# STAR TREK  12/21 The Man Trap

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190>\
**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:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\
**Post date:** [December 24, 2004, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/41 "2004-12-24T16:21:55Z")

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> [@thwartme](#):
>
> The alien guy. I don’t mind they’re being aliens on the crew of the ship, but they could have made him look a little more different. Pointy ears, big deal. Give him a tail, or three eyes or something. Or maybe our species are somehow related?

The ears made him look like some LotR elf. Not really alien-looking at all. They should have glued bumps or ridges or something to his forehead to really make him look alien.

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**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\
**Post date:** [December 26, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/42 "2004-12-26T22:39:36Z")

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.

TV is a little more sophisticated now than it was in the 1960s. Even in the poorly written shows, production values are so much higher than 40 yrs ago.

Even the viewers plot expectations are different now, maybe even partly due to break out shows like _Star Trek_.

To discuss them as though they are on par with today’s offerings (good or bad) is to doom the series as far as any reasonable discussion. Sure, we could key in on writing values, but even that leaves the show in a vunerable position overall.

Yes, the original series changed TV, but it wouldn’t stand up tp today. Leave it in the 60s, but request that the threads treat it as a real discussion and not a joke thread.

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**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/43 "2004-12-27T00:00:54Z")

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Another vote for leaving it in the 60s. Compared to today’s Treks (TNG, DS9, Voyager, and even Enterprise) the special effects are very corny. It’s kind of hard to ignore that. In that episode with Emperor Kodos, the poison is delivered via a _spray bottle_, for God’s sake. Cutting edge back then, a little :dubious: now. Considering how quickly shows are axed nowadays, it will be hard to believe 21st century NBC will put up with such cheesiness.

I will leave out the “foreshadowing” jokes and other cultural references in discussing future shows. I suggest you start each OP with the ground rules.

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**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\
**Post date:** [December 27, 2004, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-12-21-the-man-trap/281190/44 "2004-12-27T01:02:47Z")

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A series about guys in space? It’ll never last.

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