Wanderlust

1.1 — “The Man Trap”

1.1 — “The Man Trap”

The first Star Trek episode to air, “The Man Trap” was not the second pilot, but was selected to be the series premiere from among the first batch of episodes produced. Boom–we’re in, who needs a big expository introduction? I appreciate the addition of the Captain’s Log framing narration, however. It emphasizes the exploratory theme of the series and sets a tone of thoughtfulness.

This episode is a pot-boiler, not as high concept as “The Cage,” but not devoid of interest, either. Instead of The Odyssey, it feels like detective noir, complete with Kirk’s gumshoe line “I don’t like mysteries. They give me a bellyache. And I’ve got a beauty right now.”

I had the most fun just watching the crew. It’s good to see them! Uhura flirts with Spock right at the top of the show–I guess that’s where J.J. Abrams got the idea. “Vulcan has no moon.” “I’m not surprised, Mr. Spock.”

I did not know that Sulu raises exotic plants. One of them looks strangely like a hand wearing a sparkly purple glove. The actor who plays Yeoman Rand (Grace Lee Whitney) reminds me of Mary Lynn Rajskub. Hopefully, the hairdryers of the future can fix up that beehive in a jiffy. A yeoman, it turns out, is a petty naval officer, having mostly clerical duties. Just trying to keep this educational.

So, the salt thing. Would that work?

The tally is four dead crewmen; none, however, wearing red shirts. Kirk keeps his fluids to himself. Best line comes from McCoy, standing over a corpse: “I can’t find anything wrong with him!”

The monster suit is creepy and effective when it is revealed. I’d seen pictures of it, so I assumed I had also seen the episode. Nope–not that I remember! I’m looking forward to more new discoveries. What did y’all think?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Trap

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41 responses to “1.1 — “The Man Trap””

  1. Pearl Young Avatar
    Pearl Young

    The exotic plants were always my favorite part of this episode. I actually remembered them from the first time I saw it as a child, but didn’t remember much of the rest of the episode. (Yes, I love the purple muppet plant. Duh!) I think there’s one more upcoming episode that shows the “softer side” of Sulu, and then this aspect of his character just fades into the background, which is really sad.

    I would have liked to have seen them explore a bit more the idea of the species draining the salt water from the planet. There were some wonderful ecological/historical/species discussions that could have been pursued with this concept, but they’re largely ignored in the plot. The idea that the species developed suckers to extract the salt implies that they had turned cannibalistic at the end. Really interesting, but lost in the shuffle.

    I adore the idea that the “monster” is telepathic in a way that allows it to find the one image/persona that would allow it’s victim to love. It’s a tenuous link, but Carter hints that the creature needs love. I suspect that is what allows it to immobilize the victim, yes? I’d like to hear others’ take on how it paralyzes.

    I also wanted more than some rock structures to give us hints about the lost civilization. Shorthand at best, and not satisfying.

    Plenty of sexist imagery again: the way the blonde entices the first victim; the comments from the crew about wanting a personal yoeman; even the way Uhura and Spock interact felt slimy to me. Shrug. More signs of the times when this was shot. Ick.

    Speaking of Spock, we get a better look at his non-emotionalness in this episode, and he is firmly planted as the leader after Kirk. McCoy seems to be the same old McCoy we always have, so they had a firm grasp of where they wanted him to go from the beginning. 

    That’s what I’ve got so far. 🙂 pearl

    Reply
  2. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    I think my least favorite thing about this episode is the title, “The Man Trap.”  Saywhatnow?

    Reply
  3. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    The powers of the creature don’t seem entirely consistent.  In the opening scene, it shows Bones his love as he remembers her, Kirk the same person aged ~15 years, and the ensign a young blonde from his shore leave.  Why not show Kirk someone he remembers?  Later, for greater camoflage purposes, it shows everyone the same image.

    Reply
  4. Pearl Young Avatar
    Pearl Young

    The other huge inconsistency is the immobilization techniques. Also, the

    aborted thread about needing love… It’s like they threw six different

    ideas about how the creature works into a pot, and could never decide which recipe they were using.

    Reply
  5. Michael Hanscom Avatar
    Michael Hanscom

    The title’s a little problematic, especially as the creature didn’t really seem to discriminate, and had no problem with appearing as a male when it was stalking Rand and Uhura.

    The mottling on the face doesn’t seem to have any relation to the suckers on the fingers. The makeup crew should have worked more closely with the creature effects crew. 😉

    I liked a subtle little bit early in the episode, where Nancy first sees McCoy, and reaches up to touch his face with both hands. It’s something that wouldn’t be noticed on a first viewing, but it’s the same gesture the creature uses when it’s attacking its victims.

