I seem to have missed more episodes of TOS than I knew, this one was totally new to me. A Taste of Armageddon is a tense scifi twist on a political drama. It features a classic asshole higher up in the Federation with, "the power of command," but at least this one turns out to be useful in the end. It is also pretty clearly a take on the mutually assured destruction doctrine of the cold war.
The episode opens with the Enterprise approaching a star system with orders to establish diplomatic relations, even if it means WAR!!! Not sure about Federation priorities, but when the Enterprise is warned not to approach the ambassador overrides Kirk and orders them to approach anyway. Kirk gets to pull the old, "we can't let you beam down until we are sure it is safe, you are too important," gambit right back at the ambassador. Upon beaming down Kirk and the away team are greeted and taken to the council chamber. The planet appears peaceful, but the are assured the Enterprise is in grave danger! Suddenly the planet is under attack. Only it really isn't. The war is being fought in computers, but the casualties are real, civilians report to disintegration chambers by the thousands after every attack. Not only that, but the Enterprise is declared a casualty.
Kirk and company are locked up, and the leader tries to fake Kirks voice to get the crew to beam down for disintegration, but Scotty isn't buying and raises defense shields just in time for an attack. Before Scotty can shoot back the ambassador steps in again and orders him to not shoot, and opens a channel. The ambassador is easily tricked into beaming down, but Scotty refuses to lower the shields. Down on the planet Spock pulls some ESP crap and tricks the guard outside their room into opening the door. Kirk head off on his own and Spock leads the rest of the crew to help.
Kirk is captured and taken to the counsil chambers where the leader of the planet tries to convince him to surrender his crew. He is terrified that if the treaty with the other planet is violated actual war will break out, but Kirk isn't having it. Kirk tricks them into calling the Enterprise and gets Scotty to start a plan the raze the surface of the planet. Meanwhile the ambassador has beamed down and is taken directly to the disintegration chamber, but Spock saves the day. Spock arrives in the council chambers just after Kirk has overwhelmed the guards and taken over. They destroy the war computers and violate the treaty. The leader is horrified, but Kirk convinces him that now is the time to negotiate with the hostile planet and suddenly the ambassador has something to do.
Weiver: This episode manages to have an interesting scifi twist on a classic story about the horrors of war. Kirk is at his best, improvising and taking risks, and in the end saving the day and the beautiful woman.
8 out of 10
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