The Corbomite Maneuver is the 3rd episode that was produced but it was the 10th episode shown. It would have been the first appearance of Dr McCoy, LT Uhura and Yoman Rand but for scheduling. The Enterprise is way out in deep space mapping the galaxy when it encounters a glowing cube that blocks their way. They blow it up once it's obvious that it won't leave them alone. Further ahead they run into a huge ship that tells the Enterprise they are invaders who will be destroyed. Ted Cassidy does the voice of the alien with the bulbus head. One of the crew goes crazy under the stress of dealing with the alien's countdown clock to doom. Kirk bluffs the alien into letting them live and the alien takes the Enterprise in tow. Kirk fights back and after nearly blowing up his ship he damages the alien ship. Clint Howard, with someone else's voice, plays the alien that causes all their trouble. Clint welcomes them aboard and the two races make a nice first contact over drinks. It was a fun episode.
The Menagerie Part 1 & 2 is a combination of new story wrapped around and between footage from the unaired pilot called The Cage. The pilot had Jeffrey Hunter playing Captain Pike. Spock served on the Enterprise but he wasn't the science officer. That part was played by Majel Barrett. Pike, Spock and some crewmen land on Talos IV in the pilot and Pike gets captured by subterranian aliens who want him to breed with Susan Oliver. The Talosians have big heads and powers to create illusians that seem real. They use some to get Pike interested in Susan but oddly Pike resists and tries to escape. I guess he really is married to his ship. Pike proves too much of a problem to the Talosians and they let him go. Susan has to stay. She was badly damaged in the crash that stranded her there nearly 18 years before. She was put back together by a race that was advanced but hadn't seen a human before. Without the illusion they cast Susan is pretty scarred and twisted. Kind of a sad ending. The pilot didn't do well with the network, who were probably thinking why wouldn't this guy want to be bangin' Susan Oliver, but out loud they complained about the show being too cerebral. In an unusual move NBC asked for a second pilot. Hunter moved on and Shattner moved in. Now we got a Captain who's more physical than cerebral, but not stupid by any measure, who'd soon be bangin' those alien babes. Nimoy became the science officer and Majel Barrett became Nurse Chapel.
In The Menagerie 13 years have past since that eventful time on Talos IV. Kirk, Spock and McCoy stop in to see Pike only to learn that he's all screwed up. He can't do much after the spaceship accident except ride around in his electric chair and blink yes or no at you. Spock steals the Enterprise and delivers Pike to Talos IV. Spock faces court martial and execution for his actions. Spock is put on trial and the Talosians supply the footage from the pilot. They work the pilot footage into the story very well and the The Cage becomes part of the series. I found it very entertaining and somehow uplifting.
This two part episode was produced so the special effects people could catch up with the production of the original series. Shows were being delivered later and later to the network. That doesn't make the episode any less interesting. Another good set of shows. The disc also has a short featurette about William Shattner and his horses. I'm not much interested in horses and I only watched part of it.
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