2. Hey, I Can See Your Memories!
So it turns out that this crazed Vulcan recruits his followers by taking away their pain; this makes them really relaxed and happy and willing to assault cities and hijack starships. Once hes aboard the Enterprise, he proceeds to do this to the crew. But Kirk, Spock and McCoy escape, fleeing their would-be captors and hiding out in what seems to be the ships party room. Of course, they are eventually caught, and the crazed Vulcan tries to take their pain too. In this case, though, we actually see their pain being acted out; they interact with the painful memory, and the other characters can see what is going on as well. Spock is born and his dad says hes human (do Vulcans remember their birth?), McCoy euthanizes his dad shortly before a cure for his painful illness is discovered. Kirk refuses, since he needs his pain (another great Shatner moment Im forgiving). Why is this so bad? I can accept that the crazed Vulcan can somehow remove painful memories; Vulcans do have telepathic powers. And even though I dont think every person has one painful memory they dwell on, Im a blogger, not a doctor, darn it. But even if we all have one painful memory that this guy can exorcise, why would everyone in the room be able to see the memory? Even as I write this I can come up with some convoluted fan-boy explanations, but I shouldnt have to do the work myself. Like so much else in this movie, I could forgive the weak plot if so many momentslike this onedidnt make me shake my head in confusion.