"E2"

Written by Mike Sussman
Directed by Roxann Dawson


In which Enterprise encounters a “future” version of itself, manned by the descendents of the current crew, and both sides struggle with the question of which crew should meet with the Xindi...

Captain's Log - Final Analysis







Captain's Log

After a few very strong episodes with a noticeable jump in writing quality, this comes as a slight disappointment. It’s not that the ideas aren’t present; the concept of the episode is clearly communicated, a mixture of potential foreshadowing, character exploration, and time-travel gimmicks. But in some cases, the concepts aren’t entirely sold, leaving some scenes longing for more depth. Add an abrupt ending, and the entire situation seems forced at best.

At the center of the episode is the plot device of a temporal displacement caused by some kind of imbalance in the impulse engines, sending Enterprise more than a hundred years into the past. Largely because of the guidance and leadership provided by Archer, Enterprise managed to remain relatively intact, becoming a home for the families that developed as generation after generation struggled to survive long enough to stop the first Xindi weapon from attacking Earth.

One of the first impressions given by this episode is the treatment of a crew and vessel forced to do nearly anything to survive. Contrast this to the entire run of “Voyager”, and instantly the failing of that series is exposed. The years have turned Enterprise into a ship barely able to function, running more on will than technology. Voyager, on the other hand, was a ship that never seemed to show any permanent scars of its 7-year journey through hostile territory.

For all the sound and fury over which ship ought to deal with Degra and attempt to save Earth, the heart of the episode is really about relationships. What kind of people did the Enterprise crew become? The most obvious example would be the relationship between T’Pol and Trip. Continuing the grand tradition of shifting characterizations for T’Pol, this episode is back to something more impressive. There were some scenes in which Blaylock managed to transcend the horribly amateurish level of makeup, intended to make her look older, giving a performance that actually approached interesting.

It makes sense that T’Pol would put Trip at a distance, given how unsure she’s been in the wake of her self-inflicted emotional control issues. Once again, it has to be stressed that the writer clearly intended that T’Pol suffer emotional reactions and influences that slip past her Vulcan techniques, not something alien to the Vulcan people. It’s been suggested that the Vulcan emotional control requires a strong and dedicated mind, and one must consider that brain damage of any kind would compromise that control.

Trip, on the other hand, is ready to move on from the emotional space he had been inhabiting since Enterprise left Earth at the end of the second season. Having dealt with his sister’s death, he recognizes T’Pol’s situation and wants to help, considering that they have established a rapport. T’Pol’s hasn’t come to the conclusion that the seeping emotions can’t be avoided, and so she tries, however foolishly, to forestall anything that might trigger strong emotion.

Not only does the elder T’Pol provide some instant proof that the second Enterprise is real, but she also stands as the only original member of the crew remaining. As such, she becomes the means by which T’Pol gains perspective on her relationship with Trip. At the same time, it’s through the elder T’Pol that Lorian’s eroding perspective is defined. There’s a reason she wants Lorian to speak with Archer as he was before the temporal shift.

This is something that isn’t made clear, and it really should have been. Lorian’s drive to end the Xindi threat comes out of an Archer that has evolved out of the man currently struggling with the ethicality of his own recent decisions. That “future” Archer took more and more extreme measures, focusing solely on the need to survive long enough to stop the Xindi attack. That sense of desperation and single-minded focus was passed on to Lorian, who must have had some of those impulses moderated by his mother.

At the last, however, Lorian failed to sacrifice the entire population on Enterprise to stop the Xindi weapon. Dealing with that guilt has driven him to his current mindset. He feels the need to redeem himself, and because of that, he’s willing to plunder his past to change the future. Something which, of course, seems wrong from a “time paradox” point of view.

That question of paradox is also very much a part of the end of the episode. Lorian’s Enterprise is never accounted for, and the writers seem to leave the question open for a reason. How that’s possible, one cannot say. Technically, by helping the present Enterprise avoid the temporal shift, Lorian and his “future” Enterprise should never have existed. And yet, the writers make a point to suggest that the retained memory of Lorian’s Enterprise among the present Enterprise crew might indicate that Lorian and his people survived. That ambiguity works in a certain sense, but in others, it sounds like a cheat. It’s almost as if the writers are providing themselves with a way to sacrifice Enterprise without actually committing to that action, and that would be highly disappointing.

Some of the best parts of the episode are the ones that reveal something about the present characters, based on the choices they made following the temporal shift. Trip and Lorian had some great scenes, not the least of which was the revelation of Trip’s death. Trinneer manages to express enormous pride and shock in the same moment, and there’s a nicely restrained depth of grief in Lorian’s expression.

Not only that, but the brief conversation between Mayweather, Hoshi, and Reed says a lot about the weapons officer. He’s always been written as aloof with very few friends, and this episode reveals that this would cascade into a lonely end. It remains to be seen, but if that conversation is the beginning of a methodical change in Reed’s personality and behavior, it would be a nice validation of the plot device.

David Andrews does a great job as Lorian, giving a slight variation on a Spock-like character with less personal growth. In a nice bit of casting, Andrews looks a lot like Trinneer, which lends some credibility to his role. One of the challenges for the episode is the restraint forced on most of the conversations. Andrews sometimes comes across as stilted and remote, which is as much an effect of his character’s background as it is a necessity of the story.

Considering the difficulties in properly casting and conveying the conflicted Lorian and the still-shellshocked Enterprise crew, Roxann Dawson had some serious challenges. As with many of her episodes, the direction is more or less capable. The quality of a scene is often determined more by the effort of the actors than her skill as a director, and as a result, the tone is uneven. As compared to the last few episodes, stretching back to “Azati Prime”, this is not as well constructed.

The overall value of this episode could ultimately hinge on whether or not the implied foreshadowing goes anywhere. In this case, it’s the character development implied by the episode that should be explored, not necessarily the hint that the “future” Enterprise might have survived. Using the “future” Enterprise as anything more than a means of delivering a message to the crew regarding their current mental health could be overkill, and the last thing the series needs right now is a sense of desperation. The strong support for the series, despite the ratings, is based on the excellent writing in recent weeks, not gimmickry.


Final Analysis

Overall, this episode was not as strong as it could have been. The encounter with the “future” Enterprise allowed for some interesting character exploration without immediate consequences, yet the drama wasn’t mined deeply enough. There were some wonderful character moments, displaying the skill of the cast, but the direction was lacking the gravitas that the past few episodes had generated.

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

Final Rating: 7/10




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