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Star Trek Enterprise (ENT) Season 4, Part 1

Season 1, Part 1 - Part 2 - Season 2, Part 1 - Part 2 - Season 3, Part 1 - Part 2 - Season 4, Part 1 - Part 2

The episode descriptions are given in normal text, my comments in small text. Rating: 0=worst, 10=best (rating system)

Storm Front No date given: In the year 1944, the Nazis have conquered parts of the USA thanks to their alien allies from the 29th century, led by Vosk. American resistance forces free Archer who wakes up in the apartment of Alicia in the Nazi-occupied Brooklyn. Daniels appears on Enterprise, near-death, explaining that the Temporal Cold War has escalated, and that agents are changing history in many centuries. Silik crawls through the ship, attacks Tucker and steals a shuttlepod in which he escapes to New York. In the meantime, Archer, Alicia and her gang meet with one of the aliens. Alicia's friend Sal kills the alien, but not before Archer can get his communicator and contact Enterprise to be beamed up. Tucker and Mayweather, on the other hand, are captured by the Nazis while they are searching for Silik. Vosk is willing to return Tucker and Mayweather if Archer agrees to meet with him. But back on Enterprise, the alleged Tucker turns out to be Silik. Still, Archer and Silik join in an effort to find Tucker and to destroy a temporal conduit that is intended to bring Vosk back to his century. Alicia and the resistance group help them get into the building. Silik is killed, but Archer can find Tucker just before Enterprise blows up the facility. The ship returns to a 22nd century where everything is normal again.

I'm almost lacking the words to describe this disaster of a television drama gone completely down the drain. "Storm Front" is an offense against the intelligence of Star Trek fans and their mostly good taste. Right now, I am staring at the computer screen, struggling to write at least a few words, but it just gives me a headache. What I anticipated was a decent time travel story, only ruined by the exploitation of Hollywood's large pool of Nazi stereotypes. I was biased against it for a good reason, and I guess I've written enough about that in my review of "Zero Hour". But "Storm Front" turned out to be still worse than expected. It is totally brainless even if we try to forget for a moment that it is based on the ludicrous idea of Space Nazis. In the questionable tradition of pulp stories it is overcrowded with gaping plot holes, twists out of thin air, superficial protagonists acting erratically, unintentional humor and unmotivated action. And finally a resolution where just something needs to be blown up (how creative as a follow-up to "Zero Hour"!). The whole Nazi stuff is just the icing on the cake and may have been meant to distract from lacking originality and overall writing quality. Quite obviously the episode has been developed in a wrong direction anyway, as the initial premise required alien Nazis and they were being included no matter how stupid it would turn out. In an attempt to see any merit in it, we may try to regard "Storm Front" as a remake of "The City on the Edge of Forever" (some motives are the same), but such a decent and intelligent story is not perceptible amidst the noise of rattling machine guns and bawling Nazis.
We are also looking at the perhaps worst time travel episode ever made, one where the sudden temporal dislocation is essentially just an excuse to let the brave crew fight against evil aliens and Nazis and then magically return to their own century. Even if the fan base is tired of the usual twists and witty side effects after seeing so many of them, I think it is a complete waste to make a time travel episode devoid of any such ideas. Following the trend that Enterprise's time travel stories are dumbed down, nothing is even supposed to make sense here. Not the slightest attempt is made to explain anything, the blunt remark "That's beyond your comprehension" is meant to suffice. As if blurring and even denying the problems would make everything more plausible. Is this still science fiction? No.
The overall tone of the episode is like the authors keep telling us that killing Nazis is such an honorable goal that it doesn't matter when, where, how and with whose help it is done. In a story with Nazis there is no question who is supposed to be evil and who needs to be destroyed at all cost. In this light it isn't surprising that the heroes, and all of them, kill any Nazis they meet with a certain satisfaction. No surprise at least by Hollywood standards. But isn't this still supposed to be Star Trek, a series with a reputation to seek peaceful solutions, where we habitually have weapons on stun instead of deadly bullets, where the lives even of the most dangerous aliens are spared if in any way possible? In "Storm Front", however, German soldiers are frequently and uncompromisingly slaughtered. These soldiers could have been my grandfathers of whom one died in the final weeks of WW II and the other one spent five years in one of Stalin's death camps in Siberia. Two Germans in the episode were making racist jokes when Archer and Alicia were walking by, but this was the general tone of the era (and not only in Germany) that hopefully never comes back. Clearly the common German soldiers were fighting for the wrong goal and they were infected by Nazi propaganda. Some of them were criminals, but what gives the Star Trek producers the right to depict them as something less worth living than silicon crystals or plasma blobs -- or New York mobsters?
One interesting thing I noticed despite all my anger was that, with the Nazis and Vosk, the authors tried to establish an alliance between two like-minded powers. This is a lot more fitting than the Hirogen's fondness of Nazi cruelties in VOY: "The Killing Game". The Hirogen are hunters who chase and torture other beings just because it's their nature (or so they think). The Nazis are fanatic racists who think they have the right to suppress and ultimately extinguish anyone who is not like them. In this respect Vosk is much more "human". It wouldn't even have required his emotional speech about "the mastery of time" to emphasize that. It just created a contrived literal parallel. At least it helped to make the alliance at least a little bit plausible. Still, I am sure that red-eyed aliens would be the first to put against the wall by the SS. And that Vosk could have found far better allies and far better technology in Earth's history -- and most of all a far better place to build a secret installation than a city full of partisans in a just occupied country.
Speaking of plot holes, they all somehow merge to a big question mark because nothing really made any sense. Let us look at Silik. What the heck was he doing all the time? None of his actions seemed to serve any particular goal. Why was he crawling through the ship in the first place, what was his business on Earth that he needed a shuttlepod for, why did he spare Trip's life (Malcolm added exactly this question to his own list, but still I want to know), why did he later replace Trip and then return to Enterprise? And most importantly, since when are Suliban perfect shapeshifters? We've seen the woman in "Broken Bow" do that and Silik himself in "Cold Front", but imitating someone whom Archer knows well is a completely different thing than just playing another alien.
On a totally different note, I just can't believe that other reviewers almost unanimously praised the visual effects of the episode. I was appalled how unreal the shuttlepod looked in the sky above San Francisco, the texture and the light reflections just didn't feel right, and it was overall much too crisp. The White House with Nazi flags was even worse. This looked like a mediocre matte painting and could have been done much better using real pictures. Finally, the air combat with the colorful stukas just cried "video game". I have to concede that space battles are generally easier to do because we can't really tell how it would look like. But bearing in mind that we know well how planes and buildings on Earth look like, I would have expected much more from the CGI wizards, or they should have better begged the producers to forgo these particular visual effects. Another scene I didn't like at all was when Daniels (suddenly healthy again) showed Archer a clip show of history. This looked just cheap and was overly emotional. Something I actually enjoyed (and not only from a technical viewpoint) was the news reel about Hitler in New York. I was worried that this could become ridiculous when I read the first spoilers about the second part, but the way it turned out it was frighteningly realistic, with exactly the right imagery and tone of those days.
Remarkably scary quotes: "Americans are good at making movies. They're not so good at fighting." (German officer, just before he is ambushed by American partisans), "No need for extermination camps" (Vosk, about the possibility to kill non-Aryans with a pathogen)
Remarkable fact: In the alternate reality, Lenin was killed in 1916. His revolution never took place, Russia didn't become Communist and wasn't considered a threat by Germany, so Hitler could conquer Europe without facing major resistance (I strongly disagree, history is not that one-dimensional!)
Lost shuttles: 1
Rating: 0

