Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has a curious limp in "The Cage," Star Trek's original, rejected pilot, but the reason why is hinted at in the episode. Produced in 1964, "The Cage" was creator Gene Roddeneberry's first vision for Star Trek. "The Cage" starred Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Christopher Pike, Susan Oliver as Vina, and Majel Barrett as Number One, along with Nimoy as the Vulcan Mr. Spock. NBC considered "The Cage" "too cerebral" for network television but ordered a second pilot that became Star Trek: The Original Series, with William Shatner's Captain James T. Kirk replacing Pike and only Spock returning from "The Cage's" cast.
In Star Trek's "The Cage," the USS Enterprise is diverted to the planet Talos IV, where its inhabitants laid a trap for Captain Pike. The Talosians possessed the power to cast realistic illusions, and they wanted Pike for their menagerie of aliens. Primarily, Pike was intended to be a mate and love interest for Vina, a human woman who crashed on Talos IV 17 years prior. As Pike fought to free himself from his alien prison, Mr. Spock and the crew of the Enterprise also attempted to rescue their Captain before learning Vina's secret and being allowed to leave Talos IV.
Spock's Limp Is Likely Due To A Battle That Took Place Before Star Trek's "The Cage"
Pike's landing party was involved in a violent incident on Rigel VII
Spock moves with a minor but noticeable limp in Star Trek's "The Cage," and it's tacitly explained in dialogue between Captain Pike and Dr. Phil Boyce (John Hoyt). When the weary Pike summons the Starship Enterprise's Chief Medical Officer to his quarters, they discuss a violent incident on Rigel VII two weeks prior. Pike blames himself for what happened between his landing party and the Rigelian warriors that left seven Enterprise crew members injured and three dead, including Pike's yeoman. It's logical to conjecture that Mr. Spock was one of the injured on Rigel VII, but the Vulcan's superior physiology allowed him to survive.
Pike learned his yeoman, Zac Nguyen (David Huynh), was still alive.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2, episode 4, "Among the Lotus Eaters," is a sequel to "The Cage" that brings Captain Pike (Anson Mount) and the Starship Enterprise back to Rigel VII. Pike learned his yeoman, Zac Nguyen (David Huynh), was still alive. Zac set himself up as Rigel VII's ruler, thanks to technology protecting him from a meteorite on Rigel VII that caused memory loss to the planet's inhabitants. Lieutenant Spock (Ethan Peck) did not join Pike's Rigel VII landing party on Strange New Worlds, although the Enterprise's crew was also subjected to loss of memory from the meteorite's radiation.
Spock In "The Cage" Is Nothing Like Leonard Nimoy's Usual Star Trek Performance
Leonard Nimoy found the Vulcan Science Officer in Star Trek: The Original Series
Spock is strikingly different in "The Cage" compared to how he would become in Star Trek: The Original Series. When Spock was created for "The Cage," Gene Roddenberry simply wanted an alien on the bridge of the USS Enterprise as a constant reminder that Star Trek was set in the 23rd century. Roddenberry and Leonard Nimoy hadn't defined Spock's personality, and it was Number One who was assigned the traits of being cool and logical. This is why Spock is so excitable and un-Vulcan-like in "The Cage." It was after Spock became the only cast member to return for Star Trek: The Original Series that Leonard Nimoy began to perfect Spock's Vulcan traits.
Star Trek: Short Treks' episode "Q&A" addressed how different Spock is in "The Cage." "Q&A" depicted Ensign Spock's arrival on the Starship Enterprise before the events of "The Cage," which was set in 2254, five years before Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' beginning in 2259. Spock and Number One are soon trapped in a turbo lift, where the Vulcan learns of Lt. Commander Una Chin-Riley's fondness for Gilbert and Sullivan opera. Ethan Peck plays a more emotionally open young Spock in "Q&A" to line up with Leonard Nimoy's performance in Star Trek's original pilot.
