The Doomsday Machine

After 'Mirror Mirror' this episode ranks as one of the very best Star Trek shows in the second season of the Original series. It is even better than 'The Trouble with Tribbles.' I just viewed a taped copy of it and the sci-fi work done here was incredible for a 1960's era show: you get to see the Enterprise's shuttle bay when Commander Decker exits the ship and unforgettable images of the Doomsday machine itself. NBC must have spent a ton of money on this particular episode.

Kirk, Spock and Decker's performances here are superb as all three get their turn playing cat and mouse with a deadly planet eating machine. It flat out deserves a 10 out of 10 ranking in my view and should be among anyone's top 10 Star Trek picks. Scotty also has a starring role--saving Kirk's life at the very last minute. The only missing original Trek character is Uhura who was played by Lieutenant Palmer (the late Elizabeth Rogers) for this particular episode.

The Doomsday Machine is a war story at many levels. It is the story of war spun out of control exemplified by a self-sustaining ancient device which seeks, destroys and digests whole solar systems. It is a story about military conduct aboard Federation ships. And it is, of course, a parable connected to the development and proliferation of nuclear arms. Despite all this heady stuff, it is also one of the most suspenseful and driven episodes of TOS. It is remarkable that so many viewers seem to miss the obvious points made here now that we have deluded ourselves into believing that the bomb is no longer something to be afraid of.

The plot uses a simple device - a large, impenetrable and incomprehensible rocky-looking cone with some form of bizarre and very powerful energy within it - perhaps one of the strangest and most alien space monsters ever construed. Two starships, one crew-less and crippled, and one experiencing a power-struggle involving a possibly insane commander must figure out a way to survive and warn star fleet as the 'planet killer' is just about to reach a system inhabited by millions of colonists.

Marc Daniels' directing and an amazing performance by William Windom as Commodore Decker, CO of the Constellation, are highlights of this classic episode. The Norman Spinrad script is quite serious, but not at all heavy-handed, and the regular cast, especially Nimoy, also do outstanding work.

One of the reasons the original series is thought of so highly is that certain individual episodes (City on the Edge of Forever, Journey to Babel, Balance of Terror and this one) are as good as anything you will see on movies or TV. This episode highlights some the things that made TOS great: Lighting, set design, and the acting. For all the grief Shatner receives as an actor, in this episode he really nails what makes Kirk a great captain. He is confident, forceful, able to think on his feet and fully in command. The color scheme, which employs bright primary colors, and the eye light they use on Kirk to highlight his sense of command are excellent. And don't forget the writing and directing that fully makes use of the tension inherent in the situation. You will never see a better straight ahead action episode on TV than The Doomsday Machine.

Coming off the last clunker of an episode (Apple), this is a breath of fresh air. Starship Captain Dekker is rescued. He is the last survivor of a ship that lost all of its crew. A killer entity of great power was responsible but some poor decisions were also made. Now Dekker becomes obsessed with destroying this thing. While Kirk is away, trying to repair the other Captain's ship, communications is circumvented, allowing Dekker, crazy as he is, to take over the Enterprise. He decides to wage war on the thing again, endangering another crew. The episode draws on some wonderful twists and turns as Kirk has to deal with Dekker and then with the force that is now a danger to everyone. This is a superior effort, stepping up from some pretty suspect efforts.

One of the things I always think about when it comes to Star Trek TOS is what makes these classic episodes so great is how alot of them could have been made into full-length movies. The Doomsday Machine in my opinion is absolutely Number One when it comes to this. A thrilling adventure crammed into 45 minutes with great performances from the entire cast. William Windom gives the greatest guest star performance in the entire series no question.