I learned after the fact that "The Man Trap", despite appearing as episode 2 on Netflix, is actually not the first chronologically. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is the second pilot of the series, and features Kirk, Scotty and Sulu, along with other players who weren't in the pilot or graduated to the full show.
But that was after the fact, so here's "The Man Trap"!
Alright, now this is the crew I'm familiar with!
The Enterprise arrives at planet M-113 for the routine medical exams of a scientist, Professor Crater, and his wife, Nancy, who also happens to be Dr. McCoys lost love. From the start, we knew something is up with her: she acts strangely, and the three crewmembers who look at her all see someone different. Meanwhile, several references are made to the scientist couples' need of more salt. Shortly afterward, the first redshirt of the series is found dead (okay, he was in blue, but still!) with weird circle marks on his face, and McCoy utters, "He's dead, Jim."
Yep, definitely to the Trek I'm more familiar with.
It turns out Nancy is a shape-shifting alien, the last of her kind, and she needs salt to survive. "Nancy" manages to make it aboard the Enterprise by impersonating another dead crewmember after they beam to the planet to take the doctor and his wife to the ship for care. The alien eventually dons the guise of McCoy himself.
Meanwhile, Kirk and Spock find Crater, and after stunning him, he tells the whole story: his wife Nancy was killed a year ago by the alien, who now appears to him as Nancy out of affection for him. Back on the ship, "McCoy" wants to spare the creature when they find it, but Crater is refusing to tell the crew how to locate it. After "McCoy" takes Crater to sick bay to administer truth serum, an alert goes off from the area. Kirk arrives to find Crater dead, same mottling as the other deceased, but an injured Spock has survived, compliments of his different Vulcan blood.
"McCoy" becomes "Nancy" again and goes to the real McCoy (heh, heh), asking for help. Kirk arrives with a phaser and some salt, trying to tempt the creature, but McCoy stops Kirk from shooting. The creature stuns Kirk, and then, when Spock arrives, "Nancy" subdues him as well. Reverting to it's natural form (a green, alient, plantlike normal form with suction-cup-looking hands), it moves to feed on Kirk, and McCoy finally steels his resolve and kills it.
It might be ironic, but despite being the first one with the actual cast that I've watched, I actually liked The Cage better. Maybe it's years of watching/reading/playing Twin Peaks, Forbidden Planet, X-Files and other assorted sci-fi/horror, but the plot twist was telegraphed early into the show. I didn't feel like it really projected the depth of McCoy's feelings for Nancy, either, making his indecision at the end as the creature beats on his friends feel a little forced.
Still, not a bad start. On to the original pilot...!
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