Main Cast: Jeffrey Hunter, Susan Oliver, Malachi Throne
Release Year: 1966
Run Time: 51 minutes
Plot
Spock faces the death penalty for receiving signals from planet Talos IV. With the agreement of Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Fleet Captain Pike, the trial continues in closed session and the evidence -- the forbidden transmissions -- continues to be viewed by the trial board, as Kirk searches for a reason behind Spock's actions and a way to save his friend's life. They see Captain Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and his strange adventure on Talos IV some 13 years earlier, and the manner in which the Talosians, with their power to cast illusions, tried alternately to torture and seduce him to secure his cooperation, and his successful resistance to the point where he was ultimately released. They also learn why any contact with planet Talos IV is forbidden, the danger that contact poses to the human race, and why that contact may mean the salvation of the stricken Captain Pike. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
Review
"The Menagerie, Part 2" was mostly comprised of material drawn from Star Trek's then-unaired 1964 pilot episode, "The Cage," starring Jeffrey Hunter and directed by Robert Butler. The meshing of the material is accomplished with surprising skill, and this show is not only a tribute to Gene Roddenberry's talents as a writer, but also the skill of the editors in assembling the material. There are actually more overlapping cast members than meet the eye to most viewers. M. Leigh Hudec (as she was billed then) as the ship's first officer under Captain Pike was the same Majel Barrett who played Nurse Chapel in the original series (and Roddenberry's wife), while Malachi Throne, who plays Commodore Mendez in the "envelope" show, was also the voice of The Keeper in the unaired pilot. The ending is one of the most upbeat in the run of the series, and William Shatner's silent reaction shot in the denouement is one of his best acting performances in any Star Trek episode. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
