Just catching the Sunday rerun and thought I would post a few thoughts on the episode...
Good opening and fight on the the Klingon Bird of Prey. I think they made a wise choice using J G Hertzler (DS9's General Martok, among other things) as the Kilngon Captain. Not unlike Michael Dorn playing his own ancestor as the Klingon Advocate Col. Worf in ST VI: The Undiscovered Country and, of course, Brent Spiner's three episode mini-arc as Arik Soong currently being revealed.
What's up with allowing Soong to write reams and reams of thoughts out only paper only to "vaporize" them? Do you think they figure it's a good way to keep him busy? I caught the bit about not letting him have an electronic pad, but still, why allow the indulgence? I wonder if we'll find out down the road that they are actually studying his theories, and perhaps using them for other things (shades of Section 31?)
Regarding the Vulcan wedding, Trip does ask T'Pol in passing about her honeymoon, though she blows off the question. I like the compass/gift given to her by Archer (for her promotion). Odd that he doesn't get into a discussion about her now being married. It seems to me that at times they they were definitely moving in a direction of hooking up T'Pol and Archer romantically, such as in Enterprise epsiode
Twilight. Later, when T'Pol revisits the issue with Trip in sickbay, the ship is attacked before they can get very far into the subject. I wonder if Coto is going to keep using little tricks like that to keep them apart. A little too much like Han and Leia, isn't it?
I wonder why the Orion males where that facial jewelry that looks like Borg implants?
Jeffrey Pearce, the Enterprise crewman T'Pol calms down in the cage, might turn out to be a good secondary character if they allow him to get over his panic attacks. Selling for such a low price isn't going to help his self-esteem.
The Big Show does do a fine job in his role as an Orion slave trader. The size difference between him and Blalock is very pronounced and used to good affect when he's shaking her around with joy at the price she brings in. Very funny, indeed.
How many other ST races did you notice among the slaves and the buyers? I saw a few I thought I recognized but will have to do a little digging before I can be sure. Wasn't the one that bought T'Pol a Tellarite? Here's a place to get some help -
http://www.70disco.com/lostrace.htm
That was a nice touch on how Archer recaptured Soong by releasing the handcuffs. One shot of him hnaging there was a bit too obvious that it was a double, but I imagine it took a while to get the shot and they didn't want Spiner hanging there all day himself.
I think it is interesting that the Augments aren't killing people left and right. Malik talks as if he wants to kill everyone and is calmed by Soong, but at no time when he is in battle with anyone does he use lethal force. I wonder if that is part of some creed they will reveal later.
Overall, good episode. More later if I think of anything...
