Star Trek The Motion Picture 45th Anniversary Book Club

[Tallguy]

Chapter Sixteen - "Conic interception" - SO grown up!

We meet the cloud. There is some nice navigational descriptions that just weren't possible or necessary in the film.

"hyperspace" - DING! Eight!

Any intelligence capable of star travel should have no problem translating linguacode. Its keys were universal constants like pi, simple molecular relationships, the speed of light—adolescents with schoolroom computers could easily make sense of it.

Linguacode was a neat idea that was never heard from again.

To anyone looking out the nose of the starship, the conic interception would make it appear that they had always been approaching the cloud head-on but more and more slowly as they got close to it.

Or if someone is watching on a movie screen.

“Go to red alert,” Kirk said quietly.

One might wonder why Kirk did this. I would think that there would be lots of standard things that would happen at red alert that Kirk would not want to happen. Wouldn't it be more precise and prudent to just give the specific subset of orders that he wanted to happen? Like calling all hands to station even though they're turning pretty much everything off?

And Enterprise was the most sophisticated and powerful starship in the fleet.

Ah the good old days when this was always assumed to be the case.

“The Klingons were first hit about at this distance,” said Decker quietly to Kirk.

Yeah. After they had fired photon torpedoes. I would be more worried about the example of Epsilon Nine who just looked at the cloud funny and then snuffed it.

Doing some quick and dirty calcs and using the TOS warp factor cubed times the speed of light: an object 82 AU's in diameter (which is somewhere in the neighborhood of seven and a half billion miles wide) would take almost two minutes to cross its own length. (Of course by the old school calculations it would take you 4 days just to get from Earth to Alpha Centauri at warp seven. And the Intruder is obviously moving faster than that.)

I only mention this because

“Pursuit acceleration now at warp eight point eight,” reported Sulu.

So with the cloud moving at warp seven and the Enterprise chasing it at warp eight (still a difference of 169 times the speed of light) they are still catching up pretty fast, no? Again, if we assume that warp factors that we see on screen have to be a heck of a lot faster than what The Making of Star Trek told us.

We end the chapter with Chekhov's energy bolt being fired.

I will not be posting a chapter tomorrow, so Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. I'm told that watching The Wrath of Khan is a Christmas Day tradition in some circles.

 

[Christopher]

Linguacode was a neat idea that was never heard from again.

Actually it was, twice. TNG: "Tin Man" mentioned it as a failed way of making contact with Gomtuu, and referred to the Romulans trying to contact it with their own version of linguacode. And ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly Part 2" stated in dialogue that the Prime Universe Hoshi Sato "created the linguacode translation matrix" in her late 30s.

Doing some quick and dirty calcs and using the TOS warp factor cubed times the speed of light: an object 82 AU's in diameter (which is somewhere in the neighborhood of seven and a half billion miles wide) would take almost two minutes to cross its own length. (Of course by the old school calculations it would take you 4 days just to get from Earth to Alpha Centauri at warp seven. And the Intruder is obviously moving faster than that.)

I only mention this because

So with the cloud moving at warp seven and the Enterprise chasing it at warp eight (still a difference of 169 times the speed of light) they are still catching up pretty fast, no? Again, if we assume that warp factors that we see on screen have to be a heck of a lot faster than what The Making of Star Trek told us.

Per the Director's Edition, it's only 2 AU. And the screen graphics show the ship approaching through the equator of the cloud, which is where it's narrowest.

 

[TheUsualSuspect]

I liked a lot of Chapter 15. In particular, the scene between Kirk, Spock, and McCoy is very effective. The characters seem like themselves, but different, given the passage of time and changes in circumstances, and the novel gives us some insight into Spock's inner state of mind that we don't get from the movie alone.

And Kirk's thoughts and feelings as he returns to the bridge show that his inner conflict is now resolved.
"Ladies and gentlemen: He's back!!!"

It definitely does seem like a resolution to one of the major themes of the story. In regards to the "two-parter" feeling of TMP - given that some iteration of this story was as the two-hour television premiere of Star Trek: Phase 2, I wonder if the story structure may have reflected that. When TNG, DS9, and VOY went into syndication, all those two-hour series premieres, finales, and special episodes got broken up into two part episodes. I wonder if any of the various folks working on the TMP script in the early stages intentionally structured it to work as a two-part episode. I can't really think of any such episodes that didn't start out as two-parters (i.e. "Unification") that are structured like that, though.

