What happens between TMP and WOK?

[Smellmet]

I watched the films as they came out, TMP continues to be my favorite. I usually watch it every other month.

Every other month? That's commitment. To be fair I rank it very close to my favourite Trek movie, it's either this or TWOK. Both brilliant and flawed movies for totally different reasons. I love watching them back to back.

 

[gottacook]

Yorkshire, huh? Both my grandparents were born in Leeds (although I haven't been there since 1986).

It would never occur to me to watch TMP and TWoK back-to-back, which is perhaps no surprise given the opinions I've aired here. For me that would be like listening to "Jean" (the theme from The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie starring Maggie Smith) followed by the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen."

 

[JJohnson]

This is just my own personal take on what happened between STTMP and STTWOK. It's not based on filmed material, books, or comics. If there happens to be some evidence found in those, it's a happy coincidence.

Kirk's life was commanding the Enterprise but he was so successful in doing that that he foolishly accepted promotion to admiral at the end of the 5-year mission. Being the bold and adventurous type, he consider the position as a new challenge for him. Unfortunately, he later realized that he was a hands-on type of guy who would rather be out in the action rather than behind a desk. He became obsessed with regaining what he had lost by the time of STTMP. He obviously wouldn't give it up again easily at the end of the movie. I believe he commanded another (5-year?) mission.

Spock found the value of his human half in STTMP. He was in a position of discovering new aspects of his life and was redefining who he is. He was at home on neither Vulcan or earth so he decides to stay aboard the Enterprise with Kirk and crew who had been the best "family" he has ever known. The logic vs. emotion sparring that he had with McCoy would take on a new meaning as Spock becomes more willing to explore such ideas rather than reject them outright. But just because Spock has accepted his emotional side doesn't mean that he would accept everything else--like spiritually and religion. Those could become new topics for debate with the good doctor. I know it has been said that McCoy is a humanist but he always struck me as more spiritual than others believe him to be.

Just as Kirk, Spock and McCoy can be used to represent ambition/will, logic and emotion, an article from one of the "Best of Trek" books suggested once that Chekov, Sulu and Uhura represent hope, faith and love. As Spock explores his newfound humanity, he could find guidance and ideas from these previously secondary characters and strengthen his friendships with them. This would help to explain when everybody decides to risk all for Spock when they go back to Genesis for him in the 3rd movie. They not only have loyalty towards Kirk, but have developed stronger feelings of friendship with the more emotionally accessible Spock.

Towards the end of the novel "Vulcan!" Spock asked Dr. Tremain to help him develop his imagination--something he didn't feel he had a use for. Although, I despised Dr. Tremain and the novel overall, this point would be a gem of an idea for a story arc after STTMP for Spock. I also see Chapel as a symbol for hope, and maybe she could help fill that responsibility in teaching Spock about utilizing his imagination. As she becomes more familiar with the inner workings of Spock, she would overcome her infatuation with obtaining the "unobtainable man ," and prefer the value of his friendship instead of constantly hoping against hope and pursuing him as a suitor. For those who feel TOS has tapped out and exhausted new ideas for these characters to go through in order to advance and grow beyond the cliché-riddled cardboard characters in modern literature, they definitely need to exercise their imaginations a little more. Maybe someday Paramount/CBS, Pocket Books and others will lift the restrictions on the main characters that keep them forever static and somewhat boring. I also think it would have been interesting to resurrect the Xon character that was abandoned in the Phase Two series of the 1970's and but him aboard the Enterprise in some capacity as a secondary character. He could be used as a mirror when he's around Spock and allow us to visually see how much Spock is changing while he explores his new acceptance of his emotions.

At the end of this second mission, Starfleet tries once again to get Kirk back into the Admiralty where they can keep their role model safe. They regulate the Enterprise to training duty status. Kirk is furious about Starfleet finding another way to take his ship away from him. Being captain of a cadet vessel is not being a "starship captain." Kirk doesn't see training cadets as being out there and making decisions which make a difference. So, he quits. Kirk was always a man of action that beamed down in landing parties during TOS and be in the thick of things making the decisions. Outside of Kirk's seeking advice from Spock and McCoy, he still hasn't learned (or see the value of) making a difference by training the next generation. Commanding people and training people are two different things in his eyes. Once again, Kirk discovers the emptiness of his life without the Enterprise and eventually returns and accepts the rank of Admiral (and the training duties involved) shortly before STTWOK..

Very interesting take on things. I've always wondered what happened. I would like that there was a second five-year mission, though I didn't know how justified it would be to have an admiral out on a starship when they're supposed to be administrators, at least as far as I know. Then again, Kirk's never been an administrator-type

 

[Samuel]

Strictly in response to the thread title.

Iranian hostage crisis
Soviet invasion of Afghanistan
Ronald Reag.an elected president
Redskins won their first SuperBowl

 

[RColtrane]

Short answer to the OP: nothing that would worth a new movie

 

[arch101]

I always felt that a great way to revisit the TOS cast without it being too dated would be an animated series a la Clone Wars set in the post- TMP period. Too bad we are losing the original casts voice talent now. (Had this idea years ago when they were all still around)

 

[Qonundrum]

And to make it quicker to return to duty in an emergency, they double as pajamas.

And they left precious little to the imagination!

It was 1979, land of bland beige and pale puke blue were the norm... and TMP's admittedly were preferable to these:

(really, the dude on the left has his necktie being about six inches too short... hmm...)


This too, which was from 1979 despite being associated with the 1980s for shoulder pads but it's easy to see how this one had a possible influence for TWOK's uniforms :

 

[JonnyQuest037]

(really, the dude on the left has his necktie being about six inches too short... hmm...)

