I know JHull is busy. I hope you can tell there is a good hearted smart-ass smirk behind my posts. My main purpose was to keep the thread alive. As far as preconceived notions there could be problems or symptoms that say something about this issue without being called preconceptions. You know. Like, “my story is about love.” “Yeah? What does your story say the problem with love is?” Make sense? …
I agree with the storyform choices thus far.
Story Driver - Action
Khan capturing the Reliant
Khan stealing the genesis device
Khan detonating the genesis device - closes out the overall story
I believe David (Kirk’s son) changes as well, which would cross him off the IC list (unless we want to say the story is broken).
I think one of the reasons this installment is considered so good is because it seems like there’s a lot going on in it. Maybe there isn’t really, and we’re just spinning our wheels, but there seems to be. Life, death, resurrection, the road not taken, revenge… it could all be an excuse for lots of shooty lasers and stuff blowing up. 
I think the IC has to be either Spock or Khan. The Marcuses are only a device to shed light on Kirk’s throughline. They don’t even play a role beyond being the generic scientists being attacked until half the film has passed.
I agree:
MC - Kirk
IC - Spock
KIrk- Start/stop???
Kirk - Do-er
Kirk - Linear thinker
I can’t see this as a Start story, mostly because Kirk is definitely a Do-er and the Overall Story is physical rather than mental.
Story Driver is most likely Action. The Reliant crew landing where Khan is located is pretty much the starting point.
I think Kirk needs to Start living again. He has a hole in his heart because he’s given up on the life he loves.
But I always have trouble with Start/Stop. I see it more of a matter of emphasis than anything else, and let the software fill it in based on my other choices. Kirk could need to Stop feeling worn out, but it’s hard for me to picture this as “a chip on his shoulder.”
Is he suffering from a lack of life or from being actively lifeless? I guess you could make the argument that in the beginning of the film, he has chosen the life he’s living, training cadets at the academy instead of captaining a starship. He’s apparently even given up womanizing! I think Spock comments that he should not have accepted promotion, which means this is his choice, making Stop more palatable.
Ok. So Action it is!
What about the Story Limit? Optionlock or Timelock?
Optionlock. When Khan gets the best of Kirk, Kirk signals surrender because it’s the only way to save the ship. When facing Khan again, he heads to the nebula because it’s the only way to even the odds. Khan sets off the Genesis Device because there’s no other way left to kill Kirk. Spock sacrifices himself because it’s the only option available in an otherwise no-win situation.
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OptionLock. Yes, SPotter agrees. I wager 100 quatloos on the human. Or optionlock
Maybe only so many places to hide, or so many ways to outwit before someone must make the ultimate sacrifice? Either way, Optionlock it is!
Story Outcome and Judgment?
Outcome = Success! Khan is stopped/defeated.
Judgement = Good! Kirk’s angst that he starts the film off with is gone as stated in his farewell speech to Spock in front of his crew.
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Success/Good. I don’t like to lose.
Do we have a consensus on Start/Stop?
No, we don’t. But we don’t necessarily have to before moving on.
Ok, so far we have:
- Change
- Do-er
- Linear
- Action
- Optionlock
- Success
- Good
Time for the Domains. If you’re going to argue for one, you need to argue for all four. Where do you see Situation, Activity, Fixed Attitude and Way of Thinking within the context of Main Character, Influence Character, Relationship Story and Overall Story? (and a short explanation as to why)
I’ll take a stab at it.
OS: Activity – As many have said, stop KHAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!
MC: Situation – Kirk is an Admiral, training cadets at Starfleet Academy when he should be commanding a starship. Bones says it best: “This is about you flying a goddamn computer console when you wanna be out hopping Galaxies.”.
IC: Fixed Attitude – Spock believes, above all else, that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. He proves how unshakable that belief is at the end of the movie. He also firmly believes in Vulcan logic and that captaining the Enterprise is Kirk’s “first best destiny.”
RS: Way of Thinking – Kirk feels “old, worn out,” which is in contradiction with Spock’s logic that Kirk should be doing what he’s best at. Spock advises Kirk throughout the film instead of taking command himself, until the end, when Spock has the only logical solution, and he takes action himself so that his friend can live.
Overall Story - Activity: Characters are engaged in Gathering Information, Understanding, Obtaining, and just lots of Doing.
Kirk - Situation: Kirk is stuck in his position as Admiral. His situation and general progression of his career take him away from the Enterprise. His Past was as the Captain and his philandering ways (old girlfriends and a son he never knew he had.
Spock - Fixed Attitude: Spock does Contemplate a lot. He influences Kirks Innermost desires. In Star Trek the Motion Picture Spock works very hard at suppressing his emotional Impulsive Responses but now he has come to believe that embracing them is logically much more advanced than pure logic.
Kirk/Spock Friendship - This relationship’s Way of Thinking is in trouble. Kirk feeling obsolete and Spock trying to manipulate him to play the role of the captain. Spock gives Kirk a book visualizing “tis a far far better thing that I do…” the Nature of the relationship changes when Spock sacrifices himself causing Kirk to Contemplate his role.
(I’m cheating a little- if you agree maybe you can fill in my vagueness with specifics.)
I wanted to come up with a different arrangement of throughlines just for the sake of argument but nothing else felt right for all four… I think they nailed it.
Excellent! So we have:
- OS: Activity
- MC: Situation
- IC: Fixed Attitude
- RS: Way of Thinking
A rare and relatively unseen arrangement! (rolls eyes)
So what about the Concerns? Again, if you argue one, argue all four. (And if you have questions about this part, please ask…I’m assuming everyone knows how the model works at this point…)
I’m having trouble with this.
First of all, I think Doing fits best with the Overall Story, mostly because of the Variation Quad underneath (Wisdom/Skill/Experience/Enlightnment).
The problem is with the other concerns. While Progress could work with Kirk (getting older and such) and possibly Being with RS (being the captain, being teachers (both Kirk and Spock seem to have teaching duties, and then there’s Saavik)), but Preconscious and Spock?
I’m not sure.
Although I do think we can assume that Past/Understanding/Conceptualizing/Memory is not it.
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I think Obtaining works better for the OS. Khan is after revenge and Genesis, Kirk is after Khan, the studio is after more sequels…
I don’t want to make a formal argument for it until I can sit down with the software and work out the other three corners.
But if we take the ones you’ve described, @bobRaskoph, Progress could mean that Kirk is on his way to retirement. He has moved away from starship commanding and is feeling the weight of his promotion. Playing a Role (Being) could be Kirk and Spock playing as teachers, and later Kirk playing at being captain again, while Spock places himself back into his familiar first officer role. Impulsive Responses (Preconscious) could refer to Spock’s impulse to serve his captain. It even trumps Vulcan logic as Spock “lies” in his report to trick Khan. So, yeah, it could work.