I definitely thought The Cage was a FAR more engaging story. Maybe just because it was longer and could afford to get in deeper, but also (largely) because it seemed to have more bite than a number of episodes, including WNMHGB in my not so humble opinion.
Better of the two TOS pilots?
- Thread starter Vulcanian
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It's not that WNMHGB isn't intriguing...we just find "The Cage" to be more intriguing.
Also, taking each as a stand-alone movie, I'll go out on a limb and say that Pike is the more engaging lead character. We really get a good idea of what makes him tick in "The Cage", whereas in WNMHGB Kirk is defined almost entirely by his friendship with Mitchell. Based only on the pilots, rather than on familiarity with Kirk from the rest of the series, would you find him to be more engaging than Pike?
Also, taking each as a stand-alone movie, I'll go out on a limb and say that Pike is the more engaging lead character. We really get a good idea of what makes him tick in "The Cage", whereas in WNMHGB Kirk is defined almost entirely by his friendship with Mitchell. Based only on the pilots, rather than on familiarity with Kirk from the rest of the series, would you find him to be more engaging than Pike?
This is a really difficult choice.
I have to say WNMHGB, mainly because Gene always had a hard time writing for more than one character, and he isn't exactly the most logical storyteller in the world. He tries very hard in "Cage" to overcome this, but it still shows.
I have to say WNMHGB, mainly because Gene always had a hard time writing for more than one character, and he isn't exactly the most logical storyteller in the world. He tries very hard in "Cage" to overcome this, but it still shows.
"The Cage" is the thinking episode.
"WNMHGB" is the more fun and action-oriented one.
"WNMHGB" is the more fun and action-oriented one.
Where No Man Has Gone Before for me.
That said, they're both good and I enjoy both a lot.
That said, they're both good and I enjoy both a lot.
It would have more than a slight edge, then.
The problem you describe comes largely from Hunter being such a straight-arrow, square-jawed, vanilla type hero. Kirk was messier, more emotional and more intuitive, a big depature from the Chuck Yeager-John Wayne "Right Stuff" public vision of what a "hero" should be. Without him, TOS would have not felt nearly as original.
Hardly...Kirk was a cowboy, and Westerns were all the rage in the day.
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