M - 113 creature The M - 113 creature was the sole surviving member of an otherwise extinct species . The creature was capable of extracting salt from humanoid s , causing pain to and even occasionally the death of the victim . It could also hypnotize Human s without speaking . In 2266 , this creature was encountered by the crew of the , who ultimately killed it in self - defense . ( ) History . An entire civilization of this creature ' s species once lived on the planet M - 113 . The creatures needed salt to survive and so were fundamentally affected when , at some point before the 23rd century , the planet lost its supply of salt . Due to the scarcity of the substance , the native civilization collapsed and the creature ' s species was driven to the brink of extinction . In 2264 or 2265 , the last of the M - 113 creatures murder ed Nancy Crater , an act that almost drove her widower , Professor Robert Crater , to destroy it . In the end , the fact that it was the last of its kind , or perhaps its ability to assume any form , stayed his hand , and he lived with it for a year or more . In 2266 , the remaining creature was given an opportunity to secure more salt – which was especially vital as the Crater expedition was dangerously low on salt by that time – when the USS " Enterprise " visited M - 113 for routine medical checks of the two scientist s working there , unaware Nancy Crater had been killed . Hungering for the salt in Human bodies , the creature evidently saw Humans chiefly as food , and proved highly dangerous . The creature ' s hunger drove it to murder crewmen Darnell , Sturgeon and Green on the surface of M - 113 ( which was strewn with archaeological remains ) . As Nancy Crater , it blamed Darnell ' s death on ingestion of a borgia plant . Impersonating Crewman Green , it returned to the " Enterprise " , where chance saved Yeoman Janice Rand from becoming its next victim . It followed her when she brought Sulu his dinner , and might have murdered both officers except that Beauregard , a curious plant in the botany section of the Life Sciences Department , scared it off . An encounter with Uhura , as a crewman drawn from her mind , also proved frustrating for it . Seconds from killing her , it was distracted by Sulu and Rand . It later murdered an engineering technician named Barnhart on Deck 9 . Around this time , Captain Kirk and Lieutenant Commander Spock found Professor Crater on the surface of M - 113 , and returned to the ship with him . The creature , then impersonating Chief Medical Officer McCoy , sat in on a staff meeting at which Crater admitted he knew how to identify it . Before Crater could reveal or be made to reveal how this might be done , the creature murdered him , attempted to feed off Spock , who survived , presumptively due to the differing composition of Vulcan s ' blood salts , and fled to McCoy ' s quarters . Kirk found it there , and attempted to lure it to him with salt . In a resulting scuffle , it overpowered Kirk and began to feed on him . It wasn ' t until the creature dropped its hypnotic projection , and Kirk began to scream from the pain of salt extraction , that McCoy shot and killed the creature . ( ) Another individual of this creature ' s species was stuffed and on display in Trelane ' s castle . A landing party from the " Enterprise " , especially McCoy , reacted in surprise upon seeing it . It was later destroyed by Trelane with a phaser . ( ) Physiognomy . The surviving creature , as observed in 2266 , stood a little over one and a half meter s tall . It had brownish skin with purple highlights , and yellowish eye s . The face had a series of sagging folds that , together with the cast of its eyes , gave it a saddened appearance . It had a mouth , which was a kind of inverted snout , within which were several extremely sharp teeth . The body was covered with string - like , whitish hair . This creature also wore a brown , net - like garment , and had the proportions of a typical humanoid with two arm s and two leg s , each hand having three thick finger s . Each of the three fingers had three sucker - like feeding organ s . The creature used these to extract salt from its prey ; a process that was not only painful but also left a reddish , ring - like mottling on the victim ' s skin . The creature could also ingest pure salt through its mouth . While the creature could feed on Humans , it either could not or did not wish to feed on Spock . He theorized that his copper - based blood salts were unappealing or not nourishing . ( ) Capabilities . M - 113 creatures were very strong , stronger even than Vulcans . A single backhanded slap from one was sufficient to throw Spock across a room ; by contrast , he hit the creature several times with double - handed punches , without any observable effect . M - 113 creatures were also highly intelligent , capable of carrying on conversations with other intelligent beings . A form of telepathy enabled them to draw an image from the mind of someone near ; this image was usually of someone trustworthy or appealing . This image , in turn , enabled the creature to approach prey easily . Furthermore , the M - 113 creature could even simultaneously appear as a different image to each individual who stood in the same room . When a landing party from the " Enterprise " first encountered it , for instance , each member of the group saw a different woman even though they were looking at it at the same time . At very close range , the creature could fascinate or mentally paralyze its prey , preventing the prey from escaping even if it saw the creature ' s actual form . The creature could feed equally well in its natural form , or while projecting one of these images . ( ) Appendices . Background information . Identity . In its true form , the creature was portrayed by Sandra Gimpel . When the creature posed as other characters , it was played by Jeanne Bal , Francine Pyne , Bruce Watson , DeForest Kelley , and Vince Howard . As such , the character was played by more performers than any other single character in . ( " The Star Trek Compendium " 4th ed . , p . 