The actual idea is to use the suns gravity along with the warp drive to excellerate to speeds high enough to travel through time.
I know Bro.
It just doesn't jive with me that flying one way sends you back and flying the other way sends you forward as the gravity pull/speed acceleration would be constant despite which direction of travel be it clockwise or anti-clockwise you chose to go around with. I do agree that it was a simple visual cue to the audience.
As you said we're talking about fictional technology. The "Black Hole" sending ships back through time doesn't make sense either, but again... it's a science fiction (emphasis on fiction) movie.
Personally I believe that time travel is
impossible. For me it is much like watching a movie about Santa Claus; a fun story but fiction at best. So if a story called for say... a magic chant to travel back though time I would have just as much (or just as little) problem with it as a complex series of real world theories that a physical device uses to get the characters to travel through time... if you catch my meaning. :wacko :lol
Basically I just "go with it."
Of course if a "human" character simply waved their hands in the air and ended up deliberately travelling through time, I would have a harder time swallowing it than if they built a device, or at least had some kind of explanation for the ability. I'm not five years old either. :lol
It didn't seem like there was real depth of plot or character.
On the surface when I first watched the movie I totally agree with you. My biggest problem was that Kirk showed no signs of growth.
However one thing that opened my eyes a bit was what Darth Saber said about Kirk's attitude during the Kobayashi Maru test, and when he takes command after Spock relieves himself of duty.
In the Kobayashi Maru he is completely arrogant, however after he takes command he shows a hint of doubt and humility (answering Uhura with "So do I." when she tells him "I hope you know what you are doing,
Captain.").
That was just enough growth to demonstrate to me that this wasn't a
completely two dimensional character. And it actually helped me get over a lot of the animosity I first had for this film.
About Kirk's promotion from "suspended" cadet to captain- Pike is really the one who got the ball rolling by making Kirk first officer. Even Spock said that he had to be joking. As for
keeping him as captain... well...
Kirk at one time was considered an intergalactic criminal who should have been thrown in jail for his actions in stealing the Enterprise. However he saved the planet so not only did they give him a free pass on all that, but they "demoted" him to captain and gave him back command of a starship.
Don't tell me this isn't a wee bit contrived to have him as "Captain Kirk" once again.
Is it the same thing? I don't know. It feels like it though as the circumstances of "saving Earth gets you out of trouble" are there.
In the end yes I agree that this film was nothing more than a VERY contrived effort to get the gang together, and have Kirk as captain in less than two hours. It just doesn't bother me at all anymore. :lol
Kevin