Star Trek Movie FAQ - v 1.2.5 - updated 7/23/09

***STAR TREK MOVIE FAQ***
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Compiled by Lord Garth
Revised by cardinal biggles

Version 1.0 — June 4, 2006
Version 1.1 — May 20, 2007
Version 1.2 — January 4, 2009
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Special thanks to cardinal biggles for his encyclopedic knowledge of Star Trek movies, Zeppster for the encouragement to type this, and Sir Rhosis who planted that insane idea into my head in the first place.
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The purpose of this FAQ is to provide information about questions asked frequently. It's not intended to be comprehensive and assumes you're already familiar with the movies. Categories are divided by subject.

Discussion of Star Trek (a.k.a. Star Trek XI) and its sequel (scheduled for release in 2011) belongs in the Trek XI Forum. For now, this forum remains for discussion of the six TOS movies and four TNG movies. Whether the J.J. Abrams films will ever be folded into this forum remains to be seen.

Table of Contents

Part I. Khan
Part II. Saavik
Part III. Timeline
Part IV. Uniforms/Ranks
Part V. People
Part VI. Miscellaneous
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Part I. Khan (Ricardo Montalban)

1. Is that really Ricardo Montalban's chest?

Yes, believe it or not, it is. He was in pretty good shape.
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2. Khan had a baby?

There is a picture of a small child in the transporter room of the Reliant when Khan detonates the Genesis Device which has circulated around the Internet. The child was part of the film's shooting script, appearing twice: first, on Ceti Alpha V when Chekov and Terrell explore Khan's shelter (scene 18), and later in the Reliant's transporter room during the Genesis countdown (scene 213A). The scenes were filmed but cut (resulting in some jump cuts and looped dialogue between Chekov and Terrell), and the script was not clear who the child's parents were.
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3. How does Khan know about Klingon proverbs?

"Revenge is a dish that is best served cold" is actually a French proverb but, if the Klingons had a similar proverb, by coincidence, then it's possible that Khan got the information while he was reading the Enterprise's computer library in "Space Seed".
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4. How does Khan know Chekov in The Wrath of Khan?

Quite right. "Space Seed" was a first season episode and Chekov wasn't introduced until the second. Two common rationalizations are that Chekov was in the lowerdecks at the time or that he just wasn't seen. Any other rationalizations can be used as well.
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Part II. Saavik (Kirstie Alley, Robin Curtis)

1. Saavik is half-Romulan?!

That depends. It's written in the script for TWOK that she's half-Romulan but it's never mentioned on-screen. TSFS and TVH treat Saavik as a full-Vulcan. If you want to use the scripts to fill in gaps, then she's half-Romulan. If you only want to stick to canon (i.e. what's said onscreen), she's not.
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2. Why the change in actresses from TWOK to TSFS?

Blame Kirstie Alley's agent.
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3. Valeris was originally supposed to be Saavik in TUC?

Nick Meyer originally wanted to use Saavik in TUC and he wanted to use Kirstie Alley. There were two problems with that: Kirstie Alley had become too expensive, and Gene Roddenberry was complaining Saavik was a beloved character who shouldn't be in a conspiracy. So, to avoid having to cast Saavik a third time and to make Gene shut up, he changed the name to Valeris and cast Kim Cattrall (his first choice to play Saavik all the way back in 1981).
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4. Did young regenerating Spock and Saavik get it on?

"It is called pon farr."
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5. Saavik was pregnant with Spock's child?

That's what's in the commentary for TVH says and is what's implied in cut scenes from the script. Like the half-Romulan story, if you go by the script, then yes, if you go by canon, then no.
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Part III. Timeline

1. Wait a minute. Are you telling me a decade passed between TMP and TWOK?

Before I answer, TOS and TOS movie chronologies are the most hotly debated subjects. Continuing on. TMP is said to take place only two-and-a-half years after the five-year mission. TWOK is stated to take place 15 years after "Space Seed". So imagine the 10-year break Star Trek had in real life as happening between TMP and TWOK instead of between TOS and TMP.
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2. What are the official dates of the TOS movies?

According to the Star Trek Chronology, written in 1993 by Michael & Denise Okuda, the conjectural dates are:

• TMP: 2271
• TWOK: 2285
• TSFS: 2285
• TVH: 2286
• TFF: 2287
• TUC: 2293

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3. So what's the dispute?

