UNCUT REACTION - Star Trek TOS - The Cage (200 Patron Special)
Added 2023-09-09 01:10:31 +0000 UTCWe said when we hit 200 Patrons that we would finally watch The Cage so here we are sticking to our word!
This will also be edited for YouTube in the coming weeks
Comments
I've never been particularly enamored with The Cage. It can be fun to ask "what if?", but given that even in the earliest episodes with the finalized crew like WNMHGB, you could still see the dynamic between the crew was already reasonably close to what it would be. "Number One" would have been a good addition to the final crew, and it would have been good to see a woman doing more than answer the phone on the bridge. The doctor was a decent character as well, but I wouldn't swap McCoy for him. Pike has had a surprisingly lasting impact on Trek for this one appearance, but Hunter was never going to capture audiences the way Shatner did, and things like "I can't get used to a woman on the bridge" would date TOS even more than it already is. Rest of the cast was pretty forgettable. Mister "THE WOMEN!!!" Spock was funny to watch here being so different from the finished character. Overall I think The Menagerie is a far better presentation of this story, focusing on the important events wrapped up in another story involving the crew we know. It's an important part of Trek, a look at the evolution of the production, and it did inspire one of the better modern Trek shows. It's impressive for it's time, but I don't think Trek would have succeeded if they had used this as the template. It needed the magic of the cast we ended up getting.
Timothy Nikiforovs
2024-06-10 18:00:39 +0000 UTCWhere’s the YouTube cut? I can’t see anything watching with you guys..
Philbot
2024-03-18 06:44:42 +0000 UTCI’ve always loved the Cage! You could say it’s my favorite TOS episode. It came out on VHS when I was 9 I think 🤔
Philbot
2024-03-18 06:41:26 +0000 UTCI know you’re watching these in broadcast order, but you need to realize that the broadcast order had very little to do with the order in which they were shot. Especially in the first season, there were issues with getting stories from the writers, there were issues with budget, and how long it took to produce an episode, so many of the episodes are not in production order. If you want to better watch the evolution of Spock, the other characters, even the uniforms, consider, watching this order: The Cage, to Where no Man has Gone Before, then, The Corbomite Maneuver. After that, things settle into more of a rhythm, and the order of episodes becomes less important. If you really want to deep dive into Star Trek, there is a series of books, one volume for each season, called These are the Voyages, written by Marc Cushman. The studio gave him full access to all materials, archives, scripts, and episodes. It’s the most exhaustive examination of Star Trek I’ve ever seen. He also goes episode by episode, talking about the issues with production, budget, talking about guest stars, and the evolution of characters, as well as the tension that arose from Leonard Nimoy’s Spock becoming more popular than Kirk, and how that affected the relationship between the actors. They are thick volumes, but it’s a great read if you have the time.
Mark Shampine
2023-11-06 21:00:13 +0000 UTCIt actually goes beyond the fact that the studio thought it was too cerebral. That phrase keeps coming up because it’s been used a lot in many of the books and magazine articles written about the studio’s quote regarding this pilot. When Gene Roddenberry pitched the show, he promised the show as “Wagon Train to the Stars”. In other words, a spaghetti western that takes place in space. Lots of action and adventure. And whether this pilot stood on its own, or not, what Roddenberry gave them was anything but that. That’s what pissed them off so bad, but it’s also why they ordered a second pilot and said this one better have some action in it.
Mark Shampine
2023-11-06 20:51:23 +0000 UTCIn relation to your mention of reuse of props, the underground hallways resemble the ones in the 1956 color film 'The Forbidden Planet' (starring Leslie Nielsen). The costume worn by Vina was also reminiscent of the one worn by Altaira in the film too. Both shows have the same 'feel' about them even though a decade apart.
TeenyStudio Flicks
2023-10-02 12:56:33 +0000 UTCGuys, at the end of the season 3 Star Trek discs of your set, you should be able to find the original format version of the Where No Man Has Gone Before pilot. There is an additional line Kirk says to Spock about having human blood that was cut on the broadcast version by TV censors. The opening is different and the show is divided into "acts". After a commercial break they superimpose "Star Trek act 2". This was mimicking the format of some shows of the day, especially ones by Quinn Martin. Not enough of a change to do a reaction, maybe (though it would be welcome) but cool to look at none the less.
