The Man Trap

On the surface of it this is a typical Vamp episode with a sci-fi twist. One might recall "King Lear" and the machinations of the King's daughters. That might partially explain the motivation of the antagonist, but there's more here. There's a basic functionality at work; predator and prey relationships, only this time they're encoded with a kind of intellectual gloss where the subject in question can camouflage themselves amongst the prey.

And that's another theme that's explored here. A man denied of companionship, starved for it, whose occupation doesn't lend himself to mixing with throngs of female suitors, finds that his companion is a subject of interest. What will he do when presented its talents, even though there's a deadly price to be paid? How bendable is a man when it comes to his more basic yearnings.

Another theme explores possible motivations of the creature, though even those are given a healthy amount of light, and we see the creature for all of its worth, when all is said and done.

The distant world of M-113 has ruins of a civilization that once way, but is no more. Dr. Crater is essentially marooned for the sake of his work, and whether it's the heat, his work, or lack of a moral compass, we're given some insight to, but it does not explain the entirety of his decision, and Captain James T. Kirk exposes the truth.

Do you destroy the living vestige of a lost empire? Do you kill off something that is an artifact of days long gone, but could destroy you? What would your decision be?

Again, on the surface it is a silly superficial monster episode. But if you listen to the dialogue carefully, there are some ideas there that should give you pause to think.

Enjoy.

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.

Predating the same mistake they made with Seinfeld's second season (specifically, the last four episodes) by 25 years, NBC aired the first episodes of Star Trek out of order (the approved pilot, Where No Man Has Gone Before, was broadcast as Episode 3). Not that it's a major problem: for one thing, the original Trek is famous for not having any significant narrative continuity between episodes (something that changed with the spin-offs); secondly, The Man Trap is just as good an example of what really makes Star Trek a riot to watch - the interaction between the characters.

Starting, like any other episode, with the "Captain's log, star date whatever" narration by Captain James Kirk (William Shatner), The Man Trap takes place on a deserted planet where a scientist (Alfred Ryder) and his wife (Jeanne Bal) are studying the remains of an ancient society. The starship USS Enterprise is orbiting around the planet so that Kirk can give the two new food supplies and the ship's physician, Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy (DeForest Kelley), can check on their medical condition. This proves to be a bit awkward, since he and the woman were romantically involved once. Greater problems lie ahead, though, as Enterprise crew members are found dead. The cause is salt deprivation, and the strange marks on their necks suggest someone or something is doing this deliberately. Now it's up to Kirk, McCoy and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), the Enterprise's half-human, half-Vulcanian scientist, to find out what's going on and how to stop it.

As is the case with most Star Trek episodes, the plot is quite simple: new planet, weird event, people in danger, Kirk and his pals saving the day. It's essentially the blueprint for the monster-of-the-week stories of The X-Files, not to mention the reason NBC agreed to give the show a chance (the original pilot, The Cage, was rejected because it was considered "too cerebral"). The apparent simplicity is used as a tool to conceal deeper issues in later installments, but here it's exactly what it looks like: a very basic script that allows any viewer to access the classic Star Trek universe without worrying about any complicated, underlying "mythology" (an element that has been mandatory in successful genre shows made after 1990). In that sense, the first Trek series is the science-fiction equivalent of Seinfeld: watch a random episode, and you'll enjoy it just as much as if you were viewing them in the correct order (the feature films changed that a little, but it's another story).

But if the stories are that simple, why bother? The answer is equally basic, but not less relevant for that: the leading trio of Kirk, Spock and McCoy (even though they weren't acknowledged in that way until the start of Season 2: up to that point, only Shatner and Nimoy are credited in the title sequence; everyone else is listed in the closing credits). The elementary combination of a curious, optimistic leader, a less cheerful doctor and a purely rational, (mostly) emotionless half-alien is the kind of narrative decision that, if played well, can make the fortune of any good story. Granted, this episode doesn't contain many of the typical elements (especially the more alien traits of Spock's personality), but the seeds of all the great things to come (the chess games, the arguments, the incessant exchanges of dry wit between Bones and Spock) are clearly visible here.

In short, this may not be the proper first episode of the series, but given the standalone nature of the original Trek scripts, it works pretty well as an introduction to Gene Roddenberry's seminal TV universe, a place "where no man had gone before". It's the beginning of a small-screen legend, therefore a must-see.

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.

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