No one else ever said this that I know of, but the creature always reminded me of the Moorlocks from 1960's version of the Time Machine (in looks, not behaviour) Anybody else think this?
This is because both creatures were designed by the same man; named Wah Chang. So their resemblance to each other is probably not at all a coincidence.
I remember when this was brand new. I was raised in Catholic foster homes and it was strictly forbidden to watch Science Fiction/Horror movies. We had to sneak away to a neighbor’s farm to watch these on their television. Watching Star Trek and the Outer Limits got us thrashed with an oak paddle if we were caught. Great Video, thank you kindly young Lady.
I'll second that! I love the original effects. The CGI replacement effects are a slap in the face to the original artists whose work was tossed in the trash bin.
I really enjoy seeing practical and optical effects. It speaks to a certain creativity in problem solving. I also just like the way they look and feel.
@@porflepopnecker4376 Well, the reason for it was that the original effects didn't really look as good as the live action when rescanned into HD, and since the original film elements weren't kept in those times for this show like they were for TNG, which is why TNG got such a beautiful remaster.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch I always prefer practical and optical over CGI. It takes some much more work to use real things, although there are times when CGI is needed when real can't be done. I can always tell when CGI is used in scenes with cars, as opposed to real. One of my favourite car movies was Vanishing Point from 1971 with Barry Newman. It's a chase through 3 states.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch The original effects/props were creative, even if they did often get lazy by reusing them to keep the budget down. The new versions often try to "improve" the original visuals without the consent of the original creators, which seems artistically dubious. Some new versions are decent, some look like cutscenes from a mediocre video game.
While this episode might be the first in viewing order, the first pilot, The Cage, and the second pilot, Where No Man Has Gone Before were the true "first episodes" that eventually got the series the green light for production. (The Cage got burried for years before fans ever had the opportunity to see it.)
Then they repurposed the footage from the failed pilot "The Cage" and turned it into the two part episode "The Menagerie" and showed it later in the season.
This was actually the crew's _least_ favorite episode of the one's they'd done, but the network felt it was "proper" science fiction, with a "proper" monster running around threatening folks. The first "actual" episode was "The Corbomite Maneuver."
The reason why Spock survived is that his physiology is different being a Vulcan, not Iron based blood, but Copper hence the green colour, not red as in humans, more Potassium than Sodium in Vulcans than humans.
I grew up watching this with my dad when it was originally on network TV. This show was always like a large amount of catnip for a couple of cats, and my father and I were those two cats. You are very analytical. I am not stupid, but I never came up with a creature that was replicating a human being with equipment and or weapons----Would that equipment replicated out of thin air function? You really get to the meat of it, asking important penetrating questions. If you ever collaborate and throw together some kind of Sci-Fi feature in the future, let us know because anyone like me will definitely watch it. Keep up the good work.
Cool to find a fresh new channel. Best of luck! And props for viewing with the original effects. Even though the updated effects are mostly tasteful, I feel this is the way to go if you’re consciously watching something from 1966.
I, too think it is always best to watch the original. None of those George Lucas revisionist "improvements". Otherwise where does it stop? There was already a nasty period (thankfully past) when it became a fad to "improve" movies by colorizing them. God help us, there's a colorized version of "It's a wonderful life".
That static brings back memories. I was born in 1963. We had TV antennas that would pull in the local TV stations…on a good day. Some days channels were difficult to get and sometimes you couldn’t get them at all. That’s right! Whether I got to watch Star Trek in the afternoon in 1973 was entirely dependent on the weather. When atmospherics were bad, It would look exactly like that! Thanks for the memories!
I really enjoyed the pick ,very inspiring show it was old and still hold up to this day, and I like the way that you said about the props during this time ,still you didn't trow it under the bus , but although archaic, still given the show a chance and found it entertaining, I'm glad I found your channel, keep going ,thanks
There's a scene in this episode that's one of my favorite in all of Trek. It doesn't do anything to advance the story but it's a nice character-establishing moment for Uhura. Just before she encounters the salt vampire, she briefly talks to two unnamed crewmen, and all three interact in a way that suggests Uhura is capable, respected, and accustomed to working in an atmosphere of _mutual_ respect. The scene has a side benefit of showing people interacting in an area of the ship away from the action centers, and helps cement the idea of the Enterprise as not only a large and complex machine of amazing capability, but a community of people. Sadly, these sort of "belowdecks" scenes became fewer and farther between as the series went on.
I agree, these little touches from the first season are very good, it's good writing. Uhura was respected, interactions of the crew are represented, and the implied fictional universe of Federation space is interesting without going into much detail. The show lost this as it went along, mainly just focusing on the main cast and story.
I like how you find these early shows "thought provoking". Star Trek started very "Twilight Zone/ Outer Limits", stories to bring up ideas inside the fantasy. Now so many look at Star Trek as just campy bad action and sit-com comedy, they miss a lot.
Ah, the RUclips algorithm knows I’m always down for a Star Trek reaction, but what a pleasure to find it’s turned me on to what appears to be the very first video of a brand new channel! Enjoyed the vid. Subscribed with both my accounts, just to help boost your numbers that one digit more. I must say, I’m impressed that you’re choosing physical media, and, apparently, a box set with the original effects. That’s how the original series is enjoyed best, I think, if only because that’s the form I experienced first, way back in the mid-‘70s, when I’d rush home from school, latchkey in hand, to make myself a snack and settle in with all my pals, including Kirk & Co., Batman, Jonny Quest, and the Monkees, et. al.. CGI is cool and all, but there’s just something about practicals, and the other tricks they had to invent back in the day, and it’s always fun to see a younger person react to an old show. Often they’re dismissive, and that’s entertaining, too. But I can’t express my pleasure at how thoroughly charmed you seemed to be by Beauregaurd the Plant-Glove. 🤣 Anyway, in the days of OG, we had no idea there was any order to the shows, episodes being re-run in more or less random order. But as others have pointed out, “The Man Trap,” was indeed the very first episode of a Star Trek experiences by the television audience of 1966, albeit the sixth one produced. Given your experience as a filmmaker, it should be fun to get your perspective on the two pilot episodes made to sell the series. In your box set, you should experiences the second as Episode 3 (“Where No Man Has Gone Before) and the first, titled “The Cage,” re-cut into Episodes 11 and 12 as “The Menagerie.” Another point you might appreciate as a film maker and, now, Trek historian, is this: The reason TOS is so bright, with primary-color uniforms and heavily-accented background lighting - the producers sold the network in the idea that Trek could be used to build public demand for the then-newfangled technology of color television. One final note: You mention having some issues with copyright strikes. You might try reaching out to the Target Audience channel. I don’t know them apart from being a fan, but they’re on a similar journey to yours, having reacted to every episode of TOS, the animated series, the original-cast movies, and now Star Trek: The Next Generation, where they’re currently up to Season 3. Anyway, they seem like good guys and I’m sure you could sound them out for tips and tricks on how best to avoid the Paramount Copy-Shark. Finally, if you are up for reacting to more that one series at a time, I highly recommend the 2002 space western, FIREFLY. It only ran 14 episodes, but it is renowned for being the very best television show in the history of all things, anywhere, ever. But more importantly, it has a massive cult following that will flock to your channel should you react to it. Watching it would be a great way to build your subscriber count fast. That’s how Target Audience got me, after all: I went to them for Firefly, I stayed for Star Trek. Not that you have to resort to FIREFLY on my account. You’ve got me hooked on the line already!
I've watched Target Audience and they definitely seem to have a good system. I'm still figuring out what RUclips will accept and what it won't (even this episode you watched still has a copyright flag). I actually watched Firefly when it originally aired. I remember reading articles (I think on IGN) about the network jerking the show around with airdates and letting it get preempted frequently. I grew up with Buffy and Angel and Firefly was right around that same time. I enjoyed all of those shows!
At last, the goddess of miniatures graces us mere nerd mortals with her emphatic and illustrious presence in reaction format. Truly, this is a glorious day for Imperium.
