Placeholder. I've moved since the hiatus began, and I can't yet figure out how to work the damn digital cable box in tandem with my VCR. So until I can find a <100meg download, we'll leave this open.
What to look forward to? More spheres! More Computer shenanigans! Enterprise getting boarded again! The list goes on!
Mark
Posted by Fleet-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
At least the bio bombs each alien carries reminds me of the Kazon bomb in ST: Voyager's Basics Part 1.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
We actually get to see Enterprise as far outgunning the slien of the week's ships!
It's good for the Zealots that they never ran into the Xindi, huh? They'd be toast.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
- The Triannon ship looked familiar. But not from Star Trek.. More like those Star Wars desert stormtrooper flying things.
- There are 59 Spheres. Although the Triannon believe there are thousands.
- Starfleet Instant Messenger
- Was it me, or did that computer display said the Xindi files were 19.4 KB? That's an awfully good compression algorithm
- The same display mentions "Tactical Department Starfleet". Fitting for that new briefing set, I guess.
Posted by Davok (Member # 143) on :
It says 19.3 XB. They probably made it up, since exabytes (10^18) are abbreviated EB as far as I know.
Posted by TheWoozle (Member # 929) on :
I wonder if the computer has an UNDELETE button.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Probably not. We know that the Trek shows are produced mainly on Mac-based systems. For all the hatred of Microsoft, it's a hell of a lot easier to retrieve deleted data on a DOS system. Another case of writers writing what they know.
Mark
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
Well, since the prefix for 1021 is 'Z', and the prefix for 1024 is 'Y', perhaps 'X' is the prefix for 1027. Don't know what it would stand for, but it makes a little bit of sense, at least.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Meh, you can still use the "UNDO" command on the Mac...
As far as tech goes, I noticed that all the Starfleet rifles were using the now-familiar phase pistol-type beam. And the MACO's pulse rifles are definitely capable of stunning someone, seeing as how the head zealot whats-his-name got shot by a MACO and survived for the utterly predictable and pointless final scene.
What I'd like to know is how the aliens managed to cram in 23 people into their tiny ship! They must've been crammed in there like sardines, considering the relative size when the ship was seen docked with the NX-01...
And was it just me, or did the alien-ship-of-the-week look like the nose section of a Kazon raider?
According to the handy metric reference I have bookmarked, there is no such metric prefix with the abbreviation "X". So either it was an honest goof-up (which would be believable but deplorable -- can't these guys do some research if they're using real-world terms?), or there's a new prefix invented in the future (or one that's not on the tables I've seen).
Personally, I'm just glad that they got rid of the god-awful "quads" unit that got bludgeoned to death on Voyager...
Were all of the surviving captives supposed to be in those two shuttlepods? I find that unlikely considering we saw a MACO in the one shuttle as Archer and whats-his-name got out on the surface. This is just one more example of the utter stupidity in how ship-to-shore movement is handled on this show.
I did like the very creative use for the transporter in this episode, though! It was a slight gamble that the aliens didn't have transporter tech, but it's paid off. (Aside: have we seen ANYONE, including the Vulcans, using transporters? Why would only the Humans have developed it?)
Finally, not exactly a tech issue, but pertinent -- has anyone had the foresight to have a running count of how many MACOs have been seen on the ship? I don't have the opportunity to tape and rewind every episode since the beginning of the season for reference, but someone else might have the time (and patience) to try to compare some of the nameless extras we've seen in MACO uniforms. I think it's clear that there are at least a dozen or two on the ship, suggesting that quite a number of people left the ship in "The Expanse". T'would be good to know just how many have been seen. (And assuming it can be kept to a logical number, unlike Voyager's endless supply of redshirts and disposable shuttles. )
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
I think the woman MACO in this ep was Mackenzie. And the black guy was also seen in "Carpenter Street".
On another note.. the crew weren't expecting any hostilies when the Triannon took over the ship, yet the MACOs were fully geared up when shoved into their quarters?
All in all, I do believe the MACO cast is fairly consistent. But for all the fuss made about them before the start of the season, they haven't really had any significant screentime yet. Apart from their names, we know virtually nothing about them OR their organization.
Posted by TheWoozle (Member # 929) on :
Klingons used transporters.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
The way it works in production is that they tend to hire a number of actors as permenant extras to create the illusion of constant background crew members or such; this explains Lt. Ayalla on Voyager, or DS9's Morn. The main actors' body doubles also tend to find work as such (after all, they're already wearing the uniforms for lighting and composition purposes). In the case of the MACO extras, they are probably also hired with an eye on stunt experience, given how many no-dialogue action scenes they're in.
Bringing this to the MACOs on Enterprise, since regular stunt people are expensive (anyone remember Dan Madalone, who was almost every male extra killed on TNG and VOY?), the small number of people dressed as MACOs on the ship are constant; this suggests a small contingent, since the same extras are in most of the action scenes we've seen so far. Whoever's running continuity on the ship this time is doing a fair job (at least within the series itself), so they'd probably be able to tell you. Of course, they are deliberately not telling us to avoid the backlash when they DO screw up; we have the Voyager headaches to prove it.
