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Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 can pay off a romance between two USS Enterprise officers that was first teased 59 years ago. As a new Star Trek show about the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is already paying off the very first version of Star Trek. In 1965, the first Star Trek pilot, "The Cage", starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike, Leonard Nimoy as Spock, and Majel Barrett-Roddenberry as Number One; now all three of those characters have been reimagined for a modern audience.

Anson Mount's Captain Pike is a strong, compassionate leader dedicated to a personal code of ethics and the welfare of his crew. Haunted by knowledge of the future accident that will doom him to a locked-in state, Pike is able to risk his life and his career in support of Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn)also known as Number One.

The original pilot of Star Trek: The Original Series began an unfortunate Star Trek trope that took the franchise more than 50 years to fix. Before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) took over as commander of the USS Enterprise, Captain Christoper Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) was in command of the iconic ship. In "The Cage," Pike and his crew traveled to Talos IV, where they encountered an incredibly advanced race of aliens who could manipulate thought. The Talosians tried to convince Pike to stay, tempting him with an attractive woman.

For her part, Vina (Susan Oliver) did begin to develop feelings for Pike, and he for her, despite the interference from the Talosians. As the Talosians, Star Trek's first villains, tried to determine what kind of woman Pike wanted, they presented Vina to him in several different guises, creating realistic illusions that felt real to Pike. In the first scenario,...

Warning: Spoilers for Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5, Episode 1 - "Dos Cerritos" and Episode 2 - "Shades of Green"

Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 brought back the blue Orions from Star Trek: The Original Series, but why do the blues pronounce "Orion" differently? Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5 is the animated comedy's final season on Paramount+, and it kicks off with former Starfleet Lieutenant D'Vana Tendi (Nol Wells) back home pirating with the Orion Syndicate. While recovering a crashed starship for House Tendi, D'Vana and her crew run afoul of blue Orions, sparking a war between the blues, who pronounce their name "Or-ree-on", and the green Orions, who say it properly as "oh-rye-on".

Orions are among the first aliens ever seen in Star Trek. "The Cage," Star Trek's original pilot that was rejected by NBC, saw Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) shown an illusion of a dancing Orion slave girl...

Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) inherited a particular trait from Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) and took it to a whole new level on Star Trek: The Original Series. Although fans did not get to see Star Trek's original pilot until the late 1980s, "The Cage" represented Gene Roddenberry's original vision for the series. The episode follows Captain Pike and his USS Enterprise crew as they visit Talos IV and encounter a strange alien species. The Talosians capture Pike, imprisoning him in a menagerie and creating various illusions in his head.

When Roddenberry and his crew screened "The Cage," the executives at NBC felt the pilot was "too cerebral" and would not appeal to their audience. They gave Roddenberry a chance to produce another pilot, which eventually became Tos season 1, episode 3, "Where No Man Has Gone Before." Roddenberry kept Leonard Nimoy's Spock from the original pilot,...

In its first pilot episode, Star Trek: The Original Series revealed some dark truths about Captain Christopher Pike's (Jeffrey Hunter) most recent mission. Before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) took over command of the USS Enterprise, Captain Pike sat in the captain's chair on the iconic ship. As established in Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," Pike had an entirely different crew aboard his Enterprise, aside from his science officer, Spock (Leonard Nimoy). In "The Cage," Pike answers a distress call from Talos IV only to learn it had been a trap set by the Talosians.

Upon beaming down to the planet, Pike meets a beautiful young woman named Vina (Susan Oliver) before the Talosians imprison the Enterprise captain. As Number One (Majel Barrett) leads a rescue mission, the Talosians present Pike with various illusions to convince him to stay. The powerful Talosians have tapped into Pike's mind...

In the first episode of the fifth and final season of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," called "Dos Cerritos," D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) is still living among her fellow Orion pirates, commanding her own vessel and regularly going on plundering excursions. Although Tendi is a capable fighter, she is mild-mannered at heart, trying to rein in the ultra-violent, murder-forward ethos of her crew. Not-so-secretly, Tendi longs to return to the U.S.S. Cerritos, where she can happily be a junior office; medical science, her friends, and gentle service interest her more than looting and violence. Luckily, Tendi's sister D'Erica has offered a deal; salvage a crashed 300-year-old Orion vessel from a distant planet, and Tendi will be allowed to leave Orion again to pursue her Starfleet dreams. 

A snag: when Tendi arrives at the location of the downed Orion vessel, there are others eager to salvage it for themselves. Tendi...

