Revealing mistake: In the Enterprise lab, as a sped up Spock goes to move away from McCoy and Chapel, McCoy's eyes follow his movements rather than looking at where Spock was supposed to be after he "disappeared."
The Empath - S3-E12
Continuity mistake: In the opening scene inside the underground station, the bright blue mat under the viewer desk chair disappears. (00:00:55 - 00:02:30)
The Empath - S3-E12
Continuity mistake: The bruises on McCoy's face change configuration, color and texture between the time Kirk and Spock first find him and the scene where Gem heals him. (00:34:15 - 00:40:30)
The Empath - S3-E12
Continuity mistake: Gem's left hand is cupped around McCoy's right ear as she begins to heal him, but her hand keeps changing positions as the camera angles switch. (00:44:20)
The Empath - S3-E12
Continuity mistake: After partially healing him, Gem falls away from McCoy and lands, unconscious, perpendicular to the dais he's lying on. When Kirk and Spock rush over, however, she's suddenly moved several feet away and is now lying parallel to the dais. (00:44:50 - 00:45:35)
The Empath - S3-E12
Continuity mistake: During Kirk's torture scenes, the back shots have Kirk's arms stretched wide apart and yanked straight - the front shots have the chains going overhead and his arms are bent at the elbows.
The Empath - S3-E12
Revealing mistake: When the Vian fires his weapon at Kirk after the crew finds Gem, Kirk flies backwards. At this point, Kirk is not William Shatner but a stunt double.
The Empath - S3-E12
Plot hole: Spock calculates that it will take 72 hours for the solar flare to pass, and Kirk orders the Enterprise out of the area. 3 days is a long time to go without food or water, and as the station is deserted as far as they know, there'd be no way to supply themselves, but the Enterprise leaves without a second thought.
Continuity mistake: When Elaan visits engineering, the close-up shots of Scotty show a security guard wearing a black utility belt standing in the background. But the man is missing in all the full shots. (00:13:15)

Character mistake: Elaan says "If I have to stay here for ten light-years..." A light year is a measure of distance. (00:24:03)
Revealing mistake: During the battle scene, the use of special effects stock footage of the view screen, as seen over the helm from the opposite side of the bridge, briefly turns the short, brunette Ensign Chekov into a tall, thin blond guy. (00:44:20)
Factual error: Spock says the Klingon ship is approaching at Warp Six, but Sulu counts off the distance at about 50,000 kilometers per second - that isn't even the speed of light.
Continuity mistake: As Kirk wipes a tear from Elaan's face, both cheeks are wet. A second later, both cheeks are dry.
Audio problem: Just as Garth brings Spock back and releases Kirk from the cell, "inviting" them to dinner, there's an odd buzzing/rattling noise in the audio that shouldn't be there. (00:11:30)
Continuity mistake: After Marta's dance, Kirk and Spock are sitting an inch apart behind the table, then a foot apart, then an inch again and so forth every time the shot changes. (00:16:25)
Revealing mistake: When Marta kisses Kirk, her hands leave green make-up smeared all over the left shoulder and back of his uniform tunic. (00:22:05)
Continuity mistake: As Garth brings in the chair and orders the governor's torture, the pedestal fruit bowl on the table in front of Kirk keeps moving back and forth in relation to him and to the wine pitcher. (00:22:40)
Continuity mistake: When Garth forces Kirk to kneel at his feet, Kirk's hands are extended palms down, then palms up, then palms down again as the camera angles change. (00:34:20)
Continuity mistake: When Scott orders Sulu to fire phasers to punch through the force field, the two phaser beams are diverging when they leave the ship, but converging somehow (space mirrors?) when they strike the planet. (00:41:20)
Other mistake: At the end, Kirk teases Spock twice specifically about letting himself be hit on the head in order to determine which Kirk was genuine. But the phony Kirk never hit Spock on the head. He merely pushed Spock over and attacked the real Kirk. Clearly, the action sequence wound up differing from the scripted dialogue, and no one noticed. (Also clearly, Kirk is not speaking metaphorically here.) (00:45:30 - 00:49:20)






Chosen answer: If they're in orbit, they're being pulled along by the planet's gravity well, therefore, impulse engines would only be used for minor corrections and would be "on standby" while in orbit, but not active. (Like keeping your car idling without revving the engine and creating plumes of exhaust).
Captain Defenestrator
Thank you for the info.
Movie Nut