jgraz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Journal
Just saw Star Trek, and I have a HUGE problem with the way it ended (SPOILERS)
So, as expected, they have the big space battle and the bad guy is beaten, his ship is crippled, and he's sinking into the time/space anomaly du jour. So far, so good.
Then Kirk, being a good guy and all, offers to rescue the bad guy and his crew. The bad guy, being a bad guy, says he'd rather die. Again, vintage Trek.
But then, something happens that, AFAIK, has never happened in any incarnation of Star Trek: Kirk and Spock decide to summarily execute the guy. Instead of forcibly beaming him into a holding cell or (as usually happens) letting him blow up his own ship, they open fire and basically murder the dude.
Now, I realize that no American movie can end with the bad guy still drawing breath, but I found this a bit jarring -- especially given the traditional ideals that are usually preached in the Trek Universe. Did it not occur to anyone associated with the movie that this might be a good time to stand up for, oh I don't know, the Rule of Law?
What I really want to know is this: when did Dick Cheney take over the Federation?
God, get a LIFE, you ****ing losers What a shame...I just hi-fived jgraz for a funny this morning, too.
At the risk of enmiring myself in the transactions of the dorky, get this:
jgraz Donating Member (1000+ posts) Mon May-18-09 04:18 PM
Response to Reply #11
22. The "but he was really, really bad" argument doesn't cut it
And yes, I would have a problem summarily executing Hitler. Aside from being exactly what he wanted (note the end that he chose), it would destroy any chance the he would ever truly answer for his crimes.
That might be why liberals are so against capital punishment. When you kill someone, you toss them in a shallow grave, piss on the gravestone, and move on. Liberals don't want that. They want to wring hands, cluck their tongues, and be self-righteous. They want to know that a murderer is in jail, alive, so they can never, ever let go of their anger and hurt. A victim's need for closure is never a match for an uninvolved liberal's self-righteousness. I'd never thought of that before, but I think it holds water.