History YMMV / StarTrekS2E6TheDoomsdayMachine

* HeartwarmingInHindsight: At the end of the episode, Kirk and Spock discuss how the CaptainsLog will say that Decker died in the line of duty. A FreezeFrameBonus in the season 2 premiere of ''Series/StarTrekPicard'' confirms that Decker is indeed remembered as a hero, in more-or-less the way Kirk intended.

-->'''Kirk''': Built primarily as a bluff. Never meant to be used for it's so powerful it would destroy both sides.
-->'''Kirk''': In the twentieth century, the hydrogen bomb was the ultimate doomsday machine and we used something like it to destroy another doomsday machine. Probably the only time such a weapon was used for constructive purposes
-->'''Spock''': Appropriate, Captain. However, I can't help but wonder if there are more such devices wandering the universe.
-->'''Kirk''': I should hope not. I found one quite sufficient.

** Windom would later play [[WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM another character]] who would also inadvertently doom people thanks to his actions... though in their cases, [[AFateWorseThanDeath death quite honestly would have been preferable]] to [[UnwillingRoboticisation their actual fates]].

** Windom would later play [[WesternAnimation/SonicSatAm another character]] who would also inadvertently doom people thanks to his actions... though in their cases death quite honestly would have been preferable to [[AFateWorseThanDeath their]] [[UnwillingRoboticization actual]] [[AndIMustScream fates]].

* NightmareRetardant: For some viewers, the planet killer loses some of its menace when one realizes its shape and glowing orange insides make it look like a giant joint.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Sol Kaplan's original score for this episode. It gets prominently reused throughout the rest of the season and (along with Gerald Fried's score from "Amok Time") gets its own CD release.

* {{Anvilicious}}: The title "Doomsday Machine" kind of says it all along with Kirk's theory of the planet killer being an ancient weapon in a war.

* HilariousInHindsight: Also a bit of OlderThanTheyThink.... Let's see. The villain is a giant, mindless eating machine that can destroy just about anything in its path. Regular weapons have little effect on it. A major character is a ship's captain whose obsession with killing the eating machine puts other people's lives in danger, and his final fate is to be killed by the villain. The villain is killed, basically, by throwing a bomb into its mouth. And, last but not least, the villain is accompanied by a simple but ''very'' distinctive musical cue. (Dah-dum dah-dum dah-dum dah-dum dah-dum....) Gee, [[{{Film/Jaws}} I wonder where we would see these things again...?]]

* HamAndCheese: William Windom thought the episode "seemed kind of silly, with the planet eater and the spaceships", and acted as though he was playing in a cartoon.
** Some have noticed Windom's exaggerated accent in some scenes and decided that [[HollywoodNewEngland Decker must be from "Bahston", Massachusetts]].
** [[GoneHorriblyRight This backfired]] in that it gave his performance as Decker the intensity and unhinged lunacy it needed to become truly memorable and effective. Today it's considered one of Windom's most iconic roles; upon his death, many obituaries reflecting on his career led with Decker even over his Emmy-winning turn as James Thurber or his long-running supporting role on ''Series/MurderSheWrote''.

* HarsherInHindsight: In ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'', Commodore Decker's son, Capt. Will Decker, would have his own encounter with a destructive space machine ending with his demise ([[NeverFoundTheBody maybe]]).

* NightmareRetardant: The planet killer does lose some of its menace when you realise its shape and glowing orange insides make it look like a giant joint.

* NightmareRetardant: The planet killer does lose some of its mwnce when you realise its shape and glowing orange insides make it look like a giant joint.

* JerkassWoobie: Decker. We feel bad for him since he's mourning the loss of his crew and ''clearly'' suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Still, he can be a real jerk.

* AwesomeMusic: Sol Kaplan's original score for this episode. It gets prominently reused throughout the rest of the season and (along with Gerald Fried's score from "Amok Time") gets its own CD release.

* {{Anvilicious}}: The title ''Doomsday Machine'' kind of says it all along with Kirk's theory of the planet killer being an ancient weapon in a war.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Although he only appeared in this episode ([[KilledOffForReal well, obviously]]) his haunting story and William Windom's brilliant acting has made Decker one of the most memorable characters in the entire original series, and its status as a fan favorite is largely because of his contributions. His character was memorable enough that William Decker, Matt Decker's son, was created for ''Phase II'', which would be transformed into ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture''.

-->'''Spock''': I can't help but wonder if there are more such devices wandering the universe.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Although he only appeared in this episode ([[KilledOffForReal well, obviously]]) his haunting story and William Windom's brilliant acting has made Decker one of the most memorable characters in the entire original series, and its status as a fan favorite is largely because of his contributions.

* IAmNotShazam: The planet killer is consistently referred to as just that—however, it is sometimes remembered as "The Doomsday Machine", that being the name of the episode and everything.

** [[GoneHorriblyRight This backfired]] in that it gave his performance as Decker the intensity and unhinged lunacy it needed to become truly memorable and effective. Today it's considered one of Windom's most iconic roles.

* HamAndCheese: William Windon thought the episode "seemed kind of silly, with the planet eater and the spaceships", and acted as though he was playing in a cartoon.

* HarsherInHindsight: In ''Film/StarTrekTheMotionPicture'', Commodore Decker's son, Capt. Matt Decker, would have his own encounter with a destructive space machine ending with his demise ([[NeverFoundTheBody maybe]]).