I also really liked Chapter 16. I thought the description of the "conic interception" as a way of signaling non-hostile intent was interesting and effective.
I did note that on p 144 there's a reference to "the 'ordinary' and lovely blue-white planet below them" (italics mine), which seems like a reference to earth, although earth is far behind them at this point. Something slipped past the editor I guess.
I feel like I have seen references to linguacode elsewhere, but I'm not sure if it's been in other ST novels or just in general science fiction works. (ETA: As Christopher noted above, it's not even the only on-screen reference in ST, so I'm probably thinking of references in the novels.)

On the subject of red alerts, I wonder if there really is a single "standard" red alert. Maybe all red alerts are either tagged with specific designations (i.e. "combat imminent" or "disruptive sub-space phenomenon ahead") or there are always specific instructions related to combat-readiness or ship security, etc., attached to an alert.

Happy holidays to all!

 

[Tallguy]

Actually it was, twice. TNG: "Tin Man" mentioned it as a failed way of making contact with Gomtuu, and referred to the Romulans trying to contact it with their own version of linguacode. And ENT: "In a Mirror, Darkly Part 2" stated in dialogue that the Prime Universe Hoshi Sato "created the linguacode translation matrix" in her late 30s.

That's awesome.

Per the Director's Edition, it's only 2 AU. And the screen graphics show the ship approaching through the equator of the cloud, which is where it's narrowest.

1) That's in 2001. This is 1979.
2) Even going by the smaller size and the graphic showing that they will be going though the cloud at it's narrowest point (I mean, they still have to travel the distance of the "not cloud" parts that would mean ripping through the distance from Sol to Earth at about warp 5.

And they're still aiming at a craft that is tiny by comparison to its energy field at a super hefty intercept rate.

Like I said: Star Trek doesn't do distance rate and time. And I'm sure that the assumption is that "Warp 8.1 sounds a little faster than warp 7 so they're creeping up behind the cloud."

This is why the TNG scale where warp 9.9 is pretty standard but warp 9.999 is off the charts and warp 9.999999 is God is just dramatically stupid and unintelligible.

I'll take it for how it's meant: We're creeping up behind the cloud at the proper speed.

I did note that on p 144 there's a reference to "the 'ordinary' and lovely blue-white planet below them" (italics mine), which seems like a reference to earth, although earth is far behind them at this point. Something slipped past the editor I guess.

I took it poetically rather than literally. (I can do that! I can!)

 

[Christopher]

I did note that on p 144 there's a reference to "the 'ordinary' and lovely blue-white planet below them" (italics mine), which seems like a reference to earth, although earth is far behind them at this point. Something slipped past the editor I guess.

In the previous sentence, Kirk is thinking about how his crew saw the intruder destroy Epsilon IX but still chose to stay and face the danger. At that point, during the rec-deck briefing, the ship was still in Earth orbit. So that's probably what Roddenberry meant, but it is a bit confusingly phrased.

I feel like I have seen references to linguacode elsewhere, but I'm not sure if it's been in other ST novels or just in general science fiction works. (ETA: As Christopher noted above, it's not even the only on-screen reference in ST, so I'm probably thinking of references in the novels.)

I could've sworn I'd referenced linguacode more than once in my Trek fiction, though a search of my document files turns up no references outside of my TNG novelette "Friends With the Sparrows." That story references the ENT novel Rosetta, which depicts Hoshi's development of the code.

The specific term "linguacode" is TMP's coinage, not a general SF term, but the basic concept of using universal physical and mathematical constants as a starting point for translation is a long-established one, used in the message beamed to space from the Arecibo observatory in 1974 and in the message plaques on the Pioneer and Voyager probes -- so it's no surprise Roddenberry was familiar with the concept when he novelized TMP. (Oops, spoilers!)

 

[DonIago]

On the subject of red alerts, I wonder if there really is a single "standard" red alert. Maybe all red alerts are either tagged with specific designations (i.e. "combat imminent" or "disruptive sub-space phenomenon ahead") or there are always specific instructions related to combat-readiness or ship security, etc., attached to an alert.

We know "battle stations" seems to be a valid command that's appeared several times in the franchise. Whether it's interchangeable with "red alert" or not isn't clear, though I feel as though we've heard both commands used at the same time, which implies a distinction.

