Star Trek: Moontrap

Star Trek: Moontrap is a movie. A part of Star Trek: The Original Series, this movie is a reimagining of Moontrap.

Prologue
On July 20, 1969, during the last phase of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, a robotic eye emerges from the lunar soil and takes notice of the landing module as it takes off. The eye buries itself again.

Act One
Centuries later, in the year 2271, at the Presidio campus of Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco, California on Earth, Admiral James T. Kirk arrives in air tram 3. As he steps out, he sees Commander Sonak, a Vulcan science officer who is joining the Enterprise crew and was recommended for the position by Kirk himself. Kirk is assigned to the USS Enterprise, NCC-1701-A, under command of Captain Will Decker and the successor of the original. Kirk is bothered as to why Sonak is not on board yet. Sonak explains that Captain Decker wanted him to complete his science briefing at Starfleet Headquarters before departing. The Enterprise-A is now under final preparations to leave drydock on its maiden voyage, which would take at least twelve hours. Kirk tells Sonak to report to him on the Enterprise-A in one hour – he has a short meeting with Admiral Nogura and is intent on being on the Enterprise-A at that time.

Following the meeting, Kirk transports to an orbital office complex of the San Francisco Fleet Yards and meets Commander Montgomery Scott, chief engineer of the original Enterprise. Scott expresses his concern about the tight departure time. After the two men enter a travel pod and the doors seal shut, Kirk explains that Dr. Emery Bronson has discovered that a new star named Bellus and its sole planet, Zyra, beyond the solar system in the direction of Scorpio, with the moon Titan 37. Scott says that the refit, a process that took eighteen months, can't be finished in twelve hours and tries to convince him that the Enterprise needs more work done as well as a shakedown cruise. Kirk firmly insists that the Enterprise-A is ready for her maiden voyage and they are leaving, ready or not, in twelve hours. Scott activates the travel pod's thrusters and they begin the journey over to the Earth Spacedock in orbit that houses the new Enterprise.

Scott tells Kirk that the crew hasn't had near enough transition time with all the new equipment and that the engines haven't even been tested at warp power, not to mention that they have an untried captain in command. Kirk tells Scott that two and a half years as the Chief of Starfleet Operations may have made him a little stale, but that he wouldn't exactly consider himself untried. Kirk then tells a surprised Scott that Starfleet has given him his new command of the Enterprise-A. Scott comments that he doubts it was so easy with Admiral Nogura, and Kirk tells him he's right. While sharing a laugh with Kirk, Scott remarks, "Any man who can manage such a feat I wouldna dare disappoint. She'll launch on time, sir... and she'll be ready," and gently puts his hand on the admiral's arm. They arrive at the Enterprise-A held within the mammoth spacedock, and Scott gives Kirk a brief tour of the new exterior of the new ship.

Upon docking with the ship and entering the Enterprise's cargo bay, Scott is immediately called to engineering. Kirk takes a turbolift up to the bridge, and upon arrival, is informed by Lieutenant Commander Uhura that Starfleet has just transferred command from Captain Decker over to him, and she, along with several other crewmembers including Sulu and Chekov, step forward excitedly to greet Kirk, who appreciates the welcome but wishes it were under more pleasant circumstances. Kirk asks the computer where Decker is. The computer informs that Decker is in engineering. Kirk makes his way to the new engine room and pauses to look at Enterprise's heart the warp core before taking the lift down to where Captain Decker is busy assisting Scott with launch preparations. After Kirk takes him aside to talk, informing him about Helmsman McKenna has lungworm and Hawkins was unable to distinguish Romulan language, Decker becomes visibly upset when Kirk tells him that he is assuming command. Decker will remain on the ship as executive officer and will receive a temporary demotion to commander.

In the briefing room, Kirk briefs the assembled crew on the first mission: to investigate murders on an ice mining operation on Titan 37 and to examine an ancient ruins of the ancient astronauts that they originated on Earth's Moon some 14,000 years ago. The crew receives a personal message from Yorktown, the Federation's newest and most advanced starbase in orbit around Zyra. While reading the communiqué, Decker says that Starbase Yorktown discovered a derelict spaceship orbiting the planet. Kirk informs the crew that the ship is short in several key positions, most notably a first officer, but Kirk is informed that a very experienced officer, Spock, will fill the position and that the pre-launch countdown will begin in forty minutes and the assembled crew leaves to attend to their duties.

