TWOK
TSFS
TVH
FC
INS
(TUC is borderline - when it came out I absolutely loved it, but over the years and as I've gotten older I just have a lot of issues with the plot trying to be too many things at once, basically, as well as some of the plot elements that don't make sense to me)
Which bits made no sense?
I love it and still do, but I have to acknowledge the need to reconcile my love of the movie with its weird mistakes.
Off the top of my head:
-the Klingons never once noticed Spock's tracking device on Kirk, on Kronos-1, during the trial, or even Rura Penthe.
-the need for Marta to lure Kirk and McCoy out of the transport shield. If it was a trap, what would it matter? Clearly the warden was part of the conspiracy, too, and Marta was his agent. There are a million ways to kill Kirk and McCoy in the prison, or even just keep them there indefinitely until the conspiracy played out
-while racism plays an important theme in the movie, the anti-Klingon racism itself seems to come out of nowhere specifically for this movie
-we never really got a sense of what the Romulans had to gain from all this. Any theories about it are from outside the movie, really, i.e. sure the Romulans would love to see the two biggest powers duke it out so that they get more control,
but that's not even slightly implied in the movie
-Perhaps oddest of all is that this conspiracy was a joint operation between high ranking officials in both the Klingon Empire and the Federation; the conspiracy was to keep war happening, but they failed to see the irony that they were working together to make that happen. And again, any rationale to explain it isn't in the movie, but rather theorized outside of it (because they're used to war and don't know any other lifestyle? Well, tough -- you're still working with the enemy).
I agree with all this, and plenty more. The more and more I analyze this film, it becomes less and less plausible. It is really quite sloppy.
More stuff that is nonsense:
- a "subspace shockwave" that hits the Excelsior as the result of the Klingon moon exploding? And people think Red Matter and time traveling black holes are crap?
- The universal translator / Uhura speaks Klingon scene is totally bogus. They're flipping through old books like idiots. Are you trying to tell me that the computer couldn't print text translations for the crew via the translator?
- If the Enterprise shields are up, why do the BOP torpedo hits scar the hull?
- the assassins are killed by a close range phaser stun and stashed in the middle of a main corridor behind a blast door. Completely nonsensical.
-The best place to hide the assassin uniforms on a giant starship was directly behind the air vent in the senior officers dining room?
- with all of the sophisticated sensors and scanning equipment aboard the Enterprise they couldn't:
1. Perform a forensic analysis in the torpedo tubes to determine if shots had recently been fired
2. Scan for Klingon blood, a unique and obvious substance, aboard the ship?
3. Access sensor logs and realize that a torpedo (of Klingon design, mind you) had magically originated from out of nowhere beneath them when Kronos 1 was attacked?
- The ruse to lure the assassin into the open with the announcement that Burke and Samno are alive is totally silly. It didn't even make sense to me when I was 16 and saw this on opening day. It makes less sense now. Why would Valeris go into sickbay, weapon drawn, expecting that she will just be able to kill them without any security or resistance? Why would Kirk Spock and McCoy be in the room, waiting for this hell-bent agent who wants to start an apocalyptic WAR to potentially phaser them all to death?
- Why'd they bring Valeris to the surface of Khitomer?
- why is the Excelsior, the most advanced starship in the fleet, cataloging gaseous anomalies for three freaking years?
Even worse is that the entire premise of the film is sloppy and weak when you start to draw scrutiny to it, and it violates canon and continuity established in TNG for 4 seasons:
Why does the explosion of Praxis necessitate such a problem that Kronos needs to be evacuated (which, by the way, was not what was established on TNG)? Why would the Klingons need "safe haven within Federation space??" Don't they have an entire empire of worlds? If Earth became uninhabitable, would humans need to move into Klingon space to survive as a race? This is preposterous. Why do the Starfleet brass think that the assisting the Klingons means the end of Starfleet. Last time I checked, there are plenty of non-defense missions for Starfleet, as well as Romulans, Tholians, Gorn etc to worry about. Most bogus is that Starfleet would send a war-weary commander and crew out to meet the head-of-State of your sworn enemy on the eve of potential peace as a prelude to the most historic and influential diplomatic event in galactic history with no Federation officials, no Ambassadors (even Kirk questions this for Gods sake) etc. it's #ucking nonsense!
I know a lot of fans love TUC, but I can't understand how all these flaws (and more) just get a free pass, particularly from a fanbase that prides itself on being anal, nitpick you, perfectionist malcontents. I mean, the story barely holds up at all. It is filled with illogic and nonsense. Sure, I love these guys too, and this was their last hoorah...but if I look at this objectively as a film on its own merits, it is extremely weak.