Home No date given: After an official celebration Archer attends a de-briefing in which Soval reproaches him with not trying to save the crew of the Vulcan ship inside the Expanse, which upsets Archer. The captain takes a break and goes on a climbing tour when suddenly Erika Hernandez, the captain of NX-02 Columbia, joins him. Tired of all the fighting and of being the hero who saved Earth, Archer wonders what has become of the once peaceful mission of Starfleet and of himself. Xenophobia shows its ugly face on Earth when Dr. Phlox is harassed in a bar. Meanwhile on Vulcan, T'Pol visits her mother, T'Les, and introduces Tucker to her. T'Les notices that the two are romantically involved. But she has other concerns, as she was expelled from her position in the Vulcan Science Academy because her daughter is a persona non grata since the P'Jem incident. In order to restore the reputation of her family, T'Pol marries Koss whose father is influential. On Earth, Archer apologizes to Soval, and the Vulcan ambassador stretches out his hand, thanking Archer for the service he has done to both worlds.

This decent character-building episode may have been quite purposely written to be reminiscent of TNG: "Family", possibly one of the most successful of its kind. To start with, "Home" should have been aired earlier to put a worthy end to the Xindi arc, erasing at least the last few minutes of "Zero Hour" and all the Nazi crap that followed from history. Well, in some fashion that will never be explained it all didn't happen anyway. In retrospect, the way how everything makes sense again here in real space and now in real time shows more intensely than anything else how stupid it was to mess with time in an erratic fashion in the first place and even worse, to abruptly dump the whole idea without answering any questions. Still, I can only say I'm glad it's over and we can move on.
Now that Archer and his crew have saved their planet even twice by blowing up mean alien machines in just a few days it is time for a celebration. They truly deserve it, even though the celebration in the huge stadium on the roof of a skyscraper is a tad too pompous. Subsequently the episode quickly finds its way back to the normal track of the series during the de-briefing. Soval, self-righteous as always, has nothing better to do than accusing Archer of what he has done or neglected to do inside the expanse. As if we would have expected anything else. Only the usual reproach that humans are not mature enough to go into space was missing this time. But the surprise comes in the end. Archer apologizes. I have great respect for that, after all it was the Vulcan who treated Archer like the suspect of a crime and, maybe still worse, didn't give a dawn on the captain's word that he did everything to save those Vulcans. And now Soval comes forward and does three amazing things. He says he was wrong about Archer, he stretches out his hand although Vulcans don't touch each other and he thanks the captain, something that, as T'Les wittingly states in the same episode is a human custom. The continuity to "Impulse", even if I found the 3rd season episode appalling, makes this part of the plot perfect.
On the other hand, I don't care much about Archer's interaction with Erika Hernandez, except for her reminding Archer of what he was like before his ship became a flying armory. We can be sure that a possible love affair of the two captains would not be picked up again in the future, so this only reason to make Archer's mirror character a woman isn't really that important. Knowing that they used to date or even had an affair a rather long time ago reminds me of Kirk's and Picard's many acquaintances that used to show up in one episode and then vanished forever. As just a character who represents the enthusiasm that Archer has lost, I would have preferred a visibly younger man instead of her as the captain of NX-02, a guy whom Archer may not even have personally known before. I think that Archer would have been well able to find what he has lost without a kiss from a woman. Still, overall it is quite palpable how Archer is torn between his military duty and his role as a hero on one side and his lost innocence on the other side. The only thing that really annoys me in that course is Archer's nightmare about the Xindi-Reptilians attacking him. This is simply obnoxious, especially considering that the Xindi are dead and buried (at least as a story arc). The episode wouldn't have needed any contrived action like that. I was never even near the verge of falling asleep while I was watching it.
There are more examples of excellent continuity in the episode. The story of P'Jem crops up once again, here as the reason for T'Les to lose her job. While I'm otherwise not happy about Vulcans who are shown as prone to seek revenge, I find it quite fitting that it may get T'Pol's mother into trouble, especially considering how great a role family ties seem to play on Vulcan. I don't think that T'Pol's hurried marriage with Koss to restore her mother's honor (well, she wouldn't call it "honor", but it's much the same) is a witty twist. At least she doesn't change her mind in the very last second as many fans may have expected or hoped for. On an interesting side note, the Vulcan dignitary recites exactly the same words during the marriage ceremony as T'Pau in TOS: "Amok Time". Only that this time the bride doesn't call for kalifee, the fight to the death. T'Pol mentions that just as an option, and not a serious one. So far continuity is preserved, bearing in mind that T'Pring is the first to demand that in many centuries. On the other hand, Koss's reaction is like he is not only familiar with it but prepared for it, so kalifee almost seems to be a customary ritual in his view.
Finally there is the plot thread about xenophobia on Earth. Although this is the thinnest of the three and may not be meant to be ever continued, its impact is quite powerful. I think it is the first time on Star Trek that a present-day problem of Earth is tackled without disguising it or making it an issue of an alien planet-of-the-week. I can well imagine that in the future much the same kind of guys who harass humans of other racial and cultural heritage today may be running around and go for aliens. Racism is literally universal, and this becomes obvious here like rarely before. Just one week after the brainless Nazi trash here is a realistic and serious scenario as food for thought. The fact that Phlox seems to cope rather easily with the harassment at first (as we would expect from his character) but that eventually we can't be sure about that only emphasizes that racism doesn't start as late as there are physical attacks.
Remarkable quotes: "Things have changed since Enterprise left spacedock. You spend a lot of your time boldly going into battle." (Archer, to Hernandez), "You've done a great service to both our worlds." (Soval, to Archer)
Remarkable scenery: It is the first time that we see a real Vulcan city and not only mystical places. It's still only desert, and we have to wonder if there is or has ever been agriculture anywhere on the planet. The building encompasses a garden though, and this looks very Japanese to me.
Remarkable facts: Phlox can pump up his face, probably as a defensive action in the presence of danger. The planet of "Strange New World" is in a star system left of Polaris as seen from Earth. Vulcan is 16 light-years away from Earth. Guests in Vulcan houses are expected to prepare the morning meal at 0400 -- now that's truly inhumane. Two or three dozen schools in North America are already named for Jonathan Archer. A WWIII epic won several movie (Academy?) awards.
Crew losses: 27 altogether
Rating: 5

