12 Stupidest Decisions By Star Trek Characters

12. Decker Vs The Doomsday Machine

Let's clarify this episode right away to take account of precisely how off-kilter the choices made by Commodore Decker are.

The Doomsday Machine obliterates the USS Constellation off-screen. Decker thinks its wise to beam his entire crew down to a nearby planet which is then devoured by the aforementioned space-faring windsock. The commodore is left powerless to retrieve them aboard the stricken starship and has to wait for the Enterprise to arrive to offer any form of salvation.

Now, there is a need to be reasonable because Matt Decker is clearly now suffering from PTSD following such a harrowing ordeal. The story evolves from there with one final, rather pointless act from Decker of launching himself into the Machine's maw aboard a shuttlecraft. If a planet and a starship have already failed to slow it, Decker's sacrifice certainly won't, although it does help lead to an ultimate solution.

Just to reiterate; he's not working at full impulse by this time which leads to the other stupid decision - that Kirk leaves Decker virtually unguarded and free to roam, even to the point where he more than adequately steals a shuttle. Kirk's record for poor decisions keeps on rolling and this isn't the first time someone key to events is left without proper supervision or sedation.