The Original Series: The Cage

Hello, everyone. I'm Kevin, Matthew's partner in nerdery. I'm here to post the inaugural podcast for Treknobabble and expand a little on what we are doing. Podcast reviews are essentially a commentary track for that episode or movie. We let you know when we start the episode, so feel free to grab your DVD or Blu-ray (we know you have them all), and follow along. If you can't, don't worry, we identify what we are seeing when we discuss it for the DVD/Blu-ray impaired. The other kind of review we are doing is text reviews, where Matt and I will trade off offering comment and critique of an episode. We would love to do a podcast for everything, but let's check the numbers...

80 episodes of TOS (including the pilot, The Cage)
22 episodes of TAS (yes, we are doing those as well)
176 episodes of TNG
173 episodes of DS9
168 episodes of VOY
97 episodes of ENT
11 movies

...for a total of 727 items of Star Trek, with each podcast lasting on average an hour. You know what, people? We have to work for a living, and no one has that kind of time. If we win the lottery, I promise you we will podcast every episode. Hell, we will have our respective living rooms rebuilt to look like the bridge of the Enterprise, and do the podcast in video form from there. Until then, written reviews will have to do at least some of the time. We will also be offering essays on Star Trek topics, and maybe even get a guest author on occasion.

So, the best place to start is the beginning. As a rule, we are following release dates, not production dates for the order of our reviews, but it seemed appropriate that the first podcast should be for the original pilot, even though it was not aired until 1988. So without further ado, here it is, podcast #1, The Cage.

The Original Series, First Pilot
The Cage
First Aired: October 4, 1988
1st of 80 produced
80 of 80 released

In this pilot episode, the Enterprise is captained by Christopher Pike, not Captain Kirk. The first officer is a woman played by future Nurse Chapel, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry and Spock has noticeably less control on his emotions. Following the path of a long-lost civilian freighter, the crew encounters an advanced species that control what humans perceive and feel. Can Captain Pike escape the horrors they concoct? Will he want to leave behind the paradise they could provide?

Matt and I agree that this is, top to bottom, a fantastic hour of Star Trek and a fantastic hour of television. Rich, textured characters and relationships spring to life without being over explained. The script respects and engages the intelligence of the audience. The actors turn in top notch performances, leaving the viewer to lament why Majel Barret-Rodenberry's first officer was ultimately scrapped. The special effects, regardless of budget, were satisfying and served the plot well. It was clear in every frame that thoughtful, talented people poured themselves into creating something they would be proud of. The only enduring mystery is what would possess a network not to pick it up immediately. Matt and I both handily awarded this episode a 5, for an episode total of 10, an excellent and portentous start to the series. Enjoy the podcast. It clocks in at 1 hour and 12 minutes and file size of 68MB.