Which Star Trek movie has got the most plot holes? And the least?

[Tracy Trek]

In TMP:
How does V'ger even know its name? I suppose you could argue that once it zaps Ilia it has access to her memory and can then recognize the letters on its nameplate. Upon realizing these marks mean something, you'd think the first thing it would do is scan the holy fuck out of that nameplate for more information. It is rather a logic problem that the writers didn't consider.

TWOK hangs on a dozen too-convenient coincidences, including: Reliant can't tell one planet from another, Ceti Eels only make victims susceptible to the bad guy's suggestion, Kirk just happens to be on the Enterprise when normally he isn't, Genesis is a Manhattan Project in space with zip security, Enterprise can detect Reliant on the opposite side of Regula but not vice-versa, and when Genesis blows up in a nebula instead of on a planet as designed, it miraculously sucks all the nebula material into a planet which just conveniently happens to be in the Goldilocks zone around a convenient star.

Plot Hole-ier than thou.

Was the nebula near the planetoid Regula? I always thought perhaps the Genesis effect created the star out the nebula and then the wave hit the planetoid and created a full size planet out of it and the remaining nebula matter. At the very least I believe the Genesis wave created the star, it wasn't already there.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

My version of the conversation between the whales and the whale probe from ST 4

George sings his whale song up to the Probe. The probe hovers there listening intently

PROBE ALIEN 1: "What the heck is that? It's nonsense."
PROBE ALIEN 2: "Ask it to resend its message. It's annoying me."

The Probe responds and George again sings.

PROBE ALIEN 1: "It's still gibberish. Rotate 90 degrees for better reception."

The Probe rotates 90 degrees.

PROBE ALIEN 2: "These stupid things haven't evolved at all in 10 million years."
PROBE ALIEN 1: "Retract the antennae and then blow the planet up. Bunch of wasted space."

 

[Vger23]

Most: Generations
Least: TMP

Grimy name plates aside, TMP is probably the least-flawed story in the movie franchise.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

But in the spirit of the "plot holes" discussed in this thread, what always bugs me, and I'm a little surprised hasn't been mentioned yet, is that in STIV the Klingons are too untrustworthy to work with, but are totally cool to include in a high-level conspiracy.

Don't you mean ST VI

And yeah can't trust the Klingons but we will conspire with them to kill the chancellor

 

[JonnyQuest037]

And yeah can't trust the Klingons but we will conspire with them to kill the chancellor

I never took that as a plot hole. It's an intentional irony, IMO.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

And yeah can't trust the Klingons but we will conspire with them to kill the chancellor

I never took that as a plot hole. It's an intentional irony, IMO.

I guess so. But boy did it stand out.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

TMP has a HUGE plot hole. A near-god-like living machine, which can digitize entire worlds and star systems and created a near-perfect android duplicate of Illia, never thought to wipe the muck off it's name plate?

That's not a plot hole. There was no necessity in removing that from a nameplate. V'Ger was a living machine, not a curator at the Smithsonian.

Wrath of Khan's entire "two dimensional thinking" thing made zero sense, especially if Khan is the genius he's repeatedly said to be.

You really missed the obvious meaning. Being a self-professed "genius" does not mean one is able to understand the abstract, such as experienced-based, creative thinking, which allowed Kirk to use, then move past conventional Starfleet tactics Khan could not understand. Moreover, his "genius" arrogance robbed him of even considering that his lab-created intellect could be out manuvered by a "plain" human.

And why didn't Khan just beam Kirk up for torture and execution when he took the entirely magical Genesis device?

Khan is an emotional human. As he pointedly observed, he hurt Kirk at that point (killing Regula staff, stealing Genesis & and inadvertently causing Terrell's suicide), and would go on hurting him by leaving him "in the center of a dead world." That was his point. However, he was sensible enough to see if the resourceful Kirk would escape, and if so, be prepared to destroy him with Reliant.

Regarding your "magical" comment, Star Trek is not NOVA, or an issue of Popular Science. It is set in the late 23rd century, and most of what had been created up to that point deals with projections based on real world theories, mixed with fantastic ideas of what could be--or what will never be. That is the history of most filmed science fiction.

If you really have a problem with a so-called "magical" element in ST, then you should have walked out of the horrid NuTrek movies, as they are no more scientifically accurate than the TOS movies.

Search For Spock is pure Vulcan hocus pocus, with not an ounce of realism or science fiction.

The extremes of some ST fans' atheism aside, Star Trek--to make this point again--deals with concepts that are more than the one-sided desire for alleged "hard science." If it tried, then many things created and maintained from TOS and through the rest of the proper franchise would not exist, such as the mind meld, Q's species, the character in my avatar, and dozens of other powers, traits or events that are not understood or generated by a scientific explanation.

Spock's ageing just happening to sync up with them arriving and leaving... uh huh. Also, Excelsior spluttering to a halt totally ignoring the laws of physics.

You probably buy the never-going-to-happen transporter technology, or convenient time travel, or the entire concept behind the Borg. If so, then you are accepting things that have as much chance of happening--based on current physics--as a gamma radiation overdose transforming a person into a giant, pea-colored superhuman who can hurl tanks across the state, or take mile-long jumps.

Bored now. But there are more. Lots more. And people like to pretend JJ Abrams' Treks invented plot holes. LOL!

Abrams did not invent plot holes, but many see him as the 'roided up practitioner of it.

 

[RAMA]

Most: STGEN
Least: STFC

 

[Trekkin]

Wrath of Khan's entire "two dimensional thinking" thing made zero sense, especially if Khan is the genius he's repeatedly said to be.

