starfleetvirgin-blog

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

Thoughts on the second half of season 3 of Enterprise

Today I watched my final episode of Enterprise for quite a while; I hope to begin the Original Series tomorrow, although it may not be until later this week.  In the meantime, I need to expand my thoughts on the final two seasons.  My last post covered up through “Exile” so I will begin there, and then cover season four later this week.

First and foremost, what I most enjoyed about season 3 was the continuous storyline.  Even though it was interrupted by weekly one-shot stories, the threat of the Xindi was constantly present.  In the background at times, and reaching a crescendo at the forefront as the season reached its conclusion, it was great that the crew had a common enemy to rally behind, opening up contact with new allies as well.

“Twilight” was an interesting episode, playing with alternate futures.  Seeing Archer and T’Pol develop a relationship was a curious twist, although not one that plays out in my mind, especially having watched season four to its conclusion.  That being said, the “reset button” used at the end of the episode is a bit of a cheap ploy, one which I’ve seen a hundred comic book writers use with varying success.

“Similitude” – as someone who lived through the Clone Saga of 90s Spider-Man…no thanks.

“Carpenter Street” was one I enjoyed for many of the same reasons I liked season two’s “Carbon Creek”. Seeing the present (or relative present) collide with the hypothetical future is an interesting plot device, despite the entanglements that time travel presents any continuity-based story. This handled it well, while establishing not just the Xindi but the Reptilian Xindi as insidious enemies who have had their hands in history longer than anyone may realize.  

“Chosen Realm” – Important for bridging the Temporal Cold War with the Xindi attacks, but not much more than that.

“Stratagem” – I enjoyed seeing another side of Archer.  This presents him as someone who is willing to operate outside of traditional morality by attempting a ruse on Degra to learn more about the Xindi weapon.  Shows Archer as a fully realized character who isn’t a mere archetype of heroism and leadership.

“Harbinger” – more interesting for the Reed/MACO subplot.  More about the militarization of the Enterprise later.

The remainder of the episodes primarily deal with the Xindi threat and are highly plot-driven, but there are a few thoughts that continue to bounce around my head.

-          The most disappointing character to me is Trip.  The loss of his sister is obviously intended to give him more depth, but I felt it only served to make him more one-dimensional.  The only aspect of his character that interested me was his desire for revenge, but that wore thin.  His developing relationship with T’Pol was obviously a constant thread, but served to further her character more than his.

-          T’Pol’s struggle to keep her emotions in check was fascinating.  As a relative newbie to the world of Star Trek, I was under the impression that Vulcans were simply naturally emotionless, and I was unaware that it requires effort on their part to maintain control.  Obviously she was also affected by an external stimuli that made her problem even worse, but all the same her deepening connection with Trip and other crew members, combined with occasional lapses into losing her temper, made her more relatable than I predicted at the outset.

-          Hoshi and Mayweather both became characters with histories and futures.  Knowing more about them and why they were aboard the Enterprise helps the viewer connect with them.  They are in the background, but a constant presence, and occasionally valuable contributors.

Finally, in my last post (almost two months ago) I discussed season 3 as a metaphor for post 9/11 America. As an English teacher, I’m constantly looking for meaning to be derived from context, and these episodes aired as U.S. action in Afghanistan was intensifying and the military action in Iraq was beginning.  I do think this comparison holds up.  After a significant attack designed to strike fear into the populace (Xindi attack on FL – 9/11), the military takes a greater presence in everyday life (MACOs on Enterprise – Patriot Act, Dept. of Homeland Security).  Leaders stray from their previously embraced ideals and take measures that their constituents may not approve of – many of Archer’s actions as the Xindi storyline reaches its climax are a notable departure from his previously established character.  More than Archer, Reed especially has the most negative reaction to the MACOs’ presence. He clearly sees them as a threat to his own relevance on the Enterprise as head security officer, and gets into a bit of a dick-swinging contest with their commander.  He prevails in that conflict, but the tone of that aspect of the series changed notably.   Even after the threat was neutralized, the status quo was never regained.  Heading into season 4, the Enterprise’s missions were more military in nature, all the way to the final arc of anti-terrorist guerilla action.  The MACOs stayed on board, and the crew was more reactive than ever before in the final season.

