Rating: 3
This episode introduces how annoying Vulcans can be in Enterprise
They introduce an Archerism: he often dishes out these “tough guy” sayings (typically involving the word “ass”) that manage to still sound wholesome and usually just come across as hokey
It’s good that people are freaked out about transporting humans during this time period
It’s also good that the characters are really excited about pushing warp speed further
I also like how language is introduced as being an issue for them (even though it only occasionally actually is an issue) and that it’s the prospect of learning about an alien language that convinces Hoshi to join. It’s the kind of explorer’s mentality that is appropriate for this series
Phlox does this weird smile, along with some other goofy things. Don’t worry, he isn’t another Neelix
I like the idea of the “sweet spot” on the ship. I thought this was a cool scene until they started talking about three-breasted women.
T’Pol is a bit annoying so far. In the beginning of the series it seems like her main purpose is to get on the nerves of the rest of the crew. So I guess we’re supposed to find her annoying?
Sweet jackets.
Two-handed phasering!
I like the general idea of having a process they have to go through after interacting with aliens, but it is pretty tasteless when they just use it as an excuse for some sexiness. This scene is especially strange because it’s shot like it is supposed to be erotic or something, but the characters are just bickering
It’s a little odd that Mayweather knows enough about piloting a Suliban ship that he is giving lessons to Trip. Since Trip was the first choice of pilot after Mayweather, it’s also apparent that they hadn’t yet decided that Archer used to be an ace pilot.
1:09:02 They fit Hoshi into the equivalent to the submarine role of listening for depth charges
Further Analysis:
Expectations can be a serious problem, and Enterprise seems to suffer the most from what fans expected and what the show actually was. I’ll write more on this later but for now, a warning:
If your main expectation for this show is that it set up TOS, you won’t be getting the most out of Enterprise. If it was sold to you this way that was a mistake in marketing, unlike in Voyager where the actual show’s writing sets up premises that aren’t followed through to their full potential. Its better to think of Enterprise as a new Star Trek show that happens to be set in the time period before the original series. With that said, occasionally the writers of Enterprise will do some “prequel” episodes, directly tying into later Trek events. But it isn’t the focus of the series, and the sooner you become okay with this, the better.