posted
Burnt up the cable modem once more and got my hands on the latest Enterprise offing about 24 hours early.
Anyway, a fun, reasonably silly episode a little short on actual stuff happening, but watchable nonetheless. Considerably better than the last time we visited Risa, though that isn't high praise. Speaking of which, there was a kind of DS9 feel to the show, in that we spend an episode concerning ourselves more the individual minor plotlines of each character, none of which are particularly galaxy-shattering in scale, rather than having some cosmic space anomaly that threatens to devour the ship. It also had that kind of DS9 silliness we got once or twice a season, usually in the bottle episodes, and often in the Ferengi comedies (though unlike those, this episode didn't embarass itself by blatantly trying to be funny when it wasn't). I might add that this is anything but a bottle episode: the set budget was ravaged in a quite-rewarding effort to show us as many different sides of Risa as possible. No caves, either.
We have fairly isolated A, B, C and D-plots, which I can't imagine has happened too often on Trek before. My faves are the drunken adventures of Trip and Malcolm and an absolutely hilarious performance by John Billingsley as an, erm, "incapacitated" Phlox. Hoshi's plot's a little shruggable and to be honest Archer's plot came off as a bit of a letdown. Dey Young's performance wasn't so hot, but she wasn't exactly playing off the least-clunky dialogue ever.
We're also well into arc territory now, as the events of "Detained" come up again. Say what you will about Brannon Braga, but this first season is clearly coming to the line with way more internal arc-age from one episode to following ones than DS9's. B5 it ain't, but that's just fine by me.
The episode's probably going to be the annual Trek submission for hair design and costume design Emmies. Civilian duds get thrown around with abundance, or in the case of one lucky character, removed entirely.
A Chattaway score, which lately has translated to lots of piano touches around the usual string n' brass drone. I liked, but only as much as you can really "like" a score on episodic Trek.
In the trivia department, Risa's canonically nailed down at 90 ly from Earth. There's a reference to Regulan Bloodworms. Mexican Hairless dogs apparently have extraterrestrial counterparts. Horgahn's don't actually figure in the story, but do wind up as part of the Risan interior decor, which I thought was neat. More skivvies. And perhaps some clear shots of the enlisted rank pins, if anyone with a super-duper capture card wishes to try for them (I'll go play with my mpeg copy in a sec).
The Verdict? A plus 2, I think.... (�berschema below)
-------- +7 FLAWLESS | A+ ***** 10.0 -- +6 PANTS-WETTINGLY SPECTACULAR | A+ ****/ 9.5 --- +5 WOW! | A **** 9.0 ---- +4 PRETTY DAMN GOOD | A- **** 8.5 ------ +3 DECENT | B+ ***/ 8.0 --------- +2 SOLID | B *** 7.5 ------------ +1 WILL DO, I GUESS... | B- *** 7.0 -------------- 0 MEDIOCRE | C+ **/ 7.0 --------------- -1 SUB-PAR | C ** 6.5 -------------- -2 WASTE OF AN HOUR | C- ** 6.0 ------------ -3 STOMACHABLE... BARELY | D+ */ 5.5 --------- -4 JUST PLAIN BAD | D * 5.0 ------ -5 A PAINFUL, DISMAL MESS | F * <5.0 ---- -6 KNITTING-NEEDLES-IN-EYES AWFUL | F / <4.0 --- -7 MAKES LIFE A LITTLE LESS WORTHWHILE | F none <2.0 -- --------
[tried to fix the chart; it didn't work; changed it back -TSN] [Tim: I was working fine in IE, though Netscape seemed to have a problem with switching to a monospaced font. CSS issues? In any case, nothing a bit of manual niggling couldn't fix-T_T]
[ May 15, 2002, 00:33: Message edited by: The_Tom ]
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
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So Hoshi shows the viewers that she can get her freak on... hmm...
-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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posted
I'm just trying to figure this out... isn't Risa a world covered by rain and thunderstorms? Isn't this the reason for the entire plot of the DS9 Risa episode?
-------------------- Later, J _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ The Last Person to post in the late Voyager Forum. Bashing both Voyager, Enterprise, and "The Bun" in one glorious post.
posted
Well, it used to be... the locals then decided to fix the weather at something a little nicer and swung seemingly the entire planetary economy towards sexually-liberated tourism.
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Perhaps from the future? Who knows... but her spots reminded me of the Trill ones... that and what Vanessa Williams sported for that DS9 episode.
-------------------- "It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow, it's not all going to be over with a big splash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans." -Gene Roddenberry about Star Trek
Registered: May 1999
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posted
With the schedule I work I never get to see many of the episodes, but this one did seem to have T'Pol as quite the sex object. With Archer numming* her and all....
I was also thinking that maybe it was because of the contact with humans that Vulcans really got with Surak's teachings, thinking that they had suppressed their emotions nicely, then first contact taught them they they do need to do it better. Teaching is intensified on Vulcan and emotions are suppressed even more/better.
* from and old joke.... The outline..... A big busted woman walks in to a doctors office to have her breasts examined. The doc as her take off her blouse and bra and tells her he must numb them before continuing. She says okay and he puts his face inbetween them, shakes his head back and forth saying, 'Numm, numm, numm...." Old is the key word....
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
Sounds like you caught "Shadows of P'Jem," a rerun that ran after "Two Days..."
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
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Tom, I do believe you are right..... See, I don't catch first runs all that often....
-------------------- "You are a terrible human, Ritten." Magnus "Urgh, you are a sick sick person..." Austin Powers A leek too, pretty much a negi.....
Registered: Sep 2000
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The Defiant
Ex-Member
posted
I thought Rise was really close to Cardassian space. At least more 'out there' than this episode makes it seem... huh.
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Well, Cardassian space didn't seem to be that far "out there" in the end, either.
Technically, Bajor ought to be about 200 ly from Earth if it's about 300 ly from Regulus as once mentioned. 90 ly could be halfway there already.
And we could take that little mention of a couple from "Vega Reticuli" and claim that they were from the immediate neighborhood of Risa. Both Vega and Reticulum are in the general direction where Cardassia is supposed to be found...
posted
The Cardassians are one of the TNG races Enterprise could be reasonably expected to show. They were known early enough for Cardassian political dissidents to take refuge on Vulcan during (or right around) Kirk's time. I'd rather like to see it, actually. The exact date for the military takeover of Cardassia Prime was never given, but enough Cardassians talked about it in ways that suggest it was fairly recent. In this era we might see Cardassia on the last legs of its pre-Central Command, highly religious (or did I imagine that?) stage. Which could be really cool.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Yeah, but I'm sure millions of self-appointed canon experts would disagree with you, Simon.
I'd really like to see it at some point, but I think we might as well keep the encounters with 24th century fixtures a bit more spaced-out so we haven't run into absolutely everything of note 200 years later by the end of the second season. Leave it for two or three years, but my vote is definately for meeting proto-Cardassians at some point.
[ May 16, 2002, 23:31: Message edited by: The_Tom ]
-------------------- "I was surprised by the matter-of-factness of Kafka's narration, and the subtle humor present as a result." (Sizer 2005)
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I also think the Trill are a good candidate, thanks to certain references in "Trials and Tribble-ations." But mostly I'd be interested in seeing the Cardassians, because of how much their society is supposed to have changed.
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