Just wanted to point out they didn’t crash through a wall but rather a shade, divider. Or somehting like a Japanese screen. Easily toppled. Which doesn’t negate the fact that it was fool hardy and something … human. What would I have done? Returned to the ship, scan it like cazy. Maybe beam down some small observation devices and find out before I threw myself into an unknown situation.
COMMUNICATION I was at a Star Trek site, not the official one, but really close. They mentioned that FTL communication was only possible while the ship was traveling FTL. That clearly doesn’t fix the colony situation though. Hmm, can’t find it now but it had a huge message board. I think the site was semi-official.
At that precise moment, I was thinking “For a race with no emotions, they seem to have an unusual affection for ancient relics.” I believe it was exactly then that I figured out that the monks were hiding something, and it took about .5 seconds to guess what it was.
Osiris, if that is going to be the new rule for FTL communication, they should at least establish that in dialog. As it is, the producers don’t seem to care that such issues are tearing Trekkies like me apart. (As for the rule itself, assuming it’s true, I can live with it, though I would’ve appreciated an “alone at sea” premise.)
This is where I got the info. They don’t give a source, and it has yet to be confirmed in the series as far as I can remember.
Although as a notch against them they mention Starfleet after the Registry number whereas Starfleet, according to the Star Trek Chronology, wont be establishedfor another 10 years.
I’m not much of a Trekkie; what’s up with the celery?
btw I saw this episode, and the one thing that I’ve thought since the start was that Scott Bakula is a much better actor than the role that’s being written for him. The character has a sort of “bursting at the seams, trying to get out of the shrink-wrapping” that the writers have encased the character in.
Good example: in the ‘star chart’ scene towards the beginning, T’Pol agrees to do them a huge favor, something that is not exactly uncomfortable. The writers never once decided that Archer should say “Thank you.” It was eating me up inside. Finally, as T’Pol leaves, Bakula nods his head in thanks. He wasn’t given the line, but he made the character thankful anyway.
Ahhh Celery, the only gourmet food on the Enterprise (NCC 1701). In several episodes it is seen as the only other food stuff aside from those coloured cubes and soup. See “Man Trap” and a great scene in “Space Seed” where McCoy is looking over a banquet of cubes and celery.
Daniel - I agree with that assessment of Archer; I too think Bakula could do a lot more with the role. But I think that applies to most of the characters. As many have said before, the doctor is quite likable, and one gets the feeling the actor is comfortable in the role and is making the most of it. Trip has expanded nicely – has had some dramatic scenes and is becoming the comic relief. Who’s holding these people back - the writers, director? T’pol and Archer are too tightly wound, and the writers could a lot more with them in terms of rounding out the characters and adding much to the story. I don’t know why Archer should thank T’pol. He’s the Captain, she’s supposed to obey his orders, make recommendations, and advise. He kowtows to her too much as it is.
Osiris, you were correct to point out that this would be a problem for ground-based communications, such as the Terra Nova colony or Starfleet HQ. And how long ago was this invented? Apparently before Conastoga departed for Terra Nova. And the whole UT thing is a bust; back to business-as-usual.
Actually, the Chronology conjectures that Starfleet was formed in 2161, coincident with the Federation charter. The date of the Federation’s formation that is canonical reference, and I don’t begrudge B&B this exercise of latitude. Still, it would’ve been ice if early Starfleet had been more casual, NASA-like, and only militarized during the Romulan War. It would’ve distinguished this series from those the previous ones. Alas, it’s too late to change now.
The commando team didn’t have a problem with loose timbers and unneeded noise, and there were three of them. The whole bit with the figurine was just unnecessary in my mind.
And I’m with everyone else who was almost yelling at the characters onscreen to just shoot through the eyeholes and stun the Andorians that way.
I also remarked to my wife that the whole situation could’ve been handled much more easily if they had brought along a few flash-bangs.
But then, she suggested much earlier on that Archer & co. should’ve just left the temple and scanned the whole site from orbit. She does have the PhD in the family, after all.
Finally saw this epidsode, with the ever-changing timeslot St. Louis has blessed us with (next week’s episode is supposed to be on at the same time as this week’s was, a first for the show!). Jeffery Combs rules, and we got us some new friends! We are just the fix needed to help Andorian/Vulcan relations. And maybe Combs will show up again, as a high level general after his evidence of Vulcan trechery , and help Earth fight off those dirty Klingons. Now when are we gonna see some Tellerites?! and those midgets?!
Over the weekend I saw an episode of ST:TNG where Data states: “Vulcans are incapable of lying.” I don’t know the episode name but it was the one where Chief O’brien gets married. So is this a continuity error (the horror!) or is the fact that Vulcans can lie a well kept Vulcan secret?