36 ) Behind the scenes , this creature was commonly referred to as the " Salt Sucker " . ( ) Among fans , it is popularly known as the " Salt Vampire " . ( " Star Trek Compendium " 4th ed . , p . 36 ) Sandra Gimpel once referred to it as " the salt monster . " Conception . The invention of this alien was inspired by " The Man Trap " writer George Clayton Johnson having recently written " All of Us Are Dying " , an episode of " The Twilight Zone " that features a shape - shifter . " " So , that transformation thing was still sort of fresh in my head , and I think almost every writer tries to get some more mileage out of anything that works , " " Johnson reckoned . " " So that was , I think , why I thought of the idea of trying to do a story about a creature that could appear to be anyone . " " The idea was approved by Gene Roddenberry before the character ( and the story ) was fleshed out . ( " The Star Trek Interview Book " , p . 136 ) Initially , the look of the M - 113 creature was inspired by the Orion slave girl version of Vina from unsold " Star Trek " pilot . In a memo from Robert Justman to Gene Roddenberry ( dated ) , Justman commented , " " I don ' t know what the grotesque biped should look like , or how we are to go about handling this creation . I might make a suggestion which goes in an entirely opposite direction . Perhaps the grotesque biped could be an extremely beautiful , but terrifying , young lady . Perhaps she could be something along the lines of the green dancing maiden we had in " Star Trek I " . Would you believe a blue dancing maiden ? With orange hair ? And plenty stacked . " " Justman concluded the memo by saying he ' d like to be involved in the casting of the role . The presentment of the M - 113 creature in a revised story outline for " The Man Trap " impressed NBC . In a memo he wrote Gene Roddenberry ( on ) , NBC Manager of Film Programming Stanley Robertson commented , " " The idea of introducing an animal as a central antagonist in one of our stories is excellent . We would suggest that the writer do some research regarding the availability of any projections or prognostications by recognized authorities into the physical descriptions of ' animals ' who might inhabit planets other than our own . As are the ' educated guesses ' of the types of human life which might inhabit other ' worlds ' , this material might be fascinating and helpful . We would caution against making the animal so ' far out ' that its effectiveness is not believable . " " As originally scripted by George Clayton Johnson , the creature didn ' t come aboard the " Enterprise " until the third act of " The Man Trap " , considerably later than when it arrives on the vessel in the final version of the episode . This change in the portrayal of the character was suggested to Johnson by John D . F . Black . ( " The Star Trek Interview Book " , pp . 136 - 137 ; " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 27 , No . 11 / 12 , p . 101 ) " " He said , ' Oh , you see the problem is you don ' t get the creature aboard the ship fast enough . The danger is once the creature gets aboard , " " remembered Johnson . ( " Cinefantastique " , Vol . 27 , No . 11 / 12 , p . 101 ) Also , in the climax of the first draft script , the creature ate Professor Crater , killing him . The conclusion of the episode also included an explanation as to why the creature hadn ' t attacked McCoy . Following the submission of the first draft script of " The Man Trap " ( which meanwhile had the working title " Damsel with a Dulcimer " ) , Robert Justman sent John D . F . Black a memo ( on ) in which Justman admitted that , when reading certain scenes from the script , he was unsure whether the creature was disguised as " young Nancy or older Nancy . " Justman also suggested a cutaway for the transformation from Nancy Crater to the creature ' s natural appearance . " " I also feel we need a discussion as to what the creature should look like and what it should do , " " the memo continued . Justman went on to express uncertainty over why the creature ate Crater alive , especially because it had consumed a provision of salt tablets shortly prior to that scene . In a scene breakdown of the story ( which was undated , though the narrative was meanwhile titled " Damsel with a Dulcimer " ) , the creature ' s real appearance was described as " " a strange creature with the body of a young woman and hands like the legendary hair of Medusa – a clump of snake - like tentacles at the end of each wrist . " " In the second draft script of " The Man Trap " ( which was still called " Damsel with a Dulcimer " ) , the M - 113 creature ' s extinct civilization was cited as being responsible for the archaeological remains on the planet ' s surface . In a scene from the same script , the last of the creatures , while disguised as McCoy , was watched on the ship ' s bridge , by Kirk and Spock , as it made its way towards the real McCoy , who was meanwhile asleep . In another memo Robert Justman wrote John D . F . Black ( on ) , Justman commented , " " I understand that the various guises that Nancy appears in are to key off of whosoever is looking