I think he was perfectly Kirk. Someone unhappy being chained to a desk. What you're saying is that he isn't TOS Kirk. If that's all the audience wants, why waste time making a movie about these folks growing and changing?
I think he was perfectly Kirk. Someone unhappy being chained to a desk. What you're saying is that he isn't TOS Kirk. If that's all the audience wants, why waste time making a movie about these folks growing and changing?
It was the perfect amount.
He does connect the wires. But everyone else has figured this out. That's why they're horrified that he's going to do it.
The biggest problem with Decker is, as has been pointed out, that his conflict with Kirk doesn't resolve it just fades. Kind of the same problem with Kirk. He doesn't resolve his problems from the start of the film, he just stops being a jerk and then the Spock story takes over.
Someone pointed out to me years ago that the most logical person to meld with Vejur (but not Ilia) would be Kirk. He's the explorer. He's the one who is asking "Is this all that I am". Spock's battle is to make peace with who he IS. Kirk's battle is to find out what to do NEXT.
Unfortunately, because Kirk becomes a jerk. That's not just unhappiness but bring complete opposite of the character as presented. Kirk basically resenting his duty which feels at odds to his whole personality.
"No beach to walk on."
There was always a bit of resentment from Kirk on the choices he's made.
He didn't exactly roll with M-5 either.
I guess I find it worse because he treats a subordinate officer like shit.
I guess but it didn't cost lives.
What lives did he “cost” in TMP?
One of the things I liked about Star Trek Beyond was that we'd opened three movies with Kirk having accepted a promotion/retirement off-screen and hating it, so it was interesting to come at it from the other direction and see when he's got an issue with captaining and is actually pursing the promotion.
As for his arc in TMP, it's a bit pat. His problems are pretty much entirely resolved by proverbially going home again. Once he's on the bridge of the Enterprise with his whole familiar crew and a problem to chew on, during the scene where they're coming up on the cloud, he's happy as a clam. The one last stone in his shoe is Decker's style of exec-ing, but once Decker tells Kirk he's not being insubordinate, he's making sure all the options are on the table and not making assumptions, Kirk's fine with him. Like Decker says at the end, being captain of the Enterprise is Kirk's ultimate purpose, the whole thing, the ship, the crew, the mission. It wouldn't make sense for him to trade it in for a transformation that would only give him part of one of those, albeit in its ultimate expression.
Sonak and another crew member. He keeps stepping in with a ship he doesn't know. Not entirely his fault but the behavior is completely problematic.
He is the senior officer on board and it was never his way to stand and watch, that’s what is makes him Kirk to begin with.
Kirk was doing what Kirk always did. It was entirely consistent with the character.
And no, those deaths were not Kirk’s fault.
Thank you. The film all feels highly reactive for characters and their motivations not anything intrinsic to them.
I seem to remember reading that in the '80s. Might have been a rumor.
Responsibility lies with whoever decided to start beaming live people less than two minutes after the fault was discovered. In fact it looks like Cleary is still testing it when it shorts.
And it's not like Scotty (You know: Beam me up Scotty) is deferential to Kirk when they're trying save the transporter victims.
Fair.
Is he connecting the wires so he can be reunited with Ilia? Is he doing it to save Earth and the crew? Is he doing it to experience higher dimensional existence? Or is it a combination?
It's not stated. It's not even implied (i.e., necessarily only one thing or combination of things relative to the established information). We, the audience, have to fill in some blanks ourselves.
I think it's pretty clearly to be with Ilia. Saving Earth is a bonus. Or even an excuse.
Were it not for the following, I'd agree, wholeheartedly in fact, that it's pretty clearly to be with Ilia.
It's Decker who answers the question of what more is there besides the universe. Decker is the one who interprets the probe's statement of intention to join with the creator as physical joining. There's no dialog in between his description of what there is beyond the universe and his declaration of intent to join. He doesn't mention Ilia. So, the biggest problem is that, on paper, it reads like, Higher levels of being? Hell, yeah, let's do this.
Even after, they talk about the birth of a new life form. No one expresses hope that Decker and Ilia have been reunited. The only significant thing happening worth talking about is the machine evolving to a higher plane of existence and a possible next step in the human adventure that's just beginning. Decker and Ilia are just missing, again another blank.
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