Get ready for a salty look at Star Trek’s first broadcast episode and your introduction to the last of a dying breed. Enjoy a cast of redshirts before they wore red shirts. Boldly go where so many went on September 8, 1966, the day Star Trek: The Original Series first aired.
Mission Log #2: Episode 002- The Man Trap
One thing I’d like to add from a production standpoint that they guys missed: each Classic Trek episode ran 51 minutes. (This information comes from the back of the VHS copies of the episodes that I have.) Nowadays, a one-hour US drama show runs about 42 minutes. It’s amazing how much content has been lost (or commercial time gained) over the past 40-odd years. Love the podcast, overall!
Yeah, I have a fondness for this episode, but it really is very un-Starfleet-y. It should have boiled down to something like this: “Hi, Starfleet Command? Bob Crater here — you know, this planet we’ve been studying? There’s a creature here, the last of its race — I know, exciting, right? Could you send a team down here to make sure its life is preserved and its legacy kept safe for posterity? Oh, it likes salt — a lot! Okay, thanks, love from Nancy! Bye!”
brilliant indeed. nice way to get to know TOS without having to endure the 48 minutes of nowadays unbearable tv-show.
+1 on the P’s and the S’s. Otherwise having a great listen.
Love the podcast…very informative and entertaining…if you could tone down the whistling “s” and the popping “p” my eardrums would love you…great work!
While the first show was great, I didn’t expect much from this one. I’ve always considered the episode a “monster of the week” thing in the same vain as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, something hardly worth the effort. I was very happy to be proven wrong on that issue.
You managed to bring depth and interest to an episode that (on the surface) didn’t seem to rate it. I hadn’t actually thought of the peek into the inner lives of some of the crew members the episode brought (I had completely missed the Rand/Sulu flirting) and how grown up that made the show. All in all, it was a very worth while podcast to listen to. I look forward to seeing what you can do with the rest of Trek.
Another nicely done episode, I really am looking forward to next week’s – and I must say every week’s – episodes.
An interesting speculation about the situation on M13 as to what happened to the civilization and how the creatures interacted there. I think that Crater’s analogy may have been referencing the population sizes of the creature, there were thousands maybe millions and through an unstated process they were eliminated to only one. Not sure if this was intended as a ecological statement by the writer or just a plot point to generate sympathy for the creature.
As for Bob and Nancy Crater’s function on M13 they were there to study, categorize, and report on their findings, shipping out samples for detail analysis off world and the fact that this function seemed to trail of its normal schedule seemed to signal possible trouble in Spock’s observation (hint hint audience)
The creature’s ability to take other forms, from of its victim’s greatest desires (A bit of an exaggeration on your part I think) could have been better used by an intelligent creature if applied correctly. You noticed that the creature did not repeat the multiple image trick after it started interacting withe the Enterprise crew. This is a purely Champollion ability that I think is more instinct that a weapon for hunting.
What about Pascal’s Wager!? Bones knows that what he’s about to do, whether it be to Nancy or any other sentient species is counter to his own nature as a Doctor. (I believe the Hippocratic oath survives.). So in this situation of “having” to kill a living/sentient being, perhaps he’s hedging his bet. He’ll do it, but IF he can be forgiven… why not ask for it?
Man Trap” was adapted for a movie done in Turkey.
I like the idea of this podcast a lot, and I really like the way the episodes are discussed! I am not a fan of the computer voice chiming in though. What was the intention there? I will listen to this show till the bitter end regardless I’d wager.
Way down the road, when they get to TNG, I hope they have Matt Mira on as a guest. We all know which episode in particular.
Agreed! Great show; I love the discussion of the show. Not a lot of shows (or movies) really stand up to the test of time and close observation, and it’s a joy to hear it done so well.
I’m looking forward to The Naked Time. Cheers, fellas!
Having listened to the first two, I think that this is a show that I will enjoy. Bring it on!