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Flashback | Recap | Star Trek: The Original Series S1E00: “The Cage”

Series Title: Star Trek: The Original Series

Episode Title: “The Cage”

Episode No.: 0

Network: Netflix

Air Date: October 4, 1988 (originally unaired)

Written By: Gene Roddenberry

What happened?

Captain Christopher Pike and the crew of the starship Enterprise  answers a distress call emanating from Talos IV. Upon beaming down to the planet, Pike meets the sole human survivor of a shipwrecked colony, Vina, whom the Talosians have cared for as best they can. But she’s alone and in desperate need of a real, human companion. So, Pike finds himself the victim of an elaborate and deadly series of mind games by the planet’s underground inhabitants, hoping to keep him there forever as Vina’s companion – and as a part of their zoo.

What’s going on here?

This is the first entry in a new Flashback feature series, in which I’ll rewatch each episode of Star Trek: The Original Series (I’ll often abbreviate this as TOS ). I’m a lifelong, ardent fan of Star Trek , in each of its forms, and I’m really excited to get started chronicling this journey. I’ll watch each episode according to Netflix’s order, and I’ll try to note when Netflix deviates from the normal, accepted (usually production) order, especially when it seems particularly important.

This will mostly be more of a review than a recap – I’d love for you all to watch along with me and join in the conversation. So, I’ll provide a short recap, but mostly I’ll give my thoughts on the episode as a part of the larger Star Trek narrative and thematic discussion. I don’t plan on really tackling canon quibbles; rather, I’d like to comment on the spirit of Trek , where other series build upon or support what’s going on in the episode, or if there seem to be any big contradictions or errors. I’ll often refer to different sources like Memory Alpha ,  Chrissie’s Transcripts Site ,  this amazing book: The Fifty-Year Mission, The First 25 Years , which is an unauthorized oral history of Star Trek by Edward Gross & Mark A. Altman or Marc Cushman’s in-depth These Are the Voyages books.

Also, because Star Trek: Discovery is on now, I’ll try to take particular note of how I’m seeing echoes of TOS in the newest addition to the franchise. This will be the first time I’ve done any rewatching of Star Trek since the premiere of Discovery , so I’m interested to see how it colors my thinking.

This recap and review will be a bit longer than usual, as I’m essentially reviewing the first in an entirely different series, which is, at the same time, the first in this classic franchise.

How did this crazy thing come to be and why is this an unaired episode? And why are we watching it if it was never aired during Star Trek’s The Original Series  original run?

Wow. That’s a lot of questions.

In short, Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek , conceived of this series as a western in space, “Wagon Train to the stars,” with a starship trekking, or “voyaging from star to star” (Gross & Altman 32). Eventually, Roddenberry gathered around him some of the best science fiction writers of the time to help him tell some amazing tales of morality and social commentary. But first, just like any other TV show, Gene was asked to write and shoot a pilot episode.

In 1964, he wrote and produced this first episode, first called “The Menagerie, Parts I & II,” but ultimately calling it “The Cage” because the original title was eventually reused in an episode that actually aired, but more on that when the time comes. NBC ultimately passed on this pilot because it was too deep, “too atypical,” as Oscar Katz said (Gross & Altman 90). However, normally, when a pilot is declined, that’s the end of the road, but NBC commissioned a second pilot, which is “enormously rare” in the industry (Gross & Altman 90).

That second pilot, titled “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” revamped quite a lot of the look and feel of “The Cage,” so what’s left here is often difficult to reconcile with canon. Spock looks much harsher and more alien – he also smiles – the uniforms are different (though Discovery seems to be trying to bridge the gap between Enterprise and TOS ), and the aesthetics of the bridge are more 20th century (there are printers!). What’s more: there’s no Bones McCoy, no Captain Kirk – Shatner wouldn’t come aboard the Enterprise until the second pilot, because Jeffrey Hunter didn’t want to return to the bridge. But amongst all those changes, what remains is the wonder of the final frontier, where no man has gone before.

So, we’re watching this one and looking for the seeds of what was to come, to see how this launched a voyage that led to the production of over 700 episodes and 13 movies, countless books, and has captivated multiple generations.

Let’s dig deeper

One of the things that stands out from the beginning (but that Roddenberry will perfect later on in the series) is that an alien and a woman are featured prominently on the bridge and in the story. This purposeful attention to diversity and equality stand out throughout the Star Trek franchise. At the same time, Pike later will call attention to this and say he’s still not used to it, as though in 300 years, in Roddenberry’s vision of the future, this is still a new concept.

At first, Pike doesn’t want to answer the distress call coming from Talos IV because they need to “take care of [their] own sick and injured first.” Who are they talking about? What happened? The pilot of Star Trek: Discovery , “ The Vulcan Hello ” takes place in 2256, while “The Cage” occurs in 2254. This means that the Klingon War hasn’t happened yet. Who have they been fighting? The Rigellians? But why? It’s a war-torn planet that Pike remembers later, with the ruins of a castle, armaments strewn about, a fair maiden to protect from a huge, fanged, growling, lumbering creature. We get none of these answers.

At the very least, this indicates that the future is no Utopia – we won’t see that until Star Trek: The Next Generation . TOS , much as Discovery is trying to reinforce, sees a Starfleet that is still figuring out what it is. It’s rugged, struggling to discover humanity’s place in the galaxy.

So much of this is really a great pilot. Story-wise, it’s much stronger than “Where No Man Has Gone Before,” in many ways. “The Cage” spends a good amount of time developing the relationship between Pike and Boyce, but we’ll never see it again. Their conversation opens so many story doors, that I wish we’d seen. Boyce just walks into Pike’s quarters and starts pouring martinis. Their conversation immediately reveals to the audience the difficulties of their worlds:

BOYCE: Chris, you set standards for yourself no one could meet. You treat everyone on board like a human being except yourself, and now you’re tired and you PIKE: You bet I’m tired. You bet. I’m tired of being responsible for 203 lives. I’m tired of deciding which mission is too risky and which isn’t, and who’s going on the landing party and who doesn’t, and who lives and who dies. Boy, I’ve had it, Phil. BOYCE: To the point of finally taking my advice, a rest leave? PIKE: To the point of considering resigning. BOYCE: And do what? PIKE: Well, for one thing, go home. Nice little town with fifty miles of parkland around it. Remember I told you I had two horses, and we used to take some food and ride out all day. BOYCE: Ah, that sounds exciting. Ride out with a picnic lunch every day. PIKE: I said that’s one place I might go. I might go into business on Regulus or on the Orion colony. BOYCE: You, an Orion trader, dealing in green animal women, slaves? PIKE: The point is this isn’t the only life available. There’s a whole galaxy of things to choose from. BOYCE: Not for you. A man either lives life as it happens to him, meets it head-on, and licks it, or he turns his back on it and starts to wither away. PIKE: Now you’re beginning to talk like a doctor, bartender. BOYCE: Take your choice. We both get the same two kinds of customers. The living and the dying.

This is deep stuff – a shocking, profound conversation in many ways – and at this point, we’re just over six minutes into the episode. They’re talking about life and death, wars and casualties, depression, even slavery (which, by the way, they are in no way condemning – I really don’t know what to make of that!). This sets the stage so well for the topics that Star Trek would eventually explore. 

This thought is echoed later in the episode with one of Star Trek ’s most iconic scenes (and ironic, seeing as this episode never aired in its entirety!): the Green Orion Slave Girl who dances for Pike, fantasizing that he’s a slaver. It’s profoundly uncomfortable in its implications for this version of Star Trek . There’s an unnamed Starfleet officer who’s leering, sipping from a golden chalice, and sneering: “Funny how they are on this planet. They actually like being taken advantage of.” What?! This is a wildly off-base thing for something that Roddenberry wrote and produced. It’s also telling and in line with small things that would come later. Star Trek isn’t perfect, but this is a deeply off-putting scene on many levels.

Later on, Number one says, “It’s wrong to create a whole race of humans to live as slaves.” So, Orion Slave Girls are fine, but humans aren’t? Yeah, we’re still in the 60s. I could write a whole feature on this scene – but I won’t. Suffice it to say: no. Just no. At least Pike gets up and walks away in disgust as Vina the slave girl dances at him (seriously, I’m going to say that this is the reason NBC passed on the series – it’s surprisingly erotic).

I can understand why a 1960s network might shy away from airing this show, fearing it wouldn’t attract an audience. Today this would fit right in – one of many signs throughout this three-year run that Gene Roddenberry was ahead of his time.

The slave girl scene also brings up many, many questions about Pike. Who is this captain? Why does he fantasize about this? Isn’t he a part of the enlightened Starfleet? Or is this where Captain Gabriel Lorca comes from? An unscrupulous, morally ambiguous captain who’s more generally on the side of right, but who keeps a freaky alien menagerie (see what I did there?) in a secret part of his ship?

BOYCE: It was a perfect illusion. They had us seeing just what we wanted to see, human beings who’d survived with dignity and bravery, everything entirely logical, right down to the building of the camp, the tattered clothing, everything. Now let’s be sure we understand the danger of this. The inhabitants of this planet can read our minds. They can create illusions out of a person’s own thoughts, memories, and experiences, even out of a person’s own desires. Illusions just as real and solid as this table top and just as impossible to ignore. … PIKE: Did they ever live on the surface of this planet? Why did they go underground? VINA: War, thousands of centuries ago. PIKE: That’s why it’s so barren up there? VINA; The planet’s only now becoming able to support life again. PIKE: So the Talosians who came underground found life limited here and they concentrated on developing their mental power. VINA: But they found it’s a trap. Like a narcotic. Because when dreams become more important than reality, you give up travel, building, creating. You even forget how to repair the machines left behind by your ancestors. You just sit, living and reliving other lives left behind in the thought record. PIKE: Or sit probing minds of zoo specimens like me.

The Cold War looms over this episode. From the inscrutable alien species to the warnings about the destructive powers of war. The Talosians drove themselves underground where they sat, navel-gazing and developing their mental powers. It wasn’t enough to just think. They needed more.

They’re fearsomely powerful, just as the Russians were, but still unable to do simple things for themselves. The fear they generated was real, yet it was mostly in our minds. As long as we zone out and just pretend everything is fine, they win. What’s more,  their punishment of Pike is gruesome – it always freaked me out as a kid:

Nevertheless, the Talosians are not just wholly evil. Yes, they want to have a special Pike & Vina Exhibit in their alien zoo, but it seems they really do care for Vina. We’ll explore a whole new side of the Talosians later on in the series.

Random Thoughts

• I’ll admit, even though I’m completely aware of the history of this episode, it’s jarring to see the first (nearly unfinished-looking) model of the Enterprise , the different title card, and Jeffrey Hunter’s name at the outset of the episode (Also, I didn’t realize Netflix didn’t have the digitally remastered version of “The Cage”). See what I mean here:
• I love that Spock has the first words ever spoken in a Star Trek episode. It just fits with his legacy. Notwithstanding, I forgot that Spock takes a back seat in this episode. It’s not until Kirk comes aboard that he becomes the first officer and becomes such a prominent character.
• One of the more awkward things in the entire episode is the strange half-dissolved warp montage as the Enterprise goes to Talos IV.
• Vina is just creepy. Seriously, she is never not spooky. You know she’s up to something from the moment you set eyes on her. But that’s the thing. Susan Oliver captivates you from moment one, and she essentially plays multiple, distinct roles, each so well. It’s uncanny (and I’m going Freudian with that assessment!).
• I’m going on record now and declaring that the bird creature Pike spots from his cell is a Skorr or Aurelian (from the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode “ Jihad ”). Boom. Canon.
• Vina offers Pike “little white sandwiches” that are his mother’s recipe for Chicken-Tuna. Gross.
• Take a few minutes to watch Gene Roddenberry’s introduction to “The Cage.” Man, it’s awkward, yet insightful.

