Product Details

• Actors: Leonard Nimoy, William Shatner, DeForest Kelly
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: CBS Paramount International Television
• DVD Release Date: February 22, 2000
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305744882
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #80,248 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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  Movies & TV > Television > Classic TV > Star Trek: The Original Series

• For more information about "Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 8, Episode 16: The Menagerie, Parts I and II" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

• This is item 8 in The Star Trek: The Original Series Series.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Volume 8 in the DVD series of original Star Trek episodes includes the fascinating two-part drama "The Menagerie." As if guided by the frugal wisdom of schlockmeister producer-director Roger Corman, Trek creator Gene Roddenberry found a clever way of using, instead of losing, extensive and costly footage from the then-unseen, discarded Star Trek pilot, "The Cage." Roddenberry's solution was to integrate pieces of "The Cage" into a whole new story context, and the surprisingly moving result was "The Menagerie." First, a bit of background: "The Cage" starred film actor Jeffrey Hunter (King of Kings, The Searchers) as Christopher Pike, the original captain of the Enterprise. Among Hunter's costars was Leonard Nimoy as Science Officer Spock, who eventually carried over, of course, into the reconfigured series starring William Shatner. Rather than write off "The Cage," Roddenberry conceived of a story line in which Captain Pike would re-appear on the show in a badly disfigured, paralyzed, and mute form--the result of a terrible accident in which the character saved a number of lives but took a pounding in the process. In "The Menagerie," Spock hijacks the Enterprise to transport Pike to a secret destination. During court-martial proceedings for this crime, Spock's defense is presented via archival footage of an old, pre-Kirk mission aboard the Enterprise. That footage, of course, is a re-edited "The Cage." A must-see for Star Trek fans, "The Menagerie" is a stellar example of Roddenberry thinking on his feet. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Remastered? Yes. Restored? No!, August 21, 2000

By	Simon (London, England United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 8, Episode 16: The Menagerie, Parts I and II (DVD)

I'm among those who find it a joy to watch enhanced cleaned up episodes of Trek on DVD. The question is: does anthing ever get overlooked in a 'restoration'? "The Menagerie Part I" proves that it does - though it might take a trekker to spot it.

Recall the scene on Talos IV when Spock finds those blue musical wind leaves and tests them out by holding them? In the original version, you hear the sharp contrast as the loudest of the eerie vibrations disappear abruptly, and then come back (in synch with Spock clasping and releasing the leaves).

All that is lost in the transfer to DVD. The "musical leaf" sound track has been beautifully dubbed on in full Dolby Surround - but with no break! Spock plays with the leaves to no effect; and the whole point of that little scene has been remastered out of existence!

Did anyone else notice?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Trek recycling, August 29, 2001

By	Zagnorch (Terra, Sol System) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 8, Episode 16: The Menagerie, Parts I and II (DVD)

I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I truly believe that the original 'Star Trek' ran for 80 episodes, and not 79, like most believe. Yep- I'm one of those Trekkies that believes that 'The Menagerie' counts as two eppies, rather than one. After all, every two-part cliffhanger that was broadcast on 'NextGen', 'DS9', and 'Voyager' count as two separate segments... why NOT 'The Menagerie'?

But, aside from this quandary, 'The Menagerie' is a wonderful showcase of the classic Trek producers' efforts to make the most of their budgetary limits. By framing the first (then-unseen) pilot 'The Cage' around a story involving the present Enterprise crew, Desilu managed to shave a couple bucks off of production expenses. It's also interesting to see who might've composed the original 'Trek crew had the first pilot been greenlighted into a TV series. Ah, what might've been...

'Late

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Memories, August 18, 2001

By	William T. Parnell (Sherman, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Star Trek - The Original Series, Vol. 8, Episode 16: The Menagerie, Parts I and II (DVD)

I can still remember the first time I saw this-I was eleven years old. I was sure that Jeffery Hunter was the bravest and most dashing star fleet captain ever (next to Kirk of course). And that green woman-wow! Seriously, I think they did a fantastic job of reusing the old "cage" footage and this is certainly one of my favorite TOS episodes. It's wonderful to look back on something from your childhood and find you still enjoy it so much.