Mike Rogers
2023-09-17 03:10:09 +0000 UTCNimoy died in 2015, Peck first appeared as Spock in ST:Discovery season 2 in 2019, but likely cast and filmed in 2018. So no, Leonard Nimoy did not give Ethan Peck his seal of approval. However they did have Ethan meet with Nimoy’s children Julie and Adam and they gave their blessing.
Rich Loga
2023-09-16 06:45:59 +0000 UTCits interesting how watching this again is so much more charming now that the show was finally made with Strange New Worlds
Castanea
2023-09-14 05:11:53 +0000 UTCnot "nurse chapel" a different unnamed character "Number One"
Castanea
2023-09-14 04:57:58 +0000 UTC"These are the voyages" is definitely a book series you guys should look into at one point. There's tons of great info about the show's making in there, what the writers had to say, what the audience and critic reactions were initially etc etc. It's super interesting.
Andreas Schmitt
2023-09-13 17:34:44 +0000 UTCHehe. It's certainly the strongest Urban Legend. But I listened to "These are the voyages" audiobook and this was one of the first things that got debunked hehe. The network actually loved the show, they were just worried about the budget, and The Cage was indeed way too expensive. The show wouldn't have worked with so many special effects. That's why you have more character stories and re-used sets and stuff like that in the final show, and less sci-fi elements. A show based on The Cage just wouldn't have worked. The cerebral stuff is something that Roddenberry talked about in interviews later on, The studio heads never said that. Roddenberry made a lot of untrue claims about the studios after the face, because he got into trouble with them constantly. He wasn't easy to work with and told a very one-sided version of that conflict later on. He certainly had the vision for Star Trek but if the networks hadn't believed in the show, it would never have worked. Another myth is that Star Trek had bad ratings initially and only became a hit in re-runs. That's also completely false. Star Trek was always one of the most successful shows on television at the time and always in the top ratings, very often being number 1 in its time slot. From what I remember the "too cerebral" thing is just something Roddenberry had said in ONE interview, and then fans and cast just started running with it. I don't even think Roddenberry meant that as a direct quote. I think he was asked what he THINKS the initial problem was, and this was his response. And then EVERYBODY picked up on it and just took it as gospel. You know how that works :D
Andreas Schmitt
2023-09-13 17:32:52 +0000 UTCOur most repeated comment and it's not even true lmao
Josh (Target Audience)
2023-09-13 15:39:40 +0000 UTCThe "Too cerebral" statement has already been debunked. The studios never said that. Roddenberry later CLAIMED they did because he wanted to get back at them. Their real problem was the budget. They did not believe that Roddenberry could make a show of this style and keep the episodes within budget. And The Cage was VERY expensive. But they loved the concept enough to give him the chance to make yet another pilot (which was unheard of at the time). And even that second pilot went massively over budget, but they gave him the show anyway. The studios get a ton of bad press but the fact is that all of that bad press came from Roddenberry making stuff up, simply because he didn't like them. Without the studios and their full support for Star Trek from the start, none of it would ever have been existed. The facts are: - The studios never said the pilot was too cerebral, they just thought it had a way too high budget - The studios never had an issue with Uhura being on the bridge, despite what Roddenberry might have told the actress and audience. The only problem the studio had is that Roddenberry had an affair with Nichols - The studios never wanted to get rid of "number one" because she was a woman. They thought the cast was too big for the budget and gave roddenberry a choice to either cut Spock (who didn't work as a character yet in the Cage) or cut Number One. And it was Roddenberry that chose to kick Number One because he absolutely wanted to keep Spock (even though Number One was played by his girlfriend at the time, and in interviews she said this really hurt her at the time because she loved playing that character so much. That's probably why he re-hired her later as Nurse Chapel)
Andreas Schmitt
2023-09-13 14:29:28 +0000 UTCMaybe she was actually in her own cell doing all that same stuff but they were sharing the illusion that she was in Pike's cell.
James H
2023-09-13 00:40:40 +0000 UTCNotice the comparison between Pike wanting to retire and the Talosians going underground and becoming reliant upon fantasy. Boyce telling him a man either lives life or turns his back and withers away.
