The Ultimate Computer (TOS episode)
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| Star Trek: TOS episode | |
| "The Ultimate Computer" | |
 The M5 operates with deadly efficiency, The Ultimate Computer. |
|
| Episode no. | 53 |
|---|---|
| Prod. code | 053 |
| Airdate | March 8, 1968 |
| Writer(s) | D.C. Fontana story by Laurence N. Wolf |
| Director | John Meredyth Lucas |
| Guest star(s) | Barry Russo William H. Marshall Sean Morgan (actor) Frank da Vinci Eddie Paskey William Blackburn Roger Holloway |
| Year | 2268 |
| Stardate | 4729.4 |
| Episode chronology | |
| Previous | "The Omega Glory" |
| Next | "Bread and Circuses" |
"The Ultimate Computer" is a season two episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, first broadcast on March 8, 1968 and repeated June 28, 1968. It is episode #53, production #53, written by D.C. Fontana, based on a story by Laurence N. Wolf, and directed by John Meredyth Lucas.
Overview: A new defense computer causes havoc aboard the Enterprise.
While on stardate 4729.4, the starship USS Enterprise, under the command of Captain James T. Kirk, is summoned to a space station without any explanation. Upon their arrival, the entire crew of the Enterprise is ordered off the ship except for a skeleton crew consisting of command officers and a few others. Captain Kirk calls the base commander, Commodore Enright and is told to meet Commodore Bob Wesley in the transporter room.
Wesley explains that the Enterprise will become a test vessel for a revolutionary tactical computer called the M5 Multitronic System designed by the brilliant computer engineer Dr. Richard Daystrom. The unit was designed to completely handle all ship functions without the assistance of a living crew.
Kirk is not happy with the assignment and Dr. McCoy voices his own concerns about this test, but they have no choice but to follow orders. Mr. Spock however, is quite impressed with the M5 and believes it to be the most important of Daystrom's advances since duotronics. The M5 is taken aboard the ship and installed in engineering. During the visual inspection and overview of the computer system, Kirk learns that the device is called "M5" because the other four prototypes were not very successful. This gives Kirk some doubts about the machine's abilities. Daystrom says he envisions a fleet of starships all controlled by M5s, and Starfleet would no longer have to put lives at risk exploring the unknowns of space. This stirs some animosity in Kirk who does not want to think that he could one day be replaced by a machine.
The test begins. At first the M5 handles extremely well, running scenarios such as a planetary survey of the planet Alpha Carinae II. The M5 selects a landing party based on personnel records, and sees to an efficient use of ship's resources. In all tests the computer performs routine ship functions more quickly and efficiently than the living crew is capable of, and raises a lot of eyebrows. Later however, M5 begins to do some quirky things; like turning off power and life support to unoccupied parts of the ship. At the same time, it draws increased amounts of power from the engines for unexplained reasons. Daystrom indicates that the M5 has everything under control and it knows what it is doing.
In an unscheduled drill at Alpha Carinae, M5 defends the Enterprise against attacks from the starships USS Excalibur and USS Lexington, the latter of which is commanded by Commodore Wesley. The M5 is declared the victor of the simulated contest, prompting Wesley to call Kirk "Captain Dunsel." Spock explains the meaning of "dunsel" to McCoy as a term used by midshipmen at Starfleet Academy for a part which serves no useful purpose.
Soon however, the M5 begins tracking another ship, the ore freighter Woden, and immediately sets an attack run. Unable to intervene, everyone simply watches the computer fire weapons at the vessel and destroy it. Fortunately, the ship is an automated drone transport and no lives were lost, but because the attack on the ship was not part of the test, Kirk orders the M5 taken offline. Daystrom is convinced that the M5 is performing fine and refuses to allow the tests to stop.
Having had enough, Kirk tries to disconnect the M5 himself, but he discovers that computer is generating a force field which prevents anyone from getting near it. Engineer Montgomery Scott assigns a technician to unplug the main connection, but the crewman is killed when he tries to disconnect it. Spock and Scott desperately attempt to manually override but they discover M5 has bypassed itself from the power source and now draws its own energy directly from the ship's warp engines. Despite the accident, Daystrom still refuses to disconnect the computer and continues to defend it.
