The Doomsday Machine

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.