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
Three centuries later, in the year 2272, Jason Grant is recording himself saying bombastic things about their mission. Meanwhile, Ray Tanner falls asleep. Jason starts a bell to startle and wake him up. They have a good time and they share their nicknames. Suddenly, the radar contacts something approaching fast. The Conrad encounters a derelict spaceship in orbit around Earth that is going to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and burn up. Jason decides to get into the shuttlesuit and try to enter the ship, even though Chuck Koreman at ground control had chosen Ray. There are hieroglifics on the outside walls of the ship. There is a hole on the outer layer of the ship, and Jason picks up a reddish-brown pod. A kind of dead corpse passes Jason by.

Meanwhile, 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 bothered as to why Sonak is not on board yet. Sonak explains that Captain Decker, the new captain of the USS Enterprise, wanted him to complete his science briefing at Starfleet Headquarters before departing. The Enterprise has been undergoing a complete refitting for the past eighteen months and is now under final preparations to leave drydock, which would take at least twenty hours, but Kirk informs him that they only have twelve. He tells Sonak to report to him on the Enterprise in one hour – he has a short meeting with Admiral Nogura and is intent on being on the Enterprise at that time.

Following the meeting, Kirk transports to an orbital office complex of the San Francisco Fleet Yards and meets Korben Dallas, a former major in the special forces and Montgomery Scott, chief engineer of the Enterprise. Scott expresses his concern about the tight departure time. After the three men enter a travel pod and the doors seal shut, Kirk explains that Korben will be the new captain of the Enterprise. 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 ship needs more work done as well as a shakedown cruise. Kirk firmly insists that they are leaving, ready or not, in twelve hours. Scott activates the travel pod's thrusters and they begin the journey over to the drydock in orbit that houses the 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 Dallas command of the Enterprise. 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 and Dallas, 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 held in drydock, and Scott gives Kirk and Dallas a brief tour of the new exterior of the 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 Grant 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 crew where Decker is. "He's in, uh, engineering, sir. He, uh... he doesn't know," Sulu says. 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, he becomes visibly upset when the admiral tells him that Dallas is assuming command. Decker will remain on the ship as executive officer and will receive a temporary demotion to commander. As Decker storms off, an alarm sounds. Someone is trying to beam over to the ship, but the transporter is malfunctioning. Cleary informs Scott that there is a red line on the transporter. Kirk and Scott promptly race over to the transporter room. Transporter chief Janice Rand is frantically trying to tell Starfleet 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. Starfleet tells them that they have died. With tears beginning to form in his eyes, Kirk tells Starfleet 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."

In the corridor outside the transporter room, Kirk sees Decker and tells him they will have to replace Commander Sonak. Kirk wants another Vulcan if possible. Decker tells him that no one is available that is familiar with the ship's new design. Kirk tells Decker he will have to double his duties as science officer as well.

In a lab, both the pod and the corpse are brought to the Enterprise and studied. They are 14,000 years old. Uhura informs Kirk that both things were found that they originated on the Moon some 14,000 years ago. The pod and the corpse are brought in the Enterprise's cargo bay. Kirk informs the crew that the pre-launch countdown will begin in forty minutes.

Later on the bridge, Uhura informs Kirk that the transporter has been fully repaired and is functioning properly now. Lieutenant Ilia, the Enterprise's Deltan navigator, arrives. Decker is happy to see her, as they developed a romantic relationship when he was assigned to her home planet several years earlier. Ilia is curious about Decker's reduction in rank and Kirk interrupts and tells her about Decker being the executive and science 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.

Act Two
The crew finishes its repairs and the Enterprise leaves drydock and heads for the Moon.

A clean-shaven Dr. McCoy arrives on the bridge and complains that the new sickbay is now nothing but a "damned computer center." Kirk tells Decker and Chekov to go with him to the shuttlebay.

The Galileo II flies out from the Enterprise's shuttlebay and lands on the Moon. The away team takes a moon car out and Kirk has fun with driving it at high speed around the local terrain. Their moon car gets stuck in the sand. The team crawls to a soft steep and they find an alien base. They approach it in their car and see a green light on top. Buried in the sand, Kirk finds a human-like skeleton, so they carry phasers with them. Inside the alien base, there are many more skeletons. They think it's a kind of ceremony hall. They open the door with a human-hand touchscreen. Everything lights up. They find a cryogenized woman in a rudimentary fashion in suspended animation who wakes up. She steals Chekov's phaser and tries to shoot them, but Kirk takes off his helmet and tells her that they are human. She identifies herself as Mera. Mera holds onto the bracelet in one of the skeletons. Kirk advises the team to return to the shuttlecraft. Mera uses her own alien spacesuit to leave the place. The Galileo II lifts back off toward the Enterprise.

