The Menagerie - Part One
The Enterprise visits Starbase 11 after receiving a message that Captain Christopher Pike wants to see Captain Kirk. No such message was sent from Starbase 11 but Captain Pike is present.
Captain Pike was incapacitated not long before the Enterprise arrived at Starbase 11. He is confined to a mechanized wheelchair and only able to communicate through the use of a flashing light on the wheelchair which allows him to blink once for YES and twice for NO. Pike, when questioned, indicates that he did not send the message.
Mister Spock served under Captain Pike, aboard the Enterprise before Captain Kirk assumed command. Pike and Spock visited Talos IV thirteen years earlier. Starfleet issued General Order 7, after that visit, which forbids travel to or contact with Talos IV under penalty of death.
Mister Spock faked the message from Captain Pike and subsequently feeds fake orders into the Enterprise computer ordering it to head for Taltos IV. He gets Captain Pike aboard the Enterprise and it takes off without Captain Kirk. Commodore Mendez and Captain Kirk pursue the Enterprise in a shuttlecraft but the smaller vessel cannot keep up with the Enterprise.
Spock orders Kirk and Mendez beamed aboard the Enterprise once it become apparent that they don't have enough fuel to make it back to Starbase 11. Spock then turns himself in and requests that he be court martialed.
Spock is put on trial, while the Enterprise heads towards Talos IV, and in the course of the proceedings he begins to reveal the events that led to the prior visit to Talos IV.
The Enterprise under the command of Captain Pike was lured to Talos IV under the pretense that there might be survivors of another spacecraft from Earth that crashed on Talos IV. Pike, Spock, and the others who beam down to Talos IV believe they have discovered the survivors but then Pike is lured away from the others by Vina, one of the survivors, and captured by Talosians.
The court martial is paused at this point as it becomes clear that the evidence they are watching is coming from Talos IV. Everyone clears the room where the court martial is taking place leaving just Captain Kirk wondering what motivated Spock to collude with the Talosians.
Thoughts
I recall seeing The Menagerie before but I don't remember too much about it except that they took Captain Pike to Talos IV. I did not recall that Spock was the one who set things is motion. I did not recall the court martial.
Captain Pike at the very least should have been able to blink Morse Code. Despite this fact, I have to admit that limiting him to only YES and NO does add something to the story.
Commodore Mendez is wearing a special uniform for the cout martial. Where did it come from? Did he bring it with him on the shuttlecraft? Did he borrpw it from Kirk? Did they manufacture it for him aboard the Enterprise?
There is one moment soon after Pike, Spock and the landing party have arrived on Talos IV when Spock smiles and gets excited. It seemed so uncharacteristic to me that I couldn't help but take note of it.
I was very satisfied with this episode. I love how it is Spock's devotion to his former commander that is propelling the story forward. This episode is probably my favorite to date. I love how they use footage from The Cage, the original pilot for Star Trek, in this story. Is it perfect? No, but it really sucked me in and got me a bit emotional at times. I hope that Part Two lives up to the promise of Part One and my memories of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment