Star Trek – The Original Series, Vol. 3, Episodes 6 & 7: The Man Trap/ The Naked Time
Dec/095
Amazon.com
Volume 3 in this terrific DVD library of original Star Trek programs includes “The Man Trap,” the first broadcast episode of the Gene Roddenberry series. Though it was not the first story produced for the show, the process was still new enough that contracted writers were obliged to fill in various blanks, develop some of the key characters, and smoothly introduce some of the Trek technology we’ve come to take for granted. Writer George Clayton Johnson conceived a story in which an old flame of Dr. McCoy’s (DeForest Kelley), a woman named Dr. Nancy Carter (Jeanny Bealy), is in need of medical supplies on a planet where she and her husband (Alfred Ryder) are the only humans. “Nancy,” however, turns out to be a shape-shifting creature that sucks the salt from the bodies of humanoids. Once it’s loose aboard the Enterprise, the “salt vampire” can look like anyone in its pursuit of nourishment.
With McCoy having such a pivotal part in the narrative, Johnson worked with the series’ story editor and episode director (Marc Daniels) on fleshing out his underdeveloped character. There were other issues to think about: this premiere show introduced the Enterprise’s transporter technology as well as Star Trek’s realistic take on scary extraterrestrials. Everyone involved survived the episode, and while it played only to a meager television audience, Trek was off and running for three-plus decades.
Also on this DVD is episode 4, “The Naked Time,” in which an alien disease that strips inhibitions from individuals affects the Enterprise crew. Sulu (George Takei) frees the swashbuckler in his soul, Kirk (William Shatner) battles his demons, and a young lieutenant, Riley (Bruce Hyde), serenades the entire starship and steers her toward certain doom. Still early in the proceedings, this episode introduced a psychological aspect that would become a cornerstone for the storytelling on all four Trek series. –Tom Keogh
Star Trek – The Original Series, Vol. 3, Episodes 6 & 7: The Man Trap/ The Naked Time
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1:06 am on December 16th, 2009
I loved re-discovering it again. But I gave the DVD 4 stars for the lack of spanish in the dubbed/subtitled options. A huge portion of the U.S.A. is hispanic and I being married to one would enjoy this much more if my wife who speaks english as well as spanish could also enjoy it in spanish which of course she understands better. Please add more lanurages in the future releases!
Rating: 4 / 5
3:13 am on December 16th, 2009
Wouln’t it be nice if the best episodes of Star Trek were put together. This edition has one bad episode(the man trap)and one good episode(the naked time).A video series has some of the series stars introducing episodes and so was more interesting.
Rating: 3 / 5
3:37 am on December 16th, 2009
“Man Trap” Dr. McCoy encounters his old flame. But is it really her?
“The Naked Time” A strange virus infects the whole crew & forces them to act strangely. Contains the WORST cost-cutting effect ever…a MANNEQUIN is used to act as a dead person
Rating: 4 / 5
4:51 am on December 16th, 2009
Paramount CHANGED the opening theme music for all the DVD’s. It is too bad that Paramount did this but maybe with some feedback they might go and replace the original music. Listen to the Paramount CHANGED the opening theme music for all the DVD’s. It is too bad that Paramount did this but maybe with some feedback they might go and replace the original music. Listen to the difference at vidiot.com/sttosDVD/sttheme1.html
Rating: 3 / 5
7:41 am on December 16th, 2009
Volume 3 of the Star Trek DVD series continues the adventures of the star ship enterprise into the final frontier. Although Volume 3 is intended to be a good one it has the flaw of having one below average episode and one above thus making it slightly weaker than some of the other DVD relases in this series. But that does not stop it from making it a good DVD to buy (despite the fact that Paramount could have thrown more epsidoes on a DVD rather than robbing us by issuing out 40 different 2 episode Star Trek DVD’s).
The first episode here is “THE MAN TRAP”. This has the unique distinction of being the first Trek episode to air yet for some strange reason it is not a essential classic. The crew of the Enterprise finds itself being attcked by a bizarre salt feeding creature. The creature can take the form of any living thing and once it gets aboard the ship things get evenworse for Kirk and his crew. The episode itself is watchable but it seems rather stupid to have a spaced out salt consuming alien terrorizing the Enterprise this makes the episode a below average Trek episode. None the less “THE MAN TRAP” does develope Bones McCoy’s character quite a bit by showing his relationship with Nancy (who later on turns out to have been killed by the alien a year before the Enterprise’s visit. The alien merely took her form after consuming her). And besides the acting is priceless when Spock is clocked by the the salt monster in the form of Nancy. However “THE MAN TRAP” is by no means a masterpiece!
The second episode, “The Naked Time” is however a classic. Beaming down to an ice cold planet a bizarre space virus is brought aboard the Enterprise by a crew member and spread like mad throughout the ship. What is the result of this new virus? Well Sulu runs around the ship with no shirt on and a sword, Kevin Riley locks himself in the engineering room singing terrible Irish drinking songs, and Spock crys like a baby which he never does cause Vulcan’s can’t show emotion (and I can see why! Nimoy’s weeping is ridiculous). As the madness begins to take over the ship it is up to Bones to find an antidote that will rid the ship of this bizarre virus. A classic Trek on it’s own partly because of the rahter comical quirky moments. Definetly worth seeing!
Overall Volume 3 is a good addition to a Star Trek DVD collection but it not something to start with (go for Volume 1 if you are just starting to get Trek DVD’s). If you like Volume 1 and 2 then by all means go for 3 but be warned “THE MAN TRAP” is not necessarily the best trek episode around but it is watchable. “THE NAKED TIME” is worth a glimpse though. Recommended!
Rating: 4 / 5