Later this week, my take on season 4.  The good, the bad, the otherwise, and then we boldly go…

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

RUN, SON! : ENT “Fallen Hero”

- Forgive me, Commander. My attempt at humour. -

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

“Exile” and others

I’ve been KILLIN IT on the viewing front, not so much when it comes to writing about what I’ve seen.  I had a week off of work and managed to fight my way through most of season 2, and well into 3.  That being said, this was one of the stronger and more enjoyable episodes I’ve watched.

It’s part a riff on Beauty and the Beast or Phantom of the Opera, and part an excuse to watch Hoshi running around a castle in her nightgown.  The interactions between Hoshi and the telepathic alien (Tarquin) were interesting, in that he knew everything about her and she so little about him.  The more he reveals his intrusiveness, the more she pulls back.  He ends up becoming a sympathetic character, because he gives Archer and Co. what they need, without claiming Hoshi as his own to be a “companion” to him until her death.  We get more insight into Hoshi than we ever have; she’s been a fairly one-dimensional character thus far, other than her dalliance with another alien with a flair for language during the crew’s shore leave in “Two Days and Two Nights” (hashtag MILF alien).

This episode also manages to advance the Xindi storyline, which I am enjoying - the first two seasons were vaguely plagued by the Suliban, but the show has lacked a solid antagonist, which they now have in the wake of the attack.  In Tarquin’s reconciliation with Hoshi, he gains redemption by giving Archer insight into the gravitational waves of the expanse, and where the Xindi can be found.  The character comes off a little gothy/emo, but hits all the right notes in making us sympathetic towards him while being wary.

Some other favorites from the last couple weeks of viewing:

Stigma:  Insight into Vulcan culture, plus learning more about T’Pol

Cogenitor:  Alien sex threesomes ruined by Tucker; sometimes a womb is just a womb

Bounty:  Klingons!

The Expanse/Xindi:  A new enemy, a new purpose for Enterprise

Impulse: Zombie Vulcans!

As I go forward, I am intrigued by the presence of military on Enterprise.  Knowing that these episodes originally aired in 2003, I can’t help but see it as a reflection of growing American militarism at that time, as the government’s anti-terrorism initiatives extended their fingers into aspects of civilian life.  Heavily armed troops on board Enterprise certainly represent a departure from Enterprise’s previous mission of outreach, exploration and education; the conflict going forward should be Archer’s difficulty balancing his desire for revenge for the Xindi attack on Earth, and adherence to his ideals as a member of Starfleet.

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

Big Chunks

Since my last post, I’ve watched a LOT of Enterprise.  By that, I mean I am now almost through season two.  Rather than watching an episode and writing about it, I figured I’d take the time to just enjoy huge chunks of it at a time.

There have been highlights and lowlights, to be sure.  One of the aspects that I’ve most enjoyed is the character development of T’Pol.  Being a relative newcomer to the world of Star Trek, all I know is Vulcans = no emotion.  Seeing her “assaulted” by a mind-melder in “Fusion” with the subsequent follow-up discussion in “Stigma” is revealing.  I appreciate the aspects of her character which allow her to transcend stereotypes, and walk the line of human-Vulcan interaction.

Also of positive note is real adherence to the theme of exploration.  Archer and crew are committed to the mission of peaceful exploration, no matter what warmongering race or gelatinous blob tries to prevent them from accomplishing it.

Speaking of gelatinous blobs - the lowest point so far has to have occurred in “Vox Sola.”  A creature takes up residence in the Enterprise and traps crew members in what appears to be semen.  Gross.  And a pretty bad episode, to boot.

“Carbon Creek” was an interesting story as well, one which may have not even happened.  Seeing Vulcans interact with humans on Earth was entertaining to say the least, and the apocryphal nature of it made appreciate T’Pol even more.  Even if she remains stoic, she can at least appreciate that others enjoy a good story.

I finished watching “The Crossing” earlier this morning.  Being on vacation this week, while not actually going anywhere, means that I will be able to increase my intake significantly.  Stay tuned!

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

Another go.

A wedding and an M.Ed. later, I’m going to take another swing at this project of mine, picking up where I left off in “Enterprise”.  Come along!

