“Bottle” episodes are a fine part of the Star Trek tradition. Taking a couple characters, trapping them in a tight space and a lethal situation, and you have the perfect setting for all kinds of wonderful character exploration. In this particular situation, two of the more one-dimensional characters thus far in the series get the spotlight: Reed and Tucker.
During most of this season, Tucker has been portrayed as the clever, tech-obsessed Southerner, with a not-so-healthy anger towards Vulcans. He’s got a slightly sarcastic sense of humor, and he tries to get along with just about everyone. But what else do we really know about Trip? We know how he reacts when he has the tools and materials to get the job done, but we don’t know much else.
We know even less about Reed. The only episode thus far to focus entirely on his point of view has basically reinforced the idea that he is a massive introvert, dedicated to his duty above all else. He’s morose, sullen, and most of all, far too interested in things that go “boom”. Oh, and he’s got that food allergy.
We’ve seen them work together in the past, notably in the episode “Silent Enemy’, in which they raced against time to bring the plasma cannons online to use against the unknown assailants. In that episode, we saw how Reed acted out of the chain of command when it suited the needs of the moment, despite the fact that Trip demanded compliance and adherence to protocol. Despite the tensions, they worked well together, and ultimately saved the ship during the crisis.
Now, the two crewmen find themselves trapped on a damaged shuttle pod, believing that the Enterprise is destroyed, and in the era before the Kobiyashi Maru test, we get to see how the two crewmen deal with their own impending deaths. Normally, the characters either find something disturbing about themselves, which never comes up again, or the characters slip into a particular role and never truly progress from that role. This episode finds a comfortable middle ground, starting with what we know and moving forward from there.
For instance, we get to see the layers underneath Reed’s previous behavior, in terms of just how isolated he is from everything around him. His own parents are very much as he is, never returning his letters and inquiries. That kind of upbringing left him emotionally distant and lacking in firm direction. His identical letters to former paramours speak to this, as Reed himself admits. He was never able to commit himself fully to the relationships, because his own family was never willing to commit themselves to him.
So when Reed entered Starfleet, his duty gave him something larger than himself that he could commit his resources towards without undue expectation. Joining the crew of the Enterprise also provided the isolation that he feels comfortable with. He still falls into familiar patterns, pursuing tactical positions as his family has always done, and his need for closure also falls into the pattern of duty. It is clear from his tentative and haphazard steps towards friendship with Trip that he is finding his sense of family and community on the Enterprise difficult at best, and terrifying at worst.
Trip is not quite so well explored, but that’s largely because his character is a very familiar type. One has already developed the sense that he is going to fight until it is clear that he cannot win, and then he will still take the steps to preserve the lives of others if he can. And yet, in his own way, he is emotionally as distant as Reed is from everyone around him. As amiable and sociable as he is, he has few close friends, and he doesn’t seem to have had many close relationships in his life. It fits his background and echoes the similar characteristics of Scotty from the original series. What’s interesting is his reaction to Reed’s desire for closing out any open issues in his life. It makes one wonder if Trip has regrets, simply because he doesn’t feel the desire to record any last words.
The episode begins in this familiar territory, but then the lines become more and more blurred as they find common ground in their devotion to the mission and crew of the Enterprise. It’s easy to forget that this is a different set of circumstances from the Star Treks we have known and loved. The crew of the Enterprise represents the beginning of deep space exploration, the first steps into the unknown, and facing constant wonder and terror binds people together.
That’s when the surprising bits of information come out, such as Reed’s obsession with T’Pol. In a way, it feels a bit like a determined effort to go against the expectations for Reed, based on the rumors floating before the series began. But it actually fits his personality quite well, because T’Pol exhibits the same level of detachment that he does. His own fantasies over T’Pol involve a secret revelation of the passions hidden behind his own carefully maintained shell, and he likes to think that T’Pol carries that same passion under her Vulcan exterior. It’s a wonderfully subtle revelation about how Reed sees himself.
