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gdog243

The Doomsday Machine

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Last night, I saw an episode I wanted to see my entire life, The Doomsday Machine. Even for the 60's, I can't believe how great this episode was. There were so many stories going on, Decker taking command of the Enterprise for a suicide Mission, Spock being very much in character and calm like he always is (I think this episode and Mirror Mirror showed Spock at his best) and Kirk and Scotty having to pilot the constellation. This is probably one of the best dramas, (With the best scores) I have seen in any trek series.

 

I also liked how socially relevent it was. I mean today we talk about Weapons of Mass Destruction and using "doomsday machines" to defeat our enemies, much like the H-Bomb. Here we see the crew having to use a weapon of mass destruction to defeat another WMD. It's kind of scary what would happen if we faced a doomsday machine in today's life.

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I agree that it was a great episode. Episodes like that make me realize just how far ahead of its time Star Trek was in the beginning. As many of the issues that were addressed in the series are the same issues that we are seeing in our time.

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Quote, gdog243:

 

"Here we see the crew having to use a weapon of mass destruction to defeat another WMD."

 

That is a profound statement, you just made. I've never heard it before. That is OUR solution to the terrorists. :rolleyes: Anyone else see this?? Please elaborate, if you do. OK, gdog??? :o

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Wikipedia:

 

The Constellation enters the planet killer.On stardate 4202.9, the starship USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, responds to a distress call and finds that seven planets in an L370 star system have been destroyed. A check of a nearby system, L374, finds that all but two of its planets have been destroyed. Energy output within the system interferes with communications, but they still manage to pick up another distress call, this time it's coming from the USS Constellation. The ship is found adrift and heavily damaged, barely operating on reserve power. The ship's bridge is completely blown apart, and uninhabitable.

 

Kirk sends over a boarding party to inspect the ship and locate survivors. They find only the Constellation's commanding officer, Commodore Matthew Decker, remaining aboard, inside the auxiliary control room. Mr. Scott reports the ship's warp engines are damaged beyond repair, and the ship's weapon systems are nearly exhausted. Decker is beamed aboard the Enterprise, where Dr. McCoy looks him over. Decker is incoherent and in shock, unable to respond to questions, and only says "that thing" attacked him.

 

Scotty manages to playback the Constellation's flight recorder and they find out Decker discovered the obliterated systems and went to investigate as one of the worlds was breaking up. They soon came across an enormous "machine", with a conical shell miles in length, and a giant maw filled with sparkling energy. The machine then attacked the Constellation, damaging the ship so severely that Decker had to beam his remaining crew to the surface of one of the remaining planets. The machine then destroyed that world, and all Decker could do is watch helplessly.

 

The machine soon makes an appearance while Kirk and Scotty are overseeing repairs on the Constellation. Mr. Spock believes that it is a "doomsday machine", built according to the theory of mutually assured destruction. Spock orders an evasive course to pick up the Captain and repair crew, then exit the system's interference to warn Starfleet Command, however Commodore Decker, having left sickbay, pulls rank on Mr. Spock and assumes command of the Enterprise. He then orders a full attack on the machine.

 

As Spock had warned, the ship's weaponry is ineffective against the machine's pure neutronium shell and the Enterprise is badly damaged in the machine's counter attack. Back on board the Constellation, Kirk manages to fire off a few shots at the planet killing machine, which distracts it before it can finish off the Enterprise. The machine then targets the Constellation, but the Enterprise pulls a distraction of its own. Appearing confused, the planet killer disengages and moves away.

 

After contacting the Enterprise and learning about Decker's take over, Kirk furiously orders Spock, on his personal authority, to relieve Commodore Decker of command. Spock has the Commodore returned to sick bay, but then Decker escapes and steals a shuttlecraft, which he pilots on a suicide attack into the planet killer's maw. The meager attack fails to destroy the machine, but a slight reduction in the machine's energy output, believed caused by the anti-matter explosion of the shuttle's reactor, reveals the attack still had an effect.

