Category: Star Trek

As the Enterprise crew lays a string of communications relay satellites in the ship’s wake to speed up contact with Starfleet Headquarters on Earth, the ship is intercepted by an alien vessel which refuses to answer any hails, and then disappears into warp again. Archer hopes that it’s an isolated incident, concentrating his energy on another mystery – finding a suitable birthday gift for Lt. Reed, which proves more difficult that the captain expects. But when the alien ship returns, it attacks the Enterprise, and two aliens board the ship, killing members of the crew. Archer orders a return course for Earth, so the Enterprise can receive upgraded weaponry from Starfleet before continuing on her course. But the alien ship appears yet again, forcing Reed and Trip to try to make the upgrades in mid-flight – and even in the middle of combat. If they can’t perfect the new weaponry in time to fend off the aliens’ attacks, Reed may not live to see his next birthday.

written by Andre Bormanis
directed by Winrich Kolbe
music by Velton Ray Bunch

Cast: Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer), Jolene Blalock (Subcommander T’Pol), John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox), Dominic Keating (Lt. Malcolm Reed), Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Travis Mayweather), Linda Park (Ensign Hoshi Sato), Connor Trinneer (Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III), Jane Carr (Mary Reed), Guy Siner (Stuart Reed), Paula Malcolmson (Madeline Reed), John Rosenfeld (Mark Latrelle), Robert Mammana (Engineer)

Notes: British actor Guy Siner has some cult SF in his past – he played fanatical Kaled General Ravon in the classic 1975 Doctor Who story Genesis Of The Daleks; Jane Carr, who played his wife, has much more recent SF in her resumè, having played one of Londo’s wives in the 1994 Babylon 5 episode Soul Mates.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Enterprise encounters a sublight spacecraft whose occupants are seeking help in fighting a degenerative and most likely lethal disease – one which afflicts not only them, but their entire species as well. Captain Archer pledges his support to them, but soon finds out that his offer of help may be unrealistic. Dr. Phlox is eager to help, but his enthusiasm is tempered by his practical understanding of the disease. A somewhat lesser evolved humanoid species from the same planet seems to be completely immune – and Archer faces the unenviable prospect of telling the dying portion of the population that they may be facing extinction via irreversible natural evolution.

written by Maria Jacquemetton & Andrè Jacquemetton
directed by James Contner
music by David Bell

Cast: Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer), Jolene Blalock (Subcommander T’Pol), John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox), Dominic Keating (Lt. Malcolm Reed), Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Travis Mayweather), Linda Park (Ensign Hoshi Sato), Connor Trinneer (Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III), Kellie Waymire (Elizabeth Cutler), David A. Kimball (Esaak), Chris Rydell (Alien astronaut), Karl Wiedergott (Larr), Alex Nevil (Menk man)

Notes: Chronologically speaking, this episode is the Star Trek universe’s first mention of the Ferengi; according to Next Generation lore, first contact with the Ferengi didn’t occur until that series’ fourth episode, The Last Outpost (1987), though this Enterprise crew would actually come into contact with them first without realizing it (Acquisition).

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Trip and Reed take a shuttlepod out to test a new systems modification which requires at least 20,000 kilometers’ distance from the Enterprise. At the same time, the Enterprise moves away from the rendezvous point to render aid to an alien ship in distress, but the rescue goes awry, leaving both vessels damaged. When the shuttlepod returns to the agreed-upon asteroid belt rendezvous, Trip and Reed see wreckage from the Enterprise – in reality debris from the recent accident – strewn across one of the asteroids, and they assume the worst: no one will arrive to pick them up, they have mere days of oxygen left, and they have no chance of reaching an inhabited world before then.

written by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
directed by David Livingston
music by Jay Chattaway