Memorable Quotes from The Cage

“…all ship’s doctors are dirty old men. What are we running here, a cadet ship, Number One? Are we ready or not?” – Captain Pike’s last lines.

Keep Watching?

Well, I’m going to keep watching. One episode in and I’m re-hooked. I love The Original Series ’ look and feel, and I’m eager to see it find itself and understand what it’s trying to do and say. I’d love for you to watch along with me! Wow. This was a shockingly long review. I’ll try to control myself in the future. Keep on reading and joining in on the conversation both here and on Twitter!

In comparison to where Star Trek would go, this is decently flawed. Yet, this exhibits so much potential. It’s really worth watching, but maybe only for someone who is already a fan.

Article by Tyler Howat

Tyler Howat joined Ready Steady Cut in November 2017, publishing over 100 articles for the website. Based out of Wenatchee City, Washington, Tyler has used his education and experience to become a highly skilled writer, critic, librarian, and teacher. He has a passion for Film, TV, and Books and a huge soft spot for Star Trek.

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Where No Man Has Gone Before (episode)

• View history

While exploring the energy barrier at galaxy's edge that crippled an earlier ship, Kirk's long-time friend and crewmate Gary Mitchell begins mutating into a god-like entity disdainful of the "mortals" around him. ( Second pilot )

• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 The second pilot
• 4.2 Story and script
• 4.3 Production
• 4.4 Sets and props
• 4.5 Cast and characters
• 4.6 Effects
• 4.7 Preview
• 4.8 Reception
• 4.9 Apocrypha
• 4.10 Remastered information
• 4.11 Production timeline
• 4.12 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Guest stars
• 5.4 Featuring
• 5.5 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.6 Stunt doubles
• 5.7.1 S/COMS references
• 5.7.2 Unused references
• 5.8 External links

Summary [ ]

" I'll have you checkmated your next move… "

In the briefing lounge , Captain James T. Kirk and Lieutenant Commander Spock are playing three-dimensional chess . Spock warns the captain that he's about to checkmate him on his next move, but the captain is preoccupied with awaiting the bridge 's update on the unexplained Earth-vessel distress signal. The captain notes that Spock plays a very "irritating game of chess", to which Spock responds with " Irritating? Ah yes, one of your Earth emotions . " Captain Kirk makes a move that surprises Spock, and smiles, to which Spock simply turns to look at him. " Certain you don't know what irritation is? " Kirk says wryly. As Spock begins to state that despite the fact that one of his ancestors married a Human female , Kirk interrupts him and jokingly chides him, saying it must be terrible to have bad blood like that. Just afterward then, a call comes over the comm. Navigator Lieutenant Lee Kelso informs the captain that the object is now within tractor beam range, and that it is only about a meter in diameter, too small to be a vessel or an escape pod . Kirk tells him to lock on to it, and the two of them head out.

SS Valiant disaster recorder

In the transporter room , Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott is fine tuning the transporter , preparing to beam the object aboard. Kirk gives the order, and Scott transports the device into the transporter chamber. The captain immediately recognizes it as an old-style ship recorder , one that would be ejected in the event of an emergency. Spock agrees, but states that, based on the level of damage the object seems to have sustained, something must have destroyed the ship. Scott tries to feed the tapes into the computer when the marker begins transmitting a signal. Captain Kirk orders red alert , and the crew go to their stations.

Act One [ ]

Throughout the ship, the crew is reporting to their emergency stations. Kirk and Spock enter a turbolift to go to the bridge, and Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell enters just as the doors are closing. Kirk and Mitchell joke about Kelso sounding nervous, and Spock's chess skills, showing that they're comfortable being around each other even in times of red alert.

The Enterprise approaches the barrier

The three officers enter the bridge, Mitchell taking his station as Spock scans for the message. As they approach the edge of the galaxy, Kirk orders all stop. Captain Kirk announces ship-wide that what they picked up was a disaster recorder launched from the SS Valiant two hundred years prior . Department heads report to the bridge as ordered, and Captain Kirk is given introductions. Smith , whom he mistakenly addresses as " Jones ", is his new yeoman . Sulu reports astrosciences ready, Scott reports the engineering division ready, "as always", and Chief Medical Officer Doctor Mark Piper reports life sciences ready, then introduces the USS Enterprise 's new psychiatrist , Dr. Elizabeth Dehner , who came aboard the vessel back at the Aldebaron Colony to study the long-term effects of space travel on the crew. Spock points out he's been able to get a signal from the recorder, as Mitchell tries to flirt with Dr. Dehner, who rebuffs him only to overhear him call her a "walking freezer unit".

Spock interprets the Valiant 's message: that they had encountered a magnetic storm and were pulled out of the galaxy, and that the crew accessed computer records on " ESP " in Humans , frantic to find information about it. The captain asks Dr. Dehner her opinion, and she mistakes the question as asking whether she has ESP. She reports that there are some Humans who can see "backs of playing cards and so on", but it is never very powerful. Spock goes on to explain that several crewmen had died aboard the Valiant , which had suffered severe damage. The Valiant crew continued researching ESP, until it seems the captain ordered a self-destruct . As future vessels will someday be coming out this far into space, Captain Kirk decides to go ahead anyway and engages warp factor 1.

Mitchell is struck

The crew reacts with mixed emotions as the Enterprise heads out of the Milky Way Galaxy . The ship encounters a strange field and Spock orders a full array of scans – deflectors indicating something in front of them while sensors say there's nothing. Smith and Mitchell hold hands to comfort each other as the ship enters the field. Flashes of light fill the bridge and electric discharges penetrate the hull , causing several consoles to explode. Kirk orders Mitchell to reverse course, but, before he can carry out the order, Dr. Dehner and he are struck by a mysterious electric charge which drops them to the deck. With no one in control of the Enterprise , Spock dashes over to the helm console and pilots the starship clear of the energy field.

Taking damage reports, Spock informs Kirk that main power is out, the Enterprise is on emergency power cells, and nine crewmen are dead. Captain Kirk tends to Dehner and Mitchell, only to find that while Mitchell feels a little weak, his eyes are glowing an eerie silver…

Act Two [ ]

Alden and Kelso repair the helm console as Kirk looks on

Captain Kirk, while supervising repairs being made to the bridge, proceeds to the science station where he finds Spock reviewing medical records of the dead crew members, and the crew members who survived but seem to have been affected in some way. Spock is looking at ESP ratings of Dr. Dehner and Gary Mitchell. Both of the officers had high scores on ESP tests given by Starfleet Medical , Mitchell's having ultimately read as the highest in the crew.

Dr. Dehner approaches Captain Kirk and provides an autopsy report of the nine dead crew members. She mentions that in all cases, there was damage to a specific region of the brain. Kirk shares the fact that all of the dead crew members, as well as Dehner and Mitchell, had high ESP ratings. Spock also mentions that the captain of the Valiant was frantically searching through their records for information on ESP. Spock then reports that the Valiant 's captain seems to have given a self-destruct order. Dehner defends those with ESP, stating that the ability is not harmful. Spock, however, reminds the doctor that there are the more extreme (and dangerous) abilities of ESP, such as the ability to see through solid objects or cause spontaneous combustion.

In sickbay , Mitchell is reading text on a viewer, trying to pass the time. Kirk enters the room, and Mitchell greets him by name without actually looking to see who it is. Kirk and Mitchell talk about some past experiences; it is obvious they have known each other well for many years. Mitchell mentions that he feels better now than he's ever felt in his life, and he's catching up on his reading, including Spinoza, which surprises Kirk. Mitchell finds Spinoza simple, almost childish, to him. The two continue to reminisce about their days at Starfleet Academy and Mitchell says that he "aimed that little blonde lab technician" at Jim. Kirk replies, " You planned that?!? I almost married her. "

" Is that Gary Mitchell? The one you used to know? "

Kirk informs Mitchell that he's assigned Dr. Dehner to work with him. Mitchell doesn't seem happy, since Mitchell and Dehner have already gotten off to a tense start. As Kirk moves to leave, Mitchell, in an echoing voice, says, " Didn't I say you'd better be good to me? ", prompting Kirk to pause and eye him with uncertainty.

Once Kirk leaves the room, Mitchell continues reading books on the viewer, at a steadily-increasing rate that soon far exceeds normal pace; the on-screen pages are nothing but a black-and-white blur. Kirk enters the bridge to find Spock monitoring Mitchell's viewer. Kirk assigns 24-hour security to keep an eye on Mitchell. Kirk approaches the science station viewer to look closely at Mitchell, and Mitchell looks directly at the security camera, seemingly aware that Kirk is watching him.

Dr. Dehner enters sickbay and acknowledges the fact that she realizes that Mitchell doesn't like her very much. He apologizes to her for calling her a "walking freezer unit." She asks him how he feels. Mitchell jokingly says that everyone thinks that he should have a fever or something and proceeds to change the vital signs monitor in sickbay with his mind. Then, he makes the readings show that he is dead. All indicators fall to zero, to Dr. Dehner's surprise and horror. Moments later, Mitchell awakens, and starts telling Dr. Dehner of some of his other abilities, like being able to read quickly, going through half of the Enterprise 's database in less than a day.

Dr. Dehner decides to test his memory, and shows Mitchell the title of a record tape, asking him to recite what's on page 387. Mitchell recites, " My love has wings, slender feathered things with grace and upswept curve and tapered tip " from the poem " Nightingale Woman ", written by Tarbolde on the Canopus planet back in 1996 . Mitchell wonders out loud why she happened to choose that particular poem, which is considered to be one of the most passionate poems written in recent centuries. He then pulls Dehner close to him, and asks her how she feels. Her reply, that she only fell and that nothing else happened, is seemingly disbelieved by Mitchell, but the conversation is cut short by the arrival of Lieutenant Kelso, awkwardly entering at a time which might have seemed like an intimate moment. Mitchell smiles and invites him in, joking that his eyes are merely lit up "due to the lovely doctor."

Kelso reports that the main engines are in bad shape. Mitchell warns Kelso to check the starboard impulse engine packs, which Kelso jokingly dismisses. Mitchell snaps (once again in his "booming" voice) that he isn't joking, and that if they activate those engines that the entire impulse deck will explode. Kelso leaves sickbay and Mitchell tells Dehner that he could see the image of the impulse packs in Kelso's mind and that he is a fool not to have seen it.

" Our subject is NOT Gary Mitchell. "

In the briefing room, Kelso shows Kirk the burned out impulse circuit, which he had checked on Mitchell's recommendation, noting with puzzlement that their condition was exactly as Mitchell described. Dr. Dehner enters late, says she got held up observing Mitchell, and attempts to defend him in the face of Spock's and Kirk's seemingly cold assessment of him. She reports her observations of Mitchell's ability to control certain autonomic reflexes and increased memory. Scott reports that bridge controls had started changing on their own about an hour prior, and Spock adds that each time it happened, Mitchell could be seen smiling on the surveillance monitors set up in sickbay. Kirk is annoyed that Dehner hadn't reported Mitchell's new powers earlier, but she argues that no one has been hurt, furthermore saying that someone like Mitchell, with such powers, could give rise to "a new and better kind of Human being."

Following an awkward silence, Sulu adds that the growth of Mitchell's abilities is a geometric progression, meaning they would increase at an exponential rate. Spock concludes that Mitchell would become uncontrollably powerful within a month. Kirk tells those present to not discuss their findings openly before dismissing them. After the others have left the briefing room, Spock advises taking the Enterprise to the planet Delta Vega , only a few light days away, where they can adapt the lithium cracking station's power packs to try to repair its damaged systems, and also strand Mitchell there. Kirk strongly disagrees with the plan, stating Delta Vega is uninhabited and automated, and ore ships only visit every twenty years. Spock informs Kirk the only other choice he has is to kill Mitchell before he overpowers the entire crew. Kirk tries appealing to Spock's conscience, saying Mitchell is his longtime friend, but Spock merely reminds him that the captain of the Valiant probably had a similar dilemma about his afflicted crew members but made his decision to self-destruct too late. Kirk reluctantly orders the Enterprise course set for Delta Vega.