Back aboard the ship, Kirk, knowing that she doesn't know English, tells Chekov to help Mera. Decker advises taking the Enterprise to Zyra, the sole planet orbiting the star Bellus, to find a new home for Mera. The Enterprise leaves the Moon and heads into the solar system at impulse. Kirk is anxious to Bellus and Zyra at the earliest possible opportunity, and orders Hikaru Sulu to take the ship to warp speed. Suddenly, the Enterprise enters a wormhole, which was created by an engine imbalance, and is about to collide with an asteroid that has been pulled inside. Kirk orders the Enterprise's phasers to be fired on it, but Decker tells Chekov to fire photon torpedoes instead, causing Mera's muteness to vanish and she was able to scream Decker's name. With just four seconds to spare before the Enterprise is either obliterated or taken damaged, the asteroid and the wormhole are destroyed. Annoyed, Kirk wants to meet with Decker in his quarters. McCoy decides to come along.

Once in Kirk's quarters, Kirk demands an explanation from Decker on why his phaser order was countermanded. Decker pointed out that the redesigned Enterprise now channels the phasers through the main engines and because they were imbalanced, the phasers were automatically cut off. Kirk acknowledged that he had saved the ship – however, he accuses Decker of competing with him. Decker, in his opinion, tells Kirk that, because of his unfamiliarity with the ship's new design, the mission is in serious jeopardy. Kirk sarcastically trusts that Decker will "nursemaid me through these difficulties," and Decker tells the captain that he will gladly help him understand the new design. Kirk then dismisses him from the room. In the corridor, Decker runs into Ilia. Ilia asked if the confrontation was difficult, and he tells her that it was about as difficult as seeing her again, and apologizes. She asked if he was sorry for leaving Delta IV, or for not saying goodbye. He said that if he had seen her again, would she be able to say goodbye? She quietly says "no," and goes to her quarters nearby. 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 and Mera were in Chekov's quarters, they kiss each other, and they make love.

Back in Kirk's quarters, McCoy accuses Kirk of being the one who was competing, and the fact that it was Kirk who used Grant's discovery to pressure Starfleet into letting Dallas get command of the Enterprise. McCoy thinks that Kirk is obsessed with keeping his command. On Kirk's console viewscreen, Uhura informs Kirk that a Starfleet registered shuttlecraft is approaching and that the occupant wishes to dock. Chekov also pipes in and replies that it appears to be a courier vessel, non-belligerency confirmed. Kirk tells Chekov to handle the situation. Turning the viewer off, Kirk asks McCoy is he has anything more to add, to which McCoy quietly states "that depends on you," and leaves Kirk to ponder this, while he stands silently.

The shuttle approaches the Enterprise from behind, and the top portion of it detaches and docks at an airlock just behind the bridge. Chekov is waiting by the airlock doors with a security officer and is surprised to see Spock come aboard. Moments later, Spock arrives on the bridge, and everyone is shocked and pleased to see him, yet Spock ignores them. He moves over to the science station and tells Kirk that he is aware of the crisis and knows about the ship's engine design difficulties.

He offers his services as the science officer. Spock meets Mera and welcomes her aboard and Mera can only nod back at Spock. McCoy and Dr. Christine Chapel come to the bridge to greet Spock, but he only looks at them coldly and does not reply to them. Uhura tries to speak to Spock, but he ignores her as well and tells Kirk that with his permission, he will go to engineering and discuss his fuel equations with Scott. As Spock walks into the turbolift, Kirk stops him and welcomes him aboard. But Spock makes no reply and continues into the turbolift. Kirk and McCoy both share a look after Spock leaves the bridge.


 * "Captain's log, stardate 7353.4. Thanks to Mr. Spock's timely arrival and assistance, we have the engines rebalanced into full warp capacity. Repair time, less than three hours. Which means we will now be able to reach Zyra."

With Spock's assistance, the engines are now rebalanced for full warp capacity. The ship successfully goes to warp to Zyra. In the officers lounge, Spock meets with Kirk, McCoy and Mera. They discuss Spock's kolinahr training on Vulcan. Spock mind-mends with Mera and discovers that Mera lost her family due to the attack of the alien robots. Mera reveals the name of the killer cyborgs — the Kaalium. Kirk tells Mera about Tomorrowland, a first Earth colony on Zyra, Plus Ultra scientists had been seeking a private locale to test and experiment new ideas and technologies with minimal interference. Spock informs Kirk that South African astronomer Dr. Emery Bronson has discovered Bellus and Zyra so Plus Ultra scientists could travel. When Mera asks Spock about Plus Ultra, he states that a secret society, comprised of the greatest minds throughout history, that created Tomorrowland on Zyra.


