On the contrary, it's purpose was pretty clear to me and a lot of other people: to foul up the rescue of the Nibirians so that Kirk would get in trouble. It completely ignored the already established capabilities of ship and crew to set up a visible pratfall that fueled the needs of the plot. And it did it in a completely obvious way.
It was done to show Kirk still wasn't mature enough to be captain. As far as ship capabilities go: the TOS Enterprise survived be shot around the Sun, going through the galactic barrier, swimming in protoplasm. Not sure water is somehow beyond its capabilities.
No, what was deliberately nerfed was the transporter. There was no need for the shuttle, let alone the
Enterprise to even enter the atmosphere.
JJ Kirk did nothing that Prime Kirk would not have done, but the writers made it so that it wouldn't work for him. And they ignore their
own continuity to do so.
Condition or application of the tech serves the purpose of the story. If it's time for certain pieces of equipment to malfunction, or not function properly under certain conditions, then so be it. The needs of the story outweigh the needs of the tech.
However, in fairness, what would
this opening have been like?
Paramount Logo
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Enterprise in orbit of Nibiru.
Interior shot of Enterprise bridge:
KIRK: Spock?
SPOCK: It is just as I suspected, Captain. The supervolcano on Nibiru is about to erupt. When it does, it will plummet the world into a very long volcanic winter.
KIRK: Life forms?
SPOCK: The life forms on the planet are primitive humanoids who likely have just invented their own wheel. They are not equipped to deal with the conditions that will be created as the supervolcano's ash envelops Nibiru. Also, life form readings indicate that there is a native settlement just a few kilometers from the base of the volcano. They will not survive the opening seconds of the initial blast.
McCOY: How long do they have, Spock?
SPOCK: Less than seven minutes, Doctor. However, I must also point out that the Prime Directive prevents us from acting in this matter.
McCOY: The Prime Directive?! We're talking about billions of lives. Now sure, they might be on some backwater, no tech world in the middle of nowhere, but they are still
lives!
SPOCK: I sympathize, Dr. McCoy, but emotional outbursts will not change the facts that our hands are tied by Federation law.
McCOY: Spock, you're about as inhuman and green blooded as they get.
SPOCK: Why, thank you, Doctor.
McCOY: (exasperated) Jim, we can't leave these poor bastards to that kind of fate!
SPOCK: Jim, as captain of this ship, you are bound to observe and uphold Federation laws.
KIRK: (pensive for a few seconds) In life, laws fall silent.
SPOCK: Sir?
KIRK: A positive twist on an otherwise morbid proverb I'd heard once before. Spock, what would it take to stop that volcano from erupting?
SPOCK: Were I not constrained by the Prime Directive, I could fashion a cold fusion device in a matter of minutes. It would, as you might say, be cutting it close. With our transporter, we could then beam it into the heart of the volcano. It would detonate as the volcano began its eruption, rendering the volcano inert. The most the Nibiru would see is a large cough of steam...still fairly hot, but otherwise harmless.
KIRK: See, Spock, you just solved your own dilemma.
SPOCK looks confounded.
KIRK: Spock, the natives won't see what we're doing.
SPOCK raises an eyebrow in consideration.
KIRK: No witnesses!
McCOY: The way you just put it, Jim, that scares me. (cocks his head with a brief, characteristic smirk) I like it.
SPOCK: Your logic is....sound, Captain.
KIRK: Mr. Spock, make your automatic ice cube. We're about to cool that hotheaded son of a bitch down.
SPOCK: Yes, sir. (moves off swiftly to start his work)
Exterior shot of the Enterprise over Nibiru. Even from orbit, we can see a plume of smoke on the planet's lush surface.
Exterior shot on the planet's surface. The native Nibiru tribe at the settlement near the supervolcano's base have gaping, blank expressions on their faces as the throat of the volcano belches a plume of smoke into the air.
Interior shot at a fabrication facility on the Enterprise. Spock hastily, but with precision, builds his giant ice cube.
Interior shot of the bridge:
KIRK: Chekov, time from Spock's last mark?
CHEKOV: Two minutes, seventeen seconds, Keptin.
SULU: (looking grim at Kirk and McCoy) They're not gonna make it, are they?
CHEKOV: Meester Spock'll come through.
UHURA: (at Spock's science station) Captain, registering ground shocks at the base of the volcano!
Just then, a voice sounds over the bridge intercom.
SCOTTY: Cap'n. Spock's here in th' transpor'er room wi' tha' giant block o' ice ye' ordered.
KIRK: Beam it into the heart of that supervolcano, now, Scotty.
SCOTTY: Aye, Cap'n. (a couple of seconds pass) It's sent.
Interior shot of supervolcano. The lava rages and surges, preparing to blast skyward, threatening doom all of Nibiru for decades to come.
At the local village, the ground trembles violently, and inexplicably as far as the primitive natives are concerned. Their tribal shaman begins holding up what appears to be a holy, sacred scripture, and bellows out a fearsome chant. The natives all drop to their knees, bowing, or swaying in supplication, solemnly repeating their shaman's chant.
Amidst the churning cauldron of fire, a shimmering glow appears on a rock in the middle of the fire lake. It resolves and materializes into a glowing blue device. It appears just in the nick of time as the lava around the device starts to spew upward. In reaction, the device explodes a gigantic blue aura.
Exterior in the local Nibiru village. A giant white plume of steam issues from the mouth of the supervolcano.
Interior Enterprise bridge: Everyone cheers.
KIRK: Congratulations, Spock. You just saved the planet.
CHEKOV: (turns to Sulu...and says discreetly) You owe me feefty credits.
SULU: (disbelieving) Whaaaat? I don't owe you feef---fifty credits. We didn't bet on anything.
CHEKOV: (chuckling) Vell, if ve deed bet, I vould have bet on Meester Spock...and you vould have owed me feefty credits.
SULU: Glad I'm not a betting man.
CHEKOV: Sure.... poker face.
Chekov and Sulu both shake their heads and laugh.
KIRK: Mr. Sulu, get us the hell out of here. We'll come back and do a ground survey at another time.
SULU: Aye, sir. Course plotted for "the hell out of here."
The natives, sensing the cessation of the tremors, look up from their most desperate prayers. The shaman looks up at the volcano. Unbeknownst to and unseen by the villagers behind him, he breathes a sigh of relief. Then he composes himself, and dramatically turns to face his followers. He barks something at them in their native tongue: something that intones "behold the mercy of Nibir!" The villagers cry out in praise to their god.
Fade to the shot of the top of the Enterprise, and pulling back as the Enterprise zips into warp.
Cue opening title: STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS
-------------------
Eh?
I tried to make it something that would (maybe) satisfy your tastes, Phantom....but I still prefer the opening as it was presented.
With the opening I just presented, conceivably Spock could still submit his report that, despite Kirk's compelling reasoning and direct orders, violated the Prime Directive. That could then lead to a bit more of a toned down version of the dressing down that Kirk and Spock get from Admiral Pike. Starfleet brass could still be peeved, and decide to take Kirk's ship away from him...and Into Darkness could still largely continue as it did from there.
Again though.... I still prefer the film as is.
... Except for the above - I don't get the reference.
) I probably could've had him say: "Inter Vide, Enim Silent Leges".
