Enterprise replica in Mark of Gideon

[Mytran]

It seems that Stanley Adams (yes, Cyrano Jones) who co-wrote the episode had a keen interest in the issues of overpopulation. And, while the "seething ocean of people" works well as a visual metaphor, it doesn't carry over well into a direct physical model. After all, the solution that every city since ancient times for increased population density has been the same: blocks of flats. Why should Gideon have people standing shoulder to shoulder on the shorelines? Rack 'em and stack 'em, I say! And farmland is made available!

Jonas Grumby - It is true that the recreation of the Enterprise would make a lot more sense if it were in Kirk's mind (a setup similar to Number Six in The Prisoner episode A,B & C). Come to think of it, that would make for a far creepier episode as well as fulfilling the Gideonites' needs more efficiently. However, the episode is what it is.

But is a full recreation of the entire ship necessary? Many areas of the Enterprise looks the same and although Kirk claims that he has "searched every area on the ship", this is mere "moments" since the beam down (according to Spock). Did Kirk really conduct a complete physical search of the ENTIRE ship? How long would this have taken - hours? Days? Far more reasonable to assume that he did it using the sensors on the Bridge, then recorded his log, then took to wandering the corridors.

That being the case, we could be only looking at a few sections of corridor and certain rooms. Stagehands (or whatever) can change signage where required and make the illusion more convincing. The Gideonites outside the replica continue to shuffle by as always, the sound of their heartbeats occasionally audible. All the crewmen in the replica need to do is seal off the exits with a few strategically placed "unopenable" bulkheads and ensure the captain doesn't go anywhere you're not expecting him to - although actually, this almost happened when Kirk spontaneously opened the viewport! The stagehands were not quite able to shoo the populace out of the way in time and wheel a starfield into place, that's all

 

[trynda1701]

Like the titles of "Friends" eps, this is simply "The One with Kirk on an Empty Enterprise." Like "The Indian One" or "The American Flag One." Best not to dig too deep, imho.

Good one. You may have just decided on the way to describe the episodes that aren't on Fry's list of 'about 30 good ones'!!!

 

[FormerLurker]

It seems that Stanley Adams (yes, Cyrano Jones) who co-wrote the episode had a keen interest in the issues of overpopulation. And, while the "seething ocean of people" works well as a visual metaphor, it doesn't carry over well into a direct physical model. After all, the solution that every city since ancient times for increased population density has been the same: blocks of flats. Why should Gideon have people standing shoulder to shoulder on the shorelines? Rack 'em and stack 'em, I say! And farmland is made available!

Jonas Grumby - It is true that the recreation of the Enterprise would make a lot more sense if it were in Kirk's mind (a setup similar to Number Six in The Prisoner episode A,B & C). Come to think of it, that would make for a far creepier episode as well as fulfilling the Gideonites' needs more efficiently. However, the episode is what it is.

But is a full recreation of the entire ship necessary? Many areas of the Enterprise looks the same and although Kirk claims that he has "searched every area on the ship", this is mere "moments" since the beam down (according to Spock). Did Kirk really conduct a complete physical search of the ENTIRE ship? How long would this have taken - hours? Days? Far more reasonable to assume that he did it using the sensors on the Bridge, then recorded his log, then took to wandering the corridors.

That being the case, we could be only looking at a few sections of corridor and certain rooms. Stagehands (or whatever) can change signage where required and make the illusion more convincing. The Gideonites outside the replica continue to shuffle by as always, the sound of their heartbeats occasionally audible. All the crewmen in the replica need to do is seal off the exits with a few strategically placed "unopenable" bulkheads and ensure the captain doesn't go anywhere you're not expecting him to - although actually, this almost happened when Kirk spontaneously opened the viewport! The stagehands were not quite able to shoo the populace out of the way in time and wheel a starfield into place, that's all

This makes a great deal of sense. Kirk has always(!) maintained that someone could hide for quite some time in the lower decks of the ship. If he's not as familiar with those parts as he also maintains, such subterfuge would be easier to pull off than you might think. All we really need now is an explanation for how the Gideonites came up with such a detailed replica, regardless of how complete it might or might not be.

Me, I always assumed they weren't as landlocked as they let on. They may have hitched a ride with some passing trader and swiped the information at a starbase, with the intent of getting their hands on Kirk all along. His illness is one they said they had no immunity to, though that should have been true of any illness not native to Gideon.

