‘Star Trek’ Retro Recap: ‘The Menagerie: Part I’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

Anyone that puts on a uniform that is tied to the armed services, has some instant expectations surrounding them. For they’ve volunteered to defend our nation and its interests around the world and now they have to have the highest of integrity, and act with honor in all things and that’s why we are supremely shocked when we see someone from the armed forces committing a crime or falling from grace in any form or fashion. Because they were supposed to represent the best parts of our nation and doing anything outside of that, is heartbreaking to say the least.
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Which leads one to wonder, what is it that prompts a soldier, or an airman or a navy man to betray their uniform and do something that in essence leaves them in disgrace? Well there’s no easy answer when it comes to that, because it could relate to a multitude of reasons. But none the less, it’s something that piques our curiosity and it just so happens that Star Trek felt the need to explore this idea in the middle of season one by having an officer of the U.S.S. Enterprise betray the Starfleet Delta and the crew that he calls family in the opening chapter of a two part episode, in ‘The Menagerie: Part I’.

Now, this is a tale that eventually explains why Commander Spock was willing to risk his future in Starfleet and even his life for the badly wounded Captain Christopher Pike, so we won’t be diving too much into that today. Instead, I want to spend as much as time as possible discussing the iconic moments present in this tale and quite frankly, how it did a phenomenal job of setting up the mystery/cliffhanger present in this story and actually, let’s start there. Because this story more or less completely catches you off guard by revealing the fact that Spock is ready to do whatever it takes to help Pike and seeing him beat the crap out of other Starfleet officers and steal the Enterprise to achieve his goals is stunning to say the least and completely out of character for this normally reserved and logical man and everything he does leaves you with so many questions, the kind that instantly draw you into this story, since you have to know why Spock would do such a thing.

Yet, it is that setup that oddly enough leads to the fan service in question. Because once Spock is in custody and Kirk is back aboard the ship, the stuff that makes you giddy takes the center stage, since this was the episode that figured out how to integrate footage from the pilot into this particular story, by making the pilot appear as though it took place thirteen years prior to this tale. And it is just, amazing to watch Jeffrey Hunter slay it as Captain Pike and it is equally as neat to see Majel Barrett step into the role of Number One for the first time ever. But really the personal treat for me, is how everything that transpired with Pike and Spock in Star Trek: Discovery fills in the blanks here, specifically when it comes to their bond and loyalty to one another and also how Spock is able to keep the truth hidden, along with a few other things that we’ll talk about in the ‘Part II’ recap.

But in the here and the now, it’s best we just celebrate the fact that this was one intense tale, one that took us on a shocking ride and set the stage for a great many things when it comes to the future of this franchise. And despite knowing how it ends, it still managed to suck me in with its twists and turns and phenomenal acting and it’s also important to note that this episode was the first ever cliffhanger in franchise history, something that would become an integral part of every single series to follow this one and well, I have to admit that writing about this particular story has me jazzed to get to the second part, so we can finally answer the question that I posed a little bit ago. So, on that note, it’s best I return to the NCC-1701 as soon as possible, to enjoy the wonder of the powerhouse ending that awaits me. Until next time.     

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