Borderland May 17th, 2154: Augments are genetically enhanced humans whose embryos were left over from the Eugenics Wars. Stolen from a lab by the ruthless scientist Arik Soong some 20 years ago, several now adult Augments have captured a Klingon ship in the Borderland, the volatile region between the Orions and the Klingon Empire. Enterprise leaves spacedock on a mission to find and apprehend them. Arik Soong is aboard to assist the crew. He helps to free some Enterprise crew members from an Orion slave market, but when Enterprise encounters the Augments who regard him as their father, he joins them and leaves the disabled Starfleet ship behind...

I liked the concept of Augments who grew from frozen embryos as a very intelligent way to tackle the Eugenics Wars without messing up Trek history even more. Likewise, getting Brent Spiner on the show to play Arik Soong, the unethical ancestor of Data's creator Noonien Soong, was a terrific move, not only to boost ratings. But what was made of these ideas largely failed to convince me in this first installment of the Augments trilogy. On the whole, "Borderland" developed to nothing more than an average action episode using motives that are just too common and predictable. At times I had the impression I was watching a re-run of "Broken Bow". Not really due to the use of stock footage of Enterprise leaving the dock, but rather because the course of the plot and many of its minutiae were essentially the same. Enterprise is crippled by an attack from a previously unseen enemy, someone is abducted, an away team tries to find them on the generic dirty alien trade outpost. I didn't like to see the Ogres (sorry, Orions) anyway. At least not at this time. The episode was littered with references to Trek history, plus several new terms like "Augments" or "Borderland", and it might have been wiser to limit the scope to just Earth's problem with the remnants of the Eugenics Wars. The way it was done, it seems that the plot was just stretched to three episodes using many secondary and overall distracting threads.
Regarding the Augments, as much as I liked the basic idea, I found their motivation, behavior and look little compelling. Some more interesting facets may be added in the two episodes to come, but here they appeared as nothing more than a post-apocalyptic adolescent gang like in so many bad movies. They represented the worst of humanity (the insatiable desire for power, with the almost cute excuse that they were just seeking a home) and behaved like a bunch of school kids with an odd love for their "father". So they are supposed to be superior and to be the future of humanity, according to Arik Soong? Although I understand that his character may develop in a Frankenstein-like direction in that he suffers from the affection he has developed for the monster he created, so far only Brent Spiner's talent to let the viewers hang on his lips prevents him from being just a throwaway mad scientist. Finally, the Augments' torn clothes may befit the look of Khan's people in "Star Trek II", but they should have been wearing something tidy which would have made the parallel to the Trek movie and the generic post-apocalyptic gang less overt.
There were some witty details that I liked much more than the plot itself. Soong, for instance, disabled the beacon that was supposed to locate him through the electrostatic discharge from an Orion "painstick". When Soong climbed up a wall in his attempt to escape, Archer used the remote control of his prisoner's handcuffs to unfasten them so Soong fell down.
Remarkable quote: "Jonathan Archer. What brings you here? Are they naming the prison for you?" (Arik Soong)
Remarkable facts: T'Pol is now a full member of the Starfleet crew as Commander T'Pol. Archer gets a new captain's chair. The lighting in the background of the transporter pads seems to be different. It now reminds me more of TOS than before. Archer's father died of Clark's disease, something that Soong claims he could heal.
Rating: 5

Cold Station 12 No date given: An Enterprise landing party picks up Smike, an Augment who was left behind because he had not developed superior abilities. In the meantime Soong and the other Augments have occupied the facility Cold Station 12 where the remaining 1800 Augment embryos are stored. The human and Denobulan scientists working there, among them Phlox's friend Dr. Lucas, are taken hostages. Archer and Phlox themselves fall into the hand of the terrorists when an attempt to free the hostages fails. When the Augments threaten to kill Dr. Phlox, Lucas reveals the access code to the containment chambers. Enterprise attempts to destroy the station but is attacked by the hijacked Klingon Bird-of-Prey. The terrorist leader who has been favoring extreme violence against the will of his father Soong kills Smike. They escape unscathed and take the the embryos with them. The scientists and the landing party remain on the station where deadly viruses are about to be exposed...

