History Recap / StarTrekS1E11TheMenageriePartI

Before the episode, Spock claims to have received an urgent message from Fleet Captain Christopher Pike to report to him at Starbase 11. Upon arriving at the starbase, Kirk is informed that the Starbase sent no such message, and Commodore Jose Mendez rebukes Kirk's argument as impossible, because Pike is in no condition to send any such message.

When Spock discovers the extent of Pike's injuries following an shipboard accident during an inspection tour ([[TechnoBabble one of the baffle plates ruptured]], causing severe radiation burns and brain damage), he engages a plan to kidnap his former commanding officer, for whom he has great respect and admiration, and bring him back to the one place he might find happiness, the one place in the galaxy restricted under penalty of death -- Talos IV.

Shortly into the very oddly-appropriately angled account, Kirk orders the screen off, and asks Pike whether it's really him on the screen. Pike replies yes. [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Kirk says it's impossible, that no vessel makes record tapes in that detail, so perfectly.]] [[HandWave Spock refuses to disclose at this time where the footage is coming from.]]Mendez is ready to shut the whole thing down unless Spock reveals his source, but Spock replies that Mendez ''did'' ask WHY Spock started this whole voyage; Mendez claims he was ''manuevered'' into asking, and declares Spock's evidence out of order. Kirk contests that; he wants to see more, and denies it's because Spock's his personal friend. Mendez allows the continuation of playback...

After Pike's been taken underground by the Talosians, and the crew try (and fail) to blast the rock face open with their phasers, the screen turns off automatically, with Uhura radioing in from the bridge with a call for Mendez, a 'fleet signal.' They've detected that the Enterprise is receiving signals from Talos IV, in violation of general orders! ComSol (Command Solutions?) orders Mendez to relieve Kirk of command and take command himself, and return the ship to Starbase 11 so Spock may face the full weight of Starfleet justice. Spock 'respectfully declines' Mendez's order to release the Enterprise to manual control, and Mendez simply states that Spock has earned the consequences.

* OnceForYesTwiceForNo: The only form of communication left to the injured Captain Pile.

* TheOtherDarrin: Sean Kenney plays the injured Captain Pike. Jeffery Hunter appears in the flashbacks as Pike.
* TechnologyMarchesOn: The episode severely underestimated how far computer-assisted communication would come in just a few decades (think Stephen Hawking).

* AndIMustScream: Apparently Despite his horrific injuries Pike's intellect is fully intact, but he's imprisoned in a body that no longer works and cannot communicate fully. He is well aware of the situation and repeatedly tries to order Spock to stop to no avail.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: The episode severely underestimated how far computer-assisted communication would come in just a few decades (think Stephen Hawking).

The only [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]] two-parter, serving as a re-telling of the events of [[Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage the first pilot]] with heavy use of clips from that initially-rejected episode.

* TheOtherDarrin: Sean Kenney plays the injured Captain Pike. Jeffery Hunter appears in the flashbacks as Pike.

* MagicalSecurityCam: Actually subverted, as one of the judges protests that the footage from "The Cage" clearly isn't from security recordings, which is explained in Part 2.

* TheOtherDarrin: Sean Kenny plays the injured Captain Pike. Jeffery Hunter appears in the flashbacks as Pike.

* LotusEaterMachine: What the Talosians set up for their zoo, to keep themselves entertained and their subjects pacified; also, though we only begin to see this motive in this part, it's heavily implied in dialogue that it's what Spock wishes to return Pike to, that he may leave the confines of his broken body and let his mind run free.

Spock seems rather pensive, almost guilty, but [[IncrediblyLamePun now set on his course]] as he paces the bridge, snapping at [[MauveShirt Helmsman Hansen]] and Uhura for noting the strangeness of there being no navigator (Spock replies that the computer knows where it's going), and reporting a hail (Spock orders her to maintain radio silence). The next thing he does is shatter to pieces the notion that Vulcans can't tell lies (probably by virtue of his half-human heritage) and announce on intraship that he's been placed in temporary command of the Enterprise, that Kirk's been assigned temporary rest leave and that everyone's to obey Spock's orders as though they were Kirk's. [=McCoy=\, coming up behind him when he finishes, demands to know what's going on; Spock, regretting that 'they' have kept certain things from [=McCoy=], beckons [=McCoy=] to follow him back into the turbolift...

Through Pike's wordless protest (a light on his mobility chair flashes and beeps once for yes, twice for no, and it was flashing twice a LOT), Spock tells Pike of his [[CrazyPrepared well-prepared plan]] for abducting Pike, and shows [[TearJerker very clear emotion]] in his fervor that it must be carried out, that he has no choice.

