Star Trek: Enterprise (2001 - 2005) - Random Musings

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THE PLOT

The Terran Empire is at war. There have been large-scale rebellions, and the attempts to stamp out the rebels have gone badly. Jonathan Archer, first officer of the I. S. S. Enterprise, has come into possession of certain information which can turn the tide. A Terran ship from an alternate universe has come through a hole in Tholian space. Not only is this ship from a different universe, it is from the future - containing technology the likes of which the Empire can only dream of.

Captain Maximilian Forrest (Vaughn Armstrong) is not willing to take the Enterprise on such a hazardous mission in pursuit of a goal he doesn't believe exists. So Archer stages a mutiny and, with the assistance of Major Reed's security forces, he seizes control of the ship and throws the captain in the brig. But Forrest has his own allies on board, and has no intention of simply accepting Archer's treachery...

CHARACTERS

Capt. Forrest: Vaughn Armstrong returns to the series as Forrest. Of the various mirror universe characters, he is probably the most like his counterpart. Maximilian Forrest rarely comes across as evil. He is clearly devoted to his duty, just as our Forrest was. His relationship with Hoshi appears genuine, to the point that Forrest's life is used as a bargaining chip by Archer to gain her cooperation. He is stern, jealously guarding his command - but in this reality, that is simply a matter of survival. In the battle that ends the episode, we see Forrest retaining his concern for his crew, and his last scene is a proper "hero moment." The return of both Armstrong and his character is welcome, as is seeing him in a lead role for a change.

Archer: Almost all of the regular cast visibly raise their game for this 2-parter. The exception, unfortunately, is Scott Bakula. I've commented many times how well Bakula plays different shades of anger. In this characterization, however, he tromps around with a perpetual scowl. Watching, I found myself far too aware of Scott Bakula acting, while the others seemed to inhabit these dark variants of their normal characters more naturally. I may change my mind in Part Two. But as of Part One, this usually reliable actor is the weak link in the main cast.

Trip: The Trip of this universe has become badly scarred through exposure to a warp engine that is obviously much less well-shielded than our Enterprise's warp engines. He fully expects to die young from exposure to radiation. Some elements of his character are directly inverted. He despises Reed, for instance. He does still lust after T'Pol, but his interest in her is purely carnal, as opposed to the more solicitous attitude of our Trip. Connor Trinneer does a fine job playing a version of Trip that has had all the joy and openness beaten out of him, leaving a hard and bitter man to run the engines.

Dr. Phlox: John Billingsley has always injected a note of something alien, even creepy. Here, he turns up those creepy elements, playing a sadistic Phlox. Whereas our Phlox keeps a menagerie of animals for healing purposes, this variant brutally dissects the animals, apparently for pleasure. We first meet him as he proudly displays his new invention: The Mirror Universe's first Agony Booth. He clearly enjoys placing people inside, and gets great satisfaction from torturing the Tholian for information. I particularly enjoyed Billingsley's delivery of, "Will you kindly die," as he murders the alien. A great, disturbing performance.

Hoshi: After 3 2/3 seasons of being the "good girl," Linda Park must have enjoyed this chance to cut loose. Mirror Hoshi is confidently sexual in a way that our Hoshi has never really been allowed to be, and she has no problem using that sexuality to retain her place of privilege once Archer takes over. She does have the same gifts for language that our Hoshi has, which makes her somebody that Archer needs to have on his side - which also nicely justifies the plot necessity of putting Forrest in the brig, rather than following Reed's suggestion and executing him.

MIRROR UNIVERSE THOUGHTS

OK, let's start with the obvious: The credits. The "mirror credits," presenting the history of humanity's evolving war machine, are a wonderful mirror to the regular "history of exploration" credits. It's a particularly nice touch that they utilize several of the same clips, only now given a different context. My ideal version of these credits would complete the mirroring of the normal ones by using a pop/rock tune, only one with a darker edge (Sympathy for the Devil would seem appropriate, or possibly Paint It Black) - but that would be ridiculously expensive for what amounts to "a neat touch," and the orchestral score used does work well... probably better than the regular credits do.

The episode begins by showing Zefram Cochrane's first contact with the Vulcans. Only this time, the scenario plays out a bit differently. As the Vulcans give their traditional greeting, Cochrane pulls out a gun and shoots the lead Vulcan. Then one of his followers calls on the rest to take everything they can get their hands on. This would appear to be the beginning of the Empire, with stolen Vulcan technology leading Earth out to the stars early, crushing everything in its path.

A scene early in Part One sees Archer speculating as to how things might have played out had Cochrane not shot that Vulcan. This has me thinking that this is intended as the moment of divergence between the two universes. Which raises an interesting question: Is the "Mirror Universe," in which the human race spreads out as lust-driven, power-thirsty conquerors, the actual "default" future, the one that happens with no intervention? Is "our" Star Trek universe, with the upright Kirk, the intellectual Picard, the pragmatic but honorable Sisko - Is that, in fact, simply a parallel possibility, made into reality when Picard and the Borg travelled back in time, with Picard's crew ultimately interfering with Cochrane (and letting him know that the Vulcans were not invaders).

Heck, I could see Daniels and his Temporal Cold War shenanigans manipulating that into happening, just to create the "Federation" future we've seen him be extremely protective of (thus indicating that the "Federation future" is not destined, but actually quite vulnerable).

