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A conflict
in the production schedule required two episodes to be prepared in
the time span it would normally take to prepare one. To combat this,
Gene Roddenberry used the expensive footage from the unaired pilot
and integrated it into this episode. |
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This is the
only two-part episode in all of the classic episodes of
"Star Trek".
No other two-part episodes would air until
"Star Trek: The Next Generation's" infamous
"The Best of Both Worlds,
Part I" and
"Best of Both Worlds, Part II". |
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Gene Roddenberry had planned to produce
several two-part episodes for "Star Trek" so more money could be
spent on an elaborate alien vista for such an episode, but it never
materialized. |
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Jeffrey
Hunter, who played Captain Pike in
"The Cage", was unavailable for
this episode (as well as for
"Where No Man Has Gone Before"), hence
the reason why Captain Pike was scarred and mutilated; so he could
be played by another actor. |
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Sean
Kenney, who plays the crippled Captain Pike, also portrays the
recurring role of Lieutenant DePaul, one of the navigators of the
Enterprise. |
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Malachi
Throne, who plays Commodore Mendez, would later betray Mr. Spock in
the role of Senator Pardek in
"Unification, Part II", an episode of
"Star Trek: The Next Generation". |
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Captain
Pike's wheelchair has become one of the most identifiable objects
from "Star Trek" and has been parodied in a number of other shows,
including "Futurama" and, of course, "South Park." |
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Gene
Roddenberry had originally named the unaired pilot as
"The
Menagerie". After this episode was released, and the original pilot
made its way around conventions and so forth, fans began referring
to it as "The Cage". It eventually became its official title. |
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Dr. Boyce
holds a common BIC pen during the briefing room scene. |
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Captain
Pike has a television set in his quarters. Lieutenant Tom Paris
would eventually have one in his quarters aboard the U.S.S.
Voyager in the episode
"Memorial" of
"Star Trek: Voyager". |
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The only
characters to be identified by name in
"The Cage" footage are
Captain Pike, Mr. Spock, Dr. Boyce (but never as "Dr. Boyce", only
as "Phil" and "Boyce"), Vina and Dr. Theodore Haskins. (One could
also count Number One if you accept that "Number One" is her actual
name.) |
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Miss Piper
mistakenly refers to Helen Noel from "Dagger of the Mind" as "Helen
Johansen." |
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Captain
Kirk refers to Mr. Spock's rank as being "Lieutenant Commander" (a
similar error was made in
"Court Martial") despite the fact that Mr.
Spock has a full commander's rank insignia. |
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The
original "warp-speed" effect from
"The Cage" was wisely cut. |
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The ending
of the Talosian transmission differs from actual events. In
"The
Cage", when Captain Pike asks The Keeper if he'll give Vina back her
illusion of beauty, The Keeper nods yes and also gives her an
illusion of Captain Pike to take back down to the Talosian
community. In the transmission the Talosians send, Vina is just seen
restored to beauty. |
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Won Hugo
award for dramatic presentation. |
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In a
blooper, when Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy enter Captain Pike's quarters
aboard the Enterprise, the doors make the starbase door sound
effect instead of the traditional Enterprise "shee-thwop"
sound effect. |