Sulu as Captain

[suarezguy]

Was it actually a good thing, including for Star Trek VI as film and for the rest of the cast also, that George Takei insisted on Sulu having become a captain by then?

In particular a lot of people complain about a lot more of the TNG era cast should have moved on, left the ship/advanced in careers earlier, with the original cast we did get that not from writers particularly wanting to, thinking that was good but actor wanting. insisting on it. Did that help at least in part to show, convince that a lot of time had passed and era had passed, was ending?

And also in the film Chekov has a decent if pretty goofy/love it or hate it role but would it have been less effective, felt pretty minimal if Chekov's material had somehow been split between Sulu and Chekov?

It's also kind of interesting comparison in that with the original cast we generally just don't expect the smaller 4 to have, get a lot of material and give a lot of contributions, just learning/assuming Scotty is going to retire and Uhura being involved with 2 or 3 moments feels like decent size roles for them.

 

[Turtletrekker]

I think it works simply because it's ridiculous to think that this entire crew would stick together in the same positions for as long as they did. Also, it plays into the theme that the previous era has passed and a new era is beginning.

 

[fireproof78]

Was it actually a good thing, including for Star Trek VI as film and for the rest of the cast also, that George Takei insisted on Sulu having become a captain by then?

I would say yes. It showed a broader dynamic within the crew, with some retiring and some going on in their careers. Sulu and Valeris are mirrors in some ways, one supporting their mentor and the other failing to learn the lessons of the mentor.

It's a good move for the story.

 

[FormerLurker]

Save for "Don't call me tiny" Sulu was the only character to not play a major role, either in the creation of Genesis, or the brief conspiracy to save Spock. Chekov was compromised by the Ceti eel, Uhura helped them beam aboard Enterprise to steal it, McCoy carried Spock's katra, Scotty sabotaged Excelsior...you get the idea.

As such, Sulu was probably the only one that could get away with being promoted away from Kirk in the first place.

 

[Uncle Sock]

Considering that 27 years have passed since The Original Series and The Undiscovered Country, it's absolutely believable that Sulu is a captain. In fact, I'm surprised that everyone else isn't a captain by then, given that Kirk's crew has repeatedly been called "the finest of Starfleet" and referred to as legends.

 

[Procutus]

I'm surprised that everyone else isn't a captain by then, given that Kirk's crew has repeatedly been called "the finest of Starfleet" and referred to as legends.

Agreed.

While it was not really a stretch to believe in TMP that they could all still be aboard the Enterprise doing the same jobs, as it was established in-universe that only three years had passed since the end of the 5YM.

As much as I enjoy the notion that the same basic crew then embarked on a second 5YM, it does seem unlikely that they would not begin to be promoted into positions other than driving the bus and overseeing the switchboard.

So I think it was perfectly fine that Sulu was captain by the time of STVI.

 

[tim0122]

I think one of them needed to become an actual captain by position not just rank. I can buy some of them wouldn't be interested. Spock and Scotty said outright why command wasn't right for them. Bones is too much a doctor (and by the time of VI too old) to ever captain a ship. I also see Uhura, like Scotty, having too much passion for her field to want to command.

That leaves Chekov and Sulu, who are both logical choices to captain a ship.

But, yeah, it's unlikely that ALL of them wouldn't get command at some point. So, I'm happy one of them did.

 

[Nerys Myk]

The entire TOS crew should have been "scattered to winds." by TWOK, much less TUC.

 

[Pauln6]

I think the actors could have had far more fun if their characters had moved on and were drawn back in. Chekov, Uhura, and Sulu all had the most fun when they weren't stuck in the background of scenes with Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. There wer a lot of missed oppotnities.

 

[FormerLurker]

The entire TOS crew should have been "scattered to winds." by TWOK, much less TUC.

They did. It's vague, but dialog early in the film makes it plain that they've come together at Kirk's invitation to be instructors for a "little training cruise". Because of those events, and those shortly after, they got crammed together long-term. Sulu barely squeaked his way out of it to get the command he was intended to have in the deleted scenes.

 

[Nerys Myk]

They did. It's vague, but dialog early in the film makes it plain that they've come together at Kirk's invitation to be instructors for a "little training cruise". Because of those events, and those shortly after, they got crammed together long-term. Sulu barely squeaked his way out of it to get the command he was intended to have in the deleted scenes.

They should have been separated. Was the A a punishment detail?

 

[fireproof78]

They should have been separated. Was the A a punishment detail?

