Original air date: March 8, 1968
SYNOPSIS
Kirk and a sub-skeleton crew are ordered to test out an advanced artificially intelligent control system – the M-5 Multitronic system, which could potentially render them all redundant.
CANON CONTEXT
In 2011, this episode was noted by Forbes 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 by mathematician and Star Trek fan Laurence Wolfe to give to Gene Roddenberry.
RECAP
This was a really good one. And I’m not sure if that’s because so much time has passed in between the early days where I was watching one episode per day. Or because this episode was clearly absent the stereotypical femme fatale. But there was something almost eerie about this one. Basically, a super computer “M5” has been built to basically take over an entire starship so that a captain and even a crew would no longer be needed to carry out dangerous missions. Think of how many countless lives would be saved?
Let me back up to the beginning. The Enterprise is called to a starbase where they are instructed to allow M5 and its creator on board in order to do some on the job training.
Wesley assures them that this is the future and Captain Kirk has the high honor of testing this machine out. It will undergo some fake battles out in the wild and all Kirk will have is a crew of just over a dozen on board. If something should go wrong it would make it near impossible for such a small number of crew to handle the Enterprise, but what could possibly go wrong if a machine is given control?
M-5s creator, Dr. Richard Daystrom, is prepared to bet his life that his creation is the best and can easily make decisions as well as protect itself against all dangers faster than any human can. And it does so, almost too well.
The unthinkable happens when it starts to kill people that get in its way. Starting with a poor crewman who was the victim of its laser beam. RIP crewman!
The way Kirk is able to “reason” with M-5 is by helping it to realize if it has a directive that to kill is punishable by death then it must die. This gives Kirk and the crew just enough time to regain control of the ship and destroy M-5 for good.
What struck me about this one is how closely it can relate to what is happening today with AI. How often we see the advancement of technology controlling our day-to-day devices. To what end?
And what about M-1 through M-4 that Bones aptly asked about. There were “complications” with those models that is not really explained and just glossed over. Either way, it’s a comfort to know that even as advanced as the future might be, they still come with their own challenges.
I leave you with a smiling crew at the end of a long day. As often as we get the usual femme fatale or dead crewman, we also get these moments at the end where Kirk, Spock, and Bones engage in casual conversation.
DID THEY REALLY SAY THAT?
Wesley: [after M-5’s first successful battle drill] Our compliments to the M-5 unit. And regards to Captain Dunsel. Wesley out.
Dr. McCoy: “Dunsel”? Who the blazes is Captain Dunsel? What does it mean, Jim?
[Kirk slowly leaves the bridge without another word or looking anyone in the eye]
Dr. McCoy: Spock. What does it mean?
Mr. Spock: ‘Dunsel’, Doctor, is a term used by midshipmen at Starfleet Academy. It refers to a part which serves no useful purpose.
