The Acrylic Menagerie

[Qonundrum]

So in rewatching this gem of a story, a few items stuck out but it's not going to stop me from thinking it's an impressive reuse of pilot footage never intended to have been shown and in a cost-saving measure by enveloping them inside a new story, which is pretty nifty regardless (as well as expanding the universe and giving a glimpse of the past).

1. Pike can only bleep once for yes, or bleep twice for no. Since 23rd century technology was already showing talking computers and somehow Pike could bleep out a yes or a no, why was Pike's ability to communicate so limited? (Apart from ensuring the drama of the moment.) This is probably the one element of the story that doesn't quite fit, a wheelchair/life support system that prevents communication apart from a plot contrivance, but it was easy enough to accept and go along with. I'd argue there is one other issue, more an omission or missing link that would explain the end result, however... more on that later.

2. Pike is originally objecting, double-bleeping all over the place ("No, no, noooo!") over being kidnapped to be sent to a planet he'd hated for a while. I'm pretty sure he'd thought it all through, realized, and changed his mind over time and based on some clever guesswork, since nothing onscreen really confirms Spock was telling Pike of his plan to bring him back to Talos where he could have some form of life again.

3. So the 2-parter hinges around Talosian mind manipulation, how do we really know this isn't Spock doing anything altruistic to a former commander* but the Talosians changing their minds about keeping humans in their zoo (regardless if species reproduction were possible)?

* Which is unlikely; Spock has demonstrated loyalty and friendship several times to Kirk during many diverse occasions, so why not a former commander he also appreciated? This is the biggie and it is in character for Spock to do. He saw Pike in his current condition, recalled the events of all those years ago, and felt it was a better existence for Pike - and for whatever underlying reasons, the Talosians agreed. Probably because Pike was in a condition worse than Vina's and felt sympathetic (especially as their version of a pleasant prison is preferable to where Pike was at this juncture!!) - as with Vina, they weren't really malicious as such. Just complex, even if Vina makes supposition that if Pike had left they'd try to find another human. IMHO, both "Cage" and "Menagerie" are wonderful pieces of sci-fi for their own reasons...​

4. The penultimate commercial break where Spock tells the court to wait for the next transmission but the screen remains blank for several pointless seconds as if the people who are transmitting are trolling Spock, and then Spock is pronounced guilty by the tribunal - even Pike bleeps but once and without waiting. Cue commercial break, and after that we get tonal whiplash as Spock now states how Talos now controls the vessel and now they can see the rest of the transmission and the transmission comes up right on cue (which is good because, if it hadn't, we'd have a radically different ending...)

5. Given the Talosian leader is really nice at the end toward Kirk, I'm leaning toward a true change of heart and altruism, but I either missed a scene or some expanded inference has to be made to go between the Talosians' original intent via the transmitted scenes shown at the "trial", and to when the leader and Spock decided to do this nice thing for fried Captain Pike.

6. The ending is pretty pat as Starfleet sends notification they discovered the image transmissions and are A-OK and really nice with it, given Pike's history with the Talosians. Plus, the dialogue lifted from "The Cage" says it all about the mental abilities of the Talosians. If Mendez was a projection prior to this scene Uhura relays, could the Talosians be continuing to play more mindgames? And, if so, what purpse would it be for? They opted to leave the humans alone after they sifted through the ship's records, so it's more likely Spock would have contacted them to see if they would take Pike in and without asking anyone else and hoping Pike would realize and agree (noting that, in story, Spock also did not want to risk Kirk getting the death penalty either, hence doing this bit of insurrection solely on his own.)

Any nitpicks aside, the 110 minutes fly right on by and it's a very engaging story with a heartfelt ending. Definitely one of TOS's standouts that, again, made fantastic use of the unaired pilot. Now I want to see "The Cage" as itself again to be reminded of what we might have had for a series, had the suits greenlit "The Cage" instead of demanding big changes for an unprecedented second pilot. As a pilot, it's the most cerebral of Trek's extensive history, even if it's dated.

