What if the Cage isn't rejected by NBC executives in 1965? How would the Cage being picked up would affect Star Trek, even science fiction as a whole?
WI: Star Treks original pilot was picked up
- Thread starter Professor Finklestink 2.0
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So a few changes come to mind initially:
With a more restrained lead in Captain Pike, it is likely that Leonard Nimoy continues to play Spock with more emotion butterflying the emotionless Vulcan thing.
"Number One," a woman, is first officer. There will routinely be a woman in command while Pike and Spock head off on away missions. Curious how 60s writers will handle that.
Haven't seen "The Cage" in a hot minute, there's probably a lot more to consider.
With a more restrained lead in Captain Pike, it is likely that Leonard Nimoy continues to play Spock with more emotion butterflying the emotionless Vulcan thing.
"Number One," a woman, is first officer. There will routinely be a woman in command while Pike and Spock head off on away missions. Curious how 60s writers will handle that.
Haven't seen "The Cage" in a hot minute, there's probably a lot more to consider.
Well, Boyce and Tyler are described as bickering a lot, showing a generation gap. So that's definitely something different from the OTL show. And also star trek TOS would probably be more of a philosophical show, in contrast to the more campy TOS of OTL. And would probably be similar to OTL TNG
Avoiding the cheesy monster of the week stories would be good, but unlike the pilot Kirks crew was multiracial with a black woman in a position of some authority, even if she was a glorified telephone operator. That was very radical for the mid 1960's. Also a more serious Star Trek probably wouldn't last more than one season.
You're going to have to deal with Jeff Hunter wanting out pretty soon after the pilot is shot, if only to avoid a divorce.
You could conceivably kill Pike off and turn the ship over to his XO...
In any event, you have to deal with Majel being Gene's mistress (as well as getting a plum role), which means the suits have to either not know or not care (either of which strikes me improbable...).
That's harder yet if Pike gets killed because Hunter quits...
So who do you pick to replace Hunter as regular CO (given Majel isn't an option)? Who replaces Majel? (Presuming Leonard, as Spock, doesn't get the XO slot.) Can you say "Shatner"?
And didn't the original doctor (John Hoyt) get sick or die soon after? (Or just refuse to return?) Which brings us to Gene's first choice, De Kelley...
I acknowledge, it's unlikely the casting choices are identical, but there's a certain amount of "limited choice" given the timing; they're likely to be close to OTL, IMO.
Edit:
That's quite beside the "feel" of the show ending up very different, given the story of the pilot.
If NBC is buying "The Cage" (as filmed OTL), it's a very different kind of project than if the pilot is "WNMHGB" (as OTL), which makes alt-"TOS" a very different show: less "Wagon Train" (or "Rawhide"), maybe more "Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits". (I'm thinking, better quality writing and production, more character-driven, more thoughtful, and a lot less blowing up computers because TTL's Kirk hates IBM.
)
It's likely to be just as political, maybe moreso, but IMO it'd be more subtle about the parallels.
It might just produce some really, really good, and really thought-provoking, episodes, akin to "The Masterpiece Society", "Dear Doctor", "Rascals" (without the stupidity of Ferengi taking over), or even (heaven forgive me for suggesting this ) "Nothing Human" (wherein Torres should have died when the EMH obeyed its ethical subroutines and followed Torres' express wishes).
You could conceivably kill Pike off and turn the ship over to his XO...
In any event, you have to deal with Majel being Gene's mistress (as well as getting a plum role), which means the suits have to either not know or not care (either of which strikes me improbable...).
That's harder yet if Pike gets killed because Hunter quits...
So who do you pick to replace Hunter as regular CO (given Majel isn't an option)? Who replaces Majel? (Presuming Leonard, as Spock, doesn't get the XO slot.) Can you say "Shatner"?
And didn't the original doctor (John Hoyt) get sick or die soon after? (Or just refuse to return?) Which brings us to Gene's first choice, De Kelley...
I acknowledge, it's unlikely the casting choices are identical, but there's a certain amount of "limited choice" given the timing; they're likely to be close to OTL, IMO.
Edit:
That's quite beside the "feel" of the show ending up very different, given the story of the pilot.