Geoffrey Linehan
2023-09-11 01:37:21 +0000 UTCI’ve wondered about this. Remember Vina cries out, “Don’t punish me.” She lies on the table. Then she vanishes. She couldn’t have been an illusion at that point because she is arguing against the Talosian. Then how did she leave? She vanishes in a way like an illusion, but she isn’t one. I don’t know, but there’s a goof. You can see the actress’ shadow against the wall.
Geoffrey Linehan
2023-09-11 00:57:48 +0000 UTCI wish they would have lowered the Talosian keeper’s voice back down an octave to Malachi Throne’s voice, the way it was before The Menegarie. Here’s the original https://youtu.be/uytyu8coPDM?si=CxaFfPtOJm_2Y4-y
Geoffrey Linehan
2023-09-11 00:42:08 +0000 UTCJust one final bit of trivia. Roddenberry wanted Jerry Goldsmith to score 'The Cage', but Goldsmith was unavailable due to assignments for 20th Century Fox. He recommended Alexander Courage to Roddenberry instead.
Numinous2019
2023-09-10 20:36:52 +0000 UTCPerhaps it is only actors with speaking roles who are not alive from The Cage as I guess two people still alive from The Cage are Carol Daniels Dement who played a cute brunette crewman named Daniels in December 1964 and the quite ugly image of Zora in December 1968 who fought against Team Abraham Lincoln at the end off the series, and Sandra Lee Gimpel who played a stunt double Talosian and the Nancy Crater M-113 creature from the first aired episode The Man Trap.
Chtphr Rrr
2023-09-10 16:24:55 +0000 UTCI was thinking that I had never seen The Cage, but now I seem to remember that I think it was broadcast on syndicated television along with Star Trek: the Next Generation around 1988, so I remembered the slightly different ending from The Menagerie. One interesting thing is that apparently everyone who appeared in The Cage is no longer alive after Laurel Goodwin who played the young yeoman J. M. Colt passed away on February 25, 2022, at age 79. However, the episode's director Robert Butler is apparently still alive at age 95. However, there seem to be a few people still alive from the second pilot Where No Man Has Gone Before including William Shatner, Gary Lockwood, George Takei, Andrea Dromm (Yeoman Smith), Darren Dublin at age 100 (a background actor), and Robert Metz (another background actor). Apparently one actor who appears in both The Cage and one of your favorite episodes is Geological Technician Fisher who fell on some strange magnetic type of yellow ore which seemed to cause all the problems from the episode The Enemy Within.
Chtphr Rrr
2023-09-10 16:09:57 +0000 UTCThe wonderful Trek World channel on YouTube has recently been uploading clips from "Star Trek Insights", which were part of TOS Special Edition broadcasts aired by the Sci-Fi Channel in 1998-99. The "Insight" segments featured brief commentaries by cast members for various TOS episodes, with some behind-the-scenes details. Here's the segment for The Cage, which includes Shatner, Nimoy, and Majel Barrett: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stqIgcQcGGI
Gaius Frakking Baltar
2023-09-10 15:05:01 +0000 UTCBoth actresses would have been good choices. I still like Barrett and we also got her great voicing of the Enterprise and Enterprise D computers into the bargain.
Numinous2019
2023-09-10 12:32:03 +0000 UTCAllegedly, NBC wanted to test both Lee Meriwether (who ended up on The Time Tunnel for the '66-'67 season) and Barbara Bain (who ended up on Mission: Impossible) for the role.
Timothy Hennon
2023-09-10 05:39:00 +0000 UTCShatner does sometimes get unfairly called a bad actor, too. But he makes up for it in having a lot more charisma than Hunter. He can be a serious captain, too, but I can see network execs liking the more charming Kirk over Pike.
Joe Concepts
2023-09-09 22:11:08 +0000 UTCAlex and Josh know all about USS Callister. That’s why they mention Jesse Plemons.
