In the Star Trek pilot The Cage, the Talosians have captured Captain Christopher Pike. Using their mental powers, they conjure up compelling illusions. Then they watch how Pike reacts to situations crafted from his subconscious.
Earlier, in his quarters aboard the Enterprise, Captain Pike told the ship’s doctor that he was considering retirement. After the attack on Rigel 7 in which members of his landing party were either injured or killed, Pike longed for a life with fewer risks and complications. One idea was that he could return home. Now, in this second dream/illusion, the walls of his cell fade away. Captain Pike finds himself in a well-tended park. with the familiar skyscrapers of the Mojave megapolis filling the horizon.
Pike finds his beloved horse Tango awaiting him, while Vena unpacks a picnic basket and sets out his favorite foods on a blanket. You’re home, she says. You can even stay if you want to. Unlike the earlier illusion in which the Talosians made him relive his fight with the Kaylar warrior, this quiet, peaceful setting soothes Pike. While he cannot forget that he is still in a cage, and presses Vena for ways to fight the Talosians’ hold over his mind, he lets his guard down, even opens up about his past and his feelings. When she admits that she fought for years against the Talosians, but finally gave into them, he understands what a lonely existence she has led. To comfort her, he tells her that, from the first moment he saw her, he was attracted to her. Such an admission suggests that: 1) despite his earlier doubts, he believes that she is real, not merely an illusion conjured up by the Talosians; and 2) in time, he can see their relationship developing into something far deeper and more meaningful.
When Pike first finds himself in the park, he reminds himself of Dr. Phil’s rebuttal to his desire for a life free of responsibility or frustrations: you either live life, bruises, skinned knuckles and all, or you turn your back on it and start dying. But the sight of Vena, acting out the part of his wife, amid the pastoral setting of his youth, exerts its pull on him. He knows it is an illusion, but still....
Life presents us with two choices: A) to live an ordinary life, or B) to try for an extraordinary one. We can assume that a man who has risked the dangers of space travel, and then been entrusted with a starship (along with the two hundred people who crew her) has opted to live an extraordinary life. Would it be so wrong for him to trade a life of danger and responsibility for one of simple, domestic harmony? Is Dr. Phil right to suggest that such a choice inevitably drains all joy and purpose from life?
Some of us dream of achieving greatness, but when reality fails to match our dreams, we find comfort in the routines and pleasures of a less complicated life. Whatever your situation, I say never give up on your dreams, but always take time to enjoy the normal rhythms of life as well. Getting the balance right between the two...well, that’s the tricky part, isn’t it?
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