Act Two
Later on the bridge, Lieutenant Ilia, the Enterprise-A's Deltan navigator, arrives. Decker is happy to see her, as they developed a romantic relationship when he was assigned to her home planet Delta IV several years earlier. Ilia is curious about Decker's reduction in rank and Kirk interrupts and tells her about Decker being the executive officer. Decker tells her, with slight sarcasm, that Captain Kirk has the utmost confidence in him. Ilia tells Kirk that her oath of celibacy is on record and asks permission to assume her duties. Uhura tells Kirk that one of the last six crew members to arrive is refusing to beam up. Kirk goes to the transporter room to ensure that the person is beamed up.

When told by a yeoman that the crew member insisted on them beaming up first, "said something about first "seeing how it scrambled our molecules,"" Kirk tells Starfleet to beam the officer aboard. Dr. McCoy, dressed in civilian attire and wearing a thick beard, materializes on the transporter platform. McCoy is angry that his Starfleet commission was reactivated. He realizes that Kirk is responsible for the draft. His attitude changes, however, when Kirk says he desperately needs him. McCoy leaves to check out the new sickbay, grumbling about all the new changes on the Enterprise-A.

The Enterprise leaves spacedock and heads into the solar system at impulse.


 * "Captain's log, stardate 7412.6. 1.8 hours from launch. Our destination is Planet Zyra, the only satellite of the star Bellus in the Scorpio constellation. My orders are to investigate murder on a mining operation on the moon Titan 37 and examine an ancient ruins built there by an ancient astronauts from Earth's moon 14,000 years ago. Meanwhile. I'm becoming better acquainted with my new command - the second starship USS Enterprise. I'm still somewhat in awe of its new design and was virtually identical to her predecessor. As for my crew, we are short in several key positions, most notably a first officer, but I'm informed that a highly experienced man, Commander Spock, will be waiting to join the ship at Starbase Yorktown in orbit around Zyra."

A clean-shaven Dr. McCoy arrives on the bridge and complains that the new sickbay is now nothing but a "damned computer center." Kirk gives the order to Sulu: "Let's see what she's got!" With a flash, the Enterprise engages her warp drive on its way to Zyra. Once arrived in the Bellus-Zyra system in the Scorpio constellation, the Enterprise-A encounters a derelict spaceship that is going to re-enter Zyra's atmosphere and burn up. The away team leave the ship to investigate. There are hieroglifics on the outside walls of the ship. There is a hole on the outer layer of the ship. The team see a corridor.

Kirk, Decker, McCoy and Chekov inspect the ship's bridge. The ship appears to be off-line. Chekov and Scott attempt to transfer power to the ship, but end up shorting out its circuits. They apply a power inverter to the ship to try and extract the logs from it. After an adjustment fails, Kirk suggests doing the opposite of the previous procedure, and the power comes back online. Decker examines the still-functioning old-style equipment. Suddenly, an alarm sounds. Someone is trying to beam over to the ancient ship, but its transporter is malfunctioning. McCoy informs Kirk that there is a red line on the transporter. Kirk and Scott promptly race over to the transporter room. Chekov is frantically trying to tell Transporter chief Janice Rand to abort the transport, but it is too late. Commander Sonak and a female officer are beaming in, but their bodies aren't re-forming properly in the transporter beam. The female officer screams horrifically, and then their bodies disappear. Rand tells them that they have died. With tears beginning to form in his eyes, Kirk tells Uhura to express his sympathies to their families. He mentions that Sonak's can be reached through the Vulcan embassy. "There was nothing you could have done, Rand," Kirk tells the upset transporter operator, "it wasn't your fault." Kirk discovers a reddish-brown pod and a mummified human corpse.