Star Trek's very first villains established a theme that would continue in every Star Trek TV series and movie throughout the franchise. Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," was produced in 1964, introducing the USS Enterprise commanded by Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter). Although NBC rejected "The Cage" and ordered a second pilot that became Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Cage's" events canonically predate the known events of the 23rd century seen in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and the first six Star Trek movies. Hence, the denizens of Talos IV are Star Trek's original villains who aren't really villains.

Star Trek isn't defined by a simplistic 'good vs. evil' paradigm. While the Starfleet Officers of Star Trek are inherently noble and open-minded, they can fall prey to all manner of weaknesses in human nature. Conversely, Star Trek...

Star Trek's original pilot, "The Cage," ingeniously fulfilled the Starship Enterprise's mission to explore strange new worlds in a single episode. Produced in 1964, written by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, and directed by Robert Butler, "The Cage" starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, with Majel Barrett as his First Officer, Number One, Leonard Nimoy as the alien Mr. Spock, with Susan Oliver as Vina. "The Cage" was ultimately rejected by NBC but was repurposed in Star Trek: The Original Series' "The Menagerie," and it's the inspiration for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

In Star Trek's "The Cage," Captain Pike's USS Enterprise is diverted to the planet Talos IV. Pike is soon taken prisoner as the planet's natives, the Talosians, hold him in their alien menagerie. A race with the ability to cast powerful illusions, the Talosians intend to mate Pike with his prospective love interest Vina,...

Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has a curious limp in "The Cage," Star Trek's original, rejected pilot, but the reason why is hinted at in the episode. Produced in 1964, "The Cage" was creator Gene Roddeneberry's first vision for Star Trek. "The Cage" starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, Susan Oliver as Vina, and Majel Barrett as Number One, along with Nimoy as the Vulcan Mr. Spock. NBC considered "The Cage" "too cerebral" for network television but ordered a second pilot that became Star Trek: The Original Series, with William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk replacing Pike and only Spock returning from "The Cage's" cast.

In Star Trek's "The Cage," the USS Enterprise is diverted to the planet Talos IV, where its inhabitants laid a trap for Captain Pike. The Talosians possessed the power to cast realistic illusions, and they wanted Pike for their menagerie of aliens.

Two of the most-loved sci-fi franchises of all time have a lot more crossover than you might think. Before starring on "Star Trek: The Original Series," several key members of the enterprise popped up in Rod Serling's seminal series "The Twilight Zone." A few decades later, the same pattern would repeat, only it would be future "Star Trek: The Next Generation" stars cutting their teeth on episodes of the '80s "Twilight Zone" reboot. Even the most recent iteration of the show, Jordan Peele's short-lived but ambitious effort that stalled out after just two seasons, has hosted some great past and future "Trek" actors.

It's worth noting that this list concerns the best "Star Trek" actors, and as such, there are no guarantees that these talented folks are actually great or even memorable in their "Twilight Zone" appearances. Some certainly are, while others have only the briefest of guest spots in mostly-forgotten episodes.

William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk replaced the original Captain of the Starship Enterprise in Star Trek: The Original Series, Captain Christopher Pike, who was played by Jeffrey Hunter. Hunter starred in the first Star Trek pilot that creator Gene Roddenberry wrote and produced for NBC studios, "The Cage". Star Trek's original pilot featured Captain Pike as a prisoner of the Talosians, highly intelligent aliens intent on keeping Pike on Talos IV as a mate for Vina (Susan Oliver), whom they'd rescued from a downed starship 18 years earlier. The Talosians would provide for Pike's every need and want through their impressive telepathic skill, but Pike would be trapped in the fantasy with Vina.

According to NBC execs, "The Cage" was "too cerebral" for 1960s audiences, with a focus on the questions raised by a difficult morality play, instead of the pulpy, sci-fi action-adventure series - "Wagon Train to...

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes director Nanette Burstein on Eddie Fisher and Susan Oliver with Elizabeth Taylor in Daniel Mann’s BUtterfield 8: “They cast Eddie Fisher in the film and his love interest looks exactly like Debbie Reynolds.”

In Nanette Burstein’s Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (Cannes Film Festival world première and a Spotlight Documentary selection of the 23rd edition of the Tribeca Festival), written and edited by Tal Ben-David, we hear, through the audio tapes of journalist Richard Meryman, Elizabeth Taylor in her own words as she discusses her career and life, including her first five husbands, Conrad Hilton Jr. (Nick), Michael Wilding, Mike Todd, Eddie Fisher and Richard Burton.

