-Timestamp: February 12, 2152. Three days after the previous episode, and everyone's still talking about going to Risa, however this time Archer is oddly enthuiastic about going. See, using real dates *can* add to a story!
-This epsiode hit us with the metaphor of the whole Isreal/Palestine thing with the subtlety characteristic of the issue in "Detained". Swapping religious fervor for a more straightforward social commentary, the result nonetheless is hardly a "clever" dressing up of modern issues.
-Tons of continuity in this episode. See the appropriate thread in the "Enterprise" forum for details.
-They also make a big deal out of survival training in the Aussie outback. One wonders where else on Earth such training takes place.
-The lacrosse match seen here has some rather pointless use of a glowey ball. I can't help but think of the stoopid glowey puck Americans think people need to understand what hockey is. Anyway, during the match look for some odd video speedups to make things look faster than they actually are. Other than that, the cinematography is actually very good in this episode.
-Note that the "desert uniforms" really just seem to be an excuse to show more form-fitting, yet more stylish digs without using the usual uniforms, a la Voyager's "cave outfits" from "Blood Fever". They looked pretty good, but hardly have a military practicality to them - I kept waiting for Tucker and Archer to break into a GAP-ad dance routine.
-Well, it looks like you can use the "stun" setting to boil water. While Archer suggests this is new to him, he heated up an oil lamp in "Civilization" with what should be the same effect. And what about the cutting thing?
-The compositing effects were great in the desert, seamlessly meshing the village (which looked like it used leftover Tattooine meshes) with the desert dunes. Did anyone notice the cute little CGI tricycle buggy? The music also seemed a bit of a hat tip to Tattooine, and Clancy Brown's character - apparently the only alien guy to have an accent - sounded an awful lot like Watto.
-The eight major components of the warp drive include the drumsticks, thighs and wings.
-Bad guys this time seem to be capable of a sensor dispersion field, keeping the Pre-E from being able to detect anything below 100km altitude. In terms of weaponry, at least on the ground these guys seem to have it in for indirect-fire mortars, which are conveniently bright for the audience (and targets) to see where they're coming from. Ships-wise, again we see aliens that can have warp capable, shuttle-sized craft.
-There's a slight concern among fans about the use of phased energy and plasma weapons on the Pre-E shuttlepods. But why can't they simply have both? Here, they were trying to knock out an enemy position, probably trying to minimize damage. Is there a possible reason to rationalize the use of plasma weapons in this case?
Mark
Posted by Spike (Member # 322) on :
quote: Note that the "desert uniforms" really just seem to be an excuse to show more form-fitting
Does someone have screenshots?
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Re: The shuttle's armament:
My major consideration here is that we don't really know how powerful the weaponry that they use actually is. They have phase pistols -- why can't they have some kind of shuttle-mounted beam weapon too? The fact that in "Detained" they were blowing holes in masonry walls isn't that big a deal -- we can do that today with relative ease. Hell, a phase pistol could probably do serious damage to those prison walls, too. (Though not as quickly.)
No idea why they have both the phase pistol variation AND the pulse plasma cannons mounted on the shuttle. (Unless the mini-phase cannons were only mounted on one of the shuttles at the time, and the second shuttle hadn't been yet equipped. -- In which case, Clancy Brown's character may now have access to a rather powerful weapon.)
Posted by koy'peled Oy'tio (Member # 796) on :
quote:Tsn -Well, it looks like you can use the "stun" setting to boil water. While Archer suggests this is new to him, he heated up an oil lamp in "Civilization" with what should be the same effect. And what about the cutting thing?
I’m not sure if you realized this or not but he uses the phaser on stun to start a fire and then boiled the water. (IM sure you meant to say this.)
and there is no way that the whole Tattooine thingy was a coincidence they just like showing George that trek will always be better.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 24) on :
Right, because George Lucas watches Enterprise. Posted by Treknophyle (Member # 509) on :
So....
Did they get their shuttle back - or are we going the way of Voyager's Shuttlebaycopia?
Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :
On the vein of shuttles having phasers now, plasma guns then: probably neither of these is an impracticably bulky piece of equipment. Why not have both? WWII fighters had both machine guns and cannon, and only operational use would later prove which balance was correct for a given aircraft or mission.
I actually suspect that the plasma guns aboard the shuttles are factory-installed guns properly sized for the craft, but the phase cannon are just phase rifles Reed has jury-rigged there contrary to the recommendations of the instruction manuals... The improvised phase guns are better than nothing, but not yet good enough to act as the sole weaponry of the craft.
Hmm. Can these phase guns be used on stun? We haven't seen craft- or ship-mounted stun weapons since "A Piece of the Action", have we?
Timo Saloniemi
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Exactly what I was trying to say -- phase pistols are small enough, so we can get slightly larger ones to mount on shuttles.
I don't remember the dialogue from "Silent Enemy" accurately, but wasn't at least one of the phase cannons custom built aboard the Enterprise? That would suggest that they might have the parts to fabricate more weapons, as well... although that kind of easily-replaceable inventory would be treading into "Voyager" territory...
Posted by J (Member # 608) on :
I am starting to get worried about the amount of repair, replacement, and new building that is going on aboard Enterprise. At the moment they are just on the verge of "Must have replicator technology." Up until now they certainly could have enough spare components and machine shops to build new equipment, but if they aren't trading or getting new raw materials and have the ability to refine them--- Enterprise will have to find some Maquis slaves there is just no escaping it on their current path.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
for the first few frmaes i thought that was an illustrated 'Archer/Tucker' slash fiction)
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
I think we can make a fair guess of either the gender or sexual orientation of the owner, yes.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
So uhmm... what's so different about this uniform that makes it suited for a desert? And isn't skintight stuff a bad idea in a desert? I mean, I've never seen Tuaregs in spandex.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Unless they were Starfleet-issue stillsuits.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
Well, it's white, which is nice in the desert. And I imagine the fabric has better sweat-wicking properties than your average getup, although as can be seen in the show, those sweat-wicking properties are hardly spectacular.
(obscure thought: one of the costumers on location probably had a spray bottle and had to keep Trinneer and Bakula's pits moist. Dandy job.)
Posted by Vice-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
Hmm, the interior buildings could have come from Insurrection. And why would EdenFX or Foundation Imaging make that place look like Annakin Skywalker's home anyway? I would expect that if ILM did the CGI.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
Okay, so you're wearing a desert suit designed by Starfleet's brightest, especially made for the interstellar pioneers. And what do they do? They take their frikkin' shirts of. A sad waste of tax funds.
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