"Chosen Realm"

Written by Manny Coto
Directed by Roxann Dawson


In which Enterprise is taken hostage by a group of religious fanatics bent on using the ship as a means to conclusively end a jihad on their homeworld...

Captain's Log - 60 Minute Drill - Final Analysis







Captain's Log

Religious or social intolerance is hardly a new topic for a Trek series, and this episode follows in that grand tradition. In the process, Manny Coto’s script manages to bring a certain level of realism to the situation, taking what could have been a curious retread of the first hour of “Star Trek V” and making it more palatable.

Which is not to say that the episode works as well as Coto’s previous effort, “Similitude”, because that episode was a far better fit to the ethical questions of the Trek franchise. Many comparisons have already been made to the original series episode “Let This Be Your Last Battlefield”, for instance, and the comparisons are at least partially valid. The religious conflict in this episode amounts to even less of a consideration than the basis of the rift between Catholics and Protestants.

The episode hinges on the seriousness of the portrayal of D’Jamat. It would have been easy to take the character and make him a living cliché of the ranting religious fanatic. Instead, Conor O’Farrell plays the character with an almost quiet intensity, allowing his disconnect with morality to translate through the reality of his actions. There’s no question that D’Jamat believes so completely in his own Truth that he lives and breathes it.

If there is one problem with an episode like this, it is the constraint of the medium. Imagine if this plot had been given the freedom and time of a feature film, allowing Coto to take the early promise of the suicide bombing and translate that cold and efficient ruthlessness into the rest of the episode. If this had been possible, D’Jamat’s initial ruthlessness and cunning could have been permitted to remain until the very end. Instead, convenient lapses in security and planning had to be written into the plot to allow it to end in the last five minutes.

One major plot convenience was the use of the transporter. While the plot twist was clever enough, it doesn’t quite fit into the established attitudes about the transporter in the series’ time period. Intra-ship transport hasn’t been shown as a possibility before this episode, so Archer’s casual use of the technique comes across as convenient. At the very least, a quick scene depicting Archer’s reaction to the experience could have made it seem like the desperation move that it was.

This almost casual use of technology is certainly not restrained to Archer; the Triannons seem to be a little too aware of the technology on Enterprise as a whole. This is another convenience that could have been handled a little differently to much better effect. However, this ties into the overall treatment of the concept, which ultimately falls victim to the normalizing influence of the executive producers.

One can easily imagine a far more gritty and disturbing episode coming from Coto’s treatment, especially in terms of the brutality of the Triannons under D’Jamat. It’s also very likely that a more satisfying explanation for D’Jamat’s religious jihad could have been added, rather than the offhand rationale given in the episode as written.

Of course, one can see where Coto was doing with the concept. Considering how derisive D’Jamat was of human science and “obsession with numbers”, it’s telling that the religious war was caused by a dispute over a counting of days. That speaks to the disconnect within D’Jamat’s belief. It might have been more effective had D’Jamat himself calmly explained the basis of his faith in contrast with the heretics, especially since Yarrick’s offhand comment about it is poorly delivered.

For that matter, the entire script might have needed only a little more polish (or perhaps, a little less). What really fails to communicate the underlying tension of the episode is the lackluster direction and the uninspired score. This is definitely one of the weaknesses of the recent Trek installments, whether it be “Voyager” or “Enterprise”.

Looking at an episode of “Enterprise”, there’s a general blandness to most of the episodes, and this cuts into the necessary urgency of an episode like this one. Some scenes move along at too leisurely a pace, as though the editing didn’t match the needs of the final product. One perfect example is the “bat scene” in sickbay. With less static direction and editing, the scene could have worked more effectively than it did.

One thing that has stood out this season is the oddly ineffective scoring. The sound mixing places the music so far into the background that it seems less tied to the episode itself than something playing in the editing room when it was cut. The fact that many of the cues don’t match the action doesn’t help. Compare this to the nearly perfect use of scoring on “Farscape” or “Babylon 5”, and the difference is astounding.

All of these factors deserve mention because they detract from an otherwise strong episode. If D’Jamat doesn’t appeal to the tastes of the audience, good direction and better editing could have bolstered what otherwise is a fairly overdone concept. After the well-executed invasion of Enterprise in “Anomaly”, this episode needed to match that with equal intensity in its own right.

One weakness of the script was the subplot with Yarrick and Indava. It might have been more interesting to see Archer struggle against the Triannons as a whole, instead of exploiting the divisions with D’Jamat’s ranks. That kind of solution is fairly predictable, after all. The best part of the episode is the battle of wills between Archer and D’Jamat, and letting the Enterprise crew regain control could have presented some opportunities for character exploration.

The highlights of the episode include the ending, which is well played. The suicide bombing is another good element, though the damage to the hull was extensive enough to suggest some kind of follow-up in the next episode. It was also gratifying to see this episode have an impact on the overall season arc, since the religious war in question focused on the mysterious spheres. In one of the most effective scenes between D’Jamat and Archer, T’Pol’s mapping of the spheres is wiped out. This is highly significant, since that map was the only thing keeping Enterprise from running into more and more damaging anomalies.

Considering how rare it is to point to the writing as the strongest part of an “Enterprise” episode, perhaps this is a question of making necessary improvements, one step at a time. If Berman and Braga were to be replaced as the guiding hands of the Trek franchise, Manny Coto would be a strong choice for a replacement. Seeking the experience and contributions of a wider pool of directors would also help.

As far as this episode is concerned, even the flaws can’t take away from the obvious sense of progress.


60 Minute Drill

(This section temporarily suspended due to time constraints.)


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode certainly has a message behind it, and one can see the thought put into its execution. However, the plot seems to have been intentionally restrained and made more easily digestible for a mass audience, and the direction doesn’t quite communicate the right sense of urgency in key scenes. Manny Coto again delivers, making the flaws in other areas stand out.

Writing: 1/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 6/10




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