Illusionary Beauty

Part illusion, but mostly human...kind of

Vina is most recognizable as an Orion slave girl, and whenever a seductive alien female is needed she's the poster girl. But as it turns out, her greenness was as shallow as light--an illusion whose purpose was to help Vina find a human mate.

Vina, the human illusion Being the sole survivor of a spaceship-wreck on Talos IV, Vina was nursed back to health by the natives. These natives--the Talosians--were intrigued by her and her race. They decided to lure the Enterprise to their planet in the hopes of breeding her with a studley human male. Then Captain Christopher Pike was selected to be that lucky man.

Using their illusiory abilities, they did what they could to aid Vina in seducing him. Realizing this would mean staying on the planet forever, Pike resisted--no matter how hot she was.

As the crew were leaving, it seemed only natural to take Vina along. But she decided to stay, and explained why to Pike. Unfortunately, the Talosians had never seen a human. They patched up her smashed body the best they knew how, but it left Vina scarred, wrinkled and hunched. If she left the planet, she would have to leave her beauty.

Vina the Orion slave girl Years later, a severly crippled Pike would be kidnapped and taken back to Talos. Orchestrated by Spock (sort-of), this act begins a court-martial that, through two episodes, reveals the whole thing was a plot by the Talosians to reunite Pike and Vina.

As most fans know, this episode was filmed for the original Star Trek pilot. But after the series was recast, it seemed like a waste to abandon such a great story, so the footage was added to a season finale of the Kirk series. Although the pilot wasn't picked up at the time, the show's producers knew the angle to play: a bikini-clad, green dancing girl. Whether blonde or green, Vina set the standard for the series' interstellar beauties.

Episode: The Menagerie parts 1 and 2
Actress: Susan Oliver

Star Trek Gifts & Collectibles

About Star Trek

Obscure/Unknown

The Klingon Dictionary has sold over 300K copies. There are only 100k Esperanto speakers, so if the Klingophiles are serious, they can overtake the current #1 man-made language.

Source: Salon.com

Game Over

Nimoy picks the ARG's champ

Far from slaves

The green girls we've known

The green sisters

Navaar, D'Nesh and Maras

Recent News

Was Movie Summer 2010 a TNG Rehash?

Supposedly, there are five basic plots, so sooner or later, fans will see a story that looks rather familiar to them. According to UGO, some of the movies from this summer could be matched with Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes like Tapestry, Lower Decks, and Journey’s End. Shrek ...
Forbes Is So Over Trek

Michelle Forbes, best-known to Star Trek: Next Generation fans as the Bajoran Ensign Ro, feels that the time for talking about her days on Star Trek is over. It has been years since Forbes appeared in Trek, yet she is still asked about it. “When people ask me those questions, I just think, ...
Star Trek Merchandise Oddities

For Star Trek fans who have seen it all, take a peek at some of the offbeat Star Trek merchandise offered for sale recently. Fans are used to seeing merchandise for their favorite shows, from toys to clothing to posters, but occasionally some of the items offered for sale are guaranteed to elicit a ...