A second five-year mission after ST:TMP?

[Captain Rob]

I like the idea of there being a second five-year mission, even if it isn't "canon." I also envision them changing their outfits quickly to the TWOK-on uniforms about a year into their mission, as I can't bear the thought of our heroes zipping around the galaxy in earth-tone pajamas with footies for a full five years! Can you imagine the laughter of Klingons when they'd see those outfits? Esp. the footies?

You might be suprised. The TNG Klingons would respect them. "How strong and powerful and without fear these Federation warriors must be to enter into pitched battle in their jim jams."

 

[T'Boggan]

So who was in command of the second big mission. Why isnt he or she talked about?
Was it a disaster...or just a bit mundane
Could be after 5 years out there the enterprise was 'rested', posted home. with the crew in training, on a gap year ect. The Enterprise would be refit and upgraded for future service.
More likely that than straight back into deep space. After all if Enterprise was the only Federation ship with a capable captain and crew, the Federation would never have gotten past Alpha Proxima.
Enterprise could have spent years on local runs, back up missions to planets to report on progress or effects of federation contact. A whole progression of Officers and Crewmen could have served aboard on training missions. Military life ist all about the 'sharp end'

 

[Londo]

But I would still like to think that a "star hour free" time period preceded the second movie.

Would Kirk's brief retirement featued in Generations not fit in there? However it does seem a bit odd that he would then resolve to return to starfleet simply to supervise cadet training ships, which seems about as boring as whatever it was that pushed him to retire in the first place.
But I guess teaching the next generation is "making a difference."

 

[vess]

Would Kirk's brief retirement featued in Generations not fit in there? However it does seem a bit odd that he would then resolve to return to starfleet simply to supervise cadet training ships, which seems about as boring as whatever it was that pushed him to retire in the first place.
But I guess teaching the next generation is "making a difference."

I always wondered where that small retirement fit in chronologically. I mean, there's no real indication based on Kirk's age or uniform because he was wearing/aged based on 2293 when he was pulled into the Nexus.

There's a line where Kirk realizes where and when he is. He states that this is "X years ago". I don't remember the number, but have narrowed it down to 6,7, or 9. There's something about his dog dying as well that leads me to believe he said "nine" in the original quote. That would put his short retirement sometime before The Wrath of Khan.

 

[Timo]

Kirk spoke of the cabin being nine years in the past of 2293, yes. Before the time-and-place jump to the stables, that is.

We might consider that Kirk never said he retired. He only said that he would discuss his "returning to Starfleet" with Antonia, apparently so that he did indeed return in the original reality, but had decided not to do so in the Nexus reality. But we never learned of the nature of his absence.

Perhaps Kirk had been pondering not returning from a weekend leave - but was going to reverse this Friday plan as Sunday dawned?

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Londo]

To remember frying some eggs nine years prior means its got to be a bit more momentus than that. I dont recall Kirk having a photographic memory!
The implication is that the relationship was ended by his returning to starfleet. Antonia would have to not know Kirk very well if he was on a couple of months leave and she expected him not to go back. Hence the presumption of a brief retirement.

 

[Timo]

The implication is the relationship was ended by his returning from starfleet. Antonia would have to not know Kirk very well if he was on a couple of months leave and she expected him not to go back. Hence the presumption of a bief retirement.

Why would the two need to "know well"? Antonia could be utterly insignificant to Kirk as a person. He'd only be lamenting the fact that he never worked up the courage to leave Starfleet when he should have, and thinking that one of his random flings from a decade ago would have provided the perfect excuse to do that.

That is, Kirk probably ended a dozen (or a hundred) relationships that way. Re-presented with one of them (randomly picked), he decided to take a different course.

Or then he didn't. After all, the Nexus supposedly obeyed his subconscious will. But he didn't will the Nexus into letting him retire... Instead, he surprised himself with a different, even more far-reaching idea, and launched the "stable scenario".

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Londo]

The Kirk at the beginning of the film is clearly not very happy with retirement, and looks quite satsfied when he sits in the Captains chair of the Enterprise-B. Scotty's Line 'Finding retirement a little lonely are we?' then Kirks defensive resort to humor give the strong implication that its the relationship thats at issue in the nexus rather than Kirk regretting not retiring earlier.

 

[ClayinCA]

The whole thing could have salvaged with rewriting a line, changing "five years out there" to "my years out there."

I always thought that that line referred to "five years out there" on the Enterprise specifically, even though Kirk doesn't expressly say so.