B49-DES23
The Enterprise Of Starting To Trek
Copyright © by Dan Schneider, 5/26/02
Last
year I wrote an essay that was skeptical of the future of
the Star Trek tv franchise. I also put forth some pretty sound
ideas on how to rejuvenate the franchise with its upcoming tv series
sequel-cum-prequel called Enterprise; just Enterprise- no
‘Star Trek:’ preface to this show. I advocated that a new
series wait a few years, & then try an anthology format. Instead, a
prequel was deemed necessary. While it’s been the proverbial mixed bag,
& after a slow start, I have to say that the overall show has been a
welcome improvement over the 3 other series sequels. In fact, even with 1
season under its belt I would rate Enterprise as the 2nd
best ST series, trailing only the original. & coming after the
relentlessly PC Next Generation; stilted, dull, & mostly morose
Deep Space 9; & hit & miss Voyager; Enterprise
succeeds most by having the greatest affinity to the original show-
especially in that its crew is the most likable since Kirk & Co.,
& the actors/characters actually make the viewer feel that THEY LIKE
EACH OTHER!
The
other sequels’ human characters were so PC/perfect that they were mostly
boring as hell. The average non-Trekkie could never really get into these
series because the characters were so dull the viewer not only could
not identify with them- but did not want to identify with them!
I mean, were the stentorian intonations of a Picard or Sisko really
conducive to empathy? Enterprise succeeds over the other sequels
because it more often focuses on the crew as explorers whose dramas stem
from natural things- things a real space explorer might encounter, &
not just a ‘conflict of the week’. There is also a sense of wonder
& adventure that’s been missing since Kirk & his gang 1st
took us out to the stars. This crew captures it, & it all stems from
the genial portrayal of the ship’s Captain Jonathan Archer- played by
Scott Bakula. I was not a fan of Bakula when he starred in the 1990s sci
fi show Quantum Leap- but that was probably more due to the poor
quality of that show. Here, he’s good precisely because (ala William
Shatner’s Kirk) he’s not that smooth an actor- he comes off as
a ‘real’ guy. The rest of the cast is comprised of previously little
known actors. In fact, their names are really unimportant. But their
characters have depths few of the sequels’ characters had. The head
engineer is a Southerner named Trip Tucker- sort of a cross between ST’s
McCoy & Scotty. He & Archer are apparently old friends who went
through Starfleet training together & have ‘a history’- doubtless
to be plumbed over the seasons. Often they eat their meals together &
1 senses that the characters really are pals- this sense of friendship is
the most genuine bonding since ST’s Kirk/Spock/McCoy troika. The
Security Officer is a Briton named Malcolm Reed, the Communications
Officer/Interpreter is a Japanese woman named Hoshi, the doctor is an
alien named Phlox, the pilot is a young black officer named Travis
Mayweather, & there is a Vulcan Science Officer/1st Mate
named T’Pol- played by a bustalicious, catsuited actress named Jolene
Blalock- ostensibly the 7 of 9 of the crew. Unfortunately, the
character (designed to give the show its requisite ‘character in search
of humanity’- ala the prior shows’ Spock, Data, Odo, & holographic
Doctor/Tuvok/7 of 9) is the least interesting on the show- despite her
bodacity. Part of the problem is that Vulcans have been explored before,
& by better actors who can convey real emotional depths through the
stoicness. But, perhaps the actress & character will improve through
the years.
