Your Idea For A Different Episode Ending?

I'd imagine that the thought at the time the episode first aired was that the male was killed and the cute little female would be the one restored.

 

Now you mention it this makes Crater's efforts to draw out Nancy make more sense. However Cramer also does mention that it could have been as long as two years since the Salt Vampire took the form of his wife meaning that it was possible it had fooled the previous ship (Kirk notes that "All research personnel on alien planets are required to have their health certified by a starship surgeon at one year intervals.") so you are still left with the question of why it went on a killing spree this time.

There is also indication that the Salt Vampire has some form of telepathy which given the premise of TOS could have been very strange for an unintelligent being.

 

Actually it was 71 hours or roughly three days in "Naked Time" which means you have effectively two Enterprises around for that time and agree regarding "Tomorrow is Yesterday" as it has basically the same problems.

To be fair to "Omega Glory" at least one of the parallel "Earths" was a lost colony and given "Space Seed" and "Squire of Gothos" Star Trek was fast and loose with what century it supposedly took place in.

 

I vividly remember being freaked out by this scene as a (approximately) six year old. I was even more shocked/sad when I realize they'd killed the "cute little female." I guess even as a 6-year old I kind of understood how TV usually worked. haha

 

Both stories would have been a great ending?

 

In Miri the Enterprise finds a duplicate Earth, complete with identical continents, buildings, everything.
They go down and investigate. They get involved in an adventure involving a disease that kills adults, which was an attempt at life prolongation gone wrong.
Kirk, Spock, Bones, Rand and a couple of redshirts get infected, and are eventually saved.
Then they just leave!?
I'm sure that the duplicate earth was just a money saving idea to avoid building new sets, but they could have put in a line or two at the end.
"So, duplicate Earth, What was up with that?"
"Who knows, we'll let science division worry about it."
-or something like that!

 

I am right on-board with SchwEnt, the Brady-Bunch ending was jarring and as he points out, pretty much pointless except for the the teasing of Spock, which is naturally funny.

However, if I had control of the typewriter, my simple tag ending would have been Kirk and Spock adressing Lt. BOMA - now resting and re-couping from his ordeal on Taurus II from inside THE BRIG - having being charged (during the commercial) with among other things, INSUBORDINATION and CONDUCT UNBECOMING A STARFLEET OFFICER.

Not a 'happy ending' to be sure, but it is a correct denouement, in my opinion, but I would NOT fade-out on the Bridge Crew slapping each other on the @ss in hysterics,... as people are facing death on Marcus III.

If anyone cares to read, I would have made other changes to this episode; in short:

Have the recovery of the Galileo occur just a bit sooner than it did, leaving enough pages to write them racing off to Marcus III, as LT. UHURA continues to relay the current "Body Count" as the death toll being to pile up.

At the same time McCoy reports the medical vaccine (which in my re-write began to show signs of breaking-down back in the middle of ACT 2, adding to KIRK's dilemma) is now begun to decompose, and will be lost BEFORE they reach the New Paris Colonies,... unless MR. SCOTT can jury-rig the environmental control system in the cargo hold to super-sub temperatures,... While dealing with the the temperature of the vaccine in the hold, Scotty and crew also have to keep "coaxing the engines along" as the stress and strain of continual maximum warp tears the ships engines apart,... now Scotty has a double-dilemma to deal with.

Concurrently, McCoy and crew are racing against the clock to develop an analogous substitute vaccine to replace that which was lost in during the delay of the search, and that which will potentially be lost en route, if Mr. Scott is not 100% successful,... now McCoy has a critical mission.

And finally end with the arrival of the Vaccine on Marcus II, but not in the 'nick of time', but having KIRK do some self-examination at the REAL cost of delaying the delivery of the vaccine to save his friends and crew.

Anti-climactic from an adventure 'Rescue Plot',... yeah, probably, but I think it is more real, and transposes the story to a real drama - with elements of action and adventure added - focusing on accountability for ones actions and making weighty decisions,... even BOMA.

My 2 cent script,... which would not have sold either,.. they bought the 'slap on the @ss' version LOL!