 * "Captain's log, additional entry. We're now approaching the Class-M planet Zyra orbiting the G-type star Bellus. Course set for a standard orbit. Mera, the last ancient astronaut, begins to learn to speak English. One day, she will be a new second officer."

The Enterprise reaches Zyra, the class-M planet. Spock has taken Mera to Tomorrowland's own version of the Vulcan Learning Center. Both a pod and a mummified human corpse are brought to the lab. Barnes says that they can't open the container without destroying it because it's made of a strange alloy. Haskell asks Barnes if the president should be informed. Haskell thinks it's a con so that the budget for Starfleet will get increased. Shortly thereafter, the unattended pod comes to life, and a kind of metallic octopus appears. It smashes a mirror with its sounds and it makes the computers work under its domain. It looks as though they are feeding them information. The corpse looks like a human, and the place of origin is the Moon. The alien octopus gets hold of some metallic instruments and uses them to give itself some arms, building itself a cybernetic body with parts from the lab and pieces of the ancient corpse.

Plus Ultra scientists duplicate the alien spacesuit. Kirk discovers that the same robots as the Kaalium are causing murder on an ice mining operation on the moon Titan 37 century ago. An assistant enters the lab and sees the corpse missing from the isolation room. She calls security, but the alien robot kills her and then leaves. A lieutenant and two soldiers arrive to the lab and find the assistant. They run after the robot, and they have it cornered, but Barnes wants to send a friendly message to it. It shoots Barnes on his arm, so Barnes tells everybody to shoot. The robot is unharmed, and it sends electric rays to kill people. Chekov crawls through the air shaft and finally shoots it on its head: the Kaalium robot falls to pieces.

Act Three

 * "Captain's log, supplemental. Following the fight with the Kaalium spy, Mr. Spock programmed the Kobayashi Maru test at Tomorrowland. I am hopeful that an exercise will help Mera.

The next day, Kirk had taken Mera to the Kobayashi Maru test on the replica of the USS Enterprise at Tomorrowland. On the replicated bridge, Mera, Decker, Sulu, Chekov, Ilia, Scott and Chief DiFalco are in the Kobayashi Maru simulation test on Mera's first attempt while Kirk, Spock and McCoy are observing Mera covertly. During the simulation, the Enterprise goes through a series of attacks by Romulan warbirds, before it is finally overpowered and shields start to buckle. When Mera orders Chekov to keep firing in order to do as much damage as they can, alarms scream, sparks fly, and ruptured conduits smoke, leaving Spock to end the simulation. He announces that the crew are all dead and that Mera's first command was less than successful. Decker remarks that it was a no-win situation. Kirk notes that the trainees wreaked havoc with the simulator room and Spock alike. Spock notes that this is a common occurrence with the Kobayashi Maru test and then recalls Kirk's own experience, noting that the captain took the test three times and that his final solution was somewhat "unique." "It had the virtue of never having been tried," Kirk says.

Back aboard the Enterprise, Spock knows the Kaalium plan to invade Zyra and attack the Earth colony. Decker suggests having a search and destroy mission on Titan 37. Mera, having learned to speak English, now dressed in the Starfleet uniform, beams aboard the Enterprise with Chekov and becomes the second officer as she receives a promotion to lieutenant junior grade. Chekov tells Mera to obey the captain's order. She goes on to say "Aye, Captain Kirk." Kirk formally welcomes Mera on board the Enterprise and shakes her hand.

The Enterprise arrives at Titan 37 which orbits Melancholia, a rogue gas giant planet. Kirk's team go to the mining platform on the shuttlecraft on a search-and-destroy mission with Mera wearing her own spacesuit. A cockroach-like robot attacks them from the ceiling, but the team kills it. They discovered that the Kaalium ship resting on the lunar surface some distance away, which looks as though it's leaving. Kirk's team survives the attack of a spider Kaalium. When one of the Kaalium robots uses a face of one of the humans, Mera shoots it with her own phaser. In subsequent attacks by the Kaalium, Chekov starts the bomb timer to destroy the mining platform and the robot attackers. The team's 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.