I liked it. Actually I wouldn't have expected the overused motive of a hostage crisis to be that exciting. Yet, sometimes Trek writers succeed in making something special even of an undemanding outline that wouldn't allow too much variation, especially since it was the middle part of a three-episode arc in this case. Although "Cold Station 12" didn't bear too many surprises for this reason, the story arc was consequently advanced. While the plot of "Borderland" still struggled to find its way through the exposition, as it had to introduce many people and places, "Cold Station 12" was appealing just because it focused on one place and on known characters. Even Dr. Lucas as Phlox's friend was in some way familiar, as he had been previously mentioned in the show (most notably in "Dear Doctor"), so his character didn't strike me as too contrived. 
We could expect that the creatures would turn against their creator, and it was a clearly recognizable tendency of the plot that Soong's plan to improve mankind just didn't get along with the Augments' unadorned desire to rule and to exert violence. Ironically, while Soong has gained his freedom and is close to accomplishing his dream of what he thinks is a better future, he is visibly losing control. This is sad because what Soong said was still something to ponder about in "Borderland", whereas we are now left with the Augments in power whose actions are mostly determined by their mere instinct. As a result, Brent Spiner's presence in the role of Soong is not as strong as still in "Borderland". This loss of intellectual substance is a shortcoming of the episode, along with the overdose of violence, although the latter contributes to the plot in that it divides Soong and his "children".
Smike was an overall pleasant character, although my first idea of him was that of a "generic savage kid who needs guidance" as we have seen them so often on Trek. But he ended up as the martyr of the week. Well, that is obviously another cliché, but a useful one, because he has been expelled from the group much like a wolf pack would abandon their weakest member. And that is essentially what the Augments are. Only that I don't think that wolves wittingly kill one another, that much is not instinctive behavior but rather human cold-bloodedness.
On the technical side, I wonder how simply extending the transporter range could allow the crew to beam onto the planetoid from outside the system. Soong could obviously monitor the ship only seconds after it was said it was only 12 million kilometers away! -- Another problem I have is with the Denobulan shuttle. Clearly the large bridge indicates that it is a ship of 20-30m length at the very least, yet it looks smaller than the bridge section of the Klingon BoP when the ships encounter for the first time. But to make things much worse, when Soong and the Augments escape from CS-12 with 1800 embryos, the Denobulan shuttle approaches the supposed shuttlebay at the rear end of the BoP, and it seems to be just a few meters long, much smaller than its cockpit alone. Whether such a ship with the required capacity could land in the BoP's shuttlebay at all is highly doubtful so there is a general blunder in the plot.
Remarkable fact: The deadly illnesses listed include Xenopolycythemia (TOS: "For the World is Hollow and I Have Touched the Sky"), Synthococcus Novae Type A, Rigelian Fever (TOS: "Requiem for Methuselah"), Telurian Plague (TNG: "A Matter of Time").
Rating: 7

The Augments No date given: Enterprise evacuates the Cold Station 12 crew and the landing party from the station and takes a pursuit course for the Bird-of-Prey of the Augments. An attempt to stop them fails when the Augments drop the Denobulan shuttle in the atmosphere of a gas giant. The Starfleet crew first has to mount a rescue mission. Soong flees from the Augments' starship in an escape pod and agrees to help the Starfleet crew in the hopes that he may convince his "children" to surrender. But they cross the Klingon border with the goal to use a bioweapon on a colony. Enterprise can destroy the weapon with Soong's help. After the Bird-of-Prey has been disabled the Augments' leader destroys his vessel. Yet, he actually escapes to Enterprise to take revenge on his creator which Archer averts with a deadly phase rifle blast.

"The Augments" is the expected (or should I say predictable?) conclusion of the story arc. It bears surprises only in the execution not in the basic course of the story. It was quite obvious that the Augments would all perish, preferably in a self-destruct of their ship, and that their "father" would have to witness that. Well, at times I pitied Soong despite of all his misdeeds. It was just too pathetic when he threatened to put his "children" under curfew as if that were a serious punishment for murder. But overall, action was given precedence over characterization. The episode had a couple of innovative ideas, like the stunt of beaming out Archer from the decompressing shaft or the benefit of having a grappler to tear another ship's nacelle apart. Yet, we have seen most of the other motives many times before. Just like the trick to fake a warp signature, the use of a non-existing escape pod on a Klingon vessel or the firing at a weak spot of an enemy starship that only one key person knows of. Finally and worst of all, there is the horror thriller cliché of the villain who is last seen in the middle of an explosion he couldn't possibly survive but appears once again out of thin air just to get back at a traitor.
The fast pace of the episode did not permit to take care of ethical concerns with the due profundity. In spite of or just because of this haste I wonder what could and what should the Starfleet crew have done differently. The mission objective was to stop the Augments to avert a war, and I am sure that Captain Archer had the authority to apply whatever force he deemed necessary. At latest since the attack on Cold Station 12 it was unmistakable that there was no arguing with these gangsters and that they were determined to subdue or destroy humanity. They had 1800 embryos to create more soldiers of their kind and were about to release a bioweapon and kill millions. Wouldn't it have been Archer's duty to fire all available weapons at them when he had the chance, more precisely when they had just released the Denobulan shuttle inside the gas giant? Perhaps there would have been a possibility to rescue the Denobulan pilot later, and if not, it wouldn't have mattered where she had to die. In any case it would have been a much smaller sacrifice than shooting down civilian airplanes that are being used as flying bombs. From a viewpoint of storytelling this incident was no intelligent move either, as the threat to kill a hostage couldn't strike us or the Enterprise crew as particularly cruel after what had happened on Cold Station 12. Why is the episode trying to be "Trekkier" than it was realistic, why is Archer repeatedly hesitating and conceding the Augments a chance to surrender? A related issue is how forthcoming Archer is to Soong in the end. Wasn't it that in "Borderland" the two couldn't stand each other, and now after the capital crimes Soong committed or wittingly approved of, Archer rewards him with a guest quarter and a visit to his prison? The latter obviously just to allow Soong to deliver the most contrived line of the whole arc, "Cybernetics -- artificial lifeforms. I doubt I finish my work myself, it'll take a generation or two", followed by a Data-like smile. There was a better concealed allusion to TNG when Soong pondered what went wrong with the Augments and concluded there was an error in their genome that needs to be corrected. This sounds familiar when we think Lore and Data. On the other hand, especially this statement ultimately confirmed the prevalent notion that the Augments were a failure and as such a somehow inferior race.
Based on the bare facts the outcome of the story arc is that the Augments are wild animals that you better kill before they come for you. But in a figurative sense, aren't they just hollow movie villains in the first place who just happen to be genetically engineered? Their characterization was incredibly one-dimensional in all of the three parts and not much more profound than that of the dreadful Movie Nazis. The inflexible equation is that tampering with human genes is not only unethical but intrinsically creates monsters. This stance has been more or less consistent through the history of Star Trek since the days of TOS: "Space Seed", but it has never been promoted with such a passion as in the story arc about the Augments. With the exception of the unfortunate Smike who was arguably different the Augments were not given a chance to show any positive facet, the honor of being a criminal who shows remorse goes to Soong but not to any of them. I don't think this idea is particularly Trek-like or tolerant, bearing in mind that the Augments are much like an ethnic group and not only a bunch of criminals.
The remarks about Khan ("Botany Bay is a myth") were decent and skillful with regard to Trek history. Yet, there was the statement about "everything said about augments in the last 150 years..." which may be taken as a hint that Augments existed as soon as 1992. But perhaps it refers to the beginning of the genetic experiments on humans, just like we celebrate the anniversary of any technology relating to its first inception, not to a time when it was in common use.
Remarkable quote: "Superior ability creates superior ambition. One of their creators wrote that. He was murdered by an Augment." (Archer, to Soong)
Remarkable display: The Klingon colony bears a striking resemblance to Earth. Actually the visible hemisphere looks just like Earth except that Europe is fused into Africa and there is a sea instead of the Congo region. I wonder why the Art Department didn't quickly create a visibly different map which should have been very easy. A parallel Earth?
Remarkable fact: Soong heads for Klach D'kel Brakt which he calls the "Briar Patch".
Rating: 5

