TUC - not aged well

[fireproof78]

It made no sense for McCoy to be helping with the torpedo realistically speaking (if you consider Trek "realistic"), but it made for some good Bones one-liners which outweighed the "not making sense" aspect for me.

Moments like...

Spock: "Doctor, would you care to assist me in performing surgery on a photon torpedo?"
McCoy: "Fascinating!"

"We have a heartbeat."

"I'd give real money if he'd shutup."​

Based on this thread and others, I'm sure there are plenty of folks who hate the humor in those scenes. But I loved it.

Those are some of my favorite lines from the film, so you are not alone in that fact

Another possibility is that they were in the middle of a tense, uneven battle, which means that weapon's officers might be at a premium in terms of combat processes. McCoy was the closest with free hands.

Regardless, it does nothing to diminish my enjoyment of the scene.

 

[dub]

It made no sense for McCoy to be helping with the torpedo realistically speaking (if you consider Trek "realistic"), but it made for some good Bones one-liners which outweighed the "not making sense" aspect for me.

Moments like...

Spock: "Doctor, would you care to assist me in performing surgery on a photon torpedo?"
McCoy: "Fascinating!"

"We have a heartbeat."

"I'd give real money if he'd shutup."​

Based on this thread and others, I'm sure there are plenty of folks who hate the humor in those scenes. But I loved it.

Those are some of my favorite lines from the film, so you are not alone in that fact

Another possibility is that they were in the middle of a tense, uneven battle, which means that weapon's officers might be at a premium in terms of combat processes. McCoy was the closest with free hands.

Regardless, it does nothing to diminish my enjoyment of the scene.

Or another explanation...You call our doctor incompetent, he sends a torpedo up your ship's ass. That's how the federation rolls.

 

[Elder Knight]

I suspected that the torpedo modification (interfacing some incompatible equipment) may have involved stripping and splicing some delicate wires accurately. A surgeon 's fingers might be useful here.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

All Starfleet officers can do the job of any other Starfleet officer - doctor, engineer, navigator, communications, helmsman, caption, science officer, or admiral. They just have their standard stations and use a zone defense in dynamic situations.

That seemed to be the case in the TNG era, but not in TOS. Having everyone be an expert in everything is just a recipe for bland, homogenous characters.

Or another explanation...You call our doctor incompetent, he sends a torpedo up your ship's ass. That's how the federation rolls.

 

[Nebusj]

Another possibility is that they were in the middle of a tense, uneven battle, which means that weapon's officers might be at a premium in terms of combat processes. McCoy was the closest with free hands.

Regardless, it does nothing to diminish my enjoyment of the scene.

Besides the production value of having one of the show's stars doing the work, and the dramatic value of giving McCoy stuff to do and say, there's also an in-story valid reason too: who can Spock trust to assist? They've found at least one traitor on the ship. There may be more. Could be anyone else in the weapons department. McCoy, well, if McCoy is a traitor then there is no such thing as loyalty.

 

[BillJ]

Another possibility is that they were in the middle of a tense, uneven battle, which means that weapon's officers might be at a premium in terms of combat processes. McCoy was the closest with free hands.

Regardless, it does nothing to diminish my enjoyment of the scene.

Besides the production value of having one of the show's stars doing the work, and the dramatic value of giving McCoy stuff to do and say, there's also an in-story valid reason too: who can Spock trust to assist? They've found at least one traitor on the ship. There may be more. Could be anyone else in the weapons department. McCoy, well, if McCoy is a traitor then there is no such thing as loyalty.

+1

Actually, three. Valeris and the two that executed Gorkon.

 

[Nebusj]

They've found at least one traitor on the ship. There may be more. Could be anyone else in the weapons department. McCoy, well, if McCoy is a traitor then there is no such thing as loyalty.

+1

Actually, three. Valeris and the two that executed Gorkon.

Ah, so you've fallen for the frame-up job done on Burke and Samno too, then.

 

[fireproof78]

Another possibility is that they were in the middle of a tense, uneven battle, which means that weapon's officers might be at a premium in terms of combat processes. McCoy was the closest with free hands.

Regardless, it does nothing to diminish my enjoyment of the scene.

Besides the production value of having one of the show's stars doing the work, and the dramatic value of giving McCoy stuff to do and say, there's also an in-story valid reason too: who can Spock trust to assist? They've found at least one traitor on the ship. There may be more. Could be anyone else in the weapons department. McCoy, well, if McCoy is a traitor then there is no such thing as loyalty.

I was going to suggest this but felt it was too conspiracy-theory-ish.

But, I'm inclined towards that idea. Spock knows whom he can trust, and, in a crisis, McCoy was the quickest and most trustworthy assistant.

If Section 31 tried to recruit Doctor McCoy, they would have to do so through a drinking game. Thus far, he has never lost.

 

[BillJ]

They've found at least one traitor on the ship. There may be more. Could be anyone else in the weapons department. McCoy, well, if McCoy is a traitor then there is no such thing as loyalty.

+1

Actually, three. Valeris and the two that executed Gorkon.

Ah, so you've fallen for the frame-up job done on Burke and Samno too, then.

 

[Timo]

...The regrettable thing is they lacked the courage to either make Chekov the traitor outright, or even try a bit harder to make him a suspect.

But many a thing about the shipboard events makes better sense if we accept that the heroes suspected each other of treason. Including the final trap at Sickbay. Kirk suggests it. Spock arranges for it to happen. Kirk is the man standing in the shadows with the primed phaser. Is he going to arrest the person who walks in (even though only an idiot would fail to realize this is a trap) - or gun down Spock and frame a mysterious traitor for the deed (because just as Spock says, it would be logical for the putative mystery man to kill)? Were I Spock, I'd have my phaser cocked below that blanket and aimed at Kirk, just in case...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Maurice]

Chekov was NOT the XO of the Reliant. Mr. Beach was. Am I the only one who noticed this?