Cast: Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer), Jolene Blalock (Subcommander T’Pol), John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox), Dominic Keating (Lt. Malcolm Reed), Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Travis Mayweather), Linda Park (Ensign Hoshi Sato), Connor Trinneer (Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Enterprise encounters a rogue planet, an isolated world which was thrown out of its sun’s orbit. Though science generally dictates that such a world would be dead, but thermal energy from the planet’s still-active core have kept a thriving (if nocturnal) ecosystem alive. Archer heads up a landing party that happens upon a group of hunters, led by Damrus. The non-indigenous hunters seem friendly enough, and Malcolm even convinces them to let him join them on their next foray. While the others rest up, Archer keeps watch at the camp, and hears a woman call his name. He sees her, but is unable to catch up with her, and no one else in the camp can find any evidence that she was there. She appears again later as he, Trip and T’Pol are exploring, but she only approaches when Archer is alone. The hunt goes badly, and one of the hunters is nearly killed by an amorphous life form; he is taken back to the Enterprise by shuttle and Dr. Phlox restores him to full health. Archer insists on staying on the planet overnight to see if the mysterious woman contacts him again, and she does. This time she stays long enough to have a conversation, and Archer learns that she’s not human, but a member of a sentient shapeshifting species. Though interfering with the well-armed hunters doesn’t seem like an option, Archer has a plan for evening the odds in the shapeshifters’ favor.

teleplay by Chris Black
story by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga & Chris Black
directed by Allan Kroeker
music by Paul Baillargeon

Cast: Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer), Jolene Blalock (Subcommander T’Pol), John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox), Dominic Keating (Lt. Malcolm Reed), Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Travis Mayweather), Linda Park (Ensign Hoshi Sato), Connor Trinneer (Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III), Keith Szarabajka (Damrus), Stephanie Niznik (Woman), Conor O’Farrell (Buzaan), Eric Pierpoint (Shiraht)

Notes: An interesting “future history” note – the Boy Scouts are apparently still earning merit badges in the 22nd century. Archer earned 26 of them and made it to Eagle Scout, while Reed accumulated 28, including a merit badge in exobiology. Any scouts hoping to earn a hunting merit badge are out of luck, as Archer points out that hunting for sport has been out of fashion on Earth for a century. Guest star Keith Szarabajka has guest starred on Babylon 5 and, at the time he guest starred on Enterprise, also had a recurring role on Angel as immortal vampire hunter Holtz.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Over dinner with an alien trader, the Enterprise crew learns of the site of a crashed starship on a nearby planet, but the trader seems spooked by what he saw when he went there. Archer, however, insists that the trader’s tale of a haunted spaceship isn’t enough to scare him off, especially when the Enterprise could use a few repairs using parts from the crash site. What he finds there, however, is what seems to be the ship’s entire crew, all in good health. Trip is particularly taken with Liana, the daughter of the ship’s engineer, though the others from her ship seem nervous about her spending so much time with him. Archer is concerned when some of the ship’s logs about the crash are irreconcilable with the physical evidence – particularly when a member of the crashed ship’s crew, who’s still very much alive on the ship, turns up long dead in an escape pod.

telelplay by Stephen Beck
story by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga & Stephen Beck
directed by Jim Charleston
music by Dennis McCarthy

Cast: Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer), Jolene Blalock (Subcommander T’Pol), John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox), Dominic Keating (Lt. Malcolm Reed), Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Travis Mayweather), Linda Park (Ensign Hoshi Sato), Connor Trinneer (Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III), Rene Auberjonois (Ezral), Annie Wersching (Liana), Tom Bergeron (D’Marr), Rudolph Willrich (Kuulan), Claudette Sutherland (Maya)

Notes: The casting department’s tribute to Trek series past continues with this episode’s inclusion of Rene Auberjonois, who – after a slightly inauspicious start in the Trek universe (his scenes as a Starfleet turncoat in 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country were cut from the theatrical print but restored for home video) – played Odo for all seven seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Auberjonois reportedly told Scott Bakula during filming that he had already shot this episode (probably meaning the similar plotline of the DS9 episode Shadowplay). Future casting directors would continue this tradition, as Annie Wersching, appearing here in here first TV role, would play a major role in the second season of Star Trek: Picard.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Captain Archer and Ensign Mayweather are guests – not by their own choice – of the Tandarans, a race whose military zone they unwittingly violated while exploring in a shuttlepod. They quickly discover that they’re the only human prisoners in a Tandaran detention center otherwise populated by the Tandaran guards and a host of genetically unaltered Suliban captives, including women and children. Colonel Grat, the commandant of the detention center, seems cordial enough at first, promising that Archer and Mayweather will be freed soon, it seems that no such amnesty is in store for the Suliban. When Archer questions Grat’s treatment of the Suliban – who turn out to be innocent civilians and not members of the Suliban Cabal – Grat extends the Enterprise crewmen’s stay and begins to interrogate the captain about his own Suliban encounters all the way back to Broken Bow and Silik’s infiltration of the Enterprise during a later mission. Despite Archer’s claims of being an innocent bystander, nothing will quell Grat’s suspicions – or his willingness to hold the prisoners indefinitely.