Oscar nominees Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor with Montgomery Clift in Joseph L Mankiewicz’s Suddenly, Last Summer

The tapes start in 1964. Elizabeth Taylor offers her interviewer a drink. “I’m not illicit, not immoral,” she...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds should give Captain Pike a happier ending. Anson Mount's portrayal of Pike made him a better character who deserves a brighter future. Strange New Worlds has already altered canon, making it possible to save Pike.

I hope Star Trek: Strange New Worlds finds a way to save Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) from his tragic fate, even if that means breaking Star Trek canon. Star Trek: The Original Series' two-part episode, "The Menagerie," revealed that Fleet Captain Pike, who commanded the USS Enterprise before Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) took over, suffered a horrific and debilitating injury while rescuing several Starfleet cadets, leaving the former captain confined to a wheelchair and unable to move or speak on his own.

Although Spock (Leonard Nimoy) helps ensure his former Captain has a chance at a happy ending on Talos IV, Pike's life with Vina (Susan Oliver) is mostly an illusion.

Susan Oliver's role as Vina in Star Trek's unaired pilot led to a love story with Captain Pike in "The Menagerie". Vina and Pike's storyline in "The Cage" was canonized by "The Menagerie", paving the way for future Star Trek series. Susan Oliver, who played Vina, had a successful career in TV and film, with a late career connection to Star Trek: Tng.

Susan Oliver played Star Trek's first ever captain's love interest in the unaired Star Trek: The Original Series pilot, "The Cage". Rejected by the network for being too cerebral, "The Cage" saw Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) get captured by the Talosians, who believed that he could be a worthy mate for Vina, and tested the couple in a variety of scenarios. Pike's resistance convinced the Talosians that he and Vina would not repopulate their planet after all. After Lucille Ball saved Star Trek...

Jan Haag, who a half-century ago founded the landmark Directing Workshop for Women at the American Film Institute, has died. She was 90.

The remarkable Haag, who also was an actress, painter, poet, novelist, playwright, writer of travel stories and creator of needlepoint canvases, some of which required hundreds of hours to complete, died Monday in Shoreline, Washington, according to the AFI and the Mb Abram agency.

Haag had directed dozens of educational films for the John Tracy Clinic and the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare when she became the first woman accepted into the Academy Intern Program at the AFI in 1970, three years after it was founded by George Stevens Jr.

She was assigned to Paramount’s Harold and Maude (1971), directed by Hal Ashby, then joined the AFI staff in 1971, and among her duties was to administer the nonprofit’s film grant program funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Danara Pel from Star Trek: Voyager chose duty over personal desire, unlike Vina in Tos's "The Cage". Although Vina and Danara made opposite decisions, both gave up relationships to fulfill their responsibilities. Voyager made the right choice by having Danara return to the Vidiians for her storyline, just as "The Cage" made the right choice for Vina.

Star Trek: Voyager season 2 flipped the script on a major character decision that also happened in Star Trek: The Original Series' unaired pilot. Before Captain Kirk (William Shatner) commanded the USS Enterprise, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry produced a pilot episode with a different Captain, Christopher Pike (Jeffery Hunter). "The Cage" didn't end up playing well with audiences, forcing Roddenberry to scrap the pilot and start over with a different cast, but the episode still existed in full, and clips for it were incorporated into Tos season 1, episodes 15 and 16, The Menagerie Parts 1&2."

During...

Tendi's title of Mistress of the Winter Constellations signifies her powerful position in the Orion Syndicate, commanding influence and respect. Tendi's choice to join Starfleet and give up her prime title shows her commitment to a different path, defying Orion stereotypes. Star Trek: Lower Decks has redefined the Orions as a species, presenting three-dimensional characters and deepening Orion society, making them more important to the Star Trek franchise.

Before deciding to join Starfleet, Lt. D'Vana Tendi (Noël Wells) of Star Trek: Lower Decks was an Orion pirate known as the Mistress of the Winter Constellations, but what exactly does this title signify? As one of the few Orions in Starfleet, Tendi strives to change the perceptions many carry about her planet and its people. Although D'Vana was born into a family of pirates who were members of the Orion Syndicate, she chooses to embark on a different path. With her...

Star Trek: Lower Decks introduces Lieutenant D'Vana Tendi, an Orion character who defies stereotypes and brings depth to Orion culture. Orions have a complex history in Star Trek, being depicted as slavers and pirates, but Star Trek: Lower Decks evolves their portrayal by showcasing a rich and lived-in culture. Orions continue to play a role in Star Trek's future, with the Emerald Chain in Star Trek: Discovery season 3 representing a criminal union of Orions and Andorians. However, not all Orions align with the criminal organization, as seen in a Federation conference where some advocate for emancipation.

