Episode 1 - The Man Trap

Well, I have to say that the broadcast run of TOS got off to a rousing start with The Man Trap. I thought it was a solid story with good acting all around. More importantly, it FELT like it was just one in a string of stories of the Enterprise and her crew, instead of a “first episode”. I know they were aired out of order, so no need to remind me of that, but getting to start out a series with an episode that felt mature, without some of the usual problems of a first episode (such as pacing, character development, etc.), seems to have been the right move in my opinion.

It was longer than I expected, a good bit over an hour without commercials, and as someone who grew up on TOS in syndicated re-runs, it was entertaining to see some of the scenes that had been edited out for syndication.

I know that Star Trek has a bit of a reputation with its low-budget Styrofoam sets, but this episode is actually quite well done in that respect. Dr. Crater’s living quarters in an abandoned temple are suitably cluttered, the “outdoor” setting feels spacious (both in close-ups and the long shots that were created for the digital enhanced release). It was a vibrantly colorful episode as well, which is a nice vision of the future – not all sterile gray and white and black. Even the food is in Technicolor. Of course, there’s that silly hand-puppet plant in the Botany Lab – Beauregard. Or Gertrude. Quite a colorful glove.

Some of the asides and mannerisms of the crew were interesting, and speak to characters that were already fully fleshed out even this early in the series. A good example is when McCoy is examining Dr. Crater and, after using all the high-tech salt shakers and such, pulls out a wooden tongue depressor. As fans of the show know, Bones always had a healthy skepticism regarding technology, and seeing it in the first episode is familiar but refreshing.

One interesting thing: the plot revolves around a creature that needs salt in large quantities to survive, and has been reduced to sucking it out of the bodies of the Enterprise crew to get it. In the episode, other characters consuming or carrying food is something that is almost always on-screen. Yeoman Rand is stalked by the creature as she carries a lunch tray to Sulu in the botanical Laboratory, and the creature (disguised as the recently deceased Crewman Greene) interrupts Sulu eating said lunch. Captain Kirk is seen nibbling on futuristically colored fruit on the bridge. McCoy is encouraged to take sleeping pills. Salt tablets are displayed by Dr. Crater in a fancy glass container, like an exotic candy, and of course, the salt pills that Kirk uses to draw out the NancyCraterCreature at the end. It seems to reinforce the theme of the episode, that just like humans, the creature is only doing what it needs to survive – in this case, eating. Something the crew sees as hideous and evil is something they do without thinking… except, of course, they don’t have to kill sentient beings to eat. I think continually relating the plight of the creature to the buffalo of ancient Earth is a bit of a stretch – buffalo don’t knock you down and drink your blood (although that might make an interesting plot…).

Related to eating, in a way - holy cow, were the women of TOS HOT. When the creature first appears to Crewman Darnell (who, although he wore a blue shirt, I am declaring the first honorary Red Shirt Kill of the original series) at the beginning of the episode, she appears as a smoking-hot blonde with curves for days – no stick-figure celery munchers in this future world, and I heartily approve. Of course, Yeoman Rand goes without saying, and then there’s Uhura. Seriously, those girls knew how to fill out a uniform.

Speaking of Uhura, she seemed to have a bit of an accent in this episode that I don’t remember from others, and certainly not from interviews with her in more recent years; a slightly southern twang, I believe. I only mention it because it was so jarring (but not unpleasant) and seemed out of place to me. Also, and this is a more interesting point – there is an extended conversation between her and Spock near the beginning on the bridge, and there is some SERIOUS flirting going on. Spock being Spock, of course, is either truly oblivious or is just playing along. I wonder if this was part of the inspiration that led to the relationship subplot in the most recent Star Trek movie. It’ll be interesting to see if this “tension” reappears in later episodes. He also refers to her as “Ms. Uhura” instead of by her rank.

You can tell this is the pre-politically correct 1960’s in this episode as well. Uhura advises Kirk that space commander Jimenez is calling and asking about the delay in receiving a shipment of supplies the Enterprise is carrying for his base. Kirk advises that she should tell him that his shipment of chili peppers will keep, and adds a few other choice tidbits of stereotyping. I’m probably ok with that personally, but can you imagine trying to get that to fly on TV today? Also, when the salt monster is trying to score some grub off Uhura, it takes the form of a black crewman; assuming, I suppose, that seducing her would be easier if they were of the same race? Technically, it read her mind and found his image there to duplicate, but I don’t guess it would have been proper to have him be white?

Snippets of dialog that I liked: McCoy is clearly not thinking straight when it comes to Nancy Crater – they apparently had a fling 12 years prior. At one point, Kirk tells him that he should take after Mr. Spock and stop thinking with his glands!

When Rand brings Sulu his tray, he says “May the Great Bird of the Galaxy bless your planet!” – a nice nod to Gene Roddenberry there. I didn’t realize his nickname was in place so early in the series’ run.

Kirk sardonically advising McCoy that he needs to get some rest; “Take one of those red pills you gave me last week – you’ll sleep.”

One jarring suggestion made by Spock that certainly seems out of alignment, with the show if not the character, is when they are trying to find out what Dr. Crater knows about the threat to the crew and ship, and Spock suggests using “truth serum” on him.

After Spock is ambushed in sick bay by the creature and clocked on the head, we see his green blood! When Kirk advises he is luck the creature didn’t feed on him for the salt in his blood, Spock advises that his and Kirk’s ancestors spawned in a different ocean. No salt in Vulcan blood I guess.

Unanswered Questions: Crater advises that the planet is covered in ruins thousands of years old (which we see during visits to the surface) and apparently was once home to a large civilization. Was it a civilization of the salt monsters? If not, where did they come from? He said there were once millions of them (the creatures, I assume) – how does he know this? What, exactly, happens to the salt that the creature eats? I guess it is broken down into other chemical components, but you’d have to eat a LOT of salt to completely strip an entire planet of it – even if it is mostly desert to begin with. Also, the creature was clearly intelligent (or at least could mimic it convincingly) – when it discovered that the ship had salt tablets for days, why did it insist on draining humans instead of negotiating for the tablets?

Well, that’s about it for The Man Trap – a solid and entertaining episode and a good start to the series. I give it three stars up.