They’re moving the show to Fridays? Motherfucking Christ… this is like '68 all over again, except this time, the show really is worth saving.
Are the execs at UPN really this stupid? Why the hell would you treat your TOP RATED show like this? Jesus.
When Trip and T’Pol were trying to figure out how to zap Sphere 41, and T’Pol suggested using a “deflector pulse,” I thought they were going to take the next logical step and reroute all available power through the deflector dish. It would have truly been a momentous occasion in the “Star Trek” universe. Sadly, it did not come to pass.
Umm, she said she planned to do it; she hasn’t done it yet. I’d be happy to see her as a civilian in a Star Fleet uniforn without insignia, but the 14 year old males would rebel.
I though having the guy shot as he beamed out was cool. “No precedent?” They can’t do anything new? Beaming out in the nick of time is old hat.
Well I for one have been very excited over the season finale (and the episodes leading up to it) of Enterprise. Still hoping that it is -just- the season ender… knocks on wood three times. Damn UPN, will post their schedule at 9 AM PDT!!!
Yay for Phlox! Last week it was the tapeworm, this week it’s the Osmonian (is that right?) Eel (?!). I’m sure glad that it counteracted whatever the Reptilians used on Hoshi.
Double yay for Porthos!! I think he got a bit of steak, or mayhap it was a bit of cheese? 
There were only a few bumpy parts in the episode, where it didn’t segue smoothly; so mostly kept me as the viewer on edge.
Loved seeing the interplay between Trip and T’Pol. 
Now about a possible move to Friday…I for one will be extremely peeved at UPN if they move it to 8 PM on Friday–opposite Joan of Arcadia! My cable company does not work in a way that you can watch one show and tape another, besides which I tape JoA as I watch it in real time, and I can’t really justify to myself having two tvs on the same show. Gah, don’t make me choose between Enterprise and Joan; although UPN will probably have a re-viewing of the weekly episode like they do now, at 8 PM on Saturdays.
She might very well not follow through but it is still worth mentioning that if she does, one of the more well-known canon facts of TOS will be contradicted. I’m mentioning it only to say that… not to scream at Bermaga for their stupidity.
Remember, I’m usually one of the apologists, just like you. ;j
Yes, it was cool, but it was still stupid to have him die as a result. Remember, Enterprise is a prequel… it needs to follow the history established before it (which of course takes place later) and none of the other four series has ever had someone die as a result of a disruptor/phaser going through their dematerializing form.
This is one of the times to scream at Bermaga. 
It’s an old-fashioned transporter.
I’m really like this art - It’s almost like the DS9 war arc.
Details soon.
err…make that “I really like this arc”.
Ahem.
The mechanics and physices (Shut up, tracer. Sci-fi physics) of the machine aren’t going to change that much. If he’s dematerializing, there is nothing there for the energy beam to interact with. He’s already in transit.
I liked it! Excellent episode. Action; space combat; gunplay; deathbed scenes; hot, spitting Asians; transporter malfunctions; time-traveling super-beings who really know how to make their whites shine; desperate races against time; brain eels. I mean, hell, what’s not to love?
Grade: A
No, guy, he’s dematerializing. Part of him is there and part isn’t. Part of him got shot.
Damn, this is as bad as Klingon foreheads.
Right. He’s dematerializing, which means he’s intangible and might as well be a ghost. How do you stab, burn, or otherwise physically harm a non-corporeal being? You don’t.
Use a force effect or a magical weapon. 
But seriously. This is retro-transporter technology. It may need to continuously scan someone until they’re fully dematerialized. The sudden burst of energy in the pattern disrupts the scanning and results in slightly messy reassembly.
Alternatively… as you say, he’s dematerializing. Which means there’s still some material left, because if there wasn’t, the process would be done. Then he’d be dematerialized. And gone.
Wrong.
He’s dematerialIZING which means he is part there and part not.
I liked the episode but it grates on the nerves to have this stretch out so long. First prototype, then the Weapon underwater, then its moved then it launches, then it goes through a vortex, then it stops to be armed, then it goes through another vortex. When will it stop? Oh, the season finale. Character development took a backseat to the various chase scenes. It somehow reminded me of Paris and Kim in one of their black and white holo serials. Simple and cheesy, but fun.
I liked learning a bit more Xindi history and context. I like that that the slow deliberations and prudence of the Aquatics were sometimes all that held the Council together and prevented civil war. Since Degra had the Aquatics build the weapon and it has been shown that the Spheres (and by logical extension the Guardians) were manipulated and destroyed the Aquatics I wouldn’t be surprised if the Aquatics show up at the end and employ their “backdoor” to help Archer-et-al blow up the weapon. The scene with Archer when the Xindi-Primate said that he respected Degra and wanted to see where relations with the humans would go is important. I always felt it was stupid to destroy the Weapon if the Xindi were just going to build another.
