Does anyone else miss log entries in the movies?

[JonnyQuest037]

Rewatching ST:TMP on SyFy this morning reminds me of something that this movie did that not many of the other TOS features did: Kirk recording a log entry over an exterior shot of the ship. It's a little thing, but it's one of those things that help make it feel a little bit more like Star Trek.

Of course, I realize that the real reason log entries weren't used in the movies is that they were largely a device for recapping the plot when coming back from a commercial break, but still, I wish they could have fit them in. Did anyone else miss the log entry voice overs in ST 2-6? Any suggestions on good places the creators could have fit them in?

 

[SchwEnt]

Kirk did record a great final log entry in TUC.
Kinda the log entry of all log entries, yes?

 

[JarodRussell]

I thought TSFS, TVH and TFF all had log entries.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I thought TSFS, TVH and TFF all had log entries.

Maybe I'm misremembering, but I believe that only TMP has Kirk making log entries within the body of the film instead of just at the beginning or the end. That was what I meant above if it wasn't clear.

 

[Harvey]

Not really. On the television show, besides being used to set up each episode, their purpose seemed to be to catch up viewers at the beginning of each ad break who were either just joining or not been paying close attention. That wasn't really needed in the movies, which seemed to only use them for the purposes of set-up (or a gag, like in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier).

 

[T'Girl]

There was an important log entry during The Undiscovered Counrty where Kirk spoke of the death of David, how it was the Klingons who killed his son and that he did not trust Klingons. This was apparently provided to the Klingons at some point, perhaps by the conspirators aboard the Enterprise A (Lieutenant Valeris or one of the others).

This would have been important information for members of the audience who did not see
The Search for Spock.

 

[Harvey]

True. It also had the benefit of figuring directly in the plot, since it was referenced in the trial.

Now I'm questioning my recall as to when logs were used in the films. Something to pay attention to next time I see them.

 

[Green Shirt]

Plus, the logs were a device to help catch up viewers on action and information that didn't necessarily occur onscreen. This was sometimes due to the fact there wasn't enough time in an episode to play out a particular scene. There may have been less reason to have constant log entries in the movies because there was more time available for story.

 

[Shon T'Hara]

Star Trek II: Chekov makes a log entry for the Reliant when they reach Ceti Alpha V/VI. Kirk does a log at the end ("If Genesis truly is life from lifelessness")

Star Trek III: Kirk makes a log entry before the Enterprise reaches space dock.

Star Trek IV: Kirk updates the Bounty's log before leaving Vulcan.

Star Trek V: Kirk tries to make a log entry en route to Nimbus III.

Star Trek VI: Sulu makes a log entry at the beginning; Kirk updates his personal log with his misgivings about the peace conference; Kirk enters one final log before ordering the Enterprise to make a suicide dive into Khitomer's sun.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Star Trek II: Chekov makes a log entry for the Reliant when they reach Ceti Alpha V/VI. Kirk does a log at the end ("If Genesis truly is life from lifelessness")

Star Trek III: Kirk makes a log entry before the Enterprise reaches space dock.

Star Trek IV: Kirk updates the Bounty's log before leaving Vulcan.

Star Trek V: Kirk tries to make a log entry en route to Nimbus III.

Star Trek VI: Sulu makes a log entry at the beginning; Kirk updates his personal log with his misgivings about the peace conference; Kirk enters one final log before ordering the Enterprise to make a suicide dive into Khitomer's sun.

Like I said, most of these were at the beginning or end of the film, to either bring the viewer up to speed or to wrap the story up. The STV log entry was just to set up a lame gag, and the STVI one was to set up the later plot point at Kirk & McCoy's trial. TMP seems to be the only Original Series movie that uses log entries in a similiar way to the TV series in the middle of the story. I wonder if that was more a function of that particular story or Roddenberry's contribution.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Not really. On the television show, besides being used to set up each episode, their purpose seemed to be to catch up viewers at the beginning of each ad break who were either just joining or not been paying close attention. That wasn't really needed in the movies, which seemed to only use them for the purposes of set-up (or a gag, like in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier).

This. I can't think of how the captain's log "device" could have been used more effectively in the movies than the scene-setters we got. The closest to it's TOS-style use (which was essentially "If you're just joining us...") was the beginning of STIII.

 

[Broccoli]

Star Trek II: Chekov makes a log entry for the Reliant when they reach Ceti Alpha V/VI. Kirk does a log at the end ("If Genesis truly is life from lifelessness")

Star Trek III: Kirk makes a log entry before the Enterprise reaches space dock.

Star Trek IV: Kirk updates the Bounty's log before leaving Vulcan.

Star Trek V: Kirk tries to make a log entry en route to Nimbus III.

Star Trek VI: Sulu makes a log entry at the beginning; Kirk updates his personal log with his misgivings about the peace conference; Kirk enters one final log before ordering the Enterprise to make a suicide dive into Khitomer's sun.

Like I said, most of these were at the beginning or end of the film, to either bring the viewer up to speed or to wrap the story up. The STV log entry was just to set up a lame gag, and the STVI one was to set up the later plot point at Kirk & McCoy's trial. TMP seems to be the only Original Series movie that uses log entries in a similiar way to the TV series in the middle of the story. I wonder if that was more a function of that particular story or Roddenberry's contribution.

It seems like your splitting hairs. More often than not, log entries were used at the beginning of the episode to bring people up to speed. As pointed out by others, this function was used several times in the movies.

Also, I don't see how Kirk's log entry in the middle of TMP is any different than the rest of those. Like them, it brought viewers up to speed.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

It seems like your splitting hairs. More often than not, log entries were used at the beginning of the episode to bring people up to speed. As pointed out by others, this function was used several times in the movies.

Also, I don't see how Kirk's log entry in the middle of TMP is any different than the rest of those. Like them, it brought viewers up to speed.

It's different because it's occuring midstory (like the return from a commercial break) instead of at the beginning or at the end. I don't think it's that difficult of a concept to grasp.

 

[Broccoli]

It is not at all a difficult concept. You felt a lack of mid-movie log entries made it feel less like TOS, even though beginning log entries made it exactly like TOS.

Although, I'd argue that TUC's log entry about a quarter into the film which had Kirk talk about the Klingons did what you were looking for. It brought people up to speed not only what has happened in the movie thus far, but gave some background in regards to the previous movies.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Spock's log entry in STXI, used to reflect on the magnitude of what had just happened (the destruction of Vulcan and the death of Amanda), was probably the best one ever.

 

[Yevetha]

Never missed it.