2nd Guessing Kirk

[Warped9]

The science and math in TPS is sloppy as hell. An asteroid doesn't travel all that fast astronomically speaking. Compared to a starship it's practically crawling along. If it took an extended period of time (say hours) to reach the asteroid at Warp 9 then that sucker was really far away and likely out past the outer reaches of the solar system. In other words they had a lot of freakin' time before it reached the planet.

If the asteroid were only a couple of months away from the planet then the Enterprise could reach it in seconds at Warp 9.

Even crippled if the Enterprise can manage a tenth of light or .1c on impulse then they'd still outrace the asteroid by hundreds to thousands of times the asteroid's speed.

 

[Push The Button]

The science and math in TPS is sloppy as hell. An asteroid doesn't travel all that fast astronomically speaking. Compared to a starship it's practically crawling along. If it took an extended period of time (say hours) to reach the asteroid at Warp 9 then that sucker was really far away and likely out past the outer reaches of the solar system. In other words they had a lot of freakin' time before it reached the planet.

If the asteroid were only a couple of months away from the planet then the Enterprise could reach it in seconds at Warp 9.

Even crippled if the Enterprise can manage a tenth of light or .1c on impulse then they'd still outrace the asteroid by hundreds to thousands of times the asteroid's speed.

Right, even a small push off its course, far enough away from the planet, would have made a considerable difference.

But, points to TOS for being ahead of its time in having a story about asteroid strikes, a crisis that someday we will have to face for real.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

When a security guy is guarding the bridge, or guarding Khan's quarters, or guarding Gary Seven's cell, have him move about ten feet away from the door, and face the door.

That's a good item. But Khan's guards would still be in trouble.

 

[T'Girl]

I wouldn't date Janice Lester.

Crazy woman = crazy sex.

Also, by 24th century standards, wasn't diverting the asteroid a violation of the Prime Directive even though by 23rd century standards it was the right thing to do?

The way the prime directive is going, by the 25th century Starfleet captains will be required to divert asteroids towards populated planets.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I wouldn't date Janice Lester.

Crazy woman = crazy sex.

That's a nice theory...

 

[CrazyMatt]

I wouldn't date Janice Lester.

Crazy woman = crazy sex.

Or perhaps Deadly woman = deadly sex?

Poor Jimmy boy snuffed out in the prime of life?

 

[CrazyMatt]

What would you do differently if you were Kirk? And of course, if you were not bound by the need to live in exciting times?

DECKER: Oh, forget about your theories! That thing is on the way to the heart of our galaxy. What are you going to do about it?
KIRK: Matt, take it easy.
MCCOY: The first thing we're going to do is get you back to the Enterprise.
DECKER: Oh, no, I stay here. I'm not leaving my ship!
KIRK: It's a dead...... all right Matt. Bones, stay here and take Commodore Decker down to whatever's left of sick bay. I'm returning to the Enterprise with Mr. Scott. Once we've gotten clear of the subspace interference and warned Starfleet, we'll return to pick you and the damage control party up. Kirk to Enterprise!
SPOCK: Spock here, captain.
KIRK: Beam Scotty and I back now.

 

[BillJ]

What would you do differently if you were Kirk? And of course, if you were not bound by the need to live in exciting times?

DECKER: Oh, forget about your theories! That thing is on the way to the heart of our galaxy. What are you going to do about it?
KIRK: Matt, take it easy.
MCCOY: The first thing we're going to do is get you back to the Enterprise.
DECKER: Oh, no, I stay here. I'm not leaving my ship!
KIRK: It's a dead...... all right Matt. Bones, stay here and take Commodore Decker down to whatever's left of sick bay. I'm returning to the Enterprise with Mr. Scott. Once we've gotten clear of the subspace interference and warned Starfleet, we'll return to pick you and the damage control party up. Kirk to Enterprise!
SPOCK: Spock here, captain.
KIRK: Beam Scotty and I back now.

Sucks to be the damage control party!

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

I wouldn't date Janice Lester.

I would. Everything worked out in the end.

Prefer not to date a bag full of crazy. (Also see Karidian, Lenore)
Speaking of Kodos...call the cops!!!!!!

Lenore Karidian? She's totally worth putting up with the insanity. Take a good look at her!

On the other hand, Lester? You can kick her into the air lock....beam her to the abandoned corridors of Exo III...find the flying neural parasites' home world and drop her...from an open shuttle craft door...

 

[Rojixus]

Tow the Botany bay over to the nearest starbase, let them handle that shit.

 

[Greg Cox]

I wouldn't date Janice Lester.

I would. Everything worked out in the end.

Prefer not to date a bag full of crazy. (Also see Karidian, Lenore)
Speaking of Kodos...call the cops!!!!!!

