[kevin]

Just an idle observation here because I'm watching TWOK and as much as I love the thing (it's my favourite of the films) it's at times frustratingly lacking in sense.

On more than one occasion in TWOK things are able to happen and events move forward apparently and seemingly only because the USS Reliant must have the worst sensor systems packet in the entire fleet.

First of all, it's unable to detect that there is a planet missing in the Ceti Alpha star system, or even that there's now presumably a field of rubble where a planet previously was, and that the orbits of the other planets has been altered.

Then, when Chekov and Terrell beam down to what they still think is Ceti Alpha V they express surprise at the ground conditions that they find when they land. Did the Reliant or someone aboard not scan the planet's surface and did it not tell them before they transported what conditions were like on the surface?

Bearing in mind that Reliant is actually on a mission specifically to survey planets environments for use in the Genesis Experiment to the minute level that they are going to have to be able to detect 'even a single microbe' on the planet's surface in order to select it.

Then later................as it approaches Regula, it's sensors can't tell that the Enterprise is nowhere to be found in it's vicinity. Instead the viewscreen is used more as a window for Khan to look out and ask 'where is she?' as they approach.

They also cannot detect the presence of the Enterprise on the far side of Regula 1 - which is not a large planetoid really - even though the Enterprise can detect and display the Reliant. And can tell that Reliant is in motion to come around to the far side of Regula where Enterprise has been hiding.

The Reliant then also then only 'sees' Enterprise once they do come around to the other side of Regula - again as if the viewscreen was actually a window and not a display - and then gives chase into the Mutara Nebula.

Can anyone help out - did I miss a line in the film where they say that ALL Reliant's sensors and scanning abilities on the ship were knocked out? After the first battle they talk about Warp Drive and Photon Controls (which must have been fixed later as they get fired in the Nebula) being damaged but I couldn't find anything that indicated that sensors were affected.

Or could Khan's men just not work them even a little bit? Which doesn't make sense since from their presumed Botany Bay days they figured out how to move the ship, plot courses and use it's weapons and knew enough to detect that entering the nebula would make their shield's useless.

The whole movie need never have happened if Reliant only had sensors!!

[horatio]

I guess the answer lies in the last sentence. Or perhaps the Captain really was as incompetent as he seemed to be. In the case of doubt, blame the Russian.

[kevin]

Seemed to be a lot of incompetence.............

[horatio]

That's why Terrell commanded the small ship and surveyed planets whereas Kirk commanded the large ship and did whatever he liked to.

[Roysten]

Terrell has no excuses. Kahn you could argue didn't know how to properly run the ship, his underling slammed his fist into the console in frustration after the Enterprise lowered it's shields, he really missed the obvious, shoudl have turned it off and on again.

The Ceti Alpha VI stuff bothered me quite a bit, you really have to ignore the massive stretch of credibility to not get slightly annoyed by that scene. Not saying it's not a good scene, Kahn and crew capturing and interrogating Terrell and Chekov is a great couple of scenes, but missing a planet is pushing it a bit!

[horatio]

I accept a hundred plot holes in order to be able to hear Chekov say "Ceti Alpha Six".

[kevin]

Originally Posted by Roysten

should have turned it off and on again.

Yep, the ultimate IT solution!

Unless the Reliant had been equipped with the Starfleet version of Windows Vista for the mission?

[Roysten]

Originally Posted by kevin

Yep, the ultimate IT solution!

Unless the Reliant had been equipped with the Starfleet version of Windows Vista for the mission?

If that had been the case then Kahn would have blown it up in anger at having been asked to confirm whether he wants to continue for every action that he took.

Kahn: "Take us to warp."

Computer: "woah woah woah, woah... woah. Are you absolutely sure you want to do that?"

[kevin]

Then when you went to make your choice, it would freeze on you.

[samwiseb]

Do users still program soundbites for their Windows pop-up error messages in the 23rd century?

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't DO that."