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The Menagerie (1) (1966)

← back to episode, season regulars 6.

James T. Kirk

Guest Stars 14

Vina (archive footage)

Yeoman J. M. Colt (archive footage)

Capt. Christopher Pike (archive footage)

First Talosian (archive footage)

Lt. Tyler (archive footage)

Crippled Capt. Christopher Pike

C.P.O. Garrison (archive footage)

Second survivor (uncredited)

The Keeper (voice) (uncredited)

Dr. Phil Boyce (archive footage)

Number One (archive footage)

Lt. Clifford Brent

Rolland M. Brooks

Art Direction

Walter M. Jefferies

Irving A. Feinberg

Property Master

Marvin March

Set Decoration

Gerald Perry Finnerman

Director of Photography

Costume & Makeup

William Ware Theiss

Costume Design

Virginia Darcy

Hairstylist

Fred B. Phillips

Makeup Artist

Special Effects

Michael S. Glick

Assistant Director

Marc Daniels

Robert Butler

Robert L. Swanson

Alexander Courage

Joseph G. Sorokin

Sound Editor

Jack F. Lilly

Sound Mixer

Gene Roddenberry

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The Menagerie, Part 1

The menagerie, part i.

William Shatner

Leonard Nimoy

DeForest Kelley

James Doohan

• 1 Science Fiction > Hard SF
• 1 Family Film
• 1 Guy Movie
• 1 Teen Film

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The Menagerie, Part II (episode)

• View history
• 1.2 Act One
• 1.3 Act Two
• 1.4 Act Three
• 1.5 Act Four
• 2 Log entries
• 3 Memorable quotes
• 4.1 Production timeline
• 4.2 Production
• 4.4 Preview
• 4.5 Reception
• 4.6 Remastered information
• 4.7 Video and DVD releases
• 5.1 Starring
• 5.2 Also starring
• 5.3 Special guest star
• 5.4 Guest star
• 5.5 Also starring
• 5.6 Featuring
• 5.7 Uncredited co-stars
• 5.8 Uncredited co-stars appearing in the original Star Trek episode
• 5.9.1 Unreferenced materials
• 5.10 External links

Summary [ ]

Captain Kirk , in his personal log ponders the events of the past day. Spock is facing a court martial aboard the USS Enterprise on multiple charges: Mutiny ; kidnapping his former commanding officer, Fleet Captain Christopher Pike , mutilated by a recent space disaster and unable to speak; and locking the Enterprise on course for the planet Talos IV , for which the penalty is death. Spock has pled guilty to all the charges. However, when the presiding officer, Commodore Mendez , asks Spock about his motive, it gives Spock a legal opening to present his evidence: mysterious but authentic video from thirteen years before , as the Enterprise , commanded by Captain Pike, became the only starship ever to visit Talos. The recap concludes with the revelation that the video presentation is itself being transmitted from Talos.

Act One [ ]

The court martial reconvenes, this time in closed session. Mendez reminds Spock that Starfleet has ordered no contact with Talos IV, with no exceptions. Spock says that the Talosian Keeper has taken over control of their viewscreen. The presentation resumes as Captain Pike had been knocked unconscious and captured by the Talosians. ( TOS : " The Cage ") The Talosians make Pike relive the deadly battle on Rigel VII with the Kalar two weeks earlier in a deserted fortress. But Pike deduces that he is still in the cell, which Spock calls a "brilliant deduction."

Later, the viewscreen shuts off. Pike's head has slumped over, and Spock says the Talosians know that Pike is fatigued, so they have ceased transmitting the image. As Kirk remarks that the Talosians must care for Pike, Spock confirms that the Talosians want him back, alive. Mendez demands an explanation, but Spock insists that they will understand only after they reach Talos and watch the rest of the video transmission from the Talosians.

Act Two [ ]

The Talosians

The court martial and the viewscreen presentation resume. The Talosians continue to show Pike a spacewreck survivor from the SS Columbia named Vina , in various guises, to induce Pike to breed, but he is only interested in learning from her the parameters of the illusions and of his imprisonment. Here she appears as a green-skinned Orion slave girl. Mendez mentions that the seductive women are said to be irresistible.

Act Three [ ]

The viewscreen presentation continues: The Talosians beam down Number One and Yeoman Colt to give Pike a choice of mates, but their laser pistols do not work. Pike deduces that this too is an illusion and uses a weapon to threaten the Talosian Keeper and win their way to the planet's surface.

The presentation is interrupted again and the Talosians seem to have abandoned Spock. Mendez demands that the court-martial panel of three captains reach a verdict. Spock asks Pike to wait to reach Talos, telling him that he will have a chance for life, but Kirk likens it to life as a zoo specimen or amusement. Pike, Mendez, and finally, Kirk vote that Spock is guilty of mutiny, as charged.

Act Four [ ]

Lieutenant Hansen reports from the bridge to Mendez that the Enterprise has entered orbit around Talos IV. Spock tells the court that Talos controls the Enterprise , just as it did on her previous encounter, and that Mendez's inquiry into Spock's motives will now be answered.

The Talosians had abandoned their effort to capture and breed Humans as servants when Captain Pike and the others threatened to destroy themselves using a forced chamber explosion with Una's laser pistol, a decision the atrophied Talosians had claimed condemned them to eventual death . Vina had declined rescue by the Enterprise , for a reason made evident at the end of the Talosians' presentation: the Talosians show Vina to be horribly disfigured, though their mastery of projecting illusions lets her live a normal life. Spock's purpose in bringing Pike back to Talos IV was to enable Pike to live out the rest of his days in the same fashion; the Talosians offer to "free" him from his wheelchair. The basis of General Order 7 , the capital crime forbidding contact with Talos IV, is also evident now: to keep Humans from learning the Talosians' power of illusion which would lead to their own destruction.

Kirk then addresses Mendez, but Mendez suddenly disappears. The Talosian Keeper explains that Mendez's presence on board the Enterprise and on the Starbase 11 shuttlecraft with Kirk was merely an illusion. Spock and the Talosians orchestrated events to keep the crew from regaining control of the ship too quickly. Kirk challenges Spock, saying that despite the harsh regulations, Spock could have come to him for help; alluding to Kirk's willingness to help his friend, no matter what. Spock admits the reason he did not simply reveal his plan to Kirk was that he did not want to run the risk of subjecting anyone else but himself to the death penalty.

The real Commodore Mendez, still at Starbase 11, sends a message that he too has received the Talosians' presentation. Uhura reports to Kirk that he has suspended General Order 7 for this occasion and directs Kirk to proceed as he thinks best.

