Stardate: 1513.1-15.13.8

Original airdate: 9/8/1966

Writer: George Clayton Johnson

Director: Marc Daniels

Guest stars:

Jeanny Bal              Nancy Crater,wife of Prof.Crater.Ex love of Dr. McCoy    from 10 years ago. Was killed 1 (or 2) years before by    a creature native to the planet, M113.

Francine Pyne           Salt Creature, native endangered species of intelligent animal who can assume any form for the same purpose that the cameleon changes color, to obtain food, salt, and love, because the normal salt deposits had been depleted.

Alfred Ryder            Professor Robert (Bob) Crater, archeologist, dies    after being attacked by the desperate salt creature.

Michael Zaslow          Crewman Darnell, dies supposedly of "alkaloid  poisoning" when nancy says he ate a "Borgia" plant. He really was killed by the salt creature.

Crew appearences:
Kirk, Spock, McCoy
Scotty (voice only)
Uhura
Yeoman Janice Rand
Sulu
Crewman Green (dies)
Crewman Stergeon (dies)
(Crewman) Barnhart (in a silver suit)

The salt creature impersonates:
Nancy
Darnell's girlfriend from Wrigley's Pleasure Planet
Crewman Green
(Swahili) Crewman who tempts Uhura
Dr. McCoy

Story:
The Enterprise is assigned the task of proceeding to planet M-113 in order to deliver medical supplies to the planet's only two inhabitants, Doctors Robert and Nancy Crater, the latter of whom had been romantically involved with Dr. McCoy. This one turns out to be a shape-changing salt "vampire" who seduces its victims by appearing as someone they know and then attacking, draining their bodies of natural salt content. The creature gets aboard the Enterprise and must be destroyed, despite the fact it is the last of a species.

Other persons and places:

M 113:  a planet with ruins of an ancient and long dead civilization. Studied for 5 years, and appearantly owned, by Prof Crater (he says that the crew is trespassing on "my planet".)

Wrigley's Pleasure Planet (must be quite a place!)

Vulcan: has no moon, spock's home planet where their "blood cells are quite different."

Factoids:

Saurian Brandy mentioned. no details, except Green is accused of "nipping" it.

GQ 3: means intruder alert
Security level 4: means weapons locked away, hall ways clear and secure.

McCoy's 'scientific' analysis of the contents of a container the suspicious Prof. Crater hands him.....puts the tablet to his tongue and tastes it, says, "SALT."  (You'd think in the 23rd C. a physican would know not to do that. What if it was DiLithium hydrochloric acid or something???????)

Spock recommends using 'truth serum' on Prof. Crater when he refuses to identify the shape shifty creature. (wonder what that is and why it would be called truth serum in the 23rd. C.???)

Quotes:

"May the great bird of the galaxy bless your planet." Sulu to Rand
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"Creature leading you a merry chase, Mr. Sulu?" the monster posing as McCoy.

"!!!!!Creature??????" Sulu.
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"Fortunately, my ancestors spawned in another ocean." Spock
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Morality Tail:

Pity the extinction of species such as the buffalo, even when the species is harmful or deadly to humans.

TV guides short story description: THE MAN TRAP
Shortly after McCoy's ex-girl-friend comes on board, a sudden rash of terminal hickeys breaks out. She gets caught in the act in Kirk's bedroom. :-)