:: Star Trek 1964 - Today ::

:: Wednesday, January 05, 2005 ::

In the history of Star Trek Surak and T'Pau are the most senior and most revered of Vulcans. Spock, the most famous of Star Fleets alumni is related to both of them. The three episodes I am about to review cover the early part of Spocks family around the time of his Grandfather Skon, yet the produscer, directors and writers have chosen to keep him out of it. Perhaps having two new figures (T'Pau and Surak) in the script was enough, I don't know. Perhaps in a future episode they can include him, before the birth of Sarak in 2164.

The three episode spread in Enterprise was:

• The Forge
• Awakening
• Kir'Shara

These episodes together give you the equivalent of a movie or mini-series and are a great history fold-back for the whole Star Trek Fantasy. It all starts with a terrorist explosion at the Earth Embassy on Vulcan, where Admiral Forest is killed and Ambassador Soval is injured along with a large fatality rate amongst locals and Humans. So far the story is keeping contemporanious with the real world terrorist threat. Enterprise is sent post haste to assist in finding out who and why, as well as the indentity of the dead and management of the injured. Such an event on Vulcan, is certainly illogical and the High Command makes an initial accusation that the Andorians did it. Reminiscent of the initial reaction from the government of Spain at the syncronised train bombings (basq separatists) and the US at 911 (Iraq), both of which turned out to be false, being Al Qaida in both instances. Late on a second suspect is found from DNA evidence which Soval suggests, needs to be doubted. Phlox studies the evidence and finds it is a planted sample of T'Pau when she was a baby.

T'Pau is a young woman in this episode, even though she is around 80 earth years. In the past we know her as a High Prietess of Vukcan Logica, the one that officiated at Spock's marriage to T'Pring in Amok Time where she is certainly an old and repected Vulcan. Here she concedes to a request for a battle to the death from T'Pring in her devious attempts to gain power in the Vulcan political world, but rather than choosing Stronn, her secret lover as her defender, she chooses James T Kirk to fight Spock. Such a fight is doomed to failure because of the unequal nature of the combatants and the thin atmosphere on Vulcan. Kirk is killed and transported by a grieving McCoy back to the Enterprise, followed by Spock, clearly affected by what has transpired.

T'Pring is found out for her manipulation of things and Spock finds out his good friend Kirk is safe and unaffected, certainly not dead. Later on we find T'Pau in the attempt to re integrate Spocks katra with the boy found on Genesis planet. There you have T'Pau in a nutshell, it is possible the character pops up in the novels of one kind or the other that have sprung up about then series, I have only read a couple of them, so I can't comment about that side of things.

In the 22nd century we find T'Pau is part of n underground Syrranite faction, one that believes that the Vulcan High Command and all of Vulcan have strayed far from the teachings of Surak. They live in the desert, the Forge and are by the nature of their belief in Logic and the way of Surak non-violent. T'Pol is the first to notice the logical inadequacies of the Vulcan High Commands suspisions, and leads the Enterprise to questioning them about their claims, but not before T'Pol and Archer are on their way into The Forge.

Deep in the Vulcan Desert called "The Forge" Archer is exposed to the intense heat, and the reflective nature of the sand. After offering water to T'Pol, Archer is advised that being Vulcan she wouldn't probably need a drink for anothet three days. After offering shade for her eyes, Archer is informed that Vulcans have internal second eyelids, that they had evolved on Vulcan, putting Archers gallantry in its place.

They meet up with Kuvak a Syrannite who helps them avoid some unfriendly creatures

More tomorrow at the next post.

:: Clifford 9:47 pm [+] ::
... (0) comments :: Sunday, March 21, 2004 ::

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So this is what humans look like

The episode starts with a ruffled and untidy Captain Archer on board a shuttle sized alien spacecraft with Degra, Xindi Primate and builder of the Xindi Weapon Archer is searching for. They are being chased by Xindi-Insectoid fighters, and fired upon. From Degra's point of view, he has no memory of the last 3 years, and he has apparently been encaserated with Archer after the Xindi-Insectoid species took over form the council. From Archers point of view things are somewhat different. He has set up this scenario in the shuttle bay, in order to decieve Degra into giving the location of the primary Xindi weapon facility. A deception that seems to be working. By this method, Archer learns about Azati Prime, a planet orbiting a Red Giant, gets Degra to input the co-ordinates, although incripted, and an analysis of what's left of the computer data on Degra's ship gives them the name of his children.

Degra, designer of the Xindi super weapon

Degra discovers the subterfuge, the Strategem, and tries to knife Archer, which ends the simulation the deception is running in, and puts Degra back in the brig. Another deception using the Enterprise itself elicits a response required to confirm Azati Prime's location (Degra had understandably lied about when, in the simulation, he had become aware of the deception in the shuttle bay.

A rather "Mission Impossible" feel to the episode gives a plot different from the usual fare, which shows the weekness of Degra to the whole idea of blowing up a whole world. As a family man he wonders how many of the seven million lost in the first attack on Erath were children. Obviously the demonisation of the Human species by the warrior Insectoids and their Reptillian partners has failed to infect the consciense of the Primate and Arborial species. I guess we will soon find out who , amongst the Xindi is responsible for the lie that Earth will destroy the as yet established Xindi homeworld, and who, from the future is messing with our timeline, something crewman Daniels will have to nut out.

:: Clifford 5:24 pm [+] ::
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Star Trek: Enterprise Episode 065

The Andorian-Vulcan rivalry rears its head

We approach the site where the WMD is being tested, whilst on its way, the Enterprise gets caught in one of the many anomolies of the Expanse, slightly different than the past. Fortunately the Blue Skinned Andoreans are looking for the Enterprise for reasons of their own in the seriously non-Eucliding Expanse.

Enterprise gets caught in the anomalies and the Andorians find them and pull them out with a tractor beam (a piece of technology the Earth bipedal lifeforms have yet to encounter. Who should be their but the well known Andorian Imperial Guardsman and commander Shran. What ever his motives, Shran appears comfortable with Captain Archer, and smug with Lieutenant Commander T'Pol being late of the Vulcan High Command and Science Directorate.

Shran and his crew confront the Xindi from their bridge

Shran offers to help Enterprise with it's repairs, where Trip (Commander Tucker) develops a relationship with one of the Andorians, a female of course, Talas played by Molly Brink (no picture yet). T'Pol warns Archer of the Andorian duplicity and a new level of respect develops between some of the crew and the Andorians. During the repairs Shran offers to help with the mission to capture the Xindi weapon, out of the desire for mutual cooperation between the species and possibly to set up a wedge between Earth and Vulcan. Of course the Andorians see the Xindi weapon as a means to overcome the percieved Vulcan superiority over them. Thus, by deseption of the Xindi the Andorians end up with the weapon and Enterprise on their tail.

With the disabled Andorian vesssel limping in space and the Xindi weapon destroyed, Shran refuses assistance from Archer and Entreprise continues with the data plans of the weapon safely ensconsed in it's own computers with a little subterfuge by Archer. We know, from Star Trek TOS, that the Andorians end up becoming part of the Federation, but it won't happen just yet, I'd say.

:: Clifford 9:31 pm [+] ::
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Series 3: 055 Extinction

This episode involves Captain Archer, Lietenant Reed and T'Pol in a mutagenic trip to a world with a past, but of no use to the search for the Xindi. Archer found this Mutara class planet had been visited by the Xindi and therefore worth investigating. Unfortunately, in a lapse of judgement on Archers part, the expedition party, they didn't use envirenmental protection suites and promtly walked into a biological hazard, a virus which altered the humans to an alien life form called the Loque'eque. They didn't speak English, and it only minimally affected our Science Officer, T'Pol, "must be her green blood", Dr. McCoy would have said.

During the time I was growing up and learning most things, the 60's and early 70's in particular, it seemed that our DNA was fixed and unchangeable whilst in our bodies. We new that changes at conception (sometimes random) can cause deformities in babies, but usually, if you had a genetic disease, it was due to you being born with it, you inherited it from your parents. We also new that radiation from the nuclear bomb or exposure could cause cancer, which is the body going haywire, the normal controls in your genes not working. More recently we have found that virus's of a particular kind can alter the very double helix itself, within a cell and hide there, reperdusing itself when the cell divides, or even causing such a division. So it is plausable to extend the idea to some time in the future or some more advanced alien culture, able to produce a virus that can mutagenitally alter an alien creature (homo sapienn sapien in this case) to there own form in order to preserve the species.

The other thing that happens initially is a drive by the new Urquart, lead by a Captain Archer nevertheless, to find their city Urquart. Un undercround civilisation many centuries empty and abandoned. The unaffected and exceptionally logically T'Pol tries, without success, to convince her mutagenic friends, that Urquart is no more. Now this devolves down to the never proven genetic memory, do we, or any other species retain a memory from our parents. I personnally don't think so, neither do I believe a virus could hold such a thing, however it served as it does in Star Trek, in that suspension of unbelief worked for me whilst watching the episode.

To top off the other problems above our intrepid crew have to face, an alien force arrives determined to wipe them out to avoid a plague on there home planet, which had happened in the past, causing many deaths. Of course Dr Phlox comes to the rescue with an antigen that works, surprisingly fast, considering what had to be done, and the aliens setting a dead line!

AS the Enterprise NX-01 makes it's way through the Expanse, after the Xindi in it's endeavor to destroy the Earth before the Erath destroys their planet, we will see whether the great and galant crew we know so well, will be able to solve this problem, one the Vulcans can't. La Vat Buton directed this episode and the episode was written by Andre Bormania. Congratulations for a unique episode and an excellent acting from the crew as alien Loque'eque. For some transcrpts of interview with Andre co to An Interview With Andre Bormanian an excellent introduction to this man and his association with Star Trek.

:: Clifford 6:35 pm [+] ::
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Twilight

Enterprise: Episode 60

A transphasic lifeform has infected Captain Archer's brain, causing serious short term memory loss from the date of the infection. This was caused by one of the spatial anomolies that inhabit the Expanse, a form of navigation hazard I have never had to put up with around Australia when I flew light aircraft. Archer saves T'Pol from an aproaching anomaly by releasing her from a fallen beam.

