The salt-devouring monster that launched the Star Trek phenomenon
In short: Before it was a cinematic empire, Star Trek began with a horror-based plot about a shapeshifting predator. This first broadcast episode turned viewers into believers, using a terrifying "salt vampire" to test the limits of science fiction and the resilience of its legendary crew.
Broadcast on NBC on September 8, 1966, "The Man Trap" was the first episode of the original Star Trek series to air. While it was only the sixth episode filmed, it was the first to be shot to schedule, a necessity after previous productions had consistently overrun their time. The episode's horror elements were a strategic choice by the studio to secure a high Nielsen rating, which it achieved, placing first in its timeslot with a 25.2 percent rating for the first half-hour.
The plot follows the USS Enterprise crew as they visit planet M-113, where they encounter a shapeshifting alien. This creature, later dubbed the "salt vampire" by fans, survives by extracting salt from its victims. The narrative was born from a complex creative process: series creator Gene Roddenberry originally envisioned a different plot involving wish-fulfillment traps. After a treatment by Lee Erwin was rejected, writer George Clayton Johnson was commissioned. Johnson drew inspiration from the 1953 novel "The Syndic" by Cyril M. Kornbluth and drew a parallel between the creature's dwindling numbers and the reduction of American bison.
The episode's production was marked by intense collaboration and creative tension. Producer Robert H. Roddenberry, Justman, alongside story editor John D. F. Black modified various script details. While Johnson provided the core story, Roddenberry's rewrites between June 16 and 21, 1966, were controversial; Johnson felt the edits downgraded the original work. Despite these tensions, the episode's success helped establish the series, even as reviewers at the time offered mixed reviews regarding its level of violence.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Man Trap
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