The Cage, The Motion Picture and TNG

[Gotham Central]

It seems to me that if you put The Cage, TMP and early TNG back to back, you get a better picture of the sort of universe that Gene Roddenberry really wanted to put on screen. In some ways, the remainder of the TOS and the Movies represent compromised versions of the his vision.

TOS was essentially the version of Trek that he was able to get on the air with a good amount of network interference.

The post TMP films were essentially the same issue...with the demands of the studio standing in for the net work. TMP was more his original idea.

Its interesting to note that the versions of Trek that most fans view as the most bland represent the version of Star Trek that GR really wanted depict.

 

[Belakun]

The idea sounds reasonable

 

[The Janitor]

I'll second that.

It's not often I'll say this but TMP aside, it's a good job the network interferred.

 

[bbailey861]

I see what you are trying to say here, but I find it easy to see Roddenberry's vision beyond your three examples - especially where TNG is concerned. Like it or not, the network has to get involved, and did get involved, to try to ensure marketability, amongst other things (censors for one). In fact, reading the non-fiction TOS era books, I quite enjoy reading about all the issues there were with the censors and the efforts that went about getting 'the story' to air without enduring their wrath.

 

[plynch]

The grand, bland utopia -- was that his vision originally? I thought he wanted/created a vehicle to tell stories; eventually the Trekverse got fleshed out and became a universe, and he certainly ran with it in the hiatus years and the TMP novel.

But Cage has fight scenes, half-naked dancing girls, and monsters. I've never really thought it was so cerebral, other than the humans-in-a-zoo, hallucinating angle, which was hardly new to sf.

I think his "vision" actually developed along the way, rather than being an original dream adulterated by a network.

My take. Peace to you all.

 

[Gary7]

It's my feeling that Roddenberry was heading towards that "grand utopia"... not necessarily bland, but certainly less visceral. He'd like to think that humanity would get beyond its predominantly savage ways once we reached the stars. That you wouldn't have to contend with devious and disturbed individuals within the Federation. All of that would be on the outside. The noble, high moral standing humans would deal with the extraterrestrial chaos, make sense of it, rein it in, and conquer all.

 

[Arpy]

Don't think him too cerebral. The network called...wait was it "The Cage" or just Jeffrey Hunter "cerebral"...but compared to what? Flash Gordon or William Shatner? Sure, more cerebral that those, but cerebral really?

TMP was the studio or Robert Wise trying to recapture 2001: A Space Odyssey - not Roddenberry showing his soul. I think TOS spoke to the time period in syndication and the powers that be wanted to update it with gravitas. They looked to Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi opus to update Trek like Trek updated sci-fi previously from its Flash Gordon days.

 

[Pauln6]

The Cage stands up incredibly well as a piece of sci fi in its own right by modern standards. Some other star trek less so.

I agree that TMP needed more of the right mix of characters, action, and special effects but given the context of 2001 I thinks it's understandable even if it could have been better. I'm watching it on Channel 4 in the UK in half an hour.

No 'version' of Trek can be all things to all people so there is no right or wrong in this. The goal is to make it something enjoyable to as many people as you can, whether they be star trek fans or not. If your writers aren't quite skilled enough to make the story work on multiple levels (like the Simpsons) you can lose people from either end of the sprectrum. This is why a lot of Trek fans think the modern trek reboot, popular though it is, has lurched too far towards mindless action with a trek veneer.