Hi Miranda, I'm Joe. I just wanted to say I'm very glad to have found your new channel. I've been a Trek fan for as long as I can remember and I'm 64 years old. I don't remember the first time I watched the original series so I think It's fun to re watch it with a new viewer. I would say that you are watching the episodes in the order that they originally aired which is totally fine. Some people may say to watch in the order they were produces which is true for the first few episodes but becomes less important over time. I hope to have a long friendship and maybe even continue into ST-TNG and Deep Space Nine.
Hello Joe! I know what you mean. There are a few franchises I've sort of "always known", and can't really recall the first time I was introduced to it. I do plan on watching all of the original series, and probably TNG as well. I hope you enjoy the journey!
There are so many science-fiction movies and TV shows that showcase shape-shifting creatures, but The Man Trap has to be one of the earliest versions ever. And they did a great job. Also, the makeup department did a great job putting this M113 Salt Vampire Creature together. It had an ancient but also spooky monstrous eerie look to it. Loved it. -OG
I really like the creature design for the "salt vampire". It has a lot of character to it. It's funny, only a week after I uploaded this video, Red Letter Media uploaded a video about it. Apparently, those guys acquired the original master for the mask mold. They showed a picture of the same actress who played Nancy also wearing the suit.
It read Uhuru's mind and she knows how to speak Swahili and she was probably day dreaming about a guy who looked like him and changed forms to suit her thoughts. .
Fantastic reaction! I loved your philosophizing at the end a little bit about the episode. It's so typically Star Trek that even your typical "oh no scary monster" episode really makes an effort to give depth and nuance to the story, and not just a story of "shoot the thing that looks scary/different", and I love how much you picked up on that! As to your comments on air date order vs production order, this episode is the first episode in the air date order. So this was the audience's first taste of the characters, the ship, the concepts, the show, the themes, and the whole world of Star Trek. I would recommend, moving forward, watching it in production order (you can google what that order is), because it really is a lot more satisfying in regards to character growth. You'll also notice the inconsistencies with air date order especially with 1x03 "Where No Man Has Gone Before" because while it was the third episode to air it was the second pilot filmed and so everything looks very different. No Bones, the uniforms look completely different, Spock's makeup is very un-refined, etc. I seriously cannot wait for more!
@@MirandaLikestoWatchI respectfully disagree with StoneKnivesBearskin's (btw, his handle is a reference to a line of dialogue in an episode of Star Trek that is almost everyone's favorite) that you should watch the series in production order. Philosophically, I think the best way is to experience the original series the same way the original AUDIENCE experienced it -- which means in order of their broadcast date. IMHO.
This was the first episode ever aired on TV back in 1966 (regardless of the order they showed it since anywhere or anywhen else). I was 10 at the time, and man was I impressed! It's all anyone talked about at school the next morning. I was hooked on TOS for life!
I think it worked for the visuals. Unfortunately, RUclips keeps hitting me for the audio instead. I'll try some different editing approaches on the next few videos and see what works.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch I see a lot of people vary the speed between regular and fast. And/or raise the pitch. However i was under the impression that they're much more concerned about music than lines.
I actually bought the bluray to it a few months ago. I've seen it several times in the past and really enjoy it. I'm thinking of bringing a friend on the channel to watch some of the movies I've already seen though.
"The creature looked sad" I always thought it looked threatening, but now that you mention it the salt creature DOES look sad. Being the last of it's kind it would have good reason.
When I first saw this creature as a kid, it gave me nightmares for years! I never saw it as sad, but now that I'm older, I absolutely can see that in the design. It was created by Wah Chang, who made quite a few of the props and ships in the series, as well as other classic movies like the 1960 Time Machine. It was worn by Sandra Gimpel, who was a stuntwoman. There's some great pictures of her unmasked, and she really was very pretty under all that. I think I saw the relationship between the creature and Crater as sort of symbiotic. Maybe it didn't necessarily want to kill, but Crater supplied it with all the salt it needed, so it agreed to pretend to be his wife. Maybe the memory of her was so strong in his head, he sort of accepted she wasn't dead. Which makes Crater sound a bit insane but... maybe when he was faced with death himself, or helping this creature survive and keeping a version of his wife with him, he accepted the deal. But this is why I always loved Star Trek as a kid. Sure Star Wars was fun, but Star Trek made you think about the possibilities. All the 'what if...' and exploring of the unknown terrified me, but made me very curious as well. In three seasons of TOS, there's a lot of great writing, and some occasional not-so-great writing. But they knew how to do it right, and I have a lot of respect for that. And just FYI, I always recommend to new people watching, you might be better off watching the new effects. I always worry the outdated effects and campy look will take you out of the story. And to me, the writing is what is most important. Maybe I have an unpopular opinion, and I think a lot of the purests LOOOOOOVE the original effects. But I think the new effects definitely improved the series in a lot of ways and helped with immersion.
New subscriber. The tv static is not necessary. Many reaction channels have reviewed the Star Trek series without having to alter the video. None of them have gotten flagged
@@MirandaLikestoWatchother reaction channels don't use static but they do cut a lot of bits out of the show. What are the channels I watch had a video taken down but they redid it and uploaded it again. Seems like RUclips doesn't believe in Fair Use. I follow some music reaction channels that play a whole song, although they often interpret them when they talk about them.
I recently met the actress who played the salt creature at a convention She also played one of the Trio of Talosians in Star Trek's "The Cage" pilot a few years before this. This was technically the first episode of the series, but not the first one shot. I've always seen this ordered as episode one in all releases I've owned. But yes, others were shot before this, namely not one but two pilot episodes. The aforementioned "The Cage" (Starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike), which was not okayed by the network, so they went back and filmed a whole new pilot with a new Captain (i.e. Kirk), which was called "Where no man has gone before." That pilot was okayed and aired, then they started filming the series as we know it, beginning with at least one other episode before this one, maybe more. I don't know why this has been the story picked as episode 1 for syndication and box sets. But it is a fun and interesting one. I've always liked it.
"the Corbomite Maneuver" was the first "regular" episode produced, once it was picked up as a series. The second pilot was broadcast a few episodes in, because even though they saved a bunch of money reusing the first pilot's sets, uniforms, and Spock makeup, it still cost money, and the producers weren't going to throw it away. The first pilot got cut into a two-part "frame" story to explain away the differences, and to edit out a few scenes that no longer fit. Again, that one especially cost a lot for the time, what with having to make basically everything from scratch.
Old-school TOS fan since the early '70s. Welcome to RUclips and welcome (back) to the Star Trek franchise. I think you'll find most Trekkies to be kind, helpful, and very knowledgeable about every aspect of the franchise but without so many trolls, or spoilers as other popular "space-themed" franchises. Prosperity and long life.
My favourite episode--there's something about the creepy atmosphere or mood that I like, the cozy planet below with ruins of mysterious ancient civilisation, and the spooky alien running around the ship which was lots of good fun; plus everyone was eating delicious vegetables, which motivates me to eat veggies. And coffee! Thanks for watching the version with original special effects. I like the original special effects because it sometimes forces the viewer to use his-her imagination to "fill in the blanks/limitations". :)
Very thoughtful commentary! I'm really looking forward to seeing your reactions to the rest of TOW. As for the buffalo analogy, I think that was just the writer's way of trying to drum up some pathos and empathy for the creature. To elevate the episode beyond the standard monster of the week.
An old show you might want to add to your To Do list is Kolchak: The Night Stalker- They only made 20 episodes, but it has an 8.4 IMDb rating, and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
Any so-called "campiness" to be found in the original series is actually few and far between. But as most things go, I suppose that's in the eye of the beholder.