 

[scotpens]

. . . Since Roe v. Wade was only 4 years later, abortion may, indeed, have been a hot topic in 67, 68, and 69 just like gay marriage was a hot topic in the previous few years prior to the state legalizations we saw last year.

Abortion was definitely an issue in the late 1960s, though it was still being played out at the state rather than federal level. California and New York, for example, had fairly liberal abortion laws several years before Roe v. Wade.

In any case, I always saw the heavy-handed social message of "The Mark of Gideon" as addressing the Catholic position on contraception, rather than abortion.

 

[ToddPence]

Kirk visits his own quarters early in the episode and doesn't seem to find anything amiss. While the Gideonites may have known the specifications of his cabin, how did they know the personal effects he kept there, the exact books on his shelves?

 

[Anwar]

If the Gideon people were advanced enough to extend their lifespans so greatly, and advanced enough to create a perfect replica of the Enterprise....wouldn't they have already had Warp Drive tech of their own for a while? I'm surprised they had no offworld colonies at all.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

If the Gideons really built a physical replica of the Enterprise to solve such a simple problem, then I'd say their government wasn't just trying to cull the population. They were also trying to revive the economy with public make-work projects. This is done to prop up a government's popularity, especially with favored constituencies such as labor unions.

The fake Enterprise sounds insane, but real governments do insanely wasteful things when they find it politically useful.

Kirk visits his own quarters early in the episode and doesn't seem to find anything amiss. While the Gideonites may have known the specifications of his cabin, how did they know the personal effects he kept there, the exact books on his shelves?

That plot hole must be why Kirk had to be confused and lose time. He was messed up and didn't know it.

 

[Mario de Monti]

But is a full recreation of the entire ship necessary? Many areas of the Enterprise looks the same and although Kirk claims that he has "searched every area on the ship", this is mere "moments" since the beam down (according to Spock). Did Kirk really conduct a complete physical search of the ENTIRE ship? How long would this have taken - hours? Days? Far more reasonable to assume that he did it using the sensors on the Bridge, then recorded his log, then took to wandering the corridors.

That being the case, we could be only looking at a few sections of corridor and certain rooms. Stagehands (or whatever) can change signage where required and make the illusion more convincing. The Gideonites outside the replica continue to shuffle by as always, the sound of their heartbeats occasionally audible. All the crewmen in the replica need to do is seal off the exits with a few strategically placed "unopenable" bulkheads and ensure the captain doesn't go anywhere you're not expecting him to - although actually, this almost happened when Kirk spontaneously opened the viewport! The stagehands were not quite able to shoo the populace out of the way in time and wheel a starfield into place, that's all

You might be right from an in-universe point of view: a complete replica would not have been necessary just to fool Kirk. But take a look at this bit of dialogue from the last scene of the episode taking place on the (real) Enterprise:

ODONA: It is not like our ship.
KIRK: Oh, yes, it is. It's exactly the same. Only this one works.

Kirk´s line clearly indicates that the Gideonites did not just build a bunch of corridors and the odd room, but a complete replica of the interior exactly as the real Enterprise.

Mario

 

[Mytran]

But unless Kirk actually walked every square foot of the replica, how on earth would he know that? It could be that Kirk was simply complimenting Odona's people on the accuracy of their interior decorating skills (at least the parts of the ship he saw).

Kirk visits his own quarters early in the episode and doesn't seem to find anything amiss. While the Gideonites may have known the specifications of his cabin, how did they know the personal effects he kept there, the exact books on his shelves?

That plot hole must be why Kirk had to be confused and lose time. He was messed up and didn't know it.

Kirk was also "distracted" by Odona most of the time he was in his quarters, so he might not have noticed that anything was slightly amiss! However, during his initial wander down the corridor he is seen gazing around (blearily), resting his head against the wall and stroking it gently. Having a groooovy time, maybe?

ZapBrannigan - I like that notion of the public works project!

 

[Mario de Monti]

But unless Kirk actually walked every square foot of the replica, how on earth would he know that?

True. But IMO there is still a big difference between having some corridors with a few rooms and a replica that is missing a few bits here and there. Plus Kirk knows how to get from A to B on his ship. So in order to fool him, the replica must also have had the same arrangement of all the ship´s areas Kirk was likely to go to. The Gideonites couldn´t have put the hangar deck right next to the bridge, for instance, they´d have to be the proper distance apart and connected by the right corridors and/or turbulifts.