Before
I do an episode-by-episode rundown let me set the basic premise. The year
is 2151/2152 (no annoying ‘Stardates’ yet!)- about 90 years after
humans 1st invented warp drive (after World War 3), &
encountered extraterrestrials [the Vulcans]. In the near century since
humans have become a sort of student race (in ways galactica) to the sage
Vulcan masters. Vulcans have tried to guide humans, & there has been
great resistance & resentment over the Vulcans’ infantilizing of
humanity. The show’s start is deemed to be Mankind’s 1st
steps to the stars without Vulcan hand-holding. Because the show takes
place about a century before the original show & almost 2 centuries
before the other sequel shows there are several differences between this
& all the other shows. 1st is that some of the
technological standbys of those shows are missing here: no holodeck,
limited transporters, no universal translator, speeds up to only Warp 5,
no force fields nor tractor beams, etc. The 2nd missing
elements are the historical: this show is set during the infancy of
earth’s military Starfleet & before the formation of the
Human-Vulcan co-founding of the Federation Of Planets, & there
is yet crafted the oft-broken Prime Directive of non-interference
with other cultures. The only other real setup to the show is that there
seems to be some ‘Temporal Cold War’ where beings from the far future
have enhanced a race of aliens- the Suliban-into shapeshifters. Of
interest to the later series is the fact of who these time manipulators
are- the Borg, the Q, Species 8472, the Dinosaurian race Voyager
encountered (intent on reclaiming Earth?), etc.? Also- did the Suliban
later evolve into becoming the Changeling race of DS9’s Odo, which
founded The Dominion? & was this the reason for the later bans on time
travel? On to the episodes:
The
series starts with a Klingon who crash lands on earth & is chased by
Suliban. He’s injured & the Enterprise must return him to his
homeworld- thus the premise for Earth’s 1st steps into
galactic waters. Here we are 1st exposed to the lame Diane
Warren theme song Faith Of The Heart, sung by Russell Watson, &
T’Pol’s attempts to out-babeolish 7 of 9. Overall, a solid tale- of
course, they succeed, & 1st engender Klingon brutishness.
The next 2 episodes are quite PC & I was cringing- these were standard
‘learn to be tolerant’ episodes. Human stupidity & Vulcan
arrogance are the only things I recall from these 2 shows; except that the
white Southerner, Trip, is the 1st to turn on the Vulcan
T’Pol. After these 2 dismal entries episode 4 perks up with a humorous
episode. Trip has quickly become the most interesting character on the
show & now he’s sent to an alien (Xyrillian) vessel to help with
repairs. There he shares a holographic experience with a smitten female
alien. The downside is he returns accidentally impregnated- with a nipple
protruding on his hand. Of course, all turns out right- but Bakula is
especially campy in this episode. That camp has returned to the mythos
(never averse to miniskirts or paint-thin catsuits) is welcome.
But the
next 2 episodes were dull & PC, with some standard ST themes: 1st
the crew encounters an irradiated mutant race that distrusts foreigners-
another morality play on xenophobia! Then Archer interferes in a culture.
Lessons are learned, blahblahblah…. Episode 7 is the series’ best yet-
there’s a nicely written & acted scene where schoolkids from Earth
send questions to the crew (apparently the crew are global
celebrities- a nice concession to human realities the other shows
rarely made). We also see the 1st overt flaring of a simmering
‘sexual tension’ between the buff & likable Trip & the stoic
T’Pol- 1 expressed vaguely in earlier episodes. She is apparently
engaged in an arranged marriage- but neither the character nor the actress
can convey any sense of this internal conflict. To this point T’Pol is
just a sexy body to gawk at. But Malcolm & Travis have misadventures
on a disintegrating comet- something that seems like a far more ‘real’
future occurrence than many other alien- or time travel-themed ST tales.
The Trip/T’Pol tension subsides with him keeping her secret (even from
Archer) & offering her pecan pie- a nice sexual reference oft-lost in
the other sequels. The next episode continues the T/T tension &
returns to the 1st ST’s original ‘parallel earths’ motif-
here primitive humanoids abound, the universal translator fails, Archer
smooches with an E.T. babe, & there are reptilians & conspiracies-
but, overall, a mediocre episode.
The
next episode helps establish historical context for man’s ascent to the
stars. Apparently the real interstellar pioneers were not the military of
Starfleet but merchant marine-like trader ships, which are now a dying
industry due to Starfleet’s coming expansion. This gritty episode plays
like a submarine movie in that the focus is on the merchants’ battles
with the piratic Nausicaans- a brutish fanged species known from earlier
(albeit later) series. Travis grew up in this milieu & his
empathy with the merchants gives the show a nice underpinning. Episode 10
is the best yet- after the first 5 or 6 ambling shows the series seems to
really be finding itself, & its niche in ST lore. The Suliban &
the Temporal Cold War invade Enterprise- resulting in the death of a
temporal Starfleet spy from the future, named Daniels, by a Suliban named
Sillek. The spy’s quarters (Cabin E-14), & Top Secret info, are
sealed & Archer again proves to be the best & most interesting
Captain since Kirk. Sillek, who in an earlier episode, tried to kill
Archer, now invades the ship & has a creepy scene where he calls
Archer ‘Jon’. This is 1 of those episodes that works in & of
itself, but also sets up the dramatic arc for the series. The next show
centers on Malcolm Reed- the Security Chief/Weapons Officer- & the
crew’s attempts to throw him a birthday bash. It’s a standard ‘Will
it work?’ episode- this time it’s the ship’s 1st use of
the phase cannon. There are weird FX, see-through aliens (lacking
motives), etc. Overall a so-so outing.
