Star Trek: 10 Best 'I'm Dead And I Know It' Moments

10. Commodore Decker - The Doomsday Machine

Matthew Decker has become something of an in-joke in Star Trek. He is the commander of the USS Constellation, the Enterprise's sister ship. They encountered the Doomsday Machine, the Planet Killer, leading to the vessel being absolutely ruined by the monster. To 'save' his crew, Decker then beams them down to the nearest planet. With a planet killer in orbit.

Not his best move.

By the time the Enterprise discovers him, he has lost all reason, though attempts to cover it up. Kirk gets trapped on the Constellation, so Decker takes control on the Enterprise. He gets it into his head that he needs to ram the ship down the Planet Killer's throat. A series of events later, he finds himself stealing a shuttle and flying it straight down the monster's gullet.

The look on William Windon's face in that scene is both an iconic image, and a heartbreaking moment of a man realising he is facing a horrible death, mere seconds away. Considering he was one of the most decorated Starfleet officers to that time, this was a highly ignoble way to go.