The Forge No date given: A bomb explosion in the United Earth Embassy on Vulcan kills at least 43, among them Admiral Forrest who rescues Ambassador Soval's life. DNA residue suggests that a woman named T'Pau, member of a sect known as the Syrranites, planted the bomb. Archer and T'Pol seek for the Syrranites in the Forge with the help of a map from T'Pol's mother T'Les who is a Syrranite herself. The Forge is a Vulcan desert with heavy electromagnetic storms that disable any communication. Meanwhile on Enterprise, it is found that the evidence against T'Pau was forged. As Soval learns through a mind meld with a survivor, the aide to the Administrator of the High Command, V'Las, must have brought the bomb into the building. In the Forge, T'Pol and Archer meet a man, Arev, who is obviously a Syrranite. He explains them that his group is peaceful and is pursuing the true path of Surak, the father of Vulcan philosophy. One of the Syrranites is even said to carry Surak's katra, his immortal essence. Arev is killed in one of the storms, but not before mind-melding with Archer.

Fascinating. This is the series as it should have been from the very beginning. Before "The Forge" there was Star Trek and there was Enterprise. In a quite compelling fashion the Vulcan story arc reconciles the two universes to a considerable extent. It helps to rationalize why the Vulcans of the 22nd century were not the peaceful and benevolent people we know from the 24th century. Even if the Vulcan trilogy initially damages the reputation of Vulcans or at least of their rulers even more than before, everything is resolved in an intelligent and agreeable way. Vulcan has found the true path, and so has Star Trek Enterprise -- hopefully. Most importantly the misconception that only a small fraction of the Vulcan population could perform mind melds is elegantly explained as a lie fabricated by the High Command to be used against the Syrranites. The mind meld dilemma is ingeniously modeled as a vital part of the story without ever appearing contrived. This alone deserves high praise. Two thumbs up for the writers, the Reeves-Stevens!
The episode has a fast pace but sufficient room for character development too, even if this is largely achieved by isolating two of them, namely Archer and T'Pol, in a standard situation. Their stay in the Forge slows down the second half of the episode, and while they are not achieving any visible progress the more interesting events take place on Enterprise and on Vulcan. Most of all I was astonished how the formerly stubborn, even cynical Soval suddenly came to be an ardent supporter of the human cause -- and of the Syrranite cause as well. Well, in some fashion Admiral Forrest (I will miss him!) was a personal friend. But it makes even more sense if we think of the Vulcan High Command or at least V'Las' version thereof as a stage where everyone has to play his role. The High Command reminds me a lot of a degraded Communist government where no one acts in accordance to the "true path" any longer but no one could ever freely admit that. Soval has taken the chance now that he has found natural allies in the humans. In this regard it was unnecessary and counterproductive to make him a "melder", someone who must have been disagreeing with the High Command all the time. Even if all Vulcans can meld as we learn later, he must have been practicing mind melds against the doctrine of his superiors. Anyway, the character of Soval could only improve, as we have known him so far just as a sarcastic detractor of humanity who hides behind phrases every time he is proven wrong. I like this new Soval better!
On a related note, it was a bit contrived too that T'Pol's mother belonged to the Syrranites. Is Vulcan full of dissenters? If this were so, how could V'Las rise to power without facing major resistance? However, we have enough precedents on Earth where the citizens just remained passive while their rights were gradually taken away.
It is easy to see the parallels of this story arc to recent events on our own planet, no matter if they were constructed purposely or just because the episodes are skillfully written and hence very "life-like". The bombing of the embassy is a symbol just like 9/11. And many aspects are the same, just like the increased security precautions in the wake of the embassy blast that are likely to restrict civil rights. I will better refrain from further political comments, although some of the patterns of the High Command's crusade against the Syrranites look familiar too, be it intentional or not.
Almost needless to mention that the episode is visually spectacular too. We see a Vulcan landscape with large statues much like in the Director's Edition of TMP. Moreover, there is the nicely done Federation Embassy (even if the typically angular human construction doesn't really pay respect to Vulcan building tradition).
It was a nice idea to pick up the idea of an inner eyelid of Vulcans (TOS: "Operation: Annihilate"). But how could an eyelid protect T'Pol against the burning sun if her eyes are open all the time? Other references to previous Vulcan episodes include the sehlat (TOS: "Journey to Babel", TAS: "Yesteryear") that we get to see in real life for the first time. There is also the IDIC symbol that T'Pol gets from her mother. We will see later that the symbol represents Mount Seleya with the sun in the background. A similar yet somewhat different symbol can be seen in the meeting room of the High Command. Soval uses the same words as Spock and most other Vulcans when he melds with the comatose patient. Finally, we see how Arev turns to Archer briefly before his death, touching him and whispering something. We would be damned if we didn't recognize that as a katra transfer and as a homage to "Star Trek II".
Remarkable quotes: "Sounds like that Klingon opera Hoshi made us listen to." (Archer, about the sehlat noise), "They are smaller -- slightly." (T'Pol, about domesticated sehlats), "Surak tells us, it is the heritage of every Vulcan, even those who don't believe in the practice." (Arev/Syrran/Surak, about mind melds)
Remarkable fact: It took 1500 years to rebuild the Vulcan society and travel to the stars after the Awakening, 1800 years ago.
Rating: 8