Kirk asks Pike if he wishes to accept the Talosians' offer. Despite his earlier protests against Spock's actions, Pike does not hesitate to signal "yes", and Kirk invites Spock to escort his former captain to the transporter room. Spock expresses thanks, both for himself on Pike's behalf, which Pike is quick to second with another "yes." Before Spock wheels Pike out, however, Kirk adopts a mock serious tone, saying he is "concerned" that Spock is exhibiting a disturbing tendency toward flagrant emotionalism. Spock regards this as an insult and insists that his actions have been completely logical .

After Spock and Pike depart the briefing room , the Talosian Magistrate invites Kirk to look at the viewscreen again, where he sees the healthy Pike and Vina walking hand-in-hand.

Log entries [ ]

• Personal log, James T. Kirk

Memorable quotes [ ]

" They're like animals, vicious, seductive. They say no Human male can resist them. "

" Guilty, Captain, yes or no? " (Pike offers a single beep from his wheelchair.) " Yes. I must also vote guilty as charged. And you, Captain? " " Guilty. As charged. "

" Talos controls the vessel now, as they did thirteen years ago. You asked me 'why'. Commodore. You'll see your answer now. "

" Mr. Spock, even if regulations are explicit, you could have come to me and explained. " " Ask you to face the death penalty too? One of us was enough, captain. "

" I want to talk to you. This regrettable tendency you've been showing lately towards flagrant emotionalism – " " I see no reason to insult me, sir. I believe I've been completely logical about the whole affair. "

" Captain Pike has an illusion, and you have reality. May you find your way as pleasant. "

Background information [ ]

Production timeline [ ].

• First draft teleplay "From the First Day to the Last" by John D.F. Black : 12 August 1966
• First draft teleplay "The Menagerie" by Gene Roddenberry : 21 September 1966
• Second draft teleplay: 3 October 1966
• Final draft teleplay: 7 October 1966
• Revised final draft teleplay by Gene L. Coon : 10 October 1966
• Additional revisions: 13 October 1966 , 14 October 1966 , 17 October 1966
• Day 1 – 11 October 1966 , Tuesday (Half Day) – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Bridge , Transporter room , Mendez's office
• Day 2 – 12 October 1966 , Wednesday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Mendez's office , Spock's quarters ; Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Shuttlecraft
• Day 3 – 13 October 1966 , Thursday – Desilu Stage 10 : Int. Hospital room corridor , Pike's hospital room , Ext. Starbase 11 Mall ; Desilu Stage 9 : Computer center (redress of Engineering ), Briefing room (Hearing room)
• Day 4 – 14 October 1966 , Friday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Briefing room ( Courtroom )
• Day 5 – 17 October 1966 , Monday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Briefing room ( Courtroom )
• Day 6 – 18 October 1966 , Tuesday – Desilu Stage 9 : Int. Briefing room ( Courtroom )
• Original airdate: 24 November 1966
• Rerun airdate: 18 May 1967
• First UK airdate: 30 August 1969
• Hugo Award: 1967
• Remastered airdate: 2 December 2006

Production [ ]

• The first draft of this episode's script (along with that of " The Menagerie, Part I ") was completed on 3 October 1966 with the subsequent final draft being turned in on 7 October , with further revisions on 10 October .
• Robert Butler is the only credited director on this episode. However, Butler had actually directed " The Cage ", which provided much of the material used in this episode. After Marc Daniels was assigned to direct the new footage, it was decided that he and Butler would share credit for the two episodes, Daniels for the first part and Butler for the second. [1]
• This is the only episode of any Star Trek series which uses a captain's log to recap the events of the previous episode in a story arc. All others use a more traditional "previously on…"-type of recap.
• In a deleted scene from this episode, McCoy and Scott explain to Kirk how they figured out which computer bank Spock tampered with to lock the ship on course. They took perspiration readings on all banks, and since Spock's sweat has copper in it, traces of copper were found. [2]
• DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy ), James Doohan ( Scott ) (both of whom had their scenes cut), and George Takei ( Sulu ) do not appear in this episode. Nichelle Nichols ( Uhura ) does not appear on-screen but she does have several voice-over lines at the end of the episode. Along with " What Are Little Girls Made Of? " and " Errand of Mercy ", this is one of only three episodes after the two pilots in which Kelley does not appear.
• Sean Kenney took over the role of Pike from Jeffrey Hunter . Kenney also appeared as DePaul in TOS Season 1 . Because Malachi Throne additionally portrayed Commodore Mendez and an illusion of that character in the "The Menagerie" two-parter, his voice as The Keeper in "The Menagerie, Part II" had to be mechanically pitch-shifted by the post-production team, so viewers wouldn't confuse the two characters. ( These Are the Voyages: TOS Season Two , [ page number? • edit ] ) Malachi Throne later played Romulan Senator Pardek in TNG : " Unification I " and " Unification II ".

Preview [ ]

• The preview is from the perspective of Spock: " This is Mister Spock. You'll learn next why returning Captain Pike to Talos IV was worth risking my life and Captain Kirk's career. Join us then to see the conclusion of the incredible adventure on that forbidden planet. " It is implied but not stated that the word after next is "week".

Reception [ ]

• Along with Part 1, this episode won the 1967 Hugo Award for "Best Dramatic Presentation".
• Gene Roddenberry picked the whole two-parter as one of his ten favorite episodes for the franchise's 25th anniversary. ( TV Guide [ page number? • edit ] August 31, 1991)

Remastered information [ ]

• "The Menagerie, Part II" was the thirteenth remastered episode of the The Original Series to air. It premiered in syndication the weekend of 2 December 2006 . Among several new, digital shots created for the episode, a new, more realistic digital matte painting of the Mojave replaces the original backdrop, as does a high quality shot of Rigel VII and Talos IV from space.
• A limited-time-only theatrical presentation with " The Menagerie, Part I " occurred on 13 November 2007 and 15 November 2007 . It included a message from Gene "Rod" Roddenberry, Jr., a twenty-minute "making of" documentary about the restoration process, and a trailer for Season Two of the remastered series. [3] (X)

Video and DVD releases [ ]

• US CED VideoDisc release: 22 March 1981
• US LaserDisc release: 1 October 1984
• Original US Betamax release: 1985
• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 9 , catalog number VHR 2274, release date unknown
• Japan LaserDisc release: 10 November 1992
• US VHS release: 15 April 1994
• UK re-release (three-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 1.6, 7 October 1996
• Original US DVD release (single-disc): Volume 8, 22 February 2000
• 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

Links and references [ ]

Starring [ ].

