Star Trek -- Season 1 Episode 12 (The Menagerie: Part II)

The Menagerie was the first two-part episode for the Star Trek franchise.  As I mentioned in the review of the first part, it was done as a means of getting the show back on schedule.  Spock abducted the former captain, Christopher Pike, so that he might be brought back to Talos IV and live out his days with a happy illusion.  He’s now confined to a wheelchair, but the Talosians could make him believe that he has is old body back.

Part II picks up where Part I left off.  Spock’s trial resumes, as does the transmission from Talos IV.  The transmission being shown is actually footage from the original pilot, The Cage.  Either way, appears that the Talosians’ reach goes far beyond their planetary system, making it seem useless to threaten would-be visitors with the death penalty.

This episode is almost entirely the reused footage from The Cage.  The episode ends with Spock taking Pike to the transporter room to be beamed down to the planet.  The Talosians give Kirk one final message that Pike will be taken care of.  However, I wonder if they’ll be able to do this.  It was established in The Cage that they had never seen a human before and it would stand to reason that they haven’t seen one since.  I’m not sure what they’ll do if Pike needs medical attention.

Either way, the entire trial was an illusion generated by the Talosians.  They knew that Kirk would never just sit back, given the situation.   Starbase 11 contacts the Enterprise and tells them that no charges will be pressed.  I have to wonder, though, why go through all the effort in the first place?  Did the Talosians feel that it was a way of repaying Pike for what they put him through?

Consider that the Talosians wanted Pike to start a population of humans to rebuild their planet.  It would have been bad to keep him captive for this reason.  I suppose Pike is little more than a captive either way, but why is it better for the Talosians to have him now?  Is being able to think he’s healthy again really worth it?  Is their guilt that bad?

Unfortunately, we never hear form Pike or the Talosians again in any of the TV series or movies.  It would have been interesting for The Next Generation to at least mention it.  (I have to wonder what would have happened if the Borg assimilated the Talosians.  That really would have been a threat.)  I always wondered if the Talosians had kept their word.  Their final line, “Captain Pike has an illusion and you have reality.  May you find your way as pleasant,” could just be a way of alleviating any worry or guilt on Kirk’s part.  The Next Generation was a lot better with continuity.  It would have been nice to have even a small throwback.

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Star Trek -- Season 1 Episode 11 (The Menagerie: Part I)

Certain episodes make more sense once you learn what happened behind the scenes.  It always bothered me that Star Trek: The Next Generation’s third-season finale had only Captain Picard get assimilated by the Borg.  It would have made more sense to me to assimilate more of the bridge crew, if not the whole ship.  Then, I read that there was some doubt as to whether or not Patrick Stewart would return.  Apparently, there was some sort of contract dispute.  Picard would live or die depending on the outcome.

Similarly, The Menagerie raised a few questions for me.  It starts with the Enterprise called to Starbase 11, ostensibly at the request of Captain Christopher Pike.  Commodore José Mendez is a bit confused by this, as Pike couldn’t possibly have sent out any such request.  Pike has been confined to a wheelchair since a recent accident.  That same accident has left him unable to speak with anyone.  His mind is still active, but his body is useless.

It turns out that Spock lied.  He’s brought the Enterprise to Starbase 11 to abduct Pike.  The reason?  Spock will bring Pike to Talos IV, where the inhabitants can let Pike lead a seemingly normal life.  Spock has the ship programmed not to stop until it reaches its destination.  In the meantime, he’s put on trial.

As evidence, Spock shows Mendez, Kirk and Pike footage from the first mission to Talos.  Using this, he explains his plan.  The Talosians can generate very real illusions.  Pike can believe that he’s living out any fantasy.  This is why Starfleet has banned travel to the planet.  Spock risks death not only for himself, but for the rest of the crew as well.

The episode ends partway through the trial.  As a cliffhanger, one would have had to wait until next week to find out what happened to Spock.  Of course, through the magic of steaming and home video, it’s just a matter of calling up the next episode.

The premise had me a bit confused.  The most obvious flaw, as brought up by others, is that Pike can only communicate through a flashing light.  One flash means yes; two flashes means no.  Morse code existed back then.  I would also imagine that other forms of binary communication existed, which would have allowed for better communication.  It appears to be done more to show how bad Pike has it.  He can’t even communicate with people, so going to live with the Talosians seems like a good idea.