 

[Tosk]

"Should we have a yes button and a no button?"
"Nah, we only have one button left...just make him double click it."

 

[Methuselah Flint]

Yes, The Menagerie is a gem.

"Pike is originally objecting, double-bleeping all over the place ("No, no, noooo!") over being kidnapped to be sent to a planet he'd hated for a while. I'm pretty sure he'd thought it all through, realized, and changed his mind over time and based on some clever guesswork, since nothing onscreen really confirms Spock was telling Pike of his plan to bring him back to Talos where he could have some form of life again."

I always assumed Pike knew fully what Spock was intending. (Spock: "You know why I've come, Captain. It's only six days away at maximum warp"). I think he was blinking "no" to stop his friend/colleague from making a grave error; trying to stop Spock for his own sake/career.

"I'd argue there is one other issue, more an omission or missing link that would explain the end result, however... more on that later."

I think I've missed/not picked this up?

 

[Christopher]

So in rewatching this gem of a story, a few items stuck out but it's not going to stop me from thinking it's an impressive reuse of pilot footage never intended to have been shown

I'm not sure it was never intended to be shown, since Roddenberry reportedly considered adding some material for an overseas theatrical release if the series didn't get picked up. If it had been picked up with the original cast, it would've been a bit long, but it could've been trimmed down as an episode. TV series rarely wasted their pilot footage if they could manage to incorporate it (like how Gilligan's Island repurposed the usable parts as flashbacks in their Christmas episode).

1. Pike can only bleep once for yes, or bleep twice for no. Since 23rd century technology was already showing talking computers and somehow Pike could bleep out a yes or a no, why was Pike's ability to communicate so limited? (Apart from ensuring the drama of the moment.)

The idea hasn't aged well, but I assume the problem was neurological. IIRC, I once referred in one of my Trek novels to delta-ray damage inducing a sort of "locked in" syndrome, such that Pike couldn't formulate or communicate his thoughts outwardly regardless of the technological aids available.

2. Pike is originally objecting, double-bleeping all over the place ("No, no, noooo!") over being kidnapped to be sent to a planet he'd hated for a while. I'm pretty sure he'd thought it all through, realized, and changed his mind over time and based on some clever guesswork, since nothing onscreen really confirms Spock was telling Pike of his plan to bring him back to Talos where he could have some form of life again.

Like Methuselah Flint, I always interpreted it as "No, Spock, don't throw your career away for me."

3. So the 2-parter hinges around Talosian mind manipulation, how do we really know this isn't Spock doing anything altruistic to a former commander* but the Talosians changing their minds about keeping humans in their zoo (regardless if species reproduction were possible)?

* Which is unlikely; Spock has demonstrated loyalty and friendship several times to Kirk during many diverse occasions, so why not a former commander he also appreciated? This is the biggie and it is in character for Spock to do. He saw Pike in his current condition, recalled the events of all those years ago, and felt it was a better existence for Pike - and for whatever underlying reasons, the Talosians agreed.​

I feel that Discovery and Strange New Worlds have done a great job deepening Spock's motives. Pike went to great lengths to save Spock, and Spock felt a duty to repay him. And since Spock knew Pike's fate years in advance, he'd had years to plan this for when the time came.

IMHO, both "Cage" and "Menagerie" are wonderful pieces of sci-fi for their own reasons...​

"The Cage" is the only solo Roddenberry Trek script that I think is good. Although "The Menagerie"'s frame is a hot mess if you apply any rational thought to it.

Any nitpicks aside, the 110 minutes fly right on by and it's a very engaging story with a heartfelt ending. Definitely one of TOS's standouts that, again, made fantastic use of the unaired pilot. Now I want to see "The Cage" as itself again to be reminded of what we might have had for a series, had the suits greenlit "The Cage" instead of demanding big changes for an unprecedented second pilot.