To be fair, Kirk had no way of knowing that Lenore was crazy when they first met. She was an actress, and possibly the innocent daughter of a suspected war criminal, but she didn't come off as crazy until that final meltdown. Indeed, the episode takes pains to establish that Lenore wasn't even born when Kodos executed all those people on Tarsus IV.

Heck, not even Kodos knew that Lenore was the killer.

(And this is where I shamelessly mention that Lenore returns in my most recent Trek novel, Foul Deeds Will Rise.)

 

[Nerys Myk]

I would. Everything worked out in the end.

Prefer not to date a bag full of crazy. (Also see Karidian, Lenore)
Speaking of Kodos...call the cops!!!!!!

To be fair, Kirk had no way of knowing that Lenore was crazy when they first met. She was an actress, and possibly the innocent daughter of a suspected war criminal, but she didn't come off as crazy until that final meltdown. Indeed, the episode takes pains to establish that Lenore wasn't even born when Kodos executed all those people on Tarsus IV.

Heck, not even Kodos knew that Lenore was the killer.

(And this is where I shamelessly mention that Lenore returns in my most recent Trek novel, Foul Deeds Will Rise.)

The gift of hindsight is in play here. I'm here to help Kirk. Good book.

Lenore Karidian? She's totally worth putting up with the insanity. Take a good look at her!

Oh, I have. Trust me I have.

I've also dealt with real life crazy. It's not all it's cracked up to be. No matter how pretty the package.

 

[ToddPence]

The USS Enterprise. Can destroy an entire planet in "A Taste of Armageddon", but can't destroy one lousy asteroid in "The Paradise Syndrome".

 

[Rojixus]

The USS Enterprise. Can destroy an entire planet in "A Taste of Armageddon", but can't destroy one lousy asteroid in "The Paradise Syndrome".

Clearly the asteroid was made out of Unobtanium #4780. Also, subspace was involved somehow...maybe.

 

[Warped9]

The USS Enterprise. Can destroy an entire planet in "A Taste of Armageddon", but can't destroy one lousy asteroid in "The Paradise Syndrome".

I think the problem with just blasting the asteroid would be the risk of shards of it still getting through.

And in ATOA I don't think they were referring to literally taking the planet apart. I think they meant they could destroy all life on the planet or destroy enough of the planet's infrastructure to send them all back to the stone age including millions of deaths along the way. "Destroy" depends on your perspective I suppose.

 

[Greg Cox]

The USS Enterprise. Can destroy an entire planet in "A Taste of Armageddon", but can't destroy one lousy asteroid in "The Paradise Syndrome".

I think the problem with just blasting the asteroid would be the risk of shards of it still getting through.

And in ATOA I don't think they were referring to literally taking the planet apart. I think they meant they could destroy all life on the planet or destroy enough of the planet's infrastructure to send them all back to the stone age including millions of deaths along the way. "Destroy" depends on your perspective I suppose.

That's my take on it, too. The Enterprise isn't the Death Star; it can't blow the planet to smithereens. But it can conceivably incinerate any civilization on the surface of the planet.

 

[BillJ]

The USS Enterprise. Can destroy an entire planet in "A Taste of Armageddon", but can't destroy one lousy asteroid in "The Paradise Syndrome".

I think the problem with just blasting the asteroid would be the risk of shards of it still getting through.

And in ATOA I don't think they were referring to literally taking the planet apart. I think they meant they could destroy all life on the planet or destroy enough of the planet's infrastructure to send them all back to the stone age including millions of deaths along the way. "Destroy" depends on your perspective I suppose.

That's my take on it, too. The Enterprise isn't the Death Star; it can't blow the planet to smithereens. But it can conceivably incinerate any civilization on the surface of the planet.

That was always my interpretation as well.

 

[T'Girl]

The more advanced and interconnected the society in "A Taste of Armageddon" was, likely the easier it would be for the Enterprise to take it down.

Fry the computers and shut down the power grid.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

In "A Taste of Armageddon", there's not much left to interpretation regarding what the Enterprise will do. Dialog:

SCOTT: The entire inhabited surface of your planet will be destroyed.

Sounds like a brute force barrage with phasers and photon torpedoes over the entire planet's surface.

 

[Warped9]

In "A Taste of Armageddon", there's not much left to interpretation regarding what the Enterprise will do. Dialog:

SCOTT: The entire inhabited surface of your planet will be destroyed.

Sounds like a brute force barrage with phasers and photon torpedoes over the entire planet's surface.

That still sounds like killing everyone rather than dismantling the planet itself. Besides destroy enough that also releases deadly radiation and not everyone has to die immediately.