Decker's Abrupt Choice to Join V'GER

[2takesfrakes]

In STAR TREK: The Motion Picture, Commander Will Decker suddenly decides to $ave the Earth and wrap up the movie in one, swift stroke by giving his life up to V'GER by "joining" with it. For those knowledgeable of the events shown in TMP, why would he do this? Disregarding what the novelisation might've added, or other 'outside' sources, might've indicated, what in the movie itself indicates that Decker would even be inclined to do this? Determining his motivation is problematic, at best, especially when V'GER didn't seem to alter its plans, at all, when finally confronted with its true origins. Come Hell or High Water, it was going to join with someTHING, or someONE, and it didn't care who or what, at that point. It didn't even try to investigate an alternative, even with its vast resources and enormous intellect.

 

[Vger23]

I think, from V'Ger's perspective, there was no more logical and efficient way of obtaining the knowledge it sought. Also, if you recall, V'Ger determined that joining was needed to help it transcend into another plane of existence.

As for Decker, it's hard to say because we don't know a lot about what drove him. If he was a scientist before he went down the command path (which can be assumed given his role as temporary science officer), maybe he was inherently extremely curious. Maybe the way his father had died played a crucial role in this decision. I think his feelings toward Ilia were potentially very influential.

 

[Pauln6]

I think on some level he believed that joining with V'Ger would reunite him with Ilia. That's as far as they delve into his motivation in the movie. But in the same way that [spoilers] NuKirk sacrificed himself by kicking the Enterprise better, one could also argue that it was a numbers game - that the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the one. It was simply his choice to save life on Earth.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

In STAR TREK: The Motion Picture, Commander Will Decker suddenly decides to $ave the Earth and wrap up the movie in one, swift stroke by giving his life up to V'GER by "joining" with it. For those knowledgeable of the events shown in TMP, why would he do this?

 

[Overgeeked]

Because the thing had already absorbed the love of his life, Ilia. Remember, Ilia and Decker were a proto Riker and Troi. If some alien probe bad absorbed Diana and mentioned that merging with another human would help it, Riker would be the first to volunteer.

 

[Overgeeked]

Oh. Ouch.

 

[2takesfrakes]

 

[Khan 2.0]

Maybe Decker was a replicant

 

[Lance]

I think we have our answer.

 

[Locutus of Bored]

In STAR TREK: The Motion Picture, Commander Will Decker suddenly decides to $ave the Earth and wrap up the movie in one, swift stroke by giving his life up to V'GER by "joining" with it. For those knowledgeable of the events shown in TMP, why would he do this? Disregarding what the novelisation might've added, or other 'outside' sources, might've indicated, what in the movie itself indicates that Decker would even be inclined to do this? Determining his motivation is problematic, at best, especially when V'GER didn't seem to alter its plans, at all, when finally confronted with its true origins. Come Hell or High Water, it was going to join with someTHING, or someONE, and it didn't care who or what, at that point. It didn't even try to investigate an alternative, even with its vast resources and enormous intellect.

All joking aside, I think it's a combination of several factors at play (in order of importance):

- Decker is sacrificing himself to save all life on Earth. Which, if you've got to go, is a pretty damned good reason, and also his duty as a member of Starfleet.

- Decker is a scientist, an explorer, and he's being presented with the opportunity to join with a vast, powerful intellect that has literally spanned galaxies, and to shape the next step in that intellect's evolutionary path as it heads off to explore new realms and new levels of consciousness.

- Decker is given a second chance at being with Ilia (or at least her perfect replica), the woman he loves.

- Decker was feeling a bit Kirkblocked after Kirk took command of the Enterprise, his prized assignment. He may have felt he had something to prove.

 

[shapeshifter]

That's what I was thinking. He didn't "stop competing" with Kirk as ordered. Kirk may have the Enterprise but he would be the hero.

 

[Terok Nor]

 

[J.T.B.]

In the Tomorrow Is Yesterday book, it is was acknowledged by several people that the Decker story wasn't given enough setup and the grounds for his decision were weakly established in the film.

 

[Kor]

Ilia's oath previously precluded the possibility of Decker and Ilia ever "joining," and that's the thing that Decker wanted most. At last, this was his opportunity to have that transcendental experience for all eternity.

I think that fits in with Roddenberry's initial vision of TMP, a very socially liberal world in which nobody wore clothes and there was a profession called "love instructors."

Kor

 

[2takesfrakes]

Onboard V'GER's vessel, Decker, Kirk, Spock & Bones are spinning theories about what V'GER needs to evolve. Meanwhile, Decker & The Ilia Probe are exchanging curious glances at each other, like ...
".... whuh? Did you want something?"
".... huh? whuh? What's the matter?"
The implication seems to be that all of this Carbon Unit speak is above the probe and V'GER's head, which I kind of find hard to believe. Excluding V'GER from the debate over what it needs is an interesting choice, but she's right there ... and it does seem awkward, that she doesn't pipe up and say what's on her mind on her home turf.

Then Bones asks, "this machine actually wants to join with a Human? Is that possible?" And Decker's immediate response is, "let's find out," which just seems to be there just to cut the debate short, instead of presenting the best course of action. And as Decker proceeds to make ready for the joining, Bones blurts out, "Decker! You don't know what that'll do to you!" And Decker goes, "... yes, I do, Doctor!"

No, you don't! You, yourself, just said, "... let's find out." And whilst it's interesting how Decker compares Kirk's commandeering the Enterprise to his joining with V'GER, I didn't get the impression that he was still bugged by it. He seems more interested in bringing our story full circle, with that line of dialogue, because it wouldn't be at all obvious, without it.

Bones is counting down til Earth's destruction, but it's just taken as an FYI. Kirk, Spock & Bones are debating more with eachother than with Decker. The only real pressure to do this thing is coming from The Ilia Probe and the implication most certainly seems to be that a woman as hot as Persis Khambatta was is worth dying for. It may be the least important of all possible reasons to join with V'GER but it is the only one that's seemingly exerting any force, here.

But when Ilia got fried, Decker's only reaction was to snap a belated comeback to Kirk about how to define "unwarranted." This so undermined Ilia as a motivation and yet, 'they' kept playing it up, in this movie. It's hard to say, really, but had Wise directed the actors better, at least the Ilia angle would've played. The only time the Decker/Ilia 'romance' has any heart to it is when she catches him in the hall and asks why he didn't say 'good-bye' on Delta IV. Which lasted for only a millisecond ...

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

I think it would've been better had the probe gone with Spock, with Kirk volunteering to join with V'Ger at the end, to stay with his best friend and explore the galaxy in a whole new way--leaving Decker to take command of the Enterprise.

 

[Kor]

I think it would've been better had the probe gone with Spock, with Kirk volunteering to join with V'Ger at the end, to stay with his best friend and explore the galaxy in a whole new way--leaving Decker to take command of the Enterprise.

I vaguely remember that one of the early story ideas may have been basically like this, but I could be remembering wrong. Years ago another poster used to mention this idea in TMP discussions.

Kor

 

[DonIago]

I have to say, if it had panned out that way the slash-writers would have had a field decade.

 

[Bry_Sinclair]

^ Though these days people would be trying to pass it off as a "bromance"

 

[publiusr]

The idea was to get rid of the "nobodies" and get the TOS crew together Decker and mate were in the way.