teleplay by Mike Sussman & Phyllis Strong
story by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga
directed by David Livingston
music by Jay Chattaway

Cast: Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer), Jolene Blalock (Subcommander T’Pol), John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox), Dominic Keating (Lt. Malcolm Reed), Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Travis Mayweather), Linda Park (Ensign Hoshi Sato), Connor Trinneer (Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III), Dean Stockwell (Colonel Grat), Christopher Shea (Sajen), Jessica D. Stone (Narra), Dennis Christopher (Danik), David Kagen (Major Klev), Wilda Taylor (Woman)

Notes: Dean Stockwell was Scott Bakula’s co-star in every episode of Bakula’s previous hit series, Quantum Leap.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Enterprise crew’s first contact with a race called the Kreetassans ends abruptly. The visitors storm out of dinner, demanding to leave the ship and offering no explanation as to what has caused them offense. Archer and the crew are disappointed, but go about their business, unaware that an amorphous life form has attached itself to the alien ship and has now slipped aboard the Enterprise. It nests in a cargo bay, and reels in the first two crewmembers to see it with tendrils. When Archer and Trip go to investigate, they too are captured by the life form, which begins feeding on them as well as connecting their brains and nervous systems. T’Pol is left in charge, and she finds herself trying to restrain a crew which seems to increasingly favor taking violent action to free their comrades.

teleplay by Fred Dekker
story by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga and Fred Dekker
directed by Roxann Dawson
music by Paul Baillargeon

Cast: Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer), Jolene Blalock (Subcommander T’Pol), John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox), Dominic Keating (Lt. Malcolm Reed), Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Travis Mayweather), Linda Park (Ensign Hoshi Sato), Connor Trinneer (Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III), Vaughn Armstrong (Kreetassan Captain), Joseph Will (Rostov), Renee Goldsberry (Kelly), and Porthos

LogBook entry by Earl Green

The Enterprise resumes course for Risa, but is diverted yet again by a distress call. It picks up a shuttle commanded by Zobral, who lives on a nearby desert world. Zobral’s gratitude extends to offering a banquet to Archer and Trip, who repaired the damaged shuttle. When they reach Zobral’s homeworld, it seems his hospitality is considerable – until T’Pol contacts the captain from orbit with a disturbing report. She has been hailed by a government official from Zobral’s planet, claiming that Zobral is a terrorist. Archer tries to make a diplomatic retreat, but Zobral cuts off his escape. It turns out that Zobral is indeed fighting a war against the planet’s ruling government, claiming centuries of racial inequity – and also claiming to have heard that Archer is a great warrior who freed thousands of Suliban from a detention center. Worse yet, Zobral’s encampment comes under heavy fire, forcing Archer and Trip to hide in the desert. But as eagerly as the planet’s government is hunting down Zobral, even that may not be a safe place.

teleplay by Andre Bormanis
story by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga & Andre Bormanis
directed by David Straiton
music by Velton Ray Bunch

Cast: Scott Bakula (Captain Jonathan Archer), Jolene Blalock (Subcommander T’Pol), John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox), Dominic Keating (Lt. Malcolm Reed), Anthony Montgomery (Ensign Travis Mayweather), Linda Park (Ensign Hoshi Sato), Connor Trinneer (Commander Charles “Trip” Tucker III), Clancy Brown (Zobral), Charles Dennis (Chancellor Trelit), Brandon Karrer (Alien Man), and Porthos

Notes: During the game scene at the beginning of act three, there’s a Trek oddity – a brief shot of Archer which was shot on video, not film. Though footage sourced on video has been used before – such as Seska’s distress call in the Voyager episode Basics Part I – it has always been on a viewscreen, and never before a full-screen shot; the entire series would later adopt digital video instead of film in season 4. Bozeman, Montana is also referenced as the landing site of the Vulcan ship – and therefore also the home of Zefram Cochrane – in Star Trek: First Contact; Bozeman was also the site of Alexander’s wild west holodeck program in A Fistful Of Datas, not to mention the name of the temporally-displaced starship in Cause And Effect. Perhaps not surprisingly, it’s the birthplace of executive producer Brannon Braga.

LogBook entry by Earl Green