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| The Man Trap |
| Production Number |
06 |
| Air Date (US) |
1966-09-08 |
| Season |
1 |
| DVD Disc No. |
1 |
| Rating |
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Cast:
William Shatner as James T. Kirk
Leonard Nimoy as Spock
DeForest Kelley as Leonard H. McCoy
Nichelle Nichols as Uhura
George Takei as Hikaru Sulu
Guest Cast:
Jeanne Bal as Nancy Crater
Alfred Ryder as Professor Robert Crater
Grace Lee Whitney as Yeoman Janice Rand
Bruce Watson as Crewman Green
Michael Zaslow as Crewman Darnell
Francine Pyne as Blonde Nancy
Sharon Gimpel as M-113 Creature
John Arndt as Crewman Sturgeon
Budd Albright as Barnhart
Creative Staff:
Director: Marc Daniels
Written By: George Clayton Johnson
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| Description |
The U.S.S. Enterprise arrives at planet M-113 to deliver supplies to Dr. Robert Crater and his wife, Nancy, whom Doctor Leonard McCoy was once romantically involved with. The Craters have been on M-113 for five years conducting an archeological survey of the planet's ruins. They are the only known inhabitants of the planet.
Crater tells Kirk that the only thing they need are salt tablets. Otherwise, they want to be left alone. Kirk debates this, insisting they must need other supplies and must at least allow McCoy to give them physicals. While this is happening, Darnell, one of Kirk's landing party, meets a beautiful young woman and wanders off with her.
When Kirk goes looking for the young man, he finds him dead, his body scarred with suction cup-shaped marks. The Captain orders the Craters to beam aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise. On ship, Dr. McCoy is amazed at how little Nancy has changed since he last saw her, several years earlier. Her close proximity on board the starship begins to reawaken old feelings for the doctor that somewhat shadow any suspicions of her that he might normally have had.
However, the woman McCoy sees as Nancy Crater is a shape-shifting creature, the last survivor of M-113, and can literally appear as a different being to each person 'she' meets. By reaching into their minds and drawing on their memories, the creature can lull her potential victims into a false sense of security before she kills them.
The problem facing the M-113 creature is the need for sodium chloride ... salt. Without it, the being will die and its home planet is running out. The rest of its race died due to this shortage, and this final survivor formed a symbiotic relationship with Professor Crater. Crater provided the M-113 creature with the needed salt and the creature in turn gave the professor companionship ... something he had craved since the salt creature murdered his wife, the real Nancy Crater, for her body's salt.
Let loose on board the U.S.S. Enterprise, the M-113 creature begins killing members of the crew, first luring them by posing as someone they know and trust, then draining their bodies of their precious salt. Finally, the creature kills Crater and changes into Nancy Crater, nearly killing McCoy. Kirk and Spock, who have figured out the creature's secret, rush to the doctor's quarters and convince him that this is not the real Nancy. In an emotionally painful move, McCoy kills the creature, saving himself and the U.S.S. Enterprise crew.
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| Trivia |
This was the first episode to air and was written by George Clayton Johnson of Logan's Run fame.
The "salt vampire" (officially known as the M113 creature) was later seen, albeit briefly, in "The Squire of Gothos". Many futuristic-looking salt shakers were purchased for "The Man Trap", most of which ended up as McCoy's medical instruments! |
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