Episode Review - The Expanse (Enterprise, Season 2)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here

Overview – A probe of unknown origin suddenly appears in orbit of Earth and opens fire, cutting a swath of destruction from Florida to Venezuela, killing over 7 million people in the process. Enterprise is recalled to Earth. En route, Silik momentarily abducts Captain Archer and introduces him to the mysterious entity that has been guiding the Suliban in the Temporal Cold War. Archer is informed that the attack came from the Xindi, and that it is because of a different temporal faction that is intending to wipe out Earth. After being returned to Enterprise, Archer resumes the course to Earth. Upon entering the solar system, the Klingon Duras attacks the Enterprise. He is driven off by the Intrepid and two other Earth vessels. After arriving at Earth, Archer is able to convince Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command to allow the Enterprise to find the Xindi, who are apparently building a more powerful weapon with the intent to destroy Earth entirely. It is revealed that the Xindi homeworld is in the Delphic expanse, and dangerous and unpredictable region of space where few Vulcan ships have returned from. With the threat of the Xindi ahead of them, and the threat of Duras behind them, Archer and his valiant crew begin their mission with the literal fate of Earth at stake.

Score: 8/10 – Enterprise took a major gamble on the third season, and they set it up almost perfectly with the second season finale. From the opening moments, the viewers are given a clear message that Enterprise is about to change its tone in a big way. While Archer has to deal with both his Klingon adversary, Duras, and the destruction done by the Xindi probe, he and his crew prepare themselves for the biggest challenge they have faced yet. Tucker becomes the face of those traumatized by the attack, as he has to cope with the loss of his baby sister. T’Pol is forced to choose between her loyalty to the Vulcan High Command and to Archer and the Enterprise. We have the Temporal Cold War woven into the story, and some pretty cool ship-to-ship battles. There is a lot on the line, and it sets us up for a great look into the next season. My one complaint is that they seem to be trying to push a lot into this episode. We have an attack, and then a Klingon council meeting about Archer. We have several weeks go by in seconds. There is a refitting of the Enterprise and Archer wondering how many of his crew will be leaving. A brief reference to the Macos is made, and other than the main three characters (Archer, Trip, and T’Pol), there is little time given to the other characters. I get why it is overloaded, but it does take away a little from the overall story.

Relevance – 3 points. Point scored for resolving the issues that Archer and his crew had with Duras, son of Toral. An obvious nod to his TNG descendent, Duras is on the hunt to kill Archer and regain his honor. It is a fitting end to his story. Another point is scored for the fact that T’Pol chooses to remain with the Enterprise and resigns her commission with the Vulcan High Command. For the duration of the Xindi mission she will be a civilian, although she is still the second in command and science officer. Finally, and most importantly, we begin the XIndi story arc. This will take the entire third season to resolve. Basically, if you are following the story of Enterprise, you cannot miss this episode.

Continuity – 3 points. Story continuity is good. A lot of time passes, and they address it all in a good and sensible manner. We see character continuity intact as well. Reed tries to console Tucker in his grief, and Trip doesn’t handle it well. This makes sense and is likely why Tucker was chosen to be the crew member who suffers a personal loss in the tragedy. I also liked how Phlox showed his loyalty to Archer in not only choosing to stay on the mission but becoming verbally aggressive towards Fer’at, the Vulcan psychiatric who was being deceitful in his “scan” of Captain Archer. Universe continuity is also good here.

Character Development – 3 points. This episode marks a significant course adjustment for the main three characters. Trip has lost his sister in a surprise attack. This will have a lingering impact on him for a log time to come. T’Pol has furthered her distance from the wishes of the Vulcan High Command by rejecting their orders and resigning her commission in order for her to remain on Enterprise. This, too, will have lasting repercussions which will ultimately lead her to joining Starfleet. Finally, the mission to find the Xindi and stop them from attacking Earth again will take Johnathan Archer down a long and sometimes darkened path. He tested himself here, trying to give Duras chances to leave them in peace before making the ultimate decision to destroy him. As the heaviness of this mission will begin to wear on him, we can expect that Archer will have a lot to deal with in the upcoming season. All three of these characters are going to be put through the ringer in the next year, and this episode sets up the board for it.