A second pilot was hardly unprecedented, as the folks at Fact Trek explained: https://www.facttrek.com/blog/2ndpilots

False claims of a show or movie doing something unprecedented are surprisingly common in the media publicity business. I recently rewatched the short-lived Minority Report TV series for my Patreon rewatch series, and I saw it claimed in various promotional sources that it was the first ever TV series based on a Spielberg movie, when in fact it was the second after The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. (Maybe they meant the first one based on a single specific Spielberg movie and using the same title, but that's really splitting hairs.)

 

[Qonundrum]

Yes, The Menagerie is a gem.

"Pike is originally objecting, double-bleeping all over the place ("No, no, noooo!") over being kidnapped to be sent to a planet he'd hated for a while. I'm pretty sure he'd thought it all through, realized, and changed his mind over time and based on some clever guesswork, since nothing onscreen really confirms Spock was telling Pike of his plan to bring him back to Talos where he could have some form of life again."

I always assumed Pike knew fully what Spock was intending. (Spock: "You know why I've come, Captain. It's only six days away at maximum warp"). I think he was blinking "no" to stop his friend/colleague from making a grave error; trying to stop Spock for his own sake/career.

That's part of the fun of rewatching; finding something not noticed before and/or just enjoying the ride. I still haven't thought of the Pike bleeps in quite the same way (I felt he didn't want to go back, of course) but your raising a great point that's more likely the case.

"I'd argue there is one other issue, more an omission or missing link that would explain the end result, however... more on that later."

I think I've missed/not picked this up?

My bad. From my perception of last rewatch, it just seemed odd how quickly Pike had changed his mind and opting to want to return, when all of the excerpts from "The Cage" show the Talosians wanting him only for breeding stock. All of a sudden, they want to give him a better life? The scenes with Kirk don't quite touch on the subject between Pike's initial encounter and when Pike is dropped off, apart from a vague sense of benevolence and politeness to Kirk. In retrospect, maybe that's why those scenes were shown that way (showing direct altruism without dialogue confirmation) and I started thinking off the deep end where there was nothing but conjecture to find (re: Talosian mind games extending this far out.)

 

[Qonundrum]

I'm not sure it was never intended to be shown, since Roddenberry reportedly considered adding some material for an overseas theatrical release if the series didn't get picked up. If it had been picked up with the original cast, it would've been a bit long, but it could've been trimmed down as an episode. TV series rarely wasted their pilot footage if they could manage to incorporate it (like how Gilligan's Island repurposed the usable parts as flashbacks in their Christmas episode).

Great info, thanks!

The idea hasn't aged well, but I assume the problem was neurological. IIRC, I once referred in one of my Trek novels to delta-ray damage inducing a sort of "locked in" syndrome, such that Pike couldn't formulate or communicate his thoughts outwardly regardless of the technological aids available.

I'm going to look up your novels and read them...

Like Methuselah Flint, I always interpreted it as "No, Spock, don't throw your career away for me."

Perception is an interesting beastie for sure and that's another reason I love reading responses; where I might be wrong... as long as I remember to remember, of course!

I feel that Discovery and Strange New Worlds have done a great job deepening Spock's motives. Pike went to great lengths to save Spock, and Spock felt a duty to repay him. And since Spock knew Pike's fate years in advance, he'd had years to plan this for when the time came.

While some choices (exaggerated by some reaction channels as well) seem questionable (e.g. roller coaster turbolifts), it sounds like they're doing some cool things. If nothing else, I hope the TV episodes are novelized as those will be easier to do than gawking at muted teal post-production palettes . Then again, I'm used to pre-2000 shows where they just used different clothing styles made uniform (browns and blues to simulate b&w), etc.) But it's not 1966 anymore and as rainbow-puke as TOS was, it at least looks livelier than today's generic muted fare.

"The Menagerie" does show Spock acting as if he wants to help his captain (definitely a Trek theme) so it's cool there's more fleshing out (yep, prequels aren't my thing but adding in content to build up the ultimate fate can make it even more poignant.)

"The Cage" is the only solo Roddenberry Trek script that I think is good. Although "The Menagerie"'s frame is a hot mess if you apply any rational thought to it.

True, the latter is a bit of a mess.

