And by the end of "Menagerie", 13 years after the Talos IV mission, the Talosians still haven't bothered to repair the elevator.
Well, Vina DID say that they "Forgot how to repair the machines left behind by their ancestors".

And by the end of "Menagerie", 13 years after the Talos IV mission, the Talosians still haven't bothered to repair the elevator.
I think Spock only looks bad because of the execution of the idea and not the idea itself. It’s not Roddenberry’s best dialog and really makes Spock look fairly cowardly. Had Spock looked more genuinely torn over the decision, it would have played more strongly. As it stands, “…we’re leaving!” conveys a negative message.
Say he said something like, “This is the acting captain speaking. Considering the threat posed by the Talosians, and Captain Pike’s standing order, we have no other choice. We are breaking orbit and will return with reinforcements. All decks, prepare for hyper drive!” Boom, Spock now is no longer running; he’s going to get help. Futile mission, maybe, but still better than “feets don’t fail me now!”
I agree, aside from the ending, the trims were well chosen. They are very rough around the edges. However, the scene of the Talosian’s pillaging the memory banks and Spock’s “they’ve decided to swat us” is fricking amazing. It almost makes up for the previous scene.
scotpens said:Funny, it never occurred to me until just now that Vina might well have kicked the bucket in the 13 years since Pike was captured by the Talosians. Her real age would have been at least her early 40s when "The Cage" takes place, and her body was basically a jury rig.
The Green Girl documentary -- LinkWow! I did not know that Susan Oliver died at 58. I thought she was still around, doing conventions and whatnot. I know she went on to become something of a director, too. I wonder if she had been an inspiration to Roxann Dawson, at all?
Push The Button, you've got me saying something that scotpens actually said.![]()
Push The Button, you've got me saying something that scotpens actually said.![]()
Sorry about that, I do most of my web stuff on my iPhone now, which isn't the same as using a mouse and a real keyboard.
I prefer the restored version.
In fairness most of "The Cage" can be seen in "The Menagerie" and what's dropped is largely inconsequential. Two scenes in particular are dropped from "The Menagerie" and I can see why.
The first is Pike's commenting on having women on the bridge. It really doesn't make sense even when it was filmed because other women can be seen on the bridge besides Number One. The second scene shows Spock taking command and ordering the ship to break orbit to escape. This does make Spock look bad and it's easy to see why it wouldn't be included in "The Menagerie."
Of course, the entirety of "The Cage" couldn't fit into the alloted running time so it only make sense that the footage dropped would be that not really serving the story.
Other than those two scenes I mention it's then mostly very small trims.
The blurays also feature two different versions of "Where No Man Has Gone Before." I personally like the grainy look of the original version (which was transferred from a 16mm source and is on the third season set).
I have a soft spot for the original VHS release of "The Cage." It was one of the first Trek episodes I bought on video and I watched the hell out of it. I loved the Roddenberry intro, even if he was spouting bullshit.![]()
Some of the other cuts, IIRC:In fairness most of "The Cage" can be seen in "The Menagerie" and what's dropped is largely inconsequential. Two scenes in particular are dropped from "The Menagerie" and I can see why.
The first is Pike's commenting on having women on the bridge. It really doesn't make sense even when it was filmed because other women can be seen on the bridge besides Number One. The second scene shows Spock taking command and ordering the ship to break orbit to escape. This does make Spock look bad and it's easy to see why it wouldn't be included in "The Menagerie."
. . . Other than those two scenes I mention it's then mostly very small trims.
(There were cuts made in this sequence even before the pilot was screened for the NBC suits. Right after the leering bald guy says "Almost like secret dreams a bored ship captain might have," there's an abrupt edit on the soundtrack.)
Some of the other cuts, IIRC:
Just before the Orion slave girl illusion, the Keeper remarks: "A curious species. They have fantasies they hide even from themselves."
Two lines that don't appear in either the color or the color/B&W restoration:
Two lines that don't appear in either the color or the color/B&W restoration:
I've never heard these lines. Thanks.![]()
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.