Thanks to Star Trek: Lower Decks, Orions are now one of Star Trek's best aliens. Orions are one of Star Trek's first aliens, debuting in Star Trek: The Original Series' first pilot, "The Cage", when the Talosians tempt Captain Christopher Pike (Jeffrey Hunter) with a vision of Vina (Susan Oliver) as a scantily-clad,...

Warning: Spoilers For Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 4, Episode 2 - "I Have No Bones Yet I Must Flee"

Menageries continue to be a problem in Star Trek, with the crew of the USS Cerritos facing dangerous creatures and unethical captors. Not every human in the 24th century is enlightened, as shown by the humans who plan to kill and take over a menagerie for profit. Menageries have been a part of Star Trek since its beginning, with Captain Pike's encounter with the Talosians and Dr. Phlox's collection of creatures in Sickbay.

Menageries have been an issue in Star Trek since its very beginning, and Star Trek: Lower Decks shows they're still a problem in the 24th century. Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 is a big step up for Ensigns Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid), D'Vana Tendi (Noel Wells), Sam Rutherford (Eugene Cordero), and T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz...

Warning: Spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 7 - "Those Old Scientists"

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 7 challenges the negative perception of Orions in the 23rd century, as Ensigns Boimler and Mariner change Captain Pike's perspective on the species. The Orions in Star Trek were initially depicted as smugglers and slaves, but recent Paramount+ shows like Lower Decks and Strange New Worlds have explored their culture and presented them in a more diverse and positive light. Lower Decks character Ensign D'Vana Tendi defies Orion stereotypes and demonstrates that Orions are not all brutish pirates, while Strange New Worlds' episode "Those Old Scientists" pushes Captain Pike to confront his assumptions about the Orions and forge a peaceful solution with them.

The Orions have not had the best reputation in Star Trek lore, but Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have updated the...

Warning: Spoilers for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2, Episode 4 - "Among The Lotus Eaters"Captain Batel (Melanie Scrofano) is a great girlfriend for Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but Star Trek canon says this relationship sadly can't last. Batel was introduced in Strange New Worlds' series premiere. She is the Captain of the USS Cayuga, and Strange New Worlds season 2 later established Batel is an officer in Starfleet's Judge Advocate General's office.

Captain Batel had to follow her orders to arrest Pike's Number One, Commander Una Chin-Riley (Rebecca Romijn), in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1's finale, and Batel served as the prosecutor at Una's court-martial in Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 2, "Ad Astra Per Aspera." Despite the friction this caused between Batel and Chris, they maintained their relationship until Pike torpedoed it in Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 4, "Among the Lotus Eaters.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Number One (Rebecca Romijn) begins season 2 facing a court-martial, something both Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) faced in Star Trek: The Original Series season 1. As the two most famous Star Trek characters, Kirk and Spock have gone up against their fair share of difficulties. While they saved the galaxy multiple times over the course of Tos, they were not always in Starfleet's good graces. Spock would face a court-martial in Tos' two-part episode "The Menagerie," while Kirk would face one a few episodes later in "Court Martial."

Despite his reputation to the contrary, Captain Kirk mostly did what Starfleet asked him to do during Star Trek: The Original Series run. Spock, too, generally followed the rules. And yet, both characters face court-martials during their time serving on the USS Enterprise. In "The Menagerie," Spock does commit a court-martial offense, but...

The reason that Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) returns to Rigel VII in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 could be tied into the larger story of his ultimate fate. An ill-fated mission to Rigel VII formed Pike's backstory in "The Cage", the unaired pilot for Star Trek: The Original Series. As Strange New Worlds follows on from "The Cage", it's highly likely that some unfinished business sends Pike and an away team back to the planet in season 2.

The Strange New Worlds season 2 trailer reveals a return to Star Trek's Rigel VII, which sees Pike and Dr. Joseph M'Benga (Babs Olusanmokun) fighting barbarians on the planet's surface. What's clear from the fight sequences is that Pike is properly prepared for a hostile reception, cooly deflecting weapons fire with a dinner tray inside the planet's medieval castle. Pike's preparedness suggests that his return visit to Rigel VII will...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) may not be the sort of infamous lothario that Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) was, but he’s had a few important romantic relationships. Originally played by Jeffrey Hunter, Pike was the commanding officer of the USS Enterprise in the first pilot episode for Star Trek: The Original Series, "The Cage." Hunter declined to return for the second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," and was replaced by Shatner's Kirk. Pike - played by Sean Kenney under heavy makeup - played an important part in the Tos season 1 episode "The Menagerie," but otherwise became a Star Trek footnote.

