The Cage: Why Star Trek's Original Pilot Was Killed By NBC - And Why It Came Back

"Star Trek: The Original Series" boldly took viewers to space, the final frontier, with Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) at the helm of the USS Enterprise. However, before that iteration of the story arrived in living rooms across the world, Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) was the ship's commanding officer, and the original pilot episode, "The Cage," gave fans a taste of what his crew's adventures would have entailed. Unfortunately, NBC didn't want that show, as the network's bosses felt it was too weird, forcing Gene Roddenberry and his team to return to the drawing board.

The book "Inside Star Trek: The Real Story" — which was penned by series alums Herbert F. Solow and Robert H. Justman — details NBC's early meetings with the show's creators. Apparently, the network's executives were reluctant to green-light the series due to its budget demands and philosophical concepts. As a result, they ordered Roddenberry and co. to shoot a new pilot with more action, mostly new actors (Leonard Nimoy did return as Spock), and "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was born. The rest is history.

That said, "The Cage" was later repurposed as another two-part episode, and its influence on the franchise has proven to be long lasting. With that in mind, let's look at how the pilot eventually made it to television screens after its initial cancelation.

"The Cage" was made for a reported $630,000, and Gene Roddenberry made sure that money didn't go to waste. "Star Trek: The Original Series" Season 1's "The Menagerie" two-part episode repurposes footage from the pilot through flashback sequences, using it to tell a story about Spock (Leonard Limoy) kidnapping Captain Christopher Pike and taking over the USS Enterprise before being summoned to court to explain his actions. The script won a prestigious Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1967, and to this day, some fans regard "The Menagerie" as one of the best episodes of "Star Trek: The Original Series."

While repurposing the footage undoubtedly cut down the episode's production costs, it also brought Pike into the canon lore, and that's gone a long way for the franchise. "The Cage" has continued to inform the sci-fi saga, particularly in "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," where a deep cut reference paid tribute to some of the tiniest aspects of the original pilot. Furthermore, "Strange New Worlds" revolves around the Pike (Anson Mount) character's adventures before the events of "The Original Series," ultimately giving him the substantial story that was teased all those years ago.

If you enjoyed this article, check out the most pause-worthy moments in the original "Star Trek."