THE PLOT
A group of genetically-engineered "augments," left over from the days of the Eugenics Wars, attack a Klingon warship, massacring the crew and seizing the ship for themselves. The aftermath of this attack leaves the Klingons threatening war with Earth. This prompts the Enterprise's newest mission, to stop the augments and recover the Klingon ship.
On this journey, they have a most unwelcome guest: Dr. Arik Soong (Brent Spiner). Soong, a brilliant scientist obsessed with the idea of "improving" the human race, was imprisoned after the theft of some genetically engineered embryos - the very embryos that have become the new augments. Soong insists that if he can talk to the augments, he can bring this situation to a peaceful end. Archer has little choice but to bring him along.
The mission is barely underway before Enterprise is attacked by Orion Interceptors, which beam out 9 crew members to sell as slaves - T'Pol among them!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Archer: Disapproves of Soong, but is willing to work with him, and even allows him access to sickbay to study the DNA of the augments. For most of the episode, Archer treats Soong more as an untrustworthy ally than a prisoner, and the two men actually work quite well together in the Orion Slave Market - at least, until Soong's escape attempt.
T'Pol: Maintains her calm in the Orion Slave Market. She also does what she can to help a fellow prisoner keep his cool in this crisis. She does not offer any resistance to the Orions once it is demonstrated that such resistance is useless - but as soon as the slave transponder is deactivated, she is ready for the fight ahead.
Dr. Phlox: Gets a very good scene in which he dresses down Dr. Soong for failing to learn from past mistakes. He actually agrees with Soong that Earth's fear of genetic engineering is reactionary - but he strongly disapproves of Soong's methods, and their results.
Villain of the Week: Brent Spiner is the special guest star of this 3-episode arc, playing Dr. Arik Soong - a direct ancestor of the genius who created Data. Spiner seems to enjoy getting to act without the Data makeup. His performance initially seems to be a near-replica of his Lore performance, sneering arrogance dripping from every line. This is tempered by later scenes, though, as Soong shows respect for Archer even before he voices it. The very fact that Soong avoids killing in either his escape attempt at the slave market or when the augments arrive shows that he's not a complete villain - and he makes a genuinely pretty good case that Earth is overreacting by banning genetic research altogether.
THOUGHTS
With the linking of Dr. Soong to the augments, the showrunners have done something rather ingenious. This episode takes strands of the 1960's series and links them to the world of TNG, all in a way that services its own story.
This set-up episode, the first in a 3-part arc, has some distinct flaws. The second half of the hour is dominated by a side trip to an Orion Slave Market that seems entirely superfluous, there just to pad things out and give Archer and his crew something to do while waiting for the cliffhanger. Still, even if the Orion material feels a bit pointless, I'll admit that it's entertaining.
Where first-time Enterprise writer Ken LaBeznik does a particularly good job is in maintaining conflict. The Orion subplot gives the episode its biggest external conflict, but the cutaways to the augments are also marked by a power struggle. Even the early scenes on Enterprise are marked by tension between Soong and everyone he encounters, as well as awkwardness between Trip and T'Pol in the wake of her marriage.
Mostly, I find myself looking forward to the next episode, when things will actually start to be done with the pieces that have been placed on the board.
Rating: 6/10.
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