Unnamed Talosians

List of unnamed Talosians.

The Keeper (Magistrate)

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File:Talosian keeper.jpg

The Keeper of Talos IV (2254)

The Keeper was magistrate of the dying Talosian race and was charged with the upkeep of the Talosian menagerie on Talos IV. Unlike the other Talosians, he wore a pendant around his neck.

The Keeper learned that – following the crash of an Earth vessel (the SS Columbia) on Talos IV, of which Vina was the only survivor – the Enterprise was easily lured to the planet in 2254. The Talosians restored a dying and scarred Vina's youthful appearance and the Keeper intended to trap a male Human into accepting a life on Talos IV as Vina's mate, as breeding stock for a new, stronger race to repopulate the planet.

After he and two other Talosians watched a screen that showed Captain Pike first meet with Vina at an illusory encampment of survivors apparently from the Earth vessel, the Keeper implied an instruction by nodding at the pair of other Talosian observers, who then departed from him. He continued watching the events on the planet's surface and (moments after Vina miraculously disappeared) his subordinates drugged Pike on the surface of Talos IV, abducting the captain.

The Keeper later led a group of Talosians on a visit to Pike's enclosure. From outside the cage, the Keeper telepathically discussed Pike with a fellow Talosian, communicating that he was unsurprised by the limitedness of the Human's intelligence, in light of the ease at which the Enterprise had been lured to the planet. He continued to psychoanalyze the specimen, at one point correctly predicting that Pike was about to throw himself against the transparent wall of his own enclosure. Concluding that the Human seemed more adaptable than the Talosians' other specimens, however, the Keeper related that they could soon initiate their experiment on Pike.

While subsequently monitoring Pike explore his cell (on the same screen as before), the Keeper decided to begin the experiment with a recent incident that the Human had experienced on Rigel VII, an event that the Keeper characterized as "a recent death struggle in which it fought to protect its life." The Keeper also chose to include Vina in the reconstruction, giving the captain her to protect rather than his own life. The Keeper and three other Talosians were watching Pike's cage as the illusion ended, the captain having seemingly rescued Vina from an illusory Kalar, but he and the other Talosians left shortly thereafter.

The Keeper quietly returned to Pike's cell while the captain and Vina were having a later discussion. After Vina referred to herself and Pike as being "like Adam and Eve," Vina suddenly convulsed in excruciating pain and abruptly disappeared as the Keeper watched. Immediately thereafter, the Keeper left the enclosure, Pike noticing only his exit.

Moments after a glass vial was deposited inside Pike's enclosure, the Keeper appeared outside the cage. Using words rather than telepathic communication, he explained that the vial contained "a nourishing protein complex." Ignoring Pike's surprise that (for once) the Keeper was directly engaging in verbal communication with one of his specimens, he stated that the vial could appear as any food the captive wished to imagine. In response to Pike wondering what might happen if he chose to starve himself, the Keeper repeatedly urged the Human to consume the vial's contents, threatening Pike with mental scenarios that included a fiery and tortuous punishment which the Keeper inflicted on Pike. Following the captain's digestion of the nourishment, the Keeper was startled by Pike again propelling himself at his cell's transparent wall. The Keeper's reaction inspired Pike to realize that hateful thoughts could disrupt the Talosians' mental powers, though the Keeper was pleased that the captain had not only begun to feel protective over Vina but had now adopted sympathy towards her.

The Keeper witnessed Pike tell Vina – during an illusion set near Mojave, on Earth – that he was even attracted to her. Following comments that Vina said to Pike in that Earth illusion (theorizing that a more exotic illusion might be more effective than any the captain had experienced, thus far), the Keeper waved his right arm across the screen, causing the couple to appear in a scenario set at an Orion colony.

After the Orion scenario ended and Enterprise crew members Number One and Yeoman J.M. Colt were beamed into confinement in the same cell as Pike and Vina, the Keeper returned to the enclosure. Ignoring comments from both Vina and Pike, the Keeper explained that the new arrivals were meant as alternatives and detailed benefits each had to offer as Pike's mate. The magistrate again mentally punished Pike for his insubordination, remarked to the others that their thinking would either be punished or rewarded, and then left the area, returning only moments later when Pike refused to discard his own hatred.

When the Human captives were asleep (with the exception of Pike, who was merely drowsy), the Keeper tried to creep into their enclosure and seize two laser pistols that Number One and Yeoman Colt had been carrying but he was captured in turn by Pike. Desperate to be freed, the magistrate temporarily made his own appearance transform into that of an anthropoid ape and then warned that, unless Pike released him, the Talosians would destroy the Enterprise, a threat that Vina confirmed was not a bluff. Though the magistrate attempted to trick the Humans into being unable to see a hole that Pike blasted in the transparent wall with one of the lasers, he was threatened by the captain and thereby coerced into revealing the fracture, through which all five exited the cell.

