What is your personal head canon?

[Citiprime]

My point is did anyone feel it worth observing compared to the billions of other stars?

Nobody bothering to keep an eye on Ceti Alpha doesn't necessarily mean Incompetence. A limited number of astronomers requires them to be selective.

Why should they keep an eye on Ceti Alpha? The fact 72 criminals who attempted to hijack the Enterprise were exiled there simply may not be a good enough reason.

I think the problem with the way it’s presented in Wrath of Khan is that going into the Ceti Alpha system is preceded by Carolyn Marcus being adamant that Starfleet be sure that they’ve done due diligence in surveying where they’re going to use the Genesis Device.

So you’re left with a bunch of options:

1) The crew of the Reliant, even though they assured Marcus that they would be thorough, were incompetent and didn’t know how to access survey records for the system. Which I don’t feel is the case, since nothing else in the story colors Chekhov, Terrell, or the rest of the Reliant crew to be inadequate. If they were being lazy about it or blowing off Marcus’s requirements, I don’t think they beam down to Ceti Alpha V in the first place to check out the anomaly in the scanner.

2) Either intentionally or through a glitch, the records of the events of “Space Seed” aren’t available to the Reliant crew. One interesting aspect about this in the movie is that Chekhov is aware of Khan and knows he was left on Ceti Alpha V, which Khan realizes it means Chekhov didn’t expect to find him since they didn’t know they were on Ceti Alpha V. But Captain Terrell has to have Khan’s existence explained to him, like he’s hearing about it for the first time. That would imply that Chekhov KNEW they were in the same system but didn’t inform the captain that you know 20 years ago we left a 20th century dictator and his crew of genetic supermen in this system. So why would Chekhov not disclose that info from jump, or why wouldn’t the computer give that info to the Reliant crew?

If you go back and watch the ending of “Space Seed,” yes there’s a hearing. But Kirk shuts it down almost immediately and drops all of the charges. The entire tone of Kirk’s “solution” is trying to find a way where Khan and McGivers aren’t arrested and turned into criminals.

Captain's Log. Stardate 3143.3. Control of the Enterprise has been regained. I wish my next decisions were no more difficult. Khan and his people. What a waste to put them in a reorientation centre. And what do I do about McGivers?​

So that’s why the idea that maybe Kirk sidestepped putting all of this down in a report becomes more believable. It would also explain why, as Khan complains, no one came around for decades to check on their colony, and the Reliant’s survey of the system didn’t set off any alarms when it didn’t match with the Enterprise’s.

 

[BillJ]

So that’s why the idea that maybe Kirk sidestepped putting all of this down in a report becomes more believable.

Log entries are reports.

In “The Enterprise Incident”, Kirk orders, including log entries, be sent to Starfleet.

And no one has yet explained how Kirk explains McGivers absence…

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Before he transmits his logs, he can delete drafts aplenty.

 

[Farscape One]

We keep forgetting that Chekov didn't even remember about Khan until he saw the belt with the name Botany Bay on it. After 15 years, an endless amount of adventures of life and death struggles, and visiting countless systems and planets, it's very reasonable to think Chekov simply didn't remember at the time. Until the name of Khan's ship hit him with that wave of recognition.

How often have any of us been hit with that sudden flash of remembering after one single thing occurs, even after being showed other pieces of information?

People don't usually have the total recall ability of Data or a Vulcan.

 

[BillJ]

Before he transmits his logs, he can delete drafts aplenty.

It doesn’t explain McGivers absence, and the idea that 400 people could stay quiet about such events, simply boggles the mind.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

How many people of the 400 would actually know what happened, rather than how Kirk framed it?

 

[fireproof78]

My point is did anyone feel it worth observing compared to the billions of other stars?

Nobody bothering to keep an eye on Ceti Alpha doesn't necessarily mean Incompetence. A limited number of astronomers requires them to be selective.

Why should they keep an eye on Ceti Alpha? The fact 72 criminals who attempted to hijack the Enterprise were exiled there simply may not be a good enough reason.

My point is did the Reliant bother to count? Compare old data to new? Any science at all?

 

[Citiprime]

And no one has yet explained how Kirk explains McGivers absence…

Kirk could of used the Obi-Wan's "certain point of view" sophistry in the same way he explains Ilia's and Decker's absence at the end of The Motion Picture.

UHURA: A communication from Starfleet. They're requesting damage and injury reports and complete vessel status.​

KIRK: Report two casualties. Lieutenant Ilia. Captain Decker.​

UHURA: Aye sir.​

KIRK: Correction! They're not casualties. They are... List them as missing. Vessel status, fully operational.
​

McGivers could have been listed as "missing in action," since Kirk seems to want to avoid forcing a court martial on her at the end of "Space Seed" and may be trying to save her reputation.

KHAN: Have you ever read Milton, Captain?

