4 freakiest aliens from Star Trek: The Original Series
By Chad Porto
Salt Vampire
Creepy, thy name is the Salt Vampire. The Salt Vampire, or M-113 creature for you Star Trek hipsters out there, was introduced early in season one like most of the aliens on this list. It first appeared in the fifth episode of the first season, during the events of the episode entitled “The Man Trap”. The story follows the crew as they land on a planet to check up on and deliver supplies to a doctor and his wife who live on the outpost.
It turns out the good doctor, Robert Crater and his wife Nancy are hiding a vicious secret; Nancy is actually dead and the creature standing before everyone is actually a thing that fans have taken to calling the Salt Vampire.
The vampire is able to tap into a person’s mind and create a figment of their imagination, where the individual sees the creature as someone they expect it to be. In the case of the original series, Spock and Dr. McCoy saw the creature as Nancy, the now-departed wife of the dear doctor.
The creature sucks its victims dry of salt, hence the name, and killed Nancy when it was first discovered. Crater bonded with the creature and the two lived together in peace despite everything he had lost.
Eventually, the Enterprise arrived, Crater was killed by the creature and McCoy shot the alien dead, despite having a hard time accepting it wasn’t his friend Nancy. Talk about a mind trip. The alien was suspected to be the last of its kind and while it’s popped up here or here, we really don’t know much about these beings.
Other than the fact they have gaping holes for eyes, a horrid mouth filled with sharp teeth, and suction cup-like fingers that drain the blood from a body.
Talk about horrifying.