From Newsgroup: alt.tv.star-trek.tos   
   From Address: philnblanc@comcast.net   
   Subject: Star Trek (2009) Someone explain this to me?   
      
   PIKE: Without transporters, we can't beam off the ship, we can't assist    
   Vulcan, we can't do our job. Mister Kirk, Mister Sulu, Engineer Olson,    
   will space-jump from the shuttle. You will land on that machine they    
   lowered into the atmosphere that's scrambling our gear. You'll get    
   inside. You'll disable it, then you'll beam back to the ship. Mister    
   Spock, I'm leaving you in command of the Enterprise. Once we have    
   transport capabilities, communications back up, you'll contact    
   Starfleet, report what the hell's going on here. And if all else fails,    
   fall back, rendezvous with the fleet in the Laurentian system. Kirk, I'm    
   promoting you to first officer.   
      
   KIRK: What?   
      
   SPOCK: Captain, please, I apologize. The complexities of Human pranks    
   escape me.   
      
   PIKE: It's not a prank, Spock. And I'm not the Captain, you are. Let's go.   
      
   ===   
      
   That is the scene where Cadet Kirk, who is a stowaway that is not even    
   supposed to be on the ship, is promoted to first officer of Pike's    
   Enterprise.  Kirk was called on the carpet for cheating on a test    
   earlier the same day, which is why he was not even supposed to be on the    
   ship... he was supposed to stay behind.   
      
   McCoy brought Kirk aboard with him, under false pretenses, and here's    
   what I don't understand:   
      
   Why is Kirk being promoted instead of being thrown into the brig?   
      
   I also don't understand why Spock doesn't demote him and throw him into    
   the brig, instead of marooning him.   
      
   Can any of you explain any of that to me?   
      
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