I love this episode because it features both Kirk and Scotty at their swaggering best.
You see the sheer contempt on the part of Kirk for a race of people who would rather prolong a "war" that has taken out millions in "casualties" (names run up on a computer after they're "attacked" by their enemy planet's computer) a year for 500 years, by marching their citizens to death chambers, which they dutifully walk into to be disintegrated, rather than see their precious buildings get damaged and their societal order be upset. The look of disgust and incredulity on Kirk's face is priceless when he asks head of the planet's high council, Anon 7, "You mean to tell me..that your people..just..walk..into a disintegration machine when they're told to?" (Shatner's penchant for talking in broken sentences really works there). And of course, later on he gets Anon to practically pee his pants when he tells him, "You heard me give General Order 24, that means that in two hours, the Enterprise will destroy Eminiar 7."
Then we have Scotty, who has to deal with the arrogant and clueless Federation Ambassador Fox, who is bound and determined to open diplomatic relations with Eminiar 7 in spite of a) first receiving a message saying under no circumstances are they to approach the planet b) receiving a fake message from Anon 7 (talking through a voice duplicator to sound like Kirk) to lure the ship's personnel ashore (the ship has been declared a "war casualty" in this computer war), and c) getting fired upon. The last part is particularly exasperating for Scotty, as the ambassador won't let him return fire, to which Scotty snorts, "Diplomats. The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank!"
Here we have yet another example of people acting like robots; obeying orders sent down by their government even when it means marching to their death, like the Jews in Nazi Germany, so many of whom dutifully marched into concentration camps (OK, to be fair, a lot of that happened before the "final solution" mass murders, but nonetheless). It's also an interesting take on how an alien society avoids some of the nasty aspects of war to maintain their "civilization," such as it is. As Kirk correctly pointed out, "Death, destruction, disease, horror..that's what war is all about, Anon. It's what makes it a thing to be avoided. But you've made it neat and painless. So neat and painless that you've found no reason to stop it. And you've had it for 500 years. Since it seems to be the only way that I can save my crew, and my ship, I'm going to end it for you, one way or the other." And that he does. Alas, he doesn't implement General Order 24.
You see the sheer contempt on the part of Kirk for a race of people who would rather prolong a "war" that has taken out millions in "casualties" (names run up on a computer after they're "attacked" by their enemy planet's computer) a year for 500 years, by marching their citizens to death chambers, which they dutifully walk into to be disintegrated, rather than see their precious buildings get damaged and their societal order be upset. The look of disgust and incredulity on Kirk's face is priceless when he asks head of the planet's high council, Anon 7, "You mean to tell me..that your people..just..walk..into a disintegration machine when they're told to?" (Shatner's penchant for talking in broken sentences really works there). And of course, later on he gets Anon to practically pee his pants when he tells him, "You heard me give General Order 24, that means that in two hours, the Enterprise will destroy Eminiar 7."
Then we have Scotty, who has to deal with the arrogant and clueless Federation Ambassador Fox, who is bound and determined to open diplomatic relations with Eminiar 7 in spite of a) first receiving a message saying under no circumstances are they to approach the planet b) receiving a fake message from Anon 7 (talking through a voice duplicator to sound like Kirk) to lure the ship's personnel ashore (the ship has been declared a "war casualty" in this computer war), and c) getting fired upon. The last part is particularly exasperating for Scotty, as the ambassador won't let him return fire, to which Scotty snorts, "Diplomats. The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank!"
Here we have yet another example of people acting like robots; obeying orders sent down by their government even when it means marching to their death, like the Jews in Nazi Germany, so many of whom dutifully marched into concentration camps (OK, to be fair, a lot of that happened before the "final solution" mass murders, but nonetheless). It's also an interesting take on how an alien society avoids some of the nasty aspects of war to maintain their "civilization," such as it is. As Kirk correctly pointed out, "Death, destruction, disease, horror..that's what war is all about, Anon. It's what makes it a thing to be avoided. But you've made it neat and painless. So neat and painless that you've found no reason to stop it. And you've had it for 500 years. Since it seems to be the only way that I can save my crew, and my ship, I'm going to end it for you, one way or the other." And that he does. Alas, he doesn't implement General Order 24.