EPISODE THOUGHTS

In a Mirror Darkly is routinely named as Enterprise's very best. I suspect some of that reputation may come down to it being so different from the rest of the series. With a different tone, a darker set of personalities for our regulars, and in fact a different universe to inhabit, it stands out more readily from the rest of the series than even the best "regular" episodes. But while I might argue against labelling it the objective "best," In a Mirror Darkly is definitely up there. As can be seen from how much I've written already, it is certainly an episode that offers a lot of meat for discussion. In fact, I'm abandoning my usual policy of writing a single review for a 2-parter with one title, simply because a review of both parts together would be prohibitively long.

Acting as both a prequel to Mirror, Mirror and a sequel to The Tholian Web, this 2-parter continues Season 4's strong ties to the original series. I would highly recommend watching The Tholian Web just before this, as this episode does directly address elements of that episode. We discover that the Tholians (or rather, the "mirror" Tholians) created the hole in space into which the Defiant fell, and did so in order to study and dissect a ship from the future. This also fits with our glimpse of the Tholians in this series' Future Tense, when they also showed a strong interest in technology from the future.

The script is by Mike Sussman, and shows his usual expertise with both structure and momentum. Every character gets a moment, even Mayweather, and every scene advances either the story or the universe. It builds nicely to a very strong climax, with the closing visual virtually guaranteeing that viewers will be hungry for the next installment.

Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Bound
Next Episode: In a Mirror Darkly, Part II

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THE PLOT

Enterprise is investigating a region of space which is a promising site for the first of several proposed Starbases when they come into contact with Harrad-Sar (William Lucking), an Orion privateer. Harrad-Sar offers Archer a deal to smooth relations with the Orion Syndicate, in return for Starfleet's aid in setting up a mining operation. Archer agrees, but Harrad-Sar does have one stipulation: The captain must accept a gift.

The gift comes in the rather fetching form of three Orion slave girls. Their presence on the ship instantly creates disturbances. Male crew members begin disregarding their duties to pay attention to the girls. The female crew members begin reporting headaches. Phlox is able to determine that the Orions' pheremones are causing the disorder... but not before the replacement chief engineer sabotages the engines, leaving Enterprise a stationary target for the returning Harrad-Sar!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: His own newfound pragmatism is what gets him in trouble here. When Harrad-Sar contacts him, he agrees to meet the Orion's terms more readily than he once would have done, largely because he doesn't feel he can pass up an opportunity to mend fences with at least one hostile race. Once he realizes that he is acting under an alien influence, he fights very hard to retain control of himself - though he has much more trouble fighting the effects when face-to-face with the girls than when on the bridge, focusing on his duties.

T'Pol: A sign that Archer is already falling under the influence of the Orion women is that he does not ask T'Pol's advice before accepting Harrad-Sar's offer. T'Pol seems surprised by this, perhaps even a little hurt. As Archer begins behaving irrationally, T'Pol tries to be a supportive Voice of Reason for him. She works well with Trip in dealing with the havoc in Engineering, and the two of them together ultimately save the ship.

Trip: With Archer struggling under the Orion influence, Trip gets cast in the "hero" role this week. Thanks to his mental link with T'Pol, he is the only male on the ship not affected. This doesn't bring him too much relief, however, as it leaves him in the situation of being the sole "adult" in Engineering, having to constantly work to keep his men focused on their duties.

Hot Alien Space Babes of the Week: The Orion slave girls (Cyia Batten, Crystal Allen, Menina Fortunato) are expertly manipulative. Though Archer initially believes them to be innocents, it is clear to the audience almost instantly that they are using the Enterprise crew for their own ends. A late twist regarding their relationship with their "master" does not particularly come as a surprise.

THOUGHTS

I do have to give credit to the production design of the Orion ship. It's obvious that this season has taken its role as a prequel to TOS very seriously, and the Orion design is very much modeled after the original series' interiors, with the use of color in the lighting, the walls, and even the alien beverages the characters sip. It all makes for a rather neat visual tie-in.

I'm glad to be able to praise that element, because I honestly didn't find much else in Bound that's particularly praiseworthy. The setup is adroitly handled, with all the necessary exposition dealt with quickly and clearly in the opening Act. Once the Orion women are aboard Enterprise, however, things become a lot weaker, with much of the plotting relying on idiocy and convenience.

When Archer discovers that the Orion women are deliberately working to sabotage his ship and that their pheremones are dangerous to the crew, he puts them in isolation. So far, so sensible. But then, even after directly experiencing that they retain influence through the glass, he leaves... male guards? We've seen, in numerous episodes, that there are plenty of women serving on Enterprise. We also see that the women are less affected by the pheremones. Hoshi and another female officer complain of headaches, and that seems to be about the extent. So why does Archer leave a male guard on duty instead of a female one? Or even just trust to automated security protocols, as he did in Observer Effect? Answer: Because the plot requires the Orion women to get out of the cell, so Archer has to be an idiot to keep the plot moving.

The resolution is also achieved through Technobabble Convenience. After Enterprise is rendered helpless, Trip and T'Pol send a burst of Deux Ex Machina through a grappling wire to disable the other ship. How convenient. Finally, the subplot about Trip's transfer is resolved with equal convenience, lest anything resembling a loose end be left to the next (in-universe) 2-parter.

