Star Trek Logo 'The Doomsday Machine'

by Norman Spinrad
Star Trek Cast

The U.S.S. Enterprise is ordered to investigate the mysterious destruction of several planetary systems. While en route, Captain Kirk and his crew come across the starship U.S.S. Constellation, now crippled and floating adrift in space. Kirk, Chief Engineer Scott and Doctor McCoy beam across to the vessel and find that only Commodore Matthew Decker is still alive; while Kirk and Scotty remain on board the Constellation to attempt repairs, McCoy takes Decker back to the Enterprise. The Commodore tells of an attack by "the berserker", a huge, robotic spaceship that is roaming the galaxy consuming everything in its path for fuel - even entire planets. It seems that this 'planet-eater' is a doomsday device constructed by a long-dead alien race; it turned on its creators, and is now out of control. When Decker challenged the robotic spaceship it attacked the Constellation; the captain was forced to beam his entire crew onto the surface of the nearest planet, but then had to look on in horror as the doomsday machine consumed the planet, killing everyone on it. When the doomsday machine returns, a guilt-ridden Decker pulls rank on Spock and takes control of the Enterprise; he is determined to destroy "the berserker" - even if it means the death of another starship and her crew...

William Shatner (Captain James Tiberius Kirk), Leonard Nimoy (First Officer Lieutenant Commander Spock), DeForest Kelley (Doctor Leonard H. ‘Bones’ McCoy), James Doohan (Chief Engineer Montgomery ‘Scotty’ Scott), George Takei (Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu), William Windom (Commodore Decker), John Copage (Crewman Elliot), Richard Compton (Crewman Washburn), Tim Burns (Crewman Russ), Elizabeth Rogers (Lieutenant Palmer), John Winston (Lieutenant Kyle), Jerry Catron (Crewman Montgomery)

Directed by Marc Daniels

TX:
20th October, 1967

Notes:
*Featuring Captain James Tiberius Kirk, First Officer Lieutenant Commander Spock, Doctor Leonard H. ‘Bones’ McCoy, Chief Engineer Montgomery Scott, Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and Lieutenant Kyle