A second pilot was hardly unprecedented, as the folks at Fact Trek explained: https://www.facttrek.com/blog/2ndpilots

False claims of a show or movie doing something unprecedented are surprisingly common in the media publicity business. I recently rewatched the short-lived Minority Report TV series for my Patreon rewatch series, and I saw it claimed in various promotional sources that it was the first ever TV series based on a Spielberg movie, when in fact it was the second after The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. (Maybe they meant the first one based on a single specific Spielberg movie and using the same title, but that's really splitting hairs.)

Thanks much for clarifying that!!

 

[Methuselah Flint]

I think it's pretty clear by the end of The Cage, the Keeper realises humans are not going to work to bring the Talosian race back from stagnation. We hate entrapment, however benevolent. (And don't forget Vina - like Pike later - had a legitimate reason to stay.)

In The Menagerie, we are over a decade later. I think the Keeper is genuinely showing compassion towards Pike (would he or Vina even be capable of reproduction at this point?), given his condition. Spock even says that Pike's imprisonment was "much more" then simply for breeding stock.

The Talosians may still be playing games, but I don't see anything to suggest that, other than allowing Pike to live out the remainder of his days in peace. YMMV of course.

 

[Poltargyst]

The Talosians may still be playing games, but I don't see anything to suggest that, other than allowing Pike to live out the remainder of his days in peace. YMMV of course.

I am quite certain this is how we're supposed to feel at the end.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I think it's pretty clear by the end of The Cage, the Keeper realises humans are not going to work to bring the Talosian race back from stagnation. We hate entrapment, however benevolent. (And don't forget Vina - like Pike later - had a legitimate reason to stay.)

In The Menagerie, we are over a decade later. I think the Keeper is genuinely showing compassion towards Pike (would he or Vina even be capable of reproduction at this point?), given his condition. Spock even says that Pike's imprisonment was "much more" then simply for breeding stock.

The Talosians may still be playing games, but I don't see anything to suggest that, other than allowing Pike to live out the remainder of his days in peace. YMMV of course.

Yeah, there is no way Pike or Vina could have children when Kirk sees them off, and she wouldn't have been likely to during "The Cage." She was an adult crew member plus 18 years when Pike first met her, and her physiology was a train wreck. Add 13 years when Kirk arrives, and keep dreaming.

This next bit isn't canon, but based on "the female's true appearance," I'd be pretty sure she was deceased 13 years later. Talosian medicine is not at the level of Talosian illusion. They even forgot "how to repair the machines left behind by their ancestors." But they could give Pike the illusion of young Vina.

On that note, when Spock beamed down injured Pike, you have to hope he included a manual for maintaining the chair, including how to flush and reset the septic system. And they'll need some kind of universal adapter to recharge its batteries from a Talosian wall outlet.

 

[The Salt Umpire]

Pike when they forget

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[Qonundrum]

I think it's pretty clear by the end of The Cage, the Keeper realises humans are not going to work to bring the Talosian race back from stagnation. We hate entrapment, however benevolent. (And don't forget Vina - like Pike later - had a legitimate reason to stay.)

I forgot about Vina's reason to stay... That really was one of the biggest clues!

In The Menagerie, we are over a decade later. I think the Keeper is genuinely showing compassion towards Pike (would he or Vina even be capable of reproduction at this point?), given his condition. Spock even says that Pike's imprisonment was "much more" then simply for breeding stock.

Great point on Spock's comment. His comment is made before the picnic scene, but still needed to show Pike's setup leading to what made "much more" click at the end (the time of Vina's ultimate reveal).

The funny part is, in even "The Cage", would Vina's real condition allow for breeding all the same? (Perhaps...) 13 years later, far less likely.

The Talosians may still be playing games, but I don't see anything to suggest that, other than allowing Pike to live out the remainder of his days in peace. YMMV of course.

I was likely reading into the proceedings way too much. The Talosians easily would have been on the level and genuinely helpful out of sympathy or other reasons. It just felt more entertaining to think into thinking into things way too much.