Social Commentary – 1 point. This episode aired first aired in May 2003, over 20 months after the World Trade Center was attacked on 9-11. There are some strong parallels between that real-world event and this fictitious one. It reinforced the idea that in times of tragedies of a grand scale it is important to band together in unity and of making tough decisions to protect oneself. Having said that, the message is quite muted in the action and the preparation for the mission that it is more of a passing notion. The idea will be revisited in future episodes, but for now it only tickles at our awareness as we are experiencing the anticipation of what looks to be a stellar season.

Cool Stuff – 2 points. A point is scored for the space battles between the Klingons (mainly Duras) and the Enterprise. The final battle in particular is quite entertaining, and the visuals of the L-4 maneuver is excellent. A second point is scored for the Xindi attack. The scene is void of dialogue or characters, but it is a powerful image to see Florida carved up like a turkey. The following scenes that show the extent of the damage are equally powerful.

Rank – Captain (20 points). Star Trek has a pretty good track record with season finales that leave the viewers wanting more and building anticipation for the next season. From “The Best of Both Worlds” in TNG’s third season, to the meeting of iconic ships in the first season of “Discovery”, there is a fine tradition of this. “The Expanse” does not disappoint in this case and does a fine job at establishing the theme and tone for the third season.

If you would like to check out my other episode reviews for Enterprise, simply click here.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.

Episode Review - Carpenter Street (Enterprise, Season 3)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here

Overview – On Earth, Detroit, in the early 21^st Century, a man is kidnapping and bringing people to an abandoned building under the orders of a mysterious unseen person. It turns out that a trio of Reptilian Xindi have traveled to the past to gather information from humans of different blood types to create a biological weapon. In the 22^nd Century, Captain Archer is contacted by Daniels, who informs him of what the Xindi are up to. Archer and T’Pol travel back 150 years to find ans stop the Xindi team. As they race to stop the Xindi, they find themselves out of their element in our day.

Score: 9/10 – There have been many different Trek stories involving the characters going back to our time, and this was Enterprise’s turn. In the spirit of “Assignment: Earth”, “Future’s End”, and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home”, the crew go back in time to save humanity. It made sense that Daniels insisted that Archer only be accompanied by T’Pol, and it helped T’Pol come to grips with the fact that her traditional Vulcan beliefs about time travel were inaccurate. There is the standard “fish-out-of-water” moments. I liked how T’Pol uses her tricorder to get money from an ATM machine, and Archer takes some time getting used to driving a vehicle. The action and pacing of the episode are great and the concept of creating a bio weapon based on human blood types is a different approach. Aside from the captain and first officer, we only see Tucker and hear Reed over the comm system. Everyone else is absent from this episode. While that is a shame, it does allow the story to be streamlined to fit as much present day Earth stuff into it. Leland Orser makes his fourth (and to date, final) appearance in Star Trek, and his character of Loomis is the right mix of loser and sleazebag. A great episode overall.  

Relevance – 2 points. Daniels is back, and this carries forward the temporal cold war story along, as well as T’Pol finally receiving evidence that time travel is possible. The Reptilians found in 2004 are used by Archer to convince Degra that something is not right with the Xindi’s plan.

Continuity - 3 points. Everything checks out here. With only three of our characters being shown, and just two of them go back in time, we only have those two to really look at. Archer and T’Pol are right on cue for how I would have expected them to act. They did very little to upset the timeline (except for maybe Loomis), so story continuity checks out. And everything is fine in the Star Trek universe, so that gets a point here as well.

