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

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