# Star Trek: The Doomsday Machine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 13, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675 "2006-05-13T22:15:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/1 "2006-05-13T22:15:54Z")
Why isn’t Nichelle Nichols in this episode? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/2 "2006-05-13T22:24:06Z")
There are a lot of episodes in which one or more of the main supporting characters (Sulu, Uhura, Scott, Chekov after season 1) are absent. The actors might’ve been on other projects, and frankly it doesn’t make sense that they’d all be present for every adventure. The characters would be off-duty, on shore leave, undergoing training etc. With a crew of 440, we’d expect to see other officers on shift at least some of the time. In contrast, compare NextGen in which every episode contrived to show all the opening-credit actors, even if it was only one line in one scene. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/3 "2006-05-13T22:53:38Z")
If only she’d been edited out of the episode, then we could have said “She was, but not any more!” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/4 "2006-05-13T22:54:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally from \*\*Futurama \*\* > > _Professor_: Doomsday device? Ah, now the ball’s in Farnsworth’s court! > > [opens room filled with doomsday machines] > > I suppose I could part with one and still be feared. What **Bryan Ekers** said, and according to [Memory-Alpha’s](http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/TOS_Season_2) episode guide, Uhura also did not appear in the next episode _Wolf in the Fold_, but she was back just in time to get her mind erased by Nomad in _The Changeling_. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/5 "2006-05-13T23:47:01Z")
Her imdb profile lists two 1967 movies (the same year “Doomsday Machine” and “Wolf in the Fold” were first broadcast). I can easily picture her taking a few weeks away from _Trek_ for her breakout role as, um, Ruana in _Tarzan’s Jungle Rebellion_. I see she played the same character in the 1970 sequel. It would’ve been kinda cool to see her as Storm’s mom in the new X-Men movie. Oh, well… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/6 "2006-05-14T00:46:59Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > It would’ve been kinda cool to see her as Storm’s mom in the new X-Men movie. Oh, well… It would have involved a flashback, because Storm’s mother died in an explosion in Cairo when Storm was 5. Exactly when did I become such a geek? ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/7 "2006-05-14T01:28:42Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > It would have involved a flashback, because Storm’s mother died in an explosion in Cairo when Storm was 5. > > Exactly when did I become such a geek? Hmm…can you pronounce Storm’s name accurately? Then you’re a real geek. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/8 "2006-05-14T01:30:36Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Her imdb profile lists two 1967 movies (the same year “Doomsday Machine” and “Wolf in the Fold” were first broadcast). Thanks. I recall George Takei missed _The Gamesters of Triskelon_ to make _The Green Berets._ ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/9 "2006-05-14T01:50:25Z")
> [@Love Rhombus](#): > > Hmm…can you pronounce Storm’s name accurately? Then you’re a real geek. How hard is “Munroe?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/10 "2006-05-14T02:17:15Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > How hard is “Munroe?” 😃 Well, that’s how it’s spelt, but in fact it is pronounced Throatwobbler Mangrove. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/11 "2006-05-14T02:24:38Z")
> [@Operation Ripper](#): > > Well, that’s how it’s spelt, but in fact it is pronounced Throatwobbler Mangrove. Surely you mean Throatwarbler Mangrove? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/12 "2006-05-14T02:28:19Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Surely you mean Throatwarbler Mangrove? :eek: **Ripper** is from the South, so he types with an accent. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/13 "2006-05-14T02:44:23Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Her imdb profile lists two 1967 movies (the same year “Doomsday Machine” and “Wolf in the Fold” were first broadcast). I can easily picture her taking a few weeks away from _Trek_ for her breakout role as, um, Ruana in _Tarzan’s Jungle Rebellion_. > > I see she played the same character in the 1970 sequel. It would’ve been kinda cool to see her as Storm’s mom in the new X-Men movie. Oh, well… These two Tarzan “films” were just episodes of the Ron Ely TV series edited together and released to theaters, so her segemnts would only have taken the usual 5-7 days to film. IIRC, Nichols was hired on an episode-to-episode basis on “Trek,” but Roddenberry (a former lover) tried to get her in as many as possible, sometimes with only a single line or two. I think only Shatner and Nimoy (and Kelley in the second and third seasons) were given full season contracts. Even Doohan was, iirc, only guaranteed 13 episodes per season. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/14 "2006-05-14T03:01:27Z")
> [@glee](#): > > Throatwarbler [Throatwobbler!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Monty_Python's_Flying_Circus_episodes) ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/15 "2006-05-14T03:33:17Z")
At a personal appearance,James Doohan told me this was his favorite episode in large part because it was more technology-based than other episodes. He seemed to like the somewhat harder SF stories more. Dunno if that’s common knowledge but just thought I’d share. ---
**Author:** ![AmbushBug](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ambushbug/32/4600_2.png) [@AmbushBug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmbushBug)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/16 "2006-05-14T07:54:36Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > With a crew of 440, we’d expect to see other officers on shift at least some of the time. [trekkie\_pedant]430[/trekkie\_pedant] ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2006, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/17 "2006-05-14T08:04:24Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > At a personal appearance,James Doohan told me this was his favorite episode in large part because it was more technology-based than other episodes. He seemed to like the somewhat harder SF stories more. Dunno if that’s common knowledge but just thought I’d share. Bah. Neutronium can’t be shaped into a giant carrot. The whole reason it’s neutronium in the first place is that its gravity is stronger than not only molecular bonding but one or two rather powerful atomic forces. Hard SF my eye. _grumps_ I always liked it, though. > [@Otto](#): > > At a personal appearance,James Doohan told **me** … Name-dropper! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/18 "2006-05-15T17:25:59Z")
What’s even harder is elasticizing the neutronium so that sometime the giant carrot’s maw is only a little bigger than a shuttlecraft, while at other times it’s big enough to swallow a _Constitution_-class starship! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/19 "2006-05-15T17:29:38Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Why isn’t Nichelle Nichols in this episode? Maybe she was in the bathroom. ---
**Author:** ![Terrifel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c68b51/32.png) [@Terrifel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrifel)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675/20 "2006-05-15T18:14:01Z")
I thought it was common knowledge that Nichelle Nichols is extremely allergic to neutronium. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/star-trek-the-doomsday-machine/356675.md?page=2)