(10-14-2022, 05:36 PM)FaceInTheCrowd Wrote: It's that question about condemning someone to death based on others' perceptions or prejudices. At no time did anyone propose that Mitchell should be killed. At most, Spock predicted that they would inevitably be forced to kill him to avoid the Valiant's fate if he remained onboard. Kirk's ultimate decision to pursue and kill Mitchell, or to bombard the planet with lethal radiation if he failed, was made after Mitchell's murder of Kelso.
Here's a question: do we think Kirk decided to kill Mitchell as "justice" for Kelso's murder, or was Mitchell's murder of Kelso just the tipping point that convinced Kirk and he had no other choice? If the Enterprise had been fully repaired, why not just beam up, go, report back to Starfleet and get orders on how to deal with the now super-powered Mitchell? Or do we think that Kirk, not knowing that Dehner's eyes were now lit up, thought Mitchell had taken her by force and he needed to rescue her?
I'm not saying anyone proposed that Mitchell be killed. I was thinking about this statement , made earlier about Kirk:
Quote:I am with Kirk in thinking that any human endowed with enough power to do anything with no need to consider consequences, whether it's godlike ESP or just a boatload of money big enough to buy their way out of trouble, will eventually be corrupted by it, and the more power they get, the worse they will be.
Kirk is thinking this about Mitchell from the get go. No doubt part of his conviction was based on Spock's report, but I think the rest is based on intuition and his knowledge of Mitchell. Of all the character changes that come about from the pilot, Kirk is the one constant that stays the same guy. And he always believed, just what you stated above, that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Doesn't a statement of that nature speak of a prejudice? In other words, Kirk is prejudging Mitchell based on nothing more than a quote he's read and admired?
Furthermore, does Kirk really need Spock, or anyone for that matter to tell him what he's already considered? That death is the probable alternative for Mitchell? I mean, if Kirk thinks Mitchell is going to get worse and worse, he can't give the guy a time out or imprison him.
Quote: Here's a question: do we think Kirk decided to kill Mitchell as "justice" for Kelso's murder, or was Mitchell's murder of Kelso just the tipping point that convinced Kirk and he had no other choice? If the Enterprise had been fully repaired, why not just beam up, go, report back to Starfleet and get orders on how to deal with the now super-powered Mitchell? Or do we think that Kirk, not knowing that Dehner's eyes were now lit up, thought Mitchell had taken her by force and he needed to rescue her?
What I don't get is why they all spent so much time on Delta Vega. It's strange to me that Kelso didn't cannibalize everything, then have it beamed up and work on it back on the Enterprise. Instead he takes hours and hours of time making these perfectly fitting panels.
In answer to the question, I don't think Kirk decided to kill Mitchell as justice for Kelso's death, or because he came to the realization he had no other choice. I think he planned on it all along. He didn't oppose a phaser rifle being beamed down, and he had Kelso rig a destruct switch.
Mitchell killed Kelso for one reason; to prevent him from using the destruct switch. Otherwise, I think he would have let Kelso live. Another interesting thing is that Mitchell did not kill the landing party. He zaps them, then takes off with Dehner. If Kirk had planned on marooning Mitchell, as he states in his log, I wonder why he just didn't have everyone beam up and leave Mitchell and Dehner there. From what I gathered, Mitchell was no longer a threat to any of them. They had time to get away.
I suppose this episode is much like the chess game Spock and Kirk play at the beginning of the episode. Strategic moves are made and the game escalates toward check mate. Kirk makes a move and checkmates. Spock later comments that his move should have been the rook. Kirk fakes with a statement about marooning Mitchell, but ends up killing him instead. I wonder if he would have killed Dehner too, had she lived.
I still believe Kirk escalated the situation with Mitchell, and things might have turned out differently had a different approach been taken rather than assuming he was going to be absolutely powerful, and as a result, corruptible and a murderer.
I do consider this episode to be one of my favorites, and the last time I watched it, I was surprised by how good of an actor Gary Lockwood was as Mitchell, of the "glowing eyes". There were scenes where he was downright creepy, in a science fiction sort of way. Shatner was also very good in this episode, on target at times and maybe a little hammy at others. He's a prelude to the Captain we've all grown to know and love.
The best way to frustrate a cyberbully is to ignore him.