Classic archive clip and unused intro from original Star Trek pilot in 1965....

[ChickenGuy]

Geek Alert!

I call myself a Trek fan, but I never actually knew about this clip (with an alternate intro and titles at the beginning)

The original footage of this pilot episode was filmed in 1965, a whole year before the full syndicated series got the green light and aired in 1966. With a few minor modifications, this became one of the episodes of the first season ('Where No Man Has Gone Before').

And yes before I am corrected by fellow Trekkies/Trekkers this is indeed from the second pilot of the show, the first one ('The Cage') having being rejected, but which was later reused and incorporated into the two-part episode 'The Menagerie'.

 

[ChickenGuy]

I also noticed this vid, the original black-and-white intro of the first pilot.

This episode was filmed way back in late 1964, and was notable in that it DIDN'T feature Kirk, Bones, Scotty, or in fact ANY of the regular cast except for Spock. who is also oddly-portrayed in the whole episode, he behaved very human and emotional.

The only other recognisable cast member seen at the helm near the end of the clip is Majel Barrett (Roddenberry's wife) who went on to play Troi's mother in TNG and also provided the computer voice throughout the entire franchise of the show.

 

[Kulindahr]

I've never seen that one before, either. Leaving the galaxy? Seriously? Wow.

 

[Stardreamer]

I also noticed this vid, the original black-and-white intro of the first pilot.

This episode was filmed way back in late 1964, and was notable in that it DIDN'T feature Kirk, Bones, Scotty, or in fact ANY of the regular cast except for Spock. who is also oddly-portrayed in the whole episode, he behaved very human and emotional.

The only other recognisable cast member seen at the helm near the end of the clip is Majel Barrett (Roddenberry's wife) who went on to play Troi's mother in TNG and also provided the computer voice throughout the entire franchise of the show.

Barrett was originally cast as the ship's first officer, a woman from a human colony society that practiced logic and the mastery of one's emotions and Nimoy's character was simply a human like alien with human like emotions. This is why you see him smiling in the Cage. When the powers that be at the network rejected the pilot, they let Roddenberry make a second pilot but included a list of things they wanted changed. They said they found the idea of a woman first officer to be unbelievable. They also objected to the original series background information that the ship's crew was a 50/50 mix of male and female; "Don't you see people will think there is hanky panky going on up there". Roddenberry said they also tossed in as a almost casual last comment, "get rid of the guy with the ears". Roddenberry said he had enough pull to save only one of the characters so he saved Spock but gave him the first officer character's logic and non-emotions. He also joked that since he couldn't save Majel's character, he made it up to her by marrying her.

 

[Stardreamer]

I've never seen that one before, either. Leaving the galaxy? Seriously? Wow.

The episode was re-edited with the final show credit sequences and shown. The Enterprise actually left the galaxy two or three times in the series, depending on if you count this episode. Technically they didn't make it this time due to an energy field around the galaxy's edge that had odd effects on two of the crew members, giving them demi-god like powers.

 

[PreTTy PeTe]

The episode NBC did not want you to see

 

[Kulindahr]

The episode was re-edited with the final show credit sequences and shown. The Enterprise actually left the galaxy two or three times in the series, depending on if you count this episode. Technically they didn't make it this time due to an energy field around the galaxy's edge that had odd effects on two of the crew members, giving them demi-god like powers.

But making that their mission was a dead end -- you have to have people to run into, for a show.

 

[Stardreamer]

The episode NBC did not want you to see

Loved that episode, it was written by David Gerrold, a well known sci-fi writer and regular writer for Star Trek, when there was speculation that the powers that be would actually allow a gay character in the proposed relaunch of the series in 1977 called Star Trek: Phase 2. Alas it never happened and the eventual relaunch became ST:TNG. Phase II was episodes developed for a hoped for 4th and 5th season of the original series. They were eventually produced as webisodes with a nod and a wink permission from Paramount and a lot of the creative talent that worked on the original series.
Star Trek Phase 2: The Original Five Year Mission Continues

If you love the original series, like me , its well worth watching. Unlike most fan productions, the quality is very high.

The clip above is from "Blood and Fire". The man in red is Peter Kirk, Captain Kirk's nephew first seen as a boy in the original series episode "Operation: Annihilate". In Blood and Fire, he has returned to the Enterprise a grown man and was intended to be a recurring character. The episode is also intended to be a metaphor for AIDS scare that was going on during the 70s. I won't go into any further detail since I don't know how to put in spoiler text here but be warned, gay characters in this time period rarely had happy endings.

 

[Stardreamer]

But making that their mission was a dead end -- you have to have people to run into, for a show.

This was one of the 'in-house' episodes where all the conflict and action occurs with the crew of the Enterprise facing some unknown challenge. They generally tended to be insight episodes into the Human Nature, in this case the 'affected' crew losing touch with their Humanity as they grow more god like and Kirk's struggle between having to decide between saving a friend or saving his crew from what his friend is becoming.