That being said, why did Spock have to hijack the Enterprise?  We’ve met Harry Mudd, so there are shady individuals that would have transported Spock and Pike for a price.  I suppose that few would have been a match for the Enterprise.  One could also argue that Spock would have needed a decent ship with a doctor onboard.  Still, it doesn’t appear that Spock even entertained the idea.

The entire episode is little more than a cheat.  From what I’ve read, production was behind schedule.  The Menagerie allowed the show to produce two episodes wile basically filming one.  They just had to film the Starbase and the trial.  It also serves as a way of getting the original pilot into canon.  (If you haven’t seen The Cage, don’t worry.  It looks like most or all of the footage made it in.)

One might also wonder why the Talosians didn’t make an illusion of Pike so that he might speak for himself.  The truth is that Jeffrey Hunter wasn’t available.  He had already moved on to other projects.  He is shown in the footage from The Cage.  However, the man in the wheelchair is a different actor.

It’s an interesting premise, at least.  A main character risks life and career for a former commander.  It’s not the thinnest of plots, but it is up there.  It does help if you try not to think about it.  I suppose Pike is lucky that Spock was still serving on the Enterprise.  The premise might not have worked, otherwise. 

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Star Trek The Next Generation - Episode 108 (Unification I)

Note:  I’m following production order with the reviews of individual episodes.  Since Part II started production before Part I, it has a lower episode number.


In the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, one episode featured an aging Ambassador Sarek.  Here was the father of Spock, going on one last diplomat mission for The Federation.  He was suffering a degenerative disease known as Bendii Syndrome.  Fast forward a few years and now he’s all but lost control of his mind.  Bendii Syndrome seems to present much like Alzheimer’s in humans, which can be humiliating for a logical Vulcan.  It’s with bad news that Captain Picard has to visit him; his son, Spock, has seemingly defected to Romulus.

For what reason, no one knows, but it’s Picard’s hope that Sarek might have some answers.  Alas, Sarek is too far gone to be of much help other than giving one name:  Pardek, a Romulan senator.  Picard will have to make do with what little information he has.  First, he has to get a cloaked (Klingon) ship to go into Romulan space.  It takes a little diplomacy and a not-so-subtle hit, but Picard gets his cloaked ship, taking Data with him to Romulas and leaving Commander Riker to deal with the mysterious wreckage of a Ferengi ship.

The episode does moderately well for setup.  We go through a brief bit of family issues with Spock and Sarek.  They didn’t seem to get along well in the original series and The Next Generation continues that with Spock leaving Vulcan without saying goodbye to Sarek.  We get the impression that Spock and Sarek still didn’t see eye to eye.  Before Picard and Data reach Vulcan, Sarek dies, ending any chance Spock to reconcile.

As you might expect, Spock doesn’t show up until the end of the episode.  A lot of time is spent getting to Romulus and looking around.  The name of the episode comes from the fact that Spock is looking to reunify Romulus and Vulcan; Romulans and Vulcans share a common ancestry.  When Vulcans became the logical lot that they are, Romulans left the planet and settles on Romulus to continue their warlike ways.

You will have to know a bit about the history of Star Trek to watch this episode.  Certain things will go over your head if you’re not familiar with the Trek universe. Also, the big draw here is going to be Spock and Sarek.  It’s also worth noting that these two episodes aired shortly before Star Trek VI was released.  There was the aspect of a small amount of promotion.

I did learn something from this episode.  Picard and Data had to wait for Pardek outside an intercessor’s office.  I’ve never seen the term used outside of this episode.  It refers to someone who intervenes on behalf of another.  From what I can tell, it has a religious connotation.  It’s usually meant to refer to someone who prays on behalf of another.  I’m not sure if it’s meant to have a nonreligious connotation here or if it’s meant to imply that Romulans are religious.  (I’ve always wondered what an intercessor was.  It wasn’t until a week or two ago that I looked it up.)

Many questions are answered in Part II.  What’s the deal with the wreckage?  What is Spock really up to?  A few more will be raised.  (Many along the lines of what were the writers thinking?)  I remember enjoying the episodes when they first aired, although there were certain things I missed.  I’ll save those for the next episode.

