The Man Trap

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0><script> (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-47423994-1', 'fortunecity.ws'); ga('send', 'pageview'); </script> <center> <br> <div> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript" src="http://ad.broadcaststation.net/ads/show_ad.php?width=728&height=90"></script> </div> </center> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0 height="100%"><tr> <td valign="top" width=168 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="1b5c7c93.gif"> <div> <IMG SRC="1aa80550.jpg" border=0 width="128" height="85" ALT="Nancy?" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="1ac80550.jpg" border=0 width="128" height="85" ALT="The Salt Vampire" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="1ae80550.jpg" border=0 width="128" height="85" ALT="Professor Crater" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <IMG SRC="25c80550.jpg" border=0 width="128" height="85" ALT="Darnell's Downfall" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </td> <td valign="top" BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="0bfc7c93.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="6" COLOR="#FFFF00" FACE="StarTrek BT" >ROB'S <I>STAR TREK</I>  SITE</FONT><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFCC99" FACE="Arial" >     </FONT>|   <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Robs Star Trek Site"><U><B>Home</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Episodes"><U><B>The Episodes</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where No Man has Gone Before"><U>Where No Man has Gone Before</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Corbomite Maneuver"><U>The Corbomite Maneuver</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mudds Women"><U>Mudd's Women</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id33.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Enemy Within"><U>The Enemy Within</U></A>   |   <B>The Man Trap</B>   |   <A HREF="id36.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Naked Time"><U>The Naked Time</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id41.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Charlie X"><U>Charlie X</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id42.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Balance of Terror"><U>Balance of Terror</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id43.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="What are Little Girls Made Of?"><U>What are Little Girls Made Of?</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id44.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dagger of the Mind"><U>Dagger of the Mind</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id45.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Miri"><U>Miri</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id46.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Conscience of the King"><U>The Conscience of the King</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id47.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Galileo Seven"><U>The Galileo Seven</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Court Martial"><U>Court Martial</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id49.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Menagerie"><U>The Menagerie</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id50.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Shore Leave"><U>Shore Leave</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id51.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Squire of Gothos"><U>The Squire of Gothos</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id52.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Arena"><U>Arena</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id53.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Alternative Factor"><U>The Alternative Factor</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id54.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tomorrow is Yesterday"><U>Tomorrow is Yesterday</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Return of the Archons"><U>The Return of the Archons</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id56.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Taste of Armageddon"><U>A Taste of Armageddon</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Space Seed"><U>Space Seed</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id58.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="This Side of Paradise"><U>This Side of Paradise</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Devil in the Dark"><U>The Devil in the Dark</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id60.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Errand of Mercy"><U>Errand of Mercy</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The City on the Edge of Forever"><U>The City on the Edge of Forever</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Operation Annihilate!"><U>Operation - Annihilate!</U></A></div> <div> <IMG SRC="040f4010.gif" border=0 width="500" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> "THE MAN TRAP"</div> <div> <B>(Best viewed if you expand your browser's window.)</B></div> <div> <B>Need the </B><I><B>STAR TREK</B></I><B> font?  Click </B><A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Star Trek Font"><U><B>here</B></U></A><B> to download it!</B></div> <div> <B>Own this episode!   </B><A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00001MXXR/robsstartreks-20" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B"><U><B>DVD</B></U></A><B>   </B><A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6300213102/robsstartreks-20" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/6"><U><B>VHS</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="040f4010.gif" border=0 width="500" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> EPISODE 6</div> <div> ORIGINAL AIRDATE:  09/08/66</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="040f4010.gif" border=0 width="500" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="579" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 20 WIDTH="284"><div> <B><U>GUEST CAST</U></B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="284"><div> <B><U>PRODUCTION CREDITS</U></B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 89 ><NOBR><div> <B>"NANCY CRATER":  </B><A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Bal,+Jeanne" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Bal,+Jeanne"><U><B>JEANNE BAL</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>PROF. ROBERT CRATER:  </B><A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Ryder,+Alfred" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Ryder,+Alfred"><U><B>ALFRED