I finally had an opportunity to sit down and watch "The Cage" in complete uncut form. I was motivated primarily by the passing of my beloved uncle, a sci-fi lover to the core, a model collector, builder, an painter who especially had a fondness for Star Trek. I wish down deep in my heart that I could have had a chance to watch "The Cage" with him. I imagine it would have been a great, enjoyable experience. Alas, this wasn't the case. His memory permeated throughout this viewing, lingering in my mind as I tried to enjoy the old pilot that was rejected, pre-Shatner, with Jeffrey Hunter as the Captain of the Star Ship Enterprise, his predicament, being held captive by a race of telepath aliens with enormous heads protruding grotesque veins. The aliens have powerful mental abilities that use delusion to overpower their "species" in an underground *zoo* where they keep them. Hunter must somehow determine a way to free himself from their grasp. The aliens attempt to "persuade" Hunter to abandon his duties elsewhere, embrace the pleasures of illusion that they provide (any dream or fantasy he so desires is offered, but the thought of being held captive against his will is not what Hunter's Captain so wishes), including the introduction of a beautiful woman named Zena, the kind of gorgeous creature many a man might consider trading away their post on a starship vessel for, who is willing to please him in any way. The version of "The Cage" that I watched was hosted by the late Gene Roddenbery who seemed quite jovial about introducing us to the pilot never before seen in its entirety, with uncut black and white footage interspersed most impressively with the color footage later used in the great two-parter, "The Menagerie" . Susan Oliver, while not exactly the most gifted actress, is certainly cast for her stunning looks, in particular when she dances around in scraps of clothing and green make-up for Hunter's Captain Christopher Pike. Majel Barrett, Mrs. Roddenbery, who would later become Bones' sick bay assistant and Deanna Troi's mother on The Next Generation, is Pike's "Number One", the second in command, a surprise for audiences back in 1966, the idea that, yes, a woman could be a prominent crew member, having to assume the Captain's role while he's *missing in action*. Leonard Nimoy, the only member of this Enterprise crew to star in the series that would later develop as the iconic Classic Star Trek us Trekkies know and love, isn't as interesting a character (although he does have his pointy ears, Roddenbery addresses how his character "looks like Satan" with a bright smile on his face) as he would become. Mr. Spock expresses himself more, his voice loud, not as unemotional and introspective as the character would later appear. To be honest, the plot of this pilot didn't overwhelm me and the cast I considered underwhelming. Nice seeing John Hoyt as Dr. Phillip Boyce, Pike's confident, who knows that his captain, tired of the strain that comes with keeping a crew safe and the casualties that often can result with exploring strange new worlds, is where he needs to be even if he is contemplating resigning from his post. While handsome, Hunter really didn't register with me, rather stiff, but that could be because I thoroughly enjoy Shatner as Kirk and Pike lacks the qualities his "replacement" has. As a curio, I think "The Cage" is essential viewing, if just to see the designs of the bridge and officers' uniforms in their rarest form. The black and white footage has audio issues and a rough cheapness that doesn't translate well.
Review of The Cage