They fiddled with Starfleet regulations and found out.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Realistically they wouldn't have all been together by ST VI except maybe for the part where Starfleet considered them 'problem children' after ST IV.

At the time of TMP, I like to think that LCDR Sulu would have been Decker's first officer, with Xon / Sonak strictly as science officer, before V'Ger and the shakeup. It would have been a logical progression for his character, especially if he completed Command School and the kobayashi maru test by then.

As for him being Excelsior's captain in ST VI, I think it was one of the best parts of the movie.

 

[FormerLurker]

If you remember the CIC's briefing, they were all splitting up again. Scotty bought a boat, Uhura was supposed to host a seminar, Sulu ("Captain Sulu") is on assignment. Only Chekov's new assignment is unmentioned, and is assumed to be security chief under Kirk. McCoy is expecting a going away party.

 

[Greg Cox]

Chekov briefly moved on to become the first officer of the Reliant.

But we all remember how that turned out . . .

 

[valkyrie013]

From deleted scenes, etc. Sulu during the time of ST 2 was just waiting for a command, Checkov at the time moved on and was the First officer of the Reliant. ST3 happened and the "Crew" had loyalty to Kirk so that how that happened. ST V at a guess, Sulu was again waiting for a ship to open up, Checkov may have decided First officer wasn't for him? or was also waiting. Uhura and Scotty didn't seem to want to go anywhere else, and were more than likely teachers at the academy at ST 2 time.
When they all got busted in ST 4 they just shoved all of them on the A for a time. And ST V happened relativly soon after 4, so them being together still checks out. Checkov being around for ST 6 is a bit weird. Maybe he was First officer? who knows.

But yeah, the crew in any timeline should have moved on at some point. Riker should have had his own ship by Season 3, and defiantly by First Contact.

 

[CoveTom]

This isn't real life. And in this fictional universe, we don't want to see Sulu or Riker off running their own ship. We want our heroes to stay together. Who the hell cares if it wouldn't work that way in real life? Having the final shot of the Enterprise bridge with an empty helm seat and the final shot of the crew without Sulu was unforgivable, IMHO.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

The entire TOS crew should have been "scattered to winds." by TWOK, much less TUC.

They did. It's vague, but dialog early in the film makes it plain that they've come together at Kirk's invitation to be instructors for a "little training cruise". Because of those events, and those shortly after, they got crammed together long-term. Sulu barely squeaked his way out of it to get the command he was intended to have in the deleted scenes.

Agreed. Kirk was back at an unfulfilling desk job, Uhura was his attaché (look at the way Kirk hands his book off to her without a word when they come aboard the Enterprise for Kirk's inspection), Spock was Captain of the Enterprise, McCoy was apparently assigned to the ship as well (notice that his name is stenciled on the entrance of sickbay during the the final battle), Scotty was training cadets, Sulu was getting ready to take command of the Excelsior (Yeah, this info is from a deleted scene, but what the hell), and Chekov was the first officer of the Reliant (and presumably science officer as well). That's a varied amount of assignments and responsibilities.

As for Sulu being a Captain in TUC, why not? It was the last film with the original cast, so what did it matter? Seeing Sulu in command is instantly more interesting than seeing some unknown Captain we've never seen before. I'm sure they wouldn't have done it if they thought they were likely to make another film with the TOS cast.

 

[Set Harth]

and defiantly by First Contact.

A larger ship than that!

 

[ananta]

I adore the six TOS movies but it really does bug me they’re still in exactly the same roles 25 years later, with Chekov and Uhura sitting at consoles doing what junior officers could easily have done. Fair enough Bones and Scotty are at the top of their field and maybe don’t want to be anywhere else. But given Chekov was a first officer in TWOK, what on earth happened to his career trajectory? Did he just give up? I mean, maybe he did. Maybe the same with Spock. Maybe his spiritual life was more important to him than the stress of being a captain or admiral and he was just content to hang out with his friend Kirk?

It would have taken too long for the films to get going, but TFF and TUC should have somehow featured Kirk deliberately getting the “old band” together, even if it meant taking them from other assignments in a temporary grade reduction. It just would have seemed more real.

So, yeah, seeing Sulu as a captain made more sense than everyone else on the Enterprise same old, same old, after a quarter of a century. I do wonder if Takei shot himself in the foot a bit. His ego jumped at the chance to be a captain, something he’d wanted since forever. But he really wasn’t much a part of TUC. You get the impression his scenes were probably all been shot in a day or two at most and he barely gets to interact in person with the rest of the cast. So, it’s a double edged sword.