"The Man Trap" if you had seen it's debut in the 60's

[plynch]

I never thought about this until reading it somewhere on this BBS I think . . . they could've gone Horta-esque and just fed it lots of salt and not killed it, right?

I know it had killed, but it was starving; they later forgave MamaHorta and moved on, right?

Come to think, why didn't it just go to the food slots or the galley and eat a bunch o' salt? Eh, whatever, I like the ep's early moodiness and conversational dialog. I generally prefer the vibe of the earlier eps and wish they'd kept it.

But they didn't. So we we move on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the late '60s.

 

[Dale Sams]

Talk about being immured in the present-day...this only just occurred to me. Did the network receive any complaints about Uhura's part in that particular show?

If I ever heard about it, I've forgotten.

 

[Dale Sams]

I never thought about this until reading it somewhere on this BBS I think . . . they could've gone Horta-esque and just fed it lots of salt and not killed it, right?

I know it had killed, but it was starving; they later forgave MamaHorta and moved on, right?

Come to think, why didn't it just go to the food slots or the galley and eat a bunch o' salt? Eh, whatever, I like the ep's early moodiness and conversational dialog. I generally prefer the vibe of the earlier eps and wish they'd kept it.

But they didn't. So we we move on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the late '60s.

Not only that, but it's *Spock* calling the idea, 'reckless'.

But though slightly out of character for him for almost the rest of history, I don't mind at all how Spock is portrayed in that episode.

 

[Commishsleer]

I never thought about this until reading it somewhere on this BBS I think . . . they could've gone Horta-esque and just fed it lots of salt and not killed it, right?

I know it had killed, but it was starving; they later forgave MamaHorta and moved on, right?

Come to think, why didn't it just go to the food slots or the galley and eat a bunch o' salt? Eh, whatever, I like the ep's early moodiness and conversational dialog. I generally prefer the vibe of the earlier eps and wish they'd kept it.

But they didn't. So we we move on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the late '60s.

I think the Salt Monster had them backed into a corner so McCoy had no choice but to phaser it to save Kirk.
Based on other episodes they probably would have saved it if Spock had a choice (unless it was killing the Captain - then no dice)

 

[plynch]

Yeah, at the climax of the ep, there's clear life-or-death. Back up a few hours and put out a message, Hey, Baggy Eyes, all the salt you can eat . . . come an' get it. Then you've got a neat cultural exchange thing going soon. Instead of little Hortas digging tunnels, you'd have an old Vampire taste-testing the soup . . . but still.

But I understand, it was early, they were finding their way in the tone of the show.

 

[Commishsleer]

Kirk (TOS) was inconsistent when dealing with 'monsters'. He was happy that Lenore (the killer of his friend and 6 others) was being cared for and he seemed to let Dr Coleman off scott free despite being involved in several deaths and in helping Lester try to kill Kirk.
Yet Kirk didn't even attempt communication with the cloud creature in "Obsession" or the creatures that were attacking Deneva. Perhaps they were misunderstood like the Gorn and the Horta.
I personally give the Salt Vampire killing a pass because they didn't seem to have a choice. Though that was of course the writing. They wanted to show I think McCoy and Spock's loyalty to Kirk I think so the Salt Vampire's death was incidental.

 

[Greg Cox]

To be fair, Lenore was obviously mentally disturbed and had already accidentally killed her own father. She was no longer a threat to the ship or its crew and had ended up paying a huge price for her crimes; what would be the point in treating her like a monster? She was more to be pitied than feared.

 

[Commishsleer]

Tell that to Dr Leyton's wife.

But I agree with you. She had to live with the horror of what her father did for her entire life.

Edit: Although I'm sure she wouldn't be found 'insane' under current US laws.

 

[Greg Cox]

Tell that to Dr Leyton's wife.

But I agree with you. She had to live with the horror of what her father did for her entire life.

Edit: Although I'm sure she wouldn't be found 'insane' under current US laws.

Yeah, imagine finding out that your beloved father is actually Kodos the Executioner. That might drive you around the bend. And remember she was only nineteen years old when Kirk ended her murder spree. She was literally a troubled teen.