Spock questions Daystrom on his design of the computer, to get more insight into how it all works. Daystrom says he has programmed human engrams into the computer, his own in fact. The computer thinks and acts just as Daystrom himself would. But showing increased levels of stress and anger, Daystrom is not altogether mentally stable as everyone soon finds out, and the M5 is showing the same signs of this instability as well. An attempt to isolate the computer from the ship system fails when they realize they have been duped by M5 with a decoy while it secures its position on the ship.
The next test is a wargame against four other Federation starships using simulated weapon fire. M5 detects the approaching ships and reacts accordingly with one exception; M5 does not treat this as a simulation and uses the Enterprise's weapons at full power against these other ships. Daystrom states the M5 is programmed to preserve itself by any means, but is surprised by the M5's actions. He however simply views the behavior as mistakes made by a "child" who is still learning. Angered, Kirk asserts these "mistakes" are costing lives and the computer must be shut down.
The crew, now completely unable to control the ship themselves, helplessly watches as the M5 pounds the other ships relentlessly. Under the M-5's control, the Enterprise fires on and destroys the U.S.S. Excalibur. From the bridge of the Lexington, Commodore Wesley orders all remaining ships to destroy the Enterprise at all cost. Since the M5 has disabled communications, Kirk is unable to warn the other ships about what is happening. Kirk demands that Daystrom do something, but the scientist will not accept the M5 as a failure. He rambles on about proving his worth, showing what he has accomplished, and cursing his colleagues who laughed behind his back and took the credit for his work. Dr. McCoy sees Daystrom as a man about to have a psychotic episode and warns Kirk the scientist is becoming delusional.
Kirk has Daystrom taken to sickbay after Spock stuns him with a Vulcan nerve pinch. He then tries to talk to the M5 himself and see if he can verbally persuade it to stop the deadly attacks. The M5 acknowledges Kirk who asks what its purpose is. The M5 responds that its purpose is "to save men from the dangerous activities of space exploration". Kirk however points out that the computer just violated its purpose by killing the men aboard the other starships, and that it has committed murder. M5 knows the penalty for murder is death, so the machine shuts itself down. In doing so however, it cripples the Enterprise, and the ship is sent adrift.
The other Federation ships that have been ordered to destroy the Enterprise, now close in to finish her off. While Scotty frantically attempts to regain control of the ship, Kirk decides to have the ship drift, hoping that Commodore Wesley would understand the situation. The gamble pays off as the Commodore orders his fleet back at the last second.
McCoy explains that Daystrom, now heavily restrained would need to be committed to a rehabilitation center for treatment. As they leave sickbay, Kirk explains that somehow he knew that Bob Wesley would not fire on him, that he gambled on Wesley's compassion. McCoy comments that's one thing living beings have that computers do not. McCoy asks Spock if he'd like to debate that fact. Spock says that machines are more efficient than living beings, not better. Spock says that he thinks that it would be interesting to program McCoy's engrams on to a computer - that the resulting flood of illogic would be entertaining. Kirk has the Enterprise head back to the space station to retrieve her crew.
[edit] Trivia
- James Doohan (Scotty) was the voice of the M5. Doohan pulled double duty doing many extra voices on the show.
- During the wargame exercise, Commodore Bob Wesley refers to Captain Kirk as "Captain Dunsel." Spock explains to McCoy that, in the slang of midshipmen at Starfleet Academy, a "dunsel" is any part that serves no useful purpose.
- Robert Wesley was a pseudonym frequently used by Gene Roddenberry when he wrote episodes of Dragnet while still on the LAPD.
- In episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, there are references to the Daystrom Institute.
- The M5 computer makes another appearance in the video game Shattered Universe, in which it controls an area of space in the Mirror Universe and a multitude of Warships (at least 4 Constitution class ships)
- The M5 also makes an appearance in the ST:TNG book "Immortal coil", where it is (presumably) destroyed.
[edit] External links
- The Ultimate Computer at StarTrek.com
- The Ultimate Computer article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
- Dunsel article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
| Last produced: "Patterns of Force" |
Star Trek: TOS episodes Season 2 |
Next produced: "The Omega Glory" |
| Last transmitted: "The Omega Glory" |
Next transmitted: "Bread and Circuses" |
