Cult-TV Theme Watch: The Self-Destruct Mechanism

The "self destruct" is a mechanism designed to annihilate a vessel, device, or object in instances, ostensibly, of last resort. 

The self-destruct mechanism may be used to prevent secrets from falling into enemy hands, or to destroy an encroaching enemy all-together. 

Sometimes, a self-destruct mechanism is utilized to “scuttle” a ship that is simply no longer serviceable.

The self-destruct mechanism has found a treasured place in cult-television history.  As several generations of Star Trek have indicated, every starship in the Starfleet is equipped with a self-destruct or “auto-destruct” mechanism. 

The self-destruct mechanism was introduced to the Star Trek (1966 – 1969) universe in the third season episode, “Let that Be Your Last Battlefield.” 

There, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) commenced the self-destruct mechanism because a hostile alien, Bele (Frank Gorshin) had taken control of the Enterprise’s navigational system, and would not relent to a course change. 

To engage the destruct sequence, Captain Kirk, first officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Engineer Scott (James Doohan) had to voice specific codes to the library computer to commence a countdown to destruction.  In a wonderful bit of franchise continuity, those codes were used again for the Enterprise's self destruct in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock in 1984.

In Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987 – 1994), the new Enterprise-D, under command of Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) also came equipped with an auto-destruct sequence, though this one could be activated by two officers -- Captain and Executive Officer -- rather than three.  The auto-destruct was featured in the first season episode “11001001” and the second season story “Where Silence Has Lease.” 

Outside of Star Trek, the “self-destruct” mechanism was featured regularly on the 1960s series Mission: Impossible (1966 – 1973).  At the beginning of every episode of the series, a tape recording with top secret orders for the IM Force would play once…and then self-destruct in "five seconds."

This oft-repeating “smoking tape” start to the episode was also parodied on Get Smart in the tale “The Impossible Mission” in 1978.  There, Max (Don Adams) couldn't get the message to tape-destruct, and had to resort to his own brand of manual destruction.

Self-destruct mechanisms also appeared in V (in regards to the Visitor mothership), Red Dwarf, and even on Space:1999 (1975 – 1977).   In the last case, the dangerous probe Voyager One in “Voyager’s Return” featured a self-destruct initiator.

Elsewhere, in the Doctor Who universe, the Eleventh Doctor (Matt Smith) attempted to “bluff” the existence of a TARDIS self-destruct mechanism in the story “Victory of the Daleks.”  He used a cookie called a Jammie Dodger as the remote to the self-destruct mechanism, until the Daleks detected his ruse.

 In a later episode, “Journey to the Center of the TARDIS,” The Doctor again bluffed the existence of a self-destruct mechanism for his Type-40 time capsule