Comments on ' The Cage '

[Jeanway 0]

I just watched 'The Cage'. Along with commentary by Gene Roddenberry, I thought, for a pilot it was very good, but what do I know about pilots? The dialogue was a bit hoaky but it evolved into the sophisticated terms we know today. Mijal Barrett was beautiful, and Captain Pike, very handsome. He died very young and if he hadn't would have probably been our Captain Kirk. Spock was so young I think he still had pimples. I did enjoy the story. The weaponry, also, quite primitive by our standards today. But those fierce, hairy, pig-faced things looked alot like an episode of TNG, 'Hide & Q'. Time Warp was also used as a term for speed, which today is just Warp. :) :)

[headborg 1]

Yes Jeanway, i agree the "cage" is actually one of the best episodes of (TOS) Roddenberry wrote it himself and had plenty of time to work on it- no production dead-line! It was so good that the network commissioned a second pilot..more action)fist-fighting"Where No Man Has Gone Before". I loved the reference to "number one"....and "engage"....and the time warp effect. It's too bad they couldn't get Jeffrey Hunter signed on to play (TOS)...do you think Hunter as capt would have made (TOS) better? or just different?

[Admiral Kirk 1]

I dont know if it would have been better but it's defintely different. The Cage offers some intresting topics of discussion concerning the Enterprise show. The Cage is canon too.

[Jeanway 0]

Yes Jeanway, i agree the "cage" is actually one of the best episodes of (TOS) Roddenberry wrote it himself and had plenty of time to work on it- no production dead-line!  It was so good that the network commissioned a second pilot..more action)fist-fighting"Where No Man Has Gone Before".  I loved the reference to "number one"....and "engage"....and the time warp effect.  It's too bad they couldn't get Jeffrey Hunter signed on to play (TOS)...do you think Hunter as capt would have made (TOS) better? or just different?

 

 

 

 

 

HeadBorg, how do you know so much about Gene Roddenberry? I believe Jeffrey Hunter died shortly after this pilot was made. :)

[Mike 5]

I believe Jeffrey Hunter died shortly after this pilot was made.

I liked Jeffery Hunter a lot but it's a good thing they went with William Shatner..Star Trek would not have made it to the movies or to TNG..It is a tragedy that Jeffery Hunter died so young but he would have taken Trek with him..Say all the negative things that you want about Shatner..But he kept Trek alive...IMO..

 

BTW, I really liked The Cage as well..It is one of the best TOS stories ever done..!

[Jeanway 0]

I wonder why they never did it again in any of the episodes? It was a good story. You really can't say that about Jeffrey Hunter, you don't know that. He definatley was better looking than Shatner. And just as talented.

[Mike 5]

I wonder why they never did it again in any of the episodes? It was a good story.  You really can't say that about Jeffrey Hunter, you don't know that. He definatley was better looking than Shatner. And just as talented.

All I was really saying is that Jeffery Hunter would have passed away before any of the movies were made..I doubt they would have went with a totally new captain for the movies..The entire original cast and 1 new captain? I don't think so. It wouldn't have worked..There would have been no movies and no TNG in my opinion..But I liked Jeffery Hunter too..It is a tragedy..

 

The Cage was incorporated into the 2 part TOS episode The Menagerie..

[stoned_vulcan 0]

im not a fan of the cage at all i dont like the episode

[mj 7]

The Cage is another excellent trek episode, but then so many of the TOS episodes are excellent that it will always be my favorite series.

 

I like this episode (pilot) because Pike starts out almost at the end of his rope. He is an excellent captain, but the responsibilities and challenges of the job are wearing him down. He is ready to quit. (Many middle-aged people relate to wanting to throw in the towel and try something completely different.)

 

Then on Talos IV, through the manipulations of the Talosians, he "experienced" every possible alternate life he had just been considering. If he had no self-respect, no moral values, no sense of repsonsibility and duty, he might have eventually succumbed. But he though was tempted, the situation alos clarified to him his value in the role of captain, and just the value of being free.

 

In the end, fighting to keep his freedom and dignity drove out his iniitial frustrated mindset, and he was restored and ready to continue as captain of the Enterprise.

[12181802 0]

I think if Jeffery Hunter would have been Captain it would have been a good series. But he died so I don't know if we would have a movie franchise. Shatner is also very good. The Cage episode tape I have has the show in color and parts in black and white.

[Vulcan IDIC 0]

The Cage is a good episode, but I do like Shatner as Captain Kirk. The chemistry between him Spock and McCoy was just too good and it worked well.

[Voyager recruit 0]

It's too bad, that some very sophisticated aliens couldn't say, drop by Talos Four, encounter Pike and Vina, and offer to transfer their cortical marixes into android forms, and give the two a ride back to Federation space, where they could take up a new life, and new adventures together..maybe it sounds silly, or contrived, but it's a thought...I have read that Jeffrey was, according to someone on the series, a nice man...RIP....his Pike was in the pilot rather aloof, in a way...if a fine officer, and strong leader. We did see the human side in his interactions with Vina...passionate, potentially, and tender to her... I have two PocketTOS novels which feature the earlier crew-interesting glimpses into Pike, Jose', and co...one could do any number of books about this crew. I thought Bruce Greenwood did a good job as Pike in ST...and glad to see the character so far, spared his cohort's tradgedy...Susan Oliver was, again, rest her soul, a lovely lady.Guess she'll forever be the first 'green girl'...

[Stephen of Borg 2]

It's a good episode, but I think that the Cage was made even better with the Menagerie two-parter.

[Kor37 9]

I'm not a big fan of The Menagerie. I like The Cage in all of its uncut glory.

[Voyager recruit 0]

Menagerie did show us a different side-or that is, the true side of Spock's loyalty to his former Captain-a trait so wonderfully demonstrated with Jim Kirk time and again-of course, in the former, he broke many a rule to acheive his personally-believed worthy goals...hmm...just as Jim and co. did for Spock in time....

[Bethlehem 7]

The purist form of Star Trek.

[Stephen of Borg 2]

I don't really care for "the Cage" by itself. Jeffrey Hunter just has the "old style" of acting that I don't care for. It makes it feel more dated than Shatner's Kirk

[Voyager recruit 0]

For one who grew up with the original, I have to 'defend' Bill, and his style, which, if at times a bit funny(reacting in pain, etc...chuckle) he still created with the Kirk bravado and tenacity, etc a memorable , legendary character, and there would be no Chris Pine Kirk-who did just fine, BTW-without the first one....and yes, like Jeffrey Hunter, they are from a different era-my era as a kid-and to me they represent what Trekkies used to call 'Classic Trek'..and it will forever be, to me.

Edited July 27, 2009 by Voyager recruit