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

Enterprise - "Silent Enemy"

So my initial speculation regarding this episode (strictly based on title) is that it has something to do with the Temporal Cold War.  To my initial disappointment, this is not the case.  However, this does manage to be an action-packed episode with some good space-fighting, some tension between crew members, good sci-fi techy stuff, and a marginally interesting subplot regarding Malcolm. I *think* I get what they were trying to do with the primary enemy here.  The ship that Enterprise encounters, hails, is ignored by and eventually is attacked by, is full of tall bipedal SILENT creatures who disarm the ship, board it, and scan two crew members.  Dr. Phlox describes the scans as "invasive" which made me laugh because I immediately went to anal probing in my mind.  Yup, I'm 33 years old.  The creatures, who look like "Grays" of contemporary crypto-alien studies only communicate with the Enterprise using Archer's own words, cutting and pasting a message he has sent them, rearranging it to order Enterprise to surrender.  As we all know, that won't happen so the audience is treated to a sequence of the crew beefing up its defenses and other systems.  This causes contention between Malcolm and Trip, but they do come together to recognize the necessity of working together. We got a little tease of the ship potentially returning to Earth.  This idea intrigues me, as I think it would be interesting to see how they react with people on the ground.  Do they become adventurers, telling tales of their travels through space?  Are they more like war veterans, battling a form of PTSD after seeing and experiencing things no other humans have encountered?  Or do they just wish to get back in the sky as quickly as possible, to continue the mission?  Some combination thereof?  We don't get to learn, as Archer decides the trip is unnecessary and the crew can get the Enterprise up to speed on their own. There is some interesting indirect characterization of Reed as Hoshi and Archer try to find his favorite food so they can properly celebrate his birthday.  The contact friends, family and everyone in between, to know avail and it's not until Phlox shares some information that they decide to make him a pineapple upside down cake.  What IS learned, is that Reed comes from a military family, is rather aloof from most of his family, including his parents, who he hasn't spoken to in months, and that he is intensely private.  Interestingly, I am watching all of these at StarTrek.com.  I have been watching in Firefox, and they have all been ad-free.  However, the past couple days the Flash plugin has been failing, so I watched this one in IE, and lo and behold, ADS!!!  How 20th century.  If I can't get the plugin to work in Firefox, I'll have to switch over to Chrome or something.

Haven't seen the movie yet - that probably won't be until June when my wife goes to Costa Rica with her students and I have some time to myself!

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

I'm trying to get an updated masterpost going around for new trekkies to find blogs that post Star Trek.

In an effort to draw new people in, I am trying to get a long list of Trek blogs together for people who may be looking to spruce up their dash.

If you post a lot of Star Trek (ANY FRANCHISE, AND REBOOT), reblog this, and I will add you to the list.

I’ll keep everyone tagged with a franchise as well, so feel free to add that information when you reblog.

Thank you!

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

Time out!

No episode review today - instead I'm immersing myself in SyFy's marathon of movies (OK, and the Bruins game tonight, and The Office finale, and finishing off the set of ninth grade essays I need to grade).

I will certainly be seeing Into Darkness eventually - maybe even tomorrow!

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

Enterprise is my favorite Trek for many, many reasons. One of them is the lighting, which is raw, like the show itself. It is used deliberately and pervasively to reflect the crude, hard, organic quality which sets Enterprise apart.

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

Enterprise - "Cold Front"

Time travel is a tricky thing.  As we've seen repeatedly in sci-fi, comic books and fantasy, it can be a too-convenient "reset button" for writer to wipe out past continuity, or it can be a playground for creators to write outside of canon and tell a story that the limitations of their universe wouldn't otherwise allow.  When done properly, it can allow writers to set the seeds for stories to come weeks, months, or even years down the road; it remains to be seen (for me anyway) which of these is being done in Enterpise. On one level, it seems I am getting my wish - the Temporal Cold War mentioned in "Broken Bow" is finally mentioned again, as the Suliban (along with their shadowy master, who looks vaguely like scrambled porn) return to oppose the work of the crew of the Enterprise.  This thread being picked up yet again does help establish (again, for me) the Suliban as a primary enemy who can be seen working behind the scenes, this time to avenge the failure of their Klingon invasion in the season premiere. Captain Archer and company arrive at a stellar nursery, where a group of religious pilgrims await a rare event with spiritual significance.  One of them however, is a Suliban in disguise.  In what appears to be an act of sabotage, Silik, the aforementioned lizard-faced Suliban, actually saves the Enterprise, preventing an anti-matter cascade when the ship goes through a plasma storm.  This leads to one of the Enterprise crew members (Daniels, who we meet for the first time) revealing that he is actually from 900 years in the future, and is here to prevent the Suliban from interfering further.  This serves as an introduction to the basis of the Temporal Cold War - a conflict between those who want to stick to the accords which say time travel may only be used for research and those who would use it for their own gain.  Daniels dies in confrontation with Silik, and Archer has his quarters quarantined until further notice. This episode is noticeably different in tone from those previous.  Where as the ending of the others so far have resulted in a return to the status quo, this leaves the audience with more questions than answers.  What was Silik's interest in the Enterprise in the first place?  Was Daniels telling the truth about the TCW and his role?  Noticeable (especially after the last episode) is that Archer believes him with ease after Daniels shows him a 3D representation of the time stream.  Is Daniels easy for Archer to accept because of his human heritage?  It's a fairly outlandish story that Archer buys into quickly.  On the other hand, is Silik the one telling the truth when he repeats that HE was the one who saved Enterprise, and maybe the accident with the plasma storm wasn't entirely an accident. At the end of this, I am hopeful - I feel as though there are some seeds planted to work with down the road, and that I'll be rewarded for keeping up with characters like Silik who come and go.  I hear that the 3rd and 4th seasons have a lot more serialization and ongoing plots, but at least the TCW will be there to pop in from time to time - as long as time travel remains a rarity, and doesn't function simply as a device to plug plot holes.