Act Three [ ]

Delta Vega's lithium cracking station

In sickbay, Mitchell's telekinetic power continues to grow. Feeling thirsty, he moves a plastic cup below a faucet and dispenses water from it with his mind. Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Dehner enter to see Mitchell's levitate the filled cup towards his outstretched hand. Mitchell senses worry in Kirk and Spock's continued urging for the captain to kill him while he still can. Mitchell quickly subdues both Kirk and Spock with an electric shock and informs them he knows the Enterprise is orbiting Delta Vega but won't allow them to force him down there. As he postures about what kind of a world he can use, Kirk and Spock jump him and hold him down long enough for Dr. Dehner to tranquilize him.

In the transporter room, preparing to beam down, Mitchell regains consciousness and proclaims " You fools! Soon I'll squash you like insects! " before being sedated again. After transporting down, Mitchell is confined to a holding cell as Lieutenant Kelso and the engineering team begin to salvage the needed components from the outpost to restore the Enterprise engines to full capacity.

Mitchell attempts to escape

As Mitchell regains consciousness, he reminds Kirk of how he saved his life on the planet Dimorus , taking poisonous darts meant for the captain and nearly dying from it. He wonders why Kirk should fear him now. Kirk retorts that Mitchell has been testing his ability to take over the Enterprise and reminds him of the threat he made in the transporter room to squash the crew like insects. Mitchell defends himself by pointing out that he was drugged at the time, then snaps back that mankind cannot survive if a true race of Espers like himself is born, and attempts to escape the force field of the cell. Kirk pleads with him to stop, but, Mitchell refuses and is jolted back, draining the light in the eyes. Gary pleads out to " Jim… ", but, it doesn't last and the maniacal power that has now totally consumed Mitchell returns and he sneers that he'll " just keep getting stronger. "

Back on board the Enterprise , the repairs are nearly complete as Scott beams a phaser rifle down to Spock. Kirk resents Spock's callousness towards Gary, but Spock retorts that he's just being logical and he believes that the crew will be lucky just to repair the Enterprise and get away from Mitchell in time. Kirk, finally seeing Spock's viewpoint, instructs Kelso to wire a destruct switch to the power bins of the outpost, an explosion that will destroy the entire valley and hopefully kill Mitchell, and orders him to hit the button if Mitchell escapes.

Act Four [ ]

" You should have killed me while you could, James. "

As the landing party prepares to return to the Enterprise , Dehner, completely transfixed on Mitchell, announces she's remaining on Delta Vega with him. At the same time, Mitchell uses his powers to remotely strangle Lieutenant Kelso with a cable. As Kirk orders Dehner to return to the ship, Mitchell turns to the captain and taunts him that Kirk should have killed him while he still had the chance. With that, he shocks both Kirk and Spock and easily eliminates the force field holding him. Dehner takes no action to stop him, and he slowly walks her over to a mirror, where she can now see the light in her own eyes.

Kirk opens fire on Mitchell

A short time later, Dr. Piper revives Captain Kirk and informs him that Kelso is dead and that Mitchell and Dr. Dehner have left the facility. Kirk advises Piper not to revive Spock until after he's left as Kirk now blames himself for not listening to the Vulcan's warning. Taking Spock's phaser rifle, Kirk orders that Piper and Spock return to the Enterprise and to give him twelve hours to signal the ship. Failing that, Kirk recommends that the Enterprise proceed at maximum warp to the nearest starbase with his recommendation that the entire planet be subjected to a lethal concentration of neutron radiation . When Piper protests, Kirk firmly tells the doctor it is an order and leaves.

" Time to pray, Captain. Pray to me! Pray that you die easy! "

In an open valley, Mitchell (now sporting greying sideburns due to premature aging as a consequence of the stress from his advanced powers) conjures up Kaferian apples and water for himself and Dehner. He begins to sense Kirk approaching them, as does Dehner. Mitchell invites Dehner to talk to the captain and begin to realize just how unimportant Humans are compared to what they (Mitchell and Dehner) have become. Dehner appears before Kirk and advises the captain to retreat while he still can. Kirk appeals to what's left of Dehner's humanity and her profession as a psychiatrist and asks her what she believes will become of Mitchell if his power is allowed to continue to grow. Dehner begins to see the wisdom of Kirk's words, but, before she can decide anything, Mitchell appears before both of them. Kirk opens fire with his phaser rifle, but, it has no effect on Mitchell who easily casts the weapon aside.

Taunting Kirk, Mitchell creates a grave for his "old friend", saying he deserves a decent burial, at the very least. Completely convinced of his power and his superiority, with absolute power corrupting absolutely, Mitchell uses his powers to force Kirk to pray to him as a god and for an easy death.

Kirk fights Mitchell

Dehner, now realizing that Mitchell is inhuman and becoming more and more dangerous, helps Kirk by blasting Mitchell with some of her power, stunning him. Mitchell turns away from Kirk and counters Dehner's attack, however, the battle drains both of them and they both collapse, Dehner's attack being sufficiently powerful enough to weaken Mitchell who temporarily loses his powers. As Dehner implores Kirk to hurry, the captain begins to attack his former friend, pummeling him to the ground. With a heavy rock raised high and preparing for the death blow, Kirk begs Gary to forgive him for what he must do. However, the captain's hesitation is enough for Mitchell to regain his powers and easily tosses Kirk away. With Kirk no longer able to cope with Mitchell's physical strength, he dives at him, sending both into the open grave. Kirk, scrambling to the discarded phaser rifle, is able to blast the rock face above Mitchell, sending him into the grave and entombing him, therefore ending Mitchell's threat forever.

Kirk, with his uniform torn, and beaten and battered, walks over to Dehner and kneels beside her. She apologizes to the captain for her actions, but offers that KIrk had no idea what it was like to be almost a god, before finally dying herself. Silently mourning Dehner's sacrifice, Kirk opens his communicator and hails the Enterprise .

" I believe there's some hope for you after all, Mr. Spock. "

Back on the Enterprise , Kirk, sitting in his chair with a bandaged hand, laments to Spock that he wants Mitchell's service record to end with dignity as he didn't ask for what happened to him. Spock admits he felt for Mitchell as well. With a smirk, Kirk remarks that maybe there's hope for Spock after all, as the Enterprise continues to journey where no man has gone before.

Log entries [ ]

• Captain's log, USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), 2265

Memorable quotes [ ]

" Have I ever mentioned you play a very irritating game of chess, Mr. Spock? " " Irritating? Ah, yes. One of your Earth emotions. "

" Terrible, having bad blood like that. "

" The first thing I ever heard from upperclassmen was: Watch out for Lieutenant Kirk. In his class, you either think or sink. "

" My love has wings. Slender, feathered things with grace in upswept curve and tapered tip. "

" Don't you understand? A mutated superior man could also be a wonderful thing! "

" Will you try for one moment to feel? At least act like you've got a heart. "

" The captain of the Valiant probably thought the same thing. And he waited too long to make his decision. "

" If you were in my position, what would you do? " " Probably what Mr. Spock is thinking now: kill me, while you can. "

" You fools! Soon I'll squash you like insects! "

" There's not a soul on this planet but us? " " Nobody but us chickens, Doctor. "

" My friend, James Kirk. "

" In the sickbay, you said if you were in my place you'd kill a mutant like yourself. " " Why don't you kill me then? Mr. Spock is right and you're a fool if you can't see it. "

" Man cannot survive if a race of true espers is born. "

" Dr. Dehner feels he isn't that dangerous! What makes you right and a trained psychiatrist wrong? " " Because she feels. I don't. All I know is logic. "

" If Mitchell gets out, at your discretion, Lee, if sitting here makes you think you're the last chance, I want you to hit that button. "

" You should've killed me while you could, James. Command and compassion are a fool's mixture. "

" Above all else, a god needs compassion! MITCHELL!! "

" What do you know about gods? " " Then let's talk about Humans! About our frailties! "

"What's your prognosis, Doctor?! "

" Morals are for men, not gods. "

" Time to pray, Captain. Pray to me. " " To you? Not to both of you? " " Pray that you die easily! " " There'll only be one of you in the end. One jealous god. If all this makes a god, or is it making you something else? "

" Do you like what you see? Absolute power corrupting absolutely? "

" For a moment, James… but your moment is fading. "

" I'm sorry. You can't know what it's like to be almost a god. "

" He didn't ask for what happened to him. " " I felt for him, too. " " I believe there's some hope for you after all, Mister Spock. "

Background information [ ]

The second pilot [ ].

• This was the second Star Trek pilot. However, it has aired in syndication as the third regular series episode, after " The Man Trap " and " Charlie X ". In their book Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , Robert H. Justman and Herbert F. Solow explain that because this segment was "too expository" in nature – a common fault with pilots – it would not have made a good premiere episode for the series.
• Although NBC rejected " The Cage ", they felt that the series concept was strong enough to give Star Trek a second chance, despite having already spent an exorbitant US$630,000 on the first pilot. The network ordered three scripts, from which they would choose one to be developed into an unprecedented second pilot. The three scripts were " The Omega Glory " by Gene Roddenberry , " Mudd's Women " by Roddenberry and Stephen Kandel , and "Where No Man Has Gone Before" by Samuel A. Peeples . The advantage of "The Omega Glory" was that it showcased Roddenberry's "parallel worlds" concept and could be filmed using existing studio sets on the back lot as well as stock wardrobes. "Mudd's Women" was mainly a shipboard tale and could also be shot using the existing Enterprise sets left over from "The Cage". In addition, both required a minimum of new outer space effects shots. However, "Mudd's Women" guest starred "an intergalactic pimp", selling women throughout the galaxy, exactly what NBC didn't want, and "The Omega Glory" wasn't very good. The network finally chose "Where No Man Has Gone Before" which, although it required many new special effects, sets, props, and costumes, was the most powerful and compelling of the three scripts. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , pp 65-66; The Star Trek Compendium , p 17)
• There is a different, pre-broadcast cut of this episode in the archives of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum . This unique cut includes a few brief scenes trimmed from the aired cut of the episode, different opening titles, and a unique opening and closing theme. The alternate themes can be heard on the GNP Crescendo CD Star Trek: Original Series (Volume 1) "The Cage" / "Where No Man Has Gone Before" . This version was the one screened as the second pilot to NBC executives in the tail-end of 1965, and was originally available in bootleg form only, screened at numerous conventions , before becoming available commercially on the TOS Season 3 Blu-ray set. [1] James Doohan was credited as "Engineer", Paul Fix as "Ship's Doctor", George Takei as "Physicist", and Paul Carr as "Navigator" in the end credits of the original cut. It was in effect the Institution itself which had already recognized the cultural significance of Roddenberry's creation; in a rare move – considering the highly contemporary nature of a television series of such recent date – the Institution invited Roddenberry in 1967 to submit both pilots and assorted production material, such as still photography, scripts and story outlines, for safekeeping for posterity. This the consummate (self)promoter Roddenberry did in a formal presentation at the Institution, pursuant the conclusion of the series' first season . ("Smithsonian Seeks TV Pilot", Los Angeles Times , 13 June 1967, p. C19)
• A second different title sequence resulted from the fact that the main responsible visual effects director, Darrell Anderson of effects company Howard Anderson Company , suffered a third nervous breakdown, brought on by the stress he was under to deliver the new opticals in time and on budget. As Justman recalled, when he and Roddenberry came calling on Anderson in August 1966 to check on the status of the Enterprise footage for the title sequence, for the series slated to start its run on 8 September and "Where No Man" scheduled to air third, " We had seen maybe six good shots and some others that were partially usable. We had expected many more angles, some of which were badly needed for our series main title. "Where's all the other shots, Darrell?" Darrell began to shake. He jumped to his feet, screaming, "You'll never make your first airdate." Bursting into tears, he ran out of the room, still screaming, "You'll never make your first airdate! You'll never make your first airdate!" Gene sat there in shock. I raced after Darrell and caught him outside. He was weeping. And no wonder. We later found out he had been working both day and night for months, trying to satisfy our needs. That afternoon, Darrell went to Palm Springs for a rest cure. " Roddenberry and Justman managed to compose a title sequence from the footage already shot, the same day. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p. 281) This was the version as originally aired by NBC on 22 September 1966. The more sophisticated final title sequence was produced (with Anderson returned to his duties) for subsequent episode airings and replacing the improvised sequence for those episodes where it was utilized in reruns. Incidentally, Darrell Anderson suffered his second nervous breakdown while working on the second pilot the year previously, from which he needed two weeks to recover. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 27, No. 11/12, p. 69)
• The aired version of this episode features a different version of the first season opening credits, which does not have William Shatner's opening narration, and uses a different orchestration of the main and end title themes. These orchestrations were used until mid-season during the original run and the initial syndication showings. However, in the 1980s, Paramount withdrew the prints from syndication and redistributed remastered and pre-cut episodes with standardized opening and closing credit music for the first season (using the Fred Steiner arrangement created for the back half of the season). These remastered prints were also used, in their uncut form, for the video and laserdisc releases. Only this episode was permitted to keep the original Alexander Courage arrangement. The 1999 DVD volumes, and later season sets, however, restored the opening credits to their original form, while leaving the end credits in their altered state (again, except for this episode which remains as originally aired).
• The original narration spoken by Shatner was:
• After NBC saw this episode, they were pleased with the results and decided that Star Trek would be a weekly television series. Gene Roddenberry said that, like " The Cage ", "Where No Man Has Gone Before" still had a lot of science fiction elements in it, but that it was the bare knuckle fist fight between Kirk and the god-like Gary Mitchell that sold NBC on Star Trek . ( The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation To The Next [ page number? • edit ] )
• This was the first episode of Star Trek to be shown by the BBC in the UK when the series premiered on 12 July 1969 .

