Why is the pilot of Star Trek so different?

This original Star Trek pilot was rejected by NBC for being “too cerebral”, “too intellectual”, “too slow”, and with “not enough action”, so they commissioned a new pilot, which later became Where No Man Has Gone Before, starring a completely different captain: one Captain James T. Kirk played by William Shatner.

Why was the original Star Trek pilot rejected?

The first pilot was not aired on TV until 1988, when it was used as a filler episode for Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) due to a writers strike. NBC reportedly called the pilot “too cerebral”, “too intellectual”, and “too slow” with “not enough action”.

Why did Jeffrey Hunter not continue with Star Trek?

Jeffrey Hunter was unwilling to return, so the disfigured Pike was played by Sean Kenney under heavy makeup. Pike wouldn’t play a role in a Star Trek story again until the 2009 J.J. Abrams reboot film, where he was portrayed by Bruce Greenwood and served as something of a father figure to Chris Pine’s young Kirk.

Which Star Trek character was the only one who appeared in both pilot episodes of the original series?

Leonard Nimoy is the only actor to appear in both this, the second pilot, and the original pilot episode Star Trek: The Original Series: The Cage (1966).

Why did the cast change after Star Trek pilot?

Jeffrey Hunter wasn’t available to do the second pilot (he was pursuing his film career, and some claim his then-wife convinced him science fiction was beneath him; they divorced a couple of years later), so the role was recast with William Shatner and along the way renamed (Christopher Pike became James Kirk).

Why was Spock limping in the pilot?

Nimoy often had to answer why Spock limped and confirmed that it wasn’t a real injury in a tweet from 2012. Stark Trek creator Gene Roddenberry told him to limp, and so he did. Three crewmen were killed in the altercation and seven injured, including Mr. Spock and the ship’s navigator, Jose Tyler.

Who was the captain before Kirk?

Pike
Captain Christopher “Chris” Pike is a fictional character in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. He is the immediate predecessor to James T. Kirk as captain of the starship USS Enterprise….Christopher Pike (Star Trek)

Christopher Pike
Title	Captain Fleet Captain
Affiliation	United Federation of Planets Starfleet
Significant other	Vina

What is number one’s real name?

Una Chin-Riley
Number One (Star Trek)

Number One
Portrayed by	Majel Barrett (1966) Rebecca Romijn (2019-present)
In-universe information
Full name	Una Chin-Riley
Species	Human

Why was William Shatner not in the Star Trek pilot?

The first pilot was too cerebral for NBC but they asked for a second pilot. Hunter had had enough (and so had his wife) so he declined to participate.

What was the first pilot episode of Star Trek?

” The Cage ” is the first pilot episode of the American television series Star Trek. It was completed on January 22, 1965 (with a copyright date of 1964). The episode was written by Gene Roddenberry and directed by Robert Butler.

When did the original Star Trek cage come out?

“The Cage” was first released on VHS in 1986, with a special introduction by Roddenberry, and was aired for the first time in its entirety, and in full color, in late November 1988 as part of The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation to the Next, a two-hour retrospective special hosted by Patrick Stewart.

What if ‘the cage’ didn’t go to series?

If it didn’t go to series, he argued, NBC could air it as a TV movie to recoup their investment. The network agreed, and “The Cage” was selected as the story to be the pilot.

What happened to the original Star Trek cast?

The network demanded the firing of almost the entire cast, except for Leonard Nimoy as Spock and Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike. However, Hunter declined to return, convinced by his wife that the show was “beneath him.” William Shatner was hired as Captain James Kirk to replace him. There were also a lot of minor changes.