    I also wondered about the telepathic link between the creature and Crater. When he’s being examined by McCoy and they’re discussing Nancy’s appearance, he says something like “The next time…er…when you see her again, I’m sure she’ll look more reasonable.” He doesn’t have time to warn the creature to adjust her appearance for McCoy before she screams while “discovering” Darnell, but McCoy is then obviously seeing the same older version of Nancy that Kirk does. That would imply that there’s some mental communication at a distance — though it’s probably one-way (the creature picking up on Crater’s thoughts), as Crater has to go searching for it on the planet later on.

    Amused to see that Crater’s phaser was one of the phaser props from The Cage.

    Also amused at the difference in the “stun” effect here. In other instances, stunning someone knocks them out; here, it’s apparently more in line with the name, as Crater’s woozy and dazed, but not unconscious. Slowing the voice down for the first few moments doesn’t make much sense, though.

    Reply
  6. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    Perhaps the creature needs “love” for protection, as you suggested.  To disarm its enemies (as it almost prevented McCoy from rescuing Kirk at the end) and cause them to use their skills to provide for its needs.

    Reply
  7. Geoff Gill Avatar
    Geoff Gill

    Ah, so NOW we’re watching Star Trek.

    So, they send an entire starship to do a “routine medical examination” of…two people? Really? Glad to see the Federation is efficient. THANKS OBAMACARE. And nothing says “boldly go” like “routine medical examination”. Glad to see we’re starting with a bang. 🙂

    I feel like the feminism went away already. Everything a female character does is centered around men.

    “According to all the tests, he should be able to just get up and walk away from here.” Really? So, he still has, like, a heartbeat? Or do you not have a STETHOSCOPE?

    “Space Commander.” That’s a title? It’s not like we call them “Ocean Admirals.”

    “Jim, he’s run off!” Well, slowly meandered would be more accurate.

    The salt vampire as Crewman Green looks like he’s smoked a little green, if you catch my drift.

    Janice Rand had to spend like 3 hours on that hair every day. 

    I love how the animate plant is obviously just a glove.

    Good for your metaphor that buffalo never kill anyone….wait….

    Is it me or are medical ethics in the future a little wonky?

    Kirk screams when he’s getting…sucked. No one else does. WTF?

    And at the end, they just kill the saltvamp. They couldn’t find an uninhabitable planet full of salt and stick a warning beacon in orbit? Stick it in the brig and figure out how to clone more? The only solution here was genocide?

    Reply
  8. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    Shooting the creature was plainly not an execution, but an act in defense of Kirk, whose life was in danger.

    Reply
  9. Pearl Young Avatar
    Pearl Young

    Oh yes! I meant to mention that the buffalo analogy really doesn’t work in my head. If they were buffalo, who came and hunted them to death? Where are the hunters now? Why use that reference? This is just as nonsensical as the title, “Man Trap”.

    Reply
  10. Geoff Gill Avatar
    Geoff Gill

    With how slowly Vampy moves, especially after the first shot, they could’ve gotten a security team down there and stunned it repeatedly. But meh.

    Reply
  11. Pearl Young Avatar
    Pearl Young

    http://www.genericinternetcritic.com/star-trek-the-original-series/season-1-episode-2

    ^|^ Love this!

    Reply
  12. Michael Hanscom Avatar
    Michael Hanscom

    I’m particularly fond of the last line of that review, except for the fact that can’t I have an original idea just once, dammit?! 😉

    Reply
  13. Pearl Young Avatar
    Pearl Young

    Hahaha! I thought you might have a little indigestion about that. 😛

    Reply
  14. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    I don’t think it’s clear that the alien is a shapeshifter instead of an illusionist/deceiver along the lines of the Talosians.  In fact, the opening where it is perceived three ways simultaneously unambigously supports the deceiver side (and if its shape is shifted, why not its dietary requirements?).  It’s also far from clear that the alien is a “she.”  While I definitely don’t like the title, it can be read as “The Human Trap,” where man just generical means person, as in “where no man has gone before.”

    Reply
  15. Geoff Gill Avatar
    Geoff Gill

    Vampy, presumably, doesn’t have a human gender, even if it has one. And I think it’s pretty clear Vampy is only an illusionist/hypnotist.

    Reply
  16. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    I also don’t think that Dr. Crater’s argument that the creature is not innately hostile to humans settles the matter. He is certainly in a state of denial. The situation seems to be a lot less clear cut.  By cooperating Crater could have saved the creature’s life, perhaps at the cost of placing it in it’s own cage or alien zoo.

