4-12. Babel One.

THE PLOT

Enterprise is carrying the Tellarite ambassador to a peace conference on Babel One, where it is hoped that tensions between the Tellarites and the Andorians can be cooled before they escalate into a shooting war. Not long after entering Andorian space, the ship receives a distress call from a familiar source. Shran (Jeffrey Combs)'s ship was attacked by Tellarites, with only 19 of his crew escaping in lifepods.

While taking Shran's wounded crew back to Andoria, the Enterprise is also attacked - by an Andorian ship, whose power signature exactly matches the Tellarite ship that attacked Shran. After fighting off the attacker, Archer decides to pursue to find out how this is possible. But the Tellarites increasingly fear that Archer is siding with his old friend against them, while the Andorians are equally unhappy that he is even considering the Tellarites' claims of innocence.  All of which may just leave the captain with an active time bomb inside his own ship!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: The preferred Tellarite interaction is arguing, something Archer clearly enjoys, perhaps a little bit too much.  Once Shran is aboard and the situation becomes complicated with the multiple attacks, apparently from both sides, Archer becomes more thoughtful. In a near-direct reversal of his early Season One persona, he actually wonders aloud to T'Pol if maybe humans are moving too quickly.  He worries that they may lack the experience to play a major role in interstellar diplomacy. It is left to T'Pol to remind him that, given their history with Andoria, the Vulcans are simply not suitable - that in this case, there really is no good alternative to Starfleet involvement.

Trip: His engineering knowledge pays dividends in keeping himself and Reed alive when they are stranded on the alien ship. His general knowledge of how ships work allows him to guide both of them to the bridge, on the simple reasoning that the power conduits will surely end up leading to the bridge. He also recognizes how to use the ship's fuel to resupply the oxygen for their EVA suits.

Hoshi: She's mostly in the background, as usual, but she does get one really good scene in which she gives Archer a quick primer on Tellarite culture. She seems to enjoy giving Archer a "practice argument," probably working out some of her own frustrations in the process.

Shran: The loss of his ship is a blow to his pride, and the loss of so many of his crew is an even harsher blow. Jeffrey Combs does a good job of showing a Shran who is constantly at the brink of violence. From the moment he learns that the Tellarites are on board, he is hissing to Archer to keep them apart, "or there will be bloodshed." His hatred of the Tellarites is as great as his hatred of the Vulcans once was - greater, given the deaths of his crew - and any evidence that the Tellarites may not be responsible bouncess of a high brick wall of pure denial.

THOUGHTS

Babel One is another episode that acts as a prelude to the original series.  Clear groundwork is laid for the founding of the Federation, and much of the script deals with what such an alliance would mean for some of the more aggressive Trek races. The Vulcans and the Andorians have been in the midst of what is essentially a Cold War (with occasional eruptions into a shooting war) for a very long time. The Tellarites and the Andorians are in the same situation. The Vulcans and the humans are allies, but there is plenty of shared resentment between them. This is actually an advantage for certain other races, who don't have to worry about these species combining their strength.

Which brings us to the situation of this episode. In the wake of the unveiling of the Kir'Shara, Vulcan society has begun to shred its more aggressive elements. This has led to a general improvement in relations between Vulcan and Earth, and also between Vulcan and Andoria. Now the Andorians and the Tellarites are beginning talks that might lead to a sustained peace. The conflicts among these races are ending. Now, if you're a race outside that circle, you have to be worried about what it will mean for you if those species all come together. It truly would be something to shift the balance of power.

But it's fragile, with all those old suspicions still there to exploit - which provides the basis for this story.  This could be highly talky stuff... but with Mike Sussman, the series' best action writer, as one of the writers of the opening installment, it turns out to be one of the most exciting and action-intensive episodes of the season. It starts off with the situation and the mystery. Once Enterprise is face-to-face with the enemy ship, the momentum increases exponentially.

The final shot provides a wonderful reveal, a twist ending I genuinely did not see coming. It's a very eye-catching pullback, as well, a reminder of how strong and well-used the CGI has been on this series, and how much it's improved from the early days (which themselves weren't bad at all).

Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: Observer Effect
Next Episode: United 

Search Amazon.com for Star Trek: Enterprise




Review Index