Great reaction! The Blu ray set is in the network airing order instead of the production order, like it was on Netflix. Can't wait for your future reactions! 😊
Vulcans 🖖 are much stronger than humans. To see Spock slug the creature multiple times with little effect and then get swiped across the room by it speaks volumes to its strength. -OG
"The Man Trap" was the first episode aired by NBC, but it was the fifth episode produced. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is generally considered the first produced episode... although it was technically a pilot episode, the 2nd pilot actually. Since it was actually shown on TV as an episode, it classifies as the first produced episode, with "The Corbomite Maneuver" being the first ACTUAL episode of the series after the green light was given by NBC for production, but is classified as the second produced episode after "Where No Man Has Gone Before." One other thing I want to point out because it will eventually be noticeable since you are watching the episodes with the original effects... a LOT of stock shots of the Enterprise filming model were made for "Where No Man Has Gone Before." After NBC green-lit the show for their lineup, the decision was made to upgrade the model a bit with more lighting, such as spinning fans and blinking lights at the front of the warp engines, lowering the bridge dome, making the sensor/deflector dish a bit smaller, slight change of window alignment on the saucer, change of placement for the navigational lights on the lower saucer... just to name a few, but there are more. New stock shots of the Enterprise were made with these new enhancements. BUT... the stock shots of the older version of the model were not thrown away, they were also made a part of the stock shot library. Because of this, throughout the series, you will see shots of the Enterprise with the old 2nd pilot features, and shots with the updated production features, and they will be shown mixed together in almost every episode.
I would assume that since each of the original three members of the landing party saw the same woman at the same time but appearing different from each person's point of view, it would indicate that she was not a true shapeshifter, but rather she tricked the mind of those who saw her to believe they were seeing something different. In which case the salt monster was wandering the corridors of the Enterprise and security cameras (if there had been any) could have recorded the alien in its true form. Just my thoughts on it.
That would also explain how the creature could speak Swahili with Uhura. Not to mention he actually said to her "you were thinking of someone like me" which indicates it read her mind. So, good guess!
There were once millions of them. If an entire human can't sustain them for more than a few hours what did they eat? And Bones was sleeping good. Never heard the red alert or anything.
I think the creature was just reading minds and mentally projecting a false appearance. By the way, this was the first episode aired. I watched it in 1966.
I can't imagine what seeing this back in 1966 must have been like. I don't think there was anything else like it. Were you able to watch it in color back then? I know there were not a lot of households with color television back then.
There's old slang saying that Gen X used to say: "you had to be there". Usually, it refers to a funny story that upon telling doesn't come across because it was funny AT THE TIME. Star Trek TOS is a bit like that for me, when I was a kid in the 70s, Star Trek reruns were on tv every Saturday afternoon for YEARS. I can see how people watching them today would say they were cheap and "campy" or whatever, but as a kid in the 70s, they were awesome.
Miranda, an actress, with a channel so bright, Reacts to "The Man Trap," with insightful delight. She's seen the first season, but memories have flown, So she starts afresh, with the Blu-ray, her own. The creature's mechanics, she finds quite profound, Psychically interfacing, reflecting what's found. Nancy's image projected, from Crater's mind's eye, A snapshot of memory, as time passes by. Bones's encounter, she analyzes with care, The creature mirroring Nancy, beyond compare. It mimics and shows, but can it heal too? Using McCoy's skills, to see a crewman through? The episode's depth, she praises with grace, Exploring concepts, at a thoughtful pace. The creature's survival, a moral to glean, A reflection of humanity, on the cosmic scene. Miranda's insights, enrich our own view, As she guides us through Trek, with wisdom anew. Her questions and thoughts, spark conversations bright, Illuminating the episode, with her perceptive light.
Oops I did It Again, this is the fourth channel now that I've subscribed to that is watching Star Trek TOS from the beginning. I wouldn't have done it if your reaction hadn't been so good. LOL It's always great to see someone discover/or Rediscover the Star Trek universe. Some notes; this was the first episode broadcast. I know because I watched it. (I'm old) They filmed two other pilots for the show. And then broadcast them out of production order. This was the 6th episode filmed. The phaser that Dr. Crater uses is the same model as one used in the unaired pilot The Cage. It's an older model which is a nice touch because a remote base wouldn't have the most up-to-date equipment. I like that you are watching with the original special effects. Which sometimes weren't so special. We are so spoiled now. Back in the day we took our special effects bad and liked it 😂 Watch long and prosper. 🖖
Thank you, I do my best to be as genuine and thoughtful as I can. That bit of trivia about the phaser is actually really cool. I like continuity/canon with stuff like that. And I'm loving the original/practical effects. Thanks for watching!
Star Trek TOS is a wonderful place to start your channel. I grew up with movies in the 80’s,90’s & 2000’s. Happy to give recommendations on any for you.
This episode is a variant of the Doppelganger stories in mythology. A doppelganger can create an illusion of appearing like the victims they kill, and they do this by telepathy to read the thoughts and memories of their victims. In this episode the creature uses this ability, to speak another language to make Uhura more comfortable around the creature, which allows the creature to get closer to their victim for example. Interestingly this is actually not the first episode, but the network exec's wanted a creature feature episode so they aired The Man Trap first, and the rest is history.
I think that the creature (Nancy) wasn't actually appearing as if it knew what the other person was thinking, but was projecting a sort of hallucinogenic drug effect that forced the victim to see what they wanted to see, which would explain, in Uhura's case, why the crewman looked like someone she would possibly know/desire (approximately) or even just be "comfortable" with seeing, and why she "imagined" it spoke her language (Swahili). I suspect this also answers your question about, "Would the copied phaser work ???", and my thoughts on this would be, "obviously not" because nothing being "seen" by the victim was real. Think about it like this ... an octopus can take on many shapes to hide or fool threats, but use the same abilities (shapes and coloring) to lure in its prey.
Seeing that staticky image reminded me of how I first saw Star Trek, on the BBC on an old black and white telly. Great analysis, I do like it when reactors actually look things up to find out some background. I'd never have known that about the writer. I must conclude with my statutory joke: When Nancy Crater died she left a big hole in McCoy's life.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch As my co-workers will tell you, I'm full of them. Yesterday a thief stole my camouflage jacket and my flip-flops. As he left I shouted, "You can hide but you can't run!"
I think the original effects for the most part still look great. I find the CGI Enterprise looks cartoony. Glad you are watching it the original way as we original fans watched it back then.
I hope you'll watch the animated series also. They are like seasons 4 and 5 of the show. Then there are two PC, CD-ROM games that have video game versions of the characters based on their look from the animated series, this time also played by the original cast, and a few returning characters from the show. Star Trek 25th Anniversary {7 episodes, CD-ROM version}, and Star Trek Judgment Rites {8 episodes}. Sort of honorary 6th season. And we get to see more aliens that aren't just people in suits. You might also like the short Dark Shadows {1991} season of 12 episodes. Basically, it's a love story between a vampire and an orphan woman that moves to Collinwood to be a governess of a troubled kid. There is a ghost, a witch, the vampire, and even time travel, where the characters play slightly different versions of their characters. Sort of like 'Back to the Future' meets 'Twilight'. It was one of my favorite shows, but because of bad timing the show was canceled after the first season.
If you liked this story, you might like a similar one by A.E. Van Vogt known as Black Destroyer, which was about a similar species called a coeurl that fed on potassium and resembled a blank panther with tentacles. No disguise abilities, but it was extra tough. Many people consider that story to be the inspiration for this episode.
(18:56) The call for "general quarters" basically means "get ready for trouble". Crew men are expected to man their stations and get ready for orders. So, yea... "go to your "room"'" ;)
Just a brief note to say thank you for the Star Trek reaction. I'm looking forward to seeing all of them. I also want to wish you luck on your channel.
Don't be surprised that the original special effects are good. They were an enormous improvement over TV effects of only 1 year earlier, and there was no more improvement for more than 10 years after.
When the creature first appears, it didn't need to reflect Nancy from McCoy. His memories of her appearance would have been virtually the same as Crater's, because they both actually knew the real Nancy.