at her . And we should follow this method throughout the script . However , what does she look like when Crater looks at her ? " " Much like Gene Roddenberry , Justman also expressed puzzlement over which version of " Nancy " would appear in which scene . As the memo went on , he advised , " " We will have to discuss with Gene our conception of what the Creature really looks like and how Nancy changes into this Creature . Also , how are we to create this Creature . The various visualizations of what the Creature is cannot dissolve into each other , but will have to be some sort of an optical ZAP EFFECT due to the difference in physical characteristics [ . . . ] Some time at our leisure when we can sit down and discuss this story , I have some ideas to bring up with regard to the Creature and the forms it assumes in the mind ' s eye of other people . " " In a memo Gene Roddenberry wrote George Clayton Johnson ( also on 2 June 1966 ) , Roddenberry stated , " " I think we should specify very clearly in script for the benefit of the director that when we go from one Nancy to the other , we will go from a highly identifiable pose , movement , or something so that the audience continually understands that this is the same woman seen with two different sets of eyes . For example , if she is holding an object , then we go to the other one and see her holding the same object against the same background , the thing will be much clearer . Also , we should probably do the switch in mid - sentence occasionally too . ( Incidentally , one of the two will have to be looped since maintaining the same voice will be very helpful in keeping the situation clear . ) " " Roddenberry also felt the M - 113 creature ' s society , which he described as " a lost and strange civilization , " should be more archeologically evident on the surface of the planet . " " Were they bipeds ? [ . . . ] I presume it is an animal which originally attracted its prey via hypnotic vision , " " Roddenberry mused . " " Or , if it ' s an intelligent creature , perhaps that ability is one left over from its animal past , just as certain of our fangs and muscles are left . " " According to George Clayton Johnson ( " The Star Trek Interview Book " , p . 139 ) , Roddenberry particularly liked the last of the creatures being linked to " the last of the buffalo . " In a memo Robert Justman wrote John D . F . Black about the revised second draft script of " The Man Trap " ( the memo was dated 10 June 1966 ) , Justman commented , " " I still feel there is an enormous problem concerned with what Nancy looks like when certain people are looking at her . And I don ' t think that this problem has been resolved yet . Especially at the end of the story , when Kirk and Spock and McCoy are in the throes of getting rid of Nancy , or whoever she is . How does Spock see her ? Are we going to have to keep on jumping two or three different actresses back and forth within the same sequence , depending upon who is looking at her ? If we do this , we can be shooting this show forever , because we will have to cover it for all looks . " " Justman went on to propose that " Nancy " be seen the same way by Kirk , Spock , and McCoy , whereas Darnell , as was already established in the script , saw her as a brassy blonde . In Justman ' s opinion , it was believable that " Nancy " be seen the same way by Kirk and McCoy , as they had evidently discussed her before meeting " Nancy " , and Justman believed Kirk would already be aware of how she looked . In the final draft script of " The Man Trap " ( dated 16 June 1966 ) , the second page of that document stated : " " NOTE TO DIRECTOR : Throughout the script we will see ' Nancy ' as various different people . Crater and McCoy see her the same because both knew the real Nancy . Others see what they want to see or what they expect to see . ' Nancy ' s ' ability to change her appearance is a form of protective camouflage . Just as a chameleon can change its color to blend with its surroundings , so can ' Nancy ' change her physical appearance . For clarity so that the audience will be able to follow the transformations as they take place , we suggest you find a highly identifiable pose , gesture or movement that will be characteristic of ' Nancy ' . . . possibly seeing her with folded hands – hands clutched back to palm – a sort of hand washing gesture that is highly individualistic without being stagey . " " The final draft of the script additionally contained a bracketed director ' s note regarding the moment when it becomes evident that McCoy and Kirk are seeing the creature as two different versions of Nancy Crater . The note stipulated , " " Here , as always when transforming her identity , always cut on highly identifiable action , gesture , or mid - speech . " " However , no such characteristic is shown in the final version of that scene . In an ultimately unused line of dialogue from the same script , the M - 113 creatures were established as having multiple " temples " on the planet . However , the only physical description of the creature in the final draft script was that it had " suction - cup tentacles . " Actualization . The M - 113 creature was designed and built by Wah Chang . ( ) The authors of " " ( p . 