Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10 beta 3/9/83; site sdcrdcf.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!sdcrdcf!jonab
From: jonab@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Jonathan Biggar)
Newsgroups: net.startrek,net.movies
Subject: Re: Review of "Search for Spock" (spoiler)
Message-ID: <1152@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 21-Jun-84 17:45:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.1152
Posted: Thu Jun 21 17:45:46 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 23-Jun-84 04:17:51 EDT
References: <1538@uw-june> <364@astrovax.UUCP>
Reply-To: jonab@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Jonathan Biggar)
Organization: System Development Corporation, Santa Monica
Lines: 49

In article <364@astrovax.UUCP> ks@astrovax.UUCP writes:
>
>     The overriding problem is the contrived circumstances for the destruction
>of the Enterprise, and the total failure of the film to show the impact of this
>event on the characters.  I'll take these one at a time.
>
>     We were told that the "Bird of Prey" (already in namesake inconsistent with
>the original ship designations from the series) carried 12 men.  Three were on
>the planet's surface; one was vaporized; and one remained aboard.  This means
>that only SEVEN Klingons were available to board the Enterprise.  Despite the
>fact that Kruge was obviously aware that a heavy cruiser carried a full 
>complement of 400+, he beamed them over.  Am I supposed to believe that 
>KIRK DESTROYS THE ENTERPRISE TO KILL SEVEN LOUSY KLINGONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have seen this argument many times already and almost everyone has
forgotten several factors related to the Enterprise's destruction:

1)  People propose that Kirk should have let the Klingons beam aboard
    and then ambush them.  There are a couple of difficuties:

    a)  There are only 5 people aboard the Enterprise, thus they
	are outnumbered.

    b)  Even if the Klingon boarding party could be captured or killed,
	the Enterprise is still NOT functional at ALL.  After failing
	to hear from his boarding party, Krudge could simply destroy
	the Enterprise.  What gain is there over self destruction?

2)  Kirk cannot surrender the ship for obvious reasons:

    a)  Would you want to give the Klingons all of the Enterprise's
	technology?

    b)  If Kirk had any chance of getting out of this with his
	career, he better not give a Federation heavy cruiser to
	the Klingons.

So Kirk is left with no choice:  it is unthinkable to surrender and
the Klingons would destroy the ship if he tried to defend it anyway.
The only option left is to destroy it.

I do agree that the film does not allow the characters to feel the
full impact of the loss of the Enterprise, and this is a deficiency.
However, like many films, this part probably ended up on the cutting
room floor in order to give more time for the "climax".

Jon Biggar
{allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,sdccsu3}!sdcrdcf!jonab