If NBC is buying "The Cage" (as filmed OTL), it's a very different kind of project than if the pilot is "WNMHGB" (as OTL), which makes alt-"TOS" a very different show: less "Wagon Train" (or "Rawhide"), maybe more "Twilight Zone" or "Outer Limits". (I'm thinking, better quality writing and production, more character-driven, more thoughtful, and a lot less blowing up computers because TTL's Kirk hates IBM.
)It's likely to be just as political, maybe moreso, but IMO it'd be more subtle about the parallels.
It might just produce some really, really good, and really thought-provoking, episodes, akin to "The Masterpiece Society", "Dear Doctor", "Rascals" (without the stupidity of Ferengi taking over), or even (heaven forgive me for suggesting this
) "Nothing Human" (wherein Torres should have died when the EMH obeyed its ethical subroutines and followed Torres' express wishes).
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My understanding is that the original concept was for "Number One" to have an unemotional personality. My guess is they would find some other distinctive alien traits for Spock.
Well, I think the only reason he wanted out was because of his wife, so without his wife's interference, I think he'd come back
I don't think the original doctor was even asked back, John Hoyt died in 1991
That's my point. Would he risk divorce to come back?
If he does, does he still die as OTL? (And we're back to who replaces him...though now, Shat's less likely.)
I didn't look up his date of death...
Hmm, no, not if he returns, considering he died because of an on set accident of a movie he was working on, the accident itself didn't kill him, but would lead to his death. He definitely wouldn't die if he returns because he wouldn't work on the movie that led to his death.
Is that a certainty? (Might that movie be shot while "TOS" was on hiatus?)
That said, I understood he suffered an accident at home--which is always a possibility.
I'm not trying to be fussy, just saying. (I'll confess a bias: I was never impressed with Hunter as an actor.)
I wouldn't say the original pilot was all that cerebral. I know that after the original was denied, the writers tried to avoid being "too cerebral". But even in a timeline where executives didn't call the original too cerebral, there's going to be variation in how "cerebral" the stories are in any given season, given that the writers were assigned 30 episodes per season, and they had limits to their budget and their creativity, and they would have liked to vary the stories with an occasional humorous story and an occasional monster. The cage had a monstrous giant from Rigel attacking a space princess. Also, I think at some point, Gene Roddenberry would still recommend having many female officers in miniskirts.
I say the only important difference between the alternate Star Trek and the real Star Trek would be that the alternate one wouldn't have a black regular and an Asian regular. And this difference just might have important consequences to American society.
I say the only important difference between the alternate Star Trek and the real Star Trek would be that the alternate one wouldn't have a black regular and an Asian regular. And this difference just might have important consequences to American society.
It was an accident at home, but the cause itself, which was an intracranial hemorrhage, which likely was a result of the set accident that happened a year prior.
I think a lot of how a Hunter led Trek would go would be down to if people like Fontana, Chang, Coon, Justman etc - esp Coon - come on board. If you see some of the same faces then even with different actors I think Trek will be a success.
Starting earlier in 1965 will also effect how well Trek does - it is a bone fide success it probably does not get moved for Laugh In and starts in a decent time slot for its run.
If Hunter is on Star Trek the chances of the OTL accident that killed him go down a lot.
Only thing likely to change would be 'Number One', to cite Memory Alpha:
I doubt Majel Barrett would be kept but another actress would be placed in there- perhaps even a woman of colour?
A sucessful Trek in '65 possibly cancelled the buyout of Desilu by Gulf+ Western, but perhaps @Brainbin might know more about that option.
Starting earlier in 1965 will also effect how well Trek does - it is a bone fide success it probably does not get moved for Laugh In and starts in a decent time slot for its run.
If Hunter is on Star Trek the chances of the OTL accident that killed him go down a lot.
Only thing likely to change would be 'Number One', to cite Memory Alpha:
I doubt Majel Barrett would be kept but another actress would be placed in there- perhaps even a woman of colour?
A sucessful Trek in '65 possibly cancelled the buyout of Desilu by Gulf+ Western, but perhaps @Brainbin might know more about that option.
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That would be an excellent idea.
That does depend (some) on "TOS" sucxeeding. OTL's was never a hit 1st-run; as described, I wonder if this one would do better--or actually worse.
The reasons for the merger are complicated, no doubt; would "TOS" alone change the outcome?
I just remembered that Jeffrey Hunter actually divorced his second wife (the one who convinced him not to do Star Treks second pilot) literally a year after he decided not to do it. So it's very possible that he divorces her a year earlier