• TMP taking place 2.5 years after the five-year mission is iron-clad, but the dispute was over whether or not TOS showed the first three years of the five-year mission, the middle three, the last three, or all five in three seasons. There was even debate over what calendar years TOS takes place. VOY's "Q2" states the five-year mission ended in 2270. So, the earliest TMP can take place, canonically, is 2272 or 2273.
• TWOK, TSFS, TVH, and TFF all take place one right after another. There are arguments that TWOK takes place in the early-2280's, probably 2283, as well as arguments that TVH takes place in the mid-2280's, specifically 2286. What affects one movie affects all four. Other dates have been suggested as well, but they're all within the 2280's.
• In TUC, McCoy states he's served aboard the Enterprise for 27 years. It's assumed he's including time off. If the five-year mission started in 2265, then a case can made for 2292. 2291 if McCoy's rounding up and 2293 if McCoy's rounding down.

4. When do the TNG movies take place?

This one's much easier:

• GEN - 2293* and 2371
• FC - 2373
• INS - 2375
• NEM - 2379

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* If you think of TUC as taking place in 2293 then one common thought that goes along with it is that TUC and the 23rd Century porition of GEN take place on opposite ends of the year.
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Part IV. Uniforms/Ranks

1. Is Scotty a Captain or Commander?

Scotty is promoted to "Captain of Engineering" in TSFS. He wears a Commander's pin again in TVH. From TFF on, he's back to Captain. Maybe Scotty thought he lost his promotion after stealing the Enterprise and was relieved to find out otherwise when the charges were dropped.
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2. Is Colonel West a marine?

According to Wikipedia: "The character of Colonel West, the officer (whom some speculate is a Starfleet marine) who conducts the Operation Retrieve briefing, was intended as an in-joke reference to a real United States Marine officer: Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North".
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3. Who was wearing a DS9 uniform on the set of GEN?

Riker, Data, Geordi, and then Picard switch over to DS9 uniforms. Since the uniform changes always went from TNG-style to DS9 and not the other way around, it's speculated that GEN caught the Enterprise-D crew in the middle of a uniform switchover.
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4. Why was Worf back in a Starfleet uniform? Didn't John Logan bother to watch DS9?

In a cut line from NEM, Worf said he wasn't suited to life as an Ambassador.
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Part V. People
For the actors who played Khan and Saavik, see their respective categories

1. List of major actors/production figures from the films who have passed away:

• Dame Judith Anderson (T'Lar)
• Majel Barrett (Christine Chapel in TMP & TVH; computer voice in GEN-NEM and Trek '09)
• Bibi Besch (Carol Marcus)
• Merritt Buttrick (David Marcus)
• James Doohan (Scotty)
• Denny Martin Flinn (co-writer, screenplay for TUC)
• Jerry Goldsmith (composer, TMP, TFF, FC-NEM)
• DeForest Kelley (McCoy)
• Persis Khambatta (Ilia)
• Mark Lenard (Sarek; Klingon commander in TMP)
• Hal Michelson (production designer, TMP)
• Mike Minor (production illustrator, TMP; art director, TWOK)
• Ricardo Montalban (Khan)
• Bob Peak (poster art, TMP-TFF)
• Brock Peters (Admiral Cartwright)
• Michael Piller (writer, INS)
• Gene Roddenberry (producer, TMP)
• Leonard Rosenman (composer, TVH)
• Jack B. Sowards (writer, TWOK)
• Paul Winfield (Captain Terrell)
• Robert Wise (director, TMP)
• Jane Wyatt (Amanda Grayson, TVH)

2. Why was Judson Scott (a.k.a. "Joachim") uncredited in TWOK?

Blame it on his agent.
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Part VI. Miscellaneous

1. How did the Borg Queen survive Wolf 359?

Presumably every cube has a Borg Queen and, if the Borg have a hive mind, then the information from one Borg Queen would be known by another.
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2. Why is the Klingon blood purple in TUC?

So Colonel Worf could tell Colonel West's blood wasn't Klingon. True story.
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3. What's with the Klingon under the toppling tree shot in TSFS?

It's called a blooper.
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4. When will the Star Trek movies be released on Blu-ray?