It's hard for me to imagine "battle stations" not automatically triggering a red alert, and it seems reasonable to me that it would also work the other way around, but I have no idea.

 

[Tallguy]

Chapter Seventeen - Getting shot at!

"Hyperspace" - DING! Nine!

Their starship was shuddering sickeningly; raging green hellfire outside was clinging to the ship’s deflector screens and forcefields like a live thing, clawing wildly at the starship’s defenses, trying to find some unprotected weakness.

Again, a reference to a two-part defense system.

Kirk’s mind flashed the thought that if he lived, he must discuss the tactical implications of this shock effect with
Heihachiro Nogura. The shocking surprise of being suddenly hit in space with a deafening sound like this was worth considering in future weapons-defense designs.

This is why I get skeptical about Starfleet's primary goal being exploration. It might be what they do most and it might even be the thing they would rather be doing (I certainly believe this) but their first obligation as an institution is defense. Roddenberry knows this and apparently Kirk knows this as well.

“The new forcefields held!” Sulu breathed the words in relief.

I have heard this line described as redundant. It's not in the Director's Edition for this reason. "Obviously the screens held. They are still alive." But the key is not that the screens held but that the new screens held. The old Enterprise would have been toast.

Other than accepting that the Enterprise is the fastest ship in Starfleet and the only ship that could even catch the Intruder (which is kind of implied but could be argued against), this exchange is the only thing the Enterprise does that requires a Starship. Any other ship would have been Cloud Chow. Otherwise they could have gotten a bunch of Smart People on board something Fast. Maybe a few somethings to increase their odds. (Clearly there were ships on Vulcan that could be put in the Intruder's path. And those people are pretty smart.)

But Starfleet didn't know that would be the case when they set out, so they went with "Hey we need a Starship!" (Also this is Star Trek: The Motion Picture.)

The scene with the whiplash energy getting into the ship and toasting Chekov (and someone in engineering) is given more detail and is seen as more intrusive and intentional.

Kirk saw Ilia hurrying to Chekov’s immediate aid, which was correct emergency procedure since her navigator’s console would continue providing and recording data without her presence.

I see GR realizing that someone is abandoning a post. I'm not sure I buy that the navigator is the most expendable station on the bridge right now. Aren't there a bunch of people at stations that don't even merit chairs? What are they doing? But Ilia is the guest star with the special powers, so she goes. And GR might feel a little silly about this.

(It just occurred to me that we have fancy new restraints for the bridge crew seats but we also added a bunch of stations with people without chairs now who can be tossed around like Tic Tacs.)

Ilia as the proto-Troi (even disregarding her past relationship with the First Officer) gets a moment to shine here. Only sexier.

Spock’s eyes came open and he turned heavily toward Kirk. He could not remember ever having felt so exhausted.

This is after 2 1/2 years of Kolinahr.

“Captain, I have sensed . . . puzzlement. We have been contacted. Why have we not replied?”
Uhura was whirling in that direction, shocked. “That’s impossible, Mr. Spock. I’m using constant scan and search on all possible frequencies.”

Nice to see GR knowing that people other than Spock do have regular jobs and they are supposed to be good at it.

I have always felt that the comparison between The Changeling and this story to be rather generic. (Maybe because I hadn't memorized TOS before I saw the movie.) But whooo, this scene is pretty specific, isn't it?

 

[Christopher]

This is why I get skeptical about Starfleet's primary goal being exploration. It might be what they do most and it might even be the thing they would rather be doing (I certainly believe this) but their first obligation as an institution is defense. Roddenberry knows this and apparently Kirk knows this as well.

That may be more about Kirk than Starfleet in general, since he always thought of himself as a military man who was also an explorer. Spock or McCoy would probably see it differently, and Anson Mount's Pike surely would.

I have heard this line described as redundant. It's not in the Director's Edition for this reason. "Obviously the screens held. They are still alive." But the key is not that the screens held but that the new screens held. The old Enterprise would have been toast.

Was "The new forcefields held" in the theatrical or ABC edition? I forget. I have a memory of hearing it, but it could be one of those things from the novel that I always assumed were in the movie, like Centroplex.

