it specifically so you can’t do that. thwartme ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/12 "2005-03-03T16:53:39Z")
The Buttheads is what we always called the Talosians. Their heads really do look like an ass when seen from the rear. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/13 "2005-03-03T17:20:29Z")
> [@thwartme](#): > > That’s hilarious, **Walloon**! > > Odd, isn’t it, that there would be anyway that one person could take over the whole ship like that? You’d think they’d design it specifically so you can’t do that. Well Spock is very very Smart… and as you have pointed out in the past… the Enterprise crew seem to be very slow on the uptake. He probably asked the Engineer for permission to crosswire the engines and wasn’t asked what for. on a nother tangent > [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > That was an actor playing the injured Pike? Why bother? It would have been cheaper to grab a head from the props room and stick it on a box The fake head wouldn’t have the pathos that the actor playing injured pike. Seriously I watch the guy and he looks like he’s in pain (either emotional or physical) of course being cooped up in that sitting coffin might help him. The neat thing I also noticed in the flashback was that everyone on the landing party seemed injured. One guy had a hand bandage and another a neck bandage and bruises and Smiley… I mean young Spock had a limp. That must have been one hell of a stop over at the all woman Playful Planet of Platex. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/14 "2005-03-03T21:36:44Z")
Yes, Gene Roddenberry must sincerely admire the acting ability and assets of Major Barrett to keep casting her in his shows. Probably a friend of his devoted wife, Eileen. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/15 "2005-03-03T23:17:18Z")
Mendez is above Kirk? Very progressive. A woman 2nd in command? How dare they! That little red headed girl is major cute. I think my Charlie Brown just grew up. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/16 "2005-03-03T23:19:14Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > That was an actor playing the injured Pike? Why bother? It would have been cheaper to grab a head from the props room and stick it on a box. Yeah. This would have been a good time to reuse the Balok head. With a wig, maybe. Or a fake moustache. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/17 "2005-03-03T23:29:23Z")
That is a beautiful matte painting they use for the scenes outside where they are greeted by Miss Piper. Speaking of Miss Piper, the actress who played her, Julie Parrish, is from Middlesboro, Kentucky, not far from where I grew up. Her real name is Ruby Jean Something-the-other. Lee Majors (real name: Harvey Lee Yeary) who is on “The Big Valley” grew up there as well. [2005]Sadly, Julie Parrish died a couple years ago of ovarian cancer, iirc[/2005] Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/18 "2005-03-03T23:31:00Z")
You guys do know that this was the pilot for the original Star Trek, right? They spliced in bits of the pilot to make the two-parter. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/19 "2005-03-03T23:34:49Z")
Oops. I stumbled into one of the pretend its a new show threads didn’t I. Sorry about that. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2005, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746/20 "2005-03-03T23:35:41Z")
Yes, when Gene Roddenberry was at the World SF Convention in Cleveland a few months ago (1966), he showed a b/w copy of the original pilot to the attendees along with the second pilot “Where No Man Has Gone Before.” Sir Rhosis [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-menagerie-part-1/292746.md?page=2)