Template:Realworld After apparently causing the destruction of an alien colony, the Enterprise is called back to Earth. Archer learns via Daniels that the Suliban are trying to sabotage Enterprise's mission. (Season Finale)
Summary
The Enterprise is on its way to meet with the colonists of Paraagan II. This colony has been growing very fast since the initial 30 miners arrived there 20 years ago. The population is now about 3600. Since the mining operations release large amounts of tetrazine into the atmosphere, the shuttlepod from Enterprise has to follow a strict protocol to prevent igniting it with its propulsion system. However, something goes wrong and the atmosphere suddenly explodes, causing a massive shockwave that wipes out the entire colony in a few seconds.
This accident leaves everyone aboard the Enterprise devastated, especially Captain Archer, who puts full blame on himself. But the worst news comes to him from Admiral Maxwell Forrest when the latter says that, at the suggestion of Vulcan Ambassador Soval, Enterprise's mission has been officially canceled. Even if all logs seem to tell that the shuttlepod did nothing wrong, and a strange reading discovered by Malcolm seems to suggest that there is more than there appears to be, Archer remains despondent.
Silik receives his orders from the mysterious Humanoid Figure.
When Archer goes to bed, he is suddenly transported back 10 months in the past. This is exactly the same past and he can remember everything that happened all those months ago. He, however, is still the same man he was on the Enterprise. He then encounters Crewman Daniels who had brought him back in time. He wants to help Archer discover the truth, because the Enterprise's mission must go on to preserve the timeline. As this would probably be in violation of the Temporal Accords, he explains a plan that will uncover the Suliban's involvement in the explosion and warns the captain to follow it very carefully to prevent any butterfly effects in the timeline.
Back in the present, Archer tells his senior staff what happened and what they are to do next. The first thing they find is that the strange EM readings in fact came from a cloaked device whose purpose was to ignite the atmosphere while putting the blame on the shuttlepod's engines. They then proceed to check the specifications of a Suliban cloaked ship in a database still in Daniels' (now isolated) quarters. With the information (and a tip from Daniels saying where to find the ship), they plan an operation to steal data disks containing ship logs that will prove the Enterprise innocent.
With the information from Daniels, the assault team has a clear advantage over the Suliban and they are able to steal the data disks very easily.
31st century Earth in ruins
Back on Enterprise, things looks much brighter, as they are able to prove that the explosion wasn't their fault, effectively exonerating Enterprise. T'Pol is, however, still skeptical about the time travel explanation for all this as Vulcan scientists have proved time travel to be impossible. But trouble comes again, as the Suliban have help from the future as well. Enterprise begins experiencing warp field problems and soon detects Suliban cell ships surrounding them. Silik hails them, saying that he wants the captain.
Even though he is willing to sacrifice himself to protect his crew, Archer never makes it to the Suliban shuttle, as he is time-transported again, this time to the future. There he walks through ruins before encountering a frightened Daniels. He explains that he transported the captain to the 31st century to protect him, but he suspects his actions have not gone unpunished, as the ruins were his base of operation and there is no time portal left intact, trapping Archer in the future.
Memorable Quotes
"Ahh, to be Vulcan..."
- - Phlox, to T'Pol
"You know, this has gotta be the first time a Vulcan has ever attempted to cheer up a human."
- - Archer, to T'Pol
"Commander Tucker told me you were dead... that Silik killed you."
"He did, in a manner of speaking. We need to talk Captain."
- - Archer and Daniels
"Can't you ever give a straight answer?"
"Depends on the question."
- - Archer and Daniels
"I thought you were supposed to protect the timeline, not screw with it."
"It's already been... screwed with, Captain."
- - Archer and Daniels
"With all due respect sir... This is a level of quantum engineering that's beyond anything I ever learned. How the hell do you know this?"
"Remember Crewman Daniels?"
"Yeah. I saw him get vaporized by our friend Silik."
"Well for a cloud of vapor, he's one wealth of information. I just spent 2 hours with him."
- - Tucker and Archer
"Remember, no cheese."
- - Archer, to Sato
Background Information
- This episode marks the end of the first season of Star Trek: Enterprise.
- Enterprise was the first Star Trek series to end on a cliff-hanger at the end of its first season. There was some discussion, between executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, about whether Enterprise's first season finale would be a cliffhanger. On 16 January 2002, Berman stated that the odds of it being so were "most likely." (Star Trek: Communicator issue 137, p. 85)
- In an interview for Star Trek: The Magazine conducted shortly before the filming of this season finale, Mayweather actor Anthony Montgomery stated about the episode, "When I read the finale, I got chills." (Star Trek: The Magazine Volume 3, Issue 3, p. 19)
- This episode continues T'Pol's disbelief in time travel based on the Vulcan Science Directorate's conclusions (as previously seen in "Cold Front").
- In the scene where Archer and Reed are exploring the holographic device in Daniels' quarters, various future starships can be seen, including Template:ShipClass and Template:ShipClass starships that appeared in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, respectively.
- A script from this episode was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [1]
- The book Star Trek 101, by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block, lists this episode and the concluding part of its two-parter as being, together, one of the "Ten Essential Episodes" from Star Trek: Enterprise.
Video and DVD releases
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 1.13, 18 November 2002.
- This was the last volume of Enterprise released on VHS, due to the dwindling home video market and PHE choosing to focus on the DVD format.
- As part of the ENT Season 1 DVD collection.
Links and references
Starring
- Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer
- John Billingsley as Doctor Phlox
- Jolene Blalock as Subcommander T'Pol
- Dominic Keating as Lieutenant Malcolm Reed
- Anthony Montgomery as Ensign Travis Mayweather
- Linda Park as Ensign Hoshi Sato
- Connor Trinneer as Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III
Guest stars
- John Fleck as Silik
- Matt Winston as Daniels
- Vaughn Armstrong as Maxwell Forrest
- James Horan as the Humanoid Figure
Co-stars
Uncredited co-stars
- Jef Ayres as Haynem
- Mark Correy as Alex
- Hilde Garcia as Rossi
- Glen Hambly as a operations division ensign (deleted scene)
- Cheri Isabella as an operations division crewman
- Martin Ko as a command division ensign
- Marlene Mogavero as an operations division crewman
- Thelma Tyrell as an operations division crewman
- Mark Watson as an operations division crewman
- Gary Weeks as an operations division crewman
- Unknown performers as Paraagan colony personnel (display graphic)
References
Archer, Henry; atmospheric analysis; bee; Bible movie; borocarbon; bread pudding; cloaking generator; Command Council; data disk; Denobulan; Earth; EM signature; equal rights; foreman; gigawatt; IME; inspection pod; Klaang; logic; matriarchal society; mining; New Sausalito; Paraagan; Paraagan II; Paraagan homeworld; particle weapon; parts per million; phase cannon; phase discriminator; plasma duct; plasma stream; positron-based; probe; quantum beacon; quantum engineering; Rutan Voyager; Shuttlepod 1; Soval; Starfleet Medical; stun grenade; Suliban stealth cruiser; Temporal Accord; Temporal Cold War; tetrazine; time portal; time travel; Vulcan High Command; Vulcan Science Directorate;
External link
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Star Trek: Enterprise Season 1 |
Next episode: "Shockwave, Part II" |