What about that trailer, eh :eek: ? It looks like there will be a lot of singing in the next episode. Maybe Hoshi will try to play the piano, and botch it so badly that the reptilians will let her go 
Maybe she dyes her head hair black. 
Re the episode: I liked it again, though not quite as much as last week. The beginnings of reconciliation between Trip and Degra were a little bit glib, and if they were going to go that route, I would have appreciated seeing Trip’s reaction to it. He can’t quite decide whether or not he trusts someone who used to be and might still be an enemy, and then the former enemy gets killed for sticking his neck out. There’s got to be some guilt there, as if Trip needs any more. And another thing, as others have pointed out, that extra MACO dude couldn’t have been more doomed; they might as well have named him Fatal McDeadbastard. It’s kind of a Kirk-era throwback, a nod to tradition, and Malcolm’s speech about getting used to the losses was a good touch. Still kinda obvious, though.
On the other hand, I really liked what we learned about Xindi culture, and about the details of the Guardians’ long term plans and how they’ve been manipulating the Xindi for so many years. Sure, the multi-species gimmick is kinda dopey in terms of legit SF, more like a Piers Anthony world than a Frank Herbert world, but it’s pretty different from what we’re used to seeing on Trek, and that’s certainly worth something, given how frequently they tend to recycle old ideas. I have no idea if they’re just making this shit up as they go, but the little plot threads they’re weaving into the story (what exactly the disintegrating alien was doing in that pod, for example) are giving me confidence that they’ve thought about at least some aspects of the scenario beyond the confines of a single episode. Oh, and the avian skull was a neat touch.
Couple of chuckles:
When the shuttlepod first entered the distortion field surrounding the sphere, and that component popped in a spectacular shower of sparks, I kind of laughed at everybody’s blase attitude. Mayweather, glancing at a screen: “RTI conduit.” Everyone else, nodding: “Mmm.” And back to the job. Man, I thought, there sure is a lot of extraneous equipment on a shuttlepod, that they can just casually brush it off when it blows up. Typical government contracting, overengineered out the wazoo. Yeah, yeah, maybe the RTI conduit (or whatever the hell it was he said) is the shuttlepod equivalent of the rear-window defogger or the remote trunk release, and it isn’t important. It still struck me funny.
Plus, didja notice that when T’Pol mentioned the “needs of the many” saying, that she referred to it as a “Vulcan maxim”? I gave a little sarcastic cheer: Yay! They got Jolene Blalock to say “Maxim” on the show! Woot! Now they just need to have her refer to “FHM-band radiation.” Heh.
And that line about “you stand either with us or against us” coming from the reptilian, was that a smack on Dubya’s nose? Can’t have been an accident, do you think?
As far as the show in general, I’m starting to wonder if the big multi-episode arc isn’t inspiring the writers to take more chances, to try stuff they haven’t done before. Trek in general has usually been about the standalone hour-long story, but more and more that’s kind of a dated approach. DS9 got away from it a bit, but VOY backslid somewhat; it’s where the incredibly annoying “we’ve made an incredible discovery! now let’s forget completely about it!” problem comes from. Now, as ENT is building toward its third-season climax, it feels like the creative team is finally hitting some kind of stride. No, they still aren’t as good as TNG or DS9 were at their peak, but I think they’re well beyond VOY now (at least, the couple of seasons and occasional subsequent one-off episodes that I watched with boredom and dismay). That, I say, is a Very Good Thing.
And for dedicated credits-watchers— The writer on this episode: Manny Coto. Hey Paramount, let’s ease the Bermaga into retirement and give the show to Manny. Whaddaya say?
She said “axiom,” not Maxim.
Nope – this one was a true redshirt MACO. The one Reed had the bitch-slapping fight with was the head of the MACOs aboard Enterprise. Major Hayes, I think.
It sure looks like Hayes is gonna get creamed in the next ep., if that promo was at all accurate.
I’ve finally arrived at Risa… that shuttle trip was a killer. Three days. Gah. Anyone that wants to see pictures can look in MPSIMS for the “Another Doper Wedding” thread I started while I was still in Alabama on Saturday evening. Lots of hot chicks. And me and a couple guys too but it’s the chicks that’re important.
Anyway, what’d I miss? I skimmed the thread and saw something about Hoshi being abducted… they’re just asking for it. Have you got my address viva? I’m going through withdrawal here… it’s been like nine weeks for me. NEEEEED EENNTTEERRPPRRIISSEE.
No! No she didn’t! Because “axiom” isn’t cool and funny! She said Maxim! La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la
Yes, Sir Vase, you are so extremely right. 
Even though… Remember in STIV:TVH when Spock’s Mom said, “Blah, blah, blah,” and Spock said, “I would take that as an Maxim.” ? Then she said, “What? That Men’s mag?” And Spock said, “Man, as soon as I turn 18, I am so out of here.” And then his buddy, Jim ("Your name is JIM? Ha ha!) said, “Dude! Your Mom is hot!”
My gawd, I just love that girl in the new Gap commercials.
Sending tapes tomorrow. Three of them! How are the new digs?
So, didja get any of 'em? I hear hot chicks are supposed to be easier to pick up at weddings.
Then ServeAce was like, “No way.” And NokeLoobOy was all, “Way!” And I’m going, “Whatever!”
She said AXIOM, DAMMIT!
Didn’t you hear that last part?
Did you hear the Cogenitor call Luke “Spock” in tonight’s Joan of Arcadia?
Actually, on this site, we learn that the dead MACO was not a true Red Shirt, as he had been mentioned in previous installments.
Swank. Enterprise marathon!