Rich Cirivilleri
2023-09-09 22:08:49 +0000 UTCIf you want one more thing from the original cast era, there's a 30-second Animated Series PSA for "Keep America Beautiful" that's on YouTube. Someone probably mentioned this during The Menagerie, but the "Keeper" was played by a woman, Meg Wyllie, and her voice was dubbed by an uncredited Malachi Throne. In the original Cage they used Throne's unaltered voice, but then Throne was cast as Commodore Mendez in The Menagerie, so they electronically altered the pitch of the Talosian's voice so he wouldn't sound like the Commodore. In this restoration of The Cage, the extra bits have had their pitch altered to match. There are several pregnant pauses and three segments of dialogue from The Cage that have not been restored for some reason in this version. The bits of dialogue are: - Vina in the picnic scene says the Talosians keep "probing and looking for weakness" - Pike tells Vina that when he first saw her in the survivors' camp, "You were like a wild little animal" - When the Keeper asks if the crew intend to destroy themselves with the overloading phaser, Pike asks, "Do you want to gamble we won't?"
James H
2023-09-09 20:47:44 +0000 UTCThe TOS movies severely upgraded the aesthetic, I guess they get away with it by saying “oh yeah we refit everything”
Stuart Arbury
2023-09-09 17:56:04 +0000 UTCHere’s how I make it work in my head cannon (don’t worry Target Audience, no spoilers here). I had this debate with my buddy Bryan, who hosts a hilarious podcast called Trek Marry Kill. Think about WWII. A real event spanning years, and we have had WWII movies from every decade. The Longest Day and Saving Private Ryan both depict D-Day. Both are “canon”. One is made with 60s style, filmmaking sensibilities, the other in the 90s. Now imagine Star Trek as all one big timeline (yes there’s mirror universe, JJ verse etc.), think of it as a “future history” that actually “happened”. The shows/movies we’re watching are depictions of this “history”. So TOS is how the 60s interprets the events and the people, and SNW is how that same era is interpreted in 2023. Just my brains fun way of enjoying Strange New Worlds without getting caught up in the strict adherence to canon. I mean otherwise I just watch the whole show and hope that in the final episode they say “you know what, let’s throw out this aesthetic and switch out everything so it looks cheaper”.
Stuart Arbury
2023-09-09 17:55:09 +0000 UTCSetting aside the stylistic elements, that much was certain just based on events that occur. There's no way to jive SNW with TOS. It just isn't going to happen. The fact the Disco-E launched shuttles like TIE Fighters is another giveaway. I saw that and I was done.
Steven Johnson
2023-09-09 16:59:09 +0000 UTCHope I'm not repeating a previous comment, but Majel Barrett (who I have always liked in TOS & TNG) was having an affair with Roddenberry and this is why the NBC executives didn't want her to re-appear in TOS. They had no problem with a female second officer, only with Roddenberry casting his mistress. This was confirmed by TOS producers Herb Solow & Robert Justman.
Numinous2019
2023-09-09 16:48:19 +0000 UTCShatner was shown 'The Cage' after agreeing to play Kirk. He said he found a way to approach Kirk from watching Hunter and make Kirk more approachable and good humoured with his crew. No disrespect to Hunter, but Pike is more of the traditional military captain: at a necessary remove from his crewmates and feeling the burdens of command.
Numinous2019
2023-09-09 16:36:42 +0000 UTCNimoy said that he played Spock a little bit more loud and vibrant (if that's the right word), to serve as a counter to Jeffrey Hunter's stoic Captain Pike. Once Shatner came onboard with a bit more flare, Nimoy went to the other side of the spectrum, becoming the stoic one. It was all about not having 2 main characters being too similar, but rather a foil for one another.
Tom Occhipinti
2023-09-09 15:48:27 +0000 UTCActually if you want to see Jesse Plemons in Trek check out a Black Mirror episode titled “USS Callister” About as close as you can get 😊
Badger
2023-09-09 15:44:21 +0000 UTCAwesome reaction guys! Even though everyone prefers Kirk as captain because his portrayal is much more passionate and jovial, Pike is actually a baddass if you really watch him. He says things Kirk wouldn’t:1-“Is your blood red like ours? I’m gonna find out!” 2-“You try one more illusion, you try anything at all and I’ll break your neck” 3-“I think we just blasted a hole in that window and you kept us from seeing it. You want me to trst my theory out on your head?” Jeffrey Hunter’s intense blue eyes and expression is awesome.
Chris S.
2023-09-09 13:51:00 +0000 UTCShe didn't die her hair, it was a wig and the name change was meaningless, everyone knew who she was, they just didn't care. She was rejected as Number One because the studio didn't want Roddenberry's mistress as a lead, a supporting character like Chapel was fine because if the relationship had ended Chapel simply would have been dropped from the show never to be seen again.
