What if the Tolasians were lying and are making Pike suffer??

[ZapBrannigan]

But the Talosians had forgotten how to fix the technology left by their ancestors. Come to think of it, it's a wonder their surveillance system and elevator are still up and running. So they probably wouldn't have been able to come up with automated caretaking stuff.

The "surveillance system," that jagged monitor, could just a blank slate that gave the Talosians a common focal point to share an illusion on.

What about all the data they got from the Enterprise computer?

You can give all the how-to books in the world to a pampered talk show panelist or a life-long politician, and they still wouldn't be able to do basic electrical work or fix a leaky faucet. And the Talosians appear to be almost as incompetent as our elites here in America.

 

[Captain Parker]

I don't think Gene Roddenberry had that in mind when writing the pilot. Therefore... No.