Star Trek by the Minute 062: Katric Ark Escape


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As the segment opens we see Spock running up the large sloping mountainside that leads up to Katric Ark entrance. It seems to be quite a ways and we wonder why he would want to beam down so far away from the entrance. The planet is collapsing, everyone has mere seconds to survive, while Spock is doing some kind of weird crouching beam-in position, and has decided to try some mountain jogging across dangerous & unstable terrain for what, sightseeing? We know that everyone on the planet, everyone on the ship, and the Enterprise itself have only a few seconds. Since we later see the evacuees transported from just outside the Katric Ark entrance, we have to wonder why, in the Vulcan hell, (Thx Muser) would anyone would ever consider beaming to the bottom of the mountain they need to get inside?
Eventually making it into the entrance tunnel, he shields eyes from falling debris and sprints into the temple chamber door and up some stairs to a gigantic statue of some Vulcan icon, around which the senior council is assembled.
"Spock" Amanda says rising from her seated position as she notices her son. Spock declares, "The planet has only seconds left; We must evacuate!" The convened Vulcan dignitaries glance nervously at each other, and Spock says "Mother, now!" before they begin to exit the chamber and large chunks of statuary and boulders from the cave roof come crashing down in dusty clouds behind them. It may be that some of the Vulcans have very slow reflexes, as one of the extremely large statues slowly collapses like a giant sequoia, yet this does not stop one of the council members from sprinting toward its landing zone. The massive body parts of this statue and it's accompanying cloud of dust obscure what must be an impressive splatter of green blood but probably an unimpressive splatter up cranial contents - judging by his actions.
Spock and Amanda lead the survivors in and the dash through the tunnel with Spock protectively covering his mother ensuring she is safe, and first of the cave as stragglers are crushed by the rapidly collapsing passageway and the increasing severity of the shaking from all the seismic activity.
As the refugees emerge from the ark entrance, we see being in the destruction of the landscape around them with mountainous collapsing in huge boulders and Spock and Amanda view the destruction as Spock flips open his communicator and orders, "Spock to Enterprise, get us out now!" Chekov, still in the transporter tech seat replies: "Locking on you, please don't move. Stay right where you are!" Hm. I'd like to know how Chekov intends for people on the shaking crust of a doomed planet being sucked into a black hole as it's rotating on its axis and orbiting the system's star, which is in turn flying for the galaxy to "stand still". Perhaps he thinks saying "please" will make a difference? Although completely ridiculous and even at odds with the film's own exposition, this is what passes for "action" deserving glowing praise from enthusiastic fans and it is believed: escaping the "stale", "dead" Star Trek of the past. Hm.
Although they don't show it in the initial shot of the group exiting the Katric Ark, at some point while Chekov is locking onto them Spock incredibly places Amanda up to the brink of a cliff during this furious earthquake. After everything he has done to keep her safe, risking the ship, its crew, is life, and their escape, we are to believe that he would put his mother so close to certain death? This makes even less sense than kung-fu master Sulu standing with his back to the edge of the drilling platform with no chute as it dangles near the jet stream. Not only that, but he actually places her on the cliffs age out of reach where, if anything goes wrong, (such as her starting to plunge to her death), it will be impossible for him to do anything at all.
This is the situation in which we see the Vulcans as the transporter starts up and the energizing effect begins, and this segment ends.
The only female to speak in this segment is Spock's Mother Amanda who utters one single syllable "Spock!"
Next: another long, drawn-out transporter death sequence occurs in our next episode. Star Trek by the Minute 063: Amanda Dies.

Comments

muser said…
"on God's green earth" ????
Whose invisible friend created a green Earth?
And if you've momentarily given up atheism, shouldn't you have said that we have to wonder "why on God's red Vulcan" Spock beamed down so far from his destination?

:)
BurntSynapse said…
Hahaha!

I was actually quoting a scene in "From the Earth to the Moon" but I like yours better.

Updated with link.
muser said…
Thank you for the link. :)

BTW I do know my comments would make it seem that I constantly disagree with you, when in actuality I am often picking nits or disagreeing with only 1% of what you've said.

Please keep in mind that if I put a comment at the end of every minute that just said "Absolutely! Thank you! Just what I thought when I saw it!" those would be some pretty boring as well as redundant comments.
BurntSynapse said…
Of course. I agree.

...and thanks again for the attention and constructive feedback!

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