And yet another iconic episode.\u00a0 Dr. Richard Daystrom is the genius who as a very young man invented the computer systems that are currently used on all Federation star ships.\u00a0 Now Daystrom has progressed to a new computer the M-5 that can run a star ship without a human captain or almost any crew at all.\u00a0 Commodore Bob Wesley has selected the Enterprise to test out the new system by setting up a war game between the Enterprise and four other star ships.<\/p>\n
Daystrom comes aboard to set up the M-5 and continuously antagonizes Kirk and McCoy by stressing the fact that the M-5 will eliminate the need for a star ship captain and most of the crew.\u00a0 Spock on the other hand is very familiar with Daystrom\u2019s work and once the testing of the system commences, he agrees that the M-5\u2019s performance far exceeds the results expected from a human crew and captain.<\/p>\n
But in route to the second war game trial, the M-5 randomly attacks and destroys an ore freighter that luckily had no crew.\u00a0 In addition, when Scotty\u2019s engineering staff attempts to de-energize the M-5 the machine vaporizes one of the red shirts and employs a force field to prevent any human intervention in its control of the Enterprise.\u00a0 After unsuccessfully trying to outwit the machine and disconnect it from the ship\u2019s controls they are forced to watch in horror as the M-5 attacks the four star ships with full powered weapons.\u00a0 One ship is completely incapacitated and its entire crew killed.\u00a0 Commodore Wesley gets permission to use his remaining ships to destroy the Enterprise.\u00a0 At this point we learn that the M-5 is acting illogically because it was constructed from the \u201cengrams\u201d of Dr. Daystrom\u2019s own brain who as it turns out is mentally unstable.\u00a0 This explains Daystrom\u2019s very personal relationship with the machine and his erratic behavior now reinforces the fact that M-5 is quite mad.<\/p>\n
In a final attempt to prevent the M-5 from destroying the remaining star ships Daystrom attempts to reason with the computer.\u00a0 He attempts to convince M-5 that killing humans is murder and against the laws of man and God.\u00a0 But Daystrom begins to identify with his creation and begins justifying self-preservation as the M-5\u2019s right.\u00a0 He begins ranting about the unfairness of how he was treated after his initial successes and finally he starts to gloat over M-5\u2019s superiority over its human opponents.\u00a0 Finally, he has to be sedated and hauled away to sick bay.<\/p>\n
Kirk takes over and finishes the job of convincing M-5 that it is guilty of murder.\u00a0 Unfortunately, he does too good a job and the computer decides to commit suicide by deactivating itself and thereby leave the Enterprise vulnerable to destruction by the Star Fleet squadron.\u00a0 Scotty is able to restore only the shields but not communications.\u00a0 Kirk orders the shields to remain lowered and he gambles that Bob Wesley will break off the attack rather than destroy the defenseless ship at least until the situation can be clarified.\u00a0 When this succeeds Kirk explains to Spock that he gambled on Wesley\u2019s humanity.\u00a0 McCoy then uses this human virtue to assail Spock\u2019s seeming preference for machines over humans.\u00a0 Spock reiterates his already stated preference for humans over machines but states that a computer that has McCoy\u2019s mental makeup would spout so much illogic that it would be a great source of amusement.\u00a0 The End.<\/p>\n
Everybody loves this episode. \u00a0When the M-5 flawlessly passes the first war game against the star ships, Commodore Wesley congratulates the M-5 on its performance and also sends his greetings to Captain Dunsail.\u00a0 When he hears this Kirk storms off the bridge while the rest of the bridge officers look shocked.\u00a0 When McCoy asks \u201cwho the blazes is Dunsail?\u201d\u00a0 Spock explains that dunsail is a term used at Starfleet Academy to describe a part serving no useful purpose.<\/p>\n
McCoy goes to Kirk\u2019s cabin to give him some medicinal alcohol.\u00a0 Kirk admits to feeling useless and asks McCoy whether he himself is guilty of vanity, fearing the loss of his prestige as captain\u00a0 McCoy tells him to ask Jim Kirk because Jim Kirk is an honest guy.\u00a0 But sixty million Americans were yelling that night at their tv\u2019s saying, \u201cYes you conceited blowhard, you strutting prima donna, that\u2019s what this is about!\u201d<\/p>\n
But Kirk does have one great line.\u00a0 When the M-5 shuts itself off.\u00a0 Kirk yells to Scotty to go down to engineering and permanently deactivate the M-5.\u00a0 His final words to the engineer are to shout, \u201cPULL THE PLUG ON IT!\u201d<\/p>\n
The other attraction in this episode is the characterization of Doctor Daystrom.\u00a0 He has both delusions of grandeur and a persecution complex.\u00a0 At one point while he was reasoning with the M-5 he attempted to salve the computer\u2019s feelings about being in error and when the machine stated its record of achievement Daystrom concurred stating, \u201cYes, I am great, you are great.\u201d\u00a0 Then when he went completely bonkers, he started reciting his grievances against his colleagues, \u201cThey laughed behind my back at the boy genius and got rich on my invention, my work!\u201d<\/p>\n
I really like this episode.\u00a0 Two blowhards sharing the stage, Daystrom and Kirk.\u00a0 Wonderful.<\/p>\n
9\u00a0 \/\/\u00a0 6.<\/p>\n
Update:\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>Chemist had some good feedback that I thought I’d share:<\/p>\n “With all due respect Photog, you missed the best line in the show. It was McCoy\u2019s to Kirk:<\/strong> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" And yet another iconic episode.\u00a0 Dr. Richard Daystrom is the genius who as a very young man invented the computer systems that are currently used<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[237,4,244,2149,240],"tags":[2915,2150,38,1355,44,309,265,1691,293,2914,154,1692,837],"class_list":["post-13543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","category-sff","category-sff-tv-reviews","category-star-trek","category-tv-reviews","tag-captain-dunsail","tag-gene-roddenberry","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-sci-fi","tag-sci-fi-tv-review","tag-science-fiction","tag-sff-tv-show-reviews","tag-star-trek","tag-the-ultimate-computer","tag-tv-review","tag-tv-reviews","tag-william-shatner"],"yoast_head":"\n
\n\u201cDid you see the love light in Spock\u2019s eyes? The right computer finally came along.\u201d<\/strong>
\nEpic.”<\/strong><\/p>\n