A Taste of Armageddon by: Gene L. Coon and Robert Hamner, from a story by: Robert Hamner, and directed by: Joseph Pevney

 

“A Taste of Armageddon” is written by Gene L. Coon and Robert Hamner, from a story by Robert Hamner, and is directed by Joseph Pevney.  It was filmed under production code 23, was the 23^rd episode of Star Trek Season 1, and was broadcast on February 23, 1967.

 

Sometimes a title can be the best indicator of the piece of media you are about to consume.  “A Taste of Armageddon” is a perfect title to indicate the truly harrowing ideas at play here, all wrapped in a very colorful 1960s shell.  The episode opens in a very standard Star Trek way with the Enterprise on a diplomatic mission to Eminiar VII, a planet that has been at war with a neighboring planet Vendikar.  There is an ambassador representing the Federation on board, Robert Fox played by Gene Lyons, and immediately the Enterprise is told to turn back due to this war.  Of course, they push forward but they find that there are no signs of war or destruction leading to Kirk and Spock beaming to the planet while Scotty is in control on the bridge.  This is the setup for a series of revelations about this planet and the true nature of the war being waged.  Two computer simulations are responsible for waging the war, simulating attacks and casualties.  These simulations name those who have died in the attacks, giving citizens 24 hours to report to disintegration chambers where they are dispatched.  The episode itself falls slightly flat in not exploring how dark this idea is despite showing people sent to the chambers, but the premise is brilliant.  Robert Hamner and Gene L. Coon are directly reflecting on how those in power waging war are inherently callous, the Vietnam War being waged at the time essentially sending young Americans to die for their country while no real danger was posed to American soil.

 

The society presented in “A Taste of Armageddon” is eventually revealed to have not really experienced said taste of Armageddon, due to this system creating a false utopia.  The treaty keeps any of the bombs from devastating the planet despite the massive casualties in population, but this is not really war.  This is callous slaughter of a society’s people.  The stakes are intensified when the Enterprise is simulated to be caught in the crossfire, Anan 7 leader of the high council, played by David Opatoshu, demands all crew and passengers to submit themselves for disintegration.  Opatoshu plays the character as incredibly sinister, with this air of courtesy and chivalry one would come to expect from the very evil of the world.  This is a brilliant choice for the episode as the viewer can really see the evil of the society presented here with the sympathy of why a society would try this route.  These are the stakes for the middle of the episode, before things shift to the climax where Kirk makes the decision to give these people a taste of Armageddon and crusades to destroy the computer.  This is a gambit, Kirk believing that would make peace be the only logical outcome and that any society would have a direct line to the enemy due to the simulation.  William Shatner is brilliant as Kirk here, having to use cunning to get out of the situation with Leonard Nimoy as Spock there to attempt several escapes despite being in the background.

 

James Doohan as Scotty taking center stage on the Enterprise also gives him a rare opportunity to shine as a character beyond being responsible for transportation to and from planets.  Scotty butts heads with Fox giving some interesting ideas on how diplomacy can fail if it is rushed and care isn’t taken to examine the state the society being reached out to can have.  It’s a powerful statement against rushed attempts to dismantle colonialism without understanding the effects of colonialism.  It is mentioned that this planet was originally a human colony so it is not a stretch for it to be at one point part of the Federation before breaking away.  Joseph Pevney’s direction in the episode is also incredibly important for how it plays out.  Despite colorful sets, there is this incredibly sinister air, the war has been waged for 500 years at this point and it will be continuing for het foreseeable future.  There is a great darkness over the utopia, understanding just how a utopia will fall.

 

Overall, “A Taste of Armageddon” lives up to its tantalizing title and continues what has been a genuinely great streak of episodes for Star Trek.  It’s because of the performances from the guest cast as well as Shatner and Doohan which allow the episode to really succeed while the script from Gene L. Coon and Robert Hamner is incredibly tight.  There are a couple of scenes that don’t quite work and it is a bit of a shame that the episode doesn’t let us see the other side of the war, but it is a wonderful episode.  9/10.