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From: jerry@oliveb.UUCP (Jerry Aguirre)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: Spock - (nf)
Message-ID: <282@oliveb.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 14-Feb-84 19:05:40 EST
Article-I.D.: oliveb.282
Posted: Tue Feb 14 19:05:40 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 16-Feb-84 05:50:15 EST
References: <5453@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Organization: Olivetti ATC, Cupertino, Ca
Lines: 54

Regarding the epesode where Spock uses the remaining shuttle fuel as a
flare instead of saving it for landing.  It was my impression that they
did not consider their chances of surviving on the planet as very
good.  Remember that they were unarmed, having used their phasers to
fuel the shuttle, and there were giants on the planet who had already
tried to crush the shuttle.  (All this leaves out the size of a planet
and the odds of landing in an inhabited area.)

My reaction to the show was that Kirk should have left immediately,
made the rendevous, and then returned to search.
    1 - The rendevous was only a few hours away.  (I don't remember
	exactly how long but I seem to remember that the other ship
	would be expecting them in ~4 hours.)
    2 - The sensors would not be usable for that time anyway, their
	whole search was useless and dangerous to the search parties.

If Kirk had used warp 8 to deliver the perishable supplies and returned
at the same speed, he would have arrived at just about the time the
sensors would have become usable.

If the time had been the last time they could leave and still (after
+days at warp 8) make their schedule then it would have been
reasonable.  However they repeatedly gave the time as the number
(small) of hours till the time that the other ship would be expecting
them.  I remember thinking at the time that twice this time was just
about the time that it was estimated before the static on the sensors
would clear.  Of course maybe the Enterprise was expected to do more
than deliver and could not return.

A lot of articles have commented on the inconsistancy with which the
transporter is used.  Its capabilities such as being able to store,
filter or otherwise modify the transported object are adjusted to what
is needed for the plot.  One show does just the apposite.  I don't
remember the name but Sulu and some others are on a planet on which the
temperature is dropping and the transporter is out (I think this is the
episode where Kirk is split/duplicated).  The problem they face is how
to get Sulu and party off the planet before they freeze to death.  The
obvious sollution is to send a shuttle down for them.  The Enterprise
seems to carry several but there is no mention of them.  Not even a "if
only the shuttle was working".  The writer of that script seems never
to have heard of shuttles.  Another option not considered was using the
ships phasers.  Sulu uses up his phaser warming rocks which they huddle
around.  The ships phasers could be used to heat an area up-wind giving
at least some relief from the cold.  Feats of greater precision were
done with the phasers on other shows.  Also why didn't Sulu use his
phaser to hollow out a cave as was done on other shows.

The answer to all this is, as was said before, that the shows were
written by different writers, and after all was primarily about people,
not technology.  I guess a lot of us could use a little more
consistancy in the technology so we could concentrate on the people.

					    Jerry Aguirre
    {hplabs|fortune|ios|tolerant|allegra|tymix}!oliveb!jerry