Doomsday machine


 * For the Star Trek: Voyager comic see Planet Killer (comic)

Doomsday machines or Planet Killers are incredibly powerful ancient weapons which have been encountered by the Federation on a number of occasions.

Origins and Specifications
It is believed the Doomsday machines were created by the Preservers to be used against the Borg. Though it also seems they may have been unsuccessful and that the Borg, whom designated them Species 4672, were able to vanquish the creator race. (TNG novel: Vendetta and VOY comic: Planet Killer)

Doomsday machines feature a neutronium hull capable of resisting most if not all weapons fire (TOS episode: The Doomsday Machine) and even allowed the vessel to survive within a star. This same hull also generates a disruptive signal that prevents transporters from beaming people into the ship, though transportation is possible if permitted by the pilot. The pilot themselves would be locked inside a crystalline 'stasis' chamber and was essentially merged with the ship however they were not alone, planet killer’s also contain an intelligence locked within its core known as 'the Many' which seemed to be a repository of the creators 'souls' or a computerised version of their minds. The 'Many' served as the guiding force of the vessel however they required a physical living being to actually unite them in purpose.

Doomsday machines require a constant 'diet' of planets to maintain them at peak performance. This need to consume planets is believed to be part of the machines design to destroy planets that the Borg had assimilated. The matter obtained from planets, or other targets, such as Borg Cubes, increase the ships power reserves and even allowed them to heal themselves.

Doomsday machines are equipped with a devastating Anti-Proton Beam that even the Borg are incapable of resisting and as a powerful tractor beam which the shisp used to drag either starships or planets into their maw.

Despite their powerful defensive and offensive abilities doomsday machines are generally slow compared to other starships, never the less they are in fact capable of achieving warp 10, though this appears to be a rarely used ability. (TNG novel: Vendetta)

First contact
The first encounter with a doomsday machine occurred on stardate 4202.1 when the USS Constellation under the command of Commodore Matthew Decker was investigating devastation within the L-370 system. As the ship entered the system, they discovered the fourth planet in the system was collapsing. In orbit a doomsday machine was firing its anti-proton beam, prepairing the planet for consumption. As the Constellation approached, it was attacked by the planet killer with its deflector shields giving it no defense. Counterattacks could not pierce the ships neutronium hull and the Constellation was heavily damaged.

Unable to escape, and with the Constellation incapable of calling for aid thanks to the doomsday machine’s dampening field prevented communication and draining the ship of power, Commodore Decker ordered an evacuation of his crew to the third planet in the system while Decker himself decided to remain on the ship. Unfortunately, the doomsday machine soon moved on to consume that planet, and with the dampening field preventing transportation Decker could do nothing but watch helplessly as his crew of 400 were consumed along with the planet.

The planet killer's continued destruction attracted the attention of another Federation ship, the USS Enterprise under the command of Captain James T. Kirk who managed to receive a faint distress call from the Constellation. Recovering Decker and quickly learning of the futility of attacking the ship the Enterprise crew were able to calculate that the course of the planet killer which would lead it towards the more densely populated regions of the Alpha Quadrant, including the Rigel system.

Upon encountering the Enterprise, the doomsday machine fired upon the ship with its anti-proton beam - knocking out the transporter, communications, and damaging other systems. The doomsday machine then disengaged, and resumed course for the next star system - which would've been the Rigel system. Spock decided to get back to the Constellation to retrieve the landing party so that they could escape the subspace jamming to inform Starfleet command.

Commodore Decker asserted that the Enterprise needed to engage the doomsday machine. When Spock refused, Decker relieved Spock of command. He then attempted to attack the doomsday machine with the Enterprise. This attack proved futile, and the Enterprise was heavily damaged in the attack. The Enterprise was nearly dragged into the planet killer's maw, but Kirk was able to save the ship by having the Constellation fire upon the doomsday machine, distracting it long enough to allow Enterprise to escape.

Communications were restored between the two ships shortly afterwards. Captain Kirk refused to allow Commodore Decker to wreck his ship, and had Spock relieve Decker of command. While being escorted to sickbay, Decker overpowered the guard escorting him, and stole the shuttlecraft Einstein. Decker drove the shuttle directly into the Planet Killer's maw. The shuttle exploded within the Planet Killer, causing a small power loss.

At this point, Kirk and Spock determined that a larger explosion inside the Planet Killer would probably destroy the internal workings of the device. Engineer Scott rigged the ship's impulse engines to explode. Kirk took the Constellation inside the Planet Killer, and when her impulse engines overloaded the resulting explosion destroyed the internal workings of the Planet Killer. (TOS episode: The Doomsday Machine)

The remains of the planet killer were shipped to a secret Starfleet facility known as The Yard where it, and other alien technology was studied by a team of scientists including Dr Pad. (TOS short story: Devices and Desires). Eventually the remains were returned to the Rigel system to act as a monument in honour of those who lost their lives in its destruction (VOY comics: Planet Killer).

Vendetta
The second time the planet killer was encountered was by the USS Enterprise-D when one was being used by a woman called Declara who had used a theory developed by Jean-Luc Picard in his years at Starfleet Academy to locate the weapon.

She used the weapon on a crusade to destroy the Borg in revenge for their assimilation of her people. Her first major engagement was against a Borg Cube that had ravaged the planet Dantari. This resulted in the Borg bringing a further two vessels to combat this new menace. This did not seem to trouble Delcara, who was intent on using the weapon to destroy her enemy but this meant the destruction of countless planets on the way to Borg space. Her path meant that the planet killer would travel through Tholian space which resulted in the Tholians attacking the doomsday machine with a Tholian web, to no avail. The Federation attempted to neutralise the threat Delcara posed and during negotiations, the Borg attacked with their two cubes. The assault was almost successful as the Borg managed to crack the neutronium hull of the ship and beam a boarding party, however this attack was repulsed by Captain Picard.

One of the Cubes was destroyed by three Starfleet ships that were at the location and the second one was destroyed by the planet killer which consumed the cube to repair itself. The Doomsday weapon then left at warp 10 to reach Borg space before its pilot expired from her injuries sustained by the Borg raiding party. (TNG novel: Vendetta)

Voyager
Another doomsday machine was encountered by the starship Voyager on its journey home through the Delta Quadrant. A Borg member of crew; Seven of Nine, was aware the Borg had failed to assimilate the technology and had no defence against it, never the less Voyager attempted to destroy the weapon to stop it from cutting a swath of destruction. Ensign Harry Kim attempted to use the same tactic that destroyed the original planet killer however this failed. A second attempt at infecting the weapon with Nanoprobes also failed because of the strong hull of the ship, however it was successful when applied directly to the ships internal systems when the planet killer was distracted which allowed Tom Paris to beam The Doctor into the ship who administered the microscopic weapon. (VOY comics: Planet Killer)