A guest blog by Mindless-Droid

This week’s OS Star Trek episode is The Doomsday Machine arguably one of the best of the series. You can watch the original episode at the official Star Trek site here http://www.startrek.com/watch_episode/l07LgavpLbEW and the episode synopsis here http://www.startrek.com/database_article/doomsday-machine although the synopsis is somewhat odd you get some nice comparison photos of the original effects to the re-mastered ones. This is my favorite episode of the original series. You have the awesome battle sequences with the Enterprise Constellation and the planet killer while also dealing with Commodore Decker’s emotional loss of his crew his quest for revenge and finally his ultimate fate in which he gives Kirk the means of destroying the planet killer. Now my mindless thoughts.

Very serious opening.

We get to see Kirk walk the entire bridge something rarely seen,

Right away you sense this episode is special the music as they approach the Constellation is amazing.

The re-mastered battle damaged Constellation is really cool and nice effect with the asteroid hitting the hull and breaking apart. I actually like the original and the re-mastered effects equally.

Kirk and Decker know each other it is a small group of exceptional officers that command a starship I sort of remember that canon used to be that there were only twelve Constitution class starships.

Decker’s log entry gives you a glimpse of the competent and professional commander he was before the tragic events that transpired.

William Windom’s portrayal of Matt Decker is an amazing performance depicting a commander’s grief in the loss of his crew. The scene in which you hear his log entry and then his emotional account of what transpired is one of the most dramatic of the series the following bit of dialogue has always stuck in my head whenever I think of this episode.
Decker: “They say there’s no devil Jim, but there is 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? They called me they begged me for help 400 of them. I couldn’t I couldn’t.”

Sulu is shown to be quite the navigator as he figures out the course of the planet killer.

I’m a doctor not a mechanic.

Warp drive always seems to go out before the impulse engines.

The music just gets better and better. Some have even compared the music in this episode to the Jaws theme. Sol Kaplan wrote the original music for this episode.

Total conversion drive sounds cool as does pure anti-proton, neutronium and inverse phasing.
The simple design of the planet killer still holds up.

Battle time.
Love the phaser firing sound effect, but I always liked the blue white phasers compared to the orange red effects.

This is one of those episodes that I know almost every line of dialogue.

We see Kirks frustration at seeing his ship in danger. Would he end up the same as Decker if he made an error in judgement that cost the lives of his crew?

Nice touch pulling the data tapes off the console as the Constellation lurches forward.

Scotty earned his pay for the week.

Blast regulations! Mr.Spock I order you to assume command on my personal authority as captain of the Enterprise.

Vulcans never bluff. Spock’s cool logical demeanor compared contrast to Decker’s quest for revenge.

One of the few criticisms is how does beaten down and emotionally compromised Decker get the upper hand on the red shirt oh wait never mind. That was one and the other would be why not attack the thing from behind which I always rationalized away as the planet killer could pivot at warp speed making it difficult to evade.

Decker’s sacrifice is a sad moment blaming himself for the loss of his crew was something he never recovered from. Decker “I’ve been prepared for death ever since I… ever since I killed my crew.” Kirk’s pleas for Decker to return “Matt we’re stronger with you then without you.” Spock “He’s gone.”

The re-mastered Constellation doesn’t shake as it approaches the maw of the planet killer.

Kirk’s calm plea “Gentlemen, I suggest you beam me aboard” as the transporter shorts out again.

We get to see Scotty in the Jefferies tube and what exactly is the curse he says always wanted to use that but get it right.

Although you knew Kirk would make it out it is still a very dramatic climax to the episode.

This week I had to work so I didn’t get to watch the episode as it aired on Me-TV which was probably for the better since any editing of this episode would have been very irritating. I did get to see the re-mastered effects on you-tube and think they are well done although like I said the originals are not bad either. Some of the changes are to the damaged Constellation we get more space debris and one cool effect I like is seeing the ships engine on the view screen as they try to escape from the planet killer. They also enhanced the planet killer itself along with its anti- proton beam. The phaser effects are changed from orange to blue. The ships are rendered more to scale so that the shuttlecraft looks the right size.They also added to the launching of the shuttlecraft and its flight into the maw of the planet killer in the original version it looked out of proportion to the larger starships.

There are a couple of cross references to this episode in the Star Trek universe. According to numerous sources including the novelization Willard Decker in Star Trek: The Motion Picture (always hated that title) is Matt Decker’s son. In the Next Generation novel Vendetta the Doomsday machine is said to have been built not as a weapon of aggression but one that was designed to combat the Borg.

Recently a new protostar described as a “stellar caterpillar” was discovered by the Hubble telescope and “It looks very much like Commodore Decker’s planet killer and it is pursuing us” just kidding but the similarity is amazing.

Did I say I love the music from this episode as a young droid before VCR’s I actually recorded this episode on an old cassette recorder off the TV. I also had two model Enterprises one that I had converted into the Constellation courtesy of my mom’s cigarette lighter I actually got the burn marks pretty close and melted the nacelle just like in the show. Kids do not attempt this at home remember I am mindless.

That’s all I have for this week live long and prosper and drop in a comment or two we’d love to hear from you.