• William Shatner as Capt. Kirk

Also starring [ ]

• Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock

Special guest star [ ]

• Jeffrey Hunter as Christopher Pike (archive footage)

Guest star [ ]

• Susan Oliver as Vina (archive footage)
• José I. Mendez
• The Keeper's voice (also archived footage)
• M. Leigh Hudec as Number One (archive footage)
• Peter Duryea as José Tyler (archive footage)
• John Hoyt as Phil Boyce (archive footage)
• Laurel Goodwin as J.M. Colt (archive footage)
• Adam Roarke as Garison (archive footage)
• DeForest Kelley as Dr. McCoy (recycled footage)
• James Doohan as Scott (recycled footage)
• Nichelle Nichols as Uhura (voice)

Featuring [ ]

• Sean Kenney as Christopher Pike
• Hagan Beggs as Hansen
• Meg Wyllie as The Keeper (archive footage)

Uncredited co-stars [ ]

• William Blackburn as Hadley
• Frank da Vinci as Brent
• Brett Dunham as Pitcairn ("Security Chief")
• Tom Lupo as Security guard
• Eddie Paskey as Leslie
• Ron Veto as Harrison

Uncredited co-stars appearing in the original Star Trek episode [ ]

• Mike Dugan as the Kalar
• Clegg Hoyt as Pitcairn ("Transporter Chief")
• Robert C. Johnson as the First Talosian's voice
• Jon Lormer as Theodore Haskins (aka "1st Survivor")
• Edward Madden as Fisher (aka "Geologist")
• Joseph Mell as the Earth Trader
• Robert Phillips as the Space Officer
• Janos Prohaska as the anthropoid ape
• Serena Sande as 2nd Talosian
• Georgia Schmidt as 1st Talosian
• Bridge crewman #1
• Bridge crewman #2
• Transporter technician

References [ ]

2236 ; 2254 ; Adam and Eve ; adaptability ; " all right "; alternative ; ancestor ; animal ( creature ); answer ; bargain ; beauty ; blood ; bluff ; boasting ; brain ; bridle ; bravery ; breeding stock ; briefing room ; cage ; captivity ; career ; cell ; century ; chance ; childhood ; children ; choice ; circuit ; clothing ; coffee ; colony ; color ; Columbia , SS ; community ; computer ; confusion ; contact ; continent ; conversation ; cooperation ; course ; custom ; danger ; death ; death penalty ; deception ; deck ; desire ; dignity ; disaster ; distress signal ; dream ; dress ; Earth ; emotion (aka emotionalism ); encampment ; engage ; engineering deck ; event ; evidence ; evil ; experience ; experiment ; eye ; fable ; family ; fatigue ; feeling ; flesh ; fly ; forced chamber explosion ; frustration ; general court martial ; General Order 7 ; guilt ; hair ; hand ; hate ; head ; hearing room ; Hell-Fire ; helm ; hope ; hour ; Human ; Human history ; hunger ; husband ; hyperdrive ; illusion ; image ; imprisonment ; inhabitant ; injury ; intelligence ; jailer ; Kalar ; keeper ; laser ; laser cannon ; laser weapon ; lie ; life ; logic ; machine ; Mary Lou ; memory ; memory capacity ; menagerie ; mental power ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mind ; minute ; mutilate ; name ; narcotic ; neck ; nourishment ; order ; Orion slave girl ; overload ; person ; physical body ; Picasso ; place ; planet ; plant ; plea ; power ; prisoner ; proof ; protectiveness ; protein complex ; punishment ; quality ; question ; reality ; red ; relationship ; Rigel VII ; Rigel VII moon ; rock ; sabotage ; saddle ; screen ; second ; session ; ship's captain ; shuttlecraft ; signal ; slave ; society ; soul ; space ; spaceship / space vehicle ; space regulations ; specimen ; Starfleet ; stellar group ; strength of will ; subject ; sugar ; surface ; survey expedition ; survivor ; sympathy ; table ; Talos IV ; Talos system ; Talosians ; Tango ; telepathy ; theater ; theory ; thermos ; thing ; thought ; thought record ; thousand ; threat ; trade ; transmission ; trap ; trial ; tricking ; universe ; vegetation ; verdict ; vial ; volunteer ; vote ; wall ; war ; week ; wife ; window ( transparency ); year ; youth ; zoo ; zoological garden

Unreferenced materials [ ]

body chemistry ; calcium ; copper ; McCoy, Leonard ; perspiration ; salt ; Scott, Montgomery ; skin ; sodium ; spectrograph beam ; Sulu, Hikaru ; tapes ; Vulcan

External links [ ]

• "The Menagerie, Part II" at StarTrek.com
• " The Menagerie, Parts I & II " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• " The Menagerie, Parts I & II " at Wikipedia
• " The Menagerie, Parts I & II " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
• " The Menagerie, Part II " at the Internet Movie Database
• 3 ISS Enterprise (NCC-1701)

Star Trek: The Menagerie

Tonight was a night not just for classic Star Trek , but for classic fans. We bought our tickets and we piled into 300 theaters around the country this Tuesday and Thursday for special, sold-out presentations of a classic, original series Star Trek episode. Star Trek: The Menagerie beamed directly into movie theaters, and Trekkies showed up in force.

As I slid into my seat juggling a box of candy and a coke icey, it was hard not to notice that most of my fellow Trekkies were of the grey-haired variety. This was an event for those who were there in the beginning. A long forgotten, slumbering giant faction of fandom. The original fandom that took a little TV show and kept it alive with a letter writing campaign, launched it into movies by sheer force of fan will, and turned it into an international icon. They were there tonight, most of them over 50, many of them there with their kids, and all of them wishing for a better time when Star Trek was still Star Trek .

The evening opened with an on screen introduction by Star Trek creator Gene Rodenberry’s son, and we were treated to a brief look at a few behind the scenes features, all of which will be on the upcoming HD-DVD release of Trek . Ok, it was basically a commercial, but a good commercial, especially when giving us the chance to see vintage Trek scenes remastered and thrown up there on a big screen. For once, these were commercials an audience could love and they served as the perfect setup for the warp-speed Trek double dose to follow.

The only two part episode in the history of the original Star Trek series, The Menagerie combines elements of the show’s unaired pilot “The Cage” with footage involving a mutiny by Spock designed to save his pre-Captain Kirk commander from a life spent in the future equivalent of an iron lung. It’s a solid Trek episode, but it was obviously chosen for theatrical re-release more because of its length than because of any special quality contained in this particular episode.

Not that it mattered. Newly remastered with fresh effects and redone to be re-released in HD DVD this month, classic Trek has never looked better. I’ve been watching the remastered episodes as they’ve aired on television, and loved every minute of them. What was surprising is that this 1966 vintage show looked even more brilliant up on screen. The colors were vibrant, the presentation was spot on. Earlier this week I watched Battlestar Galactica ’s Razor projected in a movie theater, and though it’s a modern show, it looked drab when projected on a format larger than the one for which it was intended. Not so with Star Trek . If only there were more two-hour episodes to repeat this with, it’s as if the bright look of classic Trek were born for the cinema.