Perhaps this was cobbled together in a hurry to tie off some character strands once the episode order was cut back from 24 to 22. Perhaps the show's writers simply forgot how to write a good, action-heavy single-parter. Season Four's one-part episodes have largely been much weaker than the multi-part ones. Enterprise has taken several big steps forward in Seasons Three and Four. But when it tries to tell the simple Trek stories that it often managed quite engagingly in its early days, that seems to be one knack this series has lost.

Rating: 3/10.

Previous Episode: Divergence
Next Episode: In a Mirror Darkly

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THE PLOT

As Phlox continues his work on the Klingon plague, he and Dr. Antoch (John Schuck) discover a way to stop the disease in its first stage. The Klingons will still undergo physical changes, but they will not be augmented, nor will they become sick and die. But with Klingon warships on their way to sterilize the planet, the only way Phlox can identify the cure in time is to infect four patients - only one of whom will live!

Meanwhile, Enterprise continues its search for Phlox, now with its sister ship, Columbia in tow. Archer investigates Reed's recent transmissions, and uncovers a link to Harris (Eric Pierpoint), the tactical officer's former superior. He confronts Reed with what he now knows, and gives him a choice: Where do his loyalties lie?

CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Though he remains bitterly disappointed at Reed's betrayal, he also knows that he needs his expertise. He does not allow his feelings to get in the way of allowing Reed to get Trip on board to save the ship. After this, he offers Reed a chance to redeem himself by telling Archer what he knows, but only after discovering enough on his own that Reed will be able to do so with some level of integrity.

Reed: This 2-parter has definitely allowed Dominic Keating an opportunity to shine. Playing a tormented Reed, torn between his loyalty to his old section and his more recent and genuine loyalty to Archer, he has spent these two episodes in a state of desperation. When he finally is pushed to make a choice, he feels genuine relief at no longer having to fight himself. The final scene of the episode also seems to be the show's last word about where Reed's loyalties lie - though I suspect, had the series gone on for another season, that issues related to his old section would have come up again.

Dr. Phlox: "I lied." I love John Billingsley's inflection of this simple line. It's hardly an original retort, but he delivers it so well, with just the right mix of humor and venom. Billingsley gets another strong episode, particularly as Phlox comes ever closer to finding the cure. His compassionate interactions with both Dr. Antoch and the Klingon victims of the plague make an effective counterpoint to his more intense dealings with K'Vaugh (James Avery), the Klingon general. Phlox's insistence on staying to finish providing a cure for his "several million patients," even when Archer arrives and he could get away safely, says volumes about the character's core decency.

Klingons: In Judgment, we learned that Klingon society had undergone a decline. All castes are subsidiary to the warrior caste now, we are told, but it had not always been that way. Here, we see another relic of a better Klingon society, in the form of Dr. Antoch. Antoch chose a life as a healer over that of a warrior, and was disowned for making such a "dishonorable" decision. He is as pragmatic as the other Klingons, finding a way to get Phlox to cooperate by withholding certain information from his own superior. K'Vaugh also receives some added dimension to his character, his interactions with the infected soldiers showing him to be more than the snarling one-note baddie seen in the previous episode.

THOUGHTS

Divergence begins in exciting fashion, with Reed guiding Trip from Columbia to Enterprise at Warp 5, with a shared warp field that is steadily deteriorating. The basic dilemma, that Enterprise will blow up if it goes slower than Warp 5, is stolen wholesale from Speed, with the Klingons standing in for Dennis Hopper. But it's still a genuinely exciting set piece, and kicks the episode off in fine form.

The rest of the show is also good, even if it never builds up the same intensity as that opening set piece. Reed's dilemma remains interesting, and the Reed/Archer interaction is one of the episode's highlights. Reed's former section, justified by "a few lines in Section 31" of the Starfleet charter, points to something a bit less utopian and a bit more sinister in the Trek world, and I wouldn't have minded seeing more developed regarding these covert operations. Ah, well. I'm sure there's a book or some fanfics somewhere.

It's all very tightly-paced and produced to the series' usual high standards. I wouldn't rank this as one of the series' greats, by any means, but it was a good, solid 2-parter, with much to enjoy.

Rating: 7/10.

Overall Rating for the Klingon Augments Arc: 7/10

Previous Episode: Affliction
Next Episode: Bound

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THE PLOT

Enterprise returns to Earth for the official launch date of her sister ship, the Columbia - the ship to which Trip is transferring. For the crew, it's an opportunity for some well-deserved leave. Dr. Phlox is in San Francisco with Hoshi, taking in a meal at his favorite Chinese restaurant. The two are just walking back when they are jumped by alien attackers. Hoshi is knocked out while attempting to fight back, but not before she overhears one of the attackers speaking in Rigelian.

Reed has only just begun to investigate the kidnapping when he receives a transmission from Harris (Eric Pierpoint), his old boss. Harris informs Reed of an important mission, something that must be kept from Archer for security reasons. Dr. Phlox learns of it, too, when he is brought face-to-face with his captors: the Klingons. The Klingons are suffering from a virus that is spreading from world to world. Phlox is tasked with finding a cure. What he learns about the virus, however, may strain his devotion to preserving life.

CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: The information he gleaned from Surak's katra allows him to talk T'Pol through initiating a mind-meld. I'm sorry, but is that really necessary? In a season that's badly overinflated Archer, do we honestly need him talking the series' regular Vulcan through a Vulcan procedure? When do we hit the episode where Archer parts the Red Sea? Rant aside, Scott Bakula does well when Archer finally discovers Reed's deceit. A range of emotions, from weariness to disappointment to anger, are evident in his face and voice, and he and Dominic Keating do some first-class acting in this scene.

Reed: From the first season, a part of Reed's characterization has been how distant he is, how difficult he is to know. This episode provides some background which sheds light on that particular established quality. Long before he joined Enterprise, Reed was an agent. Here, he is called back into service, putting him in the position of keeping information from his captain. It is not a comfortable situation for him, as he feels torn between loyalty to Archer and the still-strong dictates of his previous job.

T'Pol: Trip's departure affects her more than she wants to admit. As she attempts to meditate, she makes a telepathic connection to Trip, who is probably pausing in his busy day to think of her. In the midst of her white void of meditation, the two instantly begin to argue, before Trip is snapped out of it by one of his new shipmates. T'Pol also pulls triple-duty. She has to cover for the new chief engineer's learning curve. Then, when Archer begins to suspect Reed of deception, she has to double-check Reed's work and report back to Archer.

Trip: The easygoing Trip of the first season is not the Trip who signs onto Columbia. Trip is strict to the point of harshness with his new crew, working them triple shifts in order to get his new ship's engines working at the level of Enterprise's. By the time he has dinner with his new captain the next day, two of his crew have already requested transfers. He remains very good at his job, and he does get the engines working in time to meet Columbia's accelerated deadline. He even seems to be relaxing into his new post a bit, congratulating one of his new people on a job well done.

Dr. Phlox: Despite his outrage at being kidnapped, he is willing to do what he can to assist the Klingons once he learns of the virus. He is appalled at the harsh Klingon methods, however, including the execution of infected patients to allow for dissection. When he discovers the true nature of the virus, he is even further outraged, both by what the Klingons attempted to do and by their keeping this from him when he should have been given the information at the outset. John Billingsley is a good enough actor to keep his performance from being one-note, cranking up the intensity at just the right points and then reverting to a more subdued performance in between the more strongly emotional scenes.

Hoshi: We actually get a demonstration of the fighting skills she mentioned in Observer Effect, as she fights with Phlox's abductors. She's effective, too, kicking the gun right out of one attacker's hand and fending him off. If not for the third attacker, unseen until too late, she and Phlox might well have succeeded in getting away. Her linguistic skills come in useful, first in recognizing that the attackers spoke Rigelian, later in recognizing the prisoner speaking Klingon.

Klingons: They are unwilling to ask for help in dealing with the virus, lest they look weak to their enemies. But kidnapping a skilled doctor? That's no problem. When Phlox wonders why they didn't just kidnap Dr. Soong, who would have been more efficient at mapping genomes, the reply is direct and pragmatic: They tried; Soong was just too heavily guarded. At every turn, the Klingons prove to be ruthless and jealous of their secrets, and it seems evident that they have no intention of letting Phlox leave alive with what he knows.

THOUGHTS

I'll admit to being in the Trek camp that never really felt that an explanation was needed for why TOS Klingons had smooth brows while later Klingons had bumpy ones. It's always seemed obvious to me that the simple makeup of the TOS Klingons was a matter of budget, and that all that ever needed to be addressed on this issue was covered by Worf's, "It is not something we discuss with outsiders," in Trials and Tribbleations.

But if the main reason behind this 2-parter basically amounts to fan service, that doesn't matter to me in the slightest. Based on this first episode, it's going to be a pretty good 2-parter. It incorporates several elements from earlier in the season. The Trip/T'Pol arc follows directly on from The Aenar. The Klingon virus is directly linked to the Augment arc. Capt. Ramirez and the Columbia return from the episode, Home, along with a reference to Phlox's altercation in that episode. It all serves to tie the season together as an extended narrative, something I love when it's done well - and here, at least, it's done extremely well.

The most interesting story strand belongs to Reed. We know him well enough to realize that he's no traitor. But his having worked in intelligence makes sense, actually lending some focus to his characterization early in the series. Being called back into duty, splitting his loyalty between his old superiors and his current one, puts a strain on him which shows in Dominic Keating's performance. When he is caught, and Archer throws him in the brig, he is left to feel helpless as the ship undergoes a new crisis - and he is left unable to assist.

A strong first episode, with some good continuity with the rest of the season, some excellent character work, and some nice touches of intrigue. The sort of setup episode that leaves one hopeful when anticipating the Part Two payoff.

Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: The Aenar
Next Episode: Divergence

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Previous Episode: Daedalus

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THE PLOT

Reed and Mayweather are not themselves. Literally not themselves, as they have become hosts to alien observers. The aliens are essentially scientists, observing Enterprise like an experiment to see what happens during a crisis.

Trip and Hoshi are on their way back from a planet, and have taken a pathogen with them. They are promptly put into decontamination. Phlox determines that the virus infecting them is silicon-based, and that they only have a few hours to live unless he can develop a cure. Meanwhile, Reed and Mayweather - or the aliens to whom they are playing host - watch, and they wait, and they evaluate the worth of the human race...

CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Uses every resource at his disposal to try to save Trip and Hoshi. At one point, Klingon debris is detected in the atmosphere. Archer realizes that the Klingons faced this same issue and destroyed their infected rather than letting them dock. When the alien in Mayweather asks if this is helpful, Archer replies that it at least tells him that he needn't waste time asking if the Klingons have a cure. The alien presses on, wanting to know if Archer would ask the Klingons for a cure if they had one. "On bended knee," Archer replies unhesitantly. When he asks Phlox to work faster, he doesn't say it the way he would have in Season One or early Season Two. He no longer comes across as an unreasonable and panicked man demanding the impossible. Instead, he says it softly, laying an encouraging hand on Phlox's shoulder. He knows that his medical officer is doing everything he can and, whatever happens, he isn't going to blame him for the result.

Trip: Shows dedication to his duty, even when faced with his own death. When a feverish Hoshi breaches quarantine, Trip brings her back. He knows they are "in quarantine for a reason," and does not want to spread the infection to the rest of the crew. He does his best to keep Hoshi's morale up, keeping her talking about languages and her past, even talking a little about his own past. He has faith in Archer, but that doesn't stop him from briefly resisting an order to sedate both Hoshi and himself.

Hoshi: I'm always happy to see a Hoshi-centric episode. It remains a mystery to me why this series so often puts such a ready-made audience identification figure into the background. We learn a bit more about her background here. Her amusement in Season Three's The Council over Archer's brush with being a "bad boy" is echoed as we learn of her own rebellious past, running a floating poker game in the Starfleet Training Center, which got her (temporarily) kicked out. We also get a semi-plausible explanation for how she can learn alien languages so quickly. She's very good at picking out certain universal patterns. This comes into memorable play in the second half of the episode, when a delirious Hoshi overrides the security protocols of the ship, grunting that "math is just another language."

Dr. Phlox: A typically excellent performance by John Billingsley, who showcases Phlox's dedication to his patients. Phlox actually does detect the aliens' presence at one point, leading to a confrontation in which the aliens tell him that they could save his patients but won't. Phlox's disgust with them, and with their intent to wipe his memory of their presence, is palpable.

Aliens of the Week: The aliens inhabiting Reed and Mayweather are closely related to one of TOS' classic episodes. I'm not going to divulge which race, for the benefit of anyone who hasn't already seen it. I will say that it's clear early on that these aliens aren't actually evil. They are simply what the title says: Observers. They know that any ship coming to this world will encounter the infection, and temporarily inhabit hosts on the ship in order to see how each species deals with the situation. The aliens are appropriate to their hosts. Mayweather's is hopeful about the humans, pointing out all the ways in which they behave more compassionately than the Klingons or Cardassians did. Reed's is brutally pragmatic, certain that Archer will eventually order the deaths of Trip and Hoshi or that "this will be one of the times when everybody dies."

THOUGHTS

That was considerably better than Daedalus!

This episode neatly captures the attention in the teaser. It at first seems like a sedate scene of "crew bonding," as Mayweather and Reed play chess. Even their intial lines don't hint at anything wrong, though it would seem strange that Reed wouldn't know how to play a game that would seem to be very much in his line (tactics). Then Mayweather refers to how "they" have such a short lifespan - "they," not "we" - and how predictable chess is with such a limited number of possible outcomes. Even before they refer to their "hosts," it is clear that it is not Reed and Mayweather we are watching, but aliens possessing their bodies. I actually ran this scene back and watched it a second time, just to see how differently it played knowing at the start that these two characters were not actually our regulars. It's a very well-done teaser, setting an ominous tone even before they mention crew deaths.

In its otherwise fairly ordinary (though by no means bad) first season, Enterprise was particularly good at low-key episodes that focused on the ensemble. It was clear early on that this series tended to stumble most when telling formula Trek stories. That changed with the series' change of tone in Season Three. Seasons Three and Four have seen the series' overall quality blast upward, like a rocket. But a few things have been lost, and the character-based episodes have largely been among those.

This episode, particularly in its scenes between Hoshi and Trip, returns to the series' early strengths. The supporting cast actually are full characters, rather than just props to support the leads and the story arcs. In a season which has thus far sidelined her even more than Season Two did, this, this episode gives Linda Park some of her best material ever on this show.

On the down side, the resolution doesn't fully work. Even though it is built up over the full episode, the final scene between Archer and the two aliens feels quick and easy. It doesn't come out of nowhere - the decision the aliens make has had groundwork laid. It just somehow doesn't convince me that this is what would happen within this set of circumstances.

Still a good episode, though, and a nice recovery from last episode's boring blunder.

Rating: 7/10.

Next Episode: Babel One

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Previous Episode: Borderland

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THE PLOT

Soong and his augments head for Cold Station 12, where the remaining augment embryos are stored. Their objective is obvious. They intend to free all the remaining embryos, and see a new race of augments born... doubtless with more of Soong's "enhancements" to make them even more indestructible than Malik and his group (I do wonder how Malik would feel about that, once the implications sank in for his own leadership). Enterprise follows, with orders to use any necessary force to stop Soong.

The augments have a significant head start, though, and reach the station well in advance of Enterprise. They quickly take the station hostage, along with all of its personnel. When Dr. Lucas (Richard Riehle), the station director, refuses to surrender the codes to the augment embryos, Malik becomes violent - more violent than Soong is comfortable with.

