2w ago

s3e1 DS9, The Jem'Hadar. Why in the name of Christ on cracker do Jake and Nog disable autopilot in order to fly a Runabout they dont know how to pilot?

Someone please make this scene make sense. What do they think "auto" is short for?

5 comments

IIRC, wasn't it because they couldn't use autopilot due to it being locked out without Sisko's authorization?
- Ok, but then Jake tears out a chip, the ship says autopilot is disabled, they cheer, and then ask the ship to plot a course, apparently surprised it would need autopilot to perform this. They are not 8 years old, and they speak English, or at least hear a translation of it.
  
  I do think it's weird they can use the computer to plot a course for them, but only under manual control. But also, they're about to be boarded or blown up by Jem'Hadar and they are still just teenagers; people tend to make dumb mistakes when they are panicked.
For those following along, it's the season two finale, not the season three premiere.
JAKE: Maybe we'd better go back to the station for help.
NOG: Good idea. Computer, fly us back to the station.
COMPUTER: Please restate command.
JAKE: Computer, disengage autopilot and lay in a course back to the wormhole.
COMPUTER: Enter authorisation code.
It's clunky, but it sounds like the "autopilot" is what's keeping them locked in orbit of the planet, and they're trying to break out of that pattern.
I think the point of the Jake and Nog characters, at least at first, was to show the innocence of youth. Yeah sure they are smart and mostly try to do the right thing, but they are also dumb kids. They do the dumbest shit which they even acknowledge themselves is pretty dumb. It's typical teenage behavior, acting first and then thinking about it.