But I’m not here to review a decades old television show, instead I want to talk about an event of the type I think audiences would love to see more often. If you missed Menagerie , you missed out on a great theater night packed with old school fans smiling and laughing the way they haven’t in decades. Seeing so many silver-haired Trek fans gathered together like this, it’s hard not to think of the vast army of aged fandom that Hollywood seems to be overlooking. A few weeks ago I wrote an appeal to JJ Abrams, director of the new, upcoming Trek film, asking for him to take these fans into consideration. To date, we don’t know if he’s listening, but if he’d been there with us tonight… then perhaps he’d see why maybe marketing to the cool kids just doesn’t matter.

My only real complaint here is that there’s more potential in these specialty screenings than is being mined by distributors like FathomEvents. Sure, they managed to pack a single theater screen in the middle of the week, a time when it probably would have otherwise been nearly empty. And they did it with almost no advertising. But why not make more out of it? We had a theater loaded with fans ready to have fun, and all they gave us were a few sneak peeks at upcoming Star Trek DVDs, and then straight into the episode. I’m not complaining, that alone was great, but why not make more out of it? Why not make this a real event? Theater owners talk a lot about the trouble they’re having getting audiences, well why not put forward some effort? What about a giveaway? Commemorative prizes? Klingons in costume? Why not make this seem like it’s really something? We’re paying more for the tickets ($12.50 for Menagerie ), why not give us more with them?

Whether or not they gave us complimentary Spock ears or commemorative Star Trek communicator badges, Menagerie was fun beyond all expectations. It was a chance to remember back to a simpler time, when Sci Fi had something to say and it did it with more than just whiz bang effects. Classic film and television can work on modern theater screens and classic fans are out there, ready and waiting to show up for it. If they’re smart, theater owners will find ways to do more and make more out of events like this in the future.

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Episode Preview: The Menagerie, Part I

Star Trek : "The Menagerie"

For all its throbbing-vein aliens and green-skinned slave girls, the two-part “Menagerie” finds its most iconic image in the fate of the poor Christopher Pike. Check out the picture—the guy saved some kids from deadly “delta-rays,” and for his troubles, he’s paralyzed, horribly scarred, and forced to spend the rest of his life in a giant black box. Sure, the box lets him communicate; one beep for yes, two beeps for no. I can’t imagine a conversation that would require anything more nuanced than that. Plus, the thing moves like a motorized wheelchair, so I don’t think he has anything to complain about, right?

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The design is striking enough to be the subject of parody and fan-worship, but not even familiarity can diminish how simultaneously neat and utterly retarded the damn thing is. Common sense raises all sorts of issues here. There are quadriplegics with more mobility than Pike, and while allowances can be made for the fact that we’re never told exactly what delta rays do, it’s hard to imagine something that could render a man so inert that magic-future-tech can't save him, and yet he still doesn't die. And even if we’re willing to accept that, what the hell is up with the two beeps? Nobody had the time to teach him Morse Code?

But there is something nightmarish about that absurdity. The folks behind TOS were clearly trying to come up with the most horrible living death they could, and while it doesn’t really scan logic-wise, it does serve as a perfect example of “shit I don’t want happening to me.” Pike’s predicament has to be sufficiently dire for “Menagerie” to work at all; anything less than utterly horrible, and Spock’s actions would go from ill-advised to downright inexplicable. As it is, watching the cool-headed half-Vulcan engage a one-man operation to take control of the Enterprise is kind of fun, so long as you don’t spend too much time wondering about the consequences.

“Where No Man Has Gone Before” was the first Star Trek pilot to air, but it wasn't the first one filmed; Roddenberry originally tried his idea out with “The Cage,” featuring a slightly different Enterprise and an almost entirely different cast. “Menagerie” has two plots. The first has Spock turning mutinous, steering the Enterprise towards the forbidden planet of Talos IV, and then surrendering himself to a court martial; which leads us to plot two, focusing on Pike’s adventures on Talos IV years ago, back when he was captain of the Enterprise, the First Officer was a woman (gasp!), and Spock himself had a wider variety of facial expressions. This second storyline is made up of footage cannibalized from that first pilot, presented to Kirk (and us) as a visual recording made by the awesomely powerful Talosians. Clips shows are nothing new to TV, but this is something different—flashbacking to a rerun that never actually aired in the first place.

Different can be good, and back before VHS and DVD releases, this was probably the only way most people could see “The Cage” even in an abbreviated form. And it really is worth seeing; partly because the story isn’t half bad, but also because it does a great job of showing just how important casting was to TOS ¸ and how crucial the chemistry between Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest is towards making the series work. When Roddenberry presented them with his first version of Star Trek , the network complained it was too brainy, without enough action, and while I don’t think it’s possible to be “too brainy,” I have to admit, the suits were on to something. “Cage” is clever enough, but there’s hardly any humor, and even less warmth. It’s a show that’s better respected than enjoyed.

Take Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike. (Hunter's only in the "Cage" clips; Sean Kennedy plays the inanimate-object version we get in the “present” sections of the episode.) He’s a solid actor—before his untimely death at 43, he’d done a lot of TV and movie work, including a great turn in The Searchers . There’s nothing obviously wrong about his performance as Pike; he’s believable, and he commits to the premise. But he’s not all that much fun. Whatever you say about Shatner, he’s got charisma coming out his ears as Kirk; Hunter is too grim. You buy that he’s world-weary, you buy that’s he’s furious at his captors, and you definitely buy his talent for “primitive thoughts,” but you don’t really want to spend week after week planet hopping with him. It’d be like vacationing with a guy who only wants to visit Holocaust museums.

The rest of the cast is similarly restrained. It’s nice having a female with a rank above nurse or secretary, but Majel Barett isn’t given a whole lot to do; at one point, Vina, the woman the Talosians are trying to mate Pike with, accuses her of being like a “computer,” but it’s more a clever line than an accurate character assessment. (Makes for an unintentional in-joke, too, since Barett would go on to voice most of the computers in the series.) The doctor's generic, the yeoman is cuter than Rand but not much else; the only real personality we get is from Spock. Ironically, out of the lot, Nimoy is the one who gets to display the widest range of emotion, but even he seems to be floundering. I’m sure things would’ve solidified if this pilot had been picked up, but it’s not hard to see why it wasn’t.

At least the actual story of “The Cage” is strong. The Enterprise gets a distress signal from Talos IV, and stops to investigate; they find what at first appears to be a colony of survivors from a crashed ship, a bunch of old scientists and one pretty young blonde. Within moments, though, the old guys vanish, and the blonde, Vina, spirits Captain Pike away. It was all a set-up by a bunch of big-brained natives—they’ve got this zoo going, and they want to bring in Pike so Vina will have a partner. Plus there’s something about the Talosians being a dying race, who need hot-blooded humans around to keep them alive. Standard alien stuff.