Character Development – 2 points. With only T’Pol and Archer getting any real attention, and most of the rest of them not being seen, it does allow us to have some growth here. While these two seasoned officers are in unfamiliar territory in 21^st Century Detroit, they are able to adapt much more quickly than others we have seen. As previously mentioned, T’Pol does get a chance to re-evaluate her views on time travel, which is big for her. Both of them are pushed to the limit, both in dealing with Loomis and the Xindi. This gives us a further glimpse into not only their psyche but in how the overarching crisis is affecting them.

Social Commentary – 2 points. The character of Loomis is very relatable, likely due to the episode being set in our own time. He is motivated by greed. He is willing to compromise his integrity to earn some good money. While he is not evil, per se, he is a bit of a jerk and clearly has no qualms about taking innocent people. His final fate is fitting as he gets carted off by the police. He represents a loser side of humanity. We all know someone like this, and sometimes we feel the temptation to be the same.

Cool Stuff – 1 point. A point for the idea of using human blood types as a basis for a bio weapon. I’m not sure if that has ever been done before (in fiction, of course). As good as this episode is, this is really the only cool thing to stand out.

Rank – Captain (19 points). This is a great episode for the third season. It is a rare episode of this season that can be enjoyed on its own without knowing much of what happened before. A good solid story that does a very good telling of the time-traveler “fish-out-of-water” scenario without getting too goofy or serious.

If you would like to check out my other episode reviews for Enterprise, simply click here.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.

Episode Review - The Forgotten (Enterprise, Season 3)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here

Overview – The Enterprise is badly damaged after a devastating Xindi attack that has left over a dozen crew members dead. They have a meeting set up with Degra, the Xindi-Primate scientist who developed the weapon that attacked Earth, and Jannar, the Xindi-Arboreal Council member, hoping to convince them of the truth behind the Sphere builders. As they attempt to form an alliance with the Xindi representatives, Tucker must come to terms with a letter he is asked to write for a fallen comrade and the emotions it is causing him to experience.

Score: 8/10 – As we wind down the Xindi arc that comprises the third season, we are given this treat of an episode that starts tying up a lot of threads that have begun throughout the season. Of the many highlights in this episode, I particularly enjoyed the opening memorial that Archer holds for the fallen crewmembers. I also liked how the Enterprise is still badly banged up from the previous episodes. With the exception of “Year of Hell”, this is one of the complaints that fans had about Star Trek: Voyager that was remedied here. The ship has been through an almost literal hell, and they have not been able to make the necessary repairs between the last two episodes. Even the crew are still sooty and unkempt, giving the happenings of the last few epsidoes weight and significance. It is a nice attention to detail. We had some great development of several characters and the fractious Xindi council continues to splinter. Malcom Reed shows some of his grit by completing his assignment with extinguishing the plasma fire on the hull of the ship. Phlox gets to show the different ways that he can be supportive of his crewmates, ranging from a nurturing role with T’Pol to a more stern, tough-love approach with Tucker. Archer continues to show the strains of command from this difficult mission, while Tucker and T’Pol continue to sort through the psychological burdens that the mission has placed upon their shoulders. There is a good dose of action with the arrival of the Reptilian Xindi vessel, and we finally see some members of the Xindi Council begin to accept the truth of what Archer has been telling them. Most notably, Degra is showing his remorse for the weapon that he created, and takes the final step that begins his road to redemption by destroying the Reptilian vessel. Underlying all of this is a simple yet poignant story of Tucker having to write a letter to the family of one of his fallen crew, forcing him to acknowledge the grief he bears over the loss of his sister. In the end, we see that those that have fallen will not be forgotten, at least not in the minds of those who worked with them. Overall, a great episode.

Relevance – 3 points. Points are scored for T’Pol’s continuation struggles to deal with her trillium addiction, Tucker finally accepting the impact of his sister’s death, and finally for Degra destroying the Reptilian vessel with the hope that it will ensure that Enterprise can reach the Xindi council. The repercussions of this action will have a significant impact in upcoming episodes. There could also have been points scored for the reference to the episode “Carpenter Street” when Archer shows Degra and Jannar the bodies of the Reptilian Windi they found and killed in 2004, and to the crewmen killed in an earlier episode as “The Forgotten” begins with their memorial.

