M-113 Creature

Universe :	Prime Timeline
Species Name :	M-113 Creature [1]
Quadrant :	Alpha

An intelligent life form, once native to the planet M-113. At their height, the species numbered in the millions - Professor Crater compared them to the North American Buffalo, which roamed in herds that covered vast areas. The creatures were roughly humanoid. They fed on salt, which they were able to drain from the bodies of other living beings by touching the suction rings on their hands to the body of their prey. The process was rapid, and caused a quick and painful death to their prey. Because of their method of feeding, the M-113 creatures are sometimes referred to as 'Salt Vampires'. [1]

The M-113 creature was capable of imitating the appearance of others, an ability it used to get close to its prey. This ability was some form of telepathic projection; the creature did not change its actual physical form, but rather caused others to perceive it differently. It was capable of extracting images from their minds in order to appear as a person they thought of or remembered from their past. One quirk of this ability was that several people could look at an M-113 creature simultaneously and each see it as somebody completely different. This was a potential weakness in the disguise, since the illusion could be detected if the witnesses were to compare what they had seen. [1]

The M-113 creature was drawn to strong emotions. It would typically seek out people who had strong feelings for another person and then imitate that person in order to provoke emotional reactions. [1]

By the mid 23rd century very few M-113 creatures remained. Professor Crater and his wife Nancy found what is believed to be the last of them some one or two years prior to 2266. The creature killed Nancy, and subsequently imitated her in order to maintain a relationship with the Professor. In return, he supplied the creature with supplies of salt. [1]

When the USS Enterprise visited M-113 in 2266, the remaining creature killed two members of the landing party and then imitated one of them in order to beam aboard the ship. It imitated several different people whilst there, killing in order to get more salt. It ultimately killed Professor Crater and attacked Captain Kirk. Doctor McCoy used a phaser to kill the creature; this rendered the species extinct. [1]

Colour key

Canon source

Backstage source

Novel source

DITL speculation

References

#	Series	Season	Source	Comment
1	TOS	1	The Man Trap

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Last updated : 17 Sep 2016

Series :	TOS Season 1
Episode :	The Man Trap