When Archer leads a landing party to infiltrate the station, it doesn't take long for him and his group to be captured. But Archer has a backup plan to stop Soong's augments. There's only one hitch - It means the destruction of everyone on Cold Station 12!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Identifies Malik as the real threat, and makes some attempts to get Soong to realize that his "children" have lied to him. Coupled with Malik's own violent tendencies, it's an effective approach... but there just isn't enough opportunity for Archer to really hammer it home. My suspicion is that the next episode will have a bit more of Archer pushing the scientist to realize what Malik has become.

Dr. Phlox: When he realizes that his long-time pen pal, Dr. Lucas, is now stationed at Cold Station 12, he requests permission to join the landing party. He rushes to Lucas' aid, showing no fear at all of the augments, either when treating his friend or when pushed into the test chamber under threat of imminent death.

Dr. Soong: Though Soong was portrayed as the villain in Borderland, he was given some sympathetic notes: his respect for Archer, his insistence on sparing the lives of the Enterprise crew. These are further expanded on here. We see in flashback that he genuinely loved the children, whom he raised as his own. When he learns of the death of one of them (at Malik's hands), he sits in the dark, recalling the boy's love of astronomy and demanding to know what happened. Brent Spiner's performance in the last episode was entertaining, but here - as Soong's arrogance is gradually wiped away by the realization that things have gone beyond his control - he genuinely excels.

Villain of the Week: With Soong showing a more sympathetic side, the story needs a truly evil villain. That role is filled by Alec Newman's Malik. He was potentially sympathetic in the last episode. Yes, he orchestrated the attack on the Klingons and killed his own brother - but both of these acts were explicable, given the circumstances. Now we see him revealed as a monster. Soong's squeamishness about killing disgusts him. He regards the deaths of humans as morally irrelevant, the equivalent of stepping on ants. Having, in effect, killed his brother and married his sister Persis (Abby Brammell), he's a villain who would be entirely at home in a Shakespeare play - one of the really bloody ones.

THOUGHTS

The "Previouslies" emphasize just how superfluous the Orion Slave subplot in Borderland really was. The "Previouslies" lay out everything of importance from the first part: the takeover of the Klingon ship, Dr. Soong's imprisonment, his rescue by the Augments, and Malik's killing of his brother. Notice what isn't there? Not a single shot referencing the side plot that took up close to half of the previous episode! It's not that it wasn't an entertaining diversion. But if there was only really two episodes' worth of plot in this story, whywasn't it simply made as a 2-parter, with the Orion plot being left for a standalone episode elsewhere in the season?

As to this episode, it's a far stronger one than its admittedly enjoyable predecessor. The hostage situation creates an inherently tense scenario, and the give-and-take between Soong and Malik provides another layer of tension. Soong is increasingly unhappy about Malik's violent nature, and Malik now seems interested in getting rid of his squeamish "father" just as soon as he can be sure that the others will go along with it.

Brent Spiner and Alec Newman give particularly good performances. As much Spiner might have had sneering through Borderland, he is much more interesting with the more layered characterization Soong is given here. Mike Vejar's polished direction keeps things moving, and this is a tremendously strong episode visually. Special praise is due to the set design of the station, with other visual standout moments including: the approach to the station, inside the asteroid; the chamber with the embryos; and that final shaft that Archer ascends as "To Be Continued" appears on the screen.

Rating: 9/10.

Next Episode: The Augments

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THE PLOT

As Enterprise continues to limp along, stolen warp coil in place, Archer makes his rendezvous with Degra. He shows Degra and another member of the Xindi council the evidence he has gathered about the reptilian bio-weapon and the spheres. He tries to convince these two council members the Sphere Builders are the real enemy of both humans and Xindi. But the negotiations are complicated when serious damage to the Enterprise leaves the ship all but helpless in space - just as a Xindi reptilian ship finds them!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: After a season of trying deceptions and ruthless gambits and making violent decisions, here Archer decides to... tell the truth. He deals with Degra in a completely honest manner, showing him the evidence the Enterprise has gathered within the Expanse. He openly admits that wiping Degra's memory was probably not a good way to earn the other man's trust. Here, he provides nothing but the truth, and trusts that Degra will realize that his earlier "misdeeds" were necessary. His openness pays off, and the scenes between Archer and Degra are consistently the best in a very good episode.

T'Pol: Continues to wrestle with the emotions brought to the surface by the Trellium. She finds her inability to suppress them to be overwhelming, and actually tells Trip that she envies humans their ability to deal with emotions. Though I continue to be uncertain about this direction for her character (her early scene with Phlox, restating exposition from the last episode, was more than a little tiresome), Blalock does well with the material. T'Pol actually doesn't do badly in dealing with her emotions, managing to retain professionalism and judgment in dealing with an exhausted Trip, and giving him some needed emotional support at the end.

Trip: In the wake of the attack, Trip has worked himself to the point of exhaustion. When T'Pol asks him how long it's been since he's slept, his estimate is two days. Connor Trinneer does an excellent job at showing a Trip running purely on adrenaline. At the same time, he is reacting to another loss, of a young woman who worked with him in Engineering. It's clear that this girl reminded him of his sister, or at least that her death has made her remind him of his sister. That and his lack of rest brings his anger toward the Xindi back to the surface, making him openly hostile to Degra. This is an effective plot thread, though it would be more effective if Crewman Taylor had been someone we had gotten to know, rather than simply being one of Trip's largely offscreen crew.