Actors from back in the day were so superior. This was in a time when it was Westerns that dominated the TV airwaves. So neat to see them step in to SciFi and makes us believers in it from back then. So anxious to see what else you react to. I have no idea if you intend to watch all the other episodes and in order of their broadcast but "Wolf in the Fold" is another good one for it's mystery element.
Legacy Trek reaction? Instant sub, and number 10 no less. Enjoy getting to re-know the show, and discovering it at the same time. I look forward to hearing your thoughts as your progress through the show.
Great video Miranda! So, I saw someone else mention this in an earlier comment, but "The Man Trap" WAS the first episode of Star Trek that ever aired. The original DVDs that came out in 1999 (40 volume, single disc, release containing two episodes per volume/disc) and in 2004 (complete season sets and complete series set) had the episodes arranged in production order (with the exception of the original pilot, "The Cage" as it's on the final disc of the season 3 DVD set, and is the last episode on volume 40), but when the series was re-released on DVD from 2007 to 2008, and released on Blu-ray in 2009, they swapped it around to airdate order for whatever reason, and every subsequent DVD and Blu-ray release (Complete Series sets and individual season sets (DVD only)), including the series set you have, kept the airdate order rather than the production order.
Years ago, I watched most of the first season on Netflix. I remember them being in a different order than my Blu-ray set. It seems like they are diverging from the physical media tradition lol. Also, it seems like I should watch "The Cage" before I move on to Season 2.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch Yeah, I think that's just because Netflix decides in what order episodes are in for shows, and because production order is how the show was supposed to air, but NBC chose to air it the way they aired it in the '60s, Netflix chose to put it out on their service that way. But, for whatever reason CBS Home Entertainment decided to put the show out on DVD and Blu-ray in airdate order, despite Paramount Home Video putting the episodes out on physical media in production order, going all the way back to the earliest VHS and Betamax releases in the '80s. It's strange that way because Star Trek isn't the only series to have DVD releases arrange episodes in a way that isn't either how they aired originally, or how they were supposed to air. Yeah, absolutely, watch "The Cage" before moving on to season 2.
I usually prefer the original effects. It's a time capsule of an earlier era in film. The problem with some of the re-done effects is that they didn't want to go all the way modern, so it ends up looking like old PS2 cut scenes from 20 years ago.
I’m wiling to give this channel a chance because at least she isn’t faking her “first time” like most other reactors. Star Trek is difficult because many are really bright enough to truly appreciate all of it.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch well I think you’d enjoy tng seasons 3+… and ds9…. Eh… maybe season 3+ there too. Lol. It took a while before both shows really got incredibly good. Though there are gem early episodes here and there.
11:05 Their 'Zappy guns' are called 'phasers'. So are the big ship mounted guns but they also have 'photon torpedoes'. Later on any crewmen that beam down and are not main characters wear red and are usually killed. The 'redshirt' inevitable deaths have not been established yet, so the dead crew do not all wear red in this episode. There was a pilot episode, originally unaired called 'The Cage'. They later used much of the footage, along with new scenes as a framing story for the two-part story 'The Menagerie'. The first episode chronologically is 'Where No Man has Gone Before' in which the First Officer is killed, which is why Spock, originally just Science Officer also takes on the role of First Officer as well.
I'm not aware of any other Trek reaction channel that is watching these episodes with original effects. I think it's a great idea. I sorta wish you watched the episodes in production order, but it doesn't really matter. Every Trek reaction channel seems to watch them in broadcast order as you are.
No they aired the episodes in a different order from the production order because the studio thought people would like monsters. Although this is not a typical episode in that it follows the creature rather than the main characters.
What I love about Star Trek is how the crew really thinks about all they have done and is always willing to wonder if they did they right thing, "I was thinking of the buffalo". Kirk wondering if they did something evil by killing the last of their kind. Comes up inb many episodes.
I didn't see much of the original series, but some key episodes, I was more into The Next Generation. However after watching this, the Red Dwarf episode Camille makes far more sense.
Good job. Lean on me (50+ years watching Star Trek) for support and answers to your questions. The snow job onscreen reminds me of watching Trek on CBS Vermont from Montreal without cable. Two points about The Man Trap: the Salt Vampire is native to this planet, M-113. The episode was written by George Clayton Johnson, a very fine sci-fi writer who was from Wyoming and very interested in the story of the buffalo.
I looked up George Clayton Johnson after watching the episode and learned he also wrote Logan's Run. I haven't seen that but grew up understanding it's another classic so I'm going add it to the roster of things to watch =)
@@MirandaLikestoWatch Indeed, I saw Logan's Run in the cinema when it came out and I was about 9 years; I enjoyed it. Love your style and look forward to seeing more.
"Miranda Likes to Watch" would make a really good title for a modern take on Rear Window. P.S. Love this new channel and looking forward watching along
No one else ever said this that I know of, but the creature always reminded me of the Moorlocks from 1960's version of the Time Machine (in looks, not behaviour) Anybody else think this?
It sure does
This is because both creatures were designed by the same man; named Wah Chang. So their resemblance to each other is probably not at all a coincidence.
I remember when this was brand new. I was raised in Catholic foster homes and it was strictly forbidden to watch Science Fiction/Horror movies. We had to sneak away to a neighbor’s farm to watch these on their television. Watching Star Trek and the Outer Limits got us thrashed with an oak paddle if we were caught. Great Video, thank you kindly young Lady.
Watching Star Trek without CGI special effects speaks volumes. Good on ya!
I'll second that! I love the original effects. The CGI replacement effects are a slap in the face to the original artists whose work was tossed in the trash bin.
I really enjoy seeing practical and optical effects. It speaks to a certain creativity in problem solving. I also just like the way they look and feel.
@@porflepopnecker4376 Well, the reason for it was that the original effects didn't really look as good as the live action when rescanned into HD, and since the original film elements weren't kept in those times for this show like they were for TNG, which is why TNG got such a beautiful remaster.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch I always prefer practical and optical over CGI. It takes some much more work to use real things, although there are times when CGI is needed when real can't be done. I can always tell when CGI is used in scenes with cars, as opposed to real. One of my favourite car movies was Vanishing Point from 1971 with Barry Newman. It's a chase through 3 states.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch The original effects/props were creative, even if they did often get lazy by reusing them to keep the budget down. The new versions often try to "improve" the original visuals without the consent of the original creators, which seems artistically dubious. Some new versions are decent, some look like cutscenes from a mediocre video game.
This episode aired first. The creature had a type of telepathic ability. Salt is salt. Copper isn't iron. That's why Spock survived.
While this episode might be the first in viewing order, the first pilot, The Cage, and the second pilot, Where No Man Has Gone Before were the true "first episodes" that eventually got the series the green light for production. (The Cage got burried for years before fans ever had the opportunity to see it.)
Then they repurposed the footage from the failed pilot "The Cage" and turned it into the two part episode "The Menagerie" and showed it later in the season.
The menagerie is a better watch if you've seen the cage first.
This was actually the crew's _least_ favorite episode of the one's they'd done, but the network felt it was "proper" science fiction, with a "proper" monster running around threatening folks. The first "actual" episode was "The Corbomite Maneuver."
The reason why Spock survived is that his physiology is different being a Vulcan, not Iron based blood, but Copper hence the green colour, not red as in humans, more Potassium than Sodium in Vulcans than humans.
George Clayton Johnson was also involved with production of numerous Twilight Zone episodes ...
Physical media, and the original effects! Excellent.
I grew up watching this with my dad when it was originally on network TV. This show was always like a large amount of catnip for a couple of cats, and my father and I were those two cats. You are very analytical. I am not stupid, but I never came up with a creature that was replicating a human being with equipment and or weapons----Would that equipment replicated out of thin air function? You really get to the meat of it, asking important penetrating questions.
If you ever collaborate and throw together some kind of Sci-Fi feature in the future, let us know because anyone like me will definitely watch it. Keep up the good work.
