From: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu (Michael Rawdon)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc
Subject: Re: STAR TREK II - The Wrath of Khan
Date: 3 Sep 92 02:36:46 GMT
Reply-To: rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu
Organization: University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Dept., Madison, WI

I'm not sure that it's necessary to quote the WHOLE ARTICLE here...

Anyway.

In <1992Sep2.204338.19438@lmpsbbs.comm.mot.com> stanaway@ssd.comm.mot.com (Chris Stanaway) writes:
>In article 3003@ringer.cs.utsa.edu, lipscomb@lonestar.utsa.edu (David S. Lipscomb) writes:
>>In article <1992Sep2.152337.15989@gserv1.dl.ac.uk> atb@gserv1.dl.ac.uk writes:
>>>When Jim gets the news about trouble at the Regulo 1 (sp) lab (Genesis lab)
>>>he is ordered to take over and investigate as they are (rather conveniently)
>>>the only ship in the sector. When Jim takes over he tells Scotty that he
>>>wants to go at WARP SPEED, Sulu says *so much for the training cruise* (one of
>>>the best lines in the film) and presses the appropriate button and the big E
>>>warps off to the rescue.
>>>This implies that before Jim takes over they weren't going at warp speed,
>>>i.e. they were moving at sublight speed.
>>>Now three weeks at sublight speed wouldn't really get them anywhere, they'd
>>>be at the edge of the solar systems cometary Oort cloud thats all. I have
>>>severe doubts that Starfleet had no other ships between Earth and Regulo 1.

>>Maybe Kirk was chosen because of the past relationship with the doctor.

>Who says that they were travelling on impulse power for the entire three
>weeks???  They could have recently dropped out of warp for some engineering
>maintiance training.  That would explain why Kirk told Scotty that he needed
>warp speed.

I find it hard to believe that a training vessel whih has been moored at Earth
for a while, which has been maintained by Scotty during that time, and which
he and his cadets prepared so thoroughly for Kirk's inspection that even the
*consoles weren't dusty* would have needed maintenance.  I find it far more
likely that they really were at sublight that whole time.

>To say that they sent to Regulo 1 because of Kirk's past relationship with
>the doctor doesn't make any sense.  We were told that they were the only
>ship in the area and I find it had to believe that Starfleet makes decisions
>based on their captians' personal lives.

That's also true.

I don't find it too great a stretch that Starfleet doesn't have any vessels
available in the area.  First, they would probably have most of their ships
of the line near the fronts (Klingon and Romulan), not guarding Earth.
Second, they may have had other ships around, but no war vessels, nothing
capable of dealing with an unknown something which seemingly knocked out a
space station.  Third, maybe they had some ships in drydock which were not
ready for service immediately (but would have been if, say, the Klingons
had broken through the front, given warning via subspace).  Fourth, maybe it
was coincidence.

Who knows.

-- 
Michael Rawdon	    rawdon@colby.cs.wisc.edu  [Note new address!]
University of Wisconsin Computer Sciences Department, Madison, WI

    "What about you, Captain?" Krill asked.  "Do you seek death, or do you
run away from it?
    "Neither," Kiroth answered.  "Death seeks me.  It will find me in time.  
To run is simply a waste of energy.  To embrace death is sheer madness.  I 
await death.  When it comes, I will be ready."
    "To fight, or to flee?"
    Kiroth looked at his XO with barely contained horror.  "To die."
		- "Escape From The Holdfast", by Jim Hart; Captain's Log #8
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc