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.

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