Should out to gypsyslounge for the kind words!  Enjoy, everyone!

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

Send the reasons why you love (classic) Star Trek to whyweloveclassictrek and spread the word, please! If you would like to remain anonymous, just let me know and I will type your submission as a new post and won’t link to your blog.

[starfleetvirgin-blog]

Enterprise - "Fortunate Son"

From the title, I was expecting some allusion to the Creedence Clearwater Revival song, perhaps about a young human who manages to avoid service to Starfleet despite his parents' expectations.  However, very different.  The family dynamic is explored however, as we learn that Ensign "Money" Mayweather (I can only assume he's meant to be a desecendant of Floyd) was born running the cargo routes of the Milky Way, and was "fortunate" enough to escape that fate and actually JOIN Starfleet. The episode opens with a Star Wars-esque fly by of a ship that is clearly not the Enterprise, but instead a freighter that is then attacked by "Nausicans", a pirate race who we learn look remarkably similar to Predators.  I guess Arnold Schwarzenegger and Co. didn't get rid of them after all, as they patrol the spaceways, jumping cargo ships and stealing raw materials.  The ship has been disable and the Enterprise is there to help, which the ship's crew reluctantly accepts. As the audience gets the reveal that the cargo ship (the Fortunate) has not only fought off the intruders but taken a hostage, it forces us to confront our own notions of xenophobia, racism, and right and wrong.  The hostage has been beaten and tortured in an effort to extract shield codes, under the auspice of the first mate/acting captain of the Fortunate.  This is an act motivated by rage and revenge, as the man, named Ryan wants to avenge not only his captain, who was wounded in the battle, but his family, who perished at the hands of Nausican pirates years ago.  As an audience we are typically treated to easy answers when it comes to seeing who is in the right and who is wrong in any situation.  Here, while we can abhor the actions of the pirates, we must equally discredit the beating and torture delivered by Ryan.  We are accustomed especially to seeing humans as "good guys" while aliens are the "other", the enemy.  In this case, the roles are ambiguous, as neither has the moral imperative of rightness. Speaking of moral imperative, that seems to be Cpt. Archer's specialty.  Ensign "Money" argues for allowing the freighters to handle the situation in their own fashion.  Like them, he grew up on the cargo lanes and is accustomed to the informal system of justice that they have, and remonstrates with Archer, saying they should be left alone to act as they please.  Archer in turn reminds Mayweather that humans have a code of behavior that they adhere to no matter what, and that the code isn't and shouldn't ever be driven by revenge.  This of course changes Mayweather's tune, and he has a Big Speech Moment where he addresses Ryan ship-to-ship and implores Ryan to give up the hostage in exchange for free passage away from the Nausicans (who are seeking to retrieve their man) - and that's exactly what happens. This episode takes the Enterprise off of its course for a brief while but reinforces the characterization of Archer as a man of integrity.  The only other character who is developed here is Mayweather - we learn about his past, giving us insight to his motivations, but also learn that he has a devotion to doing the right thing, as Archer reminds him.  Thematically, the audience is able to see that the Enterprise, while having fidelity to its mission, will deviate when it has the opportunity to fulfill its moral obligation to help others.  There is no long term plot development in this episode, with the possible exception of the introduction of the Nausicans, although they don't strike me as a major threat down the road.

Anyone out there reading these?  Drop me a line at starfleet.virgin@gmail.com!