This is AIRDATE ORDER
I can’t watch it in airdate order it just feels wrong. It’s annoying though to have to keep switching dvds to play in the correct order though
First time I saw this episode it scared me. It also made me a real fan. RIP De Forest
Cool to find a fresh new channel. Best of luck! And props for viewing with the original effects. Even though the updated effects are mostly tasteful, I feel this is the way to go if you’re consciously watching something from 1966.
Thanks! There's something inside me that just has a love of the old special effects =)
the lol-garithms!
If you'll be my bodyguard then baby you can call me algorithm
I, too think it is always best to watch the original. None of those George Lucas revisionist "improvements". Otherwise where does it stop? There was already a nasty period (thankfully past) when it became a fad to "improve" movies by colorizing them. God help us, there's a colorized version of "It's a wonderful life".
That static brings back memories. I was born in 1963. We had TV antennas that would pull in the local TV stations…on a good day. Some days channels were difficult to get and sometimes you couldn’t get them at all. That’s right! Whether I got to watch Star Trek in the afternoon in 1973 was entirely dependent on the weather. When atmospherics were bad, It would look exactly like that! Thanks for the memories!
Yes I remember that.
Im glad you could drop the static in later reaction vids.
I really enjoyed the pick ,very inspiring show it was old and still hold up to this day, and I like the way that you said about the props during this time ,still you didn't trow it under the bus , but although archaic, still given the show a chance and found it entertaining, I'm glad I found your channel, keep going ,thanks
I really enjoy your reactions. Very insightful. I grew up watching Star Trek. Such good scripts. Your analysis is spot on. All the best.
If you stay with this you are in for a great ride. Good luck, I will be watching.
I look forward to it!
There's a scene in this episode that's one of my favorite in all of Trek. It doesn't do anything to advance the story but it's a nice character-establishing moment for Uhura. Just before she encounters the salt vampire, she briefly talks to two unnamed crewmen, and all three interact in a way that suggests Uhura is capable, respected, and accustomed to working in an atmosphere of _mutual_ respect. The scene has a side benefit of showing people interacting in an area of the ship away from the action centers, and helps cement the idea of the Enterprise as not only a large and complex machine of amazing capability, but a community of people. Sadly, these sort of "belowdecks" scenes became fewer and farther between as the series went on.
I agree, these little touches from the first season are very good, it's good writing. Uhura was respected, interactions of the crew are represented, and the implied fictional universe of Federation space is interesting without going into much detail. The show lost this as it went along, mainly just focusing on the main cast and story.
I like how you find these early shows "thought provoking". Star Trek started very "Twilight Zone/ Outer Limits", stories to bring up ideas inside the fantasy. Now so many look at Star Trek as just campy bad action and sit-com comedy, they miss a lot.
Ah, the RUclips algorithm knows I’m always down for a Star Trek reaction, but what a pleasure to find it’s turned me on to what appears to be the very first video of a brand new channel! Enjoyed the vid. Subscribed with both my accounts, just to help boost your numbers that one digit more.
I must say, I’m impressed that you’re choosing physical media, and, apparently, a box set with the original effects. That’s how the original series is enjoyed best, I think, if only because that’s the form I experienced first, way back in the mid-‘70s, when I’d rush home from school, latchkey in hand, to make myself a snack and settle in with all my pals, including Kirk & Co., Batman, Jonny Quest, and the Monkees, et. al.. CGI is cool and all, but there’s just something about practicals, and the other tricks they had to invent back in the day, and it’s always fun to see a younger person react to an old show. Often they’re dismissive, and that’s entertaining, too. But I can’t express my pleasure at how thoroughly charmed you seemed to be by Beauregaurd the Plant-Glove. 🤣
Anyway, in the days of OG, we had no idea there was any order to the shows, episodes being re-run in more or less random order. But as others have pointed out, “The Man Trap,” was indeed the very first episode of a Star Trek experiences by the television audience of 1966, albeit the sixth one produced. Given your experience as a filmmaker, it should be fun to get your perspective on the two pilot episodes made to sell the series. In your box set, you should experiences the second as Episode 3 (“Where No Man Has Gone Before) and the first, titled “The Cage,” re-cut into Episodes 11 and 12 as “The Menagerie.”
Another point you might appreciate as a film maker and, now, Trek historian, is this: The reason TOS is so bright, with primary-color uniforms and heavily-accented background lighting - the producers sold the network in the idea that Trek could be used to build public demand for the then-newfangled technology of color television.
One final note: You mention having some issues with copyright strikes. You might try reaching out to the Target Audience channel. I don’t know them apart from being a fan, but they’re on a similar journey to yours, having reacted to every episode of TOS, the animated series, the original-cast movies, and now Star Trek: The Next Generation, where they’re currently up to Season 3. Anyway, they seem like good guys and I’m sure you could sound them out for tips and tricks on how best to avoid the Paramount Copy-Shark.
Finally, if you are up for reacting to more that one series at a time, I highly recommend the 2002 space western, FIREFLY. It only ran 14 episodes, but it is renowned for being the very best television show in the history of all things, anywhere, ever. But more importantly, it has a massive cult following that will flock to your channel should you react to it. Watching it would be a great way to build your subscriber count fast. That’s how Target Audience got me, after all: I went to them for Firefly, I stayed for Star Trek.
Not that you have to resort to FIREFLY on my account. You’ve got me hooked on the line already!
I've watched Target Audience and they definitely seem to have a good system. I'm still figuring out what RUclips will accept and what it won't (even this episode you watched still has a copyright flag).
I actually watched Firefly when it originally aired. I remember reading articles (I think on IGN) about the network jerking the show around with airdates and letting it get preempted frequently. I grew up with Buffy and Angel and Firefly was right around that same time. I enjoyed all of those shows!
At last, the goddess of miniatures graces us mere nerd mortals with her emphatic and illustrious presence in reaction format. Truly, this is a glorious day for Imperium.
The Emperor protects =)
Hi Miranda, I'm Joe. I just wanted to say I'm very glad to have found your new channel. I've been a Trek fan for as long as I can remember and I'm 64 years old. I don't remember the first time I watched the original series so I think It's fun to re watch it with a new viewer. I would say that you are watching the episodes in the order that they originally aired which is totally fine. Some people may say to watch in the order they were produces which is true for the first few episodes but becomes less important over time. I hope to have a long friendship and maybe even continue into ST-TNG and Deep Space Nine.
Hello Joe! I know what you mean. There are a few franchises I've sort of "always known", and can't really recall the first time I was introduced to it. I do plan on watching all of the original series, and probably TNG as well. I hope you enjoy the journey!
There are so many science-fiction movies and TV shows that showcase shape-shifting creatures, but The Man Trap has to be one of the earliest versions ever. And they did a great job.
Also, the makeup department did a great job putting this M113 Salt Vampire Creature together. It had an ancient but also spooky monstrous eerie look to it. Loved it. -OG
I really like the creature design for the "salt vampire". It has a lot of character to it. It's funny, only a week after I uploaded this video, Red Letter Media uploaded a video about it. Apparently, those guys acquired the original master for the mask mold. They showed a picture of the same actress who played Nancy also wearing the suit.
It read Uhuru's mind and she knows how to speak Swahili and she was probably day dreaming about a guy who looked like him and changed forms to suit her thoughts.
.
Fantastic reaction! I loved your philosophizing at the end a little bit about the episode. It's so typically Star Trek that even your typical "oh no scary monster" episode really makes an effort to give depth and nuance to the story, and not just a story of "shoot the thing that looks scary/different", and I love how much you picked up on that!
As to your comments on air date order vs production order, this episode is the first episode in the air date order. So this was the audience's first taste of the characters, the ship, the concepts, the show, the themes, and the whole world of Star Trek. I would recommend, moving forward, watching it in production order (you can google what that order is), because it really is a lot more satisfying in regards to character growth.