Hmmm, as with Bailey leaving to join Balok, would Pike staying with the Talosians ever have a followup? Maybe not so much for Pike if General Order 7 were to be maintained. Pike would still have interesting stories to tell if the Talosians allowed it, they join the Federation, have different picnics, etc. Could - as they feared - humanity learn of the Talosians' "power of illusion" with all it entailed and destroy itself in the process just the same? (For all the complexity, the Talosians really did have concern of other species potentially learning the same thing then destroying themselves, using their wisdom in the only way they could think of at the time to prevent it spreading, which is interesting. Now fast forward to Kirk and the argument of evolving too quickly in WNMHGB regarding acquiring amplified esper ability due to the effects of crossing this galactic border energy field - it's a loose association but not an uninteresting one.)

 

[Qonundrum]

Yeah, there is no way Pike or Vina could have children when Kirk sees them off, and she wouldn't have been likely to during "The Cage." She was an adult crew member plus 18 years when Pike first met her, and her physiology was a train wreck. Add 13 years when Kirk arrives, and keep dreaming.

Dr McCoy lived to beyond 137; if human evolution managed to increase fertility time then it's not necessarily impossible? (But great point nonetheless; the story mentioned the numbers and I was too wrapped up in the drama to write down the numbers, LOL!)

This next bit isn't canon, but based on "the female's true appearance," I'd be pretty sure she was deceased 13 years later.

A frightening but plausible possibility. The Talosians could have wanted fresh entertainment (hence the zoo, but it'd have to be a big one to reduce chances of getting bored...)

Talosian medicine is not at the level of Talosian illusion. They even forgot "how to repair the machines left behind by their ancestors." But they could give Pike the illusion of young Vina.

A very interesting comment for sure. TNG would revisit this base and trope-worthy concept soon enough with "When the Bough Breaks" as everyone knew how to use the systems their ancestors left behind, but had no clue how they worked. (An extreme possibility, but not technically impossible.)

On that note, when Spock beamed down injured Pike, you have to hope he included a manual for maintaining the chair, including how to flush and reset the septic system. And they'll need some kind of universal adapter to recharge its batteries from a Talosian wall outlet.

Now there's a shiny new facet on the concept of "thinking into things too much!"

 

[Christopher]

The funny part is, in even "The Cage", would Vina's real condition allow for breeding all the same? (Perhaps...)

"They rebuilt me. Everything works."

13 years later, far less likely.

Beverly Crusher was able to conceive a child in her late 50s, according to Picard season 3. Evidently advanced technology can reverse menopause -- or prevent it altogether, given that Jack's conception was unplanned. (Though that was an ill-conceived plot point on every level, no pun intended, and I wish I could think of a better example.)

 

[hbquikcomjamesl]

. . . IIRC, I once referred in one of my Trek novels to delta-ray damage inducing a sort of "locked in" syndrome, such that Pike couldn't formulate or communicate his thoughts outwardly regardless of the technological aids available.

Really? Which one?

 

[Christopher]

Really? Which one?

Enterprise: Rise of the Federation -- Uncertain Logic, Chapter 12. "Consider the ‘lock-in’ syndrome associated with certain victims of delta radiation, for example—their neural tissues so degraded that normal prosthetics and brain scanners can’t get through to whatever consciousness remains within. If we could devise a more sophisticated interface, it might allow some degree of communication, at least." Although the best they achieved in a hundred years was one beep for yes, two for no.

 

[FredH]

Yeah, there is no way Pike or Vina could have children when Kirk sees them off, and she wouldn't have been likely to during "The Cage." She was an adult crew member plus 18 years when Pike first met her, and her physiology was a train wreck. Add 13 years when Kirk arrives, and keep dreaming.

Except if she were incapable of breeding, the Talosians wouldn’t have been trying to use her to lure in Pike; they’d have used some fully illusory “NPC” to lure in a man and a woman from the start, instead of only taking the opportunity later.