Captain Pike's stature in the franchise grew exponentially when Mount took over the role in Star Trek: Discovery season 2, which took place about a decade before the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. Discovery's version of Pike...

The original Star Trek Captain, Christopher Pike has been portrayed by four actors in TV and movies, and in two different timelines. Pike predates James T. Kirk (William Shatner) as the Captain of the Enterprise, but his version of Star Trek never made it to series. NBC demanded Star Trek be retooled, and Pike was a casualty of the changes. Yet Captain Pike returned in Star Trek: The Original Series, the J.J. Abrams Star Trek movies, and the Starfleet exemplar has found new vitality in Star Trek on Paramount+.

Captain Pike is defined by the tragedy that befalls him when he is no longer Captain of the Enterprise. Pike is horribly disfigured and confined to a wheelchair when he rescues Starfleet Cadets during a freighter accident, where Chris is bombarded by delta radiation. Star Trek: Discovery season 2 retconned Pike to have a detailed foreknowledge of his dark future, and...

What Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) learned about Spock (Ethan Peck) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 1's finale explains Pike's (Sean Kenney) emotional reaction to Spock's (Leonard Nimoy) mutiny in the Star Trek: The Original Series episode, "The Menagerie." Spock risked his Starfleet career to deliver Fleet Captain Pike to Talos IV in "The Menagerie." The telepathic Talosians used their powers to allow Pike to live out his days in an illusion after he was horribly disfigured in a delta ray accident.

Star Trek: Discovery season 2 introduced the fascinating wrinkle that Pike knows about the terrible future awaiting him, thanks to a Klingon time crystal. Strange New Worlds expanded on this knowledge, revealing that Pike learned the full details, exact date, time, and even the names of the Starfleet Cadets he saves when he's bombarded by crippling delta rays in 2266. In Strange New Worlds season 1's finale,...

This Star Trek article contains spoilers.

In Act 4, Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare, the heroine Portia, posing as a male lawyer, begs Shylock the moneylender to spare her love’s friend the “pound of flesh” that he is owed. Her speech goes:

“The quality of mercy is not strained.

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest:

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.

‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes

The thronèd monarch better than his crown.”

It is the quote referenced by the title of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ finale, “A Quality of Mercy,” demonstrating, aside from anything else, that sometimes what you learn in your degree can be relevant to your job. The use of the quote tells us about Pike’s character, what sort of commander he is, and what fuels...

Retro-active: The Best From The Cinema Retro Archives

Review – Naked City: The Complete Series

Rlj Entertainment / 6,063 minutes

By Harvey F. Chartrand

Naked City was like no other TV series before or since – Michel Moriarty, star of Law and Order, once told this reviewer.

Inspired by Jules Dassin's 1948 film of the same name, Naked City centers on the detectives of the NYPD’s 65th Precinct, but the criminals and New York City itself often played as prominent a role in the dramas as the series regulars. Like the film it was based on, Naked City (1958- 1963) was shot almost entirely on location. The first season ran as a half-hour show under the title The Naked City, starring James Franciscus and John McIntire playing, respectively, Detective Jimmy Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon—the same roles essayed by Don Taylor and Barry Fitzgerald in the film.

The Naked City also starred Harry Bellaver as Det.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is poised to serve the quintessence of the spacefaring franchise: The voyages of the U.S.S. Enterprise—albeit during the captaincy of James T. Kirk’s immediate predecessor, Christopher Pike (Anson Mount). The Paramount+ series—spun off from Star Trek: Discovery—has announced the start of its production and revealed its primary cast. Interestingly, one newcomer in particular bears a noteworthy resemblance to a forgotten character from original Star Trek pilot “The Cage,” whose general era this series will showcase.

An announcement by Paramount has officially welcomed Star Trek: Strange New Worlds cast members Babs Olusanmokun, Christina Chong, Celia Rose Gooding (Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill), Jess Bush and Melissa Navia. However, the characters this new quintet will portray have yet to be revealed. While the majority of the diverse bunch do not seem to line up with established characters from “The Cage,” blonde-haired,...

Season 2 of “Star Trek: Discovery” ambitiously played with the franchise’s multiverse through a series of dramatic interactions between the crews of the Discovery and Enterprise as they solved the mystery of The Red Angel threat from the future. And the centerpiece was the re-appearance of Anson Mount as original Enterprise captain Christopher Pike and Ethan Peck as a troubled young Spock dealing with his Vulcan/human identity crisis.