 * "Personal log, Commander Spock, stardate 7413.4. Starship Reliant has dropped me off at Starbase Yorktown in orbit around Zyra, where I await the arrival of the new USS Enterprise to which I have been assigned as First Officer. Meanwhile, I've asked Commodore Paris about an indefinite quarantine on the moon Titan 37."

At Starbase Yorktown, an extensive deep space colony containing a large city, Spock has just been dropped off by the USS Reliant for his new assignment. Commodore Paris informs that there had been murder on Titan 37 century ago. She placed Titan 37 under an indefinite quarantine. The Enterprise brought a derelict spaceship to Yorktown to be recycled. Spock tells Kirk that he is aware of the first mission and knows about the transporter accident. He offers his services as the science officer. Kirk formally welcomes Spock on board the Enterprise.

Both a pod and a mummified human corpse are brought to the Federation colony on Zyra. Shortly thereafter, while being unattended, the pod comes to life. It seizes control of the lab computers to replay the analysis for corpse and then builds itself a cybernetic body with parts from the lab and pieces of the ancient corpse. The away team takes the auxiliary all-terrain buggy out and Kirk has fun with driving it at high speed around the local terrain. The team discovers the ruins of an ancient human civilization. Inside, Decker is momentarily baffled by a door that requires a handprint to open. Upon entering the main chamber, the team finds a woman in suspended animation who identifies herself in a rudimentary fashion as Mera.

As the team returns to the colony with Mera, the cyborg kills a lab technician and Dr. Puri and exchanges fire with security guards before Chekov destroys it with a shotgun blast to the head. Mera later reveals the name of the killer cyborgs — the Kaalium. Kirk, knowing that she doesn't know English, tells Chekov to help Mera. Decker suggests having a search and destroy mission on Titan 37, which Kirk accepts.

Act Three

 * "Captain's log, stardate 7414.2. Preparing for a search-and-destroy mission on Zyra's moon Titan 37, Mera, the sole survivor of the ancient astronauts, begins to learn to speak English. One day, she will be a new second officer."

Chekov is helping Mera to learn English and feeding her in the mess hall. He shows her pictures of previous ships that were named Enterprise in the recreation deck. Kirk and McCoy are observing them covertly on a monitor from his quarters. Mera's grasp of English is not too good, but she's learning. Chekov uses the computer to create an authentic replica of the bridge of the original Enterprise in the recreation room. Mera muses around and notes the Enterprise in orbit of the planet Gideon on the viewscreen. Spock mind-melds with Mera and reveals that she was put in stasis to warn others about the Kaalium.

The Enterprise orbits Titan 37 and the away team go to the mining platform on the shuttlecraft on a search-and-destroy mission with Mera wearing her own spacesuit. They discovered that the Kaalium ship resting on the lunar surface some distance away. The team survives the attack of a spider Kaalium, despite the immediate death of Olson at the hands of a cyborg. Their escape attempt failed when the Kaalium shoot down the shuttlecraft, forcing the team to crash-land. Kirk, Spock, Chekov and Mera are taken prisoner, and the Kaalium head to Zyra.

Spock frees himself, Kirk and Chekov and rescues Mera from certain death at the hands of a cyborg. In the meantime, the Enterprise intercepts the approaching alien ship to attack the Kaalium before it reaches Zyra. Kirk, Spock, Chekov and Mera look for the control room and find the Apollo 13 and the four missing shuttlecrafts Yorktown sent to investigate, which have been adapted into the alien machinery. Kirk supposes the shuttlecrafts were the last pieces of equipment that the Kaalium needed to complete their ship. Spock works a experiment in "transwarp beaming" in the shuttlecraft. The Battle of Zyra takes the Enterprise and the Kaalium ship to the close proximity to Bellus. The Kaalium ship suffers heavy damage and begins to plummet toward Bellus. The team are attacked by a Kaalium crew member and the Kaalium leader using the body of AMEE. Spock completes the experiment in "transwarp beaming". Kirk, Spock, Chekov and Mera transwarp beam back to the Enterprise just as the Kaalium ship falls to Bellus and is destroyed.