Quoting from Roddenberry's Oct. 13, 1977 memo to Jon Povill explaining the two different systems, reproduced on p. 50 of Star Trek: Phase II -- The Lost Series by Judith & Garfield Reeves-Stevens (complete with typos):

FORCEFIELD SCREEN -- a defensive or protective field which envelops or surrounds a vessel, person or object... We never use the term forcefield shield as shield refers to a single plane of forcefield protection as opposed to protection which envelops or surrounds it. The forcefield... of the Enterprise is constantly ready and automated when the vessel is in spaceflight or any orbit except home or a Federated planet. Like the scanners, it can be set to be activated by the approach of almost anything which the captain believes might be dangerous or worth isolating the ship from. The vessel's forcefields or forcefield screen(s) referred to as "up or down" and generally extend a full 360° around the vessel. When necessary, a section of the forcefield can be opened up to admit an object, a beam, allow a subspace message to go out or persons to be beamed in or out by the ship's transporters. This is only necessary when the forcefield screens are up full. You can transport through or communicate through the weak or moderate forcefield screens. Forcefield screens are usually the responsibility of the ship's helmsman.

DEFLECTORS OR DEFLECTOR SHIELDS -- Another kind of vessel protection which are the responsibility of the weapons and armament officer or bridge position. Unlike a forcefield, a deflector shield does not surround the vessel. It is a single plane of protection as the term shield would indicate. Deflector shields can be many and thrown up in many directions and they generally suppliment the forcefield screens. If the forcefield screen is out of operation, the deflector shields supplant them . The deflector shields are the most powerful forcefields we have but the disadvantage of them being utilized in a single plane is that a clever enemy can get around them.

(How come Roddenberry's typewriter had a degree symbol but a modern computer keyboard doesn't?)

Anyway, a lot of this would probably have been rethought if they'd gone to series, since "We're under attack so we can't drop the shields to beam you up" is too convenient a device to keep characters in peril. And having two defense systems does seem kind of redundant; the memo even suggests that this is all a confusing amount of verbiage. So it's no wonder TNG abandoned all this and went back to having just a single defense system -- although one that was called a "deflector shield" but worked like the "forcefield screen" instead, albeit without the selective permeability.

When he talked about "shields" being separate planar things, I guess he must have been thinking in terms of a Roman legion's shields or police riot shields being held together to form a wall of defense.

Other than accepting that the Enterprise is the fastest ship in Starfleet and the only ship that could even catch the Intruder (which is kind of implied but could be argued against), this exchange is the only thing the Enterprise does that requires a Starship. Any other ship would have been Cloud Chow. Otherwise they could have gotten a bunch of Smart People on board something Fast. Maybe a few somethings to increase their odds. (Clearly there were ships on Vulcan that could be put in the Intruder's path. And those people are pretty smart.)

"Smart" is not a uniform trait. Being smart in one field doesn't equate to being competent or qualified in another field. As I mentioned, most of the Starfleet personnel trained in first contact and investigating alien life are probably out on the frontier, so the "smart people" remaining behind might not have those specialties.

But Starfleet didn't know that would be the case when they set out, so they went with "Hey we need a Starship!" (Also this is Star Trek: The Motion Picture.)

They knew from the Klingon encounter that sending warships to shoot at it was a non-starter. That left sending an exploration vessel.

I see GR realizing that someone is abandoning a post. I'm not sure I buy that the navigator is the most expendable station on the bridge right now. Aren't there a bunch of people at stations that don't even merit chairs? What are they doing? But Ilia is the guest star with the special powers, so she goes. And GR might feel a little silly about this.

The standup stations are environmental engineering, gravity control, damage & repair, and internal security, all of which would need to be monitored if the ship were currently under attack or distress. The navigator's job is to figure out how to go somewhere else, so she really doesn't have to do anything in the here and now as long as the ship isn't trying to retreat. So GR is entirely on the ball here.

(It just occurred to me that we have fancy new restraints for the bridge crew seats but we also added a bunch of stations with people without chairs now who can be tossed around like Tic Tacs.)

Oooh, good point.

Ilia as the proto-Troi (even disregarding her past relationship with the First Officer) gets a moment to shine here. Only sexier.

That's a matter of opinion. I always found them both about equally sexy.

This is after 2 1/2 years of Kolinahr.

Exhaustion is not an emotion, it's a state of physical or mental depletion after intense exertion. Even a perfectly tuned automobile can still run out of gas.

I have always felt that the comparison between The Changeling and this story to be rather generic. (Maybe because I hadn't memorized TOS before I saw the movie.) But whooo, this scene is pretty specific, isn't it?

