Here's a Star Trek plothole for you: why does the Federation consistently send out it's most advanced and powerful
capital ships on scouting missions? That **** has got to be expensive. I know Star Trek is a commie paradise where everyone works for kudos, but somewhere along the line, someone's life is being made harder cause the Enterprise needs more Dilithium crystals.
And perhaps you might say that they want to make sure that ships all on their own in the vastness of space are capable of defending themselves. Okay, so why doesn't the Enterprise have support vessels? A modern capital ship can't even sneeze without being supported by at least five hundred other ships. If exploration is so important that it requires the use of ships that any navy I can think of would be more concerned with using for actual military purposes, then why do they send them out basically naked? They're willing to shell out the *insert closest approximation of Federation currency* to send the Enterprise in the first place, so I don't see why they shouldn't do the job right.
Perhaps they don't want other races to think they're sending armed invasion forces to conquer the unknown reaches of the galaxy. Okay, they're still sending what amounts to an aircraft carrier, or a battleship. Just because the Enterprise isn't
as threatening as an entire fleet, it's still a pretty ****ing terrifying weapon of war to just pop up into your system.
So, someone please explain to me why Captain Kirk isn't in command of a relatively well-armed science vessel?