History Recap / StarTrekS2E6TheDoomsdayMachine

* DoctorsOrders: Discussed. When [=McCoy=] protests Decker taking command of the ''Enterprise'', Spock reminds him that he has the authority as Chief Medical Officer to certify the Commodore unfit for duty. [=McCoy=] eagerly states he'll certify that right now, only for Spock to point out for it to be valid he will also need to provide medical proof (which [=McCoy=] does not have as he has not examined Decker and doesn't have the time to conduct a full examination before they have to obey Decker's orders).

* DoctorsOrders: Discussed. When [=McCoy=] protests Decker taking command of the ''Enterprise'', Spock reminds him that he has the authority as Chief Medical Officer to certify the Commodore unfit for duty. [=McCoy=] eagerly states he'll certify that right now, only for Spock to point out for it to be valid he will also need to provide medical proof (which [=McCoy=] does not have as he has not examined Decker).

* FeedItABomb: And [[LudicrousPrecision 97.835 megatons]] megatons of fusion energy make for one hell of a bomb.

* LargeHam: William Windom thought the story was ridiculous and [[UpToEleven purposely overacted]], not realizing he was supposed to be channeling [[MobySchtick Captain Ahab]]. [[GoneHorriblyRight Ironically, he wound up giving what is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most memorable performances of his career.]] He came to appreciate the irony of this in his later life, and he even reprised the role of Decker for ''WebVideo/StarTrekNewVoyages''.

* SenselessSacrifice: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted,]] actually. Decker really shouldn't have had to sacrifice himself to the machine. But the method did end up revealing a weakness they ''could'' use to destroy the machine. And really, there would have been no other more satisfying way of rounding up his emotional arc.

* TheJuggernaut: The planet killer is indestructible. Repeated attacks by the ''Enterprise'' can't scratch it.

* GoLookAtTheDistraction: Kirk uses the ''Constellation'' to divert the planet-killer from moving in on the ''Enterprise''.

* DamageControl: Despite the severe damage to the ''Constellation'', Scotty the Miracle Worker manages to get the ship moving on impulse, raise the DeflectorShields, and recharge a phaser bank.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Decker argues that running to warn Starfleet from the planet killer will allow it to destroy more defenseless planets. Nobody denies this, the problem is that his insistence on attacking the planet killer will get the ''Enterprise'' destroy for nothing.

* MadeOfIndestructium: The planet killer's hull is composed of neutronium, which is the super-compressed material that makes up white dwarf stars (to give an idea of how dense it is, a matchbox-sized amount of neutronium weighs ''six million tons''). This allows it to easily shrug off everything both the ''Constellation'' and the ''Enterprise'' throw at it from the outside.
** Even the self destruct of the ''Constellation'', which does stop the machine, only works because its more vulnerable internal systems are destroyed. The hull isn't scratched.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Decker v the planet killer.

* TalkingDownTheSuicidal: Kirk re Decker. He fails.

* JerkassHasAPoint: Decker argues that running to warn Starfleet from the planet killer will allow it to destroy more defenseless planets. Nobody denies this, the problem is that his insistence on attacking the planet killer will get the Enterprise destroy for nothing.
* TheJuggernaut: The planet killer is indestructible. Repeated attacks by the Enterprise can't scratch it.

* EldritchAbomination: The planet killer. Let's see, it's very old, its origins and motives are unknown (Kirk's speculations about it being a doomsday machine not withstanding), it's [[WeaksauceWeakness virtually]] indestructible, and is capable of generating a jamming field preventing the ''Enterprise'' and ''Constellation'' from calling for help. Decker notes they're not even sure whether it's a living organism or a machine. Or both.

!!Tropes for this episode include:

-->'''Decker:''' They say there's no devil, Jim. But there is a..... Right out of hell, I ''saw it!!!''\\

* AbandonShip: The crew of the ''Constellation'' (save for Decker) does this prior to the episode. Turns out to be a bad move, as they evacuate to a planet that the planet killer then destroys.

* DamageControl: Despite the damage to the ''Constellation'', Scotty the Miracle Worker manages to get the ship moving on impulse, raise the DeflectorShields, and recharge a phaser bank.

* DoomsdayDevice: Obviously, although any theories about the planet-killer's actual origin and purpose remain just that.

* FeedItABomb: And 97 megatons of fusion energy make for one hell of a bomb.
** [[LudicrousPrecision 97.835 megatons]].

** As an old friend, Kirk calls Decker "Matt" when the damage control party first finds him. After he realizes the risk Decker is causing to the Enterprise, he switches to "Commodore" when telling him to give command back to Spock. Later, starting with "Matt, you'll be killed," he goes back to his friend's first name, begging him not to kamikaze the planet killer.
** Decker also does this. When he's first found, he calls Kirk "Jim." Later, though, after taking command of the Enterprise, he calls him "Kirk" or "Captain."

* GoingDownWithTheShip: Decker intended to do this. Ironically, however, the planet he sent his crew to for their safety was destroyed, leaving him alive. Decker had to settle for going down with a shuttlecraft.

** Another example: The planet killer, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin destroys planets]]. Decker sees it cutting up a planet when the ''Constellation'' finds it. It's pretty much the machine's only function. Yet, when he gives the order to abandon ship (even though life support is still working), he beams the crew of the ''Constellation'' down TO A PLANET.

* MadeOfIron: The planet killer's hull is composed of neutronium, which is the super-compressed material that makes up white dwarf stars (to give an idea of how dense it is, a matchbox-sized amount of neutronium weighs ''six million tons''). This allows it to easily shrug off everything both the ''Constellation'' and the ''Enterprise'' throw at it from the outside. On the other side the ''Constellation'' is able to move, maneuver, and attack after some TLC from Scotty, even with one nacelle blown in half and holes all over its structure.

* NegativeSpaceWedgie: Giant cone of planetary destruction spinning around in space like a forgotten land mine.

* OffTheShelfFX: The show's budget wouldn't stretch to building a model of the ''Constellation'' at the same level of detail as the ''Enterprise'' (since, unlike the ''Enterprise'', they couldn't spread the cost out by reusing it in other episodes), so the damaged ''Constellation'' was represented by a shop-bought Enterprise model with the serial number stickers applied in a different order.
** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in the remastered version, wherein the CGI of the ''Constellation'' has quite detailed battle damage.

* SacrificialPlanet: The titular weapon has already annihilated a solar system and all but two planets of another by the time the Enterprise gets on the scene. It's set on a course through the most densely populated section of the galaxy to sustain itself.

* YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious: Spock calls Kirk, not "Captain" or "Kirk", but "Jim" when he protests his plan to destroy the machine.

* JustEatGilligan: Photon torpedoes have yields comparable to that of the overloaded impulse drive of the ''Constellation'', but they don't even try firing one down the machine's gullet. They didn't even {{Lampshade}} it by mentioning that the launcher was damaged in the attack, or that the subspace field put out by the machine made them unusable.

** Bizarrely, except for the bridge. It is stated in dialouge the bridge has gone, but in the new remastered version, it is quite clearly intact!

* SequelHook: The episode ends with Spock and Kirk wondering if there are any more planet-killers out there. A sequel to this episode has never been made.

'''Decker:''' '''''[[WhamLineDon't you think I know that?!?]]''''' There was! [[EarthShatteringKaboom But not anymore!]] They called me, they ''begged'' me for help! ''Four hundred'' of them! [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone I couldn't!!]] [[MyGreatestFailure I... I couldn't...]] ''[[[DespairEventHorizon breaks into sobs]]]''