The Talosians are masters of telepathy and illusion, and one of the big strengths of the “The Cage” (and the parts of it that appear in “The Menagerie”) is how consistently those abilities are displayed. We never see the aliens engaging in shows of physical prowess, and their mental powers never blur into telekinesis. Instead, the big balds get what they want through trickery. After imprisoning Pike, they use a variety of fantasy scenarios to try and fool him into wanting Vina; he doesn’t fall for it, of course, although he does have a struggle over the “Orion slave girl” bit. But the fantasy doesn’t end there. Pike’s crew is frantically trying to break down the door to rescue their errant captain, but their weapons seem to have no effect on the structure. “Seem” being the operative word; it’s ultimately revealed that the barrier was destroyed early on, but the Talosians were projecting the image of an undestroyed barrier. The same way they convinced Pike and company that their phasers were inoperative; the same way they punished Pike for not obeying their wishes.

And the same way they make Vina look like an eighteen year-old girl (okay, they say she’s supposed to look eighteen, so I’ll play along), when she was really the only survivor of the crash from so long ago. When her true appearance is revealed, it’s a little heartbreaking; the Talosians rebuilt her, she’s healthy—but they had never seen a human before.

All very sad, and, while it has its problems, "Cage" would've made a solid hour-long Twilight Zone episode. But that's not exactly what we get in "The Menagerie"; while Roddenberry manages to reuse a good chunk of film, the whole thing plays out over two hours, and with a framing story from the regular cast that, while dramatic, doesn't quite gel.

Spock's behavior here, while not completely out of character, favors impulse over logic to a distressing extent. His motives are largely a mystery till the second part of the ep, but once we discover what's driving him—he's trying to get Pike back to Talos IV, where he can spend the remainder of his box-life living a carefree, illusion-based life—the knowledge doesn't really justify everything we've seen him do. Mr. "The Needs Of The Many Outweigh The Needs Of The One" is putting the lives of the entire crew in jeopardy just so his old boss can get an upgrade in nursing homes. Apparently, loyalty to his former commander trumps his loyalty to Kirk and Starfleet; while he doesn't exactly betray his current captain, you can't imagine Kirk being all that happy to have the Enterprise stolen away by his most trusted subordinate. And the main reason for all the subterfuge is bizarre; people are forbidden from visiting Talos IV on pain of death. Why, exactly? The Talosians are creepy, but once they realize that human beings hate captivity, they leave off quickly enough. The only real justification for the extreme measure is to justify a Spock's trial, a trial we need if we want to get all that "Cage" footage in.

As for the use of that footage—surely it could've been trimmed a bit. Gene wants to get as much bang for his buck, but spending all that time away from Kirk and Spock diminishes the conflict that's supposedly driving the episode. There's no real reason for this to be a two-parter, and the more we learn about the Talosians, the more we suspect that Spock's coup, though bad-ass, wasn't all that necessary. By the end credits, we've found that the court martial was a mock-up created for Kirk's benefit, which means the aliens have an astonishing range with their mind control powers. (Enough to make that whole "death penalty" thing largely irrelevant; if they really wanted to, they could've tricked somebody from Starbase 11 to drop by.) And then there's the way that the charges against Spock are tossed lightly aside, because, hey, he did everything with the best of intentions. Intentions or not, he stole the Enterprise, as well as defrauded the captain and assaulted a number of Starfleet personnel. At the very least, a slap on the wrist would've been nice.

But that would've taken away from our supposedly happy ending, with the crippled Pike reunited with Vina to spend out the rest of their days in artificially induced heaven. It's a rare moment of string-free wish fulfillment; in general, TOS tends to favor hard truth over even the most pleasant lie, and idyllic lives are hardly ever presented without cost. We're supposed to trust the Talosians motives here, but it's hard not to remember what they did to Pike the last time he put his will against theirs. There's something unsettling about abandoning a man that helpless to creatures who we still don't understand all that well, regardless of how much better that abandonment appears to the alternative. "The Menagerie" is a hodge-podge, written primarily as a money-saver, and the various parts never fit together that well, but it has its moments. Pike in that hateful box is still unnerving, and glad as we are to see him free of that box, the ambiguity of that freedom—that he's now entirely at the whim of a race he basically doomed to slow death years ago—is hard to ignore.

Stray Observations:

• On it's own, "The Cage" would rate a B+. Chopping it up and stretching it out does it no favors.
• What is it with captains and pretty yeomen?
• Watching Kirk defend Spock's honor so vehemently makes his willingness to forgivie Spock's betrayal at the end hard to believe. (Although maybe he was just that flattered that everyone had gone to such trouble to win him over.)
• Up next week, "The Conscience of the King" and "Balance of Terror."

‘Star Trek’: Long-Lost Original USS Enterprise Model Finally Makes the Voyage Home

The model was used for the pilot and credits of the original 'Star Trek' series.

The Big Picture

• The original USS Enterprise model has been found in a storage locker after going missing for decades.
• The model was used for the original unaired pilot and opening credits of Star Trek: The Original Series .
• Rod Roddenberry plans to restore and display the iconic starship model in a museum for public viewing.

The original model of the USS Enterprise from Star Trek: The Original Series has been located, after spending several decades missing — not in some distant region of space, but in a storage locker. The model has been returned to Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry , the son of original Trek creator Gene Roddenberry . ABC News reports that the three-foot-long model was given to Gene Roddenberry after the original Trek series ended in 1969, and graced his desk for several years before he loaned it to the makers of 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture . The model disappeared shortly afterward and remained missing until it turned up on eBay last year. It had been discovered in a storage locker by parties unknown, who contacted action site Heritage Auctions. Although the model would fetch an enormous price at auction as a one-of-a-kind pop-cultural artifact, an arrangement was made between the finders and Roddenberry, whose father died at 70 in 1991.

The model in question was the first finished model of the iconic starship; it was used for the series' original unaired pilot episode, "The Cage," which was later incorporated into a two-part episode , "The Menagerie," before it was released in full in the 1980s. It was also used for the shots of the Enterprise seen in the show's opening credits. A larger model was later created for the rest of the series; that model is currently on display at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum . Roddenberry intends for the original model to find a permanent home, as well:

"This is not going home to adorn my shelves. This is going to get restored and we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it and my hope is that it will land in a museum somewhere."

What Is the USS Enterprise?

The flagship of the United Federation of Planets' Starfleet, the USS Enterprise is a Constitution-class starship from the 23rd century. It was originally captained by Robert April, who appeared on Star Trek: The Animated Series before appearing in live-action for the first time in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds . April later passed on command to Christopher Pike , whose adventures are currently being chronicled in the prequel series Strange New Worlds . After Pike was promoted to fleet command, James Kirk was given command of the ship, taking it on a five-year mission that kicked off one of science fiction's most enduring franchises.

