The "Unaired Pilot"

[Tallguy]

I've decided that this bugs me (because I needed more totally meaningless things to bug me):

The Cage is always referred to as "The Unaired Pilot". But the bulk of it WAS aired as The Menagerie. (Which is The Cage's original title, isn't it?) Not all of Where No Man Has Gone Before was aired either. (Yes, more of WNMHGB was aired than The Cage.) But we never call WNM "unaired".

IIRC the only thing of real significance that was not aired was the original ending. Vina getting a double of Pike and Colt asking Pike "who would have been Eve".

How much of The Cage is not in The Menagerie? Other than a minute or so of Enterprise footage?

 

[BillJ]

"The Cage" was 63 minutes. "The Menagerie" would probably be about 100 minutes total. So is there 40+ minutes of Spock stealing the Enterprise and Kirk/Spock court room drama in there?

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The ending is pretty significant. It can't happen until the events of "The Menagerie" without being repetitive.

You could wank it so that it happens anyway during Pike's original mission, and then again in Kirk's time so that Vina finally gets the real Pike, but that isn't interesting in the slightest. "The Cage" wasn't originally intended to be an episode in continuity with the series, so this was never an issue, at least until over 20 years after the fact when it was finally aired and fans wanted it to be episode #1 in continuity.

For that reason, IMO, "The Cage" itself as an episode should be treated as strictly apocryphal and out-of-continuity with the rest of the episodes.

 

[BillJ]

For that reason, IMO, "The Cage" itself as an episode should be treated as strictly apocryphal and out-of-continuity with the rest of the episodes.

I disagree. I think "The Cage" fits fine with everything else. I would count it as part of my personal continuity, even without the ties to "The Menagerie".

 

[erastus25]

Here's an in-depth video comparison:

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There are several scenes altered/deleted.

 

[Christopher]

The Cage is always referred to as "The Unaired Pilot". But the bulk of it WAS aired as The Menagerie. (Which is The Cage's original title, isn't it?)

More like its final title, at the time. "The Cage" was its first-draft title, but it was renamed "The Menagerie" by the time it was shot. It only started to be called "The Cage" in later reference works as a way of differentiating it from the 2-parter, and that precedent was followed when Paramount released it on home video under the title "The Cage." They could do that because there's no onscreen episode title.

Not all of Where No Man Has Gone Before was aired either. (Yes, more of WNMHGB was aired than The Cage.) But we never call WNM "unaired".

Yes, we do, when we're referring to the original version of the pilot. It's actually quite common for television pilots to have an unaired version and an aired version, differing in their editing or through new material being shot for the final version. The label doesn't refer to every moment of the content, it refers to the specific cut of the content, and "unaired pilot" can be a convenient way of referring to the original version as distinct from the finished, aired version.

IIRC the only thing of real significance that was not aired was the original ending. Vina getting a double of Pike and Colt asking Pike "who would have been Eve".

How much of The Cage is not in The Menagerie? Other than a minute or so of Enterprise footage?

Here's what I can find that's missing, comparing the transcripts:

Opening bridge scene:

SPOCK: Check the circuit.
TYLER: All operating, sir.
SPOCK: It can't be the screen then.

Second bridge scene:

TYLER: On course, sir.
(Colt enters. Pike turns around and bumps into her)
PIKE: Yeoman.
COLT: Yes, sir.
PIKE: I thought I told you that when I'm on the bridge
COLT: But you wanted the reports by oh five hundred. It's oh five hundred now, sir.
PIKE: Oh, I see. Thank you.
ONE: She's replacing your former yeoman, sir.
PIKE: She does a good job, all right. It's just that I can't get used to having a woman on the bridge. No offence, Lieutenant. You're different, of course.

(Surprised by that part -- I thought it was in the 2-parter.)

Briefing room scene:

ONE: Any estimate what they might want one of us for?
SPOCK: They may simply be studying the Captain, to find out how Earth people are put together. Or it could be something more.
TYLER: Then why aren't we doing anything?

(Also this scene's lines were rearranged a bit.)

Rigel VII illusion:

VINA: ...Please, don't you know what he'll do to us?
(so Pike fights the killer with mace and shield)
PIKE: Why would an illusion be frightened?
VINA: Because that's the way you imagined me.
PIKE: Who are you? You act as if this were really you.
VINA: Careful.