Phillip Grischa
2023-09-09 12:10:26 +0000 UTCYou now know why Nurse Chapel was blonde. They did fire that actress too so she just dyed her hair blonde and changed her last name in the credits to come back on the series.
Jonathan
2023-09-09 09:00:04 +0000 UTCI watched along with the “extended version” and it synced perfectly once the episode started.
Jonathan
2023-09-09 08:57:42 +0000 UTCYou can see in the early episodes Spock trying to find the right character and voice. The original episodes where he plays music and is smiling at Uhura, and how about the episode with evil Kirk looking to have his way with Janice, and at the very end Spock kids her that sex happy Kirk had qualities Janice found attractive? Jeffrey Hunter, handsome to be sure, most known for playing Jesus, was not a great actor. In that regard he is like Henry Cavill I guess.
Ken R
2023-09-09 08:28:42 +0000 UTCOk guys it was cool that you watched this after seeing most of the scenes in the 2 part Menagerie Episode. One thing is you have seen everything from this series except one thing...I have mentioned this in a couple posts on your YouTube TOS reactions. The 22 minute Bloopers reel shown at the early Trek Conventions. It might turn out to be a top 5 Reaction for you guys! 😀🖖
Duane Chancey
2023-09-09 08:07:14 +0000 UTCThis possibly could have been a decent episode of The Twilight Zone. And I think Captain Picard will surprise you, especially after Season 1.
KatWithAttitude
2023-09-09 07:02:49 +0000 UTCIf you're looking for an outro "something" why not Vulcan Salute and "Live long and prosper" lol, for Quantum Leap outro you could edit yourselves leaping out with the blue effect, and I dont have any idea about for Battle Star lol.
Tristan Rose
2023-09-09 05:08:11 +0000 UTCFYI, I have never had a stutter and freeze problem with the Patreon vids. Perhaps it is that gentleman's ISP, or his modem/router that is the problem?
StealthMomo
2023-09-09 04:58:33 +0000 UTCJeffery Hunter's Pike was so serious, so intense. Although Shatner could certainly be intense as well, he had a brilliant sense of humor and a glint of mischief in his eye that I don't believe Hunter really had. Were 'Trek' to have been picked up from this pilot, I doubt it would've lived to see three seasons on TV or any of the follow up shows or movies through the decades. Why? That's the secret of Star Trek. And that secret is not Gene Roddenberry's "vision", as so many have kept repeating over and over and over, through the decades. Other sci-fi shows & movies have had positive messages, too...but without the long kite tail of success that Star Trek has had. So, what is that secret? Simple chemistry. Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley. Shatner is a damned convincing Captain and an exquisite entertainer. He clearly understood that his "starship" was made of cardboard walls, Christmas tree lighted control panels, toy weapons and bad guys in rubber suits... if Shatner had played Kirk "cool and straight", Star Trek would've quickly become a parody of itself and flopped quickly. Shatner's genius is that he instinctively knew *just* how much to push the envelope, how much to ratchet up the acting in each scene... he put the entire show on his shoulders and wasn't afraid to be the fool to carry the scene. In terms of taking on the job of lead man, he was actually doing on set what Kirk was doing in the script... he was truly being the leader. That's why his performance as Kirk seems effortless and so authentic... Shatner was leading the cast in the same time he was portraying Kirk leading his crew....fearlessly. So when you're watching Shatner, you don't see the plywood bulkheads or glued on pointed ears. You really do *see* a legitimate, believable James T. Kirk. And Nimoy was insightful enough to see what Shatner was doing, and transitioned into an icy "cool" Spock, mainly to balance Shatner's "hot" Kirk. By doing this, he added a level of intelligence, insight and sensitivity that created massive depth to Spock that didn't exist in 'The Cage''. It was Shatner's 'hot' Kirk that gifted Nimoy the space to move to a 