In Star Trek III: The Search for Spock , then-Admiral Kirk stole the Enterprise to journey to the unstable Genesis Planet and reunite his friend Spock's mind with his body; during that adventure, Kirk had the ship self-destruct to prevent it from being seized by the Klingons. It was later replaced by a near-identical ship, the Enterprise-A ; many subsequent Federation ships have borne the name, up to the rechristened Enterprise-J in the series finale of Star Trek: Picard .

The son of Roddenberry and actor Majel Barrett , Rod Roddenberry is the chief executive officer of Roddenberry Entertainment. He currently executive produces the latest generation of Star Trek series, including Discovery , Strange New Worlds , Picard , Lower Decks , and Prodigy .

The original model of the Enterprise is now back in the Roddenberry family. Viewers can see it in action in Star Trek: The Original Series , which can be streamed on Paramount+.

Star Trek: The Original Series

In the 23rd Century, Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise explore the galaxy and defend the United Federation of Planets.

Watch on Paramount+

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

The Menagerie: Part I

• Spock kidnaps the disabled Capt. Pike, hijacks the Enterprise, and then surrenders for court martial.
• While visiting Starbase 11, the Enterprise is hijacked by Mr. Spock, leaving Captain Kirk behind while abducting the recently crippled Captain Christopher Pike, former commander of the Enterprise. The destination: Talos IV, off limits by Federation order since the Enterprise first visited the planet thirteen years earlier while then under the command of Captain Pike. After Kirk and Commodore Mendez, the Starbase commander, intercept the Enterprise, a court martial against Spock's apparent treachery is convened. Spock's only defense is a video feed showing Pike's capture and imprisonment by the inhabitants of Talos IV. — Alfetta159
• The Enterprise is summoned to Starbase 11 only to learn that no one there sent a message to them. The base is home to Fleet captain Christopher Pike, Kirk's predecessor as Captain of the Enterprise. Unfortunately Pike has recently had a serious accident, rendering him unable to speak and confining him to an automated chair. The base Commander, Commodore Mendez, begins to suspect Mr. Spock but Kirk defends his friend. That is until Spock takes command of the Enterprise and heads to Talos IV, a planet for which all Federation personnel are forbidden to visit under pain of death. Kirk and Mendez catch up with the Enterprise in a space shuttle at which time Mr. Spock is arrested. At his trial, he pleads guilty and offers mitigating circumstances in the form of detailed video logs recounting the time the Enterprise visited Talos IV 13 years before with Pike in command and Spock as its science officer. — garykmcd
• Enterprise is diverted to Starbase 11, upon Spock's receipt of a message from former Enterprise Captain Pike (Jeffrey Hunter), asking them to arrive there asap. Captain James T Kirk beams down to find out, with Spock and McCoy. Commodor Jose Mendez (Malachi Throne) shows Kirk that Captain Pike is in a wheelchair machine, and only his head can be seen in it, and he can only answer with a blinking light. One blink for yes, two blinks for no. Kirk learns from Mendez, the commander of the entire star-base, that Captain Pike was injured in a fire (a baffle plate on a old star-ship ruptured), when he rushed in and pulled out all the children cadets that were still alive. The Delta rays from the fire destroyed his entire body and left him like this. Mendez tells Kirk "It is impossible for him to send a message." Spock is hatching a plot. His whole plan is to kidnap Captain Pike and take him to Talos IV. Talos IV is a planet that is OFF LIMITS for all of Starfleet. Visiting Talos IV means the death penalty. It is the only Death Penalty in Starfleet, other than treason. No one knows why. Spock has prepared fake copies of Kirk's voice and the Starbase voices. He subdues a guard and then transmits the messages to the Enterprise. He returns to the ship, carrying "orders" (fake) from Captain Kirk that Spock is now in command. Pike, who Spock has kidnapped, is kept quietly in a room. McCoy doesn't like it, but orders are orders. Commodore Mendez and Kirk pursue them, flying in a small shuttle-craft. They almost overtake them, but their craft runs out of fuel. Spock shows mercy and rescues them (before that he feeds a tape of instructions into the computer that keeps the ship on course for Talous IV and the orders cannot be overridden), but then Spock must stand trial for Court Martial aboard the ship. Kirk says we cannot have a Court Martial with only two command rank officers. But then Spock, for an unknown reason, tells them "You have three command rank officers. You have Captain Pike. In the courtroom on the ship, Spock asks to play a "video," which he says will explain his reasons. Mendez and Kirk know they must allow him any evidence in a court martial capital trial, so he is allowed. The video shows Captain Pike's first visit to Talos IV. "Where did you get this video?" demands Mendez. No answer. Then the video plays. We see the old bridge of the ship. Captain Pike, and Spock, and the first officer Number One, who is a smart, but cold, tall brunette, and other crew men and women. Spock is younger, so he has more emotions. They receive an automated distress call from Talos IV. The call is from USS Columbia, which was lost in the Talos Star system 18 yrs ago. Talos IV is the 4th planet of this star system and a class M planet. They beam down to a barren, rocky planet and find vibrating plants and a tent-camp full of very old men. These men sent the distress signal many many years ago, when their ship crashed, and are shocked to see humans coming toward them. They cannot believe their eyes. Suddenly a very young and beautiful blonde girl walks toward the men, dressed in rags, but very attractive. Her name is Vina (Susan Oliver). The old men explain that she was only a baby when the crash occurred, and her elderly parents died in the crash. She is fascinated with the young men who have arrived, especially Captain Pike. "Do you want to see our secret?" she asks him, and Pike takes her hand and follows her. She leads him to a cave, and then BOOM!! She vanishes into thin air. Spock sees this and yells "Look!" Suddenly the entire tent-camp, and all of the old men disappear. It was all an illusion. Spock notifies the ship quickly. 2 old women emerge from the cave and capture Pike as he has been lured away from the main landing party. Suddenly, the video in the courtroom stops playing, but nobody has turned it off. "What is the meaning of this?" demands Mendez. "Starfleet does not keep these kinds of records, and if you have received these from Talos IV (this video was not a tape, but a transmission), then you have signed your death warrant." Spock says "Commodore, if I am to die, so be it. But you MUST see the rest of this video." Mendez denies Spock's request, and demands that Spock release the controls of the Enterprise. He calls for an immediate vote. "Call for a verdict," says Mendez. "Guilty, yes or no? My vote is yes. It must be unanimous. Captain Kirk?" Kirk looks sad, but knows the law. "Yes" he says quietly. Mendez looks at Pike in his chair. "Yes or no, Captain Pike?" Pike blinks yes. Spock is guilty. Spock grabs Kirk's arm. "Jim" he says. "Don't stop me. Don't let HIM stop me. You MUST see the rest of the video." Spock is dragged out by guards, and taken to the holding cell. Kirk looks at the blank screen. What the hell happened down there, he thinks.

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‘Heroes’ Cast: Where Are They Now?