The
next episode uses a device used in prior ST sequels: Dr. Phlox tells of
his experiences onboard to a human colleague doctoring on a ship in
Starfleet’s medical exchange program. The ship encounters a planet beset
by a plague. This incurs a bad speech on ethics by Archer (recall, this is
pre-Prime Directive). Otherwise the show is 1 of the better morality play
episodes in the franchise: not too preachy on how 2 competing species will
ultimately vie for control of their planet (the diseased but advanced
Valakians & the strong but slow Mink). Phlox has a cure for their
plague but refuses to help. Too bad the earlier series were so constrained
that such a premise was infeasible. The next episode brings back the
tiresome Klingons- 1 of their ships is adrift in the atmosphere of a gas
giant planet & the crew must save them! However, this is another of
the more realistic sort of dilemmas a spacefaring crew would face. Of
course, there is success in the end, but-thankfully- no morality play! The
next episode reveals why humans are so distrustful of their Vulcan
mentors- & it introduces the hostilities between the Vulcans & the
antennaed, blue-skinned Andorians from the original ST (except now the
Andorians antennae can move at will- as if really organic pieces of
themselves). This episode nicely adds shadings unseen to familiar
characters & scenarios. There’s a nice scene between Trip &
Archer chowing down (apparently a source of their male bond) at breakfast
that really conveys a sense of the friendship between these 2 characters.
Unknown to T’Pol the Vulcans have supported despots & clandestine
spying on worlds they had agreed not to. Archer & T’Pol have a kinky
scene where they are bound together (bun-to-bun) & must wriggle to
freedom. It’s little moments like this that have been AWOL since Kirk
& the gang. The Andorians eventually see the Vulcans’ deceit
exposed, thanks to Archer- who lets them get away.
Episode
15 uses the classic stranded shuttle/lifeboat trope. This time Trip &
Malcolm are adrift after being attacked on a shuttle mission. Of course,
Trip is the optimist & Malcolm the pessimist. They mistakenly believe
Enterprise has been destroyed by an asteroid. A nice character study &
a fine episode. We get some more ‘1sts’- at least since the original
show. The 2 ‘doomed’ men get plastered & talk like real men do (at
least in the limited PC/PG ST way)- Malcolm mentions how T’Pol has a
great ‘bum’ (British for ‘ass’). Can anyone imagine any of the
other sequels’ characters talking like that? I mean, on Voyager,
Harry Kim nursed a boner for 7 of 9 for years & never went to whack
off once! Apparently, sometime between Kirk’s age & the other
sequels human maledom was collectively neutered. Malcolm cries, & then
even fantasizes sexually of T’Pol. Again, the typical ST ‘space
opera’ has nicely been replaced by a real ‘space dilemma’.
Relationships are more important than action. & Bakula’s Archer does
not prove too intrusive in the hunt for his lost crewmen. The next episode
is about exploring the Arachnid Nebula, where the crew encounters
emotion-embracing Vulcans- the Vahklas. A sub-story has a dying Vulcan
father trying to contact his long lost son Kobb. But the main story again
features the sexuality of T’Pol- or more realistically, the male sexual
reaction to the bodacious Vulcan that apparently cuts across species.
Whereas 7 of 9 (on Voyager) barely roused an eyeball, T’Pol
cannot help but get in the minds & fantasies of both her crew (Archer,
Trip, Malcolm) & 1 of the free-thinking Vulcans who rejects their
once-in-7-years mating ritual for hedonism’s pleasures. T’Pol,
herself, dreams of hitting the sheets with T’Loris. She wants to mind
meld with him, only to resist & reject her feelings for him. Earlier
shows dealt with such as an out & out case of mental rape. But this
show wisely shows T’Pol’s willingness & attraction to the
forbidden. Even a scene where Archer goads T’Loris into exposing his
anger only serves to show how ‘correct’ his path is, & how
ultimately destructive the bulk of Vulcan stoicism/repression is. A very
good episode. But not the next show, where the crew encounters a planet
without a star- can anyone say ‘dark matter’? The planet has eternal
night & shapeshifting indigenous aliens (Wraiths) who are being hunted
to extinction- a near replay of Voyager’s tale of holograms being
hunted by similar warrior-types. Archer encounters 1 of the Wraiths who
poses as his childhood fantasy babe/Siren. The episode features a quote
from W.B. Yeats’ The Wandering Aengus- of the love for a
fish/woman. This PC episode has Archer & Co. making chemicals to help
hide the traces of the Wraiths. Apparently, he deems them more worthy of
survival than the earlier Valakians.