Story and script [ ]

• TNG adopted a gender-neutral and species-neutral version of this episode's title for TNG : " Where No One Has Gone Before ".
• This episode sets the original series record for Enterprise crew members killed: twelve (Mitchell, Dehner, Kelso, and the nine who Spock says died when crossing the galactic barrier).
• Kirk says he's been worried about Mitchell "ever since that night on Deneb IV." Coincidentally (or not), TNG's pilot episode " Encounter at Farpoint " takes place on Deneb IV , home of the Bandi .
• Gary Mitchell states that the "Nightingale Woman" poem was written in 1996 and that it is one of the "most passionate love sonnets of the past couple of centuries". Taken literally, this line of dialogue seems to suggest that "Where No Man Has Gone Before" takes place no later than the end of the twenty-second century, which in turn would imply that the Valiant was launched during the twentieth.
• In reality, the poem ("My love has wings…") was written by Gene Roddenberry about his World War II airplane.

Production [ ]

A moment from the first day of filming this episode

• Bob Justman anticipated that the second pilot would take nine days to shoot. However, after "The Cage" went severely over schedule and budget, Desilu's "old guard" executives worried about the same situation regarding the second pilot. To avoid these fears, "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was scheduled to be filmed in seven days. The "old guards" skeptically expected that it will take ten or even eleven days. Filming began on Monday, 19 July 1965 . As expected, filming the pilot went over schedule, finally resulting in eight days and an extra day of shooting pickup shots and "inserts" – nine days, exactly as Justman expected. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p 85).
• Just as "The Cage", the second pilot was filmed at Desilu 's Culver City studios. For the series itself, the entire production was moved to Desilu's main Gower Street facilities in Hollywood. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story pp 113-116)
• On the fifth day of filming, Friday, 23 July 1965 , a swarm of bees attacked the set, causing delay in filming, and injuries to William Shatner and Sally Kellerman , who were both stung by the bees. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p 83)

Sets and props [ ]

• The gravestone Mitchell creates for Kirk reads " James R. Kirk ". According to D.C. Fontana in the introduction for Star Trek: The Classic Episodes 1 , when the mistake was discovered, Gene Roddenberry decided that if pressed for an answer on the discrepancy, the response was to be " Gary Mitchell had godlike powers, but at base he was Human. He made a mistake. " The gravestone also suggests that an important event marked "C" took place on stardate 1277.1; Kirk may have assumed command of the Enterprise on this stardate.
• Their crew files show that Mitchell and Dehner were born in cities called " Delman " and " Eldman ."
• The mountainous backdrop painting from "The Cage" is reused in this episode.
• In this episode, the helm console from the bridge was moved to the transporter set to double as the transporter console. Thus, the three levers used to "energize" are not yet in place.
• When he complies with Kirk's order to "Address intercraft," i.e. put open the intercom, Mitchell merely wipes the edge of his hand over his navigation plotting board and does not manipulate any buttons or switches.
• A bit of the transporter chamber was changed from "The Cage." The center of the ceiling was "hollowed out," allowing white light to pour down onto the platform when the "materializer" was not in operation. After this episode, however, the dark, grilled ceiling from "The Cage" was restored and remained in place throughout the series.

• The phaser rifle that Kirk uses appears for the first and only time in the series. However, it can be seen on many pre- season 1 promotional photos being held by Kirk performer William Shatner , who had especially been taken with the prop rifle. It was designed and created by Reuben Klamer , who, being subcontracted, received no credit for it. ( Julien's Auctions presents: Star Trek )
• In this episode, the sickbay walls are green.
• The alert light on the helm console is of a different shape in this episode.
• A large panel seen in the background of the Delta Vega control room was recycled as part of the main engineering set in the series itself.
• Spock carries a laser pistol (somewhat modified) as first seen in "The Cage".
• This episode features the goose-neck tubes also used in "The Cage".
• The communicator Kirk uses at the episode's end to hail the Enterprise is the Lucite-encased, circuit board-filled version from "The Cage".
• The insignias for the Sciences and Engineering divisions were opposite in this episode of what they were in every other episode.

Cast and characters [ ]

• It was the first appearance for Trek mainstays Kirk, Sulu, Scott, and Leslie. Other regulars McCoy and Uhura did not appear until the next episode . In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , Uhura is said to be a twenty year space veteran as of 2285 , suggesting that she began her career sometime around this episode.
• Leonard Nimoy (Spock) is the only actor to appear in both this episode and the first pilot, " The Cage ". His pointed ears are a bit smaller than in the first pilot, and his eyebrows are severely slanted (yet not as bushy as in "The Cage"). Most importantly, his hairstyle is reworked to show the bangs typical of his race – and that of eventual nemeses, the Romulans .
• William Shatner was actually the third actor to be considered for the role of James T. Kirk . Jack Lord and Lloyd Bridges were each offered the role before him. ( The Star Trek Compendium [ page number? • edit ] )
• Veteran character actor Paul Fix got the role of the ship's doctor, replacing John Hoyt . Gene Roddenberry wanted to cast DeForest Kelley in the part, whom he originally wanted to play Doctor Boyce in " The Cage ". Then, he was overruled by director Robert Butler 's suggestion. Here again, Fix was recommended by director James Goldstone . Roddenberry thought Fix didn't work out well in the role, and decided that if Star Trek became a weekly series, he would cast Kelley as the ship's doctor. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , pp 74-75, 152)
• Andrea Dromm replaced Laurel Goodwin in the role of the captain's yeoman . According to Herb Solow and Bob Justman, her role was actually a "non-part" and Roddenberry claimed he cast her so he could "score with her". They added, it was not just a "non-part", but a "non-score" as well. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p 75) Dromm didn't return to the series, and was replaced by Grace Lee Whitney as Yeoman Rand .
• Roddenberry, Solow, and NBC were all happy about the casting of Lloyd Haynes as communications officer Alden . Haynes was one of the first African-Americans hired to play an important role in a network series pilot. However, he was not rehired for the series itself, as the production staff saw the role as dull and uninteresting. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p 75-77, 153)
• This is the only episode of the series in which James Doohan (Scott) appears but DeForest Kelley (McCoy) does not.
• This is the only episode where Spock and Scott wear gold and tan tunics instead of their better known blue and red, respectively.

Effects [ ]

• The matte painting of the lithium cracking station was created by matte artist Albert Whitlock for this episode. A still exists showing the entire landing party in the doorway within the matte, but only the shot of Kirk and Dehner ended up being used. The matte painting was later altered and reused in " Dagger of the Mind ". The image of the matte painting later appeared on the March 1953 issue of the Incredible Tales magazine in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Far Beyond the Stars ".
• Film trickery enabled Kirk, Spock, and Mitchell's elevator ride to look like an actual ride from one deck to another, without relying on editing. When Mitchell jumped in, there was a gray wall outside the door that hid the bridge set. When the doors closed, the wall was removed by the stage crew, and then seconds later, they're on the bridge. The turbolift in the background after this scene sports "double doors" like modern elevators – the inner one is gray and the outer is red. This feature survived into " The Corbomite Maneuver " and at least until " Tomorrow is Yesterday ", but then was phased out.
• When Kirk, Spock, and Mitchell emerge from the turbolift, the main viewscreen can be seen in its "off" setting – a kind of "psychedelic" visual effect that was never used again.
• The voices of damage control personnel responding to the emergency situation were reused many times in subsequent episodes. These voices were provided by Gene Roddenberry, Robert Justman, Majel Barrett , Herb Solow , and other production staff members, including some from Mission: Impossible . Roddenberry can be heard saying, " Communicator, we need more lines to the impulse deck! " in subsequent episodes. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , pp. 190-191)
• Except for the shot of the Enterprise leaving the Barrier – which was shot using the three-foot unlighted model – all other ship fly-bys were produced using the eleven-foot model used in all subsequent episodes. At the time, this model still had no sparkling effects on the front of the nacelles. It also had a larger sensor dish, grilles on the backs of the nacelles, and not as many lighting effects. This footage was re-used in later episodes, often mixed in with shots of the improved model that is on display in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. In the standard side-to-side fly-by, two lights on the angled pylon (which connect the two hulls) go out, followed one second later by two near the shuttlebay.
• The original "bridge zoom-in" Enterprise shot from the beginning of "The Cage" is reused from stock footage in this episode, making it the only shot from the original pilot to appear in the second one.
• The same shot is also used when the Enterprise hits the barrier with added purple background and lightning effects.
• Stock footage of the Enterprise in the barrier was reused in " By Any Other Name " and " Is There in Truth No Beauty? ". These are the only three original series episodes in which the Enterprise leaves the galaxy.