Kirk's team are chained to the wall in a dungeon-like wall. Chekov realizes that the Kaalium need people as spare parts. Another robot appears and cuts a piece of cloth from Mera. Spock breaks himself free, releases Kirk and Chekov and finds a piece of tube and kills the robot, destroying it. Chekov frees Mera. Kirk's team get into their spacesuits and they find a way out. In the meantime, the Enterprise intercepts the approaching alien ship to attack the Kaalium before it reaches Zyra. Kirk, Spock, Chekov and Mera go up in zero gravity looking for the exit. They look for the control room and find the Apollo 13 and the transport Arctic Two, 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. As the team are attacked by a Kaalium crew member, Spock completes the experiment in "transwarp beaming". Kirk, Spock, Chekov and Mera transwarp beam back to the Enterprise just as the Kaalium ship falls into Bellus and is destroyed along with the Kaalium crew.

With the Kaalium threat averted, the crew settles in. 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. Uhura tells Kirk that Starfleet is requesting the ship's damage and injury reports and vessel status. Vessel status is fully operational. Dallas comes on the bridge and Kirk promotes his friend to captain of the USS Enterprise. Scott agrees with Kirk that it's time to give the Enterprise a proper shakedown. Spock tells Mera that Zyra is her new homeworld. He tells Kirk that he have to return to Vulcan to undergo Kolinahr.

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

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

In a post-credits, Frank Walker studied the Enterprise's new designs, occasionally interrupted by Casey Newton. At that moment, the computer creates a copy of the Enterprise that Frank believes the ship's successor (NCC-1701-A) was the greatest idea.

Log entries

 * "Captain's log, stardate 7403.4. The Enterprise arrived at Zyra. Course set for a standard orbit. The star Bellus is almost as large as Jupiter and a dozen times larger than Earth. Zyra, a Class-M planet, is about the same size as Earth. Mera, the last ancient astronaut, begins to learn to speak English. One day, she will be a new second officer."

Memorable quotes
"Admiral, we have just spent eighteen months redesigning and refitting the Enterprise. How in the name of hell do they expect me to have her ready in twelve hours?!"
 * - Scott, to Kirk

"I know, Mister Scott. Korben Dallas will be the new captain. We shall give the Enterprise a proper shakedown. Ready, or not, she launches in twelve hours."
 * - Kirk

"They gave her to Korben, Scotty."
 * - Kirk, heading to the Enterprise in a travel pod

"Enterprise, what we got back didn't live long. Fortunately."


 * - Starfleet transporter chief to Kirk, after the original Enterprise's transporter malfunction

"Just a moment, captain, sir. I'll explain what happened. Your revered Admiral Nogura invoked a little known, seldom used reserve activation clause! In simpler language, captain, they drafted me!"
 * - McCoy to Kirk, on returning to Starfleet

"Well, Jim, I hear Chapel's an MD now. Well, I'm gonna need a top nurse, not a doctor who'll argue every little diagnosis with me! And they've probably redesigned the whole sickbay, too! I know engineers. They love to change things!"
 * - McCoy, on the new Enterprise

"Thrusters ahead, Mr. Sulu. Take us out!"
 * - Kirk ordering the Enterprise out of drydock

"Well, Bones, do the new medical facilities meet with your approval?"

"They do not. It's like working in a damn computer center!"
 * - Kirk and McCoy

"Ancient astronauts. Even the name sounds prehistory."
 * - Chekov

"Mera. Mera"
 * - Mera, identifying herself

"Kirk, you want to take me new home on the planet Zyra orbiting the star Bellus."
 * - Mera to Kirk about Bellus and Zyra

"Mera, I'm promoting you a second officer, your promotion to lieutenant junior grade."
 * - Kirk promotes Lt. Mera second officer

"Aye, Captain Kirk."

""Welcome to the Enterprise, Lieutenant Mera."
 * - Kirk, giving Mera a proper welcome

"Jim, when I was chosen to carry the warning, I said no. I wanted to stay. Maybe even to die."

"I know."

"But it was my duty. But it is all over now, and I'm glad to be with Chekov."
 * - Mera and Kirk

"Mera, the planet Zyra is your new homeworld."
 * - Spock

"Heading, sir?"

"Out there. Thataway!"
 * - DiFalce and Kirk

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 Ilia
 * Stephen Collins as Willard Decker
 * Bruce Willis as Major/Captain Korben Dallas
 * 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 the Star Trek series from the 1951 movie When Worlds Collide.
 * Titan 37 also appeared from the film Supernova.
 * Melancholia made its appearance in the Star Trek series from the movie of the same name.
 * The USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-A) made cameo appearance in a post-credits.

Running time
135 minutes

Transcripts

 * Star Trek: Moontrap/Transcripts