Chekov in ST:IV: Master Troll or Moron?

[Tribble puncher]

I've always wondered this when watching Star Trek IV (except when I was a kid, then I just thought it was funny) When Chekov gets caught aboard the Aircraft Carrier Enterprise, and he is being interrogated, is he:

A.) Freely giving information because he knows that his 20th century captors will not believe him, so he is basically stalling for time by confusing them, because he knows eventually Kirk and crew will rescue him.

B.) The scene was written for him to be naive for comedy's sake, he wasn't stalling.

I'm just curious as to other people's thoughts, how they read that scene.

 

[Kronos]

It was written for comedy to make him look like a fool.

 

[donners22]

For all Meyer's strengths as a writer, he did tend to make the supporting characters look stupid. See VI, for instance - Rand asking if they report that a bloody Klingon moon has exploded, Uhura not being able to speak Klingon, Chekov with the boots, etc.

 

[Tribble puncher]

It was written for comedy to make him look like a fool.

It seems odd because in the very next Film Chekov keeps Sybok Distracted for the better part of an hour to cover for the failed hostage extraction.

 

[Tosk]

Uhura not being able to speak Klingon

When was it established that Uhura could speak Klingon?

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

Both. I always laugh at the scene in which Chekov runs across the deck of the aircraft carrier. I’m convinced that my TrekBBS namesake had someone else in mind as first officer of the Reliant but was forced to take on Chekov after that person was promoted/killed in action.

 

[Mojochi]

It's only a tiny exchange. Given how little any of them apparently know about the time period, I have to think it was supposed to be more of the lost in translation stuff, similar to Kirk's double dumbass on you. Hell, at dinner Kirk acts like he's never had a beer before. They DO deliberately have the interrogator speaking very colloquially.

Interrogator: Alright. Let's take it from the top
Chekov: The top of what?
Int: Name?
Chekov: My name? (Which he'd already told him & he'd read for himself, even if he didn't believe it)
Int: No... My name (Sarcasm? I mean come on)
Chekov: I do not know your name
Int: You play games with me mister and you're through
Chekov: I am? May I go now?

I honestly don't think he's being all that dumb, but I do think it's genuine

 

[Pauln6]

Considering he was security chief in TMP, I think all the subsequent movies portrayed Chekov as rather dumb but Tmp is the aberration really , since he was never really suited to the role. Weapons officer yes, security chief no. Chekov was more sciency and was useless in a fight. Yeoman Landon could have kicked his ass.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Chekov didn't major in late 20th century America-Russia foreign relations, and everything he claims to "know" about Russia is dead wrong (so either that says something about the state of education in 23rd century Russia, or he's always kidding with deadpan delivery to the point where crew aren't sure if he's joking or dead serious) or told in the best possible light to make Russia look awesome (they invented EVERYTHING, did you know that?)

He doesn't see anything wrong with asking where the nuclear wessels are. He thinks it's like asking someone in the 2200s where spacedock is. He doesn't stop to consider that his accent makes his seemingly innocent question appear like the world's dumbest spy. And I wonder where they think Uhura is from, if they had caught her.

 

[Tribble puncher]

Considering he was security chief in TMP, I think all the subsequent movies portrayed Chekov as rather dumb but Tmp is the aberration really , since he was never really suited to the role. Weapons officer yes, security chief no. Chekov was more sciency and was useless in a fight. Yeoman Landon could have kicked his ass.

That's a good point, he really was never suited for security. Though Koenig played a great government spook in B5.

 

[Tribble puncher]

Chekov didn't major in late 20th century America-Russia foreign relations, and everything he claims to "know" about Russia is dead wrong (so either that says something about the state of education in 23rd century Russia, or he's always kidding with deadpan delivery to the point where crew aren't sure if he's joking or dead serious) or told in the best possible light to make Russia look awesome (they invented EVERYTHING, did you know that?)

He doesn't see anything wrong with asking where the nuclear wessels are. He thinks it's like asking someone in the 2200s where spacedock is. He doesn't stop to consider that his accent makes his seemingly innocent question appear like the world's dumbest spy. And I wonder where they think Uhura is from, if they had caught her.

Well, Uhura didn't have any sort of accent, so they probably would have assumed she was a member of some sort of communist group in the US trying to overthrow it from within or something, I don't think her name would have raised any concern, I wonder what happened to the phaser and stuff Chekov left behind (sure that's been discussed here already but I must have missed it)

 

[trekfan39]

Well, Uhura didn't have any sort of accent, so they probably would have assumed she was a member of some sort of communist group in the US trying to overthrow it from within or something, I don't think her name would have raised any concern, I wonder what happened to the phaser and stuff Chekov left behind (sure that's been discussed here already but I must have missed it)

If I'm not mistaken there's a story about Gary 7 who had to deal with the phaser and communicator Chekov left on the Enterprise CVN-65 but I don't remember if it was a book or just a story someone made on their own.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I’m convinced that my TrekBBS namesake had someone else in mind as first officer of the Reliant but was forced to take on Chekov after that person was promoted/killed in action.

Well, from what I understand, Chekov was just the science officer when they were shooting TWOK, but Walter Koenig wanted his character to be bumped up, so he was promoted via voiceover to first officer.

 

[Captain Clark Terrell]

Well, from what I understand, Chekov was just the science officer when they were shooting TWOK, but Walter Koenig wanted his character to be bumped up, so he was promoted via voiceover to first officer.

Oh, brother. Sulu would have been a much more convincing XO.

 

[FormerLurker]

If I'm not mistaken there's a story about Gary 7 who had to deal with the phaser and communicator Chekov left on the Enterprise CVN-65 but I don't remember if it was a book or just a story someone made on their own.

I think that's one of John Byrne's ST: New Visions photocomics.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I think that's one of John Byrne's ST: New Visions photocomics.

No, Byrne hasn't really hit on the movie era in New Visions. The closest he's come is a tribute story to Arlene Martel after she passed away. I think @trekfan39 is thinking of one of @Greg Cox 's Khan novels.

 

[FormerLurker]

Well, I know trekfan is correct about there being such a story. I just didn't remember the format or author, and was guessing.

 

[Vger23]

Chekov's a dick