I dunno about that, but I've always felt TMP bore a far stronger resemblance to TAS: "One of Our Planets is Missing." Both stories involve the Enterprise entering a vast cosmic cloud before it destroys an inhabited planet, traveling through its interior to its brain center, determining through Spock's mental contact that it's an intelligent entity, being prepared to self-destruct to stop it, and eventually persuading it to go away. I used to suspect Alan Dean Foster was influenced by novelizing that episode, but then it turned out that his "In Thy Image" proposal bore very little resemblance to "Missing" and the similarities had been added by Harold Livingston, so they were probably coincidental.

 

[Tallguy]

Was "The new forcefields held" in the theatrical or ABC edition? I forget. I have a memory of hearing it, but it could be one of those things from the novel that I always assumed were in the movie, like Centroplex.

It is in the theatrical. (And I don't think there is anything in the theatrical that is not in the ABC, right?)

They knew from the Klingon encounter that sending warships to shoot at it was a non-starter. That left sending an exploration vessel.

That would seem to me to open up the possibility of smaller, more nimble, less armed ships. But like I said: Star Trek.

That's a matter of opinion. I always found them both about equally sexy.

I'm not referring to the women or the characters. I'm referring to all of Ilia's emotional abilities being specifically centered in her "advanced sexuality".

Exhaustion is not an emotion, it's a state of physical or mental depletion after intense exertion. Even a perfectly tuned automobile can still run out of gas.

No, I'm talking about how exhausting (and life threatening) Spock's described Kolinarh as being.

I dunno about that, but I've always felt TMP bore a far stronger resemblance to TAS: "One of Our Planets is Missing."

I absolutely agree. (One of my favorite episodes of any series.)

 

[Christopher]

That would seem to me to open up the possibility of smaller, more nimble, less armed ships.

To do what? They already knew force was useless.

No, I'm talking about how exhausting (and life threatening) Spock's described Kolinarh as being.

And the intent of that line was that his effort to make mental contact with V'Ger/Vejur was even more exhausting, because it was such an overpowering consciousness.

 

[Tallguy]

To do what? They already knew force was useless.

Which is why I'm not talking about force. Ultimately the solution was to talk to the Intruder. They needed a) shields strong enough to withstand an initial attack b) Spock (both to figure out that they had been contacted and also to be Spock) and c) a library computer with information on 20th century NASA.

So really, they got very lucky. Turns out the only thing they needed the Enterprise for was really really strong shields. Spock could have been anywhere. And Spock cracking what the Intruder is will be against Kirk's orders. So Kirk is ultimately unhelpful. Although Decker might not have entered the cloud at all. (And might not have taken on Ilia. Although if Lori Ciani was going to serve on Kirk's ship...)

But I think Indiana Jones is necessary to Raiders of the Lost Ark, so obviously it had to be Kirk and the Enterprise.

And the intent of that line was that his effort to make mental contact with V'Ger/Vejur was even more exhausting, because it was such an overpowering consciousness.

Right:

This is after 2 1/2 years of Kolinahr.

So WOW that must have been exhausting! Especially when you consider that Spock wouldn't have exactly been rested up after his trials.

 

[David cgc]

It is in the theatrical. (And I don't think there is anything in the theatrical that is not in the ABC, right?)

The closest thing is that extended opening of the scene of Bones dressing down Kirk in his quarters also replaces some dialog that was already there with a different take.

 

[DonIago]

(It just occurred to me that we have fancy new restraints for the bridge crew seats but we also added a bunch of stations with people without chairs now who can be tossed around like Tic Tacs.)

At least it's not as bad as the E-D, where one of the potential people without chairs who can be tossed around is the TacTical officer...
...
...
...oh, now I see what you did there!

 

[Christopher]

Which is why I'm not talking about force. Ultimately the solution was to talk to the Intruder. They needed a) shields strong enough to withstand an initial attack b) Spock (both to figure out that they had been contacted and also to be Spock) and c) a library computer with information on 20th century NASA.

So really, they got very lucky. Turns out the only thing they needed the Enterprise for was really really strong shields. Spock could have been anywhere. And Spock cracking what the Intruder is will be against Kirk's orders. So Kirk is ultimately unhelpful. Although Decker might not have entered the cloud at all. (And might not have taken on Ilia. Although if Lori Ciani was going to serve on Kirk's ship...)