The highlight, though, was the surprising callback to the original series pilot, “The Cage,” in the form of a recap to the opening of the episode “If Memory Serves,” a semi-sequel in which they returned to Talos IV to heal fugitive Spock from his memory block. However, utilizing footage from the original series (Tos) provided additional editorial and visual effects challenges.

After editor Scott Gamzon cut the episode, he was approached by executive producer-director Olatunde Osunsanmi about utilizing Tos footage for...

1967: Dark Shadows' Carolyn wanted to check out the locked room.

1982: Gh's Laura Templeton did not want to leave Port Charles.

1985: Days of our Lives' Anna and Tony made love.

2002: Passions' Theresa confessed to Julian's murder."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1950: On Irna Phillips' Today's Children, Chris knew the only way to determine whether the fingerprints on the package were Janis's was to ask his mother to get Janis to touch something and then have it inspected by the lab.

1983: All My Children's Verla Grubbs told Phoebe about her father.

1985: Todd arrived in Salem. on Days of our Lives.

1990: Bo Brady returned to Days of our Lives.

1991: Another World's Kathleen unintentionally interrupted

Cass & Frankie's wedding."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Peyton Place, Ann Howard (Susan Oliver) hired Steven Cord (James Douglas) to investigate Chris's fall from the bluff years earlier, convinced she had nothing to do with it.

1967: On Dark Shadows, Barnabas Collins (Jonathan Frid) spoke to the portrait of Josette,...

Ethan Peck’s Spock has finally arrived on Star Trek: Discovery, but this Thursday’s episode went even further in giving longtime fans a treat. Season 2 episode 8, “If Memory Serves,” acted as a sequel to the events of “The Cage,” the pilot of The Original Series from back in 1966 Aka the very first episode of Star Trek ever made.

In “If Memory Serves,” Michael Burnham and Spock travel to Talos IV and not only encounter the bulbous-headed Talosians but also Vina, the last surviving crew member of the U.S.S. Columbia. In Tos‘ pilot, Pike fell for Vina but she decided to stay with the Talosians as it was revealed that her youthful beauty was an illusion created by them – really, she had been disfigured by the crash and the natives’ attempts to heal her.

Susan Oliver played Vina in “The Cage” and Melissa George took over the role for Discovery.

[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for “Star Trek: Discovery” Season 2 Episode 8, “If Memory Serves.”]

The latest episode of “Star Trek: Discovery” begins with a choice that for “Trek” fans might be considered mindblowing: a “previously on ‘Star Trek'” sequence using footage that is 55 years old, and featuring long-deceased people playing roles now ceded to new actors.

Yes, to set up the events leading up to “If Memory Serves,” “Discovery” chose to use a minute of clips from “Star Trek: The Original Series” featuring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike and Leonard Nimoy as Lieutenant Spock, during their first encounter with the mind-bending aliens of Talos IV. The sequence then leads into the episode proper, with these same characters now played by Anson Mount and Ethan Peck as they re-encounter these strange and mysterious beings — as well as the human-looking Vina, with whom Pike made a connection during his first trip to that planet.

Within official “Trek” canon,...

Ryan Britt Mar 7, 2019

Did you catch all of these Star Trek references in Star Trek: Discovery "If Memory Serves"?

If there are still Disco-haters out there who believe that Star Trek: Discovery is somehow not "real" Star Trek, the latest episode will almost certainly disprove that insane claim. In the eighth episode of Star Trek: Discovery Season 2, Burnham and Spock hit up Talos IV, and a bevy of old school Trek references follow them there.

Here are all the Easter eggs and Trekkie shoutouts in the super-retro adventure, “If Memory Serves.”

Intro is a cheeky re-cap of "The Cage"

Though this is fairly obvious reference, the beginning of this episode of Star Trek: Discovery simply starts off with the words “previously on Star Trek,” and establishes the basic story beats of the first Trek pilot episode, “The Cage,” using actual footage from the '60s.

In terms of chronology, “The...

1976: Days of our Lives' Laura gave birth to Jennifer.

1985: Santa Barbara's Kelly received white carnations.

1995: One Life to Live's Joey wanted answers from his mother.

1996: Another World's Grant took Vicky hostage."History speaks to artists. It changes the artist's thinking and is constantly reshaping it into d ifferent and unexpected images."

― Anselm Kiefer

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1973: Denise Alexander aired for the final time as Susan Hunter Martin on Days of our Lives.