Dr. Phlox: Gets another terrific scene, in which he relieves Trip of duty and orders him to get some sleep. He first tries reason, pointing out to Trip how much worse off the ship will be if Trip works himself past the point of collapse. Then he simply pulls rank, ordering Trip to get some sleep, and then waiting - much like a parent or teacher with a recalcitrant teen - until he actually sees Trip leave for his quarters before going on to his appointment with the captain.

Degra: His guilt, when confronted with Trip's anger, is tangible, but it doesn't stop him from dealing honestly and occasionally bluntly with Archer. I was relieved that there was no reconciliation between Degra and Trip in this episode, and I actually hope there won't be such a reconciliation in the future. More interesting still is the episode's climax, in which Degra is pushed into making the same sort of tough-minded decision that Archer has been making repeatedly this season.

The Xindi: Though Degra's companion Xindi council member is more skeptical of Archer than Degra, he is open to reason. Like Degra, he recognizes that the Sphere Builders must have their own agenda. As Archer presents more and more evidence, he finally agrees that the council should hear the humans' case. As the episode ends, we are left with a divided Xindi. The insectoids and reptilians will clearly want war; the mammalian Xindi will clearly want peace. It will be up to the acquatics which way the council ends up going. Me? I'm still holding out hope that the intriguing mention of the avian Xindi way back in The Shipment might come into play by the season's end.

THOUGHTS

The end of the trilogy of episodes that began with Azati Prime, The Forgotten is fully up to the quality of its two predecessors. These three episodes form by far the strongest run that the series has seen to date, and the momentum is left running as we move toward the season's end.

It's striking how much this season is post-9/11 Star Trek, in a way that the first two seasons (which actually were post-9/11) were not. The parallels between the Xindi attack and the attack on the World Trade Center are blindingly obvious, of course. But there's also the changed state of the crew. Archer, dealing with the need to make harder and tougher decisions than in the past, sometimes compromising his own values. Trip, in a state of post-traumatic stress, which becomes particularly vivid in this episode as a new loss brings his old loss to the surface.

Crew and ship remain badly scarred at the show's end. As Archer says goodbye to Degra, we can see the bruises from the reptilians' beating beginning to yellow, a particularly effective bit of makeup. The ship still looks like it's falling apart from the inside, a far cry from the gleaming corridors of the past. The dim lighting and claustrophobic atmosphere all combine to make this a technically impressive episode, and dramatically effective at the same time.

Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Damage

Next Episode: E2

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THE PLOT

Archer has successfully sown in Degra the seeds of distrust toward the reptilians and the Sphere Builders. The Xindi scientist arranges for Archer to be secretly returned to Enterprise. He leaves Archer with a hidden, coded message, giving him rendezvous coordinates to meet in three days. Unfortunately, the Enterprise has been left badly damaged by the battle with the reptilians. The ship has no warp capability, and will not be able to meet the rendezvous.

Until they intercept a distress signal from an alien ship, which has been damaged by the Expanse's spatial anomalies. They dock with the ship, and Archer tries to barter their Trellium for the aliens' warp coil. When the aliens refuse, Archer finds himself backed into a corner. Negotiating with Degra is his only chance to save Earth, and his only chance to meet with Degra again is to have warp speed. He finds himself faced with a horrible decision: Piracy!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: From the moment the Enterprise docks with the damaged alien ship, Archer is forced into an impossible situation. He needs the aliens' warp coil, and they won't barter for it. When he discovers that he has only a three-day window to make a rendezvous with Degra to potentially stop the weapon, he makes a choice he would at one time have considered unthinkable: he turns to piracy. Scott Bakula excels in the scenes in which Archer reaches this decision and gives the orders, showing the right mix of resolve and self-disgust.

T'Pol: I'm not sure I like the direction T'Pol's character is taken in this episode. The revelation that she has been effectively mainlining heroin (in the form of Trellium) does explain some of her more emotional behavior in recent episodes, particularly her outbursts in Azati Prime. But it feels ham-handed, and is perhaps one plot strand too many in an otherwise excellent episode. At least it is strongly linked with some of the season's early episodes. But for me to fully buy into this subplot, I would have needed to see some build toward it in the midseason. See Dr. Franklin's stim addiction in Babylon 5 for this sort of story done right.

Dr. Phlox: Though very much in the background, he is an important figure in this episode. John Billingsley excels, as usual, making the most of his scenes with Archer and T'Pol. With Archer, he simply listens. When Archer tells him he's going to have to cross another line, Phlox voices his support in a sympathetic, non-judgmental fashion. He does ask Archer what he's going to do, but doesn't press for details when it is clear Archer doesn't want to voice it yet. With T'Pol, he takes a stronger tact, but is still generally non-judgmental and affirms his devotion to confidentiality.