KIRK: Yes. I understand. Lieutenant Marla McGivers. Given a choice of court martial or accompanying them there.

KHAN: (gazing into her eyes) It will be difficult. A struggle at first even to stay alive, to find food.

MARLA: I'll go with him, sir.​

​

 

[BillJ]

McGivers could have been listed as "missing in action," since Kirk seems to want to avoid forcing a court martial on her at the end of "Space Seed" and may be trying to save her reputation.

You have to have a reason to report her missing.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I will never cease to be amazed at how many Trek fans will bend over backwards just to make Captain Kirk a guy who casually defies orders and covers stuff up for no particular reason.

 

[Citiprime]

I will never cease to be amazed at how many Trek fans will bend over backwards just to make Captain Kirk a guy who casually defies orders and covers stuff up for no particular reason.

Well it's either that or you believe Starfleet lost track of the records for an entire star system and their science officers are so stupid that they can't count planets from 1 to 6.

 

[cooleddie74]

Now Zefram Cochrane? Easy to pretend never happened. They say Commissioner Hedford died of Sakuro's Disease on the way to Epsilon Canaris III and they were forced to bury her in space since the shuttlecraft had no stasis equipment to preserve a deceased body for the duration. Starfleet and the Federation Diplomatic Corps are sad but they understand tragedies happen and they notify her family and loved ones.

The mystery of Zefram Cochrane's disappearance remains a mystery for years to come.

 

[BillJ]

Well it's either that or you believe Starfleet lost track of the records for an entire star system and their science officers are so stupid that they can't count planets from 1 to 6.

That works under the assumption that they can see all the planets at the same time and in real time. And is Starfleet really infallible, it seems like we have plenty of evidence to the contrary.

 

[fireproof78]

Well it's either that or you believe Starfleet lost track of the records for an entire star system and their science officers are so stupid that they can't count planets from 1 to 6.

That's my question, as well. It's not like this is some unknown system but one that has been surveyed within the last 20 years. They at least have charts to compare against and can see "oh, hey, there's a planet that exploded, and there's a debris field."

Planets exploding have evidence. It's like walking in to a house to purchase it and ignoring a broken window and glass on the floor.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

Now I'm imagining an in-universe podcast that suggests there may have been a serial killer on the Enterprise (aside from Redjack, that is) - so many MIAs and KIAs.

 

[Shawnster]

How many people of the 400 would actually know what happened, rather than how Kirk framed it?

All of them. Khan hijacked the entire ship.

They all know they found the Botany Bay. They all know they brought Khan onboad, he was revived, and they had a nice dinner. They all experienced being imprisoned by Khan's crew. They all knew they were in orbit of Ceti Alpha V. They all knew Khan, his crew, and McGivers were left on the planet.

None of those events were secret and/or able to be hidden.

 

[BillJ]

All of them. Khan hijacked the entire ship.

They all know they found the Botany Bay. They all know they brought Khan onboad, he was revived, and they had a nice dinner. They all experienced being imprisoned by Khan's crew. They all knew they were in orbit of Ceti Alpha V. They all knew Khan, his crew, and McGivers were left on the planet.

None of those events were secret and/or able to be hidden.

I still struggle with the idea of Kirk just dumping Khan there and not telling anyone. And you just spelled a lot of it out there on why it simply wasn't possible.

 

[Laura Cynthia Chambers]

What would motivate them to keep a lid on it? Loyalty? Spock making everyone "forget"? A bluff that this was top secret need to know info?

 

[BillJ]

What would motivate them to keep a lid on it? Loyalty? Spock making everyone "forget"? A bluff that this was top secret need to know info?

There is nothing to keep a lid on because they have Captain's Logs of the entirety of the incident from beginning to end. Complete with commendations for various crew members.

Why would Kirk hide that he left Khan? It is clear that he has the authority to do so.

 

[Shat Happens]

I think Kirk was completely within his legal authority as Starship Captain to maroon Khan and Marla and the gang.

Reliant's crew were talking about Ceti Alpha VI not V. They had no need to ask the computer for information about planet 5 same as 1, 2, 3 and 4

Chekov however is a problem. I offer when he was electrocuted by VGer in I, or he overdosed in adrenaline in The Deadly Years, or he was punched in the head by a Klingon in The Trouble with the Tribbles, or when he was shot in the belly in the Old West planet, he amnesiaed Khan.

Just for completion, later he had half of his brain eaten by a Ceti Alpha crab, explaining his drone-y behavior in III, and then he fell off an aircraft carrier on his head. The extensive brain damage explains why in V he got lost in a national park and why he, as a Security senior officer aboard the Enterprise, he just forgot (in VI) about basic things like automatic alarms on phaser fire inside the ship and gravity boots.

Someone should write a book titled "Chekov's Brain". I suspect it would be short.