If by "XO" you mean "first officer," I disagree:

"Starship log, stardate 8130.4. Log entry by First Officer Pavel Chekov.…"

From what I understand, Chekov being first officer of the Reliant was something that was added in the voiceover at Walter Koenig's insistence. It was probably something along the lines of "If George's character is getting a promotion, mine should, too!"

It would make much more sense for Terrell to take his science officer along to check out Ceti Alpha VI than his first officer. And originally, that's what Chekov was.

I dunno about that claim, but one draft of the script I have has this:

CHEKOV'S VOICE​

Starship log, Stardate 8130.4.
This report classified MOST SECRET.
Log Entry by Commander Pavel Chekov,
Duty Officer. Starship USS Reliant
on orbital approach with Ceti Alpha
VI in connection with project code
name GENESIS. We are continuing
our search for a lifeless planet
which will serve as a suitable test
site for the Genesis Experiments.
This is the 16th planet we have
visited, so far, no success.​

 

[Timo]

Of course, whom did Kirk always take down with him to places like that? His XO or his Science Officer...?

Chekov is essentially a blueshirt in the movie, or at least that's what the grey collar was intended to mean or encompass there, later usage possibly notwithstanding. The Spock's Apostle theme from TOS (or mainly the TOS novels) continues...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[DWF]

The Epix Drive-In channel has been showing a Star Trek movie marathon all day, they're rerunning TUC right now. It's still a good looking movie, the investigation slows the movie down a bit I think, but for the most part the movie has held up rather well over the years.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

The Epix Drive-In channel has been showing a Star Trek movie marathon all day, they're rerunning TUC right now. It's still a good looking movie, the investigation slows the movie down a bit I think, but for the most part the movie has held up rather well over the years.

I'm watching it right now in the background. I realized this while watching it, posted over in the thread Fixing the films.....

I might be really late to the party on this point, but I just realized that there is no absolute need to fix TUC by correcting its (mis)reading of Shakespeare with respect to what the undiscovered country represents. It can always represent the future in "the original Klingon!"

 

[JonnyQuest037]

Of course, whom did Kirk always take down with him to places like that? His XO or his Science Officer...?

Yes.

 

[The Four Doctor]

I saw yet another feminist critique of Spock getting information from Valeris. Time was short and running out. What else what Spock supposed to do?! And even if it was "mind rape", i would shed no tears for Valeris who was a traitor and a murderer.

 

[Timo]

In addition to all that, we do have to consider whether this "rape" was a serious thing or not. If it was weally weally evil, then Kirk could have called Sulu right away, the decision not being outweighed by his well-founded distrust towards everybody in Starfleet uniform (especially people pretending to be his friends) or by the low odds of Sulu actually knowing. If it was only moderately naughty, then by all means go ahead! And since he did, the latter sounds likely...

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Paradise City]

I wouldn't have wanted a traitor in the inner circle in the TOS crew's final send off. To a point, we kind of got that with the fifth film, with some of them defying their captain and joining Sybok's cult. A traitor in this one, it'd be difficult to mount an appropriately poignant final scene.

I don't think it has dated too badly. The Klingon's objectively are a savage lot. They do alot of killing and are hard to like, lol. And while the Federation proper might be a noble society - the more frontline soldiers like Kirk could reasonably be more wounded and damaged individuals. Not that undifferent to the sentiments expressed by O'Brien against the Cardassians in TNG and DS9. Kirk has been through a heck of alot with the Klingons and is ultimately redeemed by the end of the film, which was cool.

The only scene that annoyed me was the translation scene which was just awful. Otherwise I think it was a strong film that aged rather well.

With Valeris, if the President and Chancellor are about to be slain, you may have to interrogate people in that circumstance. That's my take on that.

 

[Scotchy]

Wasn't any good the first time either. The effects are arguably at an all time low quality. The story is beyond stupid - pretty much the ultimate suckjob as Trek movies went. Sybock?? Get outta town! An evil vulcan therapist takes over the ship, it's just sad.
The worst is how it ignores astronomy - by then it was pretty certain that the Galactic center is dominated by a black hole. The most dense object in a galaxy ends up in the center. Yet when they arrive at the event horizon of Sagittarius a* there's yet another lame alien pretending to be gawwwd! I'd have rather seen the Enterprise crushed by the black hole with a close up on Sybock's idiot face. What an original trek plot twist. How tired and played out. At least they could've made it funny and placed Apollo or some old masquerading fake deity there to say howdy. It kind of harkens back to STTMP (the Nomad rip-off) where instead of the deadly little soup can Nomad we found an old Voyager junker looking for god. Sigh.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Wasn't any good the first time either. The effects are arguably at an all time low quality. The story is beyond stupid - pretty much the ultimate suckjob as Trek movies went. Sybock?? Get outta town! An evil vulcan therapist takes over the ship, it's just sad.
The worst is how it ignores astronomy - by then it was pretty certain that the Galactic center is dominated by a black hole. The most dense object in a galaxy ends up in the center. Yet when they arrive at the event horizon of Sagittarius a* there's yet another lame alien pretending to be gawwwd! I'd have rather seen the Enterprise crushed by the black hole with a close up on Sybock's idiot face. What an original trek plot twist. How tired and played out. At least they could've made it funny and placed Apollo or some old masquerading fake deity there to say howdy. It kind of harkens back to STTMP (the Nomad rip-off) where instead of the deadly little soup can Nomad we found an old Voyager junker looking for god. Sigh.

You're talking about TFF (STV). This thread is about TUC (STVI).