Degra: He clearly trusts the Sphere Builders less and less as this episode goes along, and seems more willing to trust Archer... to the point that he goes to "a lot of trouble" to put Archer back on Enterprise, with a coded rendezvous Archer is clearly meant to find. As Archer notes, it's not so much that Degra has any real faith in the humans as yet. But he has lost most of his faith in his side, and he clearly has several other members of the Council questioning their plan as well. The Sphere Builder's less-than-convincing response to Degra's questions will likely make at least some of the Council more receptive to Archer, when he finally meets with them.

THOUGHTS

...And another well-written episode, by another of the series' top writers, Phyllis Strong. I've noted this before, but it bears repeating: In Season Three, Enterprise has really put together one of the strongest regular writing teams Trek has ever seen. It's a shame so few people were still interested in watching by this point.

Damage benefits from putting the regulars in a position in which they are beat up and beaten down. Throughout the episode, the ship is practically falling apart around them. They look dirty and tired. Effective makeup, lighting, and acting really help to sell this atmosphere, which boosts the episode considerably.

The title, "Damage," relates to the episode on multiple levels. There's the direct, physical level: The battle at the end of Azati Prime has left the Enterprise badly damaged, to the point that it is still a badly scarred ship at the episode's end. There's T'Pol's emotional damage, reduced to a recovering drug addict. There's the moral damage Archer alludes to, as he realizes just how many lines he's crossed the longer he stays in the Expanse. The marauder's statement way back in Anomaly, about the quality of mercy not surviving the Expanse, seems to be haunting Archer as he sees himself becoming a marauder himself, all because he can see no other choice.

The episode ends with the Enterprise moving on to its rendezvous with Degra, making this feel like the middle installment of a 3-parter. It does, at least, seem like the filler episodes are done, probably for the rest of the season.

Rating: 9/10.

Previous Episode: Azati Prime
Next Episode: The Forgotten

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Previous Episode: Harbinger

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THE PLOT

Encountering a distorted area of space directly on their path to Azati Prime, the Enterprise crew have only one option. The crew is placed into a coma to avoid neurological damage. Dr. Phlox, whose Denobulan physiology makes him immune to the effects of this space, is left to run the ship alone during its 4-day journey through the affected area.

The first two days go by easily enough. Phlox is able to catch up on his correspondence. He checks on the crew and the engines regularly. Then he hears a strange sound. At first, he tries to dismiss it. But as the sound recurs, he begins to suspect that someone else is on the ship.

CHARACTERS

Capt. Archer: Well aware of the burdens of command by this point, Archer confesses to Phlox that there are very few people, even among his officers, with whom he would entrust the ship. He then goes on to say that Phlox is one of them. His confidence shows that he has come to recognize the sound judgment and strength of the ship's doctor.

T'Pol: Anything we learn about T'Pol in this episode is subject to a certain skepticism. Still, her claim at Vulcans' preference for solitude, and her statement that a couple of days without the crew around is "a welcome respite" for her, are both statements that ring true. Beyond that, Jolene Blalock does a good job of playing a T'Pol that is (at least initially) close enough to the real thing to make us briefly wonder if she is or isn't real, and then to play a T'Pol who is entertainingly different than the regular one.

Trip: As chief engineer of a ship that is a prototype, it should come as no surprise that Trip is extremely wary of leaving the care of the ship and specifically its warp core to someone with no engineering background. He flatly tells Phlox to wake him if something happens that Phlox can't handle, acknowledging that doing so might kill him, because "if it's a choice between saving (him) and saving the ship..."

Dr. Phlox: Does not react very well to solitude. When talking about his home world with T'Pol, he wistfully recalls what a crowded place it is, not by necessity but by choice. Denobulans are a very social race, and it doesn't take long being alone on the ship for that fact alone to start working on Phlox. John Billingsley is excellent, as usual - probably the only one of the series' regulars who really could carry an episode such as this.

THOUGHTS

I've long since come to look forward to the Phlox-centric episodes. As I've remarked many times, John Billingsley has been the cast standout from very early on and Phlox is a genuinely interesting character even on the page.

This episode is a good one, but it's not a great one. It's very difficult to pull off an episode that is all but a two-hander, and the pace does flag, particularly during the first half. Chris Black's script is well-constructed, though. When T'Pol appears, it's odd, because the first part of the episode seemed to hammer home that Phlox was alone on the ship. But T'Pol's not human, so it seems just barely possible that she would be awake as well and simply keeping to herself and her duties. Then the script has T'Pol feed Phlox (and us) information that directly conflicts with what we had already heard - namely, that T'Pol was meant to check the engines, when we clearly saw Trip showing him the engines and emphasizing how important it was that Phlox wake him if anything went wrong. That in itself forces us to reflect that, if T'Pol was going to remain awake, of course she would be the one monitoring the engines.

From that point on, I was left suspecting that "T'Pol" is some sort of changeling or projection created by invaders. As Phlox investigates the ship, becoming more increasingly certain that the ship has been invaded, his continued confiding in "T'Pol" raises tension even further. When they are investigating a storage area, and T'Pol steps out from behind a container Phlox is about to inspect shaking her head, I was certain that the invaders were hiding right there.

Though this really isn't an arc episode, its plot elements do fit very well with the previous episode. The spheres' makers are creating these distortions, and the distortion fields are growing even as Enterprise gets closer to its goal. At this point, the season is clearly building to a confrontation - but I'm starting to suspect that the major battle won't be against the Xindi.

Rating: 7/10.

Next Episode: Hatchery

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