by knix:

I guess not "appealing" in that way, but "expected." If she had appeared obviously as too-young as she did to McCoy, that would have aroused his suspicions even earlier.

That makes sense .......so why not be coherent when it came to Bones ..... choosing to appear as if 10 years had not passed to Bones was a risk ....why not just appear how Nancy was when it killed her ...gray and aged just like for Kirk?

How did the salt vampire survive before the two arrived on the planet ... it was alone and without salt?

So it decided to kill Nancy , and then it thought Crater would forgive it and supply it with the salt and offer it companionship.... it's not very realistic though as a storyline.

No and it all starts with them happening to arrive just as there was one creature surviving, and they happened to arrive at that spot on the planet where the last creature was, etc etc. And how did the planet descend into such ruin in what apparently must have been one creature's lifespan?

Oh well. It's Star Trek!

The creature was obviously responding to the thoughts and feelings it picked up from others, and it apparently decided to appear to McCoy as he had remembered her, and as it would get the strongest emotional response from him.

by knix:

The creature was obviously responding to the thoughts and feelings it picked up from others, and it apparently decided to appear to McCoy as he had remembered her, and as it would get the strongest emotional response from him.

So it appeared gray and old not to arouse suspicion in Kirk ..... yet it appeared young (as if time had not passed )to Bones to get the strongest emotional response from him... two different takes that seen together clash.

I was wondering where did the salt vampire population get their source of salt from .. did they extract it or did they feed on each other without killing ....or did they fed on the dead ..the last salt vampire killed minutes after the landing party arrived... rather than act with causion and wait for the supplies it chose to kill .

Could having to do a physical , have scared the salt vampire.? Unfortunately, Bones decides to postpone and do it when Crater is there too... so we can't be sure if having to do a physical had a say in why the vampire killed in such a haste.

Kirk hadn't met Nancy before, so appearing the same as McCoy first saw her, wouldn't have gotten the same feelings from him as it did from McCoy who remembered her with love from his past. And it appeared to the other crewman as the woman he remembered vividly from... was it Wrigley's Pleasure Planet?

By knix:

Kirk hadn't met Nancy before, so appearing the same as McCoy first saw her, wouldn't have gotten the same feelings from him as it did from McCoy who remembered her with love from his past. And it appeared to the other crewman as the woman he remembered vividly from... was it Wrigley's Pleasure Planet?

You are missing my point Knix..

It appeared grey and older to Kirk because it knew Kirk was expecting a woman near Bones age ..the creature was focused on being cautious

On the other hand ,wanting to appeal to Bones because you say it wanted to fed on Bones emotional reaction seeing a young Nancy , it literally put aside being cautious.

So my question is : why be cautious with Kirk only to act reckless instead with Bones?

Maybe the need to feed on emotions equals its need to feed on salt?

I’m still not convinced about the “feeding on emotions “ theory.

CRATER: Not because of tricks. It doesn't trick me. It needs love as much as it needs salt. When it killed Nancy, I almost destroyed it but, it isn't just a beast. It is intelligent and the last of its kind.

Crater said it needs love .. to me that means it needed companionship ..

Crater didn’t say it needed to feed on emotions.

The rest of what I quoted from the script was the creature itself, at least suggesting that it somehow feeds on other strong emotions/memories, not just love. There may have been more along that line intended to be in the story, but as with many of the TOS scripts, that got cut back for time. It would be interesting to see the script for this episode as it changed over time, up to the final version that actually aired.

It would likely know - and/or feel - that Kirk would be suspicious if it appeared "too young," but that would not be a concern with McCoy, at least not at first. It did change, after all. It might have read Kirk's thoughts about what McCoy had said, and/or picked up on what Crater had said about it appearing a more expected age the next time McCoy saw it.

By knix:

The rest of what I quoted from the script was the creature itself, at least suggesting that it somehow feeds on other strong emotions/memories, not just love.

I don’t see where it say or suggests that it needs to feed on emotions .

There may have been more along that line intended to be in the story, but as with many of the TOS scripts, that got cut back for time.