Continuity – 3 points. For character continuity, everything checks out. A lot of people seem to try to ignore orders, from Reed’s refusal to stop his work with the plasma fire as his EVA suit reaches dangerous levels, to Tucker bargaining down Phlox’s order to get some sleep so that he can keep the ship together all fit with their characters. Story wise things also check out, especially the fact the Enterprise is still heavily damaged. If not for Degra’s assistance, the Reptilians would have finished them off for good. Universe continuity also checks out here.

Character Development – 3 points. I at first thought that this show would do more to develop Archer’s character, and maybe T’Pol, but it soon becomes apparent that it is Trip that gets the most attention. His order to write the letter to crewman Taylor’s family weighs heavy on him, and it is a catalyst that forces him to accept that he is feeling conflicted for mourning the death of his sister Elisabeth more than the other 7 million people killed in the Xindi attack. This also leads to some significant development for T’Pol as she bonds with Tucker over this. Archer also gets some significant growth as he continues to address the desperation of their situation. Phlox and Reed get some good moments as well (and of course, Hoshi and Travis are given some token lines, but that’s about it).

Social Commentary – 2 points. Coping with the tragedies of our lives, looking for internal healing, or remembering the forgotten. Any of these themes can apply to this episode. We tend to take the loss of loved ones harder than the loss of complete strangers, and sometimes we feel guilt over this fact. We recognize that all lives matter, but we feel that by feeling the loss of those we knew more keenly than the loss of strangers that we have somehow failed. I think the point that Trip came to in that it was fine to grieve his sister more than to grieve the other millions of lives that were lost is one we can all acknowledge. Yes, he knew that Elizabeth was no more important than any other life lost, but she was more important to him.

Cool Stuff – 2 points. A point is scored here for the plasma fire and the hull walk needed to fix it. I also score a point here for the first appearance of Seth MacFarlane as an engineer that Tucker berates. MacFarlane, who is best known for creating the animated show “The Family Guy” (and, this fall, Trek-like “The Orville” which appears to be a parody/homage to Star Trek) is a huge Star Trek fan. While his humor tends to lean more to the raunchy side of things, I almost always appreciated his Trek references in his work. At a convention several years ago, Connor Trineer admitted that when Seth was on the show, he had no idea who he was or what Family Guy was. When he realised how big MacFarlane was, Connor thought that maybe Trip shouldn’t have yelled at him so much.

Rank – Admiral (21 points). This episode gives us necessary plot movement to advance the story that arches across the season while delving into the human condition that deals with loss and tragedy. Some fine acting gets us set up for a solid end to this year-long adventure. 

If you would like to check out my other episode reviews for Enterprise, simply click here.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.

Episode Review - Anomaly (Enterprise, Season 3)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here

Overview – Early into their mission to find the Xindi home world, Archer and his crew encounter a region of space that causes severe disruptions to the ship. While they are trying to figure out how these disturbances are being caused, the ship is ambushed Osaarian pirates. Archer’s crew captures one, but one of the Enterprise’s crew members is killed in the attack and most of their supplies have been stolen. As Archer and his crew try to retake that which has been stolen, they encounter a mysterious sphere that seems to be the source of the disturbances. Captain Archer starts to take more drastic measures to find the pirates, especially when he learns that they had recent contact with a Xindi vessel.

Score: 8/10 – I really felt that this episode kept up the intensity and action that was supposed to be a mainstay in this season. Some great action right out of the gate, and for the first time a crew member is killed on Enterprise. Say what you will about Archer’s command style, but he went two whole years before losing a crew member. Speaking of Archer’s command style, we see that in order to protect Earth and complete his mission he is willing to push the boundaries of what is morally acceptable. He goes as far as to threaten Orgoth, the Osaarian pirate they captured, by tossing him in an airlock and proceeds to depressurize it. They find the first sphere, which we will later learn is a significant piece to the whole reason for the Xindi conflict. Strong acting and story-telling in this episode makes it difficult to not be excited for what is to come.

