Star Trek: The Original Series the 23rd century bearing a crew dedicated to exploring the Milky Way Galaxy. Roddenberry noted a number of influences on his idea, some of which includes A. E. van Vogt's tales of the spaceship "Space Beagle", Eric Frank Russell's "Marathon" series of stories, and the film "Forbidden Planet" (1956). Some have also drawn parallels with the television series "Rocky Jones, Space Ranger" (1954), a space opera which included many of the elements that were integral to "Star Trek"—the organization, crew relationships, missions, part of the bridge layout, and some technology. Roddenberry also drew heavily from C. S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower
The Doomsday Machine (Star Trek: The Original Series) The Doomsday Machine (Star Trek: The Original Series) "The Doomsday Machine" is the sixth episode of the of the American science fiction television series "". Written by Norman Spinrad and directed by Marc Daniels, it was first broadcast on October 20, 1967. In the episode, the starship "Enterprise" fights a powerful planet-killing machine from another galaxy. The Federation starship USS "Enterprise", following a trail of mysteriously destroyed star systems, picks up the automated distress beacon of another starship, the USS "Constellation". Upon arrival, the "Constellation" is found drifting in space and severely damaged; Captain Kirk, Chief Medical Officer Dr. McCoy,