Trip’s reaction to that admission of interest is also consistent. He is stridently against the involvement of Vulcans in human affairs, and the thought of finding something attractive about T’Pol strikes him as ludicrous. Frankly, I agree with him, though for very different reasons. Although Trip finds most alien discoveries to be fascinating and even fun, he has a relentless blind eye when it comes to the Vulcans.
The characters remain consistent to the end. When it comes down to the very end, when their last attempt at survival has been made, Trip is ready to sacrifice himself so that Reed can live. Reed’s refusal to allow it, even under orders, is equally consistent. It points back to their behavior in “Silent Enemy” again. Of course, they survive, and in the end, Reed finds a reason to open himself up to someone. It will be interesting to see if Trip reciprocates that friendship.
There were also some scenes on the Enterprise, but in the end, they were there to underscore the tragedy of the situation that Reed and Trip were enduring. There was little value to those scenes beyond that, except at the very end, when Reed “confronts” T’Pol. It’s a wonderfully clever bit of writing to have Reed question the reality of his rescue until it is clear that T’Pol is her usual, detached self, and not the woman of his fantasies. He visibly relaxes in that moment, and it’s a great piece of acting.
I wasn’t so sure that this episode would work, when I first heard about it, but it managed to exceed my expectations largely on the merits of the actors. There was a lot of praise afforded this episode prior to airing, and at least in this case, it was warranted. My only suggestion would have been to flesh out Trip’s character a little more.
Some other thoughts:
- I missed a whole chunk of the teaser, but I did manage to see the shot of them flying over the “remains”. Eerie shot.
- I wonder who that bottle of bourbon was for? Maybe it was left there by Captain Archer when he thought he was taking Hoshi on a little one-on-one cruise to Coridan last episode…
- Gee, for a shuttle pod and relatively primitive technology, they have a damned nice selection of rations! Then again, they can’t be much better than hardtack, if the mashed potatoes can be used to seal a pressure leak!
- Do microwave ovens come standard on Starfleet shuttlepods?
- It’s a little depressing when Reed’s list of ex-girlfriends is longer than mine…though I did get married on my 22nd birthday after five years of engagement, so there you are…
- I’m surprised that Trip was so calm when Reed basically told him he shagged the love of his life…several times!
- Reed’s little fantasy was more than a little disturbing, though it was nice to know that he was mostly impressed with T’Pol’s bum.
- Speaking of which, the writers are treading that fine line between exploiting T’Pol and satirizing her “babe” status rather well. That scene came across as a very funny ribbing of the whole controversy.
- “It can giggle all it wants, the galaxy’s not getting any of our bourbon!”
- I wonder if there’s anyone on the Enterprise that Trip finds “interesting” (Hoshi, Hoshi, Hoshi…)
- Did someone mention Hoshi? Alas, not much of our angel this time, but at least we got to hear that voice. I could listen to her read the frickin’ phone book…
- Nice how Trip’s only moment of hesitation was when Reed suggested blowing the impulse engines. Typical engineer (and I know, I am one)!
- Another subtle move…Trip sharing the last of the bourbon, even though he won the bet. Maybe a little obvious, but still nice.
- Maybe I missed it, but did they ever explain where all that wreckage came from? I kept getting interrupted by an under-the-weather two-year-old…sigh…
- I hear that the actor who plays Reed (I’m very bad with names) was shocked to find this level of characterization on a science fiction show. Heh. Someone should tie him down and force him to watch the entire “Babylon 5” series and the best character pieces of “Next Generation” and “DS9”. Putz. (But I still love his portrayal of Reed, so he’s partially forgiven!)
Overall, this is easily one of my favorites these season. One can see the care being taken to depict the characters realistically. That’s important, because it suggests that they learned the lessons provided by the failures of “Voyager”. “Enterprise” is beginning to build on the strong foundation provided during the first half of the season.