If we go by Myriad Universes: The Chimes at Midnight, Earth was somehow saved from V'Ger in the "Yesteryear" timeline where Spock died in childhood, so evidently Thelin was able to do the job in Spock's place. Given that Chimes established him as half-Aenar, he could've had comparable telepathic abilities to the half-Vulcan Spock, which might have let him achieve much the same outcome.

I did have Kirk express the thought in Ex Machina that he ultimately hadn't contributed to the outcome, but in retrospect, I think he did, because it was his bluff that convinced V'Ger and the Ilia Probe to bring the ship to V'Ger's brain center.

More generally, since they didn't know in advance what would be needed to solve the Intruder problem, it made sense to send one of their most powerful and versatile ships/crews, which are explorer starships rather than whatever defense vessels they may have had guarding Sol System.

But I think Indiana Jones is necessary to Raiders of the Lost Ark, so obviously it had to be Kirk and the Enterprise.

Indy is necessary to the plot of Raiders because the plot is not about whether Indy can save the Ark from the Nazis, it's about whether Indy can save Marion's life, mend their relationship, and defeat his nemesis Belloq. The Ark is just the MacGuffin. Audiences today miss that because they forget that stories are about character, not just plot.

Similarly, TMP's story is largely driven, at least in theory, by Kirk's, Spock's, and Decker's character arcs, although a lot of Decker's arc was cut out so that it seems his final decision is only about being with Ilia and ceding the Enterprise to Kirk, rather than his own personal desire to seek oneness and higher realms of existence. Kirk's arc is kind of artificial since it's about getting past his selfish obsession with regaining command and learning to trust his officers again, so it ultimately just resets him to where he already was in TOS/TAS. The most meaningful arc is Spock's epiphany and reconciliation with his emotional side, which is the only status-quo change in the first five movies that's actually permanent.

 

[Tallguy]

I did have Kirk express the thought in Ex Machina that he ultimately hadn't contributed to the outcome, but in retrospect, I think he did, because it was his bluff that convinced V'Ger and the Ilia Probe to bring the ship to V'Ger's brain center.

It is very in keeping with Hornblower's, er, Kirk's character to think he did not contribute. It is very in keeping with many fans of Star Trek to agree with him.

But of course Kirk was necessary.

More generally, since they didn't know in advance what would be needed to solve the Intruder problem, it made sense to send one of their most powerful and versatile ships/crews, which are explorer starships rather than whatever defense vessels they may have had guarding Sol System.

Exactly.

 

[Commander Troi]

Sorry I got behind (I had surgery), but I'm caught up now.

You realize it takes half the book to get to V'Ger? I was a little suprised to see where my bookmark landed.

I loved getting in Spock's head in the cubicle - something we just couldn't do onscreen. I also loved the officer's lounge scene - and how Spock totally didn't want McCoy there.

 

[Tallguy]

You realize it takes half the book to get to V'Ger? I was a little suprised to see where my bookmark landed.

I did, but apparently only in my head. Yes, it's almost exactly the half way point.

In the theatrical cut it's 55 minutes (including overture and credits) out out 2:12.
In the DE it's 56 out of 2:16.

 

[DonIago]

It's hard for me to figure out what they might have cut (trim the flyover and Spock on Vulcan, cut the transporter accident?) to shorten the film, but I wonder whether TMP might have been a bit better received if they'd moved things along a bit faster.

This isn't really a criticism. I like that the film breathes (when I'm in the mood for it), but there is an argument to be made that its pacing is one of its weaknesses.

 

[Christopher]

It's hard for me to figure out what they might have cut (trim the flyover and Spock on Vulcan, cut the transporter accident?) to shorten the film, but I wonder whether TMP might have been a bit better received if they'd moved things along a bit faster.

This isn't really a criticism. I like that the film breathes (when I'm in the mood for it), but there is an argument to be made that its pacing is one of its weaknesses.

"An argument to be made" is softpedaling it, since that's been probably the single most pervasive criticism of the film since 1979 (it's often been nicknamed "Star Trek: The Motionless Picture"). We now know that the theatrical release was a rough edit that Robert Wise had intended to trim down, and we've seen how the Director's Edition (a bit of a misnomer, since it was done by others with Wise's guidance and approval) did indeed streamline the flyover considerably, as well as trimming and rearranging some dialogue and replacing some slow fill-in shots with completed versions of the unfinished effects shots they were substituting for.

