Well, off of the others are too old to revive, so....
Two nights ago, to celebrate the 53rd anniversary, I watched The Doomsday Machine. Yet again. My love for this episode is boundless. It is my all time favorite Star Trek episode franchise wide. It has so many amazing aspects.
1) It wastes no time. The story kicks right in. No preamble, no banter, no funny bits, just Kirk striding onto the bridge and Lt. Palmer’s first line is immediate. The episode is the most tightly edited of the entire run. After the intro of the wrecked Constellation and Commodore Decker, the episode kicks into high gear and doesn’t let up until the end credits.
2) It’s very serious. Unlike most other episodes in the Geen Coon era, there are no real moments of levity, no pauses for characterization, no quipping. You either know the characters or you don’t and this is not a good episode to introduce people to the series on that level. If not for the Spock-heavy plot, this would fit in as an early episode.
3) It’s the first time we see another Constitution class starship. The fact that’s it’s wrecked shows how powerful the planet killer is before we even see the machine itself.
4) William Windom delivers a powerhouse performance. When you realize his thought very little of the material, it makes his work even more impressive. A true pro who embodied the role. I’m sure he felt ridiculous in the costume and doing the fight scene, but I loved him.
5) The music!!!! Good lord, what am insanely good film quality score. The leitmotif heavy score by Sol Kaplan weaves themes for the Enterprise, the Constellation, the Planet Killer and even the damned transporter. Not a note is wasted and NONE of this music is left off my Best of Trek playlist. The music backing the Decker/Montgomery fight scene is some of the most complex scoring of the series.
6) The performances: everyone brings their A-game. Shatner is in top form, Nimoy is at his stern best, Kelley (for his limited screen time) delivers the goods as a chastened McCoy, and Doohan is in his glory.
7) The effects. Sue me, I love the oringal FX. The AMT model effects have been such a part of my life for so long, no new “improvements” work for me. The original design of the Planet Killer is understated and terrifying. My friends have called it a cannoli, a space cornucopia, a Deadly Bugle snack and the Space Poop. I don’t care. For me, it’s perfect.
I never – ever – tire of this episode. I watch the Laserdisc version most often, with the original sound mix. It is the one hour of television I would take with me on a desert island.
Two nights ago, to celebrate the 53rd anniversary, I watched The Doomsday Machine. Yet again. My love for this episode is boundless. It is my all time favorite Star Trek episode franchise wide. It has so many amazing aspects.
1) It wastes no time. The story kicks right in. No preamble, no banter, no funny bits, just Kirk striding onto the bridge and Lt. Palmer’s first line is immediate. The episode is the most tightly edited of the entire run. After the intro of the wrecked Constellation and Commodore Decker, the episode kicks into high gear and doesn’t let up until the end credits.
2) It’s very serious. Unlike most other episodes in the Geen Coon era, there are no real moments of levity, no pauses for characterization, no quipping. You either know the characters or you don’t and this is not a good episode to introduce people to the series on that level. If not for the Spock-heavy plot, this would fit in as an early episode.
3) It’s the first time we see another Constitution class starship. The fact that’s it’s wrecked shows how powerful the planet killer is before we even see the machine itself.
4) William Windom delivers a powerhouse performance. When you realize his thought very little of the material, it makes his work even more impressive. A true pro who embodied the role. I’m sure he felt ridiculous in the costume and doing the fight scene, but I loved him.
5) The music!!!! Good lord, what am insanely good film quality score. The leitmotif heavy score by Sol Kaplan weaves themes for the Enterprise, the Constellation, the Planet Killer and even the damned transporter. Not a note is wasted and NONE of this music is left off my Best of Trek playlist. The music backing the Decker/Montgomery fight scene is some of the most complex scoring of the series.
6) The performances: everyone brings their A-game. Shatner is in top form, Nimoy is at his stern best, Kelley (for his limited screen time) delivers the goods as a chastened McCoy, and Doohan is in his glory.
7) The effects. Sue me, I love the oringal FX. The AMT model effects have been such a part of my life for so long, no new “improvements” work for me. The original design of the Planet Killer is understated and terrifying. My friends have called it a cannoli, a space cornucopia, a Deadly Bugle snack and the Space Poop. I don’t care. For me, it’s perfect.
I never – ever – tire of this episode. I watch the Laserdisc version most often, with the original sound mix. It is the one hour of television I would take with me on a desert island.
