The Doomsday Machine

Season 2, Episode 6, Aired
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Episode Summary

The Enterprise must stop an ancient doomsday weapon that is capable of destroying entire worlds...and has already totaled one Constellation-class cruiser.
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Cast & Crew

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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

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  • The crew of the Starship Enterprise must find a way to stop an ancient planet-killing 'doomsday machine', which has already destroyed the USS Constellation. An exciting episode...

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Jay-Spacedust, Apr 25, 2011 Report Abuse
    "The Doomsday Machine" is an exciting, well directed second season episode of the classic series.

    As the Constellation is the same design of the Enterprise, it is quite eerie to see it drifting through space, practically destroyed.

    One thing that did niggle me was that Uhura for some reason wasn't on the Enterprise bridge, replaced by some other Lieutenant. Part of the appeal of the series for me is the familiarity of the crew, and to suddenly have someone else in her place didn't feel right. But that was only a little thing.

    William Windom gives a great performance as Commander Matt Decker, commander of the Constellation who is shell-shocked after the death of his crew and the near destruction of his ship. When he took command of the Enterprise from Mr. Spock, I wished Spock would just break out the Vulcan pinch and get rid of him; I don't think Decker was necessarily a bad commander, just very distraught at the death of his crew.

    The climax of the story, with Kirk waiting to be beamed across from the Constellation, which is heading directly into the Doomsday Machine, is real edge-of-the-seat stuff, and one of the most exciting climaxes seen in Original 'Trek'.

    Some have commented that the special effects let the episode down slightly (I'm reviewing the original version; I haven't seen the enhanced, re-mastered versions at time of writing); true they might not be the best in places, but at the same time they didn't spoil the episode for me either.

    This episode ranks in many fans' Top 10 episode list. It might scrape the upper echelons of mine - although my Top 10 list often changes as I come to appreciate different episodes for different things. But it's certainly a good one, and one of the second season's best.moreless

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  • Playing chess on the bridge of the Enterprise while an automated planet-killer threatens the most densely populated section of the galaxy.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By williamwanker, Apr 25, 2011 Report Abuse
    I, for one, actually think the allusion to whaling is pretty cool, and to Melville's Moby Dick in particular (I'm embarrassed to admit, however, that I hadn't quite put it together on my own before, even though I must have seen this episode a couple dozen times). I mean, that's what great science fiction-or great fiction, in general-does: makes connections to and draws from archetypal characters and conflicts in order to show the timelessness and immutability of the human "drama". And the Ahab-Moby Dick story is certainly archetypal. As Ricardo Montalban's Khan observes in "Space Seed": "I am surprised how little improvement there has been in human evolution. Oh, there has been technical advancement, but, how little man himself has changed." Since we're on the subject, tell me if this sounds familiar: "I'll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares maelstrom and round perdition's flames before I give him up!" This, paraphrased from the original: "I'll chase him round Good Hope, and round the Horn, and round the Norway Maelstrom, and round perdition's flames before I give him up."

    No idea? Then try another: "To the last, I grapple with thee; from hell's heart, I stab at thee; for hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee."

    Still no? Google it.

    As far as the similarity between the incidental music in "The Doomsday Machine" and the "Jaws" theme by John Williams goes, well-the connection between Jaws and Moby Dick, I believe, has already been firmly established. Quint, of course, is pretty much a modern day Ahab, and the great white is what it is.

    I guess, then, it's not a great leap of the imagination to ponder that, perhaps, Williams had seen the Star Trek episode some years before being commissioned to write the Jaws score, and either consciously, or subconsciously, was influenced by Sol Kaplan's thematic music. That's the beauty of the artistic process-borrowing, incorporating, reshaping to fit a similar theme under difference settings and circumstances.

    Of course, this is all incidental to what makes "The Doomsday Machine" such a great story and episode. For me, it's the political-who's the biggest monkey-bantering between Decker, Spock and McCoy-and Kirk, to a lesser degree; the delicate chess play over Starfleet rules and regulations, about who's in charge, who's in command of the Enterprise, while there's this automated planet-killer breathing down their necks, threatening the most densely populated section of the galaxy.