Preview [ ]

• The preview contains a Captain's Log recorded solely for the preview: " Captain's log, stardate 1312.4. The next mission of the Enterprise takes us into an unknown force field which affects the destiny of my closest friend. "

Reception [ ]

• A print of the pre-broadcast version of this episode was taken by Roddenberry to the annual World Science Fiction Convention in Cleveland, Ohio to be presented to the convention goers. This marked Star Trek 's second showing to the general public, on 4 September 1966 with Harlan Ellison having premiered a color print of one of the unaired episodes (those in attendance give conflicting reports on exactly which one of the early episodes was shown) earlier at the San Diego Westercon 19 the previous July. (" What We Did On Our Visit To Desilu " by John & Bjo Trimble , ST-PHILE #1, Jan 1968, p. 33) Allan Asherman , author of The Star Trek Compendium , was present among the audience. He recalled, " There must have been 500 people in that audience. When the Enterprise hit the galactic barrier, 1,000 eyes opened wide. Five hundred respiratory rates accelerated with that wonderful pleasure that comes over lovers of all things when they see their favorite subject being treated well. (…) If he [Roddenberry] could have read our minds at any moment during the screening, he would have been the happiest producer in the world. (…) Here was a future it did not hurt to imagine. Here was a constructive tomorrow for mankind, emphasizing exploration and expansion. This was a science fiction television series we all wanted to see. We were extremely impressed. (…) In fact, we liked everything about the episode more than anything else shown at the convention. (…) Roddenberry seemed to have no idea of the effect his show was having on us. (…) He asked for the audience's opinion; we gave him a standing ovation. He smiled, and we returned the smile before we converged him. We came close to lifting the man upon our shoulders and carrying him out of the room. " ( The Star Trek Compendium , pp 2-3)
• Later, a group of the audience asked Roddenberry if he had brought any other episodes of Star Trek with him. He had a black-and-white copy of "The Cage", which was then screened to the audience. ( The Star Trek Compendium , p 3)
• Herb Solow commented on Gene's success: " "Where No Man," unlike the other television and theatrical films screened, was well received. The science-fiction aficionados at the convention were entranced by the new show. But in four days, the series would premiere on television to a national audience that thought science fiction was comic books of busty women being dragged away by alligator people, or a giant purple blob intent on dissolving Tokyo. " ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p 263)
• Bjo Trimble and her husband, John, were members of the audience at the convention, and it was the first time they'd met Roddenberry. They persuaded him to allow the Star Trek costumes he brought along to be displayed during the fan-made costume competition. ( Inside Star Trek: The Real Story , p 378)
• Isaac Asimov was also a member of the audience. At the start, Roddenberry shushed a loud man to be silent, not knowing that the man was actually Asimov. [2] When Roddenberry found out it was Asimov, he was horrified. ( Inside Star Trek with Gene Roddenberry [ page number? • edit ] )
• Roddenberry picked this as one of his ten favorite episodes for the franchise's 25th anniversary. ( TV Guide August 31, 1991)
• Jason Isaacs also cited this as one of his favorite Star Trek episodes, remarking that he "loved" it. Regarding the transformation to god-like status that happens to Gary Mitchell and Elizabeth Dehner in this episode, Isaacs joked, " I tried for years to do that. In fact, I still try sometimes, in quiet moments. " [3]
• The book Star Trek 101 (p. 17), by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block , lists this episode as one of "Ten Essential Episodes" from the original Star Trek series.

Apocrypha [ ]

• An alternate explanation for the "James R. Kirk" reference is given in Peter David 's novel Q-Squared , which suggests that the events of this episode take place in a parallel universe where Kirk's middle initial is indeed R (and not T as we now know it to be). This same book suggests that Gary Mitchell's god-like powers were a result of him being temporarily possessed by Q , and the powers simply drove Mitchell insane.
• Another explanation for the R as Kirk's middle initial comes from Michael Jan Friedman's three-part novel series, My Brother's Keeper . In it, Kirk claims his middle name to be "Racquetball" to Mitchell upon an early meeting. Later, Mitchell "changes" it to "Rhinoceros" after Kirk steamrolls through a conversation. The grave is thus explained by Kirk as an in-joke.
• Mandala Productions' Fotonovel #2, in its cast of characters section, identified the captain for this episode as "James R. Kirk", even though all the other Star Trek Fotonovels listed him as "James T. Kirk".
• The alternate reality 's version of events in this episode were depicted in issue 1 and issue 2 of IDW Publishing 's ongoing Star Trek comic book. In this version, only Mitchell is affected – Dehner was a former lover of Dr. McCoy, and after the affair ended badly, their relationship was so strained that she rescinded her requested transfer to the USS Enterprise after finding out he was on board. Also, while Mitchell was in sickbay, Spock mind melded with him and reported to Kirk that he found " No consciousness. No sentience of any kind. "
• The Pocket TNG novel The Valiant acts as a prequel and sequel to this episode, telling the story of the SS Valiant 's demise and reveals that some of the crew did survive the self-destruction.

Remastered information [ ]

• The remastered version of this episode premiered in syndication the weekend of 20 January 2007 and featured shots of a digital version of Enterprise , consistent with the model used in this episode, which had a slightly different appearance from both the version seen in the production of the series and that seen the original pilot, " The Cage ". Enhanced effects also included more detailed shots of the barrier, Delta Vega from space as well as on the surface, a subtle touch-up to a phaser shot during Kirk and Mitchell's fight, and an opening titles sequence featuring the pilot-version Enterprise .
• While the final frontier speech was absent from the original, it was brought into the remastered opening.

Production timeline [ ]

• Episode commissioned by NBC: 26 March 1965
• Story outline by Samuel Peeples : first week of April 1965
• Revised story outline: second week of April 1965
• First draft teleplay by Peeples: late- April 1965
• Revised first draft teleplay: 27 May 1965
• Second draft teleplay by Gene Roddenberry : 16 June 1965
• Final draft teleplay: 26 June 1965
• Revised final draft teleplay: 8 July 1965
• Additional revisions: 12 July 1965 , 14 July 1965 , 15 July 1965
• Day 1 – 19 July 1965 , Monday – Desilu Culver Stage 15 : Int. Recreation room , Corridors , Transporter room , Briefing room
• Day 2 – 20 July 1965 , Tuesday – Desilu Culver Stage 15 : Int. Turbolift , Bridge
• Day 3 – 21 July 1965 , Wednesday – Desilu Culver Stage 15 : Int. Bridge
• Day 4 – 22 July 1965 , Thursday – Desilu Culver Stage 15 : Int. Bridge , Sickbay
• Day 5 – 23 July 1965 , Friday – Desilu Culver Stage 15 : Int. Sickbay ; Desilu Culver Stage 17 : Int. Delta Vega control room
• Day 6 – 26 July 1965 , Monday – Desilu Culver Stage 17 : Int. Delta Vega control room , Security area , Ext. Beam down area
• Day 7 – 27 July 1965 , Tuesday – Desilu Culver Stage 17 : Int. Delta Vega security area ; Desilu Culver Stage 16 : Ext. Planet surface site
• Day 8 – 28 July 1965 , Wednesday – Desilu Culver Stage 16 : Ext. Planet surface site
• Day 9 – 29 July 1965 , Thursday – Desilu Culver Stage 15 , Stage 16 & Stage 17 : Extra pickup shots
• Score recorded: 29 November 1965
• Original airdate: 22 September 1966
• Rerun date: 20 April 1967
• First UK airdate (on BBC1 ): 12 July 1969
• First UK airdate (on ITV ): 20 September 1981
• Remastered airdate: 20 January 2007

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• Original US Betamax/VHS release: 28 February 1985
• Original UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 2 , catalog number VHR 2210, release date unknown
• As part of the UK Star Trek - The Three Beginnings VHS collection: 31 January 1994
• US VHS release: 15 April 1994
• As part of the UK Star Trek - The Four Beginnings VHS collection: 1995
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 1.1, 24 June 1996
• Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 1, 17 August 1999
• As part of the TOS Season 1 DVD collection
• As part of the TOS Season 1 HD DVD collection
• As part of the TOS Season 1 Blu-ray collection
• As part of the TOS Season 3 Blu-ray collection, entitled "Where No Fan Has Gone Before" – The Restored, Unaired Alternate Pilot Episode
• As part of the Star Trek: The Original Series - Origins Blu-ray collection

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• William Shatner as Capt. Kirk

Also starring [ ]

• Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock

Guest stars [ ]

• Gary Lockwood as Gary Mitchell
• Sally Kellerman as Elizabeth Dehner

Featuring [ ]

• George Takei as Sulu
• James Doohan as Scott
• Lloyd Haynes as Alden
• Andrea Dromm as Yeoman Smith
• Paul Carr as Lt. Lee Kelso
• Paul Fix as Doctor Piper

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• John Burnside as Operations crewman
• Darren Dublin as Sciences crewman
• Robert Metz as Technician #1
• Eddie Paskey as Leslie
• Bridge crewman
• Bridge guard
• Command crewman #1
• Command crewman #2
• Command officer
• Command technician
• Engineering technician
• Maintenance engineer ( scenes cut and reused in " The Man Trap ")
• Sciences lieutenant
• Technicians #2 , #3 , and #4

Stunt doubles [ ]

• Dick Crockett as stunt double for William Shatner
• Hal Needham as stunt double for Gary Lockwood

References [ ]

1996 ; 21st century ; 22nd century ; 203-R ; 2065 ; 2242 ; 2244 ; 2250 ; 2260s ; 2265 ; ability ; address ; Aldebaron Colony ; amusement ; ancestor ; annoyance ; answer ; area ; argument ; assignment ; astrosciences ; auto-destruct ; autonomic reflex ; autopsy report ; battery ; blasphemy ; blindness ; blonde ; blonde lab technician ; blood ; body ; book ; brain ; breed ; briefing lounge ; bridge engineering ; burial ; button ; " by comparison "; call letters ; Canopus Planet ; case ; casualty ; century ; chance ; checkmate ; chicken ; choice ; class ; coffee ; coffee break ; compassion ; computer ; computer record ; consciousness ; Constitution -class decks ; contact ; control room ; counterorder ; crew ; crystal ; damage ; damage report (aka damage control report ); dart ; day ; de Spinoza, Benedict ; deck ; deflector ; Delta Vega ; Delta-Vega Station ; Deneb IV ; density ; department head ; destruct button ; dial ; diameter ; Dimorus ; disaster recorder ; dispensary ; distress signal ; duty ; earphone ; Earth ; Earth base ; electrical charge ; electricity ; emergency ; emergency condition ; emergency power cell ; emergency stations ; emotion ; energy ; Engineering Deck 3 ; engineering division ; engineering staff ; Enterprise casualties ; esper ; Ethics, The ; extrasensory perception (aka ESP or ESP power); evidence ; evil ; eye ; fact ; faucet ; feeling ; fever ; fire ; fire alert ; fission chamber ; fool ; force field ; freezer unit ; fuel bin (aka power bin ); g ; galactic barrier ; Galactic Mining Company ; galaxy ; glove ; god ; gravestone ; gravitation ; gravity control ; Grayson, Amanda ; heart ; helmsman ; hour ; hull ; Human ( Human being ); hundred ; idea ; image ; impulse deck ; impulse engine ; impulse pack ; indication ; information ; initials ; insect ; intercraft ; irritation ; jealousy ; Jones ; Kaferian apple ; Kaferian apple planet ; lab technician ; landing party ; lateral power ; lead ; learning ; leg ; lifeboat ; life sciences ; light day ; light year ; lithium ; lithium cracking station ; logic ; longhair ; love ; magnetic space storm ; marooning ; marriage ; mathematics ; materializer ; maximum warp ; medical examination ; medical officer ; medical test ; memory bank ; metaphysics ; meter ; Milky Way Galaxy ; million ; millionaire ; mind ; mineral ; monitor screen (aka screen ); monster ; moral ; mutant ; name ; neural circuit ; neutron radiation ; night ; " Nightingale Woman "; officers' quarters ; object ; observation ; orbit ; order ; ore ship ; overcompensation ; page ; patient ; penny ; person ; personnel file ; phaser ; phaser rifle ; pill ; place ; playing card ; points ; Pointed Peaks ; poison ; power ; power ; power cell ; power pack ; prayer ; professional ; prognosis ; psionic energy ; psychiatrist ; psychiatry ; question ; radiation ; repair party ; restricted area ; rodent ; "rodent things" on Dimorus ; rook ; Sarek ; science officer ; search ; second ; sensor ; sensor beam ; service record ; sharing ; shaving ; ship's library ; shock ; signal ; silver ; solid object ; sonnet ; soul ; space warp ; speaking ; speculation ; spontaneous combustion ; standard orbit ; " stand by "; starboard ; stardate ; Starfleet Academy ; strange energy ; strangulation ; street ; subject ; tape ; Tarbolde ; telekinesis ; thief ; thing ; thought ( thinking ); three-dimensional chess ; toy ; tractor beam range ; transporter room ; type 3 phaser ; transporter ; upperclassman ; Valiant , SS ; SS Valiant personnel ; valley ; vessel ; visual contact ; voice ; Vulcan ; Vulcan (planet); warning ; warp factor ; white mice ; wings ; wisdom ; worry ; wristwatch ; year ; yeoman ; zipper