The following day, the Enterprise departs Yorktown following the battle. With the Kaalium threat averted, the crew settles in. Uhura tells Kirk that Starfleet is requesting the ship's damage and injury reports and vessel status. Kirk lists Sonak, Dr. Puri and Olson as killed in action. Vessel status is fully operational. Mera comes on the bridge, having fully learned to speak English and becomes the second officer as she receives a promotion to lieutenant junior grade. Mera explains that she was chosen to carry "the warning". She says that she initially didn't want to do that, but that she wanted to stay and fight instead of being put to sleep in that box. But that was her duty, so she did it. Chekov tells Mera that she does not have to worry anymore, that it is over and hugs her. She goes on to say that she's happy to be with Chekov.

When Ilia asks for a heading, Mera simply says "Out there, that-away." Kirk tells Sulu to proceed ahead at warp factor one.

With that, the Enterprise flies overhead and engages warp drive on its way to the new mission of exploration and discovery.

Log entries

 * "Captain's log, stardate 7412.6. 1.8 hours from launch. Our destination is Planet Zyra, the only satellite of the star Bellus in the Scorpio constellation. My orders are to investigate murder on a mining operation on the moon Titan 37 and examine an ancient ruins built there by an ancient astronauts from Earth's moon 14,000 years ago. Meanwhile. I'm becoming better acquainted with my new command - the second starship USS Enterprise. I'm still somewhat in awe of its new design and was virtually identical to her predecessor. As for my crew, we are short in several key positions, most notably a first officer, but I'm informed that a highly experienced man, Commander Spock, will be waiting to join the ship at Starbase Yorktown in orbit around Zyra."
 * "Personal log, Commander Spock, stardate 7413.4. Starship Reliant has dropped me off at Starbase Yorktown in orbit around Zyra, where I await the arrival of the new USS Enterprise to which I have been assigned as First Officer. Meanwhile, I've asked Commodore Paris about an indefinite quarantine on the moon Titan 37."
 * "Captain's log, stardate 7414.2. Preparing for a search-and-destroy mission on Zyra's moon Titan 37, Mera, the sole survivor of the ancient astronauts, begins to learn to speak English. One day, she will be a new second officer."

Cast

 * William Shatner as Admiral/Captain James T. Kirk
 * Leonard Nimoy as Commander Spock
 * DeForest Kelley as Commander Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy
 * James Doohan as Commander Montgomery "Scotty" Scott
 * Nichelle Nichols as Commander Nyota Uhura
 * George Takei as Commander Hikaru Sulu
 * Walter Koenig as Commander Pavel Chekov, Captain Jason Grant
 * Majel Barrett as Nurse Christine Chapel
 * Grace Lee Whitney as Chief Janice Rand
 * Leigh Lombardi as Lieutenant Mera
 * Persis Khambatta as Lieutenant Ilia
 * Stephen Collins as Captain/Commander Will Decker
 * Jon Rashad Kamal as Lt. Commander Sonak
 * Joseph Gatt as 0718
 * Greg Ellis as Olson
 * Oz Perkins as Hawkins
 * Bruce Campbell as Commander Ray Tanner
 * Robert Kurcz as Koreman
 * John J. Saunders as Barnes
 * Reavir Graham as Haskell
 * Tom Case as Lieutenant Beck

Trivia

 * This movie is a prequel to the Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
 * The star Bellus and the planet Zyra made their appearances in Star Trek series from the 1951 movie When Worlds Collide.
 * Titan 37 also appeared from the film Supernova.
 * A mess hall aboard the Enterprise-A was similar to the mess hall of Voyager (and the Bellerophon) with a series of food synthesizer. The door to the mess hall had a same sound as the refitted Enterprise doors.
 * The briefing room aboard the Enterprise-A was also similar to the briefing room of the Voyager. The briefing room's innermost wall featured drawings that comprised a a memorial of ships named Enterprise, including a sailing ship, the first aircraft carrier, the second aircraft carrier, the orbiter, the spacescraft, the Enterprise NX-01 and the USS Enterprise.

Transcripts

 * Star Trek: Moontrap/Transcripts