Awakening No date given: Archer and T'Pol arrive in the Syrranite sanctuary, where they learn that man who called himself Arev was actually Syrran himself, the founder of the movement. It turns out that Archer is now carrying Surak's katra. Surak tells Archer to go search for the Kir'Shara, an ancient artifact that holds his original writings and that could help renew the Vulcan society. T'Pau makes an effort to recover Surak's katra through a mind meld with Archer, but she fails. Soval is about to lose his position because of the mind meld he performed, and he tries in vain to convince the High Command that the traitors are actually among them. The former ambassador returns to Enterprise. An attempt to rescue Archer and T'Pol from the Forge is unsuccessful, and Enterprise has to retreat when Vulcan cruisers attack the ship. Archer, T'Pol and Surak find the Kir'Shara while the area is being bombarded by the High Command. T'Les dies in the attack. Meanwhile on Enterprise, Soval reveals the High Command's plans to attack the Andorians because these are allegedly going to launch a Xindi weapon against Vulcan. Trip sets a course for Andorian space.

"Awakening" must have been facing the usual problem of a middle part of a trilogy, to serve as a link that needs to be designed with two interfaces. Despite this intrinsic disadvantage, the episode ranks still higher in my view than "The Forge". Actually, I think it is even the best Enterprise episode so far! Yet, I can't really tell why. Some of the twists like the revelation that Archer is carrying Surak's katra were not surprising at all. Some motives like Archer's communication with Surak looked quite familiar as it was much the same as Sisko's visions of the Prophets. There was even a rather childish cookie-cutter scene with the massive door that opened smoothly in an Indiana Jones-like fashion after 1800 years by just pushing a button. Furthermore, I don't really see a sense in letting T'Les die who may have been a key figure in more Vulcan-based stories and in a continuation of the mother-daughter conflict.
But in spite of these points of slight criticism, "Awakening" is just an excellent drama with just the right share of action. In a (possibly daring) comparison to "Star Trek III" the portrayal of Archer who is possessed by Surak's mind is much better solved than with McCoy and Spock, respectively. The humorous characterization in the movie always seemed rather silly to me. I like this version of Surak anyway because he is shown as a gentle and witty leader, one that would win the hearts of the people and not just lecture and command them. And Scott Bakula looks great although he still isn't exactly the best actor. That honor falls to Connor Trinneer once again whose interaction with Soval is just wonderful. In some fashion the two are like the prototypes of Kirk and Spock.
It is well possible that the supposed disadvantage of being just part 2 of 3 actually helped "Awakening". The writing could build upon what was there in the first part without the need to explain everything new, while it is not necessary to tie all loose threads together like in a final part. This worked in the Final Chapter of DS9 and even more obviously in ENT: "Countdown" too. Anyway, "Awakening" gets nine points. I'm rating the episodes of the trilogies separately, expecting many arcs like these still to come which would otherwise significantly reduce the number of episodes in my statistics. Well, if there will be more excellent three-parters like this one, it will always be a triple boost of my ratings. :-)
Remarkable quotes: "Deception has never been a stranger to this room". (Soval), "The culture you've come to know isn't the one I helped to create." (Surak, to Archer)
Remarkable dialogues: "I lived on Earth for more than 30 years, Commander. In that time I developed an affinity for your world and your people." - "You did a pretty good job hiding it." - "Thank you." (Soval and Tucker), "How many warning shots do Vulcans usually fire?" - "None." (Tucker and Soval)
Remarkable scene: One particular scene that I remember is when Archer has a vision of the Vulcan civil war. Surak says, "Vulcan is tearing itself apart", while Archer is watching how an atomic mushroom forms. Although there have been much more cruel scenes in Star Trek, this one is particularly moving, as during the whole story arc Vulcan is modeled after Earth.
Remarkable fact: It is quite obvious that the young woman T'Pau is supposed to be the same as the old person of that name that will be present during Spock's canceled wedding in TOS: "Amok Time". Yet, it was not hinted at -- fortunately, because it would have been just as contrived as Arik Soong's talking about his offsprings. Agreed, T'Pau will become a bit more bony and stubborn, but I don't find it too hard to accept.
Remarkable ships: We see two new Vulcan starship types, a fighter and a small cruiser. -- Moreover, Travis is welding two extractable wings on the dorsal side of Enterprise's shuttlepod. However, I care about such attempts to make the shuttle look cooler about as much as Tuvok did in VOY: "Extreme Risk". At least Travis had something to do. ;-)
Rating: 9

Kir'Shara No date given: Soval and Tucker meet with Shran and tell him about the Vulcan agenda. The Andorian commander does not believe that Soval would betray his people. He kidnaps and tortures the Vulcan. But he recognizes that Soval was telling the truth. Near the Vulcan capital the guards of the High Command locate Archer, T'Pau and T'Pol. The latter falls into the hands of the guards one of whom is Talok, a former subordinate who is willing to help her. Vulcan and Andorian ships engage in a battle with Enterprise between the lines. Archer and T'Pau present the Kir'Shara to the High Command, and they come just in time to avert a worse conflict. V'Las is removed from his position, and an investigation against him is initiated. A priest takes over Surak's katra. On Enterprise, Koss tells T'Pol that their marriage is over now that her mother is dead. The ousted V'Las, however, secretly meets with his ally - a Romulan!