S/COMS references [ ]

aperception quotient ; birthplace ; card ; College of Medical Sciences ; date of birth ; Dehner, Gerald ; Delman ; Deneb IV inhabitants ; Duke-Heidelburg quotient ; Eldman ; esper rating ; father ; first name ; foot ; general knowledge quotient ; generation ; grade school ; guessing game ; height ; inch ; last name ; lineage ; magic ; magician ; metaphysics ; Mitchell's ancestors ; mother ; permanent address ; personnel file ; PhD ; present address ; secondary school ; spiritual reading ; thesis ; Tri-Planetary Academy ; vocational training ; weight

Unused references [ ]

4-0 ; energy ; galactic survey cruiser ; Johanson ; matter ; mile per hour ; Parsons ; Q-signal ; space law regulation

External links [ ]

• " Where No Man Has Gone Before " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " Where No Man Has Gone Before " at the Internet Movie Database
• " Where No Man Has Gone Before " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• "Where No Man Has Gone Before"  at Orion Press
• " Where No Man Has Gone Before " at Wikipedia

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Captain Kirk, First Officer Spock, Doctor McCoy and the rest of the Enterprise crew embark on a five-year mission of space exploration.

O capitão Kirk, o primeiro oficial Spock, o doutor McCoy e o resto da tripulação da Enterprise embarcam em uma missão de cinco anos de exploração do espaço.

• TheTVDB.com Season ID 13044
• Created February 4, 2008
• Modified April 13, 2024
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Midnite Reviews

Detailed analysis of classic sci-fi movies and tv shows, star trek episode 0: the cage.

General Information

Director: Robert Butler

Writer: Gene Roddenberry

Cast: Jeffrey Hunter, Susan Oliver, Leonard Nimoy, Majel Barrett, John Hoyt, Peter Duryea, and Laurel Goodwin

Composer: Alexander Courage (Uncredited)

Air Date: 10/4/1988

Stardate: Unknown

Production #: 6149-01

The first Star Trek: The Original Series pilot (the second being “ Where No Man Has Gone Before ”), “The Cage” should be requisite viewing for fans of cerebral science fiction. Especially worth praising are the interactions between Captain Pike and his Talosian captors, which allude to many disturbing truths about the nature of mankind.

Concluding Comments

“The Cage” is a thought-provoking and well-written, albeit slow-paced, episode. Notably, this offering contains many of the elements (e.g., social commentary, believable character motivations, and ground-breaking science fiction) that would define the Star Trek brand for decades to come.

Overall Quality: 10/10

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Season 1 – Star Trek

Where to watch, star trek — season 1.

Watch Star Trek — Season 1 with a subscription on Paramount+, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

An optimistic ode to humanity, Star Trek may look dated, but its gadgetry and solid storytelling solidify its place as one of pop culture's most enduring franchises.

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Where No Man Has Gone Before

• Episode aired Sep 22, 1966

The flight recorder of the 200-year-old U.S.S. Valiant relays a tale of terror--a magnetic storm at the edge of the galaxy. The flight recorder of the 200-year-old U.S.S. Valiant relays a tale of terror--a magnetic storm at the edge of the galaxy. The flight recorder of the 200-year-old U.S.S. Valiant relays a tale of terror--a magnetic storm at the edge of the galaxy.

• James Goldstone
• Samuel A. Peeples
• Gene Roddenberry
• William Shatner
• Leonard Nimoy
• Gary Lockwood
• 65 User reviews
• 10 Critic reviews

• Captain James Tiberius 'Jim' Kirk

• Mister Spock

• Lt. Cmdr. Gary Mitchell

• Dr. Elizabeth Dehner

• Yeoman Smith

• Lt. Lee Kelso

• Doctor Piper
• Lieutenant Hadley
• (uncredited)
• Bridge Crewmember
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• Operations Division Lieutenant

• Lieutenant Leslie
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

Did you know

• Trivia The change in Gary and Elizabeth's eyes was accomplished by Gary Lockwood and Sally Kellerman wearing sparkly contact lenses. They consisted of tinfoil sandwiched between two lenses which covered the entire eye. Wearing the lenses was difficult for Lockwood. He could only see through the lenses by looking down while pointing his head up. Lockwood was able to use this look to convey Mitchell's arrogant attitude. The lenses were made over a weekend by Los Angeles optician John Roberts, who was hired by Associate Producer Robert H. Justman. Justman felt obligated to try wearing them before asking any actors to do so and managed to for several hours. He found them to be incredibly uncomfortable, but as long as they were only worn for brief periods, they were safe.
• Goofs Gary Mitchell makes Captain Kirk's "headstone" which reads: "James R. Kirk." In all other Trek references, his name is "James Tiberius Kirk".

[last lines]

Capt. Kirk : Captain's Log, stardate 1313.8: add to official losses Doctor Elizabeth Dehner - be it noted she gave her life in performance of her duty; Lieutenant Commander Gary Mitchell, same notation.

Capt. Kirk : I want his service record to end that way; he didn't ask for what happened to him.

Spock : I felt for him, too.

Capt. Kirk : [amazed] I believe there's some hope for you after all, Mr. Spock.

• Alternate versions The original version of the pilot, produced to convince NBC to buy "Star Trek" as a series, runs approximately 5 minutes longer and has a different introduction, several additional lines of dialogue and reaction shots, transitional introductions a la Quinn Martin ("Act I", "Act II", etc.), and different opening and closing credits. This has never been shown on television, but has circulated among "Star Trek" fans worldwide. It has been unofficially released on public domain videos, and was released on the 2009 Blu-Ray set of the original series (in the Season 3 collection)
• Connections Edited into Star Trek: Catspaw (1967)
• Soundtracks Star Trek Theme Composed and conducted by Alexander Courage

User reviews 65

• Jun 17, 2006
• September 22, 1966 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• RKO Studios - 780 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
• Desilu Productions
• Norway Corporation
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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Ep 101. The Cage

• September 8, 1966

The Cage is the original pilot episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, produced in 1964 but not aired until 1988. The episode introduces viewers to the crew of the USS Enterprise, led by Captain Christopher Pike.

The episode begins with the Enterprise receiving a distress call from the planet Talos IV, where Pike and his landing party beam down to investigate. Once on the planet's surface, they discover a group of Talosians, a highly advanced but psychologically disturbed species. The Talosians have the power to create powerful illusions and use these abilities to trap Pike and his crew.

The Talosians reveal that they want to breed Pike with a female captive, Vina, in order to create a race of humans to repopulate their planet. Pike refuses, but the Talosians continue to manipulate him with illusions. Meanwhile, the crew of the Enterprise tries to locate their missing captain and determine how to rescue him.

As Pike struggles to resist the Talosians' attempts to control him, he learns about Vina's past and the true nature of the Talosian society. Eventually, he manages to escape and return to the Enterprise. With the crew's help, Pike is able to destroy the Talosian stronghold and free Vina from captivity.

The Cage introduces many of the key elements that would become a recurring theme throughout the original Star Trek series. The episode explores the effects of advanced technology on society and the dangers of giving up control to outside forces. It also introduces viewers to the idea of first contact with alien species and the challenges that can arise from cultural differences.

Another key aspect of the episode is the characterization of Captain Pike, who differs significantly from the more famous Captain Kirk. Pike is portrayed as a reserved and thoughtful leader who is less concerned with swashbuckling heroics and more interested in understanding the situations he encounters.

Overall, The Cage is an engaging introduction to the original Star Trek series, showcasing the show's themes of exploration, discovery, and the human condition. While it never aired during the show's original run, the episode has become a cult favorite among fans of the franchise and is considered a crucial piece of Star Trek history.

• Genres Science Fiction Action & Adventure
• Channel NBC
• First Aired September 8, 1966
• Language English

Star Trek - Season 1

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20 Episodes

S1 e1 - the man trap, s1 e2 - charlie x, s1 e3 - where no man has gone before, s1 e4 - the naked time, s1 e5 - the enemy within, s1 e6 - mudd's women, s1 e7 - what are little girls made of, s1 e8 - miri, s1 e9 - dagger of the mind, s1 e10 - the corbomite maneuver, s1 e11 - the menagerie (1), s1 e12 - the menagerie (2), s1 e13 - the conscience of the king, s1 e14 - balance of terror, s1 e15 - shore leave, s1 e16 - the galileo seven, s1 e17 - the squire of gothos, s1 e18 - arena, s1 e19 - tomorrow is yesterday, s1 e20 - court martial, where does star trek rank today the justwatch daily streaming charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. this includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. this includes data from ~1.3 million movie & tv show fans per day..

Streaming charts last updated: 1:19:02 a.m., 2024-04-23

Star Trek is 1371 on the JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts today. The TV show has moved up the charts by 416 places since yesterday. In Canada, it is currently more popular than The Mire but less popular than Ray Donovan.

Streaming Charts The JustWatch Daily Streaming Charts are calculated by user activity within the last 24 hours. This includes clicking on a streaming offer, adding a title to a watchlist, and marking a title as 'seen'. This includes data from ~1.3 million movie & TV show fans per day.

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Den of Geek

Discovery Season 5 Episode 4 Easter Eggs Dig Up Classic Star Trek Time Travel Canon

From the moment the titular starship was built, to at least one possible future, Burnham has gone back to the past of the future. Again. Here are this week's best Star Trek: Discovery easter eggs!

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This Star Trek: Discovery article contains spoilers.

In terms of individual episodes, Star Trek: Discovery does not hold any kind of Star Trek record for more time travel stories. But, it’s also the Trek series in which time travel is the most integral to the stories, characters, and themes. In season 1, Trek canon introduced “time crystals” and by season 2, the entire crew became unstuck in time forever.

Now, in the fourth episode of its final season, Discovery is revisiting some of its timey-wimey themes, with a time loop-ish episode centered on Captain Burnham and our new favorite grouchy first officer, Commander Rayner. And, throughout this surprisingly tender episode, Discovery drops some very deep cut references not only to its own history but the larger Trek tapestry as well. Here are the biggest, and coolest easter eggs in “Face the Strange.”  

The Red Angel

Right away, just before the opening credits, Burnham and Rayner find themselves on a damaged version of Discovery stuck in a wormhole. Burnham points out the person in the space suit, flying ahead of them is “the Red Angel,” which was also her. This reveals a moment in between the season 2 finale “Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2” and the season 3 premiere, “That Hope Is You, Part 1.” So, while this is a flashback for Burnham, it’s also, technically, something we never saw in the timeline of the show. And, as the time jumps continue throughout the episode, this becomes a running theme: A jump to a familiar time, but not into an exact episode moment from the past.

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San Francisco Fleet Yards

When Burnham and Rayner find themselves looking out the window and seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, Burnham says “we’re in drydock.” This means they’re standing in the ship before the ship was even launched. Whether they’re standing in a completed version of Discovery, or just part of the ship is unclear. A huge portion of Trek starships were built in the “San Francisco Fleet Yards,” though generally, that’s considered to be an orbital facility. That said, the Trek 2009 reboot movie floated the idea that some parts of starships could be built on the ground. It would appear that this was the case with Discovery, too, since the ready room at this moment is incomplete. 