'cooler' character. Hunter's "PIke" was a 'cool' character himself, which boxed Nimoy in; how could Nimoy play an aloof Spock (the way we remember) if the counterweight character on set was as quiet and intense as he was? It would be redundant. I think that's why Nimoy in this pilot yelled, spoke harshly, made wild arm slashing gestures and even grinned... he was trying to "opposite" Hunter's Pike, who was in many ways more Spock than the Spock we traditionally think of. Their chemistry wasn't a good fit. Shatner, for all the grief and mockery folks throw at him, was smart and bold enough to turn the energy levels up to "high", leaving "cooler" stage space for Nimoy to explore and eventually even own. And DeForest Kelley? Most underrated actor on the show. Sure, he simply had to be Joe Average, but in reality he "was" the audience. When McCoy is on the scene, so are we. He *is* the everyman that makes the scene real, the relationships relatable and makes it seem like "If he could be there, so could we." He removes the fantastical superhero vibe that most science fiction suffers from and brings it down to real Earth by adding a strong current of flawed humanity that we all see in ourselves. Kelley's history in Westerns gave him the authentic, gritty reality of humans that conflict with each other, that whine, bitch, argue and see things with a cynical eye. McCoy's reproving of Kirk kept the Captain from being seen as a two-dimensional undefeatable superhero and instead, grounded him into a flawed, mortal, but very heroic figure. True heroes aren't perfect; their own flaws they fall into and recover from are what make them heroic. McCoy's nagging and arguing with Spock also made our favorite Vulcan human; it was the bickering and unspoken, grudging mutual respect for each other that kept Spock from being seen as "too alien" and unrelatable. Kelley's McCoy is why we sympathize with Spock's plight and struggle of being half-human. The three together were simply brilliant. How could ANYONE have known that mixing Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley together would create such a perfect recipe, this triad of remarkable chemistry? Well, that's why chemistry is a mystery... if producers could do it on demand, *every* show would be iconic. It's impossible to manufacture, it has to be organic. Even Roddenberry couldn't have guessed how well this would end up. Every Star Trek show and subsequent property has tried in vain to recapture that magic, and maybe they've had a few small moments of success here and there. But none of them in the 54 years since the original Star Trek went off the air in 1969 have come within a thousand light years of duplicating that chemistry. They've followed it, built on it, tried to reproduce it, but the way the original Trek sparked and crackled with those three men is WHY there has been 54 years more of Trek.
Shane Davis
2023-09-09 04:38:35 +0000 UTCGlad you decided to watch The Cage. I enjoy it because I love the lore of Star Trek, although I think the wrap-around story in The Menagerie is what makes it my favorite TOS episode(s): Spock risking everything to help his former captain who was like a father to him. Sort of like Kirk in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, don't you think? I am still amazed at how well Gene Roddenberry was able to craft that A-story and wrap it around so neatly with The Cage footage. The way Nimoy portrays Spock in this pilot is pretty much how Roddenberry originally described him. The Number One character was the cool, efficient, computer-like personality whereas Spock was supposed to be more curious, almost child-like. He was also supposed to speak like he was educated at Oxford because Roddenberry reasoned he would have had to learn proper English. Nimoy also said in an interview some years ago that he went into this pilot with the idea that every actor does, which is to play his character as dark and brooding, but Jeffrey Hunter came in with the same idea, and he was the star, so Nimoy took a different route. He said the chemistry between him and Hunter was quite different than with Shatner.