    In the new Remastered and Enhanced version, the ship exteriors are very good, but Decker now seems a little drunk piloting the shuttlecraft out of the Enterprise's hanger bay; either that, or the guy operating the wires is drunk. Also, the perspective of the take off in the original is better. Rule of thumb: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.moreless

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  • Shades of Moby Dick...

    10
    "Perfect"
    By DojinFan_2K, Apr 25, 2011 Report Abuse
    This particular episode of Star Trek stands out as the reason that i became a fan of the series ever since i first saw it back in the 80's.

    Capt. Kirk must reason with Commodore Decker(William Windom)who was the lone survivor of an attack by an ancient space weapon capable of destroying entire planets and is now on an obsessive vendetta to seek out & destroy the weapon, even though it is virtually invunerable to any attack.

    This is one of my all-time favorite episodes of the series & for good reason since i am a big fan of classic Sci-Fi TV shows.moreless

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  • One of 26 weapons not meant for this world!

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By GeorgeJobson, Nov 28, 2010 Report Abuse
    One of the best episode of the series, and I got a long way to geo before I saw all 70 epiosdes of the series. that will take a little over a year. but in "the Doomesday Machine" the Enterprise must stop a killing machine from destroying more worlds, including Earth. the commander of the Constullation seize power on the Enterprise and trying to destroy the Doomesday Machione without success. Captain Kirk is trying to get the Constellation into working order again, as the machine tries to attack. the exchange between Decker and Spock is a classic. the outcome is very good. I like "the Doomsday Machine," especailly the ship itself. It's scary.moreless

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  • The Enterprise confronts a planet killer that has left a path of destruction.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By Celedorian, Nov 28, 2010 Report Abuse
    This is one of the most memorable Star Trek episodes and is a favorite among fans, but I'm not the biggest fan of it. It guest stars veteran character actor William Windom as Commodore Decker. He plays the role over the top and it can be a little annoying at times, though it is an effective portrayal of what a starship leader would be like after losing his or her crew. It's an episode with a lot of special effects, and I'm sure they were very effective in the 1960s and even 1970s; today, however, the original effects don't look as nice. (The effects especially have a problem with their scale: the starships, the doomsday machine, and the shuttlecraft are out of proportion with each other.) The nice thing is that all the original Star Trek episodes were remade with new special effects, and this episode probably benefited the most. As far as the music goes, it does have one of Trek's best original scores. All in all, it's a good one, though I think it's a bit overrated.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • Kirk beams over with a damage control party, but only Scotty is wearing a red Engineering uniform. Washburn is wearing blue and the other two men are wearing yellow. Edit
    • When phasers are fired at the Doomsday Machine they are shown radiating out from their point of origin like spokes on a wheel, yet when the scene changes to show the two beams striking their target the beams are now parallel. (This is fixed in the remastered 2007 version.) Edit
    • On the Constellation, when Captain Kirk tells Scotty to check the phasers and see if they've been fired, he inadvertently says "fireds." Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • To save time and money, the Constellation bridge is described as "uninhabitable" so they don't have to take the effort to redress the Enterprise bridge set. Only Auxiliary Control and Main Engineering are shown on the Constellation. Edit
    • When Scotty restarts the Constellation engines, stock shots are used from "Tomorrow is Yesterday" showing Scotty hanging on the engine grating. Edit
    • William Windom would go on to reprise his role (sorta, despite being dead here) as an older Commodore Decker in the fan series Star Trek: New Voyages. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Kirk: Mr. Scott, it worked. Great! (the Machine comes after them) I think it's great. Scotty, get us out of here. Edit
    • Decker: Doctor, you are out of line. McCoy: So are you. Sir. Edit
    • Decker: Right out of hell! I saw it! Kirk: Matt, where's your crew? Decker: On the third planet. Kirk: There is no third planet. Decker: Don't you think I know that? There was, but not anymore! Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Episode Title: The Doomsday Machine
      The notion of the "doomsday machine" has been around for some time. One builds the device, and hopes enemies realize that an attack spells their own demise as well; as a last resort, you will trigger the doomsday device. One might reasonably say that the entire "Cold War" between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. was based on this premise. Edit

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