    Reply
  17. Geoff Gill Avatar
    Geoff Gill

    Crater’s argument is bolstered, however, by the fact that he lived with Vampy for five years. Clearly, it is controllable to some extent.

    Reply
  18. Michael Hanscom Avatar
    Michael Hanscom

    All this talk about the alien’s gender — don’t we all know by now that gender is a social construct and works along a spectrum? It’s the alien’s decision as to whether it wants to be a “he”, “she”, or something else, and we should all respect that. It’s truly a shame that, to our knowledge, neither Dr. Crater nor any of the Enterprise crew took the time to check with the alien to determine the proper pronoun to use.

    Reply
  19. Geoff Gill Avatar
    Geoff Gill

    Well, clearly the alien doesn’t have a strong preference, since it clearly reflects the expectations of the crew.

    Reply
  20. Jennifer Douwes Avatar
    Jennifer Douwes

    My thoughts are brief, I’ll try not to cover anything already mentioned :-).

    The length of the costumes really bothered me. No not the short skirts, though I spent part of one scene trying to look up one, but the length of the trousers and shirts. I swear I saw a belly in one scene. 

    I hope no one ever makes a real truth serum. I’d be screwed. I’m really an evil person in disguise.

    I was pleasantly surprised at McCoy’s acting (DeForest Kelley was it?) when he was portraying vampy. He did the best job I thought.

    The coil in Spock’s ear in a few scenes was crazy looking, like someone had stabbed him with a wine bottle opener. 

    This is the episode that put Scott-the-husband off of women for awhile. 

    There was more, but you all covered it already! 🙂

    Reply
  21. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    We’ve mostly been bending over backward to make excuses for the sexism, but you could see this episode as an exploration of the old trope of women as two-faced and chageable predators who, given half a chance, will suck out a man’s vitality.

    Playing with that trope does automatically make the episode misogynist, though–you can say that it’s reclaiming the idea, exposing it in a form over which we can more easily exercise critical judgment, revealing its essential silliness.  All good things that science fiction can do.

    Reply
  22. Michael Hanscom Avatar
    Michael Hanscom

    Jennifer: Oh, yes, the pants! I’ll admit, I’d never thought terribly much about the costumes before this project (aside from being a long-time admirer of the [Theiss Theory of Titillation][1], which hasn’t come into play too much yet, but it sure will later on), but one of Pearl Young’s comments in the thread for The Cage prompted me to look a little more closely. I was quite amused at the men’s uniforms apparently including high-heeled boots and capris.

    [1]: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheissTitillationTheory

    Reply
  23. Geoff Gill Avatar
    Geoff Gill

    The thing that bugged me the most about the costuming was the weird sash-belt things they were apparently velcroing their phasers to?

    Reply
  24. Pearl Young Avatar
    Pearl Young

    I kept looking at those damned orange strips and wondering if their weird

    underwear were showing!

    These outfits are awful. Polyester, too small, no pockets, no layers, no

    comfort or function. Just dreadful.

    Reply
  25. Geoff Gill Avatar
    Geoff Gill

    At least Shatner was reasonably fit at this point.

    Reply
  26. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    Geoff, wait until you see Thursday’s episode on that point.

    Reply
  27. Geoff Gill Avatar
    Geoff Gill

    Oh, I know worse is to come. When Season 3 rolls around, you will all be in agreement with me.

    Reply
  28. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    You misunderstand me.  Explicit evidence of William Shatner’s level of fitness at that point of time will be presented in 1.2.

    Reply
  29. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    Kind of longish, but interesting review of “The Man Trap.”  Of course, we weren’t the first ones to do this… http://www.tor.com/blogs/2009/04/star-trek-re-watch-the-man-trap

    Reply
  30. Pearl Young Avatar
    Pearl Young

    No working ahead! Eyes on your own test!

    ~_^

    Reply
  31. Sarah MacMillan Avatar
    Sarah MacMillan

    I re-watched this episode earlier this year in an ill-conceived attempt to watch TOS with my spouse & kids. Instead of starting with Trouble with Tribbles, like any sane person ought, Alex and I decided to go in order.

    Our kids were TERRIFIED by The Man Trap. They had nightmares about being attacked for their salt. Seriously.

    That said….since one creature is not enough to restart a viable population, the archaeologist seems sentimental to no point. This alien killed his spouse. Where’s the anger? Remorse? Guilt? While his sympathy for the alien may be admirable, I have to wonder why he didn’t talk to the Enterprise crew first, explain the situation, and ask to beamed to the ship for the physical. Why risk exposing the crew to his murderous companion?

