LogFAQs > #928391713

Star Trek - "The Menagerie, Part I"
Nominated by: Anagram

There is something to be said for the metatextual story behind this episode. Using unaired archival footage of the original Star Trek, Menagerie plays with some of the best material in Star Trek - procedure. Much like TNG's run-ins with court martials, TOS really plays up the military tribunal aspect of order and function here to great success. Where the episode falls flat is actually in reviewing the material from the pilot. While the hook is quite interesting (the original captain of the Enterprise and his exploits are shrouded in mystery and Spock is making questionable decisions for unknown reasons), the use of the material feels very forced and contrived.

I think the real killer moment is when the crew outright admits that video recordings like archived footage doesn't exist. And it doesn't make sense that this footage is being edited, shot from multiple angles, given music, and including shots from aliens who the crew had never met. It takes me out of the realm of believability.

I will always say that TOS episodes are about 8 minutes too long. That's actually not true here. The two-part nature of these episodes is absolutely necessary to fill the viewer in on everything involved with this story. That's a great sign. You need to have the material to make something compelling for 40 minutes. The downside is that, mostly, the episode is so focused on pushing through a trove of content that it never rises above the level of "pretty good." This is partially due to the dull and confusing nature of the pilot's inclusion, but I refuse to believe that two episodes can't be splicy-spliced together well. Deep Space Nine famously did it well.

Writing: 7/10
Characterization: 7/10
Scarlet Factor: 6/10
Overall Rating: 20/30
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