You'll also notice the inconsistencies with air date order especially with 1x03 "Where No Man Has Gone Before" because while it was the third episode to air it was the second pilot filmed and so everything looks very different. No Bones, the uniforms look completely different, Spock's makeup is very un-refined, etc.
I seriously cannot wait for more!
I feel like half the fun of watching something like Star Trek is the philosophizing after the show. Thanks for watching, I appreciate it =)
@@MirandaLikestoWatchI respectfully disagree with StoneKnivesBearskin's (btw, his handle is a reference to a line of dialogue in an episode of Star Trek that is almost everyone's favorite) that you should watch the series in production order. Philosophically, I think the best way is to experience the original series the same way the original AUDIENCE experienced it -- which means in order of their broadcast date. IMHO.
This was the first episode ever aired on TV back in 1966 (regardless of the order they showed it since anywhere or anywhen else). I was 10 at the time, and man was I impressed! It's all anyone talked about at school the next morning. I was hooked on TOS for life!
Clever use of static. Very creative.
Yeah. First I’ve seen that. Good trick.
I think it worked for the visuals. Unfortunately, RUclips keeps hitting me for the audio instead. I'll try some different editing approaches on the next few videos and see what works.
@MirandaLikestoWatch gotcha. Yeah Paramount doesn't mess around. I ❤️ channels that give am actor's views on scenes, dialog etc. Will stay tuned in
@@MirandaLikestoWatchMaybe add hissing to the static. lol
@@MirandaLikestoWatch I see a lot of people vary the speed between regular and fast. And/or raise the pitch. However i was under the impression that they're much more concerned about music than lines.
Dear Miranda, there is an obscure movie from 1998 called Dark City. Its tone & atmosphere is very gloomy but still..... .. i risk to recommend it.
I actually bought the bluray to it a few months ago. I've seen it several times in the past and really enjoy it. I'm thinking of bringing a friend on the channel to watch some of the movies I've already seen though.
"The creature looked sad"
I always thought it looked threatening, but now that you mention it the salt creature DOES look sad. Being the last of it's kind it would have good reason.
My mother used to bake cakes without adding salt to the mixture. "I Feel Ya Creature!"
Indeed, I always felt it knew it was done near the end. Ready to die. That's why it revealed its true form at the end. Didn't matter anymore.
Star Trek is storytelling at its best.
The first of McCoy's many exes. Everyone talks about Kirk, but McCoy and Spock both get more play than the man who is married to his ship.
The salt vampire is seen in another ST episode. Can't wait for you to discover it. 😊
Well, now I can't wait to see it!
When I first saw this creature as a kid, it gave me nightmares for years! I never saw it as sad, but now that I'm older, I absolutely can see that in the design. It was created by Wah Chang, who made quite a few of the props and ships in the series, as well as other classic movies like the 1960 Time Machine. It was worn by Sandra Gimpel, who was a stuntwoman. There's some great pictures of her unmasked, and she really was very pretty under all that.
I think I saw the relationship between the creature and Crater as sort of symbiotic. Maybe it didn't necessarily want to kill, but Crater supplied it with all the salt it needed, so it agreed to pretend to be his wife. Maybe the memory of her was so strong in his head, he sort of accepted she wasn't dead. Which makes Crater sound a bit insane but... maybe when he was faced with death himself, or helping this creature survive and keeping a version of his wife with him, he accepted the deal.
But this is why I always loved Star Trek as a kid. Sure Star Wars was fun, but Star Trek made you think about the possibilities. All the 'what if...' and exploring of the unknown terrified me, but made me very curious as well. In three seasons of TOS, there's a lot of great writing, and some occasional not-so-great writing. But they knew how to do it right, and I have a lot of respect for that. And just FYI, I always recommend to new people watching, you might be better off watching the new effects. I always worry the outdated effects and campy look will take you out of the story. And to me, the writing is what is most important. Maybe I have an unpopular opinion, and I think a lot of the purests LOOOOOOVE the original effects. But I think the new effects definitely improved the series in a lot of ways and helped with immersion.
New subscriber. The tv static is not necessary. Many reaction channels have reviewed the Star Trek series without having to alter the video. None of them have gotten flagged
This was the sixth upload attempt and RUclips still has a copyright flag on it. I haven't quite found the magic to making it work quite yet.
@@MirandaLikestoWatchother reaction channels don't use static but they do cut a lot of bits out of the show. What are the channels I watch had a video taken down but they redid it and uploaded it again. Seems like RUclips doesn't believe in Fair Use. I follow some music reaction channels that play a whole song, although they often interpret them when they talk about them.
I recently met the actress who played the salt creature at a convention She also played one of the Trio of Talosians in Star Trek's "The Cage" pilot a few years before this. This was technically the first episode of the series, but not the first one shot. I've always seen this ordered as episode one in all releases I've owned. But yes, others were shot before this, namely not one but two pilot episodes. The aforementioned "The Cage" (Starring Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike), which was not okayed by the network, so they went back and filmed a whole new pilot with a new Captain (i.e. Kirk), which was called "Where no man has gone before." That pilot was okayed and aired, then they started filming the series as we know it, beginning with at least one other episode before this one, maybe more. I don't know why this has been the story picked as episode 1 for syndication and box sets. But it is a fun and interesting one. I've always liked it.
"the Corbomite Maneuver" was the first "regular" episode produced, once it was picked up as a series. The second pilot was broadcast a few episodes in, because even though they saved a bunch of money reusing the first pilot's sets, uniforms, and Spock makeup, it still cost money, and the producers weren't going to throw it away. The first pilot got cut into a two-part "frame" story to explain away the differences, and to edit out a few scenes that no longer fit. Again, that one especially cost a lot for the time, what with having to make basically everything from scratch.
Old-school TOS fan since the early '70s. Welcome to RUclips and welcome (back) to the Star Trek franchise. I think you'll find most Trekkies to be kind, helpful, and very knowledgeable about every aspect of the franchise but without so many trolls, or spoilers as other popular "space-themed" franchises. Prosperity and long life.
My favourite episode--there's something about the creepy atmosphere or mood that I like, the cozy planet below with ruins of mysterious ancient civilisation, and the spooky alien running around the ship which was lots of good fun; plus everyone was eating delicious vegetables, which motivates me to eat veggies. And coffee! Thanks for watching the version with original special effects. I like the original special effects because it sometimes forces the viewer to use his-her imagination to "fill in the blanks/limitations". :)
Great background on the writer. I loved Logan's Run.
Very thoughtful commentary! I'm really looking forward to seeing your reactions to the rest of TOW. As for the buffalo analogy, I think that was just the writer's way of trying to drum up some pathos and empathy for the creature. To elevate the episode beyond the standard monster of the week.
I love Star Trek! Thank you for investing the time to post these videos! I just binge watched all three video .
Thank you so much. So far, I'm really loving Star Trek as well!
Congrats on the new channel. Looking to see your future ST reactions.
Appreciate it!
Good reaction video - looking forward to future videos!
An old show you might want to add to your To Do list is Kolchak: The Night Stalker- They only made 20 episodes, but it has an 8.4 IMDb rating, and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes
I'll add it to my list of things to check out!
Any so-called "campiness" to be found in the original series is actually few and far between.
But as most things go, I suppose that's in the eye of the beholder.
It's the default campiness of 1960s television.
I look forward to it. I genuinely LOVE campiness.
