Customer Reviews

Star Trek - The Original Series, Episode 23: A Taste of Armageddon [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What if war were fought with computers and the casualties reported to disintegration chambers? This episode covers this question and does a pretty good job.

There is a fair amount of action and the suspense is well done. The conflict between Scotty and the none-too-bright diplomat is especially well handled. This is one of Scotty's best command assignments. He runs the Enterprise with intelligence and restraint.

Kirk's solution to the episode's problem is very suspect in light of the prime directive that he's supposed to be following, but over-all, this is a very good episode.

What would happen if war were made deadly, yet clean? If the only damage to society was the loss of people? This question was raised during the presidency of Jimmy Carter, when there was discussion of the neutron or enhanced radiation bomb. It is a weapon that kills living creatures, but does not destroy the physical infrastructure. The neutron bomb was widely ridiculed, considered immoral by the many critics, the point of jokes by late night talk show hosts and production was cancelled.
In this episode, two societies (Eminiar and Vendikar) have made the "rational" decision to conduct a deadly, but non-destructive war. The battles are fought by computers, with simulated fusion bombs being "materialized" over each other's cities. The casualties are computed and the people "killed" in the attacks dutifully report to disintegration chambers. This way each society is saved from the disease, filth and brutish nature of the war. The computers of both sides are in constant contact, so both sides are aware of the actions of the other. If either side is lax in their quota of casualties, then escalation into a real war is automatic.
For decades, the two societies have warned Federation ships to stay away, but Kirk is ordered to transport Federation Ambassador Fox to Eminiar so that diplomatic relations can be established. Their orders are to violate the wishes of the two societies and essentially force the establishment of friendly relations. When they arrive, Kirk, Spock and a small party of security people beam down to Eminiar. Their treatment upon arrival is very cordial, and they are escorted to the chamber of the ruling council. However, once they arrive, Vendikar launches an attack and the Enterprise is declared destroyed. Since Kirk refuses to allow his crew to beam down to be killed, the Enterprise landing party is taken hostage and the armed forces of Eminiar try to destroy the Enterprise.
Kirk manages to get a message to the Enterprise, where he orders Scotty to implement general order 24, which means that the Enterprise is to destroy all of the major cities on the surface. The landing party then proceeds to destroy some disintegration stations, and eventually the computers that correlate the Eminiar attack and defenses. This forces the rulers of Eminiar and Vendikar to talk about peace and finally end the war. Kirk argues at the end that they had made their war too neat, that to end it, they had to face the real threat of the destruction of their societies. He also points out that they have been killing millions a year and a real attack would not have killed any more.
In an age of thermonuclear devices, the evolution of such a society is not as absurd as it may appear. For decades, two superpowers deliberately targeted nuclear weapons at each other's cities, under the doctrine of Mutual Assured Destruction or MAD. Societies have long accepted the deaths of their soldiers in battle, and there are many indications that war is an inherent part of the human condition, so a combination of these principles could lead to some form of perpetual, clean war. The degree of civilization that would lead to such a situation would also mean that the imposition of a truce by an exterior force would be as easy as is depicted in this episode.
I also contrast the reaction of Anon VII, the leader of Eminiar with that of Kirk in "Errand of Mercy." In that episode, the Organians intervene to end a war between the Federation and the Klingons. Kirk is furious, arguing that they had no right to interfere and end the war. By contrast Anon is not angry, just concerned about what will happen next.
While this episode demonstrates an unusual social order, which raises the quality, there are also two disturbing traits. The first is the Federation attempting to force a planet to open relations and become a spaceport. This is a return to the gunboat diplomacy that existed on Earth and that led to colonization and domination. Commodore Perry forced the Japanese to open their society and shortly after that, Japan launched a decades-long plan of aggressive war and eventually attacked the country that forced the opening. The second is that Kirk would order the destruction of the planet. While the Federation no doubt badly wanted the planet as a spaceport, destroying it to achieve that goal is hardly what Star Fleet command had in mind. It reminded me of the old Vietnam adage, "We had to bomb the village in order to save it." For these reasons, I can only give the episode four stars.

A planetary system has made war palatable by having it fought by computers, very neat and clean, and thus, something which has grown to be accepted. When faced with the possibility of waging the real thing, the warring parties opt for peace instead. A provocatve and exciting episode.

One of the fun things about science fiction is that you can take things to their logical albeit extreme conclusions. That is what the Enterprise encounters on Eminiar VII in "A Taste of Armageddon," a planet that has been at war for five centuries but which fails to show the usual signs of destruction. This is because they have been fighting the war with computers; after such an attack Anan 7, leader of the High Council announces that half a million people were "killed," and now have to report to disintegration chambers. Unfortunately the Enterprise, which was warned not to approach the planet, has also been destroyed and Kirk's crew needs to beam down for disintegration. Of course, Kirk takes exception to this request and decides to remind these people of the true face of war. As far fetched as this idea might be, you have to remember the idea of the Neutron Bomb, which would kill the people but leave the buildings, a weapon that was ironically considered by some to be more "humane" than your traditional nuclear device. Kirk's efforts to restore sanity are hampered by the presence of Federation Ambassador Fox, who wants to stick to the traditional diplomatic approaches despite the fact nobody on the planet is impressed at all by such delicacies. "A Taste of Armageddon" is another, albeit minor example, of Captain Kirk versus the Super Computer plotline that was so prominent in Star Trek's first season.

"A Taste of Armageddon" is another one of the original Star Trek's greatest episodes. It has one of the most original plots of any of the episodes. Spock and Captain Kirk beam down to a group of people who carry out a strange kind of killing. They do their battles by computer. An area of a giant screen lights up and everybody that is in that area when it lights up on the screen, has to be killed. Unfortunately, while Captain Kirk and Spock are paying these people a visit, the Starship Enterprise is in one of the areas that was hit on the map. Therefore, they are sentenced to be destroyed in one of the death chambers. Capt. Kirk and Spock cannot beam up, so Scottie is given the control of the Enterprise. Not to mention that there is an officer onboard the Enterprise that challenges Scottie to give orders by saying that his orders are above Scottie's. Turmoil arises when Captain Kirk destroys one of the death chambers. All the while, the enemies who are keeping Captain Kirk and Spock as hostages are planning to destroy the Starship Enterprise as soon as its protective shields go down. Kirk and Spock go on to argue their point and eventually overcome and make peace with their enemies who carry out this strange form of battle by teaching them what real war is all about.

"A Taste of Armageddon" has a good storyline and has a lot of suspense in it. It's not as action packed as many of the other Star Trek episodes are, but the suspense and original storyline will keep you interested in this episode from start to end. I recommend it to any fan of the original and best Star Trek series.

Kirk has fun breaking the prime directive and blows up the planet's computers. Spock has several good moments, including "Sir, there's a multi-legged creature crawling on your shoulder" Scotty does well to keep the diplomat in line.

The old war by computer theme is played out here. Instead of fighting a war with weapons; this planet has it's citizens stepping in booths for execution. The machine decides who lives and who dies. Kirk of course ends it all with one of his talks with the Vedikarians. With one sweep of his phaser the natives have to fight the old fashioned way.... with futuristic weapons of mass destruction. The Federation again paves the way for peaceful resolutions to conflict. Only this war will last a few hundred years before they actually become citizens of the Federation.

Kirk and crew blunder into the middle of a real virtual-war, nuclear war being fought strictly by computers. When the going gets sticky, Kirk teaches the natives what war is really about. A classic Star Trek shoot-em-up, with Scotty in command of an Enterprise on full combat footing. Don't miss it!