The living arrangements here are cool but I’ll probably be moving out in only a month or two. A two bedroom apartment here is only $500 a month and I earn that in a week. It’s still pretty low on the economic scale overall but I feel rich. 
Well, I did spend two days flirting awkwardly with **XJETGIRLX ** and trying my best not to freak her out by drooling all over her shoes and I did get a hug from her before she left, so I’m happy.
Of course, I got totally wasted on Cinco de Mayo and can’t remember parts of the night so there’s no telling what I did then.
I liked the recap at the beginning. It was long but informative. The episode was good, but a bit less than last week’s, mostly just exposition with a launch at the end, but I loved the exposition. What I noticed most of all were the bits of cheesy, but fun dialogue. However it has occurred, the writers (and Manny gets cudos) are getting a little better. Having a little fun, getting richer dialogue, and incorporating subplots.
I loved Trip’s line about having “faith in the captain” and the Trannie’s line to Degra about “losing faith.” An actual subthread. I giggled at Archer’s cute, “I stood before a Klingon Tribunal. I can handle a tough room.” I also liked Reed’s chiding sigh to T’Pol of “You could have warned us of the hologram.” I loved most Hoshi’s “I was never sent to the principal’s* office” and Archer’s later followup “I was sent for passing notes to Kate Bentley.” These, along with Phlox’s talk about his tapeworm, The-Needs Speech, and Archer’s “a lot can happen in a day.” enrich an episode for me and make my imagination soar!
I loved learning more of the history of the Xindi. I get a better sense of them trying to attain power and wiping out those who get in there way. Degra kills Reptiles, Dolum kills Degra, Xindi exterminated Avians. I liked getting it solidified that the Sphere-Builders hated the Humans for that war that is going to happen in 400 years, so they are trying to wipe them out. I guess I ‘just don’t think fourth dimensionally’; I will have gotten confused about cause and effect.
I have a question, though. The Sphere-Builders are projections from another dimension and time. The Spheres are real objects. If the Sphere-Builders transported the Spheres Here, then couldn’t they just transport a XindiFunBall and destroy Earth themselves? Okay, maybe they could only transport a bit of matter (re: the Disintegrating Guy and his shuttle). Then was it an AI with a machine shop that worked to build itself up into a Sphere? If so, then it should have just built itself into a WMD and blown up the Earth.
Another question is the approach. If the Sphere-Builders had just encroached into the Expanse, destroyed all the helpless (after the Xindi war) Xindi then they could modify the Expanse in peace. 400 years later the Federation is not going to come along and say, “Hey, you naughty dimensional encroahers you, go back or it’s war” They would say the Sphere-Builders have squatters rights or right of eminent domain. Now if the Sphere Builders were pushing our further a war could erupt and so perhaps will have done so (don’t ya just love temporal speech). So is this the best way the Sphere-Builders can think to destroy Earth? I they can transport Reptiles to 2004, then transport Archer somewhen else. Daniels already found that removing Archer screws up the timeline so wouldn’t you think the Trannie’s would have a clue?
Note: I watch with Close-Captioning on so, if you are interested, the spelling of the Xindi is reported as:[ul][li]Janar - Arboreal[]Kiaphet Amman’sor of the Ibix dynasty - Aquatics[]Dolum - Reptilian[/ul]General Notes:[ul][]Why did Phlox shot Trip in the neck for a shoulder injury? Okay, even we hoomans administer medicine in the arm to be disseminated, but a steroid injection goes in at the site.[]Nice quarters for a Retilian, with the heating spheres.[]When T’Pol went for the Sphere AI, did it look like the scene when Kirk-et.al. met VGER on the platform holding the satellite?[]All I could think about when Degra and Trip were having a heart-felt conversation was that arcing in the background. I kept thinking, “Guys, would ya throw a damn circuit breaker?!” and if I was wrong and it was a tech. using an arc welder then I was thinking “Guys, would ya use a phaser and stop eating up the atmosphere and throwing burning sparks all over the damn ship?!”[](re: Degra’s stabbing) Isn’t is annoying that Xindi have the same fake red blood that humans have on bad TV shows?[]The WMD was built underwater and it was moved, then it was launched from a desert/dry-lake-bed/ice-sheet from a hidden chamber big enough for it. So why wasn’t it manufactured there and how did they transport the sucker?[]Uh, since when did the Xindi (re: Reptiles) have transporters?![/ul]The next episode:[ul][]The Sphere actually looks bigger and the rotating “Contact” rings and surface structure look different. Anyone else notice?[]spiralscratch noticed first that Hoshi is taken to break the code. Just because you’re a linguist doesn’t mean you’re a code-breaker, but Hoshi IS just that good, isn’t she? :)[]I think the disintegrating Hayes is actually a Xindi shooting Hayes while he’s being transported.[/ul]Previous episode: Didn’t they mess up the view… oh, fck it, never mind![/li][sub] I remember how to spell principal from the old mnemonic, “The principal is our pal.” (Just another bit of cheesy dialogue)[/sub]
Ya know what’s funny about Corner Case?
That he never has very much to say.
That’s, what, zeroth base?
Bah, kids these days. No ambition. Why, when I was your age, I was getting drinks thrown in my face for being too fresh, followed by a thorough beating from her extra-large boyfriend.
Well, I’m not even sure I’ve ever been to first base before so a hug makes me happy enough. Especially when it’s from someone that’s even more attractive, both mentally and physically, than Hoshi.
You heard me. I LIKE SOMEONE MORE THAN HOSHI.
It may well have been a Plasma Arc Torch
Some possible good news for us all…but I’d hold off the fireworks until it’s made official…
Good news?
They’re going to kill Archer and promote Trip§?
Cool!