It's not too short. It's tucked into his shirt.

 

[Pauln6]

I always felt that a great way to revisit the TOS cast without it being too dated would be an animated series a la Clone Wars set in the post- TMP period. Too bad we are losing the original casts voice talent now. (Had this idea years ago when they were all still around)

I would have loved this if it was full of two or more part stories with some political intrigue thrown in and featuring some guest crew, including the TMP aliens.

 

[Maurice]

It was 1979, land of bland beige and pale puke blue were the norm...

Since when was puke ever blue, unless you barfed up your Boo Berry Cereal? Use the appropriate adjectives, please.

 

[Vger23]

I always felt that a great way to revisit the TOS cast without it being too dated would be an animated series a la Clone Wars set in the post- TMP period. Too bad we are losing the original casts voice talent now. (Had this idea years ago when they were all still around)

I love this idea. Keep the same design aesthetics and really highlight that unique TMP world with bad uniforms, the talking ships computer, Acturians and Zaranites as aliens, awesome warp effect, etc. Have Christopher L. Bennett as an Executive Producer / head writer.

Sign me up for that!

 

[cooleddie74]

Now I want Boo Berry cereal.

 

[Kor]

I once had a teacher who would describe nasty looking shades of brown and green as "duck poop [color]."

One day he extended this to "duck poop blue" for a color similar to the picture above.

Kor

 

[CDP]

There is roughly a 9 year gap between the events of TMP and WOK. What were the crew up to in the decade between the two films? Why did Kirk leave his command again after having lobbied hard to get it back during TMP?

Back to the topic, the book The Autobiography of James T Kirk gives the following explanation of what happened between TMP & TWOK:

Christopher Pike is promoted to Fleet Captain - a rank he considers to be given to officers that Starfleet want to promote out of the way of any real decision making.
Kirk takes command of the Enterprise
5 Year Mission commences
Enterprise is recalled to Earth prior to the end of the 5YM, Kirk is offered promotion and a job on Nogura's staff
Spock requests a leave of absence to pursue Kholinar
Kirk offers XO to Decker with a view to taking over captaincy
Enterprise returns home after the 5YM
Enterprise is refit, Kirk is very involved, including crew selection
Kirk also notices some irregular and illegal build up of munitions against the treaty with the Klingons, and traces this back to Nogura
V'ger rocks up
Kirk asks for command of the newly refitted Enterprise
Nogura says No
Kirk mentions the munitions
Nogura gives him the Enterprise
Kirk sorts out V'ger
Kirk takes the Enterprise on a second 5YM
Nogura carefully removes any evidence left by his wrongdoing during Kirk's absence
Checkov transfers to the Reliant as XO due to lack of the availability to advance under Kirk (All command crew in place an not going anywhere anytime soon)
Enterprise returns home after its second 5YM
Nogura promotes Kirk to Fleet Captain, promotes Spock to captain, and insists that any officer who served under Kirk can only leave the ship by resigning from Starfleet. This is Nogura's revenge for Kirks blackmail 5 years earlier - Kirk immediately resigns from Starfleet
Spock takes the Enterprise on a 3rd 5YM
Kirk meets and shacks up with Antonia
Nogura is drummed out of Starfleet. Adm.Morrow is promoted to CinC
Morrow asks Kirk to come back to Starfleet as an Adm.
Kirk assigned to the academy
TWOK

What do you think? I quite liked how Kirks gung ho actions to get the Enterprise back had serious long term consequences

 

[uniderth]

Sorry, to be a party pooper but I'm going with a later dating of TMP and saying that not much happened between them. Though the Star Trek II series did happen between Star Trek and TMP.

 

[J.T.B.]

Back to the topic, the book The Autobiography of James T Kirk gives the following explanation of what happened between TMP & TWOK:

Oh jeeze, Nogura is a crook too? Hasn't that well dried up yet?

 

[Mytran]

Sorry, to be a party pooper but I'm going with a later dating of TMP and saying that not much happened between them. Though the Star Trek II series did happen between Star Trek and TMP.

TMP could well take place as late as 2277 (allowing plenty of time for a brief refit, a 3-4 year mission under Capt Decker and the mega-refit itself), just at the tail end of the "pyjamas" uniform period. We know that the "monster maroons" were in place by 2278 thanks to the USS Bozeman from Cause And Effect.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Oh jeeze, Nogura is a crook too? Hasn't that well dried up yet?

No. EVERY admiral must be a crook.

No exceptions.

 

[Maurice]

Back to the topic, the book The Autobiography of James T Kirk gives the following explanation of what happened between TMP & TWOK:...

What do you think? I quite liked how Kirks gung ho actions to get the Enterprise back had serious long term consequences

I think it stinks.

 

[cooleddie74]

TMP happens in early 2273. The five-year mission seen in TOS is canonically established as having ended in 2270 ("Q2(VOY)") and Kirk hasn't logged a single star hour aboard a vessel in two and a half years as the first movie opens.

A second five-year mission for the Enterprise under Kirk would likely happen right after the successful resolution of the V'Ger crisis and Spock's decision to remain aboard the ship. That would put Kirk and his crew out in deep space on another extended mission of exploration until 2278, which just happens to be when Starfleet is already using the red maroon wraparounds and even some touchscreen interfaces on starship bridges as seen aboard the Bozeman. My theory is that Starfleet begins phasing out the TMP-era uniforms during 2277 and the following year sees the formal introduction of the red maroon wraparounds which will remain the primary Starfleet service uniform design for the next 71 years.