RYDER</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>CREWMAN GREEN:  </B><A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Watson,+Bruce+(I)" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Watson,+Bruce+(I"><U><B>BRUCE WATSON</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>CREWMAN DARNELL:  </B><A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Zaslow,+Michael" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Zaslow,+Michael"><U><B>MICHAEL ZASLOW</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>UHURA'S CREWMAN:  </B><A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Howard,+Vince" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Howard,+Vince"><U><B>VINCE HOWARD</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>NANCY III:  </B><A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Pyne,+Francine" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Pyne,+Francine"><U><B>FRANCINE PYNE</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B>WRITTEN BY:  </B><A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Johnson,+George+Clayton" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Johnson,+George+"><U><B>GEORGE CLAYTON JOHNSON</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>DIRECTED BY:  </B><A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Daniels,+Marc" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Daniels,+Marc"><U><B>MARC DANIELS</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>PRODUCED BY:  </B><A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Roddenberry,+Gene" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Roddenberry,+Gen"><U><B>GENE RODDENBERRY</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>MUSIC COMPOSED BY:  </B><A HREF="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Courage,+Alexander" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://us.imdb.com/Name?Courage,+Alexand"><U><B>ALEXANDER COURAGE</B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="040f4010.gif" border=0 width="500" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B>STARDATE:  1513.1  (2266)  The </B><I><B>USS Enterprise</B></I><B> is assigned to administer routine medical examinations to the sole occupants of planet </B><A HREF="http://www.startrek.com/library/cartog.asp?ID=69934" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.startrek.com/library/cartog.a"><U><B>M-113</B></U></A><B>:</B><B>  Archaeologist </B><A HREF="http://www.startrek.com/library/individ.asp?ID=114327" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.startrek.com/library/individ."><U><B>Professor Robert Crater</B></U></A><B> and his wife </B><A HREF="http://www.startrek.com/library/individ.asp?ID=114324" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.startrek.com/library/individ."><U><B>Nancy</B></U></A><B>.  Ten years earlier – before she met Robert – Nancy and Dr. McCoy ended a long love affair.  As a result, McCoy is somewhat anxious when he beams down to the planet with Captain Kirk and </B><A HREF="http://www.startrek.com/library/individ.asp?ID=114477" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.startrek.com/library/individ."><U><B>Crewman Darnell</B></U></A><B> to administer the exams and take inventory of the Crater's supplies.  When Mrs. Crater arrives at the campsite, without knowing it, each member of the landing party sees a different Nancy Crater – McCoy sees her as she was ten years ago, Kirk sees a Nancy as she would look ten years after leaving McCoy, and Darnell sees a blonde woman that he had met earlier on Wrigley's Pleasure Planet.  Mrs. Crater excuses herself to locate the Professor, and, as the blonde "Nancy," lures Darnell away from the campsite.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Professor Crater returns to the campsite before Nancy and Darnell and is extremely resistant to submit to a physical exam.  He points out that, other than needing more salt tablets against the heat, he and his wife are in perfect health.  The professor's exam is cut short by Nancy screaming.  The men find her outside over Darnell's dead body, his face covered by a red, ring-shaped mottling, and a bite of a plant in his mouth.  Nancy explains that she was on her way back to the camp when she saw Darnell take a bite of the Borgia plant and fall.  When Kirk postpones the physicals until the next day (under protest from Professor Crater), Nancy asks Crater if he requested more salt tablets.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>A background investigation of the Craters comes up normal, except that shipments of artifacts and reports has dropped significantly over the last year.  An autopsy of Darnell's body shows no evidence of alkaline poisoning, which is the result of eating the Borgia plant, but it does reveal the complete absence of salt in his body, a medically impossible condition.  Recalling that both the professor and Nancy requested salt tablets, Kirk decides to beam down to question the Craters, with McCoy and Crewmen </B><A HREF="http://www.startrek.com/library/individ.asp?ID=119025" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.startrek.com/library/individ."><U><B>Green</B></U></A><B> and </B><A HREF="http://www.startrek.com/library/individ.asp?ID=115230" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.startrek.com/library/individ."><U><B>Sturgeon</B></U></A><B> accompanying him.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Upon arrival at the site, Nancy is absent from the camp.  Kirk sends Green to find her and sends Sturgeon to get a sample of the Borgia plant for analysis.  After Kirk informs Crater that he and Nancy will have to beam up to the </B><I><B>Enterprise</B></I><B> for their safety, Crater sneaks off.  During this time, a </B><A HREF="http://www.startrek.com/library/xeno.asp?ID=70657" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.startrek.com/library/xeno.asp"><U><B>Salt Vampire</B></U></A><B> that has been posing as Nancy kills both Sturgeon and Green and assumes Green's identity to escape detection.  When Kirk and McCoy discover Sturgeon's body, they decide to use the </B><I><B>Enterprise's</B></I><B> sensors to continue the search for the Professor and Mrs. Crater.  Still posing as Green, the creature transports to the ship with Kirk and McCoy.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Once onboard, the vampire attempts to attack Yeoman Rand and Lt. Uhura before finally killing crewman Barnhardt, who's body is discovered later by Rand and Lt. Sulu.  The creature assumes the form of Nancy, goes to McCoy's cabin, convinces him to take some sleeping pills, and takes on the Doctor's identity.  Meanwhile, Kirk and Spock have only been able to locate the professor on the surface, so they beam down to interrogate Crater.  