(please note, this information pertains only to Region 1)

The six TOS movies were released on Blu-ray on 5/12/09, in a single box set. The set also included a seventh disc with the "Captain's Summit" roundtable discussion, featuring Shatner, Nimoy, Stewart and Frakes, and hosted by Whoopi Goldberg. This set will be released on DVD on 9/22/09, though whether it will include the "Captain's Summit" is undetermined. This set includes the original theatrical versions of all six films; it marks the first time the theatrical cut of TMP has been available on home video since the 1990s, and the first time the theatrical cut of TUC has ever been available to the home market.

The "Genesis trilogy" of TWOK, TSFS, and TVH were released in their own box set on both Blu-ray and DVD on 5/12/09.

The four TNG movies will be released simultaneously to Blu-ray and DVD on 9/22/09 in a single box set. This set will also include a fifth disc of bonus materials.

Also on 9/22/09, TWOK, TVH, TUC, and FC will be released singly on Blu-ray.
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5. Will the TMP Director's Edition ever be released on Blu-ray?

Perhaps. Currently the CGI visual effects created for the DE aren't up to high-definition quality. They were rendered at 480p, a level good enough for a DVD and VHS release in 2001, but not the 1080p required for Blu-ray. It would cost money to re-render the effects, so whether Paramount decides to go ahead or not will likely depend on how the initial Blu-ray set sells.
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DISCLAIMER: Permission to reproduce this document anywhere on the Internet is granted so long as the author is credited.

Suggestions for future updates, though not promised, should be posted in this thread.

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

Well, I double checked everything with cardinal biggles and thank fucking God, I'm done.

Like I said in another thread, I know TOS -- meaning the stuff produced before Woodstock! -- backwards, forwards, and blind-folded. I should've lived in the 60's. When I wrote that FAQ, it was a cinch.

This one was completely different.

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

Excellent job, Lord Garth. The only answer that I think might need a little more detail is the story of how Judson Scott lost his onscreen credit in TWOK.

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

You can't really say this is cannon. It's a good explination.

But it didn't have to be pink. Hell it could have been blue if they wanted to really tell the difference. The real answer was that Nick Meyer was trying to be ironic. A strong mean race having a girly color of blood. In episodes since then if they show klingon blood(mostly in DS9) it's more of a red color.

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

^^
I thought that the blood was pink because red blood would have gotten the film an "R" rating? Or is that just another one of those rumors out there without any truth to it?

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

That can't be true. VI was PG. At worst it was getting PG 13 rating and the lack of vulger language wasn't going to allow that to happen. If any TOS movie deserved above a PG rating it was IV. And it was a PG movie.

Here's a good FAQ answer. The first ST movie to get above a PG rating was First Contact. Nemesis also got a PG 13 rating. All the other Trek movies were PG according to IMDB.

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

Except TMP, which was rated G until the Direcotr's Edition came out, which was rated PG.

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

I couldn't find TMPs pre DE rating so that may be right.

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

The hive mind is canon and Hugh knew about Locutus. Seven of Nine also knew about the attempt to prevent First Contact. The Borg are connected beyond just their cubes and Voyager proves that every cube has a Queen. So it is canon.

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

We don't know if every cube has one. Especially in borg space. You can still have a hive mind in a group of ships. But I'm not saying what you say is false but it can't really be proven/unproven as cannon.

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

If every cube has a Queen then why was the Borg Queen that operated from Unimatrix One controlling various cubes and spheres? Why did she bother talking to Janeway through a holo-communicator in "Unimatrix Zero" when the Queen of that cube could have spoken to her face to face?

That said I can't think of another good explanation why there would have been Queens on both cubes that were sent to Earth, aside from maybe she went along for just for the trip?

Perhaps the 'Queen' consciousness is held by the Collective and can be downloaded into a body when it's needed?

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

Ms. Khambatta succumbed to a heart attack in 1998, aged 47.

Sir Rhosis

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

Well, this is really my third attempt at one.

Seriously. You should've seen the first version of my TOS FAQ from about four or five years ago... and I'll kill whoever unearths it.

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

I always found it helpful to imagine TMP as a 1971 movie to keep things straight. (Wow! Such great fx only "two" years after 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY!)

 

Re: Star Trek Movie FAQ

What is this one?