If there is one trend in most television series that annoys me more than anything else, it is the practice of having massive, life-altering events in one episode, only to completely ignore those events in the very next hour. Part of the problem is the culture in which most episodes are written. Large writing staffs handle a season with only the most general idea of where ongoing plots might be headed, and so often those larger issues (let alone items from previous episodes) are completely ignored. Each episode exists in a creative vacuum, and the whole suffers.
The most obvious example of this practice would be “X-Files”, which has always been noteworthy, if that’s the right word, for being creatively schizophrenic. The previous offerings in the “Star Trek” franchise weren’t much better, though some (DS9) were better than others. With the failings of “Voyager” clearly in mind, imagine my surprise to find that “Enterprise” has managed to split the difference.
Granted, there is no mention of the utterly baffling and enjoyable events of the previous episode, and given some of the revelations that may or may not have been made, there probably should have been. A series like “Babylon 5” would have at least made reference to it, some way or another. But that kind of strength in planning has never been evident in this franchise, so to see any level of continuity is a wonder to behold.
In this case, it’s the more subtle brand of continuity, the addressing of problems with technology or simple references to previous encounters. An attack by an unknown ship, which the weapons of the Enterprise are pathetically useless against, leaves Archer with the strong desire to increase weapons capability. That takes us back to the reference made in the first episode, when it was made clear that the ship was leaving dock with many systems still offline.
At the same time, it brings the issue of whether or not humanity is truly prepared for the threats it may encounter. The Vulcans, of course, believe humanity is still too impulsive and reckless to interact with alien species. Much of what we have seen bears that out. Archer, perhaps out of some need to one-up the protocols of Vulcan logic, constantly lets his emotions rule the day. And, as one might expect, that leads to some serious problems.
The latest threat, the first to offer a situation well beyond their current capability, puts Archer against the wall. The logical response is exactly what he initially commands: a return to home territory with the intent of getting the ship fully functional. This might also have the advantage of giving him the opportunity to face down the Vulcan diplomats over their practice of spying on them and withholding information. But his emotional response is to work it out on his own, rules or no rules. That inner conflict is at the center of the episode, and in a refreshing change of pace for this franchise, there is little or no guidance for him to follow. His only true confidante is an engineer with an even greater dislike for Vulcan “prudence”.
This tendency to make things up as he goes along, with a very cavalier attitude along the way, is displayed rather clearly by his use of authority to order Ensign Sato to secretly investigate Reed, just to find out what his favorite food is. Picard would fume at the thought of such blatant misuse of command authority, and I doubt even Kirk would go so far as to order someone to invade a crewman’s privacy.
Not that I’m complaining too much. It’s a clever basis for exploring Reed’s background. Hoshi manages to learn more about the personality and background of the ordnance officer than we’ve seen all season. In a nice touch, there is no inconsistency between Reed’s demeanor on the job versus his personality off duty. Reed is always stiff and aloof, and always has been. It speaks to a more troubled, and therefore more interesting, personality to explore.
I was a little disappointed at how easily the new weapons were constructed, even though I was pleased by the fact that so much had been done to the Enterprise by the unknown aliens. If anything proves out the gaps in the human technology, it’s the fact that the aliens were able to install monitoring devices without much of a trace. I was also pleased by the fact that they seemed to be testing the crew of the Enterprise, in terms of their responses and defenses, gauging their ability to fight back. It’s likely that if Enterprise had returned to home space, that would have served to lead the unknown aliens exactly where they wanted to go.
What the episode effectively tells us, without coming right out and saying it bluntly (another franchise failing), is that the crew of the Enterprise is willing to risk failure more than admit defeat. That leads to serious issues of ethics and simple common sense, and that’s something that usually gives the audience a good laugh. But sooner or later, it comes down to a serious set of situations, like the one depicted here.
This episode may not have been as wild a ride as the last episode, but it was a competent look at the realities of the mission. They didn’t destroy the enemy, they only shoved them back enough to get left alone. They may have engineered some new weapons, but now they are desperately low on the components needed to repair them. Will the writers have the guts to play those circumstances out? Or will they defer to the “Voyager” syndrome, and blatantly ignore the conditions they set?
Some other thoughts:
- One thing that the whole “birthday dinner” concept makes me think of is how much space they must need for simple food stores and other disposable items.
- It’s also interesting to note that Archer still knows very little about some of the people on the ship. That could have any number of potential consequences, as last episode demonstrated. Wouldn’t he have requested thorough background checks from command after that incident, if not long before?
- While I may question the basis for her mission, I can’t complain about any episode featuring Hoshi. Linda Park is absolutely stunning!
- Something tells me that unless they start working on better internal sensors or shielding, the Enterprise is going to get boarded an awful lot.
- Loved the design of the aliens as well…very inhuman, but close enough to be immediately unsettling.
- Nice thematic references to abduction lore as well!
- If Reed turns out to be psychotic or something, that look at his upbringing in England ought to explain it. Talk about disinterested parenting…
- I don’t recall hearing about these plasma cannons specifically, but if they had just gotten around to making the hand-held versions, I suppose they could have already developed the larger scale models.
- Isn’t it a little troubling that the medical officer is willing to break confidentiality over something as simple as a favorite food? Then again, Phlox is on good terms with Hoshi, and it was on Archer’s express orders…which is even more troubling.
- How would Reed react, I wonder, if he knew that Archer was allowing officers of lower rank to go through his personal medical records? Wouldn’t he suspect that from the sudden appearance of pineapple in the cake, given his introverted nature?
- Not for nothing, but it might be interesting to find out what happens if Reed can’t get his required medication. Health problems might be hard to solve under their circumstances.
- I wonder if the Enterprise will ever encounter those aliens again…could be a good source of ongoing continuity regarding their relative state of technological advancement.
Overall, this was a pleasantly solid episode to offer following the excellence of last episode, even if there were several weeks between them. It suffers from the inevitable letdown, but handles it well. Hopefully this trend will continue, and the series can avoid another stretch of substandard fare like the episodes preceding “Cold Front.”