The USS Discovery was first launched sometime in 2256, so this moment has to be during that year or earlier. In terms of the ship’s timeline, this is the earliest moment in history we’ve glimpsed for the USS Discovery.

Battle with Control

Rayner and Burnham soon jump back to a similar moment in time that they visited before — the battle with Control. This references the events of the season 2 finale again, “Such Sweet Sorrow Part 2,” in which the Discovery and the Enterprise joined forces to fight off the Section 31 fleet that had been possessed by the AI known as Control. This moment was also the same moment that sparked the events of the very first episode of Strange New Worlds , since these events were glimpsed by a neighboring, pre-warp planet.

The Time Bug

Rayner realizes that the reason he and Burnham are cycling through time is because of a weapon called a “Time Bug.” Rayner says it’s also called a “Krenim chronophage,” which references the alien species the Krenim from the famous Voyager two-parter “Year of Hell.” In that episode, the Krenim were using a temporal weapon to wipe out entire planets from the timeline. Rayner also mentions that the “time bugs” are “left over from the temporal war.” This references Star Trek: Enterprise , and the temporal war waged by Daniels and others. Most people aware of the temporal war were from the 30th century, about two hundred years before the events of Discovery Season 3.

Stamets’ Tardigrade DNA

Burnham knows that Stamets will also be aware of the time shifts because “he lives outside of time because of his Tardigrade DNA.” This references Discovery season 1, specifically the episodes “Choose Your Pain” and “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad.” In “Choose Your Pain,” Stamets injects himself with Tardigrade DNA after he and Burnham realize that using their own overgrown Tardigrade, named “Ripper,” to navigate the Spore jumps is killing the creature. In “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad,” Burnham is stuck in a different time loop, and only Stamets is aware that it’s happening.

Reno’s Vesper Martini

During the next jump, Rayner and Burnham are on Discovery during the moment that Osyraa attacks the ship. This references the season 3 finale “That Hope Is You, Part 2,” in which the crew had to fight Emerald Chain forces to take back the ship. Reno is fighting off a few baddies, and Rayner has to pretend like he’s a crewmember from a different ship. Reno asks him to buy her a “vesper martini, ice cold” when everything is back to normal. A Vesper martini was popularized by Ian Fleming in 1953, in the first James Bond novel Casino Royale . 

Based on a recipe suggested to him by his friend Ivar Bryce, in the novel, the drink was named for Vesper Lynd, Bond’s famous paramore in the book and the 2006 film of the same name. Interestingly, in real life, a true 1950s Vesper is hard to make because the ingredient of Kina Lillet went out of production in the 1980s. Generally, bartenders today use substitutes like Lillet Blanc in its place, but, because of replicator technology in Star Trek , it’s very possible that Reno’s Vesper martini is more accurate to Fleming’s than anything we can drink today.

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Zora and the Future

When Burnham and Rayner jump 30 years into a possible future, they find the ship abandoned and Zora, the ship’s friendly AI, playing music for herself. Zora mentions that she thinks seeing Captain Burnham again is “another dream.” This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a possible future in which Zora is running the ship alone, listening to old music. In the 2018 Short Treks episode “Calypso,” a man called Craft boards a version of the Discovery in the distant future, even beyond the 32nd century setting we’ve seen in the show recently. This was the first episode that revealed Zora’s evolution, and whether or not it’s still the real destiny of the ship remains to be seen.

Warp Bubble’s Purpose

When Rayner, Stamets, and Burnham decide to break the ship’s warp bubble to stop the time bug, Burnham mentions that the warp bubble “is what protects us from the effects of relativity.” This very neatly explains that warp speed in Star Trek , is, in a sense, a form of time travel, since traveling faster than the speed of light, bends the regular way time is experienced. In the first 1964 Original Series pilot “The Cage,” Enterprise navigator Tyler even says “the time barrier has been broken,” and Captain Pike refers to warp factors as “time warp factors.” Everything in Star Trek is kinda time travel, but the warp bubble prevents it from getting too confusing.

Burnham vs. Burnham in Early Season 1

The final stop in the time jumps puts everyone back to a very, very early point in season 1. Here, Lorca is still in command of the ship, but on an “away” mission with Saru and Landry.” Because Landry is still alive, we’re directly between the events of “Context is For Kings” and “The Butcher’s Knife Cares Not for the Lamb’s Cry.” This is why the Burnham from this timeline is still known as “Specialist Burnham,” and why most of the crew hates her. From their point of view, she’s a mutineer, who only recently was allowed back in uniform.

When Burnham has to fight herself, we see Sonequa Martin-Green revert back to a version of her season 1 hairstyle, a fact which Tilly comments on when seeing the future Burnham. During the Burnham-on-Burnham fight, both employ the Vulcan martial art Suus Mahna, which originated in the series Enterprise . However, we saw Burnham and Sarek fight using Suus Mahna in the Discovery season 1 episode “Lethe,” and it’s been a staple of Burnham’s defensive style ever since.

And in the ultimate callback to her upbringing on Vulcan — and to the beginning of Discovery itself — Burnham uses the Vulcan nerve pinch on her younger self. Interestingly, the nerve pinch was invented by Leonard Nimoy for the TOS episode “The Enemy Within.” And, just like in that episode, the nerve pinch was used on a duplicate of the captain; in that case, on the “evil” Captain Kirk. 

Burnham using the nerve pinch is also the action that got her busted in the first place. Back in “The Vulcan Hello,” she used it on Captain Georgiou (Michelle Yeoh) which put her on the path that resulted in the entire story of Star Trek: Discovery . The Vulcan nerve pinch might be a small Trekkie plot device, but its impact is clearly bigger than a little tap on the shoulder.

Ryan Britt is a longtime contributor to Den of Geek! He is also the author of three non-fiction books: the Star Trek pop history book PHASERS…

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Star Trek: Prodigy: Season 1 – Episodes 11-20 [DVD]

• Blu-ray $18.99

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In the remaining STAR TREK: PRODIGY Season One episodes, as the hopeful crew makes their way toward Starfleet, their dreams are threatened when they discover the U.S.S. Protostar harbors a weapon designed to tear the United Federation of Planets apart. To make matters worse, the U.S.S. Dauntless is on a manhunt for the Protostar as the real Vice Admiral Janeway is eager to uncover what happened to her missing former First Officer Chakotay. With these two ships on a collision course and destruction on the horizon, the fate of the Alpha Quadrant hangs in the balance. This 2-disc set includes 3 new in-depth featurettes with more than 45 minutes of content revealing how the Star Trek heritage shapes Prodigy’s characters, story and settings.

Special Features: - ONLY Available on Blu-ray & DVD :

· The Odyssey of Prodigy

· Producing Prodigy: The Atmosphere and Planets

· Producing Prodigy: The Ships

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• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
• Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.23 x 5.51 x 0.55 inches; 4.41 ounces
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, DVD
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 4 hours
• Release date ‏ : ‎ September 26, 2023
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Kate Mulgrew, Dee Bradley Baker, Rylee Alazraqu
• Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ English, French, Spanish
• Studio ‏ : ‎ PARAMOUNT
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0C9VWD3HR
• Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
• Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 2
• #334 in Action & Adventure DVDs

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'Star Trek: Discovery' season 5 episode 3 'Jinaal' is a slow but steady affair

Humans have evidently evolved beyond the need for stairs in the 32nd century as teleportation has replaced the simple act of actually walking to places

Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5, episode 3

The latest installment of "Star Trek: Discovery" season 5 on Paramount Plus adds a little water – and possibly some fertilizer – to the various different story seeds sewn last week. 

Entitled "Jinaal," the primary plot revolves around a revisit to the planet Trill and as you may recall, the last time we spent any length of time here was the episode " Forget Me Not " (S03, E04), which was not terrible. In fact, it was undeniable highlight of the third season, which itself had some of the best we've seen from "Discovery." Incidentally, that was first look at the Trill homeworld since " Star Trek: Deep Space Nine " episode "Equilibrium" (bizarrely, also S03, E04). (If you need a recap on how to watch Star Trek: Discovery, check out our Star Trek streaming guide for Paramount Plus .)

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Curiously, in that episode "Forget Me Not," Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) was given a rare and welcome chance to shine and he does so once again in this episode as well. To briefly recap, Adira (Blu del Barrio) and her lover, a Trill named Gray (Ian Alexander), were aboard a generation ship way back when. They were both orphans, very much in love, and Gray had just received his symbiote when the ship was struck by an asteroid and everyone was ordered to evacuate. Unfortunately, Gray was fatally injured and the only way to save the symbiote was for Adira to join with it. And that's how it was for all of season three right up until the fourth season episode " Choose To Live " (S04, E03). 

Then, after all of that, Gray Tal has his consciousness transferred out of Adira and into an artificial synth golem before heading back to Trill to complete all that monk-style studying. And now you're all caught up. 

While a trip back to Trill is nice, you can't help but start to wonder if this fifth and final season will end up a 10-episode long epilogue as it ties up all its loose ends, almost like season five of " Babylon 5 ."  Commander Jett Reno (Tig Notaro) pops up in this episode at last, which more or less just leaves Commander Nhan (Rachael Ancheril), whom we last saw in the episode " Rubicon " S04, E09, to make an appearance. Although Ancheril's IMDb page does currently say, "Coming up in 2024, Rachael will be seen again in 'Chucky' season three [and] 'Star Trek Discovery' for its final season," so who knows. 

The big highlight this week was, as we alluded to above, Cruz's chance to stretch his acting chops just a little bit and he does not disappoint. The two biggest grumbles however, are the dialogue written by a writer who just saw "Lethal Weapon II" for the very first time and that the notion of teleporting around the place instead of just walking, has been taken to ludicrous extremes. 

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"Star Trek: Discovery" seems to be at peace with lifting from other IPs, sci-fi or otherwise. We've seen a nice " Close Encounters of the Third Kind " reference with mashed potato and we've even seen a fun nod to "Scooby-Doo," but these were all subtle. Then there was the extremely unsubtle " Die Hard " thing and then in " Scavengers " (S03, E06) the writers went  way  beyond homage and practically lifted a set piece directly from the 1987 movie "The Running Man." The premise was the same, the effect was the same and even the setting was practically identical.

This week's insight into what classic movie the Gen-Z writers of "Discovery" have recently discovered comes from a legendary scene with equally legendary dialogue between Sgt. Martin Riggs (Mel Gibson) and Sgt. Roger Murtaugh (Danny Glover) during a rescue attempt after the latter learns that the toilet he's been sitting on has been rigged with a bomb in the first "Lethal Weapon" sequel. Lest we forget, this underrated action extravaganza also gave us Leo Getz and immortalized phrases like "diplomatik immunitee." and "but, but...you're blick."

Still, at least it was just a line or two of dialogue this time and not an entire set piece. My other main grumble with this episode as we mentioned above is the carefree abandon with which transporters are used. And I've touched upon this before. Despite beaming becoming a very common part of everyday life of the 32nd century, to the extent that folk use transporters instead of stairs and even to just change outfits, like we saw in the season four premiere episode — but the thing is, transporters kill you .

The creators of " Star Trek " have never officially confirmed that transporters kill you. However, solely based on the science, transporters do kill you. In simple terms, these teleportation devices scan every molecule in your body and briefly store them in the pattern buffer, while at the same time, the original body is to all intents and purposes, disintegrated. The transporter then converts the scanned copy into energy and beams the data stream to the desired location, where the body is rebuilt, from a sub-atomic level, using technology similar to a replicator. It's comparable in principle to a fax, except this fax machine destroys the original, to prevent duplication, although that has been known to happen.

The issue is essentially an existential one. Since our bodies are made up of identifiable matter, why won't transference of consciousness occur? What makes our consciousness so unique? What's the difference between an identical copy and you? If you were to put your copy into a different room that you hadn't been into, would you be able to see it? No. It's a perfect copy, but it's not you. There is a good article on Ars Technica that really goes into detail on this.

