10 Star Trek Facts You Probably Didn't Know
8. The Award Winning Menagerie Was Made To Save Money
The Menagerie, a two part story that aired in the first season of the original Star Trek, is a dramatic affair that was critically acclaimed. In it, Spock's former Captain has been severely injured. As the episode puts it, while mentally sound he's "trapped inside a useless, vegetating body" only able to communicate with beeps indicating Yes or No. Spock takes command of the Enterprise in order to help Captain Pike, and ends up on trial for mutiny: risking the death penalty for his actions.
One would think the Hugo award winning two-parter that has been so well remembered must have been born of some deeply inspired writing. Yes, and no. Turns out the episode was a cannibalization of the original pilot for the series.
Production time and budget on the first season of the new sci-fi show were spiraling out of control. Roddenberry suggested using the original pilot "The Cage" along with new footage to stretch it into two episodes. The Cage was re-edited to fit into a story within a story format, creating the memorable Menagerie that has gone down as an iconic episode in Star Trek history.