The Man Trap

The central idea of this story was anticipated by an episode in A E van Vogt's "The Voyage of the Space Beagle" (itself an anticipation of "Star Trek"). A creature that resembles a mountain lion with tentacles sucks the "id" (potassium) from its victims' bodies. (There's no explanation of where other essential nutrients come from.)

I understand why some fans don't much care for this episode. Though not intended as such, it resembles the "monster of the week" sort of story ABC insisted on for "The Outer Limits". As for the creature's failure to ask Kirk for a metric ton or two of salt -- Ryder urgently requested salt, but Kirk failed to provide it.

I like it for a number of reasons, principally that it's cool and low-key (in contrast to the noisier theatrics of almost every episode that followed). The photography is grand, making effective use of pools of light against darker backgrounds. (This would soon disappear.) There's almost no music, with sound effects creating an eerie atmosphere. From a strictly "aesthetic" perspective, "The Man Trap" is arguably the best of all the Classic episodes.

Nancy Crater and Dr. McCoy at one time was very close... it's been years since they've seen each other. Naturally Bones was excited to find out he'll see Nancy again while on the planet M-113. Nancy has gotten married to Professor Robert Crater, a man that knows all about Nancy. Nancy is not quite her old self, trying to harm the Starship Crew for Salt.

Off to a great start with the first season, first episode of ST-TOS. It is taken very much seriously - nothing cutesy or funny about it. Like all Star Trek TOS - you'll either like the Captain and Crew or you simply won't.

Oddly, this episode looks and feels like a later episode... one that you know the characters better rather than the very first episode aired for TV audiences in 1966.

7/10

The premiere of Star Trek under the reign of Captain Kirk starts off promisingly enough with this episode. There is a good combination of character development as well as plot line here. The dilemma over endangered species and their right to survival, regardless of their threat level, is always a delicate subject and the script does a fine job with the material. The added layer of old flames reunited is also a nice touch.

The Man Trap was the first outing for the Enterprise crew that we all know and love: Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), Lt. Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley), and Sulu (George Takei). But still no sign of Scotty yet (his first appearance was in the show's second pilot 'Where No Man Has Gone Before', which was broadcast as the third episode in season one).

This one opens as Kirk, Spock and expendable crewman Darnell (not wearing a red shirt but still soon-to-be-dead) are beamed to the surface of planet M-113 to check up on the health of Professor Crater (Alfred Ryder) and his wife Nancy (Jeanne Bal), an old flame of the Doc's. On meeting Nancy, each member of the Enterprise crew sees the woman differently, although they do not realise it. Soon after, Darnell is found dead (what a shocker!), McCoy eventually discovering that the man's body has been depleted of salt.

Kirk recalls that a supply of salt was high on the Craters' list of requirements and begins to become suspicious about the couple. It eventually transpires that Nancy is in fact a salt-sucking shape-shifting alien, the last of its kind, having replaced the real Mrs. Crater, who was killed two years earlier by the creature. The professor is now protecting the beast, which has become a surrogate wife to him.

A lot more fun than the show's overly-cerebral pilot The Cage, The Man Trap is suspenseful and has the major benefit of its more familiar cast, who all interact marvelously. There's also the no-small-matter of Yeoman Janice's magnificent beehive hairdo, Sulu's amazing living plant specimen (that is clearly a man's hand), and the final appearance of the shape-shifter: a hilarious hairy monstrosity with a real ugly mush -- let's hope that the professor didn't allow the creature to replace his wife in all aspects of their relationship.

A shape shifting salt vampire-- okie dokie!

This kind of story is what you'd expect in a series late in its run when it's run out of ideas. In TOS terms, you'd expect this from season three.

But this one works well because it's very well produced and the character interplay is great, even when the character is the shapeshifter.

Professor Crater makes a surprisingly convincing and compelling "villain".