After finding Green's body and engaging in a brief shoot-out with Crater, Kirk stuns the archeologist and learns that the real Nancy was killed by the creature almost two years ago.  Crater also explains that he didn't kill the alien because it was the last surviving native of planet M-113.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Kirk, Spock, and Crater beam up to the </B><I><B>Enterprise.</B></I><B>  Although Kirk gets Crater to admit he can recognize the creature in any form, the professor refuses to cooperate.  Spock suggests using truth serum on Crater to get the answers, and he accompanies Crater and "McCoy" (the monster in disguise) to sickbay.  The creature attacks Spock, kills Crater, and goes to McCoy's cabin, now in Nancy's form.  Kirk arrives with salt to destroy the vampire, but McCoy protects "Nancy" until the alien attacks Kirk.  Seeing the vampire in its true form as it tries to feed off the Captain, McCoy uses Kirk's phaser to finally dispatch the creature.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <IMG SRC="040f4010.gif" border=0 width="500" height="1" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <div> <B><U>INTERESTING POINTS</U></B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- When NBC premiered </B><I><B>Star Trek</B></I><B> </B><B>in 1966, this was the first episode they chose to air.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- In what might be seen as cross-training on the </B><I><B>Enterprise,</B></I><B> Lt. Uhura is shown at the navigator's position in the opening shot of the bridge.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- This episode marks the first appearance of the tricorder.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- Although we see the creature change form, it's likely that the various incarnations the creature takes are the result of telepathy, since Kirk, McCoy, and Darnell all see the three different women at the same time.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- When Kirk adds information to his Captain's Log, he says, "Captain's log, additional entry" or "Captain's log, continuing."  Later in the series, "Captain's log, supplemental" would become the standard for a log addendum.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- This episode establishes Sulu's interest in botany.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- Most of Dr. McCoy's medical instruments in this and future episodes are salt shakers.  Varying exotic salt shakers were collected for the scene when Yeoman Rand has Sulu's meal, but they were discarded as salt shakers because it was thought the viewing audience wouldn't recognize them for what they were.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- When Yeoman Rand delivers Sulu's meal, he says, "May the Great Bird of the Galaxy bless your planet."  "The Great Bird of the Galaxy" was a nickname given to Gene Roddenberry by associate producer Robert H. Justman.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- Crater uses an old phaser prop from "THE CAGE" and </B><A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where No Man has Gone Before"><U><B>"</B></U></A><A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where No Man has Gone Before"><U><B>WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE</B></U></A><A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Where No Man has Gone Before"><U><B>."</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>- After being shot, Crater's voice is slowed down slightly to give the impression that his nervous system is reacting to the stunning effect of the phaser.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>PLOT FAULTS</U></B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>- A basic plot fault of this episode is the supposed intelligence of the creature.  If the creature was as smart as Professor Crater states, one would think it would have enough sense to not kill humans that are obviously going to be missed . . . like starship personnel.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- While not a plot fault in this episode, Spock informs Uhura that Vulcan has no moon.  However, in </B><I><B>Star Trek The Motion Picture</B></I><B>, Vulcan is shown with several moons.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- One of the basic premises of </B><I><B>Star Trek</B></I><B> was a respect for all life forms.  Kirk seems to throw that philosophy away in this episode in his zeal to capture and destroy the last living creature of planet M-113.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- Although it was more dramatic, Kirk shouldn't have started screaming when he was being attacked.  If all of its victims screamed, the creature would have been discovered much earlier.</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B><U>TECHNICAL FAULTS</U></B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> <B>- When Kirk, McCoy, and Darnell beam down, Kirk is holding his tricorder.  When the landing party approaches the ancient building, however, Kirk has the tricorder slung over his left shoulder.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- In the flyby shot of the </B><I><B>Enterprise</B></I><B> prior to Spock and Uhura's conversation, the matte effect allows the passing stars to be seen through the hull of the ship.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- When Kirk uses the transporter intercom after he, McCoy, and "Green" beam up, the light on the speaker indicating the intercom is in use is already lit before he presses the activation switch.  Also, the light stays lit after he apparently switches the intercom off.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- When Shatner enters the turbo lift, the shadow of the cameraman following him can be seen on the right side of the actor's face.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- The panels of the bridge form a continuous circle, breaking only at the turbo lift and the main view screen.  However, when Spock is relating to Kirk the result of his search for Crater, the panel in front of him breaks the circle to allow for the positioning of the camera.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- When Lt. Uhura acknowledges Kirk's summon to the bridge, she forgets to turn off the intercom panel.  Of course, being under the creature's hypnotic effect might have made her a little disorientated.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>- When Sulu calls Kirk to report Barnhardt's death, Kirk's communicator makes the "activation" sound effect rather than the "incoming transmission" sound effect.  Also, when Kirk is crawling around the ruins to get a clear shot at Crater, the communicator on his belt bounces open, but no sound effect is heard.</B></div> </td> </tr></table></body>