Personally, I don't see it. 2001: A Space Odyssey is far, far slower-paced than TMP, and it bores the hell out of me, but it's generally considered a classic. And I actually find The Wrath of Khan to have worse pacing than TMP, since there are these long pauses between lines of dialogue and character actions in the middle of sequences where time is of the essence. ("They're arming weapons!" [Kirk stares forward tensely for 10-15 seconds as the camera slowly closes in] "Raise shields!")

I don't think "moving things along" to get to V'Ger faster would've fit the goals of the film, because it wasn't just about V'Ger, it was about re-establishing the characters, the Enterprise, and the worldbuilding for the theatrical audience -- both establishing the basics for new viewers (what Starfleet is, what Vulcans are about, what transporters are, etc.) and showing established fans things they never saw on TV. Granted, transporters were irrelevant to the film beyond the accident sequence (and bringing McCoy aboard), but the accident showed the cost of rushing the launch and called Kirk's judgment into question, as well as explaining why the ship didn't have a science officer aboard, and it let them show off their flashy new state-of-the-1979-art visual effects (although the transporter effect in TMP was one of its least successful effects and one of my least favorite transporter effects overall).

 

[Tallguy]

Chapter Eighteen - First Contact

It never occurred to me before: They never tell you what the message was that Intruder sent! Also, was the same message sent to Epsilon Nine?

The debate between Kirk, Spock, and Decker (Decker almost takes the function of the McCoy role) that is in the film does not happen here. Spock does not argue that a "warning" implies "compassion" which the Intruder does not have. There is no decision from Kirk against Decker's argument that this is an unwarranted gamble.

I also realized that the exchange where Decker suggests sensors and Kirk snaps at him is also gone. At this point in the novel the conflict between Kirk and Decker appears to be resolved. This chapter opens with Kirk ordering deflectors and scanners.

This is essentially the Flying Through the Cloud sequence and the Intruder Flyover. There is more dialogue, more explanation about what the Cloud is than in the film. (Some of this is in the ABC cut but not in the DE.) There is a brief moment of Spock being mad at himself for enjoying conversation and friendship.

The problem with relating the size of these things to real things is that if you realize how big space is then you realize that even impossibly huge things things are still pretty small. The Intruder is twice as big as Manhattan. But the distance from the Enterprise is given as being seventy-thousand kilometers. That's five and a half times the circumference of the Earth! Look at Manhattan on Google maps from any kind of scale. Like, say, a full view of New York State. How intimidating does it look? You certainly don't see The Empire State Building soaring out of the mists at that distance. Now imagine you're from a distance where you can see the whole planet.

Now when you get close? Sure. The Enterprise is pretty tiny by comparison to Manhattan. But Kirk does not give the "buzz the tower" order to take the Enterprise in to 500 meters in the book. So some of these descriptions don't make sense in the way that the film actually does. The closest he orders is 100 kilometers.

The probe shows up.

“It’s running our records. Starfleet strength, Earth defenses . . . ” Kirk trailed his words helplessly.

I have always wondered at the amount of classified Earth information the Enterprise carries around on board. Compartmentalization is a thing, Starfleet!

I suppose the Intruder can scan and consider very rapidly. But what was it about grabbing Ilia that made the probe think "Oh. OK. This is enough. I can leave." And this was not the case with the security guard that it grabbed. (I don't remember if the security guard being zapped is in the ABC cut. It's not in the theatrical, right?)

Imagine if it had actually grabbed Spock?

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This isn't really a criticism. I like that the film breathes (when I'm in the mood for it), but there is an argument to be made that its pacing is one of its weaknesses.

David Gerrold has made the argument that I find an interesting "what if" that the score works against the film. The film is slow, the score is slow.

Two of the classic examples of a score changing the pace of a slow film that is still slow but no longer feels slow are The Ten Commandments and The Magnificent Seven. Both by Elmer Bernstein. In the former Bernstein scored the scene of the Hebrews leaving Egypt the way the film was shot: Long slow shots of slow people moving slowly. Cecil B. DeMille told him this was wrong and he wanted something fast and with energy.

Then however many years later when Bernstein scored The Magnificent Seven he applied the same lesson to the scenes of the Seven traveling to the village. Slow moving horses, fast moving score.

Of course 1) This is one of my favorite scores of all time and 2) Robert Wise was not exactly cast against type here. Even The Sound of Music (and certainly West Side Story) are very shall we say casually paced films. The Andromeda Strain? Forget about it!