I liked Reed breaking up over losing the MAACO and showing Hayes how he cares. However the final part where Reed addresses the MAACOs didn’t ring true because they don’t know how he cares. The Trip and T’Pol interactions were good. I liked her emotion-tinged retort “or you might surprise me with an idea of your own” and the not-overblown “I’m all ears.” Hoshi’s character has progressed from a shy girl to a woman. She stood up to the Reptilians. However, the Reptialians must have low standards if Hoshi just talking back is met with “I didn’t know they were so strong-willed”. She had the biggest development because she tried to commit suicide rather than be used as a pawn, and that’s gutsy.
Technically, I liked the lines of the Aquatics ship, I felt sad about the Anomaly destroying it, and I liked Hayes being beamed out while shot. The whales sounds, from mouths that never moved, is typical. Why couldn’t they put the mouths on top or vibrate them and making clicking noise, or just something unique? Also, everyone they meet is made anthropomorphic in form and culture, except that aquatic creatures can’t have clothes or jewelry. Too predictable. The MAACO shock stick was also too PC. They should have blown his brains out.
Medically, the “parasites in the neocortex” is an annoying bit of pseudo-sci-fi. But fortunately Phlox comes to the rescue with his “osmotic eel.” (Great pick-up line!) When Hayes arrested, Phlox ordered a “.2 joules” shock. I’m not in the medical field, but I believe defibrillator’s are supposed to initially deliver 200 joules and progress to a maximum of 360 joules. (Where’s Tars when you need him :()
The funniest thing was the Aquatics voice synthesizer. I swear that’s the same output produced by the computer in “Collosus: The Forbin Project”.
Now they are using Degra’s ship to catch the Weapon. I think Reed should have taken more MAACO’s (unless Degra’s ship just doesn’t have the room). And I certainly hope someone has bothered to learn to fly Degra’s ship since no one has ever been aboard one!
NB: Let’s just say Hayes was hit by some of the beam just Before transport and that we saw the rest of the beam shoot through the dematialization space, hmmm?
Short version: I continue to dig it. I dunno what they did to the writers, but the end of this season has really picked up steam.
The aquatic ship breaking apart and venting water (or whatever the Xindi swim in) was something I don’t think I’ve ever seen anywhere else. Heartbreaking and yet visually cool.
When T’Pol mentioned possibly joining Starfleet, something occurred to me: What I really want to see from her character is a light moment, a smile or even a laugh. She’s gonna get stuck with these emotions for at least a while, yes? The least they can do is give her a break from the grim despair. Remember in TNG when Q let Data laugh? Remember in TOS when Spock thought he’d killed Kirk and then couldn’t help breaking into a huge grin when the good captain turned up alive after all? Those are cherished Trek moments. And if they’re going to go through the same miserable making-peace-with-emotion schtick with T’Pol, they need to give us the flip side, maybe a scene where she gets the uncontrollable giggles and Trip stares at her in astonishment for a few seconds before joining in. Wouldn’t that be fun? It would certainly be a worthwhile reward after the almost unrelenting darkness of this season’s arc.
I had another nitpick but I don’t recall what it was. Guess it doesn’t matter.
Then why the delayed reaction? He didn’t scream until he was fully materialized… if he was part there, he should have started screaming immediately.
He’s a butch MAACO! Besides, you’re not all there until you’re all there. No-what-I-mean, Vern?
Shooting a transporter beam has never been consistently dealt with. Usually the beam passes harmlessly but dramatically through the dematerializing person. This time it passed harmfully but dramatically through Major Hayes. In one instance I can think of off the top of my head, a phaser beam bounced off of Commander Riker’s dematerializing forehead and into the reactor core of a laboratory space station, destroying the station.
Maybe in that instant, the Xindi weapon created three alternate timelines where each of the above possibilites happened, and somewhere Maj Hayes is enjoying a cup of tea and regaling the other MACOs with his narrow escape. Or marvelling at how the Xindi weapon mysteriously exploeded just as he beamed out…
Of course, we’ve never seen a Xindi Reptilian’s weapon interact with a transporter beam before - maybe it has some inherent characteristic that’s different from other energy weapons we’ve seen.
Pain travels along nerve pathways to the brain. If there’s any break in the path (such as necessary molecules currently existing on a ship 300 meters away) it would prevent the immediate transmission of pain.
It also appears that Enterprise’s transporters freeze people in place during the actual beaming. Maybe he couldn’t scream yet because of that condition.
“Revenge is a dish best served cold, and it is very cold in space.” KAAAAAAAAHN “In space, no one can hear you scream…”