In any event, once she's exposed, she's not powerful enough to destroy an Earth colony or anything, so you might as well treat her humanely. Although, judging from what we saw in "Dagger of the Mind" and "Whom Gods Destroy," I'm not sure shipping her to a Federation asylum is exactly light punishment.

 

[Nerys Myk]

"The Wrath of Lenore". Come on, it practically writes it's self!

 

[Greg Cox]

"The Wrath of Lenore". Come on, it practically writes it's self!

Don't think I haven't thought about it.

 

[plynch]

They'll sit her in a chair with spinning, orange lights, she'll be fixed by act two.

 

[Greg Cox]

They'll sit her in a chair with spinning, orange lights, she'll be fixed by act two.

I'm sure those haven't been approved for human trials yet.

On other hand, there's that revolutionary new drug they used to cure Garth . . . .

 

[Nerys Myk]

Dr. Adams, Garth and Lenore team up to get revenge on Kirk!

 

[M'Sharak]

Great thread. Did anyone here see Trek in first run? What was it like for you? Did all your friends talk about it at school etc? There's a bit of debate going on about how big a hit Star Trek was..very keen to hear from people.

While I was around for Trek on the original run, I'm pretty sure that the first episode I caught on its initial airing was "The Naked Time". The salt vampire and the frowning long-faced alien always creeped me out as stills behind the closing credits but I wouldn't know the stories which went with the pictures until quite a bit later, when "Man Trap" and "The Corbomite Maneuver" were shown as between-season reruns.

I can't recall whether there was much talking in school, but I remember for sure that I had a couple of friends who were into Trek. One lived in the house next door to ours, and it was from hearing him describe the plot of WNMHGB (the day after it first aired) that I learned about Star Trek in the first place.

 

[Harvey]

The salt vampire and the frowning long-faced alien always creeped me out as stills behind the closing credits but I wouldn't know the stories which went with the pictures until quite a bit later, when "Man Trap" and "The Corbomite Maneuver" were shown as between-season reruns.

I'm sure you saw "The Man Trap" as a re-run, but it wasn't shown "between-seasons," as you remember it. Indeed, "The Man Trap" was never re-run on NBC during the show's first run. You must have seen it later, in syndication.

"The Corbomite Maneuver" did get an NBC re-run, though, on May 11, 1967.

 

[MGagen]

I saw The Man Trap on the night it premiered back in '66. I was five.

I recall my dad telling me about a science fiction show that was coming on that night. We were relegated to the TV in mom & dad's bedroom because my mom wasn't much interested in watching a "space show."

I saw the opener and the first few minutes of the show, but got bored (remember I was 5). I recall telling my dad "That's great. I'm going to go play in my room. Call me if there are any monsters, or if they shoot their laser guns." (Of course, all space men must have laser guns.)

About 40 minutes later, my dad calls out to me from his room: "Mark! You'd better get in here. There's a monster, and I think they're going to shoot it with their laser guns..."

I ran in just in time to see the salt vampire, Kirk screaming, and McCoy firing his phaser. I was hooked.

Oddly, it wasn't until many years later that I put two and two together and realized that I had seen the first episode broadcast.

M.

 

[Greg Cox]

Oddly, it wasn't until many years later that I put two and two together and realized that I had seen the first episode broadcast.

M.

Yeah, growing up and watching the reruns on a constant loop in syndication, I doubt that most of knew (or cared) what order they were supposed to be in. I remember being scared by the Salt Vampire when the show ran one evening on NBC so I guess I must have that first airing, but it blurs in my memory with other nights watching Star Trek with my dad, along with The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, and Batman.

I don't think that I knew that "Mantrap" was the "first" episode or that "Turnabout Intruder" was the last until I started reading books and articles on Trek in my teens.

(Remember, there was no wikipedia or internet back then.)

 

[MGagen]

I recall our family taking a walk around the block after dinner one summer evening with me complaining that we wouldn't be back in time to watch Lost in Space.

 

[Silvercrest]

"The Wrath of Lenore". Come on, it practically writes it's self!

You'll need to change your sig.

The boring one, the one with Khan, the one where Spock returns, the one with whales, the dumb one, the last one, the one with Kirk, the one with the Borg, the stupid one, the bad one, the new one, the other one with Khan, the one with the psycho Shakespeare chick.