Scott Bakula said in a recent chat that the MACOs may be more than they seem... That we don't know if they're really here merely to provide additional firepower (can't find the linked site right now, but I think it was from TrekWeb or TrekToday).
I'm willing to consider that TPTB have actually planned something in store for the MACOs. Evidence is sparse but significant - chiefly, we have at least two MACO actors whose status and experience deserve more than just a few lines per episode. Namely, these are Major Hayes and Corporal Chang, both trek franchise vets and fairly accomplished actors in their own right (Culp for JAG, and Kim for Crusade, 24, et. al.). Hayes had a minor role in the premiere, and Chang's parts are barely existant - heck, did he even SAY anything this week? I'm willing to bet that one or both of these actors have been promised significant roles in an upcoming episode or two, and have been "retained" with minor roles to keep them working and available until that time.
Furthermore, there's the role of the MACOs themselves as military. The fate of the Earth is at stake, and the government is obstensibly trusting the planet's survival on what is at best a paramilitary institution with a primary focus on exploration and science. So the MACOs are along, but if Bakula is hinting at anything, I'm sure that they're there to make sure Enterprise takes care of the Xindi in any way possible, including skipping over all the morality stuff that typically hangs up a Trek crew.
Mind you, Archer's been pretty nuts so far this year... Thoughts?
posted
If the Enterprise isn't specifically under military jurisdiction and there are military officers, on a military mission... Couldn't Major Whatshisface take command if he deems it neccessary?
On the other tentacle, maybe they have sealed orders and Archer was told "just take them there and don't ask questions. You will receive new orders in time.."
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posted
It'll be like Armageddon, Space Cowboys, The Abyss, Stargate (the movie) - the government representatives will turn out to have their own (destructive) agenda. Of course, what that is we don't know yet. But expect recurring references to a mysterious container or storeroom only the MACOs have access to. . . Finally, someone, somewhere, finds an actual honest-to-God WMD - even if that person is Jonathan Archer in the Delphic Expanse in 2153! 8)
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Major Hayes outranks everyone on the ship except Trip, T'Pol, and Archer. This has already produced some friction since he's taking orders from Malcolm, whom he outranks (Major is equivalent to Lieutenant Commander if regular ranks still apply in Enterprise). However, I doubt that anyone on the Enterprise crew would follow his orders if he tried to make an end run around Archer.
I could definately see B & B giving the military types a secondary agenda specifically because it has been a cliche in so many movies. Old tricks are the best tricks to B & B.
The main obstacle to that being that Archer specifically requested that the MACO's be brought aboard. This doesn't preclude someone coming to Hayes afterwords and telling him to take over if Archer wusses out and doesn't decide to glassify the new Xindi Homeworld when the time comes however.
And as far as a WMD's, they don't even need one as Archer waxed nostalgic and was nice enough to save that vile of the Mutagenic Alien Viral Agent.
-------------------- "You must talk to him; tell him that he is a good cat, and a pretty cat, and..." -- Data "I will feed him" -- Worf (Phantasms)
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posted
Oh, yeah. Archer DID ask for the MACOs didn't he? That buggers things up a bit. In the absence of anyone back home who might have their own agenda for the MACOs to pursue (well, they haven't intorduced such a character yet anyway), and since it'd be a bit daft for Hayes to turn out to be nasty when he had no say in whether or not he'd get to go on the mission, I can't see how they'll be able to justify the Evil MACO storyline, dramatically.
I've never trusted Admiral Forrest for some reason. It's nothing I can put my finger on but I just think he's got some ulterior motive at work. Maybe it's just because 4 out of 5 Starfleet Admirals are homicidal nutjobs.
-------------------- "You must talk to him; tell him that he is a good cat, and a pretty cat, and..." -- Data "I will feed him" -- Worf (Phantasms)
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posted
It is of course possible that the MACOs are a benign organization with benign orders, and Hayes is just a bad apple. Had Archer asked for a troupe of clowns to raise morale and to make the rest of the crew look good, Hayes would have snuck aboard as Bozo the Great. Had Archer asked for nobody at all, Hayes's backers would have poisoned Chef and offered Hayes as his replacement. Had even that not worked, we'd have seen Hayes stow away in a photon torpedo casing, to scare the bejezus out of Reed.
quote: Had Archer asked for a troupe of clowns to raise morale and to make the rest of the crew look good, Hayes would have snuck aboard as Bozo the Great.
Great, that's season 5 sorted out then.
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
I wouldn't be surprised if you had an even split between Good and Evil MACOs. Of course, I haven't seen any of these eps to date, so I can't speak for which would end up bad. Hayes, of course, and probably Chang (there HAS to be a reason for an actor like DDK to be in this role); who else have we seen? There's the Hispanic guy, the blond grenade-tossing grunt (who reminds me of the nutjob in DS9's "The Siege of AR-558"), Kemper, Mackenzie (both of whom appear to be the fan-pleasing eye candy), and also a black guy I saw in a screencap of the Armory battle. Must upload those this weekend. . .
posted
Personally, I'm not convinced that's the case...
Why? It's simple - I honestly don't think that Berman and Braga are sophisticated enough to actually make plot involving good&bad MACOs, or some "secret orders".
But, hey, sure, it would be certainly interesting. But the way I see it, it ain't gonna happen.
Let us hope that I'm wrong.
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posted
if anything, the twist that Bakula was referring to may be as simple as the tension between soldiers and explorers which we have already seen begin, not due to treason or skullduggery but simply because of differing views.
and they will handle it with the same storytelling depth as the Maquis/Starfleet tension or the Bajoran/Federation tension.. i.e forgetting about it very soon
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Registered: Sep 2001
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posted
There are two basic possibilities: Either the Starfleet-MACO disagreement is only good for a few throw-away lines and will die as soon as the Starfleet-Maquis conflict on Voyager. Or it will be some sort of conspiracy thing like with Section 31. Maybe at some point the MACO may take over the ship, but that would require a very good story idea, in order to let it not appear incredibly contrived.
-------------------- Bernd Schneider
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Major Hayes must be up to no good somewhere on the ship. He hasn't appeared once since the season opener even though the MACO's have featured prominently in each episode. He's planning something. (I hope they didn't introduce his character only to have him appear in one or two episodes, that would be awfully contrived).
The only way I could see the MACO's (Some or all) taking over the ship is if Archer had a change of heart in regards to how to deal with the Xindi, and while the MACO's are just as "patriotic" and believe in their mission, they have a different interpretation of how to proceed.
They may think that destroying the Xindi is the only way to save Earth and Archer might take the greater risk of making contact rather then outright destroying them. This may lead to friction and perhaps even mutiny on the part of the MACO's.
-------------------- "You must talk to him; tell him that he is a good cat, and a pretty cat, and..." -- Data "I will feed him" -- Worf (Phantasms)
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted
To me, it doesn't make much sense to send a Major along with a mere single platoon of soldiers, other than to wave the MACO's flag.... Or plan skull-daggeries. Planning normal platoon level missions doesn't really need someone as high as a Major, I don't think.
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