Relevance - 3 points. The sphere is going to play an important role in the entire Xindi story arc. That scores us a point. A point is scored for the update on Trip’s pressure treatments with T’Pol that will further push these two characters together. The databse that Archer eventually steals from the Omaarians will eventually take them to their next stop in the next episode.

Continuity – 3 points. A point is scored for the universe continuity. At one point, the Omaarians were supposed to be Orions, which would have marked their debut on Enterprise. However, to have the Omaarians originally be traders that were forced into piracy in order to survive made more sense here. Story continuity is intact here. Character continuity was a little more difficult. Archer goes to some far lengths towards succeeding in his mission, and takes him to a dark place personally. Archer has had some questionable developments as far as his character goes (thinking specifically of “A Night in Sickbay” here), but this one actually makes some sense. Earth has never been more vulnerable, and it is up to Archer and his crew to protect it. He loses his first crew member on this episode, and he is very much aware that death will be a substantial part of this mission. To prevent further tragedies and fatalities amongst his crew, Captain Archer shows how far he is willing to go. It’s likely a good thing that this is not the Starfleet and UFP that we knew in other incarnations of Trek, but Archer’s choices here fits the Starfleet of this era, so I will score the point for character continuity here as well.

Character Development – 2 points. This episode is all about Archer and his command. It is about what he will do to succeed at his dangerous mission. He pushes the boundaries of what is acceptable. With such a focus on Archer, the only other development we see is with Tucker and his neuro-pressure therapy that masks his reluctance to continuity something so intimate with T’Pol.

Social Commentary – 1 point. How far do you go to protect your people? What cost is too high to ensure the survival and success of your crew? These are questions that are focused on in this episode, specifically around Archer. However, in the episode itself these concepts are not well addressed. It’s there, but will become more of a focal point later in the series. So while this may start the discussion that will be carried on throughout the entire season, it is not enough to score more than a single point here.

Cool Stuff – 2 points. The sphere gets a point here, especially since it will become more significant in future episodes. An intense battle between the Enterprise crew and the Omaarians also scores a point, as we get to see how the MACO and Archer’s regular crew fight together (in the previous episode it is the MACO unit that engages in the combat sequence). Plus, Trip has a unique way of keeping people out of his engine room.

Rank – Captain (19 points). A great second chapter in this season-long story arc that delivers great action and some interesting character developments that will set the tone for the rest of the season. 

If you would like to check out my other episode reviews for Enterprise, simply click here.

If you would like to read an episode review from any of the Trek series, click the following link to get to the series catalog. If the episode you want reviewed has not been done yet, then feel free to request it in the comments and I will see what I can do.

Episode Review - Exile (Enterprise, Season 3)

For those who are new to my episode reviews, you can find the post where I establish my point criteria here

Overview – As the search for the Xindi home world continues Hoshi is contacted by a telepathic alien named Tarquin. Tarquin has information that Archer could use, and his only request is that Ensign Sato remains with him while he acquires it. While Archer and the crew of Enterprise explore the possibility of a second sphere, Hoshi stays with Tarquin in an attempt to learn more about the mysterious alien and discover what she can about the Xindi and their plans. Soon, she discovers that Tarquin has an ulterior motive and she is faced with the choice of rejoining her crew on their dangerous mission or staying with him for the rest of her life. Meanwhile, T’Pol makes a startling discovery about the spheres that they have been discovering in the Delphic expanse.