After seeing "Awakening" and enjoying really every second of it much like in "Countdown", I was a bit afraid that the third part could become incoherent just like "Zero Hour". But there is absolutely no comparison between these two, save the unexpected alien to appear at the end of either episode. No need to say I can much rather accept the Romulan. If there was ever a perfect opportunity to show them and let them enter the game, it was here. Still, it may already qualify as a Star Trek trope that an unexpected guest appears in the last second of an episode. Like before in "Awakening" it was a pleasure to see how Trip deals with everything on his own, and how he and Soval complement each other. And although I anticipated nothing less, the ultimate revelation that all Vulcans can mind-meld reconciled me with that part of Enterprise's history. It is good to know that sometimes authors and producers listen to the fans or read their websites.
"Awakening" is a slight letdown although the high quality of writing persists throughout the whole episode. But I felt the pace slowed down too much during most of the time, with just too many filler scenes. The torturing of Soval didn't strike me as particularly exciting. It was too harsh anyway, although we know such violence isn't unbecoming of the Andorians. Overall, the Vulcan trilogy may have worked with a bit less action and violence anyway, unlike the Augments arc. In addition, the continued stride through the desert with occasional obstacles was a bit monotonous to watch. These two parts of the story could have easily been shortened. This would have allowed to take more time for the resolution. The way it was actually done, there was simply too much happening or too much declared in just a couple of minutes (V'Las on trial, Archer getting rid of Surak, humans no longer under surveillance, T'Pol's marriage divorced, Romulans on Vulcan). I would still call it a worthy ending but its hurriedness was somewhat disappointing.
While I was watching I already wondered why the Kir'Shara was supposed to have such an enormous impact on the High Command. It is a record of Surak's original teachings, that much is probably true and could be verified. On the other hand, have the writings of Qumran led to a re-evaluation of Christian teachings, and even such a swift one? Would it have helped to show Lenin or Stalin a copy of Karl Marx' writings to convince them that they are on a wrong path? This is the somewhat naive part of the story, and as T'Pol correctly says, realistically it would accomplish nothing. On a still different note, the Syrranites teach the true way of Surak. But what is the true way anyway? Back to the roots, abandoning technology? Forward to a decidedly cerebral or spiritual existence? The true way needs a pragmatic component, one that takes into account the stage of development and the overall conditions of a society. One that is democratic and pluralist and not just another ideology. The "true way" as proclaimed by the Syrranites may remain an isolated and transitory phenomenon like the "Flower Power" movement or worse, it may become a similar fiasco as imposing obsolete concepts like Communism on a modern industrial society. Fortunately, as we can see in the 23rd and 24th centuries, Vulcan has been successful in following the path of the Syrranites.
Nitpicking: What happened to humans not standing a chance against Vulcans on Vulcan because of the thin air? Archer fought against the Vulcan soldiers as if he were considerably stronger. Surak may have given him the knowledge how to perform nerve pinches, but how could his katra recondition Archer's body to be fit for Vulcan? -- Another thing that bugged me was the Kir'Shara itself. Undeniably we've seen more outlandish artifacts, but I wonder why ancient technology always has to be that sophisticated and why it always still works after so many centuries.
Remarkable facts: Treason is one of the few crimes on Vulcan still punishable by execution. -- As opposed to the assertions of the Vulcan High Command, every Vulcan could learn mind melds. Likewise, Pa'nar is a curable disease that exists since the days of Surak and is caused by melders who have been insufficiently trained.
Rating: 7

Daedalus No date given: Emory Erickson, the inventor of the transporter, and his daughter Danica are going to perform an experiment on Enterprise with a new subquantum transporter that could one day make starships dispensable. The ship enters the "Barrens", a region devoid of stars where it is struck by a spatial anomaly that kills one crew member. Trip becomes suspicious when he notices that Erickson requires more energy than necessary for his experiment. Erickson has to admit that his true goal is and always was to get back his son Quinn who had vanished during a subquantum transporter test in the Barrens 15 years ago. Despite Trip's anger and concerns about Erickson's unethical practices Archer allows the scientist who is an old friend of the family to carry on. They retrieve Quinn, but he dies on the transporter platform because of cellular decay, leaving behind a father who is finally ready to live a normal life. In sickbay Dr. Phlox is pleased to tell T'Pol that her Pa'nar syndrome has been cured.

"Daedalus" resumes seamlessly the recent trend of continuity-relevant episodes. After seeing the Augments arc which presented some new aspects without harming continuity and the Vulcan arc which reconciled Enterprise with the rest of Trek in an unprecedented fashion I am not yet tired of this type of stories -- only that I would not have amassed them in just one season. Yet, Daedalus can't quite catch up with the excitement about the aforementioned episodes, and this is not only because the three-episode arcs naturally have a stronger impact. It is nice to learn various trivia about the development of the transporter and the man who accomplished it. But overall the plot of "Daedalus" is too thin even for a single episode, at times I would have been bored if I hadn't been busy writing down some technical notes. Almost everything that happens is quite predictable, considering that we know many stories along the same lines. I notice only now how very common the motive of a scientist obsessively trying to retrieve something he has lost is in Star Trek. The most obvious equivalent to "Daedalus" is how Jake Sisko underwent years of scientific education to rescue his father in DS9: "The Visitor". Just like Annorax in VOY: "The Year of Hell" played with the course of time to get back his beloved wife. We've also had VOY: "Jetrel" with the Haakonian scientist of the same name who attempted to re-materialize the many Talaxians he killed with the metreon cascade, and with exactly the same sad outcome as in "Daedalus". And finally Soran in "Generations" who struggled to get back into the Nexus at any cost. All of these episodes are fine and are full of ethical implications, and so is Daedalus. But the surprising and new element is missing. Other obvious parallels that spring to my mind are TOS: "The Tholian Web" where captain Kirk vanishes into a parallel dimension, TNG: "Relics" where Scotty survives in a transporter beam for 80 years, TOS: "The Ultimate Computer" about a technology that utterly fails just like the subquantum transporter and the same again with the soliton wave in TNG: "New Ground". It almost seems like "Daedalus" pillages all kinds of Trek stereotypes about scientists and technology.
On the bright side, I liked the emotional touch that was in several aspects of the episode. Certainly the strongest of them was Emory Erickson's love for his son (and Danica's for her brother). I think this part of the episode is beyond criticism, it was skillfully written and profited from fine acting. I think it proved right to center the story around Erickson, giving him not only more lines than usual guest characters but also showing the events to some extent from his perspective. Well, elderly people in wheelchairs are always good for moving moments, but I don't think something like that is as easy to play as it seems. Emotions also determined Archer's decision to let Erickson, his father's old friend, carry on with his experiments. It is clear that if it were any other scientist, the good captain would open the next airlock to kick him off the ship. Trip knows that, and this only corroborates his resistance against the captain's orders. Well, maybe the safety fanatic Reed would have made a still better opponent in this respect (and moreover the crewman died before his eyes), but then again Trip is the more faceted character (and played by my favorite actor of the show). Could it be that the writers are even trying to build up a lasting conflict between the captain and the chief engineer? Shouldn't it have consequences that Archer acted against the interest of the ship and crew? The interaction between Trip and T'Pol, on the other hand, didn't strike me as particularly interesting in "Daedalus". I had the impression that it largely consisted of hollow phrases, but that may be because it amounted to just a couple of minutes altogether. On the other hand, it may have been just the right way to pick up the recent events on Vulcan that must have had some sort of effect on T'Pol.
Naturally the episode is quite full of scientific and technical references. The most remarkable of them comes from Erickson who mentions that there was a metaphysical discussion about the transporter and whether a beamed person would be still the same or just some "weird copy". To my knowledge this has not yet been tackled on Star Trek, and I would have wished to hear more about it. It may have made a great plot idea to let a court or parliament on Earth outlaw the transporter because of exactly these concerns, and the Enterprise crew would need to prove that it's safe and that they are not just "copies". -- We also learn that the concept of subquantum teleportation that Emory Erickson was allegedly pushing to replace starships "in a few decades" was flawed and wouldn't work in 1000 years according to Erickson. Fortunately, because otherwise we would be left with yet another technology that is completely abandoned or forgotten although it has at most a few bugs or security risks. In this respect it was only a bad idea to have Quinn materialize in an outwardly good shape. Indeed the fact that someone almost survives in whatever realm Quinn was for 15 years indicates that with some more work on the concept it could be made safe. Even if it wouldn't have given Erickson the opportunity to say good-bye to his son, it would have been much more believable to leave Quinn behind in the Barrens or even beam him back as something that "didn't live for long - fortunately", as cruel as this may sound. -- I noticed that there were no stars visible inside the Barrens. But a good deal of the stars that can be seen in the night sky from Earth are more than 100 light-years away, so the region can't be that dark.
Remarkable quote: "I have lost someone close. And I'd do almost anything to get her back, except put other people in danger." (Trip, to Erickson)
Remarkable facts: The Barrens are a region of space with "not a star system within a hundred light-years" (not clear whether it's the radius or diameter). This is explained by Erickson as the effect of a "subspace node, a bubble of curved space-time". -- Erickson achieves a transporter range of 40,000 kilometers which is a record at the time. -- Enterprise's armory is on F-deck.
Crew losses: 1
Rating: 5

