Season 1
Episode 5: The Man Trap
Filmed: June 1966
First Air Date: September 8, 1966 (1st episode aired)
Karen: Ah, "The Man Trap". The first experience the viewing public would ever have with Star Trek came through this rather uneven episode. As discussed in previous posts, this episode wound up being broadcast first over a handful of other filmed episodes due to a combination of issues with getting special effects produced and the network's desire to focus on certain things, such as showing the characters on planets and not just on the Enterprise. Unfortunately, this episode was rather atypical in featuring a monster-like creature as the focus, and many people, especially reviewers, came away with the impression that Trek was going to be another show for the kiddies, like Lost in Space or Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. It would take a few more episodes to turn this idea around.
Karen: However, "The Man Trap" does have a number of strong points in its favor. As with all Trek shows, the creature is not a one-dimensional villain; indeed, it is shown as the last of its kind, desperately trying to survive, and this need unfortunately causes it to attack the Enterprise crew. When the creature is killed at the end of the episode, Kirk's regret is tangible and shows us that this man has many layers. It also tells the audience something about the world these characters live in.
Karen: McCoy has some of the spotlight here, as the creature emulates a past love of the doctor's, Nancy Crater. But while McCoy sees Nancy as the same age as when he last knew her, Kirk sees a more mature woman. The creature's illusion powers are never fully explained but allow for it to pull images from its victim's minds.It even appears as McCoy at one point.
Karen: There are a few terrific interactions for the characters. At a slow point on the bridge, Uhura teasingly says to Spock, "Tell me how your planet Vulcan looks on a lazy evening when the moon is full, Mr. Spock." The unflappable Spock responds, "Vulcan has no moon, Miss Uhura." With an annoyed look, Uhura responds, "I'm not surprised, Mr. Spock."
Karen: It was moments like this which helped to flesh out the characters and get across the feeling of a crew that really knew each other and spent time together. Unfortunately, as the series went on, the supporting cast would have fewer and fewer such scenes.
Karen: Some of the mis-steps of the episode include some strange bits in the botany lab, with what is obviously a hand puppet that is supposed to be some sort of moving, sentient plant. No, just no. There is also some very clunky dialog, including Sulu saying, "May the Great Bird of the Galaxy bless your planet." Uh yeah... The creature itself (the 'salt vampire') is not a terrible design, even with its strange, long grey hair, and circular mouth full of teeth. Interestingly, Marc Cushman in These are the Voyages states that the costume was designed for a small person, and in fact Sandra Gimpel, a dancer turned stunt performer who was of short stature, was hired to play the creature. Between Gimpel's performance and the look of the outfit, at the end of the episode, the salt vampire was clearly a figure of pity more than fear.
Karen: Despite what we have been told for decades about Trek, the Nielsen ratings were actually pretty good. Cushman has gone back and found Nielsen ratings for all of the original showings, and "The Man Trap", the first episode of Trek aired, won its time slot. It was a good beginning for the show, but with its second season, it would lose its primo Tuesday 8:30 slot and get moved to Friday -the kiss of death for a show whose biggest fans were young people.
Karen: Ah, "The Man Trap". The first experience the viewing public would ever have with Star Trek came through this rather uneven episode. As discussed in previous posts, this episode wound up being broadcast first over a handful of other filmed episodes due to a combination of issues with getting special effects produced and the network's desire to focus on certain things, such as showing the characters on planets and not just on the Enterprise. Unfortunately, this episode was rather atypical in featuring a monster-like creature as the focus, and many people, especially reviewers, came away with the impression that Trek was going to be another show for the kiddies, like Lost in Space or Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. It would take a few more episodes to turn this idea around.
Karen: However, "The Man Trap" does have a number of strong points in its favor. As with all Trek shows, the creature is not a one-dimensional villain; indeed, it is shown as the last of its kind, desperately trying to survive, and this need unfortunately causes it to attack the Enterprise crew. When the creature is killed at the end of the episode, Kirk's regret is tangible and shows us that this man has many layers. It also tells the audience something about the world these characters live in.
Karen: McCoy has some of the spotlight here, as the creature emulates a past love of the doctor's, Nancy Crater. But while McCoy sees Nancy as the same age as when he last knew her, Kirk sees a more mature woman. The creature's illusion powers are never fully explained but allow for it to pull images from its victim's minds.It even appears as McCoy at one point.
Karen: There are a few terrific interactions for the characters. At a slow point on the bridge, Uhura teasingly says to Spock, "Tell me how your planet Vulcan looks on a lazy evening when the moon is full, Mr. Spock." The unflappable Spock responds, "Vulcan has no moon, Miss Uhura." With an annoyed look, Uhura responds, "I'm not surprised, Mr. Spock."
Karen: It was moments like this which helped to flesh out the characters and get across the feeling of a crew that really knew each other and spent time together. Unfortunately, as the series went on, the supporting cast would have fewer and fewer such scenes.
Karen: Some of the mis-steps of the episode include some strange bits in the botany lab, with what is obviously a hand puppet that is supposed to be some sort of moving, sentient plant. No, just no. There is also some very clunky dialog, including Sulu saying, "May the Great Bird of the Galaxy bless your planet." Uh yeah... The creature itself (the 'salt vampire') is not a terrible design, even with its strange, long grey hair, and circular mouth full of teeth. Interestingly, Marc Cushman in These are the Voyages states that the costume was designed for a small person, and in fact Sandra Gimpel, a dancer turned stunt performer who was of short stature, was hired to play the creature. Between Gimpel's performance and the look of the outfit, at the end of the episode, the salt vampire was clearly a figure of pity more than fear.
Karen: Despite what we have been told for decades about Trek, the Nielsen ratings were actually pretty good. Cushman has gone back and found Nielsen ratings for all of the original showings, and "The Man Trap", the first episode of Trek aired, won its time slot. It was a good beginning for the show, but with its second season, it would lose its primo Tuesday 8:30 slot and get moved to Friday -the kiss of death for a show whose biggest fans were young people.