Collin Freeman
2023-09-09 04:01:09 +0000 UTCI'm glad you finally got to watch this. And I am glad you find the differences between The Cage and what the series ultimately became to be as fascinating as I did all those years ago. And, as always, your reactions and insights are entertaining as well. You cats are well worth the $10 a month I fork over. 😁 ------------------------------ Network execs: "Too much talky. Too much sexy. Focus groups say that Martian fella looks like the Devil." Roddenberry: "Fine. More action, less blatant sexuality. But the alien dude stays." Network execs:"... ... ... *sigh*. Fine. The alien dude stays." As to the thinly veiled misogyny and other now-cringy elements; as in the series itself they were bound by the networks Standards and Practices department. And even with that, Roddenberry pushed the envelope as far as he could. He capitulated on some things so he could push hard for other things (such as Kirk saying "Let's get the hell out of here." in City on the Edge of Forever, or the famous interracial kiss in Plato's Stepchildren). As to Spock's "out of character" smiles and loud voice; they obviously hadn't yet fleshed out the character fully. Nimoy has even gone on record as to how the character evolved during early production... a combination of directorial notes and the onscreen chemistry he had with Shatner. However, that version of Spock HAS been seamlessly integrated into canon over the years. There are many elements of canon lore that sprang from later semi-canon novelizations. Things such as Uhura's first name (Nyota) and Sulu's (Hikaru) come from the novels. Spock's early days as an Academy cadet falls under this. The backstory (which is currently being reinforced and played out in Strange New Worlds) is that when Spock first entered Starfleet Academy he felt out of place and uncomfortable and chose to try to emulate the humans and other species with whom he served so he could blend in. Unfortunately, the only human role model he had long-term experience with was his mother, who was a teacher and Vulcan diplomat's wife. Herself calm and collected for the most part. Hardly a typical baseline human. So he tended to overcompensate. It is going to take you literally years to get to Strange New Worlds, but they are very carefully crafting Spock's character arc to take him from the green Lieutenant you see in The Cage to the seasoned First Officer you first meet in the series. And I will say that Ethan Peck (Gregory Peck's grandson BTW) does a magnificent Spock. He even had Leonard Nimoy's seal of approval before he passed.
StealthMomo
2023-09-09 03:51:57 +0000 UTCI enjoyed your reaction, guys. You might not have seen in the end credits that this was made in 1964, two years before the series. Considering that, this was really a superior Sci-Fi show for its time. Like one of the other commenters, I saw this in college when Gene Roddenberry was doing his tour, promoting himself at the same time. Not that I blame him, but there were many other talented people who made Star Trek what it was.
John5193
2023-09-09 03:46:53 +0000 UTCIf you’re watching it on Paramount Plus my guess would be it is remastered. We watched with original effects on our box set as it comes with both options.
Josh (Target Audience)
2023-09-09 03:41:28 +0000 UTCThe reason we moved to direct to Patreon is because even on unlisted videos YouTube’s bot searches for copyright and the audio in the background was triggering it and blocking our uncut reactions.
Josh (Target Audience)
2023-09-09 03:40:43 +0000 UTCA few of the exterior shots of the Enterprise look better than I remember from years ago, and I suspect these are remastered effects. Does anyone know if this is the case?
David Felgate
2023-09-09 03:24:19 +0000 UTCPatreon videos are constantly stuttering and freezing for some reason. Trying to watch along with you guys, but the freezing keeps it constantly out of sync. Is there any chance you could post these as unlisted YouTube videos instead of direct to Patreon?
danzthename
2023-09-09 03:19:11 +0000 UTCI saw this also. It was mid 70's for me, before Star Wars came out. They also showed the blooper reel (which is one last bit of TOS that Alex & Josh haven't reacted to yet).
David Felgate
2023-09-09 03:17:12 +0000 UTCThis version of Star Trek was way too similar to every other space adventure show in the 60's. The "reboot" we know became more distinct and enjoyable. The episodes still take on serious topics, but in a more upbeat style. I will always be a huge fan of TOS. Spock is my homie.
MrDeadstu
2023-09-09 03:15:05 +0000 UTCI love how in this reality Spock's post is standing beside the navigation station looking serious and about to shout at someone irrationally.
MrDeadstu
2023-09-09 03:06:49 +0000 UTCYou guys heard the phrase "too cerebral" so many times from us because that's a direct quote from Roddenberry's oft-repeated story about why the first pilot was rejected. I've heard there's more to the story (I don't remember the details). I suspect the "too cerebral" story is an example of something that has been repeated so many times it's now accepted as truth.
David Felgate
2023-09-09 03:04:54 +0000 UTCThey got rid of John Hoyt because they wanted a younger doctor who would be Kirk's friend, not the age of his father.
Chuck Rice
2023-09-09 02:51:47 +0000 UTCIt's set in an alternate reality though with no connection to the original canon Trek shows. Akiva Goldsman admitted a few months ago despite years of Kurtzman giving obvious lies that it exists in the same universe
Retro Tom
2023-09-09 02:15:49 +0000 UTCThe producers have claimed otherwise. They didn't have an issue with No1 perse. They had an issue with Roddenberry casting his mistress in the role. Roddenberry didn't have the heart to give the role to another actress. It worked out for the best, though. Spock benefitted from absorbing the attributes of Number 1.