NBC’s Heroes was packed with shocking twists and turns that still have fans reeling, years after the show’s 2010 finale.

The show, which ran for 4 seasons from 2006 to 2010, followed seemingly ordinary people who discover that they have supernatural abilities and are forced to band together to prevent life-changing disasters. The successful NBC series – which received 14 Emmy nominations during it’s time on air – starred several notable stars including Hayden Panettiere , Jack Coleman , Milo Ventimiglia , Kristen Bell, Leonard Roberts , Ali Larter and more.

More than a decade after the finale’s end, Roberts opened up about his post- Heroes experience and described “tension” between him and Larter, his on screen wife.

“I was tarnishing her brand,” Roberts alleged in a lengthy Variety essay, recalling the day he found out he was being written off the show. “In a short voicemail message, [creator Tim Kring ] said that due to ‘the Ali Larter situation,’ when the show returned for Season 2, audiences would learn that [my character] had died, and that I was free to call him if I wanted to talk. I was stunned.”

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Larter later issued a statement in response to Roberts’ allegations, noting that she was “deeply saddened” and “heartbroken” by his description of their working relationship. “I am truly sorry for any role I may have played in his painful experience during that time and I wish him and his family the very best,” she told Us Weekly  at the time.

Keep scrolling to find out what Panettiere, Ventimiglia and more Heroes alums are doing now:

Credit: Shutterstock (3)

'Heroes' Cast: Where Are They Now?

NBC’s Heroes was packed with shocking twists and turns that still have fans reeling, years after the show’s 2010 finale. The show, which ran for 4 seasons from 2006 to 2010, followed seemingly ordinary people who discover that they have supernatural abilities and are forced to band together to prevent life-changing disasters. The successful NBC series – which received 14 Emmy nominations during it’s time on air – starred several notable stars including Hayden Panettiere , Jack Coleman , Milo Ventimiglia , Kristen Bell, Leonard Roberts , Ali Larter and more. More than a decade after the finale’s end, Roberts opened up about his post- Heroes experience and described “tension” between him and Larter, his on screen wife. “I was tarnishing her brand,” Roberts alleged in a lengthy Variety essay, recalling the day he found out he was being written off the show. “In a short voicemail message, [creator Tim Kring ] said that due to ‘the Ali Larter situation,’ when the show returned for Season 2, audiences would learn that [my character] had died, and that I was free to call him if I wanted to talk. I was stunned.” Larter later issued a statement in response to Roberts’ allegations, noting that she was “deeply saddened” and “heartbroken” by his description of their working relationship. “I am truly sorry for any role I may have played in his painful experience during that time and I wish him and his family the very best,” she told Us Weekly  at the time. Keep scrolling to find out what Panettiere, Ventimiglia and more Heroes alums are doing now:

Credit: Shutterstock (2)

Hayden Panettiere (Claire Bennet)

Following her four seasons on Heroes , Panettiere went on to star as Juliette Barnes in the ABC/CMT drama Nashville from 2012 to 2018. She is also known for her roles in 2000’s Remember the Titans , 2006’s Bring It On: All or Nothing , 2009’s I Love You, Beth Cooper , 2011’s Scream 4 and 2023’s Scream 6 . While working on Heroes , Panettiere sparked a two-year romance with costar Milo Ventimiglia until they called it quits in 2009. She later moved on with Wladimir Klitschko , who proposed in October 2013 . They welcomed daughter Kaya in October 2014 and ended their engagement four years later.

Panettiere started dating Brian Hickerson in August 2018 but the pair split two years later after a dispute led to Hickerson’s second arrest for domestic violence charges.

Jack Coleman (Noah Bennet)

Previously known for a six-year stint on Dynasty in the 1980s, Coleman portrayed Claire Bennet’s father, Noah, on the supernatural NBC series. He later secured recurring roles as State Senator Robert Lipton on The Office from 2010 to 2013 and as United States Senator William Bracken on Castle from 2012 to 2015.

Coleman is married to Beth Toussaint and the couple share daughter Tess.

Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli)

Ventimiglia was a major teen heartthrob in the mid-2000s after playing Rory Gilmore’s misunderstood love interest Jess Mariano on Gilmore Girls , a role he reprised in Netflix’s Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life in 2016. After Heroes introduced him to a broader audience, Ventimiglia went on to star in 2013’s Mob City, 2015’s The Whispers and This is Us from 2016 to 2022. He also appeared on the big screen in 2012’s That’s My Boy , 2013’s Kiss of the Damned , 2014’s Grace of Monaco , 2017’s Devil’s Gate , 2018’s Creed II and 2019’s The Art of Racing in the Rain .

In October 2023, Us Weekly confirmed that Ventimiglia tied the knot with Jarah Mariano earlier that year.

Leonard Roberts (D.L. Hawkins)

Apart from Heroes, Roberts is known for playing Sean Taylor in 2002’s Drumline and Forrest Gates in season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer , which aired in 1999. He went onto star in several TV shows after Heroes , including 2013’s The Client List , 2016’s The People v. O.J. Simpson , Mom from 2017 to 2018, 2019’s 9-1-1 , Charmed from 2020 to 2022, 2022’s All American: Homecoming and 2023’s Goosebumps . In December 2020, Roberts made headlines after claiming that he felt singled out as a Black actor on Heroes and noted there was tension with costar Ali Larter, which resulted in him being fired from the series.

Masi Oka (Hiro Nakamura)

After appearing on Heroes , Oka starred on CBS' Hawaii Five-0 remake as Doctor Max Bergman from 2010 to 2017 and later reprised the role in 2019. Aside from TV, Oka also starred in 2011’s Friends with Benefits , 2013’s Jobs , 2017’s Death Note , 2018’s The Meg , 2019’s Spies in Disguise and 2022’s Bullet Train .

Ali Larter (Niki Sanders/Tracy Strauss)

Following her appearance in Heroes, Larter starred in 2014’s Legends , 2016’s Pitch and The Rookie from 2019 to 2020. The Final Destination actress also appeared on the big screen in 2014’s Lovesick and You’re Not You , 2015’s The Diabolical , 2016’s Resident Evil: The Final Chapter , 2021’s The Last Victim and 2022’s The Hater .

Larter tied the knot with Hayes MacArthur in August 2009 and the twosome went on to welcome son Theodore and daughter Vivienne in 2010 and 2015, respectively.

Zachary Quinto (Gabriel Gray)

In 2009, Quinto took over the role of Spock from the late Leonard Nimoy in J.J. Abrams’ modern Star Trek adaptation, which also starred Chris Pine and Zoe Saldana . He reprised the role in sequels Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond in 2013 and 2016, respectively. Aside from his work in Star Trek , Quinto also appeared in 2011’s Margin Call , 2015’s Hitman: Agent 47 , 2016’s Snowden and 2018’s Hotel Artemis . On TV, Quinto starred on 2011’s American Horror Story: Murder House , 2012’s AHS: Asylum , 2019’s NOS4A2 and 2022’s AHS: NYC .

