I think the transporters are broken

This post contains SPOILERS based on all available information so don't read on if you want to be unsullied on May 14th 2013!

I have come to the conclusion that a MAJOR PLOT POINT of STID will be that the Enterprise's transporters are not functioning. There is much evidence.

First of all there is the fact that the Enterprise is hiding underwater in the opening scene. Many are unfairly saying this is stupid and just being done as an excuse to have a "cool" shot of the Enterprise rising out of the ocean, that it makes no sense and theere's no reason why the Enterprise can't be in orbit.

But imagine if the transporters are broken. The Enterprise would HAVE to go underwater to get the away team to the planet. It is logical.

Secondly of all there is Kirk and Doctor Bones swimming to the underwater Enterprise. Why would they not just be beamed there? What POSSIBLE reason could there be for them to swim? Some will say it's an excuse for a "cool" action scene where an alien sharks tries to eat them and Kirk defeats it with a karate kick to the nose. I say the transporters are broken and that's why they have to siwm.

Finally and thirdly of all there is a shot in the trailer of Spock diving off the roof of the Enteprise and onto an Earth city below. Why would he have to do this if the transporters weren't broken? The ONLY possible explanation is that they are. Not even JJ would have Spock dive off the roof of the Enterprise onto an Earth city below for no reason!

Furthermore I believe it will be explained that the transporters don't work because of SCOTTY tinkering with them after the events of Star Trek 09 where old Spock gave him a code that somehow allowed him to programme a transporter to beam himself and Kirk out of a star system and into the Enterprise that was travelling at warp, even though they didn't know the Enterprise's location. Obviously such a transporter improvement is ludicrous and cannot be allowed to stand so it will be "retconned" in STID by explaining that it has caused all the transporters on the Enterprise to blow up after Scotty tried to modify them. This could also be where Old Spock's cameo comes in, to warn Scotty about this BUT IT'S TOO LATE.

This will give Scotty a character arc where he feels guilty for breaking the transporters. He will sacrifice himself in the end to free Simon Pegg up for more romantic comedies and Keenser will play the bagpipes at his funeral in a double reference to Warth of Khan.

 

But in the nine-minute trailer, they say they can use transporters to beam up Spock if they have a better line of sight.

 

Sulu says in the 9-minute preview that the strong magnetic field of the planet prevents transporters working except for when they have direct line-of-sight - hence them having to take the Enterprise up and hover over the volcano to beam Spock up.

 

Here we go...

 

Maybe this "line of sigh" technobabble is BECAUSE of Scotty tinkering with the transporters and breaking them. I mean, if they can beam to a ship in warp in another star system whose location they don't know why would some magnets stop them?

Also if you look at the trailers there are some shots where Scotty looks really guilty.

 

Why don't we have a facepalm smilie?

 

And all those shuttles are only for decoration, I suppose. They're space sleds, and it's Christmas after all.

 

I think you need the herb dude.

 

Perhaps certain magnetic fields (such as the type they are experiencing in that scene) screw up the transporter in a way they cannot overcome. When they are simply at warp, Scotty is able to rig it so the transporters work.

...Basically, a reason that magnetic fields screw up the transporters in a way that can't be overcome -- but warp fields don't -- could simply be because the movie tell us that is so.

 

You do realise they will have to pull that scene now?

 

I have already written to JJ and told hm he is never to have bagpipes or that piece of shit tin whistle thing. If someone is dead they should just beam a grand piano into the funeral bay and play something sweet on that.

 

The Enterprise theme song? Altogether now...'it's a been long road...

 

The "invention" of the transporter was an easy way to expedite the action in TOS. But within story, they were incredibly inconvenient to have around when you wanted your heroes to be in peril. Hence the convoluted traditions dreamt up (even in ST09) of how they can be mucked up. The magnetic field of the planet requiring Spock to be in "line of sight" just adds to the list.

It's an homage, people!

 

I would laugh my ass off!!

 

And then there was TMP.

Best not to think of it.

 

That was not a pretty way to die.

 

For what it's worth, in "The Savage Curtain", lava conditions affected the ability of the transporter to work well. It also couldn't work well if warp power was very low. Both of those conditions are kind of related to the The First Nine Minutes (Spock in a volcano. The Enterprise under water with the warp engines most likely entirely powered down.) Again, for what it's worth.

 

Pig Lizard!

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW-NiGp1gys[/yt]