Bread and Circuses (Star Trek: The Original Series) entertainment. In the episode, Captain Kirk and his companions are forced to fight in gladiatorial games on a planet resembling the Roman Empire, but possessing mid-20th century Earth technology. The Federation starship USS "Enterprise" is on routine patrol when it finds wreckage of the SS "Beagle". The "Beagle" was under the command of Captain R. M. Merik (William Smithers), whom Captain Kirk (William Shatner) knew during his academy days. First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) traces the path of debris back to a planet in the previously unexplored system 892. The "Enterprise" picks up a 20th-century-style television news broadcast, reporting in
The Doomsday Machine (Star Trek: The Original Series) on its list of the 10 best "Star Trek" episodes. Zack Handlen of "The A.V. Club" gave the episode an "A" rating, describing the episode as "very strong stuff", noting effective tension building and the development of Decker's character. Handlen also noted Sol Kaplan's score which "matches the actors' intensity." 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