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From: pyle@ut-ngp.UUCP (Keith Pyle)
Newsgroups: net.startrek
Subject: Re: Spock's Coffin
Message-ID: <178@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Dec-83 01:54:46 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.178
Posted: Mon Dec 12 01:54:46 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 13-Dec-83 05:38:42 EST
Organization: Comp. Center, Univ. of Texas at Austin
Lines: 29

In response to Roger Noe's (rjnoe!ihlts) question, I cannot find an
unequivocal statement that Saavik changed the tragectory of Spock's
coffin to allow a soft landing.  There are, however, several statements
that would strongly suggest that this was the case in the book.

On page 210 (Pocket Books paperback, first printing July 1982),
Saavik is keeping watch over "Spock's coffin" in the stasis room:
	"In the morning, James Kirk had decreed, Spock's body would
	be consigned to space and to a fast-decaying orbit around
	the Genesis world, where it would burn in the atmosphere
	to ashes, to nothing."

On page 214,
	"When morning came, Saavik rose smoothly . . . She had 
	many duties to take care of, duties to the ship and to
	Mr. Spock."

On page 215,

	"Saavik armed the torpedo guidance control with the course
	she had so carefully worked out . . ."

Given that Saavik was supposedly of sufficient experience to
pilot the ship, I would think that she had intentionally disregarded
Kirk's decree since "she had so carefully worked out" the course.
Of course, it could have been an error in programming the coordinates
but it would be quite amazing to cause an inadvertant SOFT landing.

Keith Pyle      . . .!ihnp4!ut-ngp!pyle