Error, Error, Mistakes; Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Hello and Welcome to Truth Or Myth, in Today’s episode we take a fun and fast look at the mistakes made in Star Trek the Motion Picture.

Please note, there have been MANY versions of this movie released, the one I’m picking apart is the version most recently released on BluRay, so let us begin.

(Paramount) The new look Klingons in “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”

The Klingons sure have changed since we last saw them. In the 3rd season of Star Trek: The Original Series, the Klingons appeared as some smooth foreheaded and dark-skinned humanoids. Why do they all of a sudden have forehead ridges?

Now I know that Star Trek Enterprise explained away this inconsistency, however, I find it hard to believe that in all of TOS we didn’t see a single bumpy headed Klingon, or that in TMP there wasn’t a single smooth foreheaded one on the Amarr, that just seems off…

Is that a moon orbiting Vulcan? I thought that in the TOS Episode The Man Trap, Spock said Vulcan HAD no moon?

In the beautiful shuttle pod trip to the enterprise, the shuttle pod passes between a light source and the ship. Correctly the shuttle pod is lit by that light source, but incorrectly it casts no shadow on the Enterprise herself.

Why does Kirk have to take a Shuttle pod to the Enterprise anyhow? Are there not transporters on Earth? Couldn’t they have just beamed him aboard from the planet? or at the very least ones that beamed up to the docking station, couldn’t he have transported over from there?

Why is the Enterprise the only vessel in interception range? Though dramatically exciting, this seems very odd and very dangerous, why would Starfleet leave Earth defenceless like that?

(Paramount) The Newly Refitted Enterprise 1701 in drydock – “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”

When Kirk is giving his briefing to the crew on the Rec Deck a call from Comm Station Epsilon 9 comes in, Kirk orders it on screen and we see the stations destruction. The problem is after it’s destroyed why do we continue to see V’ger? Should the transmission have been cut?

The Enterprise gets to Jupiter really fast, doesn’t it? But consider, it takes light to travel from the sun to earth 8 minutes and 20 secs, which means at warp 1 it would take that long for the enterprise to get from the earth to the sun. At impulse speed it should have taken a LOT longer to pass Jupiter then it appears in the movie. I guess they didn’t want to slow down the movie.

After this scene, Kirk makes a log entry that the Enterprise must risk engaging their warp drive while still in the solar system. When did that become such a big risk? Didn’t they Warp out of orbit all the time in the Original series? In Fact, in Star Trek 4, They Engage the Warp drive while still in Earth Atmosphere.

When Spock comes aboard in the Shuttle the bridge crew is treated to a surprise reveal. the problem is that once welcomed aboard Spock heads to Engineering and Kirk gives an Order to Chekov. Chekov? When did he get back on the bridge? We saw him behind Spock at the docking port, and he didn’t arrive with Spock, but there are no door sounds indicating that he re-entered the bridge from the other turbolift.

During their Encounter with V’Ger, Spock he believes there is an object at the centre of that cloud. Get up to date Spock we already knew that when Epsilon 9 told us that.

(Paramount) The Enterprise approaches V’Ger – “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”

It seems McCoy must be very bored. In the V’Ger flyover scenes, he continually enters and exits the bridge for nothing more than a look-see…

When the Ilia Probe joins the crew we get treated to her reveal when she’s transported into the sonic shower. Why would V’ger put her there? Did V’ger feel she was dirty? Wouldn’t it have been more logical to place her on the Bridge or Engineering? or at the very least just within he quarters?

And speaking of this scene, Kirk hasn’t lost his touch when it comes to females. With the pressing of a few buttons, he manages to place her in a very short robe and high heels.

Why does the Ilia Probe sound like a robot anyhow? Remember she’s made to exact specifications with precise detail.

When Spock goes to steal a Spacesuit for his entry into V’Ger he sneaks up behind a crewman and gives him the ol’ Vulcan Nerve pinch, the weird part is though why does he follow him down to the floor?

(Paramount) ‘Clear the bridge’, Kirk and crew enter the turbolift – “Star Trek: The Motion Picture”

Close to the end of the movie we get a scene where Kirk orders Mr Scott to prepare the Enterprise for Self Destruct. What happened to all that code stuff we saw in Let that be your last battlefield and WILL see again in Star Trek III?

In the last scene Kirk Spock and McCoy discuss the Wonders of V’ger, if you look closely Spock is wearing the jacket with the orange armband and McCoy is wearing the jacket with the Blue Armband, but then When Kirk gives the helmsman orders suddenly Spock has the Blue Arm Banded Jacked and McCoy has the Orange one.

Thank you for watching today’s episode. Don’t forget to like an subscribe. Or if you noticed something I missed, please leave a comment in the section below! Live long and prosper.

 

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