Where No Man Has Gone Before — not counting Paul Newman: Here's one more filming location for the original "Star Trek" TV series

"A Private Little War" ("Star Trek," season 2, episode 19; first aired Feb. 2, 1968)

More than a half-century after the original "Star Trek" series was on TV, we've found what could prove to be the Final Frontier when it comes to filming locations for the 1960s sci-fi show.

 

Space — The Final Frontier

We're not talking about "Space — the Final Frontier," as it was described each week in the show's opening credits. We're talking about an obscure movie location in Southern California's Santa Susana Mountains that became one of those "strange worlds" explored by the Starship Enterprise during its three-season mission from 1966-1969.

 

The "Outrage Grotto": "Star Trek's" real Final Frontier?

Known among a handful of film historians as the "Outrage Grotto," this shady hollow was transformed in late 1967 into the Hill People's camp on the planet Neural for the 1968 "Star Trek" episode "A Private Little War."

 

The Outrage Grotto in 2024

Today the Grotto is on private property, and access to the site is restricted. That's one reason it took so long to find what may be the final puzzle piece in the quest to document the original "Star Trek" location shoots.

 

"The Outrage" (MGM, 1964) — filmed in the same location

The name "Outrage Grotto" is an ode to the weird and disturbing 1964 Paul Newman movie "The Outrage," which filmed its weirdest and most disturbing scenes in the same location in late 1963.

 

Paul Newman, Claire Bloom and Laurence Harvey in "The Outrage"

This was about four years before the "Star Trek" crew would set up shop in the Grotto. The Santa Susanas back then were headquarters for a number of movie ranches, but the Outrage Grotto, while technically on property once owned by a filming operation, was filmed only a handful of times.

 

The Hill People's camp on Neural

The place has changed a lot in the six decades since "The Outrage" and "Star Trek" were here on location, but the trees and rocks still hold plenty of clues — more than enough to confirm that it's the right location.

 

Deep in the Grotto, a two-trunked tree

Similarities among some of the "then" and "now" shots may already be revealing themselves. For example, take a look at this two-trunked tree, which survives today in the Grotto.

 

"Star Trek" tree has a familiar shape to it

We're almost certain that this is the same tree, although trees can fool us as they age. It also deserves mention that the location includes multiple V-shaped trees, something we'll delve into in more detail below.

 

William Shatner, left, in "The Outrage," with Howard Da Silva and Edward G. Robinson

Besides the unusual location, "The Outrage" and "A Private Little War" have something else in common: William Shatner appears in both productions. A few years before he became "Star Trek's" Captain Kirk, he played a preacher in "The Outrage."

 

"A Private Little War": Shatner returns to the Outrage Grotto as Captain Kirk

Shatner's work in "The Outrage" may or may not have figured into "Star Trek's" decision to shoot in the obscure Grotto four years later, but it seems unlikely that it's just a coincidence.

 

Shatner in the Grotto — with rocks and other features identified

Let's match up some landmarks to make sure we're in the right spot. In addition to the tree and the "jagged rocks" noted above, pay attention to the rocks labeled A through G.

 

The same spot in 2024, with multiple features confirming the location

The Grotto remains largely intact today, even though it has undergone more than its share of changes over the years. All of the features noted in the "Star Trek" screen shot can still be found at the site.

 

Everything is still there

Here's the same 2024 shot without all the labels, so you can get a better look at the features.

 

William Shatner and Nancy Kovack at the waterfall

Additional clues can be found throughout the Grotto, and throughout "A Private Little War." This scene from the episode finds Kirk being enticed by the seductress Nona in front of a rock wall and a small waterfall.

 

The waterfall location in 2024

We snapped this shot of the waterfall area on a research expedition to the filming location, and we noticed two rectangular indentations in the rock, visible near the center of the photo.

 

Rectangular indentations in the waterfall rock

These identifying markings in the rock may be manmade, and may have a connection to earlier filming at the site, but they do not appear to play an intended role in the "Star Trek" shoot.

 

The same rectangular indentations in "A Private Little War"

However, these same indentations can be seen in the "Star Trek" shot. They're harder to detect here, but they are definitely present, and they help pinpoint the location.

 

Identifying features on the rock wall

Other markers can also be identified in the screen shot, and these also match up with recent photos.

 

We're in the right place

The same features noted in the "Star Trek" screen shot can still be found on the rock wall.

 

The Mugato pops in, bent on ruining the party — which is a shame since it has its party hat on

Other rocks in and around the Grotto frame additional "Star Trek" scenes. The location where the ape-like Mugato appears in camp is another one that we can positively identify.

 

The Mugato's arrival site, photographed in 2024

The rock in the foreground is the same one where the Mugato — sometimes referred to as the "Gumato" — stood in the screen shot above.

 

Is that horn just a wee bit too big?

The Mugato's arrival is generally a big downer, and not just because people think the costumers could have pulled back a touch on the giant horn. But the shot provides clues in the form of markings on the background rock.

 

Where the Mugato dropped in

The same slashes in the rock can be seen in the recent photo, along with the spot on the foreground rock where the Mugato stood. In the intervening decades, a tree has grown up between these two rocks.

 

The Mugato approaches a V-shaped tree in "A Private Little War"

As the Mugato rumbles toward Kirk and Nona, other landmarks come into view — notably one of those V-shaped trees we mentioned. In this shot Kirk and Nona appear to be trying to hide behind the tree.

 

The V-shaped tree today — still holding on

The V-shaped tree can still be found at the location, although these days it's showing signs of age — especially the right half of the "V." Today the worn-out old tree also has a swing hanging from it.

 

The Mugato traverses the V-tree

The V-shaped tree plays a prominent role in the Mugato attack. In this shot the monster climbs through the tree to get at Nona.

 

Landmarks near the V-shaped tree

If we're unsure whether we've found the right tree, we can match up some of the nearby landmarks — notably a small rock to the right of the tree and a big rock in the background with a straight vertical edge.

 

Rock landmarks confirm it's the right tree

Both landmarks can be found in the "Star Trek" sequence.

 

Captain Kirk to the rescue — who saw that coming?

The captain's instincts and testosterone kick in at the sight of a scantily clad Nona on the ground. Kirk tackles the Mugato — its plush back horns be damned — in a brave attempt to save Nona from the powerful critter.

 

Kirk's heroism is commemorated in a Hallmark Keepsake Ornament

The Mugato attack and Kirk's heroic defense of Nona were an important enough event in the "Star Trek" universe to be honored by Hallmark with a Keepsake Ornament. Film historian Aaron St. John, who played a major role in identifying the shooting location, also tracked down this cool souvenir in an antique shop.

 

His back against the V-shaped tree, Kirk takes aim

Kirk soon realizes he's punching above his weight class and could use a better strategy. Eventually it dawns on him that he can just zap the thing with his phaser.

 

That one Mugato ... gone!

This way we also get treated to a quintessentially "Star Trek: The Original Series" special effect — Yeeee-haw!

 

Ooh ... his achin' back

From the looks of this shot, Kirk managed to throw his back out anyway. This posture may be painfully familiar to some readers — to me it "feels" like a fifth lumbar issue.

 

Kirk and McCoy on "Planet Neural" in "A Private Little War"

Other scenes in "A Private Little War" were shot elsewhere in the Santa Susanas. As we reported back in 2013, this shot and others in the episode were taken on the former Bell Location Ranch.

 

Bell Ranch in 2013

We took this matching photo of the "Planet Neural" location on an expedition to Bell Ranch in 2013 that was spearheaded by intrepid "Star Trek" location finder Larry Herdman.

 

One of the many locations we found in 2013 for "A Private Little War"

On that 2013 Bell Ranch trek — one of our first expeditions to the mysterious filming location — we were able to match up a number of shots from the "Star Trek" episode. Please click here to see that post.

 

Live long and prosper, fellow movie location nerds

It often takes the combined work of several dedicated researchers to track down these locations, and I want to give a couple of big shout-outs to Larry Herdman and Aaron St. John, without whose efforts we may never have figured out the locations for "A Private Little War." Thanks to everyone who had a hand in it! (Get it? A "hand"?)

 

Congratulations to the top 20 movie location websites

If you love movie history, we recommend checking out this list of the top movie location blogs and websites, posted by Feedspot. We're proud to report that the Iverson Movie Ranch Blog was named one of the top 20 sites of 2024.