Mojave illusion:

VINA: Hey, your coffee.
...
VINA: Have you forgotten my headaches, darling? I get them when you talk strangely like this.
PIKE: Look, I'm sorry they punish you, but we can't let them
...
PIKE: It's funny. It's about twenty four hours ago I was telling the ship's doctor how much I wanted something else not very different from what we have here. An escape from reality. Life with no frustrations. No responsibilities. Now that I have it, I understand the doctor's answer.
VINA: I hope you're hungry. These little white sandwiches are your mother's recipe for chicken tuna.
PIKE: You either live life, bruises, skinned knees and all, or you turn your back on it and start dying. The doctor's going to be happy about one part, at least. He said I needed a rest.
VINA: This is a lovely place to rest.
PIKE: I used to ride through here when I was a kid. It's not as pretty as some of the parkland around the big cities, but. That's Mojave. That's where I was born.
VINA: Is that supposed to be news to your wife?
...
Wouldn't it be nice showing your children where you once played?
PIKE: These headaches, they'll be hereditary you know. Would you wish them on a child or a whole group of children?
VINA: Foolish.
PIKE: Is it? Look, first they made me protect you and then feel sympathy for you. Now we have these familiar surroundings and a comfortable husband-wife relationship. They don't need all this for just passion. What they're after is respect and mutual dependence.
VINA: They say in the olden days all this was a desert. Blowing sand and cactus.

Orion illusion:

TALOSIAN: A curious species. They have fantasies they hide even from themselves.
...
OFFICER: Nice place you have here, Mister Pike.
PIKE: Vina?
ORION: Glistening green. Almost like secret dreams a bored ship captain might have.
OFFICER: Funny how they are on this planet. They actually like being taken advantage of.

Transporter room:

SPOCK: We've located a magnetic field that seems to come from their underground generator.
GARISON: Could that be an illusion too?

Entire bridge scene:

SPOCK: Address intercraft.
GARISON: Open, sir.
SPOCK: This is the acting captain speaking. We have no choice now but to consider the safety of this vessel and the remainder of the crew. We're leaving. All decks prepare for hyperdrive. Time warp factor.
TYLER: Mister Spock, the ship's controls have gone dead.
(The lights go out)
SPOCK: Engine room!
GARISON: Open.
SPOCK: Mister Spock here. Switch to rockets. We're blasting out.
PITCAIRN [OC]: All systems are out, bridge. We've got nothing.
TYLER: There's nothing. Every system aboard is fading out.

Second entire bridge scene:

(The senior officers have taken the navigation console apart)
SPOCK: Nothing. But for the batteries we'd lose gravitation and oxygen.
TYLER: The computers!
(The monitor shows a montage of images - space capsules, the Moon, maps of Earth)
TYLER: I can't shut it off. It's running through our library. Tapes, micro-records, everything. It doesn't make sense.
SPOCK: Could be we've waited too long. It's collecting all the information stored in this fly. They've decided to swat us.

Back on the surface:

MAGISTRATE: Since our lifespan is many times yours, we have time to evolve you into a society trained to serve as artisans, technicians
PIKE: Do you understand what I'm saying?

End of surface sequence:

MAGISTRATE: She has an illusion and you have reality. May you find your way as pleasant.

(Though that line was reworked for the end of "The Menagerie.")

Closing bridge scene:

(Pike, Number One and Spock enter)
BOYCE: Hold on a minute.
PIKE: Oh, I feel fine, just fine.
BOYCE: You look a hundred percent better.
PIKE: You recommended a rest, a change of pace, didn't you? I've even been home. Does that make you happy?
(He bumps into Colt again)
PIKE: Yeoman.
COLT: Yes, sir.
PIKE: I thought I told you that when I'm on the bridge I
(She hands him a clip-board stuffed with papers for his signature)
PIKE: Oh. Oh yes. The reports. Thank you.
COLT: Sir, I was wondering. Just curious. Who would have been Eve?
ONE: Yeoman! You've delivered your report.
COLT: Yes, ma'am. Yes, sir.
TYLER: Eve, sir? Yes, sir.
BOYCE: Eve as in Adam?
PIKE: As in all ship's doctors are dirty old men. What are we running here, a cadet ship, Number One? Are we ready or not?

 

[HGN2001]

It was quite a big deal for we Trek fans when "The Cage" - The Unaired Pilot, finally got a showing on television back in 1988. We had already seen the start of THE NEXT GENERATION and now all of a sudden, here was something from the original series that was new.

What we got that night is what was once called Episode 99. It was a 90-minute timeslot, padded with some pre- and post- exposition by Gene Roddenberry. What they'd done was to take the pieces of "The Menagerie" that were in-the-clear and added and merged the missing scenes from Gene Roddenberry's personal black & white print of the pilot. At the time, it was thought that those black & white pieces were all that was left of the original print.

After airing, the special was put onto home video (VHS, probably LaserDisc too) with a numbering as Episode #99.

It seemed like just five minutes after we all bought that, that Paramount found the original color negative of the original pilot - but it was missing any sound track. So, they dutifully remastered it again onto videotape, this time in full color all the way through, with the sound track flown in from Gene Roddenberry's black & white workprint. The then numbered this version as Episode #0.

