Rating: 
Summary: A Classic Star Trek Episode
Review: "The Menagerie" has consistently scored as one of the top ten most popular episodes of the original series. Both the flashback and wraparound plotlines are among the best Star Trek had to offer. Spock is willing to sacrifice his career--and perhaps his life--to ensure that Christopher Pike, his former Captain--horribly disfigured by a recent space disaster--can spend his remaining years in comfort and happiness. If that is not an act of love, I don't know what is. Paramount has simply outdone itself in the remastering of this episode. The flashback elements date back to 1964, yet they look so fresh they could have been filmed yesterday. It is also interesting to see the great care the original cinematographer took with lighting--most of the compositions are simply beautiful--and far superior to today's more flatly lit approach. The sound has been remarkably enhanced, with both the sound effects and score in stereo. It is interesting to compare "The Cage" with the original series. Although it is very impressive as science fiction, there is very little chemistry between the characters (similar to "The Next Generation"). Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and the consistently underrated William Shater made a far more effective team in that respect. This is a must for all Star Trek fans.
Rating:
Summary: A Classic Star Trek Episode
Review: "The Menagerie" has consistently scored as one of the top ten most popular episodes of the original series. Both the flashback and wraparound plotlines are among the best Star Trek had to offer. Spock is willing to sacrifice his career--and perhaps his life--to ensure that Christopher Pike, his former Captain--horribly disfigured by a recent space disaster--can spend his remaining years in comfort and happiness. If that is not an act of love, I don't know what is. Paramount has simply outdone itself in the remastering of this episode. The flashback elements date back to 1964, yet they look so fresh they could have been filmed yesterday. It is also interesting to see the great care the original cinematographer took with lighting--most of the compositions are simply beautiful--and far superior to today's more flatly lit approach. The sound has been remarkably enhanced, with both the sound effects and score in stereo. It is interesting to compare "The Cage" with the original series. Although it is very impressive as science fiction, there is very little chemistry between the characters (similar to "The Next Generation"). Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, and the consistently underrated William Shater made a far more effective team in that respect. This is a must for all Star Trek fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, But There Is A Commercial Reason!
Review: First Of all you should read my review of THE CAGE. I loved it. This epsidoe The Managerie was an attempt to fill two weeks and incorperate a show that had alreay spent a lot of time and money being made - but until this point, never used. Gene Roddenberry needed a reason to take the already shot footage of the original pilot which (never aird) in the series now being broadcast. So in an effort to save money for two weeks, he wrote a very simples Court Martial Story around the original pilot. Explaining what happened to the orginal captain and Starship named Enterprise. Since the series had been sold on the basis of the second pilot (WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE) there had to be an explination of the cast changes, set changes and different "look" the show had. The story is simple and the fact that the original Captain in the original pilot was not available (JEFFEREY HUNTER) they had to put another actor in an electronic wheelchair and cover him up in makeup. It was a commercial trick, nothing more.
Rating:
Summary: Great Memories
Review: I can still remember the first time I saw this-I was eleven years old. I was sure that Jeffery Hunter was the bravest and most dashing star fleet captain ever (next to Kirk of course). And that green woman-wow! Seriously, I think they did a fantastic job of reusing the old "cage" footage and this is certainly one of my favorite TOS episodes. It's wonderful to look back on something from your childhood and find you still enjoy it so much.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Trek recycling
Review: I know I'm in the minority on this one, but I truly believe that the original 'Star Trek' ran for 80 episodes, and not 79, like most believe. Yep- I'm one of those Trekkies that believes that 'The Menagerie' counts as two eppies, rather than one. After all, every two-part cliffhanger that was broadcast on 'NextGen', 'DS9', and 'Voyager' count as two separate segments... why NOT 'The Menagerie'?
But, aside from this quandary, 'The Menagerie' is a wonderful showcase of the classic Trek producers' efforts to make the most of their budgetary limits. By framing the first (then-unseen) pilot 'The Cage' around a story involving the present Enterprise crew, Desilu managed to shave a couple bucks off of production expenses. It's also interesting to see who might've composed the original 'Trek crew had the first pilot been greenlighted into a TV series. Ah, what might've been...