Mario

 

[Timo]

Random sniping:

1) Nothing wrong with retconning an episode if the purpose is to analyze how it could fit within the Star Trek universe or the realm of the possible. After all, neither of those fits was a concern for the writers themselves, so we can skip worrying about what the writers would have thought.

2) If the Gideonites really had the capacity to make a conscious individual experience vast spaces such as this starship without them really existing (say, via holodecks), their problems would be much less severe. There would be crowding, yes, and a shortage of resources - but privacy would not be one of those resources, as every citizen (of suitable wealth at least - say, Odona) would have entire continents or possibly galaxies for his or her personal use.

3) It should be heavily emphasized that the Gideonites are not humans. They are Star Trek aliens with plot-crucial quirks that they can no more overcome than humans can overcome their embarrassing addiction for oxygen and water. Their inability to practice birth control (at any stage of the cycle) is a massive given that cannot be sidestepped. It doesn't follow that the extreme measures they take would have to make sense for us - quite to the contrary, as again they are aliens. But it does follow that simple solutions would not do the episode justice.

4) Whether the "theme" of the episode really was that abstaining from birth control is absurd and hence needs to be projected through a maximally absurd alien culture, we can of course debate further. That's a bit separate from the "hows" and "whys" of the in-universe viewpoint, though... But certainly even in the 1960s it would have been understood that both "pro-life" and "pro-choice" embrace murder as the ideal, and consequently wallow in the absurdity of trying to deny that.

5) What does it mean that Gideon is crowded? Probably nothing beyond the obvious. Odona's experiences with crowding are from public places. Even the "mountain" Odona mentions could be a mountain resort crowded because people yearn to see the uninhabitable wilderness beyond. So is the visual evidence: "uniformed" people shuffling around shoulder to shoulder would be expected in a government building constructed with extreme compactness in mind, even if said compactness existed in order to allow for vast farmlands outside.

6) On the other hand, when we see the "crowd" beyond the porthole of the ship, it's not a wandering crowd, such as beyond the grillework at the Council chambers. It's a bunch of people spectating from a purpose-built set of pedestals. This raises a couple of questions:

6.1) Why is this a spectator sport? As a means to put further pressure on Kirk? But breaking him mentally wasn't stated to be a crucial element in the plan.
6.2) And as regards him seeing the spectators... The opening of the shutter should not have made a difference: all the outer walls are obviously one-way transparent anyway (because the spectators at the edge of the view are clearly spectating through the outer wall, not through the porthole, and even the ones looking through the hole don't indicate that their view would have changed with the opening of the protective cover) and transparency in the other direction need not have been a feature of any of the portholes built into this fake. (One would also assume that controlling of wall transparency would be a technology especially important to and highly developed on Gideon!) So, why was Kirk allowed to see out? Again part of the plot?
6.3) But if so, why spectate everywhere, even beyond the portholes that Kirk can access (as evidenced by the "edge folks" staring at "nothing")? The crowd is not shown moving along with the two stars of the show, but standing still, so most would be spectating at empty parts of the set. Did they sell seats (standing room only) for specific spots, and some got luckier than others?
6.4) One can't help but think that the charade served some further purpose beyond keeping Kirk busy and cooperative, then. After all, as pointed out, they didn't need Kirk's cooperation - they know about shackles and sedatives.
6.5) Given the spectators, the purpose is likely to have been manipulation of Gideonite popular opinion... Which is indeed one of the stated goals of the project.

7) Kirk's "walk-through" analysis of the ship could be subtly perverted by Odona tagging along with him, of course. And by other subtle clues - a noise being made beyond a corner, a display indicating a fake but intriguing status. They'd still need to create at least a quarter of the ship's accessible spaces to maintain the illusion and keep Kirk from thinking he's being led on a short leash. But training Odona as a con artist would be a lesser feat than making the replica really perfect.

8) OTOH, if the replica really is perfect, this suggests the Gideonites got extensive information from their contact with the Federation. They admit to as much in telling that they learned of Kirk's medical history during negotiations with the UFP. How could that happen? Well, the natural assumption is that they specifically agreed with the UFP on Starfleet providing Kirk and some helpful information and material plus a stalling act, and Gideon in return solving its problems in a manner acceptable for the Gideonite mindset and then joining the interstellar community at long last.

