The Rise And Fall Of A Great Video Game: Destiny: The Collection

The Good: Graphics, Playability, Story/concept
The Bad: Story becomes dependent upon multiplayer mode
The Basics: Destiny begins as a