Enterprise 09-24-03

[Brown Jenkin]

I had a bigger problem. Why didn't Enterprise cut a deal or even ask these aliens anything about the Xindi? Are they Xindi? Enterprise doesn't know because they have only identified 3 of the 5 Xindi races. If they are not Xindi you have an obviously large power that has multiple ships and the ability to maintain a quarintine. We also know at least some Xindi hang out in this area because Enterprise is following the Xindi ship path from the database they got from the Mauraders. Why not ask the question? Surely such a powerful race with good ships (They outran Enterprise) would know about the Xindi. Once again it seems to me they are just using the Xindi as window dressing so that they can do the same old stories again and again. If the Xindi are so important why are we spending time on these pointless stories and not focusing on the Xindi and making logical choices that would be involved in finding them. Thats right I forgot, the reason that no one ever mentioned Archer or this Enterprise in the future is that they are incompetant fools who embarass the Federation.

 

[buzzard]

The episode just didn't do it for me. At best it was OK, but the ending was a serious let down. The whole idiocy about Archer keeping the virus was too much. Of course the level of suspension of disbelief required to believe that a race that could develop such a virus couldn't defeat sterility is also a bit troubling.

Now the Jake 2.0 episode was pretty good. That show is showing some promise.

buzzard

 

[BobROE]

Hmm didn't even play on Canadian channels last night. They had some other 1-800-something show in its place...

It played here in Toronto, so some Canadian channels played it.

 

[Umbran]

I had a bigger problem. Why didn't Enterprise cut a deal or even ask these aliens anything about the Xindi?

One of the basic rules of fiction is this: Don't include information that doesn't advance the story or characterization. Thus, if the aliens didn't have anything new or interesting, or aksing doesn't have any particular reprecussions, you don't bother showing the question on screen.

Btw, we don't know that these aliens were "a powerful race with good ships". They had ships slightly faster than Enterprise, but that's not saying much, as the Enterprise is only fast by Earth standards. In fact, I suggest to you that these aliens were not particularly powerful. They used flamethrowers rather than energy weapons. Their ships may have been faster than Enterprise, but they backed down from a fight when Tripp warned them to not try to force their way aboard, which is likely an indication that they could tell they shouldn't take the Enterprise lightly. Nor could their science find a cure for the virus, while Phlox's could. They don't sound terribly advanced to me.

 

[Brown Jenkin]

One of the basic rules of fiction is this: Don't include information that doesn't advance the story or characterization. Thus, if the aliens didn't have anything new or interesting, or aksing doesn't have any particular reprecussions, you don't bother showing the question on screen.

Which goes to my point of the Xindi just being window dressing. If the real purpose of this season is to hunt down the Xindi then including them asking for help wherever they can is part of the story and should be shown. By not showing them asking basic questions about the Xindi however I am being told that this is not important, The conclusion I reach is that the Xindi are not as important to this season as we are lead to believe, and that they are just a plot device to put enterprise in this part of space where they can operate without running into continuity issues.

Btw, we don't know that these aliens were "a powerful race with good ships". They had ships slightly faster than Enterprise, but that's not saying much, as the Enterprise is only fast by Earth standards. In fact, I suggest to you that these aliens were not particularly powerful. They used flamethrowers rather than energy weapons. Their ships may have been faster than Enterprise, but they backed down from a fight when Tripp warned them to not try to force their way aboard, which is likely an indication that they could tell they shouldn't take the Enterprise lightly. Nor could their science find a cure for the virus, while Phlox's could. They don't sound terribly advanced to me.

But at the same time Enterprise was running from them and trying to talk them out of destrorying thier ship until the doctor could develop a cure. If they were no match for Enterprise, then Tripp could have just held his ground. The reason they used flame throwers was to kill the virus, energy weapons only leave a hole in the corpse and the virus could survive in undamaged portions of the body. But even for the sake of arguement if they are not big and bad, they do have fast ships and planets with billions of people. As such I would expect them to have at least passing aquaintence with who thier neighbors are. Just because the Canadian Military is not as powerful as the US Military doesn't mean they don't know who the other nations are around the world.

 

[mojo1701]

Hmm didn't even play on Canadian channels last night. They had some other 1-800-something show in its place...

Where do you live? We could catch it on City at 8. Usually do.

1-800-missing, right? I heard of it. It's on the New PL here (New VR, I think, if you're near Toronto. Stationed in Barrie, I think.)

 

[ColonelHardisson]

The episode just didn't do it for me. At best it was OK, but the ending was a serious let down. The whole idiocy about Archer keeping the virus was too much. Of course the level of suspension of disbelief required to believe that a race that could develop such a virus couldn't defeat sterility is also a bit troubling.

I must have missed something; I didn't know sterility was the cause of the problem. I got the impression that they had been at war with another race (maybe the antagonists of the episode) and the war had led to their extinction. That seemed interesting to me, but I guess I must not have been listening closely enough, since I seem to be dead wrong!

Archer keeping the virus had some chilling implications, especially considering the haunted, on-the-edge mood he's been in. I could see him dumping that virus on the Xindi homeworld...

 

[mojo1701]

Archer keeping the virus had some chilling implications, especially considering the haunted, on-the-edge mood he's been in. I could see him dumping that virus on the Xindi homeworld...

I dunno. Remember the speech about stopping the Xindi from destroying humanity, and then not wanting to be responsible for the death of another race? It doesn't seem like the Archer or human or even the Starfleet-type thing to do.

But then again, maybe that's how the Xindi homeworld is destroyed...

 

[Umbran]

If the real purpose of this season is to hunt down the Xindi then including them asking for help wherever they can is part of the story and should be shown.

No, it shouldn't. The Xindi are supposed to be a longer-term plot. So, you can't expect them to get much information for a while. So, most of the question-asking would be repeated, "Here's the information you have, but you have it already," which is still boring. The fact that it's about an important point doesn't stop repetition from being dramatically tedious.

If they were no match for Enterprise, then Tripp could have just held his ground.

There's a world of space between "no match for" and "can take lightly". They weren't willing to take the risk until the Enterprise forced the issue by actually tried to run the blockade. That indicates taht there was some level of risk. If there's some level of risk, then these guys are not particularly powerful, because this Enterprise is not particularly powerful.

The reason they used flame throwers was to kill the virus, energy weapons only leave a hole in the corpse

Um, how many people have we seen vaporized or disintegrated by phasers in the history of Trek? If they were powerful, they could do lots better than simple flames. And, do you note the basic illogic to trying to get rid of the virus in one body, when the whole planet is obviously riddled with the stuff?

As such I would expect them to have at least passing aquaintence with who thier neighbors are. Just because the Canadian Military is not as powerful as the US Military doesn't mean they don't know who the other nations are around the world.

Ah, but apparently the Xindi aren't just a nation. Apparently, they are a nation that's hiding. Otherwise, as you said, they'd be easy to find. The fact that they are not easy to find should suggest that simple solutions like asking the guy on teh street isn't going to work

 

[Orius]

Enterprise - Extinction

Archer, Reed and Hoshi are exposed to a highly contagious virus while exploring a tropical alien world.

Here we go...

In a word -- boring.

I have seen this type of thing done on Star Trek so many times that this episode bored me to death. Yawn. Disease tranforms the crew. Vulcan is once again immune to disease. God, this was such a boring episode. The only good moment was at the end when Acher told Phlox not to destroy the virus sample -- Archer clearly remembers everything that happened, and he knows how much survival meant to this race. But that was less than five minutes of good stuff in about 40 minutes of pure dreck.