# STAR TREK 12/21 The Man Trap **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 22, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190 "2004-12-22T18:14:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/1 "2004-12-22T18:14:09Z")
As **“The Cage”** is now reaching its 40th anniversary and the entire original series is now out on DVD, I think it’s time to open some threads on the epidodes of Star Trek. Instead of the jumble of the entire series under one thread I propose to open several threads, one a week discussing each episode in original air date order. I’d like to look at it as if the series was running today, treating it as if it was an Enterprise thread discussing the latest episode. The rules are simple 1. No one can user later undiscussed episodes. 2. The movies are a no no. 3. Later Star Trek series are out of bounds as well. We’ll treat this as Star Trek Year Zero. 4. New Episodes Air Tuesday Nights at 8pm on NBC 5. If you have that Alberta station you may post 1 day early but you must use spoiler boxes. 6. This isn’t the sixties, it is now. Just pretend that episode 1 just aired Yesterday as an NBC Mid season replacement. So anyone interested? If so Our first episode is **The Man trap** If you need reference or want to know what is coming up next I’d suggest refering to [this episode guide](http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/episodes/TOS/index.html) ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/2 "2004-12-22T18:38:42Z")
Didn’t the shapeshifting monster remind anyone of the Dementors from Harry Potter, with that mouth and everything? I hope we see more of Uhura’s personal life. She’s so pretty. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/3 "2004-12-22T18:43:05Z")
Too bad that security guard in the red jersey got killed off so fast. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/4 "2004-12-22T18:49:12Z")
I sure hope the rest of the series is gonna be as cool as this one. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/5 "2004-12-22T18:50:27Z")
I like the Vulcanian Spock. His alieness works pretty well and the crew not treating him as so special makes it seem like aliens are the norm. The Salt sucker’s actual form was a surprise. You have to wonder why Proffesor Crater (sheesh I guess in the future we’ll all have spacey names) would keep it alive after it killed his wife. I mean that whole buffalo anaolgy doesn’t quite do it for me. Gotta love the women’s uniforms, looks like Rodenberry is going for the sex appeal draw on this. mini skirts and boots, man that works for me. I gotta say that blond Yeoman is hot! The “glove plant” was kinda goofy though. Like the design for the interior of the USS Enterprise, Looks like a real ship with all the crew bustling about. Not a bad story though why is it only Kirk screams when attacked, and no one else did? ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/6 "2004-12-22T18:53:06Z")
It was only trying to survive – seems like they could have done something other than just shoot the thing. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/7 "2004-12-22T19:03:53Z")
The buffalo are going to be extinct? Oh, man… ---
**Author:** ![Nars\_Glinley](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nars_glinley/32/8177_2.png) [@Nars\_Glinley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nars_Glinley)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/8 "2004-12-22T19:06:13Z")
I know this is just science fiction but does it seem realistic that having all of the salt drained from you would kill you instantly? Dr. McCoy looked prepared for this situation, I’d swear he was carrying a salt shaker. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/9 "2004-12-22T20:07:09Z")
Sheesh, this show’s only slightly better than a Saturday morning _Flash Gordon_ serial. I’d be surprised if this show goes beyond one season, much less 40 years. 😉 _Seriously…_ Am I the only person who was bothered by the title, “The Man Trap”? Sounds like the crew was going to visit the Planet of Captive Chippendales’ Dancers or something. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/10 "2004-12-22T20:46:14Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > Am I the only person who was bothered by the title, “The Man Trap”? Sounds like the crew was going to visit the Planet of Captive Chippendales’ Dancers or something. I think they should have used the title, “The Unreal McCoy” instead. 🙂 And I hope they don’t make this a monster-of-the-week show, like The Outer Limits. Maybe we’ll be lucky, and it was just a dumb network exec who did the monster. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/11 "2004-12-22T20:47:17Z")
Uh, that should be demanded the monster - though most of them should be forced to do the monster. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/12 "2004-12-22T21:01:35Z")
Bah. The show’s clearly a knock-off of \*Farscape \* and _Battlestar Gallactica_, and when you boil it down, it’s just a suped up _Star Wars_ to appease all the Lucas-haters. But man, doesn’t TJ Hooker look _young_?!? ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/13 "2004-12-22T21:17:39Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Too bad that security guard in the red jersey got killed off so fast. My TV’s not that great, but I don’t think he was wearing red. The overacting was horrible. I mean, really. “He’s dead, Jim!” Who’s buying this? ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/14 "2004-12-22T21:22:24Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Too bad that security guard in the red jersey got killed off so fast. Yeah, but I’m sure the rest of the security guards have learned their lesson now. We probably won’t see another red-shirted character get killed for the rest of the series. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/15 "2004-12-22T21:35:46Z")
Yeah, I sort of liked George Clayton Johnson’s original title (“The Unreal McCoy”) better, but I understand why they changed it, as it gave away a key plot point. I think Johnson originally named the professors Bierce instead of Crater. Speaking of Mr. Johnson, word around the fanzines is that he and William F. Nolan are going to hole up in a hotel here pretty soon and write a novel in three weeks. Something about a dystopia where everybody has to die at age 21. Wonder if it will be any good. I saw little Harlan Ellison at a con the other day and he was jumping up and down and screaming about an episode he is writing. I imagine he and Mr. Robbinberry will make a good team. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/16 "2004-12-22T22:12:16Z")
Is it just me, or does that first officer look sort of, well, satanic? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/17 "2004-12-22T22:14:20Z")
^^^He is played by a guy named Lenard Nemoy, who I hear is a really groovy singer, man. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/18 "2004-12-22T22:55:13Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > Too bad that security guard in the red jersey got killed off so fast. Wow, his shirt was red? Man, I wish I had a color T.V., but they’re so expensive. By the way, where can I get tickets to Wrigley’s Pleasure Planet? I bet they have a lot of gum there. Pleasurable gum. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/19 "2004-12-22T23:14:22Z")
I give it one season. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2004, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/20 "2004-12-22T23:35:16Z")
[QUOTE=Sir Rhosis] Yeah, I sort of liked George Clayton Johnson’s original title (“The Unreal McCoy”) better, but I understand why they changed it, as it gave away a key plot point. I think Johnson originally named the professors Bierce instead of Crater. /QUOTE] Well, if someone ever writes a book based on the series (like Murray Leinster did for Time Tunnel) maybe they’ll use that name. If the series lasts long enough. Not that I think a book based on this series would sell, of course. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190.md?page=2)