'Late
Rating:
Summary: Just Too Much Perry Mason
Review: I'd give this episode(s) 5 stars except for the reason the main story (The Cage) got incorperated into it, the Trial of Spock. Not only was it a sad excuse to re-view Capt. Pike's adventure but uses something a more perfect future should be done with - lawyers! I realize that the story needed a context for the present Enterprise crew to contemplate Pike's story but Spock could have kidnapped Pike and explained the back story to audience in flashbacks during the trip (as an example). Even a battle scene where Kirk has to stop Spock from landing on Talos IV would have been great (oops! sorry, no decent special effects then). Only the confrontation between Kirk and Spock should have been left alone. p.s. ST:TOS also played the lawyer card in Court-Martial, a lame excuse for a story. ST:TNG had at least four court-cases, played out to predictable endings. Among them:
1) Data is saved from a scientist who wants to dis-assemble him. 2) Riker is falsely accused of murder. 3) In The Drumhead an out of control witch hunt is stopped when the lawyer looses it! 4) A Society is freed from an alien posing as "their god". Each case (no pun intended) was a better excuse than in "The Menagerie".
Rating:
Summary: Just Too Much Perry Mason
Review: I'd give this episode(s) 5 stars except for the reason the main story (The Cage) got incorperated into it, the Trial of Spock. Not only was it a sad excuse to re-view Capt. Pike's adventure but uses something a more perfect future should be done with - lawyers! I realize that the story needed a context for the present Enterprise crew to contemplate Pike's story but Spock could have kidnapped Pike and explained the back story to audience in flashbacks during the trip (as an example). Even a battle scene where Kirk has to stop Spock from landing on Talos IV would have been great (oops! sorry, no decent special effects then). Only the confrontation between Kirk and Spock should have been left alone. p.s. ST:TOS also played the lawyer card in Court-Martial, a lame excuse for a story. ST:TNG had at least four court-cases, played out to predictable endings. Among them:
1) Data is saved from a scientist who wants to dis-assemble him. 2) Riker is falsely accused of murder. 3) In The Drumhead an out of control witch hunt is stopped when the lawyer looses it! 4) A Society is freed from an alien posing as "their god". Each case (no pun intended) was a better excuse than in "The Menagerie".
Rating:
Summary: Remastered? Yes. Restored? No!
Review: I'm among those who find it a joy to watch enhanced cleaned up episodes of Trek on DVD. The question is: does anthing ever get overlooked in a 'restoration'? "The Menagerie Part I" proves that it does - though it might take a trekker to spot it. Recall the scene on Talos IV when Spock finds those blue musical wind leaves and tests them out by holding them? In the original version, you hear the sharp contrast as the loudest of the eerie vibrations disappear abruptly, and then come back (in synch with Spock clasping and releasing the leaves). All that is lost in the transfer to DVD. The "musical leaf" sound track has been beautifully dubbed on in full Dolby Surround - but with no break! Spock plays with the leaves to no effect; and the whole point of that little scene has been remastered out of existence! Did anyone else notice?
Rating:
Summary: Remastered? Yes. Restored? No!
Review: I'm among those who find it a joy to watch enhanced cleaned up episodes of Trek on DVD. The question is: does anthing ever get overlooked in a 'restoration'? "The Menagerie Part I" proves that it does - though it might take a trekker to spot it. Recall the scene on Talos IV when Spock finds those blue musical wind leaves and tests them out by holding them? In the original version, you hear the sharp contrast as the loudest of the eerie vibrations disappear abruptly, and then come back (in synch with Spock clasping and releasing the leaves). All that is lost in the transfer to DVD. The "musical leaf" sound track has been beautifully dubbed on in full Dolby Surround - but with no break! Spock plays with the leaves to no effect; and the whole point of that little scene has been remastered out of existence! Did anyone else notice?
Rating:
Summary: Simply Brilliant
Review: If you're wondering which of the Original Series dvds to get first I'd advise you to get this one. Simply brilliant from beginning to end. The use of the pilot episode within the framework of the then current cast was excellently executed. A classic of the series.
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