Why didn't Kirk just contact Sulu?

Discussion in 'Star Trek Movies I-X' started by Pawleygirl, Oct 29, 2012.

  1. RandyS

    RandyS Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Nov 9, 2007
    Location:
    Randyland
    Where did you come up with that figure? Is that the going rate on Amazon these days?
     
  2. Kelthaz

    Kelthaz Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Apr 28, 2005
    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    And he was right. Good call.
     
  3. Charlie Kelly

    Charlie Kelly Commodore Commodore

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2004
    Location:
    York, United Kingdom
    They probably didn't want to force Sulu to break orders if they could help it. Still the scene where they had to use the Klingon dictionaries didn't make sense, just because they couldn't use the universal translator doesn't mean they couldn't have had the ship just translate the text for them. Also why would they have paper copies of the Klingon dictionary on board, wouldn't it just be electronic? Even so I did enjoy the scene.
     
  4. Admiral Buzzkill

    Admiral Buzzkill Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2001
    There's so much bad logic in TUC that singling these things out is shooting fish in a barrel.
     
  5. los2188

    los2188 Commander Red Shirt

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2011
    Location:
    North Carolina
    I'm just curious, but what's some of the bad logic in TUC? I never really hear much about that in this movie.
     
  6. Therin of Andor

    Therin of Andor Admiral Moderator

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2004
    Location:
    New Therin Park, Andor (via Australia)
  7. The Laughing Vulcan

    The Laughing Vulcan Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jun 7, 2004
    Location:
    At The Laughing Vulcan's party...
    Chekov, head of security in The Motion Picture... doesn't know that shooting phasers on a starship will set off the alarm!

    Bang!
     
  8. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2001
    Location:
    America, Fuck Yeah!!!
    Well, he had bugs crawling around his brain and a massive sub cranial hemorrhage. I think I'll let it slide.
     
  9. T'Girl

    T'Girl Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 20, 2009
    Location:
    T'Girl
    During the Cold War? Probably a few aboard every major ship.

    If the Federation/Starfleet had enough information on the Klingons to compile translation dictionaries, there should have been personnel aboard the Enterprise who spoke the language. They departed Earth on a diplomatic mission that would meet the Klingons, inspite of the presence of the UT, there should have been a Klingon cultural expert on board who spoke the main Klingon language.

    And as others have noted, if there were no one aboard who spoke Klingon, the UT could have give a display of the incoming transmission from the Klingons, and provided (again a display) the proper response, plus a correct pronunciation in Uhura little blue-tooth.

    :)
     
    Last edited: Nov 5, 2012
  10. Armored Saint

    Armored Saint Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2012
    Location:
    Quebec City
    Maybe it was a very newly installed device and the formation about it for the officers was Tuesday!
     
  11. CoveTom

    CoveTom Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2003
    Location:
    CoveTom
    TUC is a fun movie. An entertaining movie. And enjoyable movie. And it holds up a lot better if you try not to think too much about it.
     
  12. BillJ

    BillJ The King of Kings Admiral

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2001
    Location:
    America, Fuck Yeah!!!
    Much like Star Trek 2009. :techman:
     
  13. CoveTom

    CoveTom Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2003
    Location:
    CoveTom
    Agreed. :)
     
  14. Timo

    Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2003
    ...Whereas, say, ST:TMP just holds up a lot better if you try not to think too much about it. :devil:

    Timo Saloniemi
     
  15. SmoothieX

    SmoothieX Vice Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2004
    Location:
    Massachusetts
    Sulu wouldn't have any idea about who the conspirators were.
     
  16. CoveTom

    CoveTom Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

    Joined:
    Jul 17, 2003
    Location:
    CoveTom
    Which is funny because, for all it's flaws, TMP is one of those films that I think holds up better if you put some thought into it. If you just approach it from the mindless entertainment perspective, it can be rather slow and dull. But if you actually think about what's happening and what it is saying, it can become a lot more interesting. IMHO.
     
  17. The Badger

    The Badger Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Dec 11, 2008
    Location:
    Im in ur Tardis, violating ur canon.
    Right. The mind meld was used initially to find out who the conspirators are. It was only after they learnt that Valeris didn't know the location that they called Sulu. There'd have been no point asking him about the conspirators as, unless he was part of the conspiracy himself, he wouldn't know anything about it.
     
  18. Timo

    Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2003
    It's something of a mystery why even Valeris knew about the conspirators. What was her all-important need to know?

    She would have been amply motivated if Cartwright told her that firing at Gorkon's ship was for the greater good of the UFP. Cartwright might further tell her that Chang was in on it and helping to assassinate Gorkon (but that Cartwright would eventually backstab this despicable enemy, so no worries). But what would be the point of telling Valeris that the Romulans were involved?

    I guess it's just a bit too weird for my tastes that an operative very high in the ranks of the conspirators would be sent to Kirk's ship where she could get captured, either by Kirk or (more worryingly) by the Klingons. Goons like Burke and Samno, yes. Their handler, yes. But why would the handler need to be so knowledgeable? Perhaps Cartwright just wanted to limit the number of middlemen...

    Timo Saloniemi
     
  19. jayrath

    jayrath Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

    Joined:
    Apr 15, 2001
    Location:
    West Hollywood, Calif., USA
    Kirk likely didn't think to contact Sulu because he had no idea that Sulu had been in touch with the Enterprise while he and McCoy were imprisoned. He likely hadn't time to check the logs; things were moving pretty fast.

    As for Valeris being so knowledgable -- perhaps she wasn't. Perhaps there were many other conspirators whose names were never revealed. What's-his-name the Romulan (played by Malachi Throne when Spock crossed over to TNG) may have had an idea of it, and he was at Khitomer (according to TNG). Then there was the crew of Chang's ship, too; Valeris never named them. So maybe Valeris was just in the highly-placed Federation/Starfleet group.
     
  20. Timo

    Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2003
    The problem I have is that Valeris knows about the Romulan involvement at all, regardless of the exact names or faces. The Romulans appeared to be playing the two sides against the middle, but that wouldn't work too well if both of the sides knew about their involvement!

    Then again, if the Feds already knowingly cooperate with Klingons in hopes of defeating the Klingons in the endgame, and vice versa, both sides might also accept that they are currently being played by the Romulans but will triumph in the end because of their moral superiority or warrior fierceness or whatnot.

    Timo Saloniemi