Were Kirk and Spock on the same page?

[BillJ]

Right now I'm watching A Taste of Armageddon and noticed for the first time the orders Spock gives when re-establishing contact with the Enterprise...

SPOCK: Orbit out to maximum phaser range and stand by for further orders. Spock out.

Was Spock also contemplating using General Order 24 if the situation got out of control?

 

[Vance]

Writer's intent is hard to discern here. I wouldn't think that the character would gamble to Kirk's extreme (it's not his nature), but would he phaser the entirety of offensive capabilities of a planet that had repeatedly been destroying Federation ships over the past 25 years? That would seem logical, wouldn't it?

 

[KeepOnTrekking]

I just always assumed that Spock knew that the Enterprise was targeted for destruction and had them orbit further out of range for their safety but be close enough to use the ship's phasers on any weaponry on the planet's surface that may target them in the future. As for Spock perceiving the idea of using General Order 24 and knowing Kirk's shrewd tactical ploys, they are always alternatives that Spock probably considers as First officer.

 

[Timo]

Theoretically, we might say Spock chose "maximum phaser range" not because he intended to use the ship's own phaser weapons, but because "maximum phaser range" was his terminology for the maximum reach of Eminian weapons. Being at maximum range would be a nice way to test Eminian aggression and resolve: if they fire, they don't hit with much power, but they do reveal their intentions.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Tiberius]

Theoretically, we might say Spock chose "maximum phaser range" not because he intended to use the ship's own phaser weapons, but because "maximum phaser range" was his terminology for the maximum reach of Eminian weapons. Being at maximum range would be a nice way to test Eminian aggression and resolve: if they fire, they don't hit with much power, but they do reveal their intentions.

Timo Saloniemi

The trouble with that is that it lends itself to an ambiguous meaning. And it could have been avoided if he'd said, "Orbit out to the maximum range for their weapons" if that had been his intention.

That, combined with the fact that it had been specified that the Eminians were using sonic disruptors (how that works through space I have no idea, but...), indicates that Spock was talking about going to the maximum range for enterprise's weapons.

 

[Zycho32]

I think KeepOnTrekking has the basic gist of 'Maximum Phaser Range' down.

Thinking in military terms, you typically want to be as far from your target as possible if you are in the midst of a conventional battle and you are using ranged weaponry, assuming that you have comparable or superior range to your opponent based on the weapons available. Once firearms became effective beyond a hundred yards or so, battle doctrine ceased to have up-close combat as the first option. The new first option became to use your weapon at as close to its 'ceiling' range as possible to diminish the threat of your opponent being able to hit you. The same concept extends to Naval vessels and aircraft... and as such would extend to spaceships.

In the case of this episode, 'Maximum Phaser Range' is the maximum distance the Enterprise can be from its target and still land an effective and damaging shot. It doesn't take into account any effectiveness of the Eminarian weapons available beyond any mere speculation and whatever calculations Spock was coming up through his head when he was giving those orders- but at any rate it was the safest possible distance that still allowed an attack should it be necessary.

 

[T'Girl]

Eminians were using sonic disruptors (how that works through space I have no idea, but...)

If the Eminians were firing "beams' that could produce a forced harmonic vibration that caused targeted materials to simply fall apart , then those beams could perhaps travel through a vacuum.

 

[Vance]

Eminians were using sonic disruptors (how that works through space I have no idea, but...)

If the Eminians were firing "beams' that could produce a forced harmonic vibration that caused targeted materials to simply fall apart , then those beams could perhaps travel through a vacuum.

Nah, they specifically said 'sonic disruptors' more than once. Which means they COULD be very nasty, but only while the Enterprise was in atmosphere. Notice that the old girl moved out of range while still remaining in orbit. It just moved out of the extremes of the atmosphere, making the weapon useless.

 

[Timo]

The weapon ought to be fairly useless even against a target in the upper fringes of an atmosphere, if it really depended on a physical medium to carry longitudal waves.

However, as said, the sonic effect could be created at the target, rather than at the muzzle of the gun. We don't get to see any sort of a beam, sonic or otherwise, between the muzzle of a sonic handgun and its target, after all...

The same concept extends to Naval vessels and aircraft...

It didn't hold true for WWI and previous naval vessels, though, as those had a confusing collection of ranged weapons, each with a characteristic range. The best tactic was to close in to the effective range of the shortest-ranged weapon, so that the broadside would be maximally devastating.

In Trek battles, we could justify the melee tactics by saying that different types and sizes of starship have different effective ranges for their phasers. Thus, it's always best to close in to the most effective range of the secondary guns of a Miranda, rather than stand off at the maximum range of the primary phasers of a Galaxy, because the side that pours out the most fire is the one that's going to win.

Long range battles would become the favored tactic if the belligerents decided to standardize on one "caliber" of weapon, and if simultaneously the ships became too slow to be capable of freely closing in on the effective range of lesser weapons while under fire from the heavy guns. If two WWII battleships could open fire at 20 kilometers, but then move to within 200 meters in a matter of seconds, they would...

Timo Saloniemi