This would obviously be the "serious problem with the upper echelons" that Spock refers to when beaming up!

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Robert Comsol]

This is a fascinating topic, for anyone trying to fill (what are probably plotholes) with in-universe rationalizations. Although one of the bigger plotholes, IMHO, will resist a rationalization: The Enterprise was forbidden to electronically scan the planet and had the Gideonites noticed such action, Spock would have had a diplomatic tiger on its tail. On the other hand, he could have told Dr. McCoy to excuse him for a couple of minutes, grap some binoculars or telescopes, go to one of the ship’s port side windows and do a visual scan of Gideon’s surface…and see people everywhere.

The whole issue reminds me of “Total Recall” where up to the end there is an equal amount of information suggesting it is all real while simultaneously there is an equal amount of information that suggests it can’t be real. Pick your favorite interpretation.

But is a full recreation of the entire ship necessary? Many areas of the Enterprise looks the same and although Kirk claims that he has "searched every area on the ship", this is mere "moments" since the beam down (according to Spock). Did Kirk really conduct a complete physical search of the ENTIRE ship? How long would this have taken - hours? Days? Far more reasonable to assume that he did it using the sensors on the Bridge, then recorded his log, then took to wandering the corridors.

That thought had come to my mind, too. Events on the Bridge and in the council chambers seem to take place on the same day, so how could Kirk claim to have “searched every area on the ship”? Maybe he just called every area on the ship and thus felt he had “searched” it. Assuming he did use Bridge sensors (he did use Uhura’s communications station) where these operational (Spock’s station wasn’t, providing him with the final proof the ship was fake) or was that just a holodeck simulation taken straight from his memories?

Clues supporting a physical replica

I think that’s what the scriptwriter had in mind but didn’t really think it through enough to make sense (allowing us to accept a better rationalization, IMHO). Had the Gideonites mastered space travel (to get a hold of the ship’s specifications) they would have probably exported parts of their overpopulation. Apparently, they had requested the Federation to provide complete records of the starship captain candidates for first contact (but wouldn’t say that they looked for a candidate with a deadly disease). And traders visiting the planet would have probably spilled the beans that the planet wasn’t a paradise like the Federation was made to believe.

When Kirk makes his shipwide call we see areas show up. This would suggest that it was a complete and physical replica (unless these were just images in his mind).

Later it sounds as if “thousands” of Gideonites were rubbing their bodies on the exterior. Admittedly, a full size replica would provide the surface area for thousands of Gideonites to do that, a flat holodeck would probably have to be bigger to have that surface area, but then space is the prominent problem on Gideon, so a holodeck would only be as big as required (and therefore probably be much smaller).

Curiously, for some reasons Timo already mentioned, I think that the viewport actually suggests a holodeck (more in a minute). But if we’d be dealing with a replica, how about the actual windows of the Enterprise (i.e. flight deck observation corridor)? Surely, Kirk would have visited some of the window areas but then would have found them all shut and sealed. Would this not have raised suspicion?

There is the strong possibility that he was “somehow” drugged (would he not have recorded a disoriented feeling?) and Odona was introduced to distract him further. So he might have missed that the smell was different, that the turbo lift sounded strange etc., etc.

But what about Spock? Not being drugged or incapacitated he really took his time to walk the fake corridors but didn’t present his conclusion to Scotty and McCoy until he had noticed that the science station didn’t work (why did Uhura’s station work for Kirk?).

Frankly, the idea of the Gideonites (of all the ST aliens) being capable to recreate such a perfect physical replica is so highly improbable, that I feel it’s rather mildly impossible (emphasis “impossible”).

Clues supporting a holodeck simulation

Kirk has a memory lapse of several minutes and a lot could have happened during that time, other than getting a bruise and having some blood extracted. For all we know the Gideonites could have invented holodeck technology (to simulate unpopulated, vast areas for the privileged or psychologically exhausted but yet confined to a limited space) and somehow tapped into Kirk’s brain to get the truly perfect virtual replica of the Enterprise which was then recreated on the holodeck as Kirk moved along. Kirk operates Uhura’s station and nothing indicates to him that it is inoperative, yet Spock discovers his station doesn’t function at all - because apparently Kirk hadn’t used it – and thus couldn’t make it “seem” functional…?