Today all of that is still available on Blu-ray and DVDs with more modern remastering, of course.

 

[Not Herbert]

I've decided that this bugs me (because I needed more totally meaningless things to bug me):

Not all of Where No Man Has Gone Before was aired either. (Yes, more of WNMHGB was aired than The Cage.) But we never call WNM "unaired".

If I'm not mistaken, ALL of WNMHGB was aired. The only difference between the 2nd pilot version and the aired version is the main tittle and end credit music, and the Quinn Martin style act cards that where used in WNM when shown to NBC. Once the show was sold, it was aired using the early season one main title music sans Kirk VO.

If there is indeed missing WNM footage cut from the broadcast version, I'd love to see it.

 

[Christopher]

It seemed like just five minutes after we all bought that, that Paramount found the original color negative of the original pilot - but it was missing any sound track.

Actually the original color negative was physically cut up and reassembled into "The Menagerie," so we already knew where most of it was. It was only the trimmed portions from that negative that were lost and then rediscovered -- but they were without the soundtrack. So the full-color edition just reused the hybrid "Menagerie"/workprint soundtrack from the part-B&W edition, which is why there's a brief snippet of music from "The Naked Time" when the prisoners start to walk out through the hole in the cell wall near the end.

If I'm not mistaken, ALL of WNMHGB was aired. The only difference between the 2nd pilot version and the aired version is the main tittle and end credit music, and the Quinn Martin style act cards that where used in WNM when shown to NBC.

There are a couple of other differences. The opening narration is completely different, and there's an additional scene of the various crew members moving through the corridors under the opening guest credits (and there were opening guest credits). Basically the first several minutes of the pilot are significantly different than in the aired version, and you can see them here:

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Also, according to The Star Trek Compendium, the last scene of the episode was shown as an epilogue after the final commercial, rather than at the end of the fourth act.

 

[erastus25]

It was quite a big deal for we Trek fans when "The Cage" - The Unaired Pilot, finally got a showing on television back in 1988. We had already seen the start of THE NEXT GENERATION and now all of a sudden, here was something from the original series that was new.

What we got that night is what was once called Episode 99. It was a 90-minute timeslot, padded with some pre- and post- exposition by Gene Roddenberry. What they'd done was to take the pieces of "The Menagerie" that were in-the-clear and added and merged the missing scenes from Gene Roddenberry's personal black & white print of the pilot. At the time, it was thought that those black & white pieces were all that was left of the original print.

After airing, the special was put onto home video (VHS, probably LaserDisc too) with a numbering as Episode #99.

It seemed like just five minutes after we all bought that, that Paramount found the original color negative of the original pilot - but it was missing any sound track. So, they dutifully remastered it again onto videotape, this time in full color all the way through, with the sound track flown in from Gene Roddenberry's black & white workprint. The then numbered this version as Episode #0.

Today all of that is still available on Blu-ray and DVDs with more modern remastering, of course.

Worth noting that an "original" version of the audio actually did survive via fan recording from a convention. There are some changes between that and the version publicly available. Details here: http://www.trekbbs.com/threads/the-cage-original-version.223492/

 

[Indysolo]

If there is indeed missing WNM footage cut from the broadcast version, I'd love to see it.

The pilot version of WNMHGB is available in the season 3 Blu-ray set in HD.

Neil

 

[scotpens]

End of surface sequence:

MAGISTRATE: She has an illusion and you have reality. May you find your way as pleasant.

(Though that line was reworked for the end of "The Menagerie.")

Malachi Throne recorded the Keeper's closing monologue (which begins, "What you now seem to hear, Captain Kirk, are my thought transmissions"). The audio was then processed using the same machine, the Eltro Information Rate Changer, that was used to alter Throne's voice for "The Menagerie" so that the Keeper wouldn't have the same voice as Commodore Mendez.

A few more lines from the original pilot that were deleted in the two-parter (cut lines are in bold):

PIKE'S CELL:

PIKE: Are you real?
VINA: As real as you wish.
PIKE: No, no. No, that's not an answer. I've never met you before, never even imagined you.
VINA: Perhaps they made me out of dreams you've forgotten.
PIKE: What, and dressed you in the same metal fabric they wear?
VINA: I have to wear something, don't I? I can wear whatever you wish, be anything you wish.

TRANSPORTER ROOM:

SPOCK: We've located a magnetic field that seems to come from their underground generator.
GARISON: Could that be an illusion too?
ONE: Now, you all know the situation. We're hoping to transport down inside the Talosian community.
SPOCK: If our measurements and readings are an illusion also, one could find oneself materialized inside solid rock.