Score: 6/10 – This episode, occurring early in the Xindi-arc third season, does fairly well as a stand-alone episode. Since this entire season is based on a single, far-reaching storyline, it is difficult to watch the episodes out of order, but this is one that can be viewed without knowing too much about what has happened before. Having said that, it fits in well with the overall Xindi arc as it provides the crew a valuable piece of the puzzle. I have one major complaint about this episode, and that is the offer of Tarquin to Hoshi Sato. He offers her companionship, a sense of belonging that he feels she has never had yet in her life. Tarquin is lonely, having been exiled by his own species because of his telepathic powers, and is also at least four centuries old with little sign of him getting too old any time soon. His motivation for having Hoshi stay with him is apparent. For some reason, Hoshi has a particular mind that attracts Tarquin to her, although in more platonic than romantic ways. What he offers Hoshi, however, is not anything that she would remotely find appealing. There is no inner conflict evident in her decision. She tells him she won’t stay, and never wavers in her desire. Tarquin comes across as the geeky social outcast who is love-struck for the cheerleader captain, but has absolutely nothing to offer that would make her want to go out with him. He tries twice to have her change her mind. One, an obvious ruse to make it seem like Archer wants her to stay, and a half-hearted attempt to hold the lives of her crew hostage, for which Hoshi easily appeals to his sense of decency. There is just nothing that makes the likelihood of Hoshi remaining with him remotely possible, so the potential suspense in the story is quickly deflated. I also was disappointed in the idea that Hoshi had a special mind was glossed over too easily. It would have been nice to see it explored a bit more. Otherwise, the story flows well, and it is nice to see Hoshi get some attention. Tarquin is an interesting character, and his makeup is quite extravagant. There are some fun moments with Archer and Tucker landing on the sphere they discover, and there is finally some hope that they will meet the Xindi soon.

Relevance - 1 point. This being my first review of the third season of Enterprise makes this category a bit tricky. As the entire season revolves around one large story, almost every episode has relevance to the story. It would be easy to assign each episode a two or three due to this, so I am looking at relevance for this season in a slightly different manner. Because they make a major discovery about the spheres (there are at least 50 of these mysterious orbs), this becomes relevant. We also get a smidge of hope in finding a Xindi colony where a part of the super weapon is being built, but other than that this episode can be skipped and a viewer can get the main info from the token “Previously on Enterprise” sequence that opens almost every episode this season.

Continuity - 3 points. Although I criticized the lack of motivation or temptation for Hoshi to remain with Tarquin, the way she reacts completely fits with the character, so a point is scored here. Universe and story continuity also score points as nothing goes contrary to anything pre-established.

Character Development – 1 point. Hoshi gets the focus of the main story, which is rare and always welcome. The disappointing thing is that we really do not learn much about her, nor does she develop much as a character.

Social Commentary – 1 point. The desire to not be alone, or to belong with meaning is likely the main theme in this story. Tarquin, due to his exile, seeks companionship, even knowing that his companions are likely to die long before he does. Yet with this longing, he is looking for very particular individuals to share his existence with. During his encounter with Hoshi, he makes it clear that it is her mind that draws him to her. His attraction is never hinted at as being sexual in nature, which deepens his motivation. He is willing to do almost anything to gain that special connection with someone. On the other hand, Hoshi cannot find it within herself to make such a sacrifice, preferring the friendship of her crewmates than a life of shared exile. While the desire to belong is strong, the case would have been stronger if the temptation for Hoshi to stay was real and existent. Instead, it weakens the message when she has very little reason to stay. Without any inner conflict, Tarquin comes across as a telepathically obsessed stalker.

Cool Stuff – 1 point. The scene where Tarquin shows Hoshi how to use his telepathic device that allows to see, among other things, a reptilian Xindi is quite cool. Beyond that, nothing much else stands out.

Rank – Lieutenant (13 points). A so-so episode that could have been more, but in the first third of the Xindi arc, could get easily overlooked. Still, it is nice to see Hoshi front and center to the plot. If you are wanting to watch the entire season then the story fits well, but if you only want the highlights, this will likely not make the cut.