diff --git a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/repository/metadata/AbstractRepositoryMetadata.java b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/repository/metadata/AbstractRepositoryMetadata.java
index 46c41b94e75d..196b4b7d602b 100644
--- a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/repository/metadata/AbstractRepositoryMetadata.java
+++ b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/artifact/repository/metadata/AbstractRepositoryMetadata.java
@@ -123,8 +123,7 @@ else if ( metadataFile.exists() )
 
         // beware meta-versions!
         String version = metadata.getVersion();
-        if ( version != null && ( Artifact.LATEST_VERSION.equals( version ) || Artifact.RELEASE_VERSION.equals(
-            version ) ) )
+        if ( Artifact.LATEST_VERSION.equals( version ) || Artifact.RELEASE_VERSION.equals( version ) )
         {
             // meta-versions are not valid <version/> values...don't write them.
             metadata.setVersion( null );
diff --git a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/classrealm/DefaultClassRealmManager.java b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/classrealm/DefaultClassRealmManager.java
index a4835fdd473b..cf3d746f889d 100644
--- a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/classrealm/DefaultClassRealmManager.java
+++ b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/classrealm/DefaultClassRealmManager.java
@@ -243,12 +243,11 @@ public ClassRealm createExtensionRealm( Plugin plugin, List<Artifact> artifacts
     {
         Objects.requireNonNull( plugin, "plugin cannot be null" );
 
-        ClassLoader parent = PARENT_CLASSLOADER;
-
         Map<String, ClassLoader> foreignImports =
             Collections.<String, ClassLoader>singletonMap( "", getMavenApiRealm() );
 
-        return createRealm( getKey( plugin, true ), RealmType.Extension, parent, null, foreignImports, artifacts );
+        return createRealm( getKey( plugin, true ), RealmType.Extension, PARENT_CLASSLOADER, null,
+                foreignImports, artifacts );
     }
 
     private boolean isProvidedArtifact( Artifact artifact )
diff --git a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/internal/MojoDescriptorCreator.java b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/internal/MojoDescriptorCreator.java
index edb8dceda0bb..4bafa30c69b3 100644
--- a/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/internal/MojoDescriptorCreator.java
+++ b/maven-core/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/lifecycle/internal/MojoDescriptorCreator.java
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ else if ( numTokens == 3 )
             plugin.setArtifactId( tok.nextToken() );
             goal = tok.nextToken();
         }
-        else if ( numTokens <= 2 )
+        else
         {
             // We have a prefix and goal
             //
diff --git a/maven-embedder/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java b/maven-embedder/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java
index 5ca060206ce1..79e1ffeac721 100644
--- a/maven-embedder/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java
+++ b/maven-embedder/src/main/java/org/apache/maven/cli/MavenCli.java
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ void initialize( CliRequest cliRequest )
                     "-D%s system property is not set.", MULTIMODULE_PROJECT_DIRECTORY );
                 throw new ExitException( 1 );
             }
-            File basedir = basedirProperty != null ? new File( basedirProperty ) : new File( "" );
+            File basedir = new File( basedirProperty );
             try
             {
                 cliRequest.multiModuleProjectDirectory = basedir.getCanonicalFile();
@@ -764,7 +764,7 @@ protected void configure()
 
                 MavenExecutionRequest request = DefaultMavenExecutionRequest.copy( cliRequest.request );
 
-                request = populateRequest( cliRequest, request );
+                populateRequest( cliRequest, request );
 
                 request = executionRequestPopulator.populateDefaults( request );