This is not relevant , what counts is what we get in the episode.

It would be interesting to see the script for this episode as it changed over time, up to the final version that actually aired.

I found this interesting podcast which doesn’t speak about the creature needing to feed on human emotions.

The salt vampire actually uses their emotions /desires as a “tool “against them.

It speaks about the creatures hypnotic luring power ( he offers what the a crew member dreams /desires most ) and while its victim is happily engaging with the shapeshifter, the salt vampire attacks and extracts the salt.

It appeared to Darnell as that hot chick met on that pleasure planet to put him off his guard .. make him feel safe … lure him in a trap appealing to him sexually and while they were smooching the salt vampire turned on him.

https://www.missionlogpodcast.com/the-man-trap/

What the creature said to McCoy about LIKING his feelings better, because they were much STRONGER, would suggest that the creature doesn't just use them as a tool.

Also, Crater said needed love as well as salt.

But it wouldn't make sense to claim a life form can exist ONLY on salt. We never heard of it eating anything else, but it really must have.

By knix:

What the creature said to McCoy about LIKING his feelings better, because they were much STRONGER, would suggest that the creature doesn't just use them as a tool.

Crater and the creature “lived” together for over a year , so obviously their “ bond “ was stronger but let’s not forget once Crater became a threat to it , it did not hesitate to kill him.

Also, Crater said it needed love as well as salt

He meant : companionship not that it needed to “ fed” on his emotions which is something different.

Didn’t you listen to the podcast ? I’m not the only one that thinks the salt vampire use the emotions it aroused in its potential victims against them like a tool, weapon.

He appeared sexy to Darnell to lure him into a trap .. Darnell was all bamboozled and off his guard… he became an easy target.

Appearing appealing was a tactic to put its potential victim in a state of false safety and distracted the vampire would then attack him/ her.

You don't consider anything in the script that didn't make it into the aired version to be canon, and I don't consider ANYTHING in ANY podcast to be canon.

@ to knix:

Knix, If you can come up with an (earlier) script where it says it fed on emotions I will be more than willing to acknowledge it but until then, my interpretation ( which mirrors much the one of the two conducting the podcast) is as valid as any other.

In “The Man Trap” which is canon there is no mention that the salt vampire fed on emotions . Full stop.

Hope you all keep this on topic!

@sunshine62 said:

@ to knix:

Knix, If you can come up with an (earlier) script where it says it fed on emotions I will be more than willing to acknowledge it but until then, my interpretation ( which mirrors much the one of the two conducting the podcast) is as valid as any other.

In “The Man Trap” which is canon there is no mention that the salt vampire fed on emotions . Full stop.

Crater said the creature needs love as much as it needs salt. And it needs salt to survive. Unless you're going to claim that what's in the script, coming out of Crater's mouth, is just a lie or something, then the creature needs love - or at least something like it - to survive.

by knix

Crater said the creature needs love as much as it needs salt. And it needs salt to survive. Unless you're going to claim that what's in the script, coming out of Crater's mouth, is just a lie or something, then the creature needs love - or at least something like it - to survive.

Yes it needed love aka companionship as much as it needed salt to survive.

It was alone for a long time and just like in us humans , being alone mines our well-being, our health, our sanity hence jeopardising our life.

Knix, you are giving your interpretation of Crater’s : he needs love

.. according to you it appeared sexy to Darnell to appeal, please /arouse him and then the salt vampire fed on his heightened emotions.

I don’t agree that was the creature’s intent.

It appeared as that hot female to bait Darnell and lure him into a trap.

It appeared to Kirk as an aged Nancy not to raise suspicions.

Appearing younger to Bones was a tactic too

..it knew Nancy and Bones were lovers in the past and I’m sure it sensed that Bones still had feeling for Nancy .. it wanted to use their past relationship to its advantage

.. it knew appearing young would overwhelm Bones , heighten his memories of their past love.

It’s intent was to turn Bones into an ally … in case matters went rogue , the salt vampire was confident Bones would not let the others hurt his Nancy.

Full stop!

Plants and pets need love too but are those "feeding off" our love for them ?