“The Cage” director wanted an older, more timeworn version of the Enterprise
As a die-hard Trekkie with over four decades of Starfleet service under my belt, I can’t help but ponder the “what if” scenario when it comes to Star Trek: The Original Series. If Robert Butler’s vision had come to fruition, we would have found Captain Kirk and his crew aboard a weather-beaten Enterprise, sporting worn uniforms that bore the scars of countless battles.
In 1966, when Star Trek: The Original Series aired its second pilot, both the sets and uniforms appeared fresh and new, giving the impression that it was an entirely new show. However, contrary to this appearance, Robert Butler, the director of the original pilot “The Cage,” had a distinct vision for Captain Kirk and his crew. According to Captains’ Logs—The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, Butler shared insights about the ship and the series’ overall tone that differed from the eventual direction taken.
As per Butler’s account, he implored Gene Roddenberry to revamp the show’s appearance. He envisioned the spacecraft as battle-scarred and well-traveled, with a history spanning two decades in space. Additionally, he felt that the captain should have been an experienced leader, having served for at least seven years, rather than a fresh face in command.
I remember to some extent begging Gene and company not to do a new show, a new world, a new bunch of costumes, a new craft. I begged him to do a timeworn craft that had been up there for twenty years, a captain who had been out there for seven, etc., and it all fell on deaf ears.
As a devoted fan, I can’t help but ponder over Gene Roddenberry’s creative decision to age the USS Enterprise for the original Star Trek series. It seems like he wanted to give the ship a more authentic, battle-worn look, which in turn might have implied that the crew was sailing on a vessel past its prime. With the Enterprise‘s rich history of galactic encounters and intense battles, I wonder how it could have endured if it had been an older model. The thought is intriguing, yet makes me appreciate even more the incredible resilience and ingenuity of Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and their fellow crew members!
The Wrath of Khan with Harve Bennett. At that time, he hadn’t been given a job offer. However, he expressed his reservations to Bennett, stating that he wanted to give the movie a grittier feel by using worn-out uniforms. This would imply that the crew had been in space for an extended period without access to Starfleet Headquarters or replicators for new uniforms. This could potentially complicate the explanation of how other items were replicated.
It’s fortunate that throughout the series and films, the Enterprise and its team remained undamaged by weathering and aging. Change isn’t universally beneficial, and in this case, it’s reassuring that Roddenberry held firm to preserving the ship’s pristine appearance.
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2024-08-07 00:23