# I Didn't Realize How Much an Abuser Khan Was **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2016, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492 "2016-09-10T01:58:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/201 "2016-09-20T21:35:25Z")
And it really was a great weapon. McCoy’s emotionalism notwithstanding, he was fully correct in his assessment. Is there even any shielding from the Effect? Explode one near a Borg cube, or a Doomsday Device, or a stone whale probe, or a space amoeba, and not only is the threat gone, now you have new matter! Maybe a nice space ship, or starbase, instead of a full planet, if the initial mass is too small. And they are small enough to carry several on ships. Forget Corbomite! It would be criminally stupid _not_ to weaponize them! Think if all the threats to the Federation that Genesis eliminates. Heck, explode it around DS9 and have it make a planet centered right where the wormhole is. No more Dominion threat. Even using “unstable protomatter” doesn’t limit its effectiveness as a weapon. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/202 "2016-09-20T21:35:58Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I could buy that lifelessness was not the only criterion, that there were numerous fussy requirements regarding planetary mass and temperature and whatnot, which is why Ceti Alpha VI (or at least what _Reliant_ assumed was CA6) seemed promising, but for an anomalous lifesign blip. Why didn’t the _Reliant_ sensors pick up Khan and company? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/203 "2016-09-20T21:44:43Z")
> [@simster](#): > > IIRC , in the novel, ‘protomatter’ meant that they ‘chaeted’ and that it was known to be unstable - it was a call back to the Kobiyashi Maru in that Kirk - and Kirk’s son - both cheated when needed. And the purpose defeated when all the fans bleated that Spock was mistreated, and they wanted him back. And Nimoy said heck, give me a big check and let me direct. They said “you got it, Jack.” ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/204 "2016-09-20T21:47:46Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > And Nimoy said heck, give me a big check and let me direct. They said “you got it, Jack.” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/205 "2016-09-20T21:48:38Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Why didn’t the _Reliant_ sensors pick up Khan and company? Darned if I know. I can think up a few potential fanwank explanations, or suggestions to rewrite the scene a bit to make the encounter (and Khan’s ability to hijack _Reliant_) more plausible, but this and other MacGuffins are minor nuisances in what is otherwise a great movie and by far my favourite “episode” in the 50-year _Trek_ history. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/206 "2016-09-20T21:53:04Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > otherwise a great movie and by far my favourite “episode” in the 50-year _Trek_ history. Oh yeah. The best Star Trek movie. A friend made a VHS copy for me, and recorded the opening credits twice because he liked the music so much. Terell’s first officer is proof that most starfleet officers save Kirk were wimps. “Let’s give them a little more time…” My standing orders on landing parties would be “If contact with the Captain is lost, beam his ass up immediately.” ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/207 "2016-09-21T01:12:02Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Why didn’t the _Reliant_ sensors pick up Khan and company? I always figured atmospheric conditions made scanning for life signs difficult (as in the episode “The Galileo Seven”). Of course the password that KirK uses to disable the Reliant’s shields is so simple that no one today would use it. One sort of related question: why was Kirstie Alley so beautiful as a Vulcan and in VI Kim Cattrall, who is very beautiful, just kind of blah? Alley was pretty much unknown at the time yet several people I knew remarked how beautiful she was. Or do pointed ears help rather plain looking actresses more (like Joanne Linville as the Romulan commander in “The Enterprise Incident”)? ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/208 "2016-09-21T01:33:00Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Why didn’t the _Reliant_ sensors pick up Khan and company? Those darn K-ships! They were built for warp drive economy & little else. =d&r= ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/209 "2016-09-21T02:56:08Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > One sort of related question: why was Kirstie Alley so beautiful as a Vulcan and in VI Kim Cattrall, who is very beautiful, just kind of blah? Saavik was supposed to be a Romulan–Vulcan hybrid. They never went very far with that, though. Pity. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/210 "2016-09-21T14:06:08Z")
Yeah, there was a whole backstory of how Romulans used rape as a weapon, with Vulcan males being forced into pon farr and Romulans raping Vulcan females, then forcing their victims to see their children being born. I can see how that didn’t make it into the movie. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/211 "2016-09-21T14:15:03Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > Those darn K-ships! They were built for warp drive economy & little else. > > =d&r= But, the captain’s chair was covered in fine Corinthian leather. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/212 "2016-09-21T14:27:07Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > But, the captain’s chair was covered in fine Corinthian leather. A starsheep! A starsheep! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/213 "2016-09-21T15:27:45Z")
¿Quién es mas macho, Manuel Gomez o Khan Noonien Singh? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/214 "2016-09-21T15:33:54Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > I always figured atmospheric conditions made scanning for life signs difficult (as in the episode “The Galileo Seven”). Of course the password that KirK uses to disable the Reliant’s shields is so simple that no one today would use it. Even Trump/Homer Simpson wouldn’t use a code sequence like that. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/215 "2016-09-21T15:36:24Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > ¿Quién es mas macho, Manuel Gomez o Khan Noonien Singh? Khan. El _Reliant_ (el barco “K”) es muy macho! ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/216 "2016-09-21T15:37:54Z")
> [@Jim\_s\_Son](#): > > I always figured atmospheric conditions made scanning for life signs difficult (as in the episode “The Galileo Seven”). Of course the password that KirK uses to disable the Reliant’s shields is so simple that no one today would use it. Was it 12345? Because that’s the kind of code an idiot would put on his luggage. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/217 "2016-09-21T15:43:43Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Was it 12345? Because that’s the kind of code an idiot would put on his luggage. That is the same code I have on _my_ luggage! ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/218 "2016-09-21T15:56:24Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Was it 12345? Because that’s the kind of code an idiot would put on his luggage. 16309 …and ftr, I just changed it. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/219 "2016-09-21T15:58:09Z")
I use 8675309 myself. Get lots of “airport action” in the “platinum club” area too if you know what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492/220 "2016-09-21T16:09:06Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Even Trump/Homer Simpson wouldn’t use a code sequence like that. Was that jab really necessary? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-didnt-realize-how-much-an-abuser-khan-was/765492.md?page=12)