Steven Johnson
2023-09-09 02:14:31 +0000 UTCyeah, there is no extended version, just the version that was a mix of footage used in The Menagerie & a black & white workprint of the pilot that gene would show at conventions. It had an introduction from gene setting up the background of the rejected pilot & got replaced in 1999 or 2000 when a full color print of the pilot was discovered
Retro Tom
2023-09-09 02:13:36 +0000 UTCThe Cage was produced in 1964. A number of years before the series. It's amazing how much of Star Trek is still in this. The Alexander Courage theme, the Enterprise, the sets. All the major tropes. 4:15 That's Gene's version. This was Desilu, though. ya know, Lucille Balle? I love Lucy? There's no way they would have had an issue with that. Though, some of the women that worked for the studio did. Gene says some of them said "Who does she think SHE is?" The studio's version is that they were fine with the character, what they weren't fine with was it being Majel, because she was, at this time, Roddenberry's mistress. So... Uh... Kinda... Not a good situation, and it is the belief of some that Gene, to save face, just made it about sexism, so he didn't have to tell her. That character was written for her specifically. 9:56 Nimoy has said in interviews, the character really started to click for him in the episode "The Corbomite Maneuver." The scene where they're on the bridge and everyone is reacting to the crisis, Spock has one line of dialogue. His first take of the line he yelled the line "FASCINATING!" The director yelled cut and said "Be different than everyone else. Be detached. Be the scientist." and that was when Nimoy says a big portion of the Spock we know and love was born. And so became his catch phrase. "*eye brow raise* ...Fascinating." Nimoy discusses the development of the Spock character: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mogZP_fexfA Nimoy discusses the Vulcan salute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmkDOzjfSSY 11:24 Roddenberry's horndog nature sticking out again. He really wanted the captain to struggle with wanting to bone his secretary. I like Yeoman Colt,.. After what I mentioned above its almost Freudian! I'm a sucker for a pretty redhead, but the character later evolved into Janice Rand. Such a shame that fizzled out, as Shatner and GL Whitney had such great chemistry. I think it's safe to say that Star Trek greatly improved after The Cage. All the core pieces are there, and you can see what the execs probably saw, but they demanded it be more of what they were promised. Gene sold them "Wagon Train to the Stars" IE: A western in space... Which is not The Cage. This is why the show was brightened up, the cast was changed into the more diverse group, and why Kirk is punching Gary Mitchell in the face in WNMHGB. Jeffrey Hunter is a capable actor, but I am so glad his wife told him to go for movies instead. Star Trek wouldn't be Star Trek without Shatner. Nimoy admitted he began to change his performance to key in with Shatner's energy. Star Trek just wouldn't be Star Trek without the triumvirate. Kirk, Spock, Bones. The human condition spread across those three characters was dramatic genius.
Steven Johnson
2023-09-09 02:12:22 +0000 UTCI remember in one of his interviews about this rejected pilot, Gene Roddenberry said when he was given the chance to do a 2nd pilot the studio gave him orders to lose the woman & the alien with the devil ears. He joked "well I kept the alien & married the woman, The studio wasn't happy but I think at the time they'd be even more upset if I did it the other way"
Retro Tom
2023-09-09 02:10:37 +0000 UTCIf I'm not mistaken, all that distinguishes the extended cut of The Cage is a long introduction by Gene Roddenberry.
JD Nevesytrof
2023-09-09 01:53:38 +0000 UTCThat’s hilarious
Josh (Target Audience)
2023-09-09 01:46:46 +0000 UTCI got to see this, too! I think it was some time between star trek 3 & 4.
Chris
2023-09-09 01:44:18 +0000 UTCCongrats, you’ve just watched the pilot for Strange New Worlds. When Strange New Worlds was greenlit (the show is about Captain Pike, young Spock, etc.), the showrunners joked it was the “longest pilot to network pickup show in history”
Stuart Arbury
2023-09-09 01:38:30 +0000 UTCFirst wow ! I remember seeing this when Roddenberry was touring with his all B&W cut , he gave an hour speech, showed the cage , and then took q&a . I was like 16, and the atmosphere was like a rock concert
Scarpad’s Domain
2023-09-09 01:19:51 +0000 UTC
