You know, each Trekkie comes equipped with one of the most advanced nitpicking kits in the known universe.
Let me open mine...
* takes case out from drawer, opens it, and swings up the various trays *
Pike very specifically asks Uhura to "repeat April's
last order." The fix is that the total communication received at the end of the season two finale contained two or more orders. Clearly, Pike is preparing to disobey the intent of the whole package of orders. But he's giving himself at least some sort of out under which he can say that he followed the
final order in the package literally, whether it needs to be lifted out of the context of the whole communication to make that a true thing or not.
Humor, it is a difficult concept. The word
immediately in the line "But he didn't say immediately," is obviously a reference to the line Uhura spoke in the season two finale about April ordering their "immediate withdrawal." Pike didn't just pull his question about whether the
final order said withdrawal was to occur
immediately out of thin air. He was fishing for the out he needed. And, yes, that's humorous, because fishing for a way to apply literal-mindedness to achieve the result he wants is, basically, humorous.
Focusing on what the final order in the package says is also setting himself up to play the ol'
but-the-communication-was-garbled gambit, should it have to come to that.
* calmly polishes the various tools in the kit and puts it back in its drawer *
You're welcome!