On the vulcans-lying thing… T’pol is a science officer, not a philsopher. Suppressing emotions is something Vulcans learn how to do, and some are better at it than others, just like car repair and singing. Sarek was obviously better at it than Spock. Second, she actually made a mistake a couple episodes ago! The captain asked her to do something, it didn’t work, she said, whoops, try this, and it worked. Haw! Also, she has been exaggerating up a storm, which Spock said was allowed.
On the holy relics thing–this is partially from one of the books, so it’s not really official. The bodies of dead Vulcans contain their katras, which is the essence of everything they ever were. This makes them holy things you’d want to hang onto, and not cremate or bury. In one of the novels (The Romulan Way?) there was a vault with a bunch o’ dead Vulcans in it, and people who worked there could go in and have conversations with them, kind of like the insane Emperor in Babylon V, except the Vulcans actually got answers…
Another interesting point is that Weyoundorian said that Vulcans always smelled like dust to him… if the Vulcans had been going into the catecombs to light the candles, they’d smell like dust, although he was probably speaking metaphorically. However, whenever anybody goes to Vulcan, they end up either rolling around in the dirt or going into the Ancient Caves, so maybe there’s a connection here, and Vulcans never got too far from their burrowing past. Remember how quickly Spock began to revert to cave-Vulcan in TOS, when, in That Which Surives, he gets sent back in time to hang out with Mariette Hartley.
Just trying to do my part to establish myself as alpha geek.
I’m not saying T’pol lied or implying that she is perfect. I have no problem with her making mistakes and it’s entirely possible she didn’t know about the sensor array down on the planet. The Vulcan monks were the ones doing the lying. I think we can agree that they were lying and not exagerrating. They flat out stated that there was no sensor array and there was. So the question remains is Vulcans lying a continuity error or just a well kept secret?
I suspect continuity error but I’m hoping someone can point out a source that says “Yes they can lie but don’t tell anybody. It’s a secret.”
I think the “Vulcans cannot lie” thing is evidence that Urban Legends will still have power in the future. Sometime after Enterprise’s time period (none of the humans on the show are surprised at the lies), the UL spread and was still around for up to 200 years.
I’d like to say, though, that the Vulcans in this episode were much better-played than those in the first one. The two with speaking parts were both very Vulcan-like.
I was confused by the scene in which the prisoners are getting cold. First of all, there was a brazier of sorts in the room, so they should have been able to heat it. Second, I thought Vulcans are more susceptible to cold than humans are, since they come from a desert planet. T’Pol should realize that she does need the blanket more than Archer.
Another nitpick: There’s no way that Archer could knock down a young, healthy Vulcan, let alone leave him in a daze. Remember those times when Kirk had to fight Spock? He took various weapons upside his pointy ears, and it didn’t slow Spock down. And he was only half Vulcan. This point is another reason why T’Pol should have hit the monk. She’d at least have a chance of affecting him.
I’m sure that planet has some sort of particles in the atmosphere that make Vulcans weaker so us Humans can knock em out. it probably is called isolithium or some such nonsense. i call it “crap!”
And since when do Vulcan females have a heightened sense of smell? Where’d that come from?
Saltire–they’re called ‘hormones’, as in ‘raging hormones of pon’farr inspired lust.’ Also, Mr. Reedy Cleric type probably didn’t go to the gym too often, whereas Spock was in active duty on board a starship where he had to run around and get shot at and stuff.
If we’re griping about “Enterprise” in general here, I would like to register my complaints with T’Pol. I keep waiting for the show where Archer knocks the supercilious sneer off her face and tells her to act like a crew member or get the heck off his ship. Vulcans are supposed to be non-emotional, not disgusted with everything that doesn’t agree with them. And where is her scientific curiosity? From what I have heard and read about Vulcans, it seems like they have a very healthy curiosity about the universe, and embrace learning new things. T’Pol has been a real foot-dragger so far when it comes to doing anything not routine; actually, when it comes to doing anything at all. She has no value to the show at this point except as the origin of any deus ex machina twists the writers may need to pull a plot out of a downward spiral.
She really is quite a gratuitous piece of eye candy. This has never fully been reconciled in my mind, though. Should female Vulcans really be that sexy? Was Savaak ever this sexy? (By the way, am I the only one that was creeped out at that Andorian making sexual advances towards T’Pol?)
Not that I’m complaining of course. If nothing else, she adds to the decor of the ship (like miniskirts in TOS). I wonder if Hoshi will ever have a sexy episode.
