"The Ultimate Computer" is the twenty-fourth episode of the
second season of the American
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
television series ''
Star Trek''. Written by
D.C. Fontana
Dorothy Catherine Fontana (March 25, 1939 – December 2, 2019) was an American television script writer and story editor, best known for her work on the original ''Star Trek'' franchise and several Western television series.
After a short ...
(based on a story by Laurence N. Wolfe) and directed by
John Meredyth Lucas
John Meredyth Lucas (May 1, 1919 – October 19, 2002) was an American writer, director and producer, primarily for television.
Career
Son of screenwriter Bess Meredyth and writer/director Wilfred Lucas, and the adopted son of director Michael ...
, it was first broadcast on March 8, 1968.
In the episode, the crew of the ''
Enterprise
Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to:
Business and economics
Brands and enterprises
* Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company
* Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company
* Enterpris ...
'' race to disable a rogue computer in total control of the ship.
Plot
The
Federation
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government ( federalism). In a federation, the self-govern ...
starship ''
Enterprise
Enterprise (or the archaic spelling Enterprize) may refer to:
Business and economics
Brands and enterprises
* Enterprise GP Holdings, an energy holding company
* Enterprise plc, a UK civil engineering and maintenance company
* Enterpris ...
'' is summoned to a space station without explanation.
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore ...
Wesley (Barry Russo) explains that the ''Enterprise'' will be a test vessel for the M-5 Multitronic System, a revolutionary tactical and control computer designed by Dr. Richard Daystrom (
William Marshall). The M-5 is to handle all ship functions without human assistance. While Science Officer
Spock is impressed with M-5, Captain
Kirk
Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.
Basic meaning and etymology
As a common noun, ''kirk' ...
and Chief Medical Officer
Dr. McCoy
Dr. Leonard H. McCoy, known as "Bones", is a character in the American science-fiction franchise '' Star Trek''. McCoy was played by actor DeForest Kelley in the original ''Star Trek'' series from 1966 to 1969, and he also appears in the an ...
have doubts.
The M-5 succeeds at its first tasks, performing ship functions more quickly and efficiently than a living crew. However, M-5 also exhibits unexpected behavior, such as turning off power and life support to unoccupied parts of the ship, and drawing increased power for unknown reasons; Daystrom maintains M-5 is working properly.
In its first tactical drill, M-5 defends the ''Enterprise'' against mock attacks from Starships ''Excalibur'' and ''Lexington''. The ''Enterprise'' is declared the victor, and Wesley jokingly refers to Kirk as "Captain Dunsel", employing a
Starfleet Academy
In the fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', Starfleet Academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's motto is "''Ex astri ...
slang term for a part serving no useful purpose. Kirk is troubled by this.
Some time later, M-5 detects the ''Woden'', an unmanned freighter, and attacks with live torpedoes, destroying it. Kirk orders M-5 taken offline, but on attempting to do so, finds it protected by a powerful force field. Chief Engineer
Scott orders Ensign Harper to disconnect its power source, but the M-5 creates a direct connection to the ship's
warp engines, vaporizing Harper in the process. Spock and Scott attempt a manual override, but discover that the M-5 has rerouted all controls. Spock questions Daystrom on his computer design, and Daystrom reveals that he has imprinted human
engrams onto M-5's circuits, creating what amounts to a human mind operating at the speed of a computer.
Meanwhile, four of ''Enterprises
sister ships, ''Lexington'', ''Potemkin'', ''Excalibur'', and ''Hood'', approach to begin a new tactical drill. Since M-5 has disabled communications, Kirk is unable to warn M-5's targets. M-5 detects the ships, and attacks them with full-strength weapons. The crew watches helplessly as the ''Enterprise'' fires on the ''Lexington'', killing 53, and then turns to the ''Excalibur'', killing all aboard and leaving her adrift. Commodore Wesley assumes that Kirk himself is responsible for the attacks, and requests permission from
Starfleet Command to destroy the ''Enterprise''.
Daystrom, having indicated that the engrams he used were his own, believes he can reason with the M-5, but his conversation with the unit quickly degenerates into a self-pitying lament over his own career disappointments. McCoy warns Kirk that he sees a
psychotic episode
Psychosis is a condition of the mind that results in difficulties determining what is real and what is not real. Symptoms may include delusions and hallucinations, among other features. Additional symptoms are incoherent speech and behavior t ...
coming, and as Daystrom begins loudly to proclaim his and his creation's invincibility, Spock subdues him with a
Vulcan nerve pinch
In the fictional ''Star Trek'' universe, the Vulcan nerve pinch is a technique used mainly by Vulcans to render unconsciousness by pinching a pressure point at the base of the victim's neck.
Origin
The script for " The Enemy Within" stated tha ...
.
Kirk then tries to persuade the M-5 to stop its attacks. The M-5 acknowledges Kirk, who asks M-5 what its purpose is. M-5 responds that its purpose is to protect lives. Kirk rejoins that it acted contrary to its purpose by murdering people. M-5 acknowledges that it has committed murder and must therefore die, and shuts itself down. In so doing, it also cripples the ''Enterprise''.
Having received permission to destroy ''Enterprise'', the other Federation ships close in. Since Scott is unable to restore communications immediately, Kirk decides to allow the ship to drift with shields down, hoping that Commodore Wesley will realize that the threat has passed. The gamble pays off as the Commodore orders his ships to stand down at the last moment.
Production and reception
In 2011, this episode was noted by ''
Forbes
''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...
'' as one of the top ten episodes of the franchise that explores the implications of advanced technology, in particular the danger of A.I.
In 2016,
SyFy ranked guest star William Marshall's performance as Dr. Daystrom as the 14th best guest star on the original series.
The original draft was given to
Ray Bradbury
Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...
by mathematician and Star Trek fan Laurence Wolfe to give to
Gene Roddenberry.
Michelle Erica Green of Trek Today maintains that it is one of McCoy's best episodes and praises the episode for taking place entirely on the ''Enterprise''.
She states that the M-5 turns out to be one of ''Treks best villains
and that the analogy of
computers taking over for humans is still powerful today.
References
External links
*
*
*
"The Ultimate Computer"Review of the remastered episode at
TrekMovie.com
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultimate Computer, The
Star Trek: The Original Series (season 2) episodes
1968 American television episodes
Television episodes about artificial intelligence
Television episodes written by D. C. Fontana
Films scored by Sol Kaplan
Television episodes directed by John Meredyth Lucas