Even after the group ascended to the planet's surface, the Keeper notified the officers that their escape attempt had been futile, as their communicators were still inoperative, and he began to announce plans for the Human colony that was intended to be initiated on the planet's surface by Pike and whichever female he chose. As a result of remotely assimilating information from the Enterprise's library computer, the magistrate was shocked to learn that Humanity was unsuitable for his plans, due to their strong will and refusal to submit to captivity. The Keeper warned that, if even trade or collaboration was permitted between Humans and Talosians, Humanity would likely learn the Talosians' power of illusion and destroy itself, just as the Talosians essentially had. The Keeper showed Vina's true, scarred countenance to Pike alone but then reverted the illusion. The magistrate agreed to take care of Vina and provided her with an illusory Pike to keep her company. Before the real Captain Pike was beamed back aboard the Enterprise, the Keeper wished him, "May you find your way as pleasant." (TOS: "The Cage", "The Menagerie, Part I", "The Menagerie, Part II")

The fact that, in the story outline of "The Cage" (as reprinted in The Making of Star Trek, pp. 47-65), the Talosians were written as crab-like aliens effected how the Keeper was first conceived. For instance, the outline introduces him by stating, "The crab-creature at the televisor controls turns from the screen, using claw-snap and clatter for speech." He is referred to, in the last scene of the outline's first act, as "the 'Keeper'" and the outline goes on to frequently refer to him as that (though without the use of quotation marks). The story outline also twice refers to him as "the crab-creature Keeper". (The Making of Star Trek, pp. 48 & 58) In one scene included in the story outline but not in the episode's final version, the Keeper was apparently killed by an axe-wielding Captain Robert April, though this scenario was yet another of the illusions concocted by the Talosians, and the Keeper was actually still alive, unharmed. (The Making of Star Trek, pp. 59 & 60) The character is commonly referred to with the articulation "The Keeper" in the second revised final draft script of "The Cage", whose introduction of the character is not quite as elaborate as his initial description from the episode's story outline. After a written direction instructing the trio of Talosians to be shown, the script goes on to say, "Emphasizing one who wears an authoritative-looking jeweled pendant on a short chain around his neck. We will come to know this Talosian as THE KEEPER. He watches the screen intently, then leans in as if seeing something of more than average interest."

Despite being written consistently in both the outline and the script as a male (and established in the episode as having that gender), the Keeper was played by Meg Wyllie. She found the part to be one of her most challenging, later remarking, "I had never played such a role nor had such a makeup job applied to me [....] The makeup was not comfortable [....] I was never given a full script, just the sections in which I appeared." Wyllie also related that, due to her unfamiliarity with such a part, she "was most intrigued" and revealed that she was given no unusual advice to prepare her for the performance. "No special instructions," she said, "merely to play the part with dignity and control. A mental, rather than physical, approach was needed to concentrate on the words I was saying. The pulsings of the veins in my skull–and very little facial expressions–were to be the only visible effects of my thought transfers." (Starlog issue #117, pp. 52 & 53)

The Keeper's vocals were performed by Malachi Throne. Meg Wyllie was at first entirely unaware of Throne's involvement. "I wasn't even aware my voice would be dubbed," she explained. "I was quite surprised to hear a man's voice issuing from my head." (Starlog issue #117, p. 53)

First Talosian

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1st Talosian

The first Talosian was part of a group that maintained the Talosian menagerie on Talos IV.

He along with the Keeper attempted to determine what species they could use to recolonize their planet. They would use illusions to test the subjects. After he examined the Enterprise's ship records, he learned that Humans possess a strong hatred of captivity, and were unsuitable for breeding. (TOS: "The Cage")

The 1st Talosian was played by Georgia Schmidt. Her vocals were performed by Robert C. Johnson.

Second Talosian

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2nd Talosian

The Second Talosian was part of three Talosians that captured different species to determine if they could be used to recolonize their planet. After studying the Enterprise's ship records, he determined that Humans could not stand captivity and would be too dangerous to use for the recolonization. (TOS: "The Cage")

The 2nd Talosian was played by Serena Sande.

Third Talosian

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3rd Talosian

This Talosian was the first Talosian Christopher Pike saw in the underground caverns of Talos IV. (TOS: "The Cage")

The Talosian was played by Felix Silla. His scene was shot using forced perspective, making the Talosian menagerie look larger.

Fourth Talosian

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4th Talosian

This Talosian accompanied the Magistrate and two other Talosians to take a look at their latest specimen, Captain Christopher Pike. (TOS: "The Cage")

The 4th Talosian was played by an individual known simply as Barker.