Aside from his work in the film industry, Quinto appeared on Broadway in 2013’s The Glass Menagerie and 2018’s The Boys in The Band.

Quinto began dating musician Miles McMillan in 2013, however, the twosome ended their relationship in 2019.

Kristen Bell (Elle Bishop)

Bell joined the cast of Heroes for its second and third seasons in 2007 and 2008, shortly after UPN’s Veronica Mars came to an end. Following her work on Heroes , Bell appeared as Jeannie van der Hooven in House of Lies from 2012 to 2016, Eleanor Shellstrop in The Good Place from 2016 to 2020, Molly Tillerman on Central Park from 2020 to 2022 and Anna Whitaker in 2022’s The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window . She has also starred in numerous films including 2009’s Couples Retreat , 2010’s When in Rome , 2010’s You Again , 2013’s Frozen , 2016’s The Boss and 2019’s Frozen II.

Bell tied the knot with Dax Shepard in October 2013 and the couple welcomed daughters Lincoln and Delta in 2013 and 2014, respectively.

Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli)

Pasdar appeared on Heroes as Nathan Petrelli from 2006 to 2009. Following his stint on the show, he appeared in The Lying Game from 2011 to 2013, Avengers Assemble from 2013 to 2017 and Supergirl from 2017 to 2018.

Pasdar announced in 2017 that he Natalie Maines of The Chicks were divorcing after 17 years of marriage . The pair share two sons, Jackson and Beckett, born in 2001 and 2004, respectively.

Sendhil Ramamurthy (Mohinder Suresh)

After starring on Heroes from 2006 to 2010, Ramamurthy appeared in Covert Affairs from 2010 to 2012, Beauty & The Beast from 2013 to 2014, The Flash from 2019 to 2023 and Never Have I Ever from 2020 to 2023.

Ramamurthy is married to Olga Sosnovska and the twosome share daughter Halina and son Alex, born in 2005 and 2008, respectively.

Greg Grunberg (Matt Parkman)

Grunberg starred as Matt Parkman on Heroes from 2006 to 2010 and went on to star on The Client List from 2012 to 2013. He has also appeared in 2013’s Big Ass Spider! , 2014’s Let’s Kill Ward’s Wife , 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens , 2016's Star Trek Beyond , 2018’s A Star Is Born , 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker , 2020’s M ax Reload and the Nether Blaster and 2022’s The Fabelmans .

Grunberg is married to Elizabeth Dawn Wershow and the couple share three sons together: Jake, Ben and Sam born in 1996, 1999 and 2003, respectively.

James Kyson (Ando Masahashi)

Since Heroes concluded in 2010, Kyson has guest starred in several shows including Hawaii Five-0 in 2011, Adventure Time in 2012 and 2016, NCIS: Los Angeles in 2016 and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders in 2017.

He has been married to Jamee Kyson since 2015.

Cristine Rose (Angela Petrelli)

Aside from Heroes , Rose starred on How I Met Your Mother from 2006 to 2014 and 2017’s Trial & Error . Since 2010, she has appeared in various films as well including 2011’s Take Me Home and 2014’s Muffin Top: A Love Story.

Noah Gray-Cabey (Micah Sanders)

Following the end of Heroes , Gray-Cabey went on to pursue higher education at Harvard University before reprising his role of Micah in 2015’s Heroes Reborn miniseries and starring in Code Black from 2016 to 2018. The actor also appeared on P retty Little Liars: The Perfectionists in 2019 and All American from 2021 to 2023.

Malcolm McDowell (Daniel Linderman)

McDowell starred on Heroes from 2006 to 2007 and went on to appear in Metalocalypse from 2007 to 2012, Phineas and Ferb from 2008 to 2014, Franklin & Bash from 2011 to 2014, Mozart in the Jungle from 2014 to 2018 and Gossip Girl from 2021 to 2023. He has also starred in numerous films such as 2008’s Doomsday , 2010’s Easy A , 2011’s The Artist and 2019’s Bombshell.

McDowell was married to Margot Bennett from 1975 to 1980 and later moved on with Mary Steenburgen in 1978. The twosome welcomed daughter Lilly and son Charlie in 1981 and 1983, respectively, before divorcing in 1990. Following his divorce, McDowell married Kelley Kuhr in 1991 and the couple welcomed sons Beckett, Finnian and Seamus, born in 2004, 2006, and 2009, respectively.

Stephen Tobolowsky (Bob Bishop)

Following his role on Heroes from 2007 to 2008, Tobolowsky went on to star in Californication from 2011 to 2014, The Goldbergs from 2014 to 2023 and 2023’s Lopez vs Lopez . Tobolowsky has appeared on the big screen as well in 2009’s The Time Traveler’s Wife , 2010’s Buried , 2012’s The Lorax , 2014’s Mr. Peabody & Sherman and 2023’s Candy Cane Lane. He is also the host of his own podcast, The Tobolowsky Files.

Tobolowsky is married to Ann Hearn and the couple share two children.

George Takei (Kaito Nakamura)

The Star Trek alum appeared on Heroes from 2007 to 2010 and went on to star in Supah Ninjas from 2011 to 2013, The Neighbors from 2013 to 2014 and various other guest starring roles. He also appeared in films such as 2011’s Larry Crowne , 2014’s To Be Takei and 2022’s Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank.

George has been married to Brad Takei since 2008.

Dania Ramirez (Maya Herrera)

Known for her work on Entourage and The Sopranos , Ramirez joined Heroes in season 2 and made her last appearance in season 3. Her next major roles were on Lifetime’s Devious Maids from 2013 to 2016, Once Upon a Time from 2017 to 2018, Tell Me a Story from 2018 to 2019, 2021’s Sweet Tooth and Alert: Missing Persons Unit from 2023 onwards. She has also appeared in films such as 2009’s The Devil’s Tomb , 2012’s Premium Rush , 2015’s Mojave , 2018’s Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay , 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level and 2024’s Deadpool & Wolverine.

Ramirez married John Beverly “Bev” Land in February 2012 and the couple welcomed twins in 2013. (Land also shares son Kai from a previous marriage.)

Eric Roberts (Agent Thompson)

Julia Roberts’ brother only appeared briefly on the NBC series but his career spans decades in both television and film, including 2008’s The Dark Knight , 2014’s Inherent Vice and 2022’s Babylon.

Roberts shares daughter Emma Roberts with ex Kelly Cunningham and has two stepchildren: Keaton Simons and Morgan Simons . The Oscar nominee has been married to Eliza Garrett since 1992.

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In this article

George Takei

Hayden Panettiere

Kristen Bell

Milo Ventimiglia

Zachary Quinto

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