047 ) noted that the creature was given a seemingly sad face , contrasting strongly with its otherwise horrific appearance . Sandra Gimpel , a dancer and occasional stuntwoman who had previously doubled for a Talosian in " The Cage " , received a call inviting her to play the creature in " The Man Trap " . She was sought for the part because the staff " " wanted somebody small , and they knew that I could do costume work , because I ' d already worked for them . " " Sandra Gimpel subsequently went to the studio for costume fittings . " " We had to make sure that thing fit , and that I could move into it , " " she said . " " Then the arms were longer than my arms , because of all the suction cups . " " The ugliness of the costume was immediately evident to Gimpel , though she forgot how effective the costume was while wearing it . " " It was kind of funny to me , " " she stated . " " I enjoyed all that crazy stuff anyway , so … [ . . . ] The hard part about the costume was you couldn ' t see , because you had no peripheral vision , and then you couldn ' t look down . When you ' re walking towards your mark , you couldn ' t see your mark on the floor , where to stop , because the nose was in the way [ . . . ] [ The costume ] was hot and heavy . But the nice thing about that particular costume was you could take the head off . " " Having studied acting at college , Sandra Gimpel found that playing the creature , in collaboration with Director Marc Daniels , was generally very easy . " " When he started telling me what to do , I didn ' t have any troubles , " " she related . " " I could listen and do what he said . We rehearsed two or three times , to make sure I could hit my mark in costume . We did it without the head on , so I knew where I was going . And it worked out fine . " " One of the scenes , where the creature extensively touches Kirk ' s head , was somewhat difficult for Gimpel to play . This was because , although William Shatner was , in Gimpel ' s words , " a star " , she had to use the suction cups to touch all over his face . Gimpel was also required to portray the creature ' s death . " " They said , ' Can you fall down ? ' I went , ' Sure ! ' So I did the hit against the wall , " " she recalled . Aftermath . Following its appearance in " The Squire of Gothos " , the " creature " ( along with the Gorn and some other " monsters " of the series ) found a new home in Robert Justman ' s office . ( " " paperback ed . , p . 215 ) In " Cinefantastique " ( Vol . 27 , No . 11 / 12 , p . 34 ) , the creature was incorrectly referred to as having reappeared in ( instead of " The Squire of Gothos " ) , and the costume was said to have subsequently ended up as a permanent fixture of Gene Roddenberry ' s office . In an interview in , Michael Westmore said he would have liked to use the M - 113 creature in an episode of or , but this never came to fruition . ( ) Barney Burman and his company Proteus Make - up FX Team created a " salt sucker " alien as an homage to the M - 113 creature for J . J . Abrams ' , in which the alien was intended to be shown in a scene set on Rura Penthe , though the scene was ultimately cut . At least one conceptual sketch of the creature was illustrated . The alien was also one of two sculptures which the movie ' s key sculptor , Don Lanning , worked on whenever he got some down time while assigned to the film , the other being the Gorn . " " The Salt Vampire was a real challenge , " " Lanning recalled , " " to take something that was maybe a bit hokey and turn it into something really organic , but we certainly gave it a real try . In the end , it never made it into the movie , but to tell you the truth , I ' m kind of glad . " " ( " Star Trek Magazine Special 2014 " , p . 137 ) For fifty years since playing the creature in " The Man Trap " , Sandra Gimpel was completely oblivious to the creature ' s popularity . Although she was interviewed multiple times during the intervening years , the interviewers never asked her about the creature . " " I just never thought about it , you know ? [ . . . ] So I didn ' t understand that it was that crazy monster that they loved so much , " " Gimpel explained . It wasn ' t until she attended her first " Star Trek " convention , in , that Gimpel finally realized how popular the character was , which she was awed and thrilled by . When interviewed at that convention , she remarked , " " Ninety percent of the people that walk up to me tell me that that was the scariest thing they ' d ever seen , that they couldn ' t sleep at night . And I ' m like , ' OK ' [ . . . ] It may sound silly , but I ' m in awe of the fact that everybody loves me so much , and they come up to me and say , ' Thank you for coming . ' I ' m like , ' Thank you for having me . " " Gimpel was also wowed by being told about the presence , at various other events , of cosplayers who dressed up as the creature , and by a cake , at the convention she attended , that looked like the alien . Trivia . According to StarTrek . com , the M - 113 creature ' s ability to shapeshift was based on a similar ability for cellular mimicry as possessed by the Changeling s . The M - 113 creature is also somewhat similar to an alien species called the , who appear in literary science fiction works by A . E . van Vogt , including the novel . The Coeurl suck potassium ( " id " ) from their victims , much like how the M - 113 creature extracted salt from its victims . Noted George Clayton Johnson , " " I always think of the Space Beagle as that hostile creature that ' s prowling the ship . " " ( " The Star Trek Interview Book " , p . 141 ) Apocrypha . In the " Star Trek Online " mission " Mine Trap " ( a reference to the TOS episode title " The Man Trap " ) , players must cooperate to defend Romulan colonist s from an invasion of M - 113 creatures while an evacuation is arranged . The creatures are resistant to handheld weapons fire , can change their appearance to infiltrate crowds of colonists , and use psionic attacks against their enemies .