* BottleEpisode: The second part takes place completely on the ''Enterprise''

* BottleShow: The second part takes place completely on the ''Enterprise''

Spock seems rather pensive, almost guilty, but [[IncrediblyLamePun now set on his course]] as he paces the bridge, snapping at [[MauveShirt Helmsman Hansen]] and Uhura for noting the strangeness of there being no navigator (Spock replies that the computer knows where it's going), and reporting a hail (Spock orders her to maintain radio silence). The next thing he does is shatter to pieces the notion that Vulcans can't tell lies (probably by virtue of his half-human heritage) and announce on intraship that he's been placed in temporary command of the Enterprise, that Kirk's been assigned temporary rest leave and that everyone's to obey Spock's orders as though they were Kirk's. McCoy, coming up behind him when he finishes, demands to know what's going on; Spock, regretting that 'they' have kept certain things from McCoy, beckons McCoy to follow him back into the turbolift...

... into the quarters Spock's prepared for Captain Pike, as negative as ever. Spock plays a message from "Kirk," telling McCoy to follow Spock's orders to the letter; McCoy glares suspiciously at Spock, but Spock looks impassively right back...

Monitoring Pike, Kirk notices he's saying, "No! No!" quite a bit again, as agitated as he can ever exhibit. McCoy comes in and laments that the medicine of their time has not been able to tap into the human brain; Pike is capable of all the feelings and emotions that we feel, but no one can tell because his body is so damaged and restricted. Kirk comes to a frightening realization; Spock may have fabricated the message from Starbase 11 to the Enterprise! McCoy calmly reminds Kirk that as a Vulcan, Spock's incapable of lying; his human half, as McCoy claims, remains completely submerged. Kirk refuses to discount Spock as a suspect, while McCoy is recalled with a cryptic message that he's "needed aboard" the Enterprise...

Spock orders a special command tape (Able Seven Baker) to be played, which puts the engines into a dead stop. Then, he calls for the transporter room to prepare to take Kirk aboard, then for a security team to the bridge. Spock then presents himself to the senior officer present for arrest: McCoy! He reveals, to Uhura's and Hansen's shock, that he never received orders to take command. McCoy, very much put on the spot, impatiently gestures for security to take him away.

The yeoman assigned as Clerk exits, McCoy and Scotty slowly guide Pike in his chair out, and Spock looks absolutely devastated. Kirk asks if Spock has lost his mind, and Spock pleads with Kirk not to stop him or let Mendez stop him. "It's your career and Captain Pike's life. You ''must'' see the rest of the transmission!" Dutifully, Kirk orders the security guard present to take Spock to the brig; they exit, and "TO BE CONCLUDED NEXT WEEK" Kirk walks in solitude, contemplatively around the briefing room, laying a hand on the court recorder computer, [[FacePalm Face Palming briefly]], then finally walks out as the scene fades...

* LotusEaterMachine: What the Talosians set up for their zoo, to keep themselves entertained and their subjects pacified; also, though we only begin to see this motive in this part, what Spock wishes to return Pike to, that he may leave the confines of his broken body and let his mind run free.

* LotusEaterMachine: What the Talosians set up for their zoo, to keep themselves entertained and their subjects pacified; also what Spock wishes to return Pike to, that he may leave the confines of his broken body and let his mind run free.

Despite facing a court-martial, Spock refuses to return to the Starbase, and instead directs the attention of the court-martial board consisting of Commodore Mendez and Kirk to the transmissions which are being beamed from Talos IV, an accurate re-cap of the strange events which led Pike to such hardship on the barren, uninhabitable planet...

(Most of what follows can be read about on the page for [[Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage the pilot]], but some diversions occure.)

Suddenly Miss Piper, monitoring Pike's room again, reports that he's vanished, chair and all! And immediately afterward, the Enterprise warps out. OhCrap...

Monitoring Pike, Kirk notices he's saying, "No! No!" quite a bit again, as agitated as he can ever exhibit. McCoy comes in and laments that the medicine of their time has not been able to tap into the human brain; Pike is capable of all the feelings and emotions that we feel, but no one can tell because his body is so damaged and restricted.

The only [[StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]] two-parter, serving as a re-telling of the events of [[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage the first pilot]] with heavy use of clips from that initially-rejected episode.

When Spock discovers the extent of Pike's injuries following an shipboard accident, he engages a plan to kidnap his former commanding officer, for whom he has great respect and admiration, and bring him back to the one place he might find happiness, the one place in the galaxy restricted under penalty of death -- Talos IV.

When Spock discovers the extent of Captain Christopher Pike's injuries following an onboard accident, he engages a plan to kidnap his former commanding officer, for whom he has great respect and admiration, and bring him back to the one place he might find happiness, the one place in the galaxy restricted under penalty of death -- Talos IV.

Despite facing a court-martial, Spock refuses to return to the Starbase, and instead directs the attention of the court-martial board consisting of Commodore Mendez and Kirk to the transmissions which are being beamed from Talos IV, an accurate re-cap of the strange events which led Pike to such hardship on the barren, uninhabitable planet...