john@moncol.UUCP (John Ruschmeyer) (02/17/85)
As has been previously pointed out in this newgroup, there are two
plot problems which must be settled in ST IV- vindicating (exonerating)
Admiral Kirk and finding everyone a suitable ship to replace the
Enterprise. Ignoring the former, let's examine how vindication has
been handled previously in the Trek universe.
Like it or not, campers, Kirk and company are guilty- this is not
"Court Marshall". Twice before we have been faced with a main character
who is obviously in the wrong- Spock in "The Menagerie" and Kirk in
"Amok Time".
In "The Menagerie", Spock resorts to kidnapping, hijacking the
Enterprise, and travelling to a forbidden planet to give a former
commander a chance at life. (Boy, does this sound familiar.:-) )) He
is seemingly court-martialed for his crimes, but we later see that
the trial was really just a Talosian illusion.
In "Amok Time", Kirk disobeys Star Fleet orders to take Spock to
Vulcan for Pon Farr. The problem of Kirk's disobeying orders is simply
waved off just before the closing credits as Kirk is belatedly given
carte blanche.
The question now is how do these two cases relate to the possible
events of ST IV?
The "Menagerie" scenario is a bit unlikely in this case. I suppose
that Kirk and McCoy could use the Guardian of Forever and relive the
past few weeks, this time avoiding the accident with the Genesis
device... :-)
Just shrugging the whole thing off is a possibility. You could
argue in favor of this on several grounds:
1) Spock *is* alive.
2) Kirk did keep the Klingons from getting the
secret of Genesis.
3) He did capture a Klingon ship and a Klingon
officer. (There must be some intelligence
value in that.)
4) The Enterprise was going to be junked anyway.
This is a possibility, but would probably only be used to get
quickly into the next adventure.
A scenario which has been suggested by DC comics and this
newsgroup has Kirk staying away from a trial long enough to do
the "save the universe" bit. This seems a bit better.
There is a third scenario, however, which must be considered in
the light of recent events- Kirk is not vindicated. We must keep
in mind that Shatner almost did not come back for this movie. Would,
therefore, Harve Bennett not consider writing him out of the script
to save a lot of problems with ST V? (You all remember why Spock died!)
Before you all fire up the flame throwers, let me elaborate on
this scenario. As I see it, Kirk is given the choice of resigning
his commision (charges would be dropped on everyone else) or facing
a full court-martial. McCoy and Scotty would probably resign as well
and all three of them (and possibly Spock) would take off in the
Bird-of-prey (renamed Enterprise ?) for their own adventures. Can't
you see the tearful farewell from Uhura, Sulu, and Checkov as the
ship flies majestically into the setting sun...
Remember Kirk's words in "Amok Time": "I owe him my life a dozen
times over. Isn't that worth a career?"
--
John Ruschmeyer ...!vax135!petsd!moncol!john
Monmouth College ...!princeton!moncol!john
W. Long Branch, NJ 07764
"Everybody knows in the second life,
We all come back sooner or later.
As anything from a pussy cat,
To a man-eating alligator."