Roddenberry wanted Jeff Hunter to return as Captain Pike and arranged to screen“The Cage” for him,
reserving Desilu's projection room for March 25, 1965.
The studio needed a hit- its only show in production at that time was The Lucy Show,
Lucille Ball herself(Desilu's president) convinced Katz to allow Roddenberry
to pitch Star Trek to the networks, saying,“There aren't smart shows on TV.”.