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Star Trek The Next Generation - Episode 107 (Unification II)

Note:  I’m following production order with the reviews of individual episodes.  Since Part II started production before Part I, it has a lower episode number.


Star Trek:  The Next Generation had a few cliffhangers.  Most of the seasons ended with some major plot twist, leaving the viewers to wait three months to see what happened.  Here, we only had to wait a week.  Captain Picard and Lieutenant Commander Data travel to Romulus to find out what happened to Ambassador Spock.  You see, Spock mysteriously left Vulcan and showed up on Romulus.  This has everyone worried because Spock was a Starfleet officer and Vulcan Ambassador, meaning he had his share of secrets.

At the end of Part I, Picard and Data find Spock.  Picard and Spock speak privately, where Picard tells Spock of the death of Sarek.  Spock claims to be on a mission of peace, which doesn’t really satisfy Picard.  There are more official ways of doing that.  Spock references the events of Star Trek VI, which would be released the following month.  (It comes across more as a name drop than anything else.)

The reason Spock did it his way was that he was afraid of a repeat of the events of Star Trek VI, in which Spock helped tear down the barrier between the Federation and the Klingon Empire.  Because of a new proconsul, Spock feels that he can get Romulus to reunify with Vulcan.  While Romulans are still emotional and warlike, there is an element within the population that would like to know more.  There are elements within the senate, ostensibly like Pardek, that could work in Spock’s favor.  Yes, it’s possible that Spock is being played, but it’s worth the risk.  The payoff is too great.

Meanwhile, Riker, in charge of the Enterprise, discovers that an entire Vulcan ship has gone missing from a junkyard that doesn’t lose stuff.  What anyone would need with a Vulcan ship is anyone’s guess.  Riker is able to follow the trail, but it doesn’t turn up anything useful.  Things start to make sense when it’s revealed that Pardek is spying on Spock and the resistance.

It turns out that the Romulan government is sending not one but three Vulcan ships into Federation space, claiming to be a peace envoy from Romulus, compliments of Spock.  Things start to make sense.  Riker intercepts the Vulcan ships only to have a Romulan ship decloak and destroy all three ships.  The ships were actually an invasion force.   With the ruse busted, the Romulans cut their losses and go home.  Picard leaves Romulus with Spock staying behind, hoping to continue his work.  Yes, it’s idealistic, but it’s a worthwhile goal.

I remember wondering things when I first watched the episode.  I’ve seen it again recently and I have a few more.  First, how was Spock able to walk around Romulus?  Granted, he was being used for an invasion, but Vulcans and Romulans look dissimilar enough that someone would know that Spock isn’t a local.  Even if the government was telling security forces not to stop Spock, what would happen if someone didn’t get the memo?

The second issue is how the Romulans got three Vulcan ships into their space.  They were using intermediaries, but there’s a neutral zone between Federation and Romulan space.  No military vessel is supposed to enter the Neutral Zone.  I don’t know if this applies to civilian ships, but it seems odd that the Romulans wouldn’t complain about three ships entering there space.

For that matter, there’s no mention of Spock going to Romulas with anyone else.  No one thought to ask how Spock piloted three ships by himself?  Into enemy territory, no less.  All this to carry what was supposed to be a peace force back to Vulcan.  I would also think that one ship would have been enough to carry a small delegation of diplomats.  Why not keep the troops on the cloaked ship that the Romulans sent with the Vulcan ships?

I was wondering why the Romulans wanted to invade just Vulcan, but I guess it was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up.  I don’t know how they planned to hold the planet, as I’m not sure how deep Vulcan is in Federation space.  The entire thing seemed very flimsy to me.

Unification is a somewhat continuity-dependant story.  Those that haven’t seen the previous two seasons will probably be lost.  Those that haven’t seen the original series will probably know some of the major details, but will still be missing out on stuff.

This wasn’t one of my favorite episodes.  It was entertaining, but it raised too many questions for me.  Some episodes became less confusing with subsequent viewings.  These became more confusing.  If you’re watching on Netlflix, you might as well watch these episodes.  If your DVR misses them, it’s won’t really make subsequent episodes harder to watch.

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