Still, all of this banter aside, this episode is not ... terrible. It is very evenly paced and that, despite the not-exactly edge-of-seat storyline, makes it bearable. Every sub-story seems to be given equal time and brief-but-enjoyable interplay between Lt. Tilly (Mary Wiseman) and Captain Rayner (Callum Keith Rennie) is fun. Plus, of course, we get to see the Trill homeworld again, which is nice. 

In other "Star Trek" news, " Strange New Worlds " has been renewed for a fourth season, while " Lower Decks " will end with its previously announced upcoming fifth season, expected to air sometime this year. Creator Mike McMahan and executive producer Alex Kurtzman posted a statement on the Star Trek website: “While five seasons of any series these days seems like a miracle, it’s no exaggeration to say that every second we've spent making this show has been a dream come true. Our incredible cast, crew and artists have given you everything they have because they love the characters they play, they love the world we've built, and more than anything we all love, love, love Star Trek."

Meanwhile, "Strange New Worlds" is currently in production on its third season, which is set to debut in 2025. It seems that all of this combined with the fact that "Section 31" ended up as a movie , casts doubt over the future of the Starfleet Academy spin-off and hopefully signals the end of the idiotic idea of "Star Trek: Legacy." Perhaps Paramount should look to cancel other ludicrous endeavors like the proposed Picard movie instead of cancelling decent shows in their efforts to tighten purse strings. 

The fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Discovery" and every episode of every "Star Trek" show — with the exception of "Star Trek: Prodigy" — currently streams exclusively on Paramount Plus in the US while "Prodigy" has found a new home o n Netflix.  

Internationally, the shows are available on  Paramount Plus  in Australia, Latin America, the UK and South Korea, as well as on Pluto TV in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland on the Pluto TV Sci-Fi channel. They also stream on  Paramount Plus  in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In Canada, they air on Bell Media's CTV Sci-Fi Channel and stream on Crave.

 —   Watch the bittersweet trailer for 'Star Trek: Discovery's final season (video)

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Star Trek's Section 31 Are Becoming a Literal God-Level Villain - Theory Explained

• In Star Trek #19, the sinister Section 31 enters the franchise-spanning god war.
• Section 31's agenda with Ensign Sato and the crew of the Theseus remains a mystery for now.
• Section 31 having access to the Pleroma could spell bad news for the galaxy.

Warning: contains spoilers for Star Trek #19!

The secretive Section 31 are set to become god-level villains in the Star Trek universe. Working from the shadows, Section 31 works to keep the Federation safe–no matter the cost. Controversial among Star Trek fans, Section 31 has nonetheless become a fascinating part of the lore. Now, in Star Trek #19, the agency approaches one of Sisko’s crew with an offer that may doom the universe.

Star Trek #19 is written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly and drawn by Megan Levens. Throughout Star Trek’s previous storyline, Ensign Sato became more and more disillusioned with Starfleet and the Federation. At the end of issue 19, she is approached in her quarters by a man identifying himself as “Martin” and using a person named Sloan’s override. Martin appeals to Sato’s growing dissatisfaction, telling her that “mistakes have been made” and certain Starfleet officials “lack leadership.”

Martin then offers Ensign Sato a job with Section 31.

Section 31 Is The Darkest Aspect of Star Trek Lore

Section 31 has a long history of violence and terror.

Star Trek depicts a utopian society that has moved beyond money and the need to acquire wealth. This idea is embodied in the United Federation of Planets. An organization such as Section 31, that works in the shadows and routinely uses torture and murder to further their ends, would seem at odds with Gene Roddenbery’s optimistic view of humanity. Indeed, Section 31 has proven to be a point of contention among fans. Some portions of Star Trek fandom oppose it because it violates the show’s core principals, while others have hailed it as giving the franchise nuance.

Star Trek's Original Ban on Female Starship Captains Is Even Weirder Than It Seems

Section 31 first appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’s sixth season, in the episode “Inquisition.” Created by Deep Space Nine’s creative team to explore the darker sides of Federation life, Section 31 works to keep the Federation a paradise. However, their means are extreme. Section 31 has been responsible for assassinations and staging coups. They have allegedly infiltrated nearly every other agency in the Federation, giving them eyes and ears everywhere. The closest real-world analogy to Section 31 is the Central Intelligence Agency. Section 31 also finds echoes in the Romulan Tal’Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order.

A handful of Star Trek episodes, including the Original Series episode "The Enterprise Incident" and The Next Generation's "The Pegasus" have been retconned to have involved Section 31.

No Star Trek show or movie has explored the history of Section 31, but it is (chronologically) one of the oldest agencies in the franchise. They derive their authority from Article 14, Section 31 of Starfleet’s charter, hence the name. This part of the Starfleet Charter allows the organization to take extreme measures in times of great crisis. Section 31 has been active at least as early as the 22nd century. Malcolm Reed, the Tactical Officer under Captain Jonathan Archer, was affiliated with Section 31 earlier in his career.

By the 23rd century, Section 31 had grown, and seemed to be working even further undercover. The agency had a presence on board the USS Discovery, which was using the then-new “spore drive,” that tapped into a universal mycelial network. Discovery’s affiliation with the agency only grew as crew member Ash Tyler was recruited, as was Empress Phillipa Georgiou, from the Mirror Universe. Finally, the AI Section 31 relied on, tried to seize control of the agents, and use them to unleash chaos on the galaxy. Discovery was instrumental in stopping Section 31, but was sent to the future.

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In the 24th century, Section 31 was instrumental during the Dominion War. As the war dragged on, and casualties began to pile up, Section 31 bioengineered a virus that could kill Changelings. During this time, the agency approaches Doctor Julian Bashir, seeking to recruit him. Much like Ensign Sato in Star Trek #19, Section 31, represented by Luther Sloan, approaches Doctor Bashir in his quarters. However, unlike Sato, Section 31 did not find a receptive audience in Doctor Bashir. Bashir also finds a cure for the virus Section 31 designed, which helped end the Dominion War.

Although Section 31’s plans to use their virus were thwarted, the agency still took an interest in Changelings. Season three of Star Trek: Picard revealed that Section 31 experimented on Changelings, even after the war’s conclusion. These rogue Changelings broke free of Section 31, and in an act of blowback, killed thousands of Federation citizens. They also allied themselves with the Borg Queen, who also sought revenge against the Federation. Section 31 is even still active in the 32nd century, as seen in subsequent seasons of Star Trek: Discovery.

Section 31 has also appeared in the Kelvin Universe films, including 2013's Star Trek: Into Darkness

Despite the moral ambiguity of Section 31, it has proven irresistible to generations of Star Trek writers and directors. The agency has been a part of nearly every Star Trek show since its introduction on Deep Space Nine , even Lower Decks . The gray areas Section 31 works in provide even more depth and substance to the Star Trek universe. Deep Space Nine regularly explored the darker sides of Starfleet and life in the Federation, and Section 31 was perhaps its most scathing interrogation of these ideals. Section 31 showed that even a utopia can have a dark side.

Section 31 Adds Darkness--And Depth, to the Star Trek Franchise

Section 31 can change the course of the god war.

And now Section 31 is seemingly joining the franchise’s god war–but in what capacity remains to be seen. Previous issues of Star Trek have seeded Section 31. Harry Kim had seemingly allied himself with them. Kim worked closely with Ensign Sato during the Tzenkethi crisis, which may have led to her recruitment. In a recent interview with ScreenRant , Star Trek writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly commented on Section 31’s involvement, cryptically teasing that the answer may lie in the distant past, as opposed to more recent events. They did not elaborate on this further.

Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly are no strangers to the Star Trek comics universe, having masterminded Year Five , also from IDW.

In the same interview, Lanzing and Kelly discussed Sloan’s presence, or lack thereof. Martin, the agent sent to bring Ensign Sato into the fold, invokes Sloan’s name in his override code. Lanzing and Kelly pointed out Martin is not Sloan in disguise. However, Martin’s use of Sloan’s code is another hint, they revealed. Elaborating on the point, Lanzing stated that some Section 31 agents may feel Sloan did not go far enough in his plans. This would echo Martin’s comment about Starfleet officials “lacking leadership.” The murderous and duplicitous Sloan has become a rallying point for Section 31.

Kahless’ recent crusade against the gods of the Star Trek universe no doubt caught Section 31’s attention. The god war Kahless instigated threatens far more than the Federation, but the entire fabric of reality as well. The god war is the exact type of situation Section 31 was designed to combat. Section 31 has access to technology the average Starfleet officer does not, which can give them an edge in a fight with Kahless or his god-killer. Furthermore, the god war also fundamentally altered Lore. Now on a quest for godhood, Lore must be stopped as well.

Are Section 31's Intentions Truly Honorable? Or Are They Merely Looking Out for Themselves?

With kahless' god-killer technology, section 31 could be unstoppable.

Section 31 may also have less than noble intentions by recruiting Ensign Sato. Sato, and the rest of the Theseus’ crew, are headed to the Pleroma, the newly revealed “realm of the gods.” The Theseus’ excursion to the Pleroma represents a new frontier in knowledge for the Federation, but it could also be a huge threat as well, one Section 31 will want to be well primed on. Kahless and his god-killer have proven that the franchise’s god like beings can be killed, a technology Section 31 might want their hands on too.

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Star Trek #19 advances a horrifying notion: Section 31 having control of the Pleroma. If Section 31 gets their hands on Kahless’ technology, they can use it to extort and threaten the beings in the Pleroma. Bringing these beings under their thumb, Section 31 could become a truly existential threat to the Star Trek universe. With god-like powers at their disposal, Section 31 could implement and maintain one of the most oppressive surveillance systems ever known. Dissension will become a thing of the past, as Section 31 imposes their will on the rest of the Star Trek universe.

Star Trek #19 is on sale now from IDW Publishing!

• April 22, 2024 | Preview ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ Episode 505 With New Images, Trailer And Clip From “Mirrors”
• April 22, 2024 | Podcast: Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, Jonathan Frakes & Juan Carlos Coto—Trek Against Pancreatic Cancer
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Podcast: Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, Jonathan Frakes & Juan Carlos Coto—Trek Against Pancreatic Cancer

| April 22, 2024 | By: All Access Star Trek Pod Team 0 comments so far

In this supplemental edition of  All Access Star Trek , Anthony and Laurie are joined by Armin Shimerman, Kitty Swink, Jonathan Frakes, and Juan Carlos Coto (Manny Coto’s brother) to talk about the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the Purple Stride walk on April 27th, the importance of early detection and family support, the improvements in detection and symptoms to watch out for, why there’s hope for the future, and the power of Star Trek fans to do good in the world as a group. They also talk Trek, covering topics like Ferengi makeup new and old, the cancellation of Lower Decks , the definition of “filler episodes,” the differences on set between Star Trek in the ’80s and ’90s vs. now, and more.

John Billingsley was going to join the group, but was unable to make it at the last minute. He will be at the Purple Stride walk!

If you can, please join Purple Stride, donate to the cause, or both. If you can’t, please spread the word via social media and word of mouth.

Trek Against Pancreatic Cancer participation and donation page

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Purple Stride

Pancreatic Cancer symptoms and diagnosis

Getting support

Manny Coto Remembrance By Brian Helgeland: “We Were Best Friends After All; We Wrote Together To Be Together” [Deadline]

Let us know what you think of the episode in the comments, and should you be so inclined,  please review us on Apple .

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The  All Access Star Trek  podcast has joined the long-running  Shuttle Pod  as part of the TrekMovie.com Podcast Network. If you already subscribe to  The Shuttle Pod , your subscription will now include both shows from the TrekMovie Network. If you prefer, you can sign up for only the  Shuttle Pod  or  All Access Star Trek  using the links below.

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