1976: On Days of our Lives, Laura Horton (Susan Oliver) gave birth to a baby girl, Jennifer Rose. "A daughter—almost as pretty as you," said the proud father,...

1975: One Live to Live's Tony and Pat got reacquainted.

1984: Guiding Light's Lillian and Phillip mourned Beth.

1995: Y&R's Victor vowed to prove Nick didn't shoot Matt.

2003: "Death" came for Sheridan Crane on Passions."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1932: General Mills-sponsored Betty and Bob debuted on NBC Blue radio. It was the first daytime show to be produced by Frank Hummert and Anne Ashenhurst. Married in 1935, the Hummerts became known as the "King & Queen of Soaps". Betty and Bob was the first true network soap opera on the air, using melodrama at its core.

1984: General Hospital's Frisco met Felicia.

1987: Another World's Dawn learned her mother had died.

1988: Santa Barbara's Julia was reunited with Mason.

2007: Passions' Ethan learned he had a son."The best prophet of the future is the past."

― Lord Byron

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Peyton Place, Steven Cord (James Douglas) arrived at his mother's (Ruth Warrick) home with a trunk of Ann's (Susan Oliver) childhood belongings and confronted her and Mr. Peyton about their treatment of Ann and the lies regarding her true parentage. They protested that they did what they thought was best, but he argued that they could have helped her after...

1967: Dark Shadows' Carolyn wanted to check out the locked room.

1982: Gh's Laura Templeton did not want to leave Port Charles.

1985: Days of our Lives' Anna and Tony made love.

2002: Passions' Theresa confessed to Julian's murder."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1950: On Irna Phillips' Today's Children, Chris knew the only way to determine whether the fingerprints on the package were...

1983: All My Children's Verla Grubbs told Phoebe about her father.

1985: Todd arrived in Salem. on Days of our Lives.

1990: Bo Brady returned to Days of our Lives.

1991: Another World's Kathleen unintentionally interrupted

Cass & Frankie's wedding."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1966: On Peyton Place, Ann Howard (Susan Oliver) hired Steven Cord (James Douglas) to investigate Chris's fall from the bluff years earlier, convinced she...

1976: Days of our Lives' Laura gave birth to Jennifer.

1985: Santa Barbara's Kelly received white carnations.

1995: One Life to Live's Joey wanted answers from his mother.

1996: Another World's Grant took Vicky hostage."Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

― Machiavelli

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1973: Denise Alexander aired for the final time as Susan Hunter Martin on Days of our Lives.

Part of the Jerry Lewis tribute A Mubi Jerrython. In Hardly Working, Jerry Lewis, as Bo Hooper, is Making America Goyish Again. Made in between The Day the Clown Cried and Jerry’s Telethons for Muscular Dystrophy, this is Jerry’s first (seen) attempt to wed issues of Jewish /outsider identity, and Americana with the desire for artistic or political legacy. Opening with a montage (of other movies): Jerry toots his horn in a greatest moments' super edit. Bracketing the sequences is the typewriting scene in Who’s Minding the Store?. Though it is not a film Jerry directed, it is the only clip shown piecemeal that conspicuously shows craft. The poetry of his comedy, seemingly effortless, credited to hard work.This gaze extending into the past introduces an artistic defense that Jerry makes for himself. In a late career pivot Jerry Lewis (re)directs himself in Hardly Working as a less hapless,...

I know a lot of you are excited about Avengers: Infinity War, so while we wait for it to be released, which seems like a lifetime away, we have a great retro mashup trailer for you to watch! It comes from Darth Blender and it features a mashup of footage from several classic superhero films that were made in the 80s and 90s. I'm sure you'll remember some of these if you were up to speed with what Marvel was doing during this era. Below the video, you'll find a list of all the films that were used and all the characters that the actors are meant to play.

I love that Chuck Norris in The Punisher! It also features Burt Reynolds as Iron Man, David Hasselhoff as Nick Fury, Jean-Claude Van Damme as Winter Soldier, Dennis Quaid as Star-Lord, Eddie Murphy as Falcon and more!

You are welcome to...

On Tuesday night, President Donald Trump addresses Congress for the first time.

Though it’s technically not a State of the Union address (Trump will give his first of those early next year), as is tradition, First Lady Melania Trump will sit next to a number of selected guests that were personally invited by the first couple.

They are:

Megan and John Crowley

Crowley, 20, is a student at the University of Notre Dame. Diagnosed with Pompe disease, which damages the heart and skeletal muscles, she wasn’t expected to live past childhood. Her brother, Patrick, has the same disease, according to the Wall Street Journal.