PIKE'S CELL:

MAGISTRATE: Each of the two new specimens has qualities in her favor. The female you call Number One has the superior mind and would produce highly intelligent children. Although she seems to lack emotion, this is largely a pretense. She often has fantasies involving you.

No doubt a couple of those brief lines were deleted for network Broadcast Standards (the censors), rather than time!

 

[Grant]

WNMHGB also has the Kirk line, "you might learn to enjoy it someday.'-- referring to his bad blood.
Also two "graphic" shots are cut from final fight and replaced with shots of Dehner.
In Cage about 15 minutes are not in Menagarie 63 vs. 48

 

[Spock's Barber]

One of the funniest lines in WNMHGB....

Spock : (smiling from ear to ear ) "Ah, yes. One of your Earth emotions."

 

[Myko]

Do we know the hows and whys about why Malachi Throne came to guest star in The Menagerie, when he had also been in The Cage? Coincidence or intentional to be able to record new dialog for the Keeper? If the latter why use him as Mendez also. If he hadn't played Mendez no alteration would have been needed for his Keeper voice.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

I disagree. I think "The Cage" fits fine with everything else. I would count it as part of my personal continuity, even without the ties to "The Menagerie".

That's fine. The parts in "The Menagerie" are certainly in my head canon [sic], i.e. in my head-continuity. Of the rest, it's really only the ending that I'd rather not try to square with the originally aired episode. I know it can be done, though.

 

[Not Herbert]

There are a couple of other differences. The opening narration is completely different, and there's an additional scene of the various crew members moving through the corridors under the opening guest credits (and there were opening guest credits). Basically the first several minutes of the pilot are significantly different than in the aired version, and you can see them here:

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Ah, I did see this stuff then.

 

[Tallguy]

Here's what I can find that's missing, comparing the transcripts:

Christopher, you're a marvel.

It was quite a big deal for we Trek fans when "The Cage" - The Unaired Pilot, finally got a showing on television back in 1988. We had already seen the start of THE NEXT GENERATION and now all of a sudden, here was something from the original series that was new.

What we got that night is what was once called Episode 99. It was a 90-minute timeslot, padded with some pre- and post- exposition by Gene Roddenberry. What they'd done was to take the pieces of "The Menagerie" that were in-the-clear and added and merged the missing scenes from Gene Roddenberry's personal black & white print of the pilot. At the time, it was thought that those black & white pieces were all that was left of the original print.

After airing, the special was put onto home video (VHS, probably LaserDisc too) with a numbering as Episode #99.

Actually it was first released on VHS in the fall of 1986, a little before The Voyage Home premiered. It was a LITTLE disappointing because so much of it had already been in The Menagerie. It's interesting now seeing Mr. R. giving us the Full Roddenberry on the history of the pilot. This was also shortly before TNG was announced. (I'm not sure how far into negotiations Roddenberry would have been at this point.) In many ways this time was Star Trek at it's pre-TNG high.

When they aired it in 1988 it was after they had found all of the color footage. I don't know when this found its way onto home video. (Fortunately I never started collecting Star Trek until it was on DVD.)

A few more lines from the original pilot that were deleted in the two-parter (cut lines are in bold):

No doubt a couple of those brief lines were deleted for network Broadcast Standards (the censors), rather than time!

It was hilarious watching back in'86 because you could instantly tell scenes that were cut because they went to black and white. Usually it was a whole scene or at least a chunk that you could tell was trimmed to fit into The Menagerie.

But "I have to wear something..." Annnd BLACK AND WHITE: (Vina totally leering) "Don't I?" That was entirely clear why that didn't make it into the show!

BTW, I picked up the blu-rays for two reasons: To get the original FX and to get the original pilot version of Where No Man. It's terrific!

 

[RAMA]

It was originally un-aired. It was eventually aired in !988.

RAMA

I've decided that this bugs me (because I needed more totally meaningless things to bug me):

The Cage is always referred to as "The Unaired Pilot". But the bulk of it WAS aired as The Menagerie. (Which is The Cage's original title, isn't it?) Not all of Where No Man Has Gone Before was aired either. (Yes, more of WNMHGB was aired than The Cage.) But we never call WNM "unaired".

IIRC the only thing of real significance that was not aired was the original ending. Vina getting a double of Pike and Colt asking Pike "who would have been Eve".

How much of The Cage is not in The Menagerie? Other than a minute or so of Enterprise footage?

 

[Joanna McCoy-Kirk]

When they aired it in 1988 it was after they had found all of the color footage. I don't know when this found its way onto home video. (Fortunately I never started collecting Star Trek until it was on DVD.)

The all-color version was issued on VHS and LaserDisc in the early 90s(?) [I used to own the laser disc.]