Question: When it is mentioned that Ilia is Deltan, a couple of the male Enterprise crew members (Sulu in particular) look very interested when they hear that. Why? Also, why was it necessary for her to say that she has taken an oath of celibacy?
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
2 questions
Directed by: Robert Wise
Starring: William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy, Walter Koenig, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols
Continuity mistake: In the final scene on the bridge, Spock and McCoy are wearing coloured arm bands which identify their departments: Spock's is orange (for Science) and McCoy's is green (for Medical). In the very last shot, Spock is wearing the green band and McCoy is wearing the orange one (corrected in the 2022 re-release of the Director's Edition).
McCoy: Well Jim, I hear Chapel's an M.D. Now. So I'm gonna need a top nurse, not some doctor who'll argue every little diagnosis with me. And they probably re-designed the whole sickbay, too. I know engineers, they LOVE to change things.
Trivia: If you look at the Kholinar necklace Spock was to be given when he was on Vulcan it bears a striking resemblance to the Enterprise, especially when it is laying on the ground before Spock picks it up.
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Answer: Deltans exude an intensely potent and effective chemical substance known as pheromones, which act as signals arousing an intense sexual reaction in other species (in other ST material it's inferred that its potency is so extreme that a non-Deltan risks insanity in a sexual encounter with a Deltan). Upon entering Starfleet, Deltans must swear "an oath of celibacy" so as not to influence or take advantage of crewmembers. That is why Lt. Ilia stated that her "oath of celibacy" was on record.
Super Grover ★