'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' 2015: Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' movie is a domestic box office bomb: Will it be saved by international filmgoers? Directed by Sherlock Holmes' Guy Ritchie and toplining Man of Steel star Henry Cavill and The Lone Ranger costar Armie Hammer, the Warner Bros. release The Man from U.N.C.L.E. has been a domestic box office disaster, performing about 25 percent below – already quite modest – expectations. (See also: “'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' Movie: Bigger Box Office Flop Than Expected.”) This past weekend, the $80 million-budget The Man from U.N.C.L.E. collected a meager $13.42 million from 3,638 North American theaters, averaging $3,689 per site. After five days out, the big-screen reboot of the popular 1960s television series starring Robert Vaughn and David McCallum has taken in a mere $16.77 million. For comparison's sake:...

'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' with Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer. 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.' box office: Bigger domestic flop than expected? Before I address the box office debacle of Warner Bros.' The Man from U.N.C.L.E., I'd like remark upon the fact that 2015 has been a notable year at the North American box office. That's when the dinosaurs of Jurassic World smashed Hulk and his fellow Halloween-costumed Marvel superheroes of Avengers: Age of Ultron. And smashed them good: $636.73 million vs. $457.52 million. (See also: 'Jurassic World' beating 'The Avengers' worldwide and domestically?) At least in part for sentimental (or just downright morbid) reasons – Paul Walker's death in a car accident in late 2013 – Furious 7 has become by far the highest-grossing The Fast and the Furious movie in the U.S. and Canada: $351.03 million. (Shades of Heath Ledger's unexpected death...

Rex Ingram in 'The Thief of Bagdad' 1940 with tiny Sabu. Actor Rex Ingram movies on TCM: Early black film performer in 'Cabin in the Sky,' 'Anna Lucasta' It's somewhat unusual for two well-known film celebrities, whether past or present, to share the same name.* One such rarity is – or rather, are – the two movie people known as Rex Ingram;† one an Irish-born white director, the other an Illinois-born black actor. Turner Classic Movies' “Summer Under the Stars” continues today, Aug. 11, '15, with a day dedicated to the latter. Right now, TCM is showing Cabin in the Sky (1943), an all-black musical adaptation of the Faust tale that is notable as the first full-fledged feature film directed by another Illinois-born movie person, Vincente Minnelli. Also worth mentioning, the movie marked Lena Horne's first important appearance in a mainstream motion picture.§ A financial disappointment on the...

Proving in its own way that most actors of a certain era ended their careers with a guest spot on Murder, She Wrote before quietly going into obscurity, The Green Girl presents its sexy Star Trek hook, that of the Orion Slave girl, played by Susan Oliver, who gamely sways her curves on screen in spinach-coloured body paint, firing up the fecund imaginations of many a young sci-fi nerd. Oh, those blue eyes. Her character's name Vina (also seen in the more natural blonde-haired pale skinned mode) has the faint ring of Venus, n'est pas?  But this is not a fan service affair. Beyond those clips from Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek pilot, "The Cage" (eventually aired later in the show as two-parter, "The Menagerie") rather a...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Star Trek, “The Cage”

Written by Gene Roddenberry

Directed by Robert Butler

Produced in 1964-65, Aired October 15th, 1988 in syndication

“Where No Man Has Gone Before”

Written by Samuel A. Peeples

Directed by James Goldstone

Aired September 22nd, 1966 on NBC

“The Man Trap”

Written by George Clayton Johnson

Directed by Marc Daniels

Aired September 8th, 1966 on NBC

Star Trek is a beloved series and, thanks to its longevity in syndication and on DVD, its sequels, and its recent big-screen reboot, it remains as pop-culturally present now as it’s perhaps ever been. The USS Enterprise and her crew have become iconic but as with most shows, Star Trek faced a difficult development process. The series shot two very different pilots, “The Cage” and “Where No Man Has Gone Before”, neither of which were actually used to premiere the show to audiences. That privilege went to “The Man Trap”, and while...

Pssst. Hey. Yeah, you. You wanna see some Gorn?

Star Trek: The Video Game arrives April 23 with big ambitions and a complicated heritage, but really, the thing we want know about the most is the Gorn. To recap, the Gorn are a nasty race of reptilian brutes who were famously introduced on the original Star Trek television series in “Arena,” the classic episode that first aired in January 1967. You might remember the epic battle between Capt. James T. Kirk (the T stands for “torn-shirt”) and the syrup-slow captain of a Gorn ship (played by some dude in a rigid...