The Man Trap
Doctor McCoy encounters an old flame, but is she really a vicious shape-shifter with an appetite for salt? Questions are raised as dead crewmen pile up.
The series begins with a fairly conventional monster tale, though some decidedly Star Trek elements present themselves. The crew faces a moral dilemma since the creature is the last of its kind. The fight becomes personal for Bones, who wonders if it might be his beloved Nancy. It's curious that a character who will forever be "third fiddle" is spotlighted in the first episode. It's been said the crew is too slow in figuring out the creature's true nature, but shape shifters are tricky. I will agree that McCoy is too slow in shooting the thing. If it hadn't been for Spock, Jim would have been a goner. (Another tradition is begun.) Most enjoyable are the scenes of the crew's daily life, like Sulu and Rand discussing the plants. The creature is a threat precisely because it blends into the their lives before attacking. Kirk has no sympathy for life forms that threaten his people, despite his musings on the buffalo.
Spock Saves the Day: Spock bursts into McCoy's quarters in time to save the captain and give "Nancy" a good thrashing. That this assault has no impact convinces Bones it's definitely not Nancy.
Oops: No nerve pinch? Well, I guess it hadn't been invented yet . . .
Developments: Spock is mysterious when we first meet him. He's clearly dedicated to logic, tries not to display emotion, and resists Uhura's invitations to romance with bemused nonchalance. He's friends with Kirk, fighting by his side, but the two are not inseparable as yet. Spock's copper-based blood keeps him from harm - far from the last time. But as for other strengths, weaknesses, interests, background details, personal struggles? All revealed in time.