Great reaction! The Blu ray set is in the network airing order instead of the production order, like it was on Netflix. Can't wait for your future reactions! 😊
Vulcans 🖖 are much stronger than humans. To see Spock slug the creature multiple times with little effect and then get swiped across the room by it speaks volumes to its strength. -OG
Also, I wouldn't mess with McCoy. He kept hold of a phaser from Mr. Spock while still on the red "you'll sleep" pills! ❤😅
"The Man Trap" was the first episode aired by NBC, but it was the fifth episode produced. "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is generally considered the first produced episode... although it was technically a pilot episode, the 2nd pilot actually. Since it was actually shown on TV as an episode, it classifies as the first produced episode, with "The Corbomite Maneuver" being the first ACTUAL episode of the series after the green light was given by NBC for production, but is classified as the second produced episode after "Where No Man Has Gone Before." One other thing I want to point out because it will eventually be noticeable since you are watching the episodes with the original effects... a LOT of stock shots of the Enterprise filming model were made for "Where No Man Has Gone Before." After NBC green-lit the show for their lineup, the decision was made to upgrade the model a bit with more lighting, such as spinning fans and blinking lights at the front of the warp engines, lowering the bridge dome, making the sensor/deflector dish a bit smaller, slight change of window alignment on the saucer, change of placement for the navigational lights on the lower saucer... just to name a few, but there are more. New stock shots of the Enterprise were made with these new enhancements. BUT... the stock shots of the older version of the model were not thrown away, they were also made a part of the stock shot library. Because of this, throughout the series, you will see shots of the Enterprise with the old 2nd pilot features, and shots with the updated production features, and they will be shown mixed together in almost every episode.
I would assume that since each of the original three members of the landing party saw the same woman at the same time but appearing different from each person's point of view, it would indicate that she was not a true shapeshifter, but rather she tricked the mind of those who saw her to believe they were seeing something different. In which case the salt monster was wandering the corridors of the Enterprise and security cameras (if there had been any) could have recorded the alien in its true form. Just my thoughts on it.
That would also explain how the creature could speak Swahili with Uhura. Not to mention he actually said to her "you were thinking of someone like me" which indicates it read her mind. So, good guess!
Oh wow, that would have been super cool if they checked the security footage and saw the true alien! I think that makes the most sense.
Yup, quite so.
Exactly right
Never thought about it, but that makes sense the security cameras would record the true form.
The first Trek episode broadcast; it was the sixth filmed.
There were once millions of them. If an entire human can't sustain them for more than a few hours what did they eat?
And Bones was sleeping good. Never heard the red alert or anything.
@ArienRiley, Planetary wide environmental catastrophe?
Bill Mumy's stunt double ( Lost in Space ) she played the Salt Vampire Creature in this episode.
I think the creature was just reading minds and mentally projecting a false appearance.
By the way, this was the first episode aired. I watched it in 1966.
Very cool
I can't imagine what seeing this back in 1966 must have been like. I don't think there was anything else like it. Were you able to watch it in color back then? I know there were not a lot of households with color television back then.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch Pretty sure we weren't in 1966.
Miranda: "I don't know that one man"
Me: "He's not in a red shirt so maybe he'll...oh nevermind."
There's old slang saying that Gen X used to say: "you had to be there". Usually, it refers to a funny story that upon telling doesn't come across because it was funny AT THE TIME. Star Trek TOS is a bit like that for me, when I was a kid in the 70s, Star Trek reruns were on tv every Saturday afternoon for YEARS. I can see how people watching them today would say they were cheap and "campy" or whatever, but as a kid in the 70s, they were awesome.
I'm familiar with that saying. And as a girl in the 2020's, they are still awesome =)
OK, I am loving your reaction! Appreciating Trek makes you think...
It is a salt vampire!
Very fun to see the non war gaming side of you ❤❤
Not all that long ago I was watching many of the Classic Series episodes on a cable channel at 11 pm. Eastern time.
Static tv, clever idea!
First appearance of Dr. McCoy. The episodes were aired out of order. This was the first one shown.
Great reaction and comments. I'm looking forward to seeing more.
Miranda, an actress, with a channel so bright,
Reacts to "The Man Trap," with insightful delight.
She's seen the first season, but memories have flown,
So she starts afresh, with the Blu-ray, her own.
The creature's mechanics, she finds quite profound,
Psychically interfacing, reflecting what's found.
Nancy's image projected, from Crater's mind's eye,
A snapshot of memory, as time passes by.
Bones's encounter, she analyzes with care,
The creature mirroring Nancy, beyond compare.
It mimics and shows, but can it heal too?
Using McCoy's skills, to see a crewman through?
The episode's depth, she praises with grace,
Exploring concepts, at a thoughtful pace.
The creature's survival, a moral to glean,
A reflection of humanity, on the cosmic scene.
Miranda's insights, enrich our own view,
As she guides us through Trek, with wisdom anew.
Her questions and thoughts, spark conversations bright,
Illuminating the episode, with her perceptive light.
Oops I did It Again, this is the fourth channel now that I've subscribed to that is watching Star Trek TOS from the beginning. I wouldn't have done it if your reaction hadn't been so good. LOL
It's always great to see someone discover/or Rediscover the Star Trek universe.
Some notes; this was the first episode broadcast. I know because I watched it. (I'm old)
They filmed two other pilots for the show. And then broadcast them out of production order. This was the 6th episode filmed.
The phaser that Dr. Crater uses is the same model as one used in the unaired pilot The Cage. It's an older model which is a nice touch because a remote base wouldn't have the most up-to-date equipment.
I like that you are watching with the original special effects. Which sometimes weren't so special. We are so spoiled now. Back in the day we took our special effects bad and liked it 😂
Watch long and prosper. 🖖
Thank you, I do my best to be as genuine and thoughtful as I can. That bit of trivia about the phaser is actually really cool. I like continuity/canon with stuff like that. And I'm loving the original/practical effects. Thanks for watching!
Star Trek TOS is a wonderful place to start your channel.
I grew up with movies in the 80’s,90’s & 2000’s. Happy to give recommendations on any for you.
Feel free to give any recommendations you want. I'll read them all =)
Willing to watch a non cheesey trek/reaction channel LLAP!
This episode is a variant of the Doppelganger stories in mythology. A doppelganger can create an illusion of appearing like the victims they kill, and they do this by telepathy to read the thoughts and memories of their victims. In this episode the creature uses this ability, to speak another language to make Uhura more comfortable around the creature, which allows the creature to get closer to their victim for example.
Interestingly this is actually not the first episode, but the network exec's wanted a creature feature episode so they aired The Man Trap first, and the rest is history.
Janice Rand was everybody's fav.
I was six when I first saw this, and it scared the shit out of me.
I think that the creature (Nancy) wasn't actually appearing as if it knew what the other person was thinking, but was projecting a sort of hallucinogenic drug effect that forced the victim to see what they wanted to see, which would explain, in Uhura's case, why the crewman looked like someone she would possibly know/desire (approximately) or even just be "comfortable" with seeing, and why she "imagined" it spoke her language (Swahili). I suspect this also answers your question about, "Would the copied phaser work ???", and my thoughts on this would be, "obviously not" because nothing being "seen" by the victim was real. Think about it like this ... an octopus can take on many shapes to hide or fool threats, but use the same abilities (shapes and coloring) to lure in its prey.
Seeing that staticky image reminded me of how I first saw Star Trek, on the BBC on an old black and white telly.
Great analysis, I do like it when reactors actually look things up to find out some background. I'd never have known that about the writer.
I must conclude with my statutory joke:
When Nancy Crater died she left a big hole in McCoy's life.
Dad jokes always win on this channel =)
@@MirandaLikestoWatch As my co-workers will tell you, I'm full of them.
Yesterday a thief stole my camouflage jacket and my flip-flops. As he left I shouted, "You can hide but you can't run!"
I think the original effects for the most part still look great. I find the CGI Enterprise looks cartoony. Glad you are watching it the original way as we original fans watched it back then.
One of the reasons I'm doing this is for the experience.
I hope you'll watch the animated series also. They are like seasons 4 and 5 of the show. Then there are two PC, CD-ROM games that have video game versions of the characters based on their look from the animated series, this time also played by the original cast, and a few returning characters from the show. Star Trek 25th Anniversary {7 episodes, CD-ROM version}, and Star Trek Judgment Rites {8 episodes}. Sort of honorary 6th season. And we get to see more aliens that aren't just people in suits. You might also like the short Dark Shadows {1991} season of 12 episodes. Basically, it's a love story between a vampire and an orphan woman that moves to Collinwood to be a governess of a troubled kid. There is a ghost, a witch, the vampire, and even time travel, where the characters play slightly different versions of their characters. Sort of like 'Back to the Future' meets 'Twilight'. It was one of my favorite shows, but because of bad timing the show was canceled after the first season.