Episode
18 is a comic take- as a group of Ferengi drug the crew & try to sell
T’Pol into sexual slavery- the Milky Way’s denizens just cannot stop
fetishizing this icy überbabe! The ST franchise is obviously doing all it
can to promote T’Pol (& actress Jolene Blalock) as the next poster
goddess, but so far both have fizzled- Wait till next year!, de
Bums shout! Of course, the Ferengi greed is used by the crew to retake the
ship. A minor episode- but 1 with a major historical/continuity flaw since
in Next Generation’s time the Ferengi were said to have not been
known by the Federation until then- hmmm? The next episode has DS9’s
Odo’s portrayer- actor Rene Auberjoinois- in another recycled story of
high sci fi pedigree: that of the marooned father building a world for his
daughter- think The Tempest, Forbidden Planet, & several
earlier ST episodes. The episode kicks of with more chowing down by Archer
& his crew. They encounter a ghost ship whose occupants turn out to be
holograms. Only the father & daughter are real. This turn of events is
revealed by the discovery of a corpse in orbit who seems to be 1 of the
hologram’s templates. Trip is smitten with the sexy blond daughter,
&- of course- T’Pol argues with him over her, revealing bits of
jealousy as sexual tensions simmer. Of course, the father gives in for the
good of his daughter & Enterprise ferries them to their home planet.
Episode 20 explicitly echoes the Japanese-American internment by America
in WW2 (with a direct reference to a presumed real internment camp-
Manzanar). Not all Suliban are shapeshifters who belong to The Cabal
(those in league with their Masters from Futurity)- only the genetically
enhanced. The crew encounters the ‘normal’ Suliban interned on a
planet ‘for their own good’, by the native Tandarans. Archer &
Travis are imprisoned. The Camp Warden is a Colonel (odd how military
ranks are 1 & the same in so many races), & Bakula’s running
buddy from Quantum Leap- Dean Stockwell, who offers freedom in
exchange for info on The Cabal. The Suliban, like the later Bajorans, are
blatant symbols of Jewry. Of course, Archer & Co. free the good
Suliban in most-PC fashion. Another familiar trope pops up in the next
episode (recall the Crystalline Entity, the nanobots, & other truly
‘alien’ aliens?)- a weird parasite-like single creature takes over
part of the ship, but it is not bad, it just wants to get
‘home’. The crew finally communicates with the entity, returns it to
its home planet, & all is well. Some humorous asides include the
crew’s offending the race that accidentally infected the ship with the
creature- they were offended by the crew’s eating in public (food/sex
are dominant themes in this prequel)! Also, Trip & Archer prove to be
interstellar couch potatoes & sports enthusiasts, who watch sports on
what seems like tv: ESPN must still be beaming around the galaxy in 150
years!
We now
head into the last 4 episodes of Season 1: #s 22, 23, 24, & 25. 22
starts with the crew wanting to take shore leave on the paradisical planet
Risa. In truth, & refreshingly, the male characters are looking for
some poon! But, the damned Vulcans intercede again. An old female
Ambassador has been expelled from planet Mazar for criminal misconduct.
This is all that’s known- except that she was a hero to a young T’Pol,
who takes the fall from grace hard. While escorting the Ambassador to
Vulcan they are attacked by a Mazarite ship. The Ambassador keeps Archer
in the dark & he decided to return her to Mazar. She tells T’Pol she
will be assassinated if returned. T’Pol begs Archer to not return her-
it turns out her ‘misconduct’ was a ruse designed to get her safely
off the planet, as she was to testify in the criminal trial of a corrupt
Mazarite cartel. The crew tricks the Mazarites (who in classic ST fashion,
engage in a chase with Enterprise, & win) into ‘killing’ the
Ambassador, just in time for a Vulcan ship to save the day. All in all, a
good episode combining several classic ST tropes in a new fashion. 23 is
also a good episode which takes on the terrorist/freedom fighter
conundrum, & again diverts the crew from their Risan holiday. The crew
rescues & repairs a small ship. The captain, Z’Brol, invites Trip
& Archer to his desert world to feast & play sports. He fails to
convince Archer to help him. His camp is attacked. The duo escapes but are
lost in the desert. They are eventually rescued- due to Z’brol’s help.
