This episode was a lot better than some of the conclusions to other Star Trek two-parters. There were still some problems. I think Soval and his ambassadorial entourage are being too emotional for Vulcans; I groaned when they stormed out of Forrest's office after T'Pol's speech. Daniels and Archer's interplay was all right, but during parts of the altered future it seemed to as if Daniel is not a very well-trained temporal agent. And, I really think that Enterprise should have headed back to Earth for repairs and an overhaul. Aren't shakedown cruises usually a year anyway? I know it's not good drama to spend a year in drydock testing how the rivets held up, but it'd be more realistic to include some sort of debriefing and repairs.
The visual effects, I think, were good aside from the phase cannon screw-up in the pursuit sequence at the end. I doubt the forward phase cannons have super-extenders to reach around the hull (although if they pop out of the ventral and dorsal saucer, that'd be a possible explanation. However, they're don't seem to be holes in the proper places for those shots). The pyrotechnics for the fake core breach were good, but I can't believe they put anything explosive near the warp core.
Overall, though, I think the story was pretty good and that the episode flowed well. Nothing about the characterizations strikes as being abnormal, and I think Blalock and Park did pretty well portraying someone who had been (probably) tortured and who was claustrophobic. Mayweather, as usual, is underutilized.
-------------------- The philosopher's stone. Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy. They gain without sacrifice and create without equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Good points all around. Daniels' freak out was due to the fact that he's single-handedly destroyed the timeline and trillions of lives. I thought he handled being history's biggest fuck-up rather well. No crying or anything.
Mayweather is very under used, but consider that the one episode catering to his background was a real snore.....
I loved the Vulcan ship at the episode's ending, but I have some suspicions that the main hull was a re-use of the Relativity CGI model. (of course I could be smoking crack...again.)
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
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Oh, I completely understand Daniels freaking out. He did handle that part well. A few instances of abject horror, and then he was busy trying to find the fault and a way to correct it. The part I was getting out was telling Archer bits and pieces of the future (like the Federation) and letting him wonder around the library.
One thing I neglected to mention was the uniform Daniels wore. It looks vaguely similar to the special biomenetic (I believe that's correct) suits worn by the enhanced Suliban. I'm wondering if that ribbed look is functional or something.
-------------------- The philosopher's stone. Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy. They gain without sacrifice and create without equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Personally it's possible for them to overhaul the ship and still have good drama. They did it on Voyager during that one episode when Harry got his own command--- they should have had that episode four years sooner.
They can do it on Enterprise a lot better... this time they can go back to Earth... someone can try and steal Enterprise [because they think their better to Captain it]... yadda yadda yadda. Drama is what you make it--- necessary plots are of your own creation. If you don't want to have to overhaul the ship, DON'T BREAK IT!
It works out this way: To be a good writer you have to be smart. To be a Hollywood writer, requirement one is stupidity.
-------------------- Later, J _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ The Last Person to post in the late Voyager Forum. Bashing both Voyager, Enterprise, and "The Bun" in one glorious post.
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I wasn't particularly enthoused about Daniels and Archer pulling a MacGyver to jury-rig that temporal thingamajigg... way too DEM for my taste (those are bad! EVIL!).
Registered: Nov 1999
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I'm continuing the thread here instead of continuing the one from S&T because, as someone rightfully stated, the plot info should be here, not there. Some spoilers ahead...
Anyway, after actually seeing the episode, I now feel that the "gratuitous skin flashing for ratings" wasn't as bad as I previously thought before. Without spoiling anything, I understand why Hoshi didn't go back to her quarters to get a new shirt. I also didn't think T'Pol showed any more skin than she did in the decon scene. However, after seeing the trailer for next week's episode, I again wasn't amused at the blatant sex-for-ratings ploy with a nude profile of T'Pol's ancestor behind the tent (if anyone has seen the trailer knows what I'm talking about).
Besides that, however, I did enjoy the second part. I too thought Soval was acting quite irrational for who he's supposed to be. I think he needs to serously think about Kolinahr...
Did anyone notice that Daniels looked a bit wierd? It seemed to me that his hair was plastered on like a wig, & his skin had a somewhat artificial quality about it. He reminded me of Jude Law's pimp android character from A.I. I wonder if any of that was intentional.
One question: The D'Kyr's mission was to retrieve T'Pol & Phlox. Why then did the ship leave without them?
-------------------- "A film made in 2008 isn't going to look like a TV series from 1966 if it wants to make any money. As long as the characters act the same way, and the spirit of the story remains the same then it's "real" Star Trek. Everything else is window dressing." -StCoop
Registered: Jun 2000
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The Next Generation episode did handled the Enterprise's repairs in "Family" pretty well, I think. I did not see all of the particular Voyager episode you mentioned, J, so I don't have an opinion on it. Although I do admit that there are ways incorporating drama into a starship refit.
Had the ending to "Shockwave, Part II" been altered, they could have spent an episode with Enterprise in drydock while Archer and T'Pol have to persuade the Vulcans and Starfleet to allow the mission to continue. You could do the next episode with Enterprise being stolen by a disgruntled Starfleet captain who think he could do a better job, but that would present problems in how he control the ship and what he would do with it. This episode could have Archer seeking the help of a Vulcan starship to reclaim Enterprise. An interesting idea, but it would be difficult to get the justifications in place.
And, since Mark dropped in while I was posting: I think the D'kor left without T'Pol and Phlox because everything was right with the universe. That is to say, we are to believe that the mission continues with T'Pol and Phlox remaining aboard thanks to an agreement between Starfleet and the Vulcans. However, they didn't say as much in the episode. We're to assume it. I think. Definitely should have been clearer.
I think we're being given hints that Daniels isn't human (or completely, anyway). His face appeared somewhat blotchly during some of the library scenes. Plus, the man tasted the copper and deduced that it was copper. Archer gave him an odd glance when he did that, but nothing was said.
-------------------- The philosopher's stone. Those who possess it are no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy. They gain without sacrifice and create without equal exchange. We searched for it, and we found it.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Another interesting thing I observed was that Commander Williams didn't have a patch on his sleeve. I suppose that means either he was not assigned to a particular ship, or someone was just lazy about making a new patch for a crewmember other than an Enterprise officer. Too bad, we could at least have gotten another pre-Federation Starfleet ship design without the VFX people actually having to make a new ship.
However, I am pleased with the D'Kyr. For the few seconds it appeared on screen, TPTB could have just used the Surak again. Instead, they chose to make a new ship, knowing that it would most likely be used again in the future. Kudos to the VFX guys!
-------------------- "A film made in 2008 isn't going to look like a TV series from 1966 if it wants to make any money. As long as the characters act the same way, and the spirit of the story remains the same then it's "real" Star Trek. Everything else is window dressing." -StCoop
Registered: Jun 2000
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i noticed that in the opening scenes at least, of Broken Bow, they were very careful to not show the left sleeve, possibly becuase they couldnt be bothered to make a new patch.
(kinda like all the facedown guys and the guys arm over the patches on the Defiant in 'Tholian Web')
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Registered: Sep 2001
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Actually, no, I don't know what copper tastes like. And I'm not about to start licking electrical wires to find out, either.
Registered: Mar 1999
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I really wish they would have had Daniels try to explain a little bit of the time paradox. It would have been nice for Archer to end it saying "OK, that's more than enough information."
-------------------- Later, J _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ The Last Person to post in the late Voyager Forum. Bashing both Voyager, Enterprise, and "The Bun" in one glorious post.
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