Apparently, the Gideonites use semi-transparent windows in their council chamber (i.e. the chamber members can take a look outside but the pedestrians passing by don’t see what’s behind the wall). Considering that the council members watch on their wall screen what Kirk and Odona are doing (), we should have at least expected some “outsiders” to press their noses against the window to watch the program, too.

IMHO, this becomes most obvious in the viewport scene (great production value here, the original viewport was supposed to be the control room window from “Whom Gods Destroy”, I’m relieved we did not get that!). The Gideonites outside are not pedestrians that suddenly come to a halt but obviously an audience that has been put there to look inside and to follow events. Possibly a holodeck glitch or safety function (“if communication to the outside is severed, go to the nearest physical window in your simulation”), this audience hardly stood all day long outside the replica to stare at a blank wall / closed viewport just in the unlikely case that Kirk should ever decide to go there.

My impression is rather that we are looking at Gideon scientists that study human behavior and Federation technology. Possibly, like this alien race in “The Nth Degree”, the Gideonites don’t travel to other planets but instead bring others to theirs and study their memories and experience.

Bob

 

[Timo]

Regarding the ability to find out what Gideon really was like, the original episode at least presents a planet with what we could interpret as a sensor-impervious cloud cover; TOS-R shows gaps in the coverage, without urban or otherwise altered landscape in evidence.

We might say that the population explosion had rendered the surface almost completely uninhabitable, and the crowds thus were all underground. But that wouldn't match Odona's memories of beaches and mountains being crowded, assuming she wasn't lying. And Spock could still use optical means to deduce that the surface wasn't all that fertile after all.

But it seems the Federation is bending over backwards to accommodate the eccentricity of the Gideonites, apparently in hopes of getting them to stop their clamshelling. Spock's orders might include a strict ban on studying the surface of the planet, even with those means not blocked by the (natural or artificial?) shielding.

On the other hand, if Gideon really knows how to stop Starfleet sensors, the planet might be technologically highly advanced. They have successfully maintained their isolationism despite there being less polite forces out there than the Federation; perhaps we should assume that it is a triviality for them to replicate starships or, if need be, shoot those down from orbit in order to enforce the isolation. Perhaps the considerable technological lead of Gideon (their insincere protestations and displays of ignorance aside) is what makes the Federation so accommodating here?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Metryq]

or was that just a holodeck simulation taken straight from his memories?

Whoa! Back up.

I've seen many TNG episodes, but I'm not a fan of the spin-offs. So I may be missing some details. I've seen the holodeck in many episodes, and no where that I've seen is it stated that the holodeck computers read minds, or inject illusions into the nervous system.

I remember one early episode with Data touching the wall of a sim and getting a distortion something like one sees when pressing an LCD. I've also seen non-episode descriptions of the holodeck stating that the technology is similar to the transporter/synthesizers and uses advanced holographic imaging along with tractor/pressor beams.

While this does not prove the Gideons do not have such MATRIX/PAPRIKA/INCEPTION-style technology, it is excessive rationalization of a weak episode. And bodies don't press against the sides of simulations.

QED, the Enterprise replica was "impossibly" detailed.

 

[Mario de Monti]

Frankly, the idea of the Gideonites (of all the ST aliens) being capable to recreate such a perfect physical replica is so highly improbable, that I feel it’s rather mildly impossible (emphasis “impossible”).

I guess that depends on how secretive Starfleet is regarding the plans of their ships and information in general. We know all the information stored at Memory Alpha, for instance, is freely available to everyone. They allowed Khan access to detailed information on starships, etc. without knowing who they were dealing with. Secrecy may simply not be such an issue in the peaceful Federation.

And such starship plans wouldn´t even have to include vital technical information or specifications for the Gideonites to built a replica of the interior, a "simple" 3D walkthrough of the whole ship would have sufficed. I see no reason, why such a "virtual tour" might not be made freely available.

IMHO, this becomes most obvious in the viewport scene (great production value here, the original viewport was supposed to be the control room window from “Whom Gods Destroy”, I’m relieved we did not get that!). The Gideonites outside are not pedestrians that suddenly come to a halt but obviously an audience that has been put there to look inside and to follow events. Possibly a holodeck glitch or safety function (“if communication to the outside is severed, go to the nearest physical window in your simulation”), this audience hardly stood all day long outside the replica to stare at a blank wall / closed viewport just in the unlikely case that Kirk should ever decide to go there.