Observer Effect No date given: Hoshi and Trip return from an alien planet with a contagious and incurable infection with a silicon-based virus. Their reactions and those of the rest of the crew are being observed by two non-corporeal Organians, as they have been doing it for hundreds of years with many different species. They may switch from one humanoid body to another for that purpose. What surprises them is how much compassion the humans shows and that Archer is willing to sacrifice himself in order to save every single one of his crew. When Hoshi and Trip have died, the two Organians reveal themselves to the dying Archer, and one of them vows to save the crew and to break their long-standing rule not to interfere with the observed species.

I was not particularly impressed with this variant of the old "lab rat" theme where highly advanced alien species are observing human behavior. At least "Observer Effect" turned out a tad more original than the blend of TNG: "Power Play", VOY: "Scientific Method" and ENT: "The Crossing" that I was expecting. On the bright side, the new episode was pleasantly devoid of unnecessary action or distracting sub-plots, and it convinced with good performances especially of Connor Trinneer and John Billingsley. I liked the teaser with Reed and Mayweather as chess geniuses, although it took less than 30 seconds to recognize that these were not actually the two officers whom we would least expect to play chess but actually yet another couple of aliens possessing the bodies of Starfleet personnel. I also think that the reference to the Organians of TOS: "Errand of Mercy" was just the right idea to avoid having too many different non-corporeal entities floating around in our galaxy (and to avert an untimely appearance of Q which would have ruined everything).
On the downside, the outcome was all too predictable. Since the Talosians in "The Cage" we have seen so many times that imagination, intuition or compassion prevails over the bureaucracy, technocracy or other stubbornness of a highly developed species. We have to wonder how they all could ever evolve so far without these human virtues. Ironically the Organians of TOS as well as the very similar Metrons of TOS: "Arena" were still giving humanity a lesson in ethics more than 100 years later. But on most occasions in Trek it was just the other way round. In this respect "Observer Effect" may have been meant to elucidate what is so special about humanity that this species, although they are neither the strongest nor the smartest, would become predominant in the known universe, at least among the humanoid races. The Organians reward human compassion and sacrifice and they listen to the words of the "primitive" Captain Archer, but I can't imagine that no species has ever attempted the same. There is just too much diversity in the Star Trek Universe for humans to be located at the very upper end of an ethical scale. It is a contrived and arrogant twist that the superior Organians are so impressed only with humans that they would instantly revise long-standing policies for them, as flawed as these may always have been.
Something particularly annoying, however, is how Archer defends the yet to be named Prime Directive that he swiftly made up in the ethically appalling episode ENT: "Dear Doctor". He makes good points in "Observer Effect", and it's honorable how he struggles for his and for Hoshi's and Trip's lives while acknowledging that the Organians are beyond his comprehension. But he should not explain to the Organians but to the Valakians why two starship officers who have chosen to go on dangerous missions are to be saved while a whole species is doomed just because of their "bad genes".
One more thing to remember is how two underused characters, namely Hoshi and Travis, were brought into play. This is laudable in the first place as far as the actors are concerned, but it's not exactly the right occasion to use them just when they would act out of character. The real Mayweather doesn't have a single line, and we really have to wonder what Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens were thinking when they decided to turn Hoshi into a secret gambler who (albeit by accident) breaks the arm of her commanding officer. I think that giving a too amiable character a "dark past" is a rather cheap way to make him or her more faceted, and it is a poor excuse for not involving the character more into live action.
Remarkable quote: "I remember Exobiology 101, Captain. Humans are carbon-based. Our immune system can't fight silicon." (Trip, to Archer)
Remarkable facts: The Organians have been observing the Klingons and the Cardassians before dealing with the virus infection. They both chose to kill their ill landing parties. The only difference was in how fast they came to that decision. -- Starfleet now seems to be using their own designation "Class M" instead of Minshara class for inhabitable planets. -- The quarantine station is located on D-deck.
Rating: 4

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