Star Date: Season 1, Episode 1

The Cage

The Cage stars a different cast than the rest of the series, as it seems the TV executives didn't appreciate this plot.  Upon research, it seems this episode never even made it to air until a writer's strike during TNG.

It focuses on Captain Pike as they land on a strange planet searching for a shipwrecked party.  Upon arrival, the crash survivors are all an illusion, and Pike is captured by a race of mind controlling nerds, seeking knowledge above all else.  Also, there is a woman there who really was in the original shipwreck, that has been held captive by the aliens for years under their constant surveillance.  The nerds want Pike and the woman to start a family so they can be observed for study, like in any good science experiment.  By the end of the episode, it is shown that the aliens weren't the totally cruel slavers as they were made out to be, and release Pike back to the ship.

This episode isn't much to write home about.  I can sort of see why the TV executives wanted a second pilot.  The premise at this point seems sound: a ship going around space discovering new and interesting species and planets, but the characterization is fairly lacking.  Most of the crew are forgettable, and Pike comes off as a jerk most of the time.  Number One is a bland character, but I could see that Pike and her relationship would have been interesting to explore.  Even Spock is fairly boring, with his only redeeming trait at this point is that he is an alien on a human ship, so I am curious about how he got on the Enterprise in the first place and exactly what about him is "alien."

Funniest thing I saw was that in *every* shot on the bridge, there is one man standing by the door.  That is all he does.  No lines, hardly any movement besides stepping to the left or right for reasons I can't grasp.  Is he a security guard?  Background filler?  With the expression on his face, you can feel his disappointment.  He finally gets a role on TV, and then he shows up to find that he is relegated to mannequin duty the entire episode.

I feel for you, sad extra with no purpose

All in all, it is impossible to predict from this episode that the show was even going to get picked up by the networks.  But I'm glad it did.

"A person's strongest dreams are about what he can't do." - Alien Nerd