 

This gives Kirk and Scott an idea that they can rig the Constellation with a timed explosive, and try Decker's plan, to detonate the ship's warp core as it enters the maw of the planet killer. Unfortunately, Scotty tells Kirk someone must stay behind until the last minute, and guide the ship in manually. Kirk volunteers to do it, and orders Mr. Scott and the rest of the repair crew back to the Enterprise.

 

With everything set, Kirk steers a course into the planet killer. Kirk activates the bomb and calls for a beam out, however, the earlier battle has damaged the Enterprise's transporter and the system finally shorts out at the worst moment. Scott rushes to make repairs while Kirk nervously watches the energy maw of the doomsday machine drawing nearer. Finally, Kirk is beamed out as the ship enters the maw. The resulting explosion burns out the doomsday machine, and its indestructible body shell remains drifting dead in space.

Edited by Jeanway

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Um, who are you quoting? :rolleyes:

I concur that this was a great episode, though it has been awhile since I've seen this one... :o

Click For Spoiler
doomsday-machine.jpg

The Planet Killer.

post-812-1096014361.jpgpost-812-1095586641.gif Edited by DrWho42

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Quote, gdog243:

 

"Here we see the crew having to use a weapon of mass destruction to defeat another WMD."

 

That is a profound statement, you just made. I've never heard it before. That is OUR solution to the terrorists. :rolleyes: Anyone else see this?? Please elaborate, if you do. OK, gdog??? :o

278464[/snapback]

 

Janeway,

 

It was mentioned at the end of the episode. Using a doomsday weapon, the bomb in the shuttle to destroy another doomsday weapon, the Planet Killer. I can't believe that concept of WMD's that was touched here and how aweful they are is socially relevent to today and how scary it is to even think about one.

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As I recall, it wasn't just as easy as Kirk commanding Decker off of the bridge. He was legitimately there , under chain of command, until Spock found a regulation to remove a commanding officer who proposes something that would ultimately and recklessly result in the death of the entire crew, when doing so was not imperative; deeming him unfit for command.

 

As for it being an ultimate assurance of mutual destruction..that is not unlike what already exists in our own system, in a sense. We do have things in place.

 

Computers * gone haywire* causing risk to civilization are so ultimately scary because the computer can think beyond our capabilities... Although, they think *inside of the box* and that's where we have the advantage. Let us hope that should some monster of our own civilization's manufacture go haywire, that someone will have the intelligence to *keep it busy* whether that be by playing TICTACTOE , CHESS, or firing on it like a hero; enabling us to pull the plug on it.

 

Anyway, there were a couple of heroes in that episode. Kirk being a hero by risking himself in diverting the planet killer away from the ship and towards himself . Decker by sacrificing himself inorder to acquire the information needed to destroy it. Sort of a family tradition for Decker , as years later, his son chose to evolve inorder to satisfy V'gers need to blend with *the creator*; though it was his wish to do so . Another computer *gone bad*...but, in that case, one that gave birth to a new civilization :)

 

Heron

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Decker by sacrificing himself inorder to acquire the information needed to destroy it. Sort of a family tradition for Decker , as years later, his son chose to evolve inorder to satisfy V'gers need to blend with *the creator*; though it was his wish to do so . Another computer *gone bad*...but, in that case, one that gave birth to a new civilization :unsure:

 

Heron

279205[/snapback]

 

And which civilization would this be?

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Decker by sacrificing himself inorder to acquire the information needed to destroy it. Sort of a family tradition for Decker , as years later, his son chose to evolve inorder to satisfy V'gers need to blend with *the creator*; though it was his wish to do so . Another computer *gone bad*...but, in that case, one that gave birth to a new civilization :unsure:

 

Heron

279205[/snapback]

 

And which civilization would this be?

