Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site oliveb.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!oliveb!jerry 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