If you liked this story, you might like a similar one by A.E. Van Vogt known as Black Destroyer, which was about a similar species called a coeurl that fed on potassium and resembled a blank panther with tentacles. No disguise abilities, but it was extra tough. Many people consider that story to be the inspiration for this episode.
(18:56) The call for "general quarters" basically means "get ready for trouble". Crew men are expected to man their stations and get ready for orders. So, yea... "go to your "room"'" ;)
Ha, that's awesome!
Just a brief note to say thank you for the Star Trek reaction. I'm looking forward to seeing all of them. I also want to wish you luck on your channel.
Thank you for starting this series of videos . I love Star Trek! You are doing a great job with this channel! I am now a subscriber
Thanks for the sub! I look forward to watching more =)
Don't be surprised that the original special effects are good. They were an enormous improvement over TV effects of only 1 year earlier, and there was no more improvement for more than 10 years after.
The snow was real when I first saw these as a child.
When the creature first appears, it didn't need to reflect Nancy from McCoy. His memories of her appearance would have been virtually the same as Crater's, because they both actually knew the real Nancy.
Always excited to watch someone watching the original series! Subscribed!!!
Thank you! I look forward to watching all three seasons.
I just subbed to follow your Trek journey. Welcome aboard! Lots of great stories ahead!
It’s nice watching this with you who goes in with some knowledge of the series already. You even knew these were aired in a different order.
For what it's worth, I grew up watching Star Trek: Voyager as a kid.
Actors from back in the day were so superior. This was in a time when it was Westerns that dominated the TV airwaves. So neat to see them step in to SciFi and makes us believers in it from back then. So anxious to see what else you react to. I have no idea if you intend to watch all the other episodes and in order of their broadcast but "Wolf in the Fold" is another good one for it's mystery element.
The plan so far is to watch all of TOS so I should get to that episode eventually =)
Legacy Trek reaction? Instant sub, and number 10 no less. Enjoy getting to re-know the show, and discovering it at the same time. I look forward to hearing your thoughts as your progress through the show.
Thank you, I appreciate it. I really look forward to going through these =)
Only thing I'd suggest outside of the blueray order is watching the original pilot "The Cage".
That's "The Cage", right? There are two versions of it in my box set, regular and extended.
Great video Miranda! So, I saw someone else mention this in an earlier comment, but "The Man Trap" WAS the first episode of Star Trek that ever aired. The original DVDs that came out in 1999 (40 volume, single disc, release containing two episodes per volume/disc) and in 2004 (complete season sets and complete series set) had the episodes arranged in production order (with the exception of the original pilot, "The Cage" as it's on the final disc of the season 3 DVD set, and is the last episode on volume 40), but when the series was re-released on DVD from 2007 to 2008, and released on Blu-ray in 2009, they swapped it around to airdate order for whatever reason, and every subsequent DVD and Blu-ray release (Complete Series sets and individual season sets (DVD only)), including the series set you have, kept the airdate order rather than the production order.
Years ago, I watched most of the first season on Netflix. I remember them being in a different order than my Blu-ray set. It seems like they are diverging from the physical media tradition lol. Also, it seems like I should watch "The Cage" before I move on to Season 2.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch Yeah, I think that's just because Netflix decides in what order episodes are in for shows, and because production order is how the show was supposed to air, but NBC chose to air it the way they aired it in the '60s, Netflix chose to put it out on their service that way. But, for whatever reason CBS Home Entertainment decided to put the show out on DVD and Blu-ray in airdate order, despite Paramount Home Video putting the episodes out on physical media in production order, going all the way back to the earliest VHS and Betamax releases in the '80s. It's strange that way because Star Trek isn't the only series to have DVD releases arrange episodes in a way that isn't either how they aired originally, or how they were supposed to air. Yeah, absolutely, watch "The Cage" before moving on to season 2.
I usually prefer the original effects. It's a time capsule of an earlier era in film. The problem with some of the re-done effects is that they didn't want to go all the way modern, so it ends up looking like old PS2 cut scenes from 20 years ago.
I like the idea of it being a "time capsule". That's the way I'm approaching it anyway.
I’m wiling to give this channel a chance because at least she isn’t faking her “first time” like most other reactors. Star Trek is difficult because many are really bright enough to truly appreciate all of it.
I try to be up front with you guys =) Also, I grew up watching Star Trek: Voyager as a kid. I never really saw any of the other TNG stuff though.
@@MirandaLikestoWatch well I think you’d enjoy tng seasons 3+… and ds9…. Eh… maybe season 3+ there too. Lol. It took a while before both shows really got incredibly good. Though there are gem early episodes here and there.
11:05 Their 'Zappy guns' are called 'phasers'. So are the big ship mounted guns but they also have 'photon torpedoes'.
Later on any crewmen that beam down and are not main characters wear red and are usually killed. The 'redshirt' inevitable deaths have not been established yet, so the dead crew do not all wear red in this episode.
There was a pilot episode, originally unaired called 'The Cage'. They later used much of the footage, along with new scenes as a framing story for the two-part story 'The Menagerie'. The first episode chronologically is 'Where No Man has Gone Before' in which the First Officer is killed, which is why Spock, originally just Science Officer also takes on the role of First Officer as well.
Oh interesting. I just finished watching "Where No Man Has Gone Before". I didn't realize that with Spock.
I'm not aware of any other Trek reaction channel that is watching these episodes with original effects. I think it's a great idea. I sorta wish you watched the episodes in production order, but it doesn't really matter. Every Trek reaction channel seems to watch them in broadcast order as you are.
No they aired the episodes in a different order from the production order because the studio thought people would like monsters. Although this is not a typical episode in that it follows the creature rather than the main characters.
Yes Miranda I have watch all three season before maybe 10 times it good even on the ten time!!!!!
What I love about Star Trek is how the crew really thinks about all they have done and is always willing to wonder if they did they right thing, "I was thinking of the buffalo". Kirk wondering if they did something evil by killing the last of their kind. Comes up inb many episodes.
I really like that as well. Holding on to their humanity while exploring the vastness of space seems to be a consistent element in this series.
Cafeteria!? You mean the gally?? 😏😆
Just teasing 😊 ,enjoy watching your reaction & analysis. Keep up the good work.👍🤘
Just caught your channel. All ready to do all of TOS with you. Have fun reliving S1 and catching up to us old guys.
I'm looking forward to it!
I didn't see much of the original series, but some key episodes, I was more into The Next Generation. However after watching this, the Red Dwarf episode Camille makes far more sense.
I grew up watching Voyager =)
Good job. Lean on me (50+ years watching Star Trek) for support and answers to your questions. The snow job onscreen reminds me of watching Trek on CBS Vermont from Montreal without cable. Two points about The Man Trap: the Salt Vampire is native to this planet, M-113. The episode was written by George Clayton Johnson, a very fine sci-fi writer who was from Wyoming and very interested in the story of the buffalo.
I looked up George Clayton Johnson after watching the episode and learned he also wrote Logan's Run. I haven't seen that but grew up understanding it's another classic so I'm going add it to the roster of things to watch =)
@@MirandaLikestoWatch Indeed, I saw Logan's Run in the cinema when it came out and I was about 9 years; I enjoyed it. Love your style and look forward to seeing more.
"... in order on the discs." I have the same set on DVD. this means the pilot is coming last.
Looking forward to the series.
I think I might react to that episode at the end of season 01.
Despite the hideous look of the creature, it had extremely advanced defenses. ( It just couldn't find the kitchen pantry )
"Miranda Likes to Watch" would make a really good title for a modern take on Rear Window.
P.S. Love this new channel and looking forward watching along