And if, let’s arbitrarily say Vina’s 40 in “The Cage. The Talosians have forgotten how most of their advanced technology works, but clearly not all of it, if they can basically rebuild a human (if badly) from scratch. If they can do that, I can buy that altering her enough to make her fertile again could be in their capacity.

And 13 years later when she’s 53, they’re no longer looking to make kids anyway.

 

[David cgc]

Enterprise: Rise of the Federation -- Uncertain Logic, Chapter 12. "Consider the ‘lock-in’ syndrome associated with certain victims of delta radiation, for example—their neural tissues so degraded that normal prosthetics and brain scanners can’t get through to whatever consciousness remains within. If we could devise a more sophisticated interface, it might allow some degree of communication, at least." Although the best they achieved in a hundred years was one beep for yes, two for no.

Another angle is Pike's own perspective. We don't know what he's doing to make the chair beep. It could be, subjectively, the same kind of effort as screaming at the top of your lungs to be heard on a distant mountaintop while trapped in the woods. Trying to beep the chair in morse code or something is like less like tapping a telegraph key and more like shoving a truck in neutral two feet up a slope for every beep.

 

[Maurice]

I don't have a big narrative problem with Pike's inability to communicate. The mind is a delicate thing, after all. My mother suffered from dementia, and at a certain point, the wiring just fell apart and while she could understand English, when she spoke everything came out in Italian, like the pathways to the English-speaking part of her mind severed. I could imagine that a specific kind of damage might mean Pike could understand people but not be able direct his thoughts into a means of communicative action other than a crude binary.

 

[Christopher]

Another angle is Pike's own perspective. We don't know what he's doing to make the chair beep. It could be, subjectively, the same kind of effort as screaming at the top of your lungs to be heard on a distant mountaintop while trapped in the woods. Trying to beep the chair in morse code or something is like less like tapping a telegraph key and more like shoving a truck in neutral two feet up a slope for every beep.

Yeah, but the point is, it's ridiculous from a modern perspective to think that 23rd-century neural interface technology would be that primitive. It was one thing for a 1960s show to assume that, but even today, we have technology allowing paralyzed or brain-damaged people -- and even some people in comas, I think -- to communicate actual words and sentences. Not to mention that "Metamorphosis" established that Starfleet has technology that can literally read minds and translate their thoughts into speech. Of course, they hadn't thought up the Universal Translator when "The Menagerie" was written, but it creates a huge contradiction after the fact.

So I was trying to reconcile that contradiction by suggesting that Pike's brain damage was of a type that wouldn't allow even a mind-reading UT to pick up meaningful sentences through the neurological static. I thought about suggesting that his speech center was damaged so that he couldn't even formulate words and sentences in his mind, but that wouldn't reconcile with the presumption that the Talosians let him resume a normal life (as it's been depicted in followup stories like the novel Burning Dreams or a couple of DC Comics issues).

 

[Just a Bill]

they can basically rebuild a human (if badly) from scratch.

I always thought this was one of the weakest points in the script: "But they had never seen a human. They had no guide for putting me back together."

Let's be generous and assume that literally every other Columbia passenger was destroyed beyond recognition, so the Talosians legitimately don't know what a human looks like. Okay, but they for sure understand what symmetry looks like. They possess it themselves, and their menagerie would be filled with examples. Even with no pattern whatsoever, they could have made Vina look just like a Talosian, lined up her shoulders, made both legs the same length, made the missing parts of her skin look like the non-missing parts of her skin, etc.

In addition, if they had literally no clue, how did they make perfectly believable, age-advanced illusions of Vina's shipmates? Did they read Pike's mind and then magically know enough about human biology to appropriately age-progress them?

For that matter, if they didn't know what Vina should look like when they were fixing her, how did they know what her illusion versions should look like? Presumably they only learned this from her mind after she was conscious, but then why not just "fix" her some more if their medical science is so incredible?

It's just a big, fat lie to make the plot work the way GR wanted it to. Obviously their medical science was barely adequate to save her, and this should have been the explanation. "They saved my life, but they could not physically restore my broken body." Bugged me even as a kid.