security detachment protocols

[gratone]

Random nitpicky question regarding the scene in "And the Children Shall Lead" (I know, I know) where the two guards are beamed into space: how much sense did Kirk's approach to the security presence on Triacus make?

He established what appeared to be a two-man detail on the planet. When it came time to relieve them, he transported down a new detail and beamed (or tried to) the original detail back before they could brief their replacements as to planet-side conditions. Kirk obviously recognized that the original team might have information of importance ("I'll have some questions for that planet detachment as soon as they're beamed up."); it's strange that he would not have recognized the importance of the replacement security detachment getting briefed, as well.

The obvious solutions to this would have been to either allow more time before beaming the original team back (to allow them time to report to their replacements) or to have had Kirk accompany the replacement team to the surface and then beam back with the original team. Pretty clear why THAT option wasn't written into the script!

 

[Timo]

Kirk obviously recognized that the original team might have information of importance ("I'll have some questions for that planet detachment as soon as they're beamed up."); it's strange that he would not have recognized the importance of the replacement security detachment getting briefed, as well.

Well, it's a compromise between unbroken vigil and getting time to process what the first team has to tell. Kirk isn't going to have the second pair sit it out in the briefing room while the planet is left unguarded. And the briefing won't be over in an instant at the transporter room, either - Kirk needs to make command decisions there, rather than have one pair of redshirt goons tell another pair what to do while Kirk just listens.

It'd be even worse if the redshirts conspired between themselves down on the planet... And no, I can't see Kirk himself beaming down just to handhold his redshirts.

The first pair did fine; the second one will survive until Kirk calls them from orbit and tells them about that strange chirping sound to the west of the assigned position, and those odd creeping shadows, and... Are you there, Ensign? Do you copy? Hello? Hello?

Timo Saloniemi