Original air date:
SYNOPSIS
At Spock's court martial, he explains himself with mysterious footage about when Capt. Pike was kidnapped by powerful illusion casting aliens.
CANON CONTEXT
RECAP
The way in which the main story manages to weave the episode never seen at the time was crazy! So much so I needed a day to process it all. Especially, as it dawned on me why Spock was defying star fleet regulations a few minutes into part two.
As I’d seen The Cage and already knew the outcome I realized Spock was looking to help his former captain, now invalid confined to a chair with only brain activity, to live out his life on Talos IV with the thelosians. They can give him an illusion that will be far better for him than his present condition.
But what I want to talk about are a couple points which simply don’t make sense. Starting with the far reaching capabilities of the thelosians to infiltrate Kirk’s mind in order to prevent him from interfering in bringing Pike to them. It seems they can cross galaxies based on how far away they were and had to travel. If that were true, why not simply use that powe to get what they wanted? I understand the whole breeding a superior race but how desperate were they?
We discover the court marshal that Spock was facing wasn’t real and this whole ruse was being done so that Pike could be free. But what I didn’t like was the last few minutes. As I said, I’d seen The Cage so I know how it ends. This ending took the sequence of events and changed them slightly. Instead of Pike watching as Vena walks off with an illusion of himself, it is Kirk who watches as what he believes is a dual illusion of Vena and Pike. But only after seconds pass between the invalid Pike being carted off to the transporter room by Spock and the thelosians showing him on a screen. Very rushed though cleverly done to use the scene that way.
I ask myself if I would’ve felt differently about this two-part episode if I had not seen The Cage first? And I’ll answer the way most everyone from captain to crewman answer aboard the Enterprise, I don’t know…
DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT?
[last lines]
The Keeper: Captain Pike has an illusion and you have reality. May you find your way as pleasant.