TOS: The Enemy Within

[Darth Wedgius]

Well that would be easy: I would assume the shuttlecrafts were inoperable at that time. There. Done.

All of them at the same time? Sounds like whoever is in charge of the shuttlecraft should be looking for a new line of work.

[sayla0079]

Well that would be easy: I would assume the shuttlecrafts were inoperable at that time. There. Done.

All of them at the same time? Sounds like whoever is in charge of the shuttlecraft should be looking for a new line of work.

Them and the Redshirts.

[TGLS]

Alternate: they didn't have shuttles at the time (perhaps because Starfleet was overconfident about transporters) and picked some up later.

[Makeshift Python]

Alternate: All shuttles were inoperable after a trip to a local Del Taco. When they were on their way back, things got messy. Crewmen were still at it trying to sanitize the shuttles as the events of "The Enemy Within" took place.

[Robovski]

Alternate: An energy alien that appeared as James Buchanan caused the shuttles to be lost pursuing an alternate evil James Buchanan from an parallel dimension of evil people at war with aliens that had once visited Earth but left for no reason and we remember as the Indian pantheon.

[Maximara]

I dunno. I think fear is good, despite what Yoda says. Fear can help you make good decisions that save your own life, or protect the safety of others. This strikes me as... Gene being Gene. My "perfect humans" will never be afraid! Only their evil halves are terrified!

Except the whole "perfect humans" things is not supported by the actual episodes made. Doctor Adams, Commodore Matt Decker, John Gill, Doctor Richard Daystrom, and Captain Garth of Izar are all prime examples of just how flawed the humans of the TOS era were. John Gill is supposed to be this great historian and yet he gets things so wrong that it is jaw dropping.

On the whole matter of the shuttles perhaps there was something about the planet that made flying them down safely impossible.

[Yukaphile]

Very true. Again, that's Gene being Gene.

Again, they could have said that in the actual episode.

[Mickey_Rat15]

Why would an evil Kirk be a coward? Why wouldn't he be super brave? Reckless, aggressive to the point he doesn't care if he dies?

No, because "evil" Kirk is not evil per se, though he is utterly amoral. He is entirely ruled by his passions, which inlcludes fear. To put it in terms of the Bene Gesserit from Dune, that Kirk is an animal with human shape. In a gom jabbar test, he would yank his hand out the box immediately. The "good" Kirk has a conscience and reason, but no passion, no drive, and therefore no decisiveness. I believe misinterpreting the other Kirk as evil is what hobbles our protagonists into msiuderstanding what happened to Kirk.

As to the shuttlecraft, Sulu and the remainder of the landing party are in terrain a shuttlecraft cannot put down in and the nearest place where one can is several hours hike from where the landing party is, so they cannot reach one in time to matter.

[Yukaphile]

I don't recall them mentioning that in the episode. About the shuttle, I mean.

[Darth Wedgius]

No, because "evil" Kirk is not evil per se, though he is utterly amoral. He is entirely ruled by his passions, which inlcludes fear. To put it in terms of the Bene Gesserit from Dune, that Kirk is an animal with human shape. In a gom jabbar test, he would yank his hand out the box immediately. The "good" Kirk has a conscience and reason, but no passion, no drive, and therefore no decisiveness. I believe misinterpreting the other Kirk as evil is what hobbles our protagonists into msiuderstanding what happened to Kirk.

It's been a while since I've seen the episode, but that makes sense to me. And it would be Star Trek returning to it's really early roots to have "evil Kirk" be a monster from the Id.