Deliberate mistake: It's not particularly believable that the away team to stop the assassination would consist of the ship's entire senior staff, and raises the question of who was left in charge of the bridge (the answer: apparently nobody, as they return to a completely deserted bridge). Of course this is dramatic license, and at this point the audience won't care or likely even notice.
Continuity mistake: When Captain Kirk and the shape shifter are fighting on the planet (the shape shifter looks exactly like Kirk). They are rolling through the snow about to roll over Bones. In one shot, it looks like they will roll over his feet first, and then the rest of his body. In the next shot, it is a little closer and they roll over Bones' right arm first and not his feet first.
Captain James T. Kirk: Spock, you want to know something? Everybody's human.
Captain Spock: I find that remark... Insulting.
Question: I always feel like I'm missing something with the scene where Kirk orders the Enterprise to reverse at the beginning of the battle. It confuses the Klingons and leads to a short respite in taking fire, which I would assume was exactly Kirk's intention, but then Kirk himself expresses confusion that the Klingons had stopped firing. What else could Kirk have been trying to do with that action?
Answer: Kirk wants to buy time to find a way to detect Chang's ship. Reversing is an unorthodox tactic so Chang is also thinking.
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Chosen answer: Kirk is highly skilled and experienced in combat. He knows the bird of prey must be between the Enterprise and the planet, so he instinctively orders a reverse after they are hit, fearing that they are at point-blank range. Chang is worried that Kirk may have somehow detected him, so he holds fire and repositions, but Kirk is merely being cautious.
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