You really missed the obvious meaning. Being a self-professed "genius" does not mean one is able to understand the abstract, such as experienced-based, creative thinking, which allowed Kirk to use, then move past conventional Starfleet tactics Khan could not understand. Moreover, his "genius" arrogance robbed him of even considering that his lab-created intellect could be out manuvered by a "plain" human.

Khans gaff is unbelievable because he supposably was a leader in what amounted to a world war, where there would have been conflicts that involved 3-dimensional thinking. Humans have been taking part in such battles for approaching a century now.

Sure, he wouldn't be as proficient in it as Kirk (unless he had some experience with the airforce or the navy). But the very concept of battle on more than two plains should not have been 'abstract' for him...especially when he was introduced being rescued from his space ship.

And uh, pointing out plot holes on a thread about plot holes does not mean a poster 'can't get past' them to the extent they ruin a movie.

 

[TREK_GOD_1]

Khans gaff is unbelievable because he supposably was a leader in what amounted to a world war, where there would have been conflicts that involved 3-dimensional thinking. Humans have been taking part in such battles for approaching a century now.

His tactics had limits since he was apparently defeated, leading him to flee earth.

Sure, he wouldn't be as proficient in it as Kirk (unless he had some experience with the airforce or the navy). But the very concept of battle on more than two plains should not have been 'abstract' for him...especially when he was introduced being rescued from his space ship.

The Botany Bay was not his space ship--it was likely stolen, and since it was an advanced ship of the period (according to Spock), and if so, that kind of technology was not as available to al like a car on a lot. I believe he was already in suspended animation when the ship left earth, its operation was the responsibility of others.

Even if--for argument's sake--Khan had a basic knowledge of the Botany Bay's functions, that is not applicable to being an experienced starship captain who has spent years in innumerable combat situations against foes Khan never encountered, thus that's a wealth of advantages--even over one who claims regular humans are "quite honestly inferior. Mentally, physically."

And uh, pointing out plot holes on a thread about plot holes does not mean a poster 'can't get past' them to the extent they ruin a movie.

Its about saying things are "plot holes" that do not meet the criteria of a "plot hole." Come on--the V'Ger nameplate thing or Vulcan spiritualism is no plot hole.

 

[Trekkin]

Yeah, most people don't really use 'plot hole' correctly. I think it's reached a point where it has an unofficial meaning.

The eel randomly deciding to leave Chekovs ear is a little bit of one. It needs to happen for plot reasons, because Chekov needs to stop trying to kill Kirk in that scene, his function as Khan's mole had been completed, they'd set up a situation where it couldn't be removed medically, and convention demands he can't be killed by it. But it really didn't make sense with how the little buggers hsd been established as working.

I mean, claiming Chekov's heroic willpower 'forces' it out doesn't quiet cut it - presumably Terrell, McGivers and Khan's people really, really didn't want it squashing their brains either. And it's not like the slug bailed because it was afraid of Chekov topping himself, when a) Khan does establish their modus operandi is to latch on until their host dies, and b) the one in Terrell didn't seem that worried.

But yeah, it's a minor one. Not worth bringing up outside of threads devoted to plot holes, and no doubt TrekLit found a way to plug it.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

All those feelings of loyalty to Kirk scared the eel out of Chekov. See, none of the others who'd been eeled so far had served with Kirk. In "This Side of Paradise," Kirk beat the space spores with his feelings of love for the Enterprise. Enough of that whatever had rubbed off on Chekov to save him from the Ceti eel. Khan's men hated Kirk; that probably sped them to their doom!

 

[Trekkin]

By that point both Marla and Terrell had proven their loyalty by waltzing into mortal danger to save Kirk. Chekov? He once backed up Scotty in a barfight.

The Kirk's favor is a fickle thing, apparently bestowed only upon those who outright worship him as a god amongst men.

 

[RogueVasad]

Nemesis.

Pretty much everything Shinzon does in the movie is a series of plotholes

 

[drt]

I thought the accepted reasoning for the eel leaving Chekov's head was it was starving.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

I thought the accepted reasoning for the eel leaving Chekov's head was it was starving.

Eeek!! He had no brain

 

[BillJ]

The plot hole in TMP is: why didn't V'Ger just digitize Kirk once he claimed to know how to contact the creator?

 

[Tallguy]

Has it been mentioned that in TWOK: The Enterprise is twelve hours from Regula at warp speed. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy watch and argue about the Genesis demo. Minutes later the Enterprise and Reliant take out each other's warp capabilities. Then the Enterprise continues to Regula I in less time than it takes for Khan's victims on the station (murdered before Khan encountered the Enterprise) to develop rigor mortis.

Hmmmmm.

 

[Gingerbread Demon]

Has it been mentioned that in TWOK: The Enterprise is twelve hours from Regula at warp speed. Kirk, Spock, and McCoy watch and argue about the Genesis demo. Minutes later the Enterprise and Reliant take out each other's warp capabilities. Then the Enterprise continues to Regula I in less time than it takes for Khan's victims on the station (murdered before Khan encountered the Enterprise) to develop rigor mortis.

Hmmmmm.

A wizard did it.

 

[Maurice]

The eel randomly deciding to leave Chekovs ear is a little bit of one. It needs to happen for plot reasons, because Chekov needs to stop trying to kill Kirk in that scene, his function as Khan's mole had been completed, they'd set up a situation where it couldn't be removed medically, and convention demands he can't be killed by it. But it really didn't make sense with how the little buggers hsd been established as working.

The script calls for McCoy to stab Chekov with a hypo when he collapses and it's THAT which causes the eel to skeedaddle. Either they chose not to film it or it ended up on the cutting room floor.