Using protomatter was unethical, but it wasn't the cause of all the deaths in the Wrath of Khan. The Reliant coming across the planet Khan and his group had been marooned on was a complete fluke and likely would have happened anyway if David hadn't used a shortcut in the making of the Genesis device. Nobody could have predicted the way things played out and even if he hadn't used protomatter, it may have only delayed the inevitable.
shareShe had a point. As David said, if he'd followed the rules the device wouldn't have been ready for years, or possibly never. So if David hadn't lied, Reliant wouldn't have been scouting planets to use the Genesis device on, because there wouldn't have been a workable version of it yet. Maybe later somebody would have, but perhaps they wouldn't have made the same mistake as the Reliant, or maybe Khan and his crew would have been dead by then. Perhaps they would have found another planet to scout. Who knows But the point she was making was that people died over this project, and there wasn't really a project. Genesis was a bust, the planet was unstable and destroying itself.
See you guys at the 10 year prison reunion - Ben Richards
But them accidentally stumbling upon the planet was totally unrelated. It wasn't a foreseeable consequence of David's actions whatsoever. Maybe if they began colonizing the Genesis planet and it blew up, it would be his fault that they all died, but the place was quarantined for a reason.
shareYes it was related, but you're right that it was not foreseeable that Khan would be on the planet. But the only reason they went to Ceti Alpha V, and beamed down, was because they were running errands for the Genesis project, looking for a candidate planet to test the Genesis device on. Had David been honest about what he had done they wouldn't have been looking for a candidate planet for years, or possibly ever. And the Grissom wouldn't have been destroyed, because it wouldn't have been orbiting/studying the Genesis Planet when the Klingons arrived. David didn't mean for any of it to happen but those events were the result of his actions.
See you guys at the 10 year prison reunion - Ben Richards
I always thought she was referring to the crew of Grissom, had David not lied that ship and it's crew would still be alive.
shareThat was the writers trying to justify David's death. Frankly, Chekov and Terrell are more responsible for the deaths in TWOK than anyone else (okay, Khan is ultimately responsible).
👷👳
Bob the Builder and Hadji walk into a bar...
Well, WOK might not have happened if the Reliant had sent down a survey team instead of the Captain and First Officer.
shareUltimately, the deaths and political fallout are all in the heads of the Genesis team and whatever Federation group approved their project in the first place.
Kruge was right. Genesis, "working" or not, is ONLY a weapon of conquest.
Quien es mas Sherlock?
Hombre de Hierro
O
Doctor Extraño
Yet, if David hadn't used the protomatter, then the device would still be sought as a destructive weapon, it just would have carried the benefit of terraforming the planet fresh for the conquerers.
In a sense, because of David's failure, it was a less attractive weapon than it would otherwise have been.
But that still doesn't really explain Saavik's comment. How can any of the deaths be blamed on David? Unless he's the one who specifically started telling Starfleet what planets to search for, and told them to check out the Ceti Alpha system, I don't see his responsibility.
I think a previous poster was correct... must have been so the audience didn't weep as much when David died, but it was a forced point and it always irks me when she asks him how many have died.
I want to shout, "NONE!" Vulcans should be much smarter than this.
————
You're makin'... me... beat... up... GRASS!
Technically the fatal flaw in the Genesis device would have made it less sought after, not more. It's practically an unintentional fail-safe. You can use the terraforming device, but you can't reap any long term benefits from it.
And no one died because of David. The Klingons killed the crew of Grissom, the Augments killed various members of the Enterprise and Reliant crew.
Her reasoning is flawed.
Fluoride does not prevent tooth decay. It does render teeth detectable by spy satellite -JL
And no one died because of David. The Klingons killed the crew of Grissom, the Augments killed various members of the Enterprise and Reliant crew.
Her reasoning is flawed.
^ Simple logic, which is what Saavik was using when she made the statement. Sadly, it goes over some folks heads. Excellent post, !!!deleted!!! (9347176).
- - - - - - -
I am not a fan. I just happen to enjoy movies. Fans are embarrassing.
Protomatter is mostly what made Genesis possible as it was used to solve unsolvable problems if David didn't use protomatter it would taken years for the project or never. David is blamed for the deaths because his shortcut led to Khan and Klingons fighting for Genesis for their own gains, innocents caught in the crossfire.
share