Mark
Mark
Posted by Lee (Member # 393) on :
There are a couple of pages out there tracking the MACOs, but they're hardly ever updated and are incorrect on a couple of points. I've actually been stockpiling MACO pictures to do one myself, if you can wait a couple of days. 8)
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"According to the handy metric reference I have bookmarked, there is no such metric prefix with the abbreviation "X". So either it was an honest goof-up (which would be believable but deplorable -- can't these guys do some research if they're using real-world terms?), or there's a new prefix invented in the future (or one that's not on the tables I've seen)."
No, there isn't a real 'X' metric prefix. But, fifteen years ago, there was no 'Y' or 'Z', either. I'm sure they intended it to be a fake prefix, just like how they used "quads" rather than bytes in the TNG-era series.
Posted by TheWoozle (Member # 929) on :
Might be overlooking the obvious. Xb could be ten-bytes. I expect that Xbytes is what will become kilo-quads in the future.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
quote:Originally posted by TheWoozle: Might be overlooking the obvious. Xb could be ten-bytes. I expect that Xbytes is what will become kilo-quads in the future.
So 19.4 * 10 bytes = 194 XB? I've got single screenshots bigger than that! Whoever wrote the Enterprise's software must have a dang good file compression program!
Tim: Good point about adding more prefixes. I should've thought of that.
Woozle: You sure the Klingons had transporters? I don't think they used them at all in the four or five episodes (egad, that many?) we've seen them in. I'm pretty sure the transporter has been shown as a Human-only device. Maybe because Archer and company are the only ones stupid enough to use something like it?
Posted by Trimm (Member # 865) on :
They used them in Maurauders IIRC.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"So 19.4 * 10 bytes = 194 XB? I've got single screenshots bigger than that! Whoever wrote the Enterprise's software must have a dang good file compression program!"
Well, there's not just that. There's already a prefix for "ten". Plus, there's not much point to using it. I mean, why say "19.4XB" when you can just say "194B". It'd be like writing in scientific notation when you're only multiplying by 101.
Posted by Mark Nguyen (Member # 469) on :
Okay, here's mine. Another obtuse metaphor" episode, not bad, but lacking depth as usual. Apologies for any duplications - this is also the first time I can watch and type at the same time, due to my new DUAL MONITOR SYSTEM! BWAHAHAHA!!!
-We open with Mayweather and Trip taking close scans of a sphere. They seem to be absolutely identical between them, probably exclusive of that customized door from "Anomaly".
-T'Pol notes right at the beginning that with the new data, she can calculate the EXACT number of spheres in the Expanse. Her earlier estimate was probably just that.
-To be fair, the zealots were assured to have no weapons, probably by visual scan. They screwed up, obviously.
-Yeah, that ship is pretty small for all the people inside. Then again, refugee boats can cram quite a few people into their teeny hulls. Given the low tech of this species and their relgious fervor, it wouldn't surprise me that they were making do with a smaller ship to achieve their goals.
-The Triannon system is 6.3 light years from their position, inside a star cluster.
-I'm pretty sure that they've forgotten Enterprise is still carrying spatial torpedoes. Pity, since they've been seen numerous times in the armory set.
-For doing stuff like scanning, walking on and entering spehres, the phenom prenom says he's obligated to destroy the ship. I wonder how, or if, he's ever done so before with his puny vessel.
-On the "FILES DELETED" screen, under the volume of files deleted line it reads "& Com System Updated". I take this to mean COMPUTER system, not communications.
-The files seemed to be deleted along the lines of keywords. I guess it isn't THAT bad, since they likely still have the Xindi database, and they can go back and re-scan the identical spheres. What they've mostly lost then is the probable locations of the other spheres, and the recipie for Trellium-D (which was seen to be erased). I'm sure they can eventually get most of this stuff back with further scans.
-Man, the Captain's logs seem to be a popular destination for folks who take over the ship... Still, with apparently unlimited access to the ship's computer, did ANY of them not read about the transporter system?!
-The J-tube set that Archer uses as his ops bases seems to be partially new - it looks like it's been made from bits of wall segments and a computer bank from the catwalk set.
-NINE DAYS versus TEN DAYS?! Yeesh!
-Once again, the forward photons are seen emerging form the old tubes instead of the new centerline tube seen in "The Expanse". Damn. And do these guys have an aversion to energy weapons for some reason?
-For anyone keeping track, the rifles used in this episode are the dual-barrel types, and they are consistently seen firing beams from the upper barrel. Reed's rifle is actually shot at one point and goes offline, so he throws it at a guy - a first, I think.
-Speaking of firsts, is this the first time they've actually SAID the term "MACO"? I'd been wondering this for a while now...
-We see the MACO pistol again, which is still the EM-33. Yay!
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