279453[/snapback]

 

The Generations of V'Gers with the combo of Decker and Illiana.

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The Doomsday Machine is my absolute favorite TOS episode. Its over 35 years old and it is still relevant today.

 

I loved it so much that I made a Constellation model when I was a kid. I took and Enterprise model, put the Constellation stickers on it and then used a butane lighter to inflict the battle damage. I still have the model today.

Edited by Kor37

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Decker by sacrificing himself inorder to acquire the information needed to destroy it. Sort of a family tradition for Decker , as years later, his son chose to evolve inorder to satisfy V'gers need to blend with *the creator*; though it was his wish to do so . Another computer *gone bad*...but, in that case, one that gave birth to a new civilization :unsure:

 

Heron

279205[/snapback]

 

And which civilization would this be?

279453[/snapback]

 

The Generations of V'Gers with the combo of Decker and Illiana.

279626[/snapback]

- - - - - -

 

Yes the blending of V'ger with the creator as managed through Ilia and Decker :blink:

It was an *evolution* of sorts .

 

Heron

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That's her name. I must of been thinking DS9 and Second Skin at the time. :blink:

- - - -

 

You're *one up* on me with that ! :unsure: I seen very little of DS9 but from others that I know who are avid TOS fans, DS9 had some philosophical gifts that didn't end with the episode; a commonality with TOS.

 

As for using WOMD to end WOMD... Kirk utilized one to end the rampant destructive rampage that the *planet eater* was on. It was not a living being...but was destroying living beings . In this case, which cannot be a comparison on earth, as there will always be reciprocal loss of life,here; only the preservation of life, resulted :wacko: We utilize them as a threat or leverage, here. In reality, if used on earth, there are things in place that would likely assure mutual destruction :o ;a very different scenario to the situation with Kirk and the *planet eater*.

 

 

Heron

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I'd love to find that, an episode that I haven't seen before just coming on by surprise but as far as I know I've seen every Star Trek episode, except the new series of Enterprise that is.

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A pretty neat sequel of sorts to "The Doomsday Machine" was made by the New Voyages group. They are a group of fans who actually make new TOS episodes. While obviously homemade, the effects and sets are pretty decent. The episode is called "In Harms Way". I don't know how they did it, but they actually got William Windom and Barbara Luna to appear in it!. You can download the episode at www.newvoyages.com

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I really enjoyed that episode i thought the guy who played matt dekker did some great acting even though the "planet killer"...didnt look that great i thought it was still well worth watching a few times :waaaa:

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I've always loved this episode, when I was little, I got a kick out of seeing two starships together, then when I grew up, I understood the significance of the nuclear/doomsday weapon comparison. Plus it has the killer line from Kirk and Decker... "There is no third planet!" "There was..but not anymore!"

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If you want to see a cool sequel to "The Doomsday Machine", go to www.newvoyages.com and download their fan film entitled "In Harms Way". They did an incredible job and to top it off, William Windom (Decker) even appears in it.

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If you want to see a cool sequel to "The Doomsday Machine", go to www.newvoyages.com and download their fan film entitled "In Harms Way". They did an incredible job and to top it off, William Windom (Decker) even appears in it.

296277[/snapback]

 

When I tried going to that site, it said it didn't exist...

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If you want to see a cool sequel to "The Doomsday Machine", go to www.newvoyages.com and download their fan film entitled "In Harms Way". They did an incredible job and to top it off, William Windom (Decker) even appears in it.

296277[/snapback]

 

When I tried going to that site, it said it didn't exist...

296283[/snapback]

 

Same here.

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I've always loved this episode, when I was little, I got a kick out of seeing two starships together, then when I grew up, I understood the significance of the nuclear/doomsday weapon comparison.  Plus it has the killer line from Kirk and Decker... "There is no third planet!" "There was..but not anymore!"

296266[/snapback]

 

I must have seen that episode dozens of times, and that line from Decker always gives me chills.

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