    Wanting the alien to be “free” on a dead planet seems a little odd. The Federation are decent sorts, right? Compassionate? Why not explain what he found? (We’ve got to protect the poor misunderstood alien who only kills to survive—despite the fact that you’d think an intelligent being would, hmm, ask for lots of salt first?)

    The alien seems quite willing to drop the archaeologist for Dr. McCoy, even after years of care. Given its propensity to murder people at the drop of a hat, it’s hard to be too sympathetic.

    Kevin, nice try, but this episode is not playing with the woman-as-temptress trope, it’s replicating it. The impractical short skirt uniforms say it all. Women have been demoted to nothing Man Trap. (Never fear, Dr. Elizabeth Dehner is coming next Monday to cheer us all up…)

    Reply
  32. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    …and the salt vampires can look just like Mommy and Daddy if they want to.  Sweet dreams!  (I actually think this Thursday’s episode is scarier than this one, which is saying something, but maybe the reverse for small children.)

    Reply
  33. R. Alex Reutter Avatar
    R. Alex Reutter

    Everything I had to say (and more) has been said above; +1 to this whole discussion thread.

    Reply
  34. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    The triva page for the episode at IMDB has interesting tidbits.  My favorite:

    Uhura’s line, “Sometimes I think if I hear the word ‘frequency’ again I’ll cry”, is drawn from an incident during filming. As early as it was in the series, Nichelle Nichols was already tiring of the repeated line, “Hailing frequency open, sir”; at one point she turned to Leonard Nimoy and told him, “If I have to say the word ‘frequency’ one more time, I’ll blow up this goddamn panel.”

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0708469/trivia?ref_=tt_trv_trv

    Reply
  35. Allen Knutson Avatar
    Allen Knutson

    I saw a woman in long pants!

    When the first redshirt (I don’t care what color they are) dies, they all beam up — Kirk, McCoy, deadshirt. The transporter room tells Spock that somebody’s dead. Hmm, who could it be? Maybe the captain, who knows? Further details as necessary!

    Next time, when they beam up Ensign Astroturf, they leave deadshirt#2 behind. What gives?

    Reply
  36. Katharine Bond Avatar
    Katharine Bond

    I am seriously peeved by the first scene with Uhura. Really?

    Reply
  37. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    I didn’t take that as more than banter, with Uhura trying to wind Spock up, and establishing Uhura as a major character at the top of the show who has some personality other than operating the communications console to boot.  But apparently some people take it as an anti-feminist thing?

    I’m looking up the dialog at http://www.chakoteya.net/startrek/episodes.htm, which is kind of an amazing site.  Seems more flirtatious than sexist to me, but I guess I can see other points of view.

    Reply
  38. Allen Knutson Avatar
    Allen Knutson

    I suppose one could take the view that it’s not that different from McCoy’s perennial winding up of Spock. I’d’ve liked to see him doing that with Number One.

    Reply
  39. Sarah MacMillan Avatar
    Sarah MacMillan

    I thought it was telling that Nichelle Nichols apparently said that she would ‘blow up’ the console if she had to say the word “frequency” again, but when this stray comment became dialog, the character said she would ‘cry’ — it’s the same kind of casual frustration comment, but the writers changed it to make her weaker, presumably to conform to what 60s TV audiences expected to see. If she rolled her eyes and said she would smash the console, that gives us a very different character than one who bats her eyelashes at Spock and seems to assume he will flirt with her because, duh, that’s how you make “conversation” with attractive young ladies. (Notice Spock is establishing his alien nature by not responding. Because apparently human men always respond to beautiful young women flirting in a professional setting? Huh?) 

    Look, I’m a Trek fan, but with all due fan respect, I don’t think you can win this one.

     

    Reply
  40. Allen Knutson Avatar
    Allen Knutson

    Mainly I was shocked that she seemed so desperate! (Then I thought, why didn’t she try hitting on Sulu? Oh, right.)

    Reply
  41. Kevin Black Avatar
    Kevin Black

    I think it’s more than fair to say that the creators of the show specifically did not imagine a future which was egalitarian in the sense of being gender blind in the workplace.  The treatment of the character of Janice Rand bothers me more than Uhura, however.  Nichelle doesn’t let you believe for a second that Uhura is not good at her job and does not enjoy the full respect of her colleagues.  The fact that she’s comfortable enough to push back in a friendly way and tweak Spock when he’s correcting an error in her work speaks well to that.  Rand seems much more like a character who, granted, is younger and junior in rank to most everyone else, but is portrayed as being happy being menial and subservient and sees herself as less than an equal.

    Reply

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