Next thing he knows, he is 11 years in the future with no recollection of the intervening time. T'pol, dressed in civies and looking just as gorgeous as 11 years ago (she is Vulcan after all), briefs him ecery day on where and when and why he is, loyally looking after her captain, even after he is no longer fit for command. This episode further establishes the relationship T'Pol has with Captain Archer, and the extent of her loyalty. She attributes it to him saving her life, you can draw your own conclusions. Through these briefings we learn of the destruction of the Earth by the Zindi and the hunting of remnant humans to their death. Ceti Alpa IV is the last colony.

Soval travels to the colony to convince T'Pol to leave the doomed Earth Colony, and sweetens the deal with re-instatement to the Vulcan Science Directorate. She galantly refuses to stay by Archer in "his" time of need. Phlox finally discovers the time dependance of the infection and a means of curing him that requires the warp drive to run. The Xindi learn of this and pull out all stops to halt this event.

A battle between Enterprise and the Xindi is where this technique is applied to Archer, the battle destroys the Enterprise but the cure for Archer works. The multi-phasic infection was independant of the time-line abd removing them brought Archer back to Enterprise 11 years in the past with no one the wiser except himself, and a different outcome with Archer at the controls, maybe Earth will be saved from the Xindi.

I was in tears during this episode, I guess I got involved with T'Pol and the destruction of the Earth etc. It is certainly a five star ***** eoisode, one your girl friend could watch:)

:: Clifford 5:52 pm [+] ::
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Exile

Season 3, Episode 58

Ensign Hoshi Sato is the star of this episode where she is haunted by a telepathic alien who reside alone on a planet. With the promise of a line to the Xindi, the alien encourages Hoshi to spend a few day with him whilst he uses his mysterious powers to divine an origin of a Xindi part gleaned from the wreckage of the probe which cut the swathe of destruction across Florida and the Carribean.

This is a mild criticism of the assumptions written into the script. Telepathy, long a Vulcan mystical skill (mind meld) I find illogical in the true sceptic sense that our resident Vulcan should be advising, yet Star Trek accepts such mysticisms a par for the course and part of the space travel experience. I can't help feeling that when we do meet aliens and can travel faster than current engineering can take seriously, such mysticism will remain subjective and rare. The Amazing Randi of the day will be running around debunking such beliefs just as the real James Randi has done and continues to do today.

Back to "Exile", we find Hoshi being analysed by this alien and him seeking to persuade her to stay with him. I doing so, we learn a bit more about our Enterprise Communications Officer, and she deals admirably with this lonely but powerful, long liveling exile. Perhaps one day there will be a scientific explanation.

In the end Hoshi gets a link to a Xindi world and is free from his agressive reaxtion to her telling him "no, I don't want to stay with you!". Even with his understanding of her inner conflict and isolation due to her high intelligence I would say. Coming out of this shining is Hoshi, and a better understanding of this oft malined character

:: Clifford 5:29 pm [+] ::
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Enterprise: Anomaly

Series 3: 054

Ready for adventure!!

The Enterprise encounters some "gravimetric" amomalies which are curious and down right dangerous. Archer cup of coffee in slow motion free fall in his quarters to the destabilisation of the warp drive, all combine to bring her to a halt with nothing but one quarter impulse power to get underway.

They encounter a derelect space ship which has nineteen dead aliens and evidence of a violent fight on board prior to the ship running ourt of life support. The cause of this sad event becomes clear when a marauder prirate ship attacks and leberates the Enterprise of essential good and articles, leaving it to a short life span in the Expanse.

Recovering a little our intrepid crew move on to discover a curious anomalous area of space with evidence of the pirate ship making and entrance and 9 hours later departing. Archer decides to enter and within they find a huge sphere over a thousand years old and unmanned, except for where the bad guys have left their stolen booty. Of course Enterproise investigates and recovers most of what was taken from them.

On the cargo section inside this space station they find a cargo manifest that shows a Zindi object. During the Alien Pirate Attack one of them is captured, which puts Archer in a rational quandry. A creman is dead because of the Alien Pirates and he has one who has been on a Xindi ship recently. Ensign Hoshi having read the Pirates Cargo Manifest. With torture in the form of depriving the Alien of Air in a decompression chamber used normally to transfer crew between the inside of the space ship and the vacuum of space outside. This amounts to toture, we know it, and Archer knows it. His anger about the Xindi attack on Earth and his dead crewman motivate him to interigate this reluctant witness rather violently. Fortunately the alien doesn't die, but is prepared to advise the Captain that they have am Xindi database on board the pirate ship.

This is where more action occurs as Archer manoevers Enterprise to within 1 kilometer of them in order for Hoshi to download (with the alien supplied encryption codes) the Xindi database. The aliens don't cooperate and with a repaired Enterprise the aliens end up second best. We are left with Archer contemplating the Xindi database. One step closer to ththeir destination in the Expanse.

:: Clifford 4:02 pm [+] ::
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