I think it has more to do with how it was filmed/directed. Part of me was wondering if it would’ve been better to go into slo-mo, pull really right into Pike’s face and then smash cut to the To Be Continued. Being in slow motion would not imply hesitation. Instead, they wanted to draw out the tension before the cliffhanger but because it was in real time it looked like hesitation.
Is Pike now 'damaged goods' as commanding officer?
- Thread starter Jedi Marso
- Start date
It was a very human reaction, and frankly a bold choice to allow the appearance of indecision for even a second in the heroic lead of the show, but it worked for me in showing the enormous pressure on Pike and his next actions. I also think it would play a bit differently if the audience knew the next episode was already filmed and we would see the resolution next week.
I’m more concerned M’Benga is damaged goods. Not just the fact he committed a murder (whether it was justified or not is not the point) and then lied about it. I can barely look at the man now. I know they will surely revisit this twist and there will be some accountability, but it kind of disturbs me.
There are numerous examples of Kirk being thoughtful, just as thoughtful as any captain realistically could/should be.
From the beginning of the franchise:
Agonizing over what to do with the monster Gary Mitchell has become
Exercising considerable patience and diplomacy in “Corbomite Maneuver”
Treading extremely carefully with the situation in “Balance of Terror”
To the later end of TOS’s existence:
Being extremely cautious to avoid aggression with V’Ger
Surrendering to the Klingons immediately when General Chang is set to retaliate against a seemingly unprovoked attack
…and plenty of times in between.
It’s an urban legend that Kirk just brashly rushes into every situation he faces with reckless abandon and isn’t a “thinking man’s captain.” Just because at times he thinks and assesses more quickly and doesn’t need to drink tea with his staff in order to solve a problem doesn’t make him overly action-oriented.
And, I know that’s not what you were implying. I’m just saying it out loud for others.
His second in command repeatedly asking for orders is pretty conclusive. Whether thinking about it or “indecisive” he was slow on the mark here. Not dissimilar to the Balance of Terror Pike.
He has to balance: the colonists on the Gorn ship. Batel. Cayuga crew. The fact that Spock is historically important and must live. Enterprise crew in general on his ship and their safety. Orders from Starfleet saying to not engage.
But the ship is under fire and presumably outgunned. He simply cannot be as slow on the mark as he was here - especially with Number One asking (begging) for orders.
I was surprised they didn’t have a Number One / Pike exchange about choices and what to do - Riker would have volunteered something in similar circumstances (and SNW needs to give her more “voice” in the command structure). Oh well. “We couldn’t beam up any one so we did absolutely nothing”.
Pike's reaction was fine, here. The only thing he could have accomplished by reacting quickly is fucking things up.
He's really got two immediate options: get away, or charge in and be destroyed without any doubt whatsoever - and neither is a good one.
Ultimately I expect he'll have to choose the lesser of evils and retreat some distance and figure out how to get the people back, since getting the people back will without a doubt be his priority over Starfleet orders or any other consideration. He simply can't do that by exposing the Enterprise to Gorn fire and having it inevitably wind up like Cayuga.
He's really got two immediate options: get away, or charge in and be destroyed without any doubt whatsoever - and neither is a good one.
Ultimately I expect he'll have to choose the lesser of evils and retreat some distance and figure out how to get the people back, since getting the people back will without a doubt be his priority over Starfleet orders or any other consideration. He simply can't do that by exposing the Enterprise to Gorn fire and having it inevitably wind up like Cayuga.
My prediction as to how the beginning of season 3, Episode 1 will play out:
We come back to Pike's moment of indecision, which won't seem nearly as long and right as he's about to give an order, there we be a message come in from Engineering.
Pelia and Scotty are going to rig the device to the Enterprise, which should render the Enterprise invisible to the Gorn. But they need time.
Pike Orders the Enterprise to conduct evasive maneuvers, and a small chase ensues around the moon of the planet. Finally, as things seem dire, the device will be brought online and the Gorn will cease their attack, giving Pike and his crew time to plan and execute a rescue operation on the Gorn Destroyer.
That's my guess.
We come back to Pike's moment of indecision, which won't seem nearly as long and right as he's about to give an order, there we be a message come in from Engineering.
Pelia and Scotty are going to rig the device to the Enterprise, which should render the Enterprise invisible to the Gorn. But they need time.
Pike Orders the Enterprise to conduct evasive maneuvers, and a small chase ensues around the moon of the planet. Finally, as things seem dire, the device will be brought online and the Gorn will cease their attack, giving Pike and his crew time to plan and execute a rescue operation on the Gorn Destroyer.
That's my guess.
I wonder if First officer Kirk and the Farragut are going to make an appearance in the S3 premiere to help Pike out. I mean there's no way in hell James is going to sit on the sidelines while his big brother is captured by lizard-heads.
I also see the Farragut and Kirk and I guess our first onscreen look at Captain Garrovick showing up in season opener to help. Pike will find a way to make peace with the Gorn. Well maybe not peace exactly but a truce of some kind and Kirk will be the one that has to hold Garrovick back from doing something reckless that will destroy that truce. This in the end leads him to getting his first command which is the USS:Constitution which according to canon was given to him by Fleet Captain Pike which I think we saw him get that promotion this season. Maybe Scotty joins him and maybe others and we see a series of shared adventures next season between the crews.
I think Garrovick is dead by this point.
Captain Decker is still in command of the Constellation at this point. He won't be promoted to Commodore until 2263. Bob Wesley would be interesting to see.
Agreed, and I actually prefer Kirk to be more thoughtful in characterization. I might also point out that Picard had moments of overly impulsive behavior typical of an action type hero at times, especially during the TNG movies. It's actually ironic that in the same movie that he hesitates in giving the fire command against the Borg and causes lives to be lost, he is also primarily characterized as a man of action, even utilizing a freaking machine gun on the holodeck to kill numerous Borg drones. My point being, no one is pure action hero and no one is pure thinking man. Sure they have fallback tendencies, but they can surprise you sometimes and more often than you'd expect.
There's an additional element that has to be worked into Part II, and that is establishing some kind of communication with the Gorn. The possibilities of doing so are set up pretty strongly in Part I, and probably connect in some way to Scott's observations about the Gorn reaction to solar activity.
I think it happens for three narrative reasons:
- Pike's been set up with an internal conflict between a visceral revulsion for the Gorn and his moral sense which looks for some way of reaching them;
- The Gorn have been painted as so lopsided a threat in this particular circumstance that it's unlikely Pike can get his people back entirely by either force or subterfuge;
- Once Pike violates orders from April - and he will - the only way he can get out of trouble is to accomplish something that moves the relationship with the Gorn forward in some way that wouldn't have happened if he hadn't done...whatever he's going to do. Now, that might be as simple as his finding some weakness to make them easier to fight, but I think it's more likely his finding the beginnings of a way to communicate.
Yeah, I'm intensely interested in learning more about the Gorn. I'm sure we'll get atleast a few scenes of our abducted crew members trying to learn more about them and surly attempting communication.
It's no coincidence that both La'an, our "Gorn expert" and Sam Kirk, the Xenobiologist, were among the ones taken.
Murder is a word that has a meaning.
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