Continuity mistake: At the end, Lt. Moreau gives Kirk a report to sign. After signing and giving it back, and after a dialog with Spock, he gets up, goes to Moreau, has the report and looks at it again.
Continuity mistake: Throughout the entire episode the planet's sky is red, yet during the scenes where the clouds come and lightning strikes, it becomes obvious that they simply used stock footage of Earth's clouds, since the sky is blue. (00:11:50)
Continuity mistake: When Kirk gives the order to Scott for transport, Spock lies in a diagonal position with the yellow spores on his chest with McCoy kneeling by him. After the cut to Scott on the bridge, Spock is lying with his head towards the camera, his chest is clean, and McCoy standing about six feet to Kirk's right. All much too quickly to be normal.
Continuity mistake: First, Scotty rigged a self destruct delay timer for Kirk that supposedly had thirty seconds programmed in. However, putting a timer against the one used in the episode, from start to finish there was one minute twenty seconds before the Constellation blew up. Second, Kirk was holding the communicator out and away from himself before his beaming, then it's close to his face as he materializes. (00:47:05)
Continuity mistake: As Decker is talking about the Planet Killer, the camera looks at McCoy. His left eyebrow is slightly arched, and his hair is styled differently. It can be seen that this shot is reversed from normal.
Continuity mistake: In most shots, the Constellation's impulse engines are lit up orange, but when moving to meet the Enterprise, they're not lit up, though the ship is moving.
Continuity mistake: Spock nears the command chair, where a seated Decker is leaning on the left armrest. A second later he is leaning to the right.
Continuity mistake: Decker is leaning over the forward console between Sulu and the other man, with Spock at his left elbow. As he gives the order to veer off, he starts to turn to his right. As the angle changes, it appears that he was standing straight up the whole time.
Continuity mistake: Korob uses his wand to put a feast on the table and light the candles. Only, in the very next, close-up shot of him, the feast is gone and the candles are unlit again. Next wide shot, everything is back. (00:20:00)
Continuity mistake: In the dining hall, Korab leans over to listen to his cat. As he does, his right hand is at seat level. A second later, his right hand is up by his shoulder. (00:22:20)
Continuity mistake: When Sylvia angrily upbraids Korob for talking too much, an inserted reaction close-up of him makes the table and chairs change from in front of him to behind him and back between shots. (00:27:15)
Continuity mistake: When the giant cat breaks down the cell door, Korob falls beneath it face down with his head toward the door. In the very next shot, he's in a completely different position - face up with his feet toward the door. (00:43:30)
Continuity mistake: After the heavy door lands on Korob, his right arm is straight down by his side. The next shot of Korob shows his right arm extended away from his body.
Continuity mistake: Kirk and the others are beamed down to the planet, and when the Enterprise crew are led into Mudd's throne room by two Alice androids (the Alice series are 500 identical androids) they are wearing the usual metallic, backless, kitten heel slip-ons, but in the next shot android Alice at the left is now wearing altogether different shoes - cream color with ankle-straps. (00:09:30)
Continuity mistake: In Norman's chamber, the medallions on Alice 3 and 11 go from blinking to steady, to totally off and back to blinking through the scene.
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