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Another day; another Star Trek film. For an intellectual property that prides itself on continuity, there are a hell of a lot of logical errors in their scripts. Remember, I can criticize the things I love.

“For Gene Roddenberry” 😦

So, Sulu finally gets his command. I’d like to believe he hand-picked Janice Rand for her assignment, but I know that probably isn’t true. She was already assigned as of Star Trek III. However, according to the novelization for Star Trek III, Sulu was getting ready to take command of the Excelsior, so he may have picked that entire bridge crew.

I’d assume that they would have made a more durable form of teacup by now in much the same way they replaced polymers with transparent aluminum.

How many times are these guys going to come out of retirement.

None of this makes sense. The destruction of a single planet, even the home world, shouldn’t destroy a planetary government. Even assuming the Klingons fall in line, mothballing Starfleet would leave the Federation vulnerable to numerous other enemies.

Valeris was supposed to be Saavik, but Roddenberry was worried that turning the popular character into a traitor would anger some of her fans.

Am I the only one that interprets Spock’s approach to Valeris as, “Boy, if I were only 20 years younger”?

I still love the Klingon D-7 ship design.

Why is the Chancellor in a single, unescorted ship? Doesn’t that seem suspicious? There must be some (other) cloaked ships nearby.

Chang is an unusual name for a Klingon.

The objection to “inalienable rights” was stupid, and the universal translator should have assured that the correct meaning of “alien” was translated.

McCoy should understand Klingon anatomy.

Seeing the Romulan ambassador ran a sore point into the ground. The Romulans were always my favorite Star Trek villains, and they were conspicuously left out of this entire series of Original Series movies, cloaking Klingon ships and references to Romulan ale notwithstanding. That’s such a shame.

That Klingon proposed attacking the Federation while the Federation President’s communication line was still open.

Christopher Plummer was great.

Klingon rules of evidence really suck. For example, if someone speculates, you’re not allowed to offer an alternative possibility because that would be unlawful speculation. What? That’s dumb.

If they throw people out of Rura Penthe from the main gate, and it’s cold enough to kill you in a minute or so, then there should be a lot of preserved bodies lying around.

Why is there a store of phasers in the kitchen?

So, all bats from Tiberia are vampiric? I didn’t know that.

That’s a strange place for genitals, but even if it makes sense, every species develops an instinct to protect them. This guy practically led with his knees. He might as well have had a “kick me” sign on them.

That’s right. Keep Christian Slater in the dark.

Is that a smile on Valeris’s face when she pins the gravity boot to the locker door?

Kirk was still wearing a “veridian patch” that allowed him to be tracked by Spock. Did they not search him before putting him in prison? Where are his prison clothes?

“I can’t believe I kissed you.”
“Must’ve been your lifelong ambition.”

Bravo, Shatner, for being able to make fun of yourself.

This is the first time I noticed that there was no segregation between men and women in crew’s quarters.

A forced mind meld raises all sorts of ethical issues. Those issues have been raised in Star Trek on a few occasions. Here, it seemed a trivial choice, though some seemed to appreciate the ethical dilemma as it unfolded.

More self-awareness from Shatner, but in character. He appreciates how his approach (rushing in) was too extreme and was well-balanced by Spock’s opposing approach (logic). The strength of society is that we are not homogeneous. I wish more of us understood that, as much as we frustrate each other, we need each other.

A lot of people are sweating profusely, both in space and on the ground.

All that Shakespeare is fitting for Christopher Plummer but overdone for General Chang.

It’s fitting that the dining room was blown to bits by one of Chang’s torpedoes.

For a missile focusing in on a stationary target, that torpedo sure took a weird route to get there.

The explosion of Chang’s ship is used again for the explosion of Lursa and B’etor’s ship in Star Trek Generations. As Kessel Junkie referenced yesterday, Generations was the last Star Trek film where they recycled footage from prior films.

They took the ridiculous slow clap and somehow made it even more ridiculous. John Shuck and those freaky, yellow aliens had weird ways of clapping.

It didn’t take long for the new Enterprise to be decommissioned.

Again, Spock understands colorful metaphors. Because this is essentially the end of the original crew’s tenure in the Star Trek universe, they ended with the casts’ signatures. Avengers: Endgame would later borrow that idea (along with all the others they borrowed).

I’m taking a break from this series (unless tomorrow’s post counts) to do some other things. I’ll get to the Next Generation era films soon enough.

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