It seems Archer’s rescuing of the interned Suliban has become local
interstellar legend- he is known as a Champion of Freedom, however
wrongly. This episode contains seeds of what must be the Prime
Directive’s genesis. Episode 24 finds the crew finally getting to Risa.
Lots are drawn & the 5 recipients of the shore leave are (surprise!)
all regular castmates. Bakula proves an immensely likable character as
this tale unfolds. He encounters a sexy blond whose tale of woe is
designed to pump him for info on the Suliban. She apparently is in cahoots
with the Tandaran faction that interned the normal Suliban Archer freed.
She drugs Archer, however, & escapes his inquiry. Trip & Malcolm
try to get laid, meet 2 gorgeous babes (who turn out to be male alien
shapeshifting thieves), get robbed, & stripped down to their blue
underwear. Travis Mayweather gets injured while rock-climbing & the
hibernating Dr. Phlox is awakened to treat him- with comic results.
Translator Hoshi finally gets a substantive story as she actually gets
nailed by a hunky alien stud who shares her passion for learning
languages.
This
leads us to Season 1’s finale- episode 25. The ship is heading toward an
alien mining colony where 3600 miners dwell. The byproduct (tetrazine) of
their mining operations produces a reactive gas. The shuttle must be
careful how it enters the atmosphere lest torch the whole planet. The
shuttle follows protocol but the planet ignites. 3600 are dead. 9/11
parallels are kept to a minimum, thankfully. Archer can find nothing done
wrong, but goes into depression. Starfleet recalls Enterprise & plans
to wait another 10-20 years before humanity ventures beyond the solar
system. The crew wonders about jobhunting back on Earth. Right away I
thought- this is where the Temporal Cold War arc comes in. Sure enough
(& not that the predictability is bad- as that’s the most
interesting arc in the show), Archer goes to sleep & wakes up 10
months earlier- the night before the ship’s launch. He has time traveled
via the supposedly dead Temporal Agent Daniels. He learns that the 3600
deaths were never to occur in this timeline. The Suliban are behind it.
Daniels gives Archer info to track down the ship that actually caused the
‘accident’. The crew recovers the evidence & the mission is back
on. But, the Suliban- under orders by their Masters of Futurity, send a #
of ships after Enterprise & request Archer come as a hostage to save
the ship from destruction. He complies, but as he exits to leave Daniels
seemingly intercepts him. Archer is in 31st Century San
Francisco- now a pile of centuries-old ruins- with Daniels, who claims
that all of his temporal equipment is destroyed in this timeline- that
both men are stuck on this barren, ravaged, future Earth. Meanwhile, the
crew, is facing imminent destruction by the Suliban who think they’ve
pulled a fast 1 on them by not turning over Archer. Thus Season 1 ends
with a cliffhanger. All in all, a very good episode, Archer (& Bakula)
displays chops heretofore unseen, & Season 2 looks to start off very
strongly.
Enterprise
succeeds (when it does) where the other series sequels failed because it
is about 50% between the original ST & the others’ in their PC
quotient. Here, men are still men, & the randy days of Kirk are still
ahead. I still feel an anthology series would have worked better & 1
day I hope the franchise does such a show to tie up the dozens of loose
ends from all the 100s of episodes so far (& yet-to-be) broadcast. In
such a show more realism could occur because whole casts could die &
the show would not risk alienating fans by killing off recurring
characters they’ve grown attached to. But Enterprise’s 1st
year is doubtless the strongest any of the sequel series has ever had. The
cast is the best since the original show & they act more human. Archer
is the best Captain since Kirk, Trip has the most endearing qualities of
McCoy & Scotty, Malcolm is likable, Hoshi has more to do than most of
the ‘non-babe’ females in the assorted series, Dr. Phlox is not as
annoying as some of the other shows’ aliens- even though he resembles Voyager’s
annoying Neelix, Travis is likable- if underused, & the only real
disappointment has been the T’Pol character- that Vulcans could be so
stolid after nearly a century in contact with humans, much less to the
other sequels’ times & beyond, is mindblowing. Hopefully, Season 2
will find the character & actress emerging to be more than just the
Milky Way’s biggest wet dream. But, if not, I can live with the
paint-thin catsuits (O, the burden!) as long as the rest of the crew keeps
on this particular trek to the future.
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