Product Details

• Actors: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, William Windom, James Doohan
• Directors: Marc Daniels
• Writers: Gene Roddenberry, Norman Spinrad
• Producers: Gene L. Coon, Gene Roddenberry, Herbert F. Solow, Robert H. Justman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: CBS Paramount International Television
• VHS Release Date: April 15, 1994
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300213390
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,616 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Writer Norman Spinrad had in mind a futuristic Moby Dick when he conjured up this story, though things didn't quite work out that way. The original idea was that the Enterprise would encounter an obsessive, Ahab- like captain whose Starfleet crew had been destroyed by a planet-killing robot ship, and who sought revenge by taking command of James T. Kirk's vessel for a private hunt. Alas, the tough-as-nails actor Robert Ryan proved unavailable for the guest spot, and Trek producers cast the more visibly vulnerable William Windom instead, softening the script accordingly. "The Doomsday Machine," as a result, falls short of its potential. The story still concerns the destruction of life aboard the starship Constellation and Kirk's inability to beam back aboard his own ship. But, while a major conflict between Windom's unsteady character, Commodore Matt Decker, and that of Spock (Leonard Nimoy) for control of the Enterprise is entertaining enough, one yearns to see a real showdown. (In karmic terms, that face-off took place later in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, between then-Admiral Kirk and Decker's son, Captain Will Decker, played by Stephen Collins.) Also a little dubious is the tubular robot ship, which is supposed to look both mechanical and organic, yet resembles moldy cannoli. --Tom Keogh

From the Back Cover

Kirk is stuck on a disabled ship while its revenge-crazed commander seizes control of the Enterprise from Spock and pursues a planet-killing robot ship.

TREK TRIVIA
Richard Compton (Washburn) returned to direct a first-season episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. His assistant director: Charlie Washburn, for whom his character had been named exactly twenty years earlier!
Although Commander Decker (William Windom) dies at the end of the episode, Stephen Collins later portrayed his son, Will Decker, in Star Trek - The Motion Picture.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAYBE THE BEST ORIGINAL STAR TREK EPISODE, May 20, 2002

By A Customer

I can't resist writing the review of one of the most exciting, action-packed, interesting science fiction hours ever done. Forget the fact that modern CGI could do special effects 20X better; this story of the Enterprise versus an hugely powerful alien planet killer while Kirk and the crew face off against the obsessed Captain of the destroyed starship Constellation (Matt Decker, played by William Windom) makes for great drama. Never have the stakes been higher for Kirk ( perhaps except in "City on the Edge of Forever", which is a more personal story, this is a pure Kirk, crew and the Enterprise adventure) as the Captain, watching helplessly on a viewscreen, sees his beloved crew and ship facing imminent destruction inside the fiery maw of the tremendous planet killer.
The fantastic score, quick pacing and terrific performance make it a standout SF episode comparable to any series. It isn't perfect, some may consider the planet killer a cornucopia in space, but it is one of the most satisfying episodes of Trek with a terrific moral about superweapons. It has an air of immediacy and freshness even today. If you don't have all the episodes already, you should have this one. Even casual fans like it. A side note:
compare the ability of the Enterprise to withstand attack in this show to subsequent movies. After the first film, the ship was evidently depowered. This episode almost borders on comic book level combat, but it works because it puts the larger than life characters in a situation where you're not sure they can make it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jaws Star Trek Style, April 21, 2002

By	picardfan007 (USA) - See all my reviews

Long before the 1975 Speilberg film I have to call this one Jaws in space. It has William Windom as a broken captain because all of his crew beamed into space to avoid this cone shaped planet eater. It has all the classic adventure elements to make this one of the best episodes of all time. I love the scenes when Kirk has to board the doomed Constitution Class Starship to lure the planet killer to it's demise. Buy it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely one of the best episodes, May 29, 2001

By	retrowens (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

In "The Doomsday Machine," Captain Kirk and the crew find an injured ship with a commander that has just witnessed his whole crew die aboard his ship after a tube-shaped creature in space attacked his ship. Kirk has to do what he can to help the ill and paranoid commander whom he has a lot of respect for, while also keeping the Enterprise a safe distance from this galactic creature that can eat whole planets.

"The Doomsday Machine" isn't my favorite episode of Star Trek - The Original Series, but it's definitely one of the best. It has great acting, especially by Spock, good effects, and it's exciting. If you like the classic episodes of Star Trek, get this episode now!!!