Actually the viewport scene is a strong clue against a holodeck scenario, IMHO! If the people in front of it were, in fact, observers looking in on Kirk, why would they be standing in front of that window? Wouldn´t they be looking at monitors like the people in the council chamber? And if it were an actual viewport through which they can look inside, then the Enterprise replica must be a physical recreation so that the window stays in the same spot the whole time! If it were a holodeck of some sort, that viewport would constantly be shifting position or not even be there at all, depending on where Kirk went on the virtual ship and how big this holodeck is - it would hardly ever correspond with that window of the Enterprise, but much rather be in a bridge console, Kirk´s bathroom, etc.

Mario

 

[Robert Comsol]

While this does not prove the Gideons do not have such MATRIX/PAPRIKA/INCEPTION-style technology, it is excessive rationalization of a weak episode. And bodies don't press against the sides of simulations.

It probably is excessive but it is a theory that could explain the observable facts. The alternative is the physical replica. Actually, I like the idea that we (finally) could have another humanoid species that is advanced in some aspects of technology. Like Timo suggested, there must be a reason why the Federation is so keen establishing diplomatic relations with Gideon (and I doubt they are looking for a new shore leave planet).

And even this kind of holodeck would probably have some exterior walls, people could rub against.

Actually the viewport scene is a strong clue against a holodeck scenario, IMHO! If the people in front of it were, in fact, observers looking in on Kirk, why would they be standing in front of that window?

If it wasn’t a holodeck the “why” would even beg for better explanations, IMHO.

I’d say that the council members have video access to everything, including Kirk’s quarters and what he is doing with Odona there (and vice versa). Regarding the selected spectators they probably only have visual access to what’s happening in “public” spaces. Seeing Kirk and Odona inside Kirk’s cabin might give them ideas, the council members do not consider productive (i.e. they intend to stop procreation, not encourage it ).

Bob

 

[Timo]

Regarding mind-reading holosimulations, we could go the City and the Stars way and say that the holodeck simply offers various views to the user, and then gauges his reactions, adjusting the view until his body language indicates satisfaction - so quickly that the user doesn't consciously realize any adjusting is going on, or at least can readily suspend disbelief. Not that this would match what is going on in "Mark of Gideon", just a general observation about how "minds" could be read.

Considering the evidence of people actually rubbing against the walls, I think we can write that off as psychosomatic hyperbole. Even if thousands did press against the hull of a spacecraft, there's zero chance their heartbeats could actually be "felt" or "heard". Kirk must have experienced something else altogether.

...Probably directly connected to the very fact that Kirk was allowed to see the spectators. The opening of the porthole cover was a calculated part of a performance intended to shock Kirk: a deliberate showing of those staring faces, a deliberate piping in of unnerving infrasounds. To what end, we don't know, but the end result was that "the experiment moved to the next stage". Only because Odona developed the symptoms? Or because Kirk reacted to the stimulus as intended?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[F. King Daniel]

From the way we saw people in the windows, a physical Enterprise replica would have to be built inside a building. I'm imagining something along the lines of the ferris wheel in the NYC Toys R Us, but on a much, much larger scale.

That's a visual so cool I almost want to see the episode adapted as the next movie.

 

[Metryq]

Regarding mind-reading holosimulations, we could go the City and the Stars way and say that the holodeck simply offers various views to the user, and then gauges his reactions, adjusting the view until his body language indicates satisfaction

Again, we have rationalizum ad absurdum. People are different, so how can the machine gauge one person's "satisfaction" level over another? Consider Kirk's situation—his body language isn't likely to show a relaxed acceptance of the environment. The fact that he was not on Gideon, and instead on an Enterprise completely devoid of crew, would the not-quite-mind-reading sim suddenly start inserting crew, popping them in and out of existence very rapidly, until Kirk met the person he wanted to see? Oh no, that wouldn't make him even more suspicious.

And suppose Kirk was already suspicious of something, maybe noticing the absence of some minor new feature recently added to the ship (like wall clocks), or looking for something else distinctive, such as the position of the chess pieces on the board in his quarters where he most recently defeated Spock. Is the computer going to keep randomly switching them around until it hits "queen to king's level one" and Kirk relaxes? "Ah, that's better."

 

[Commishsleer]

What was the purpose of the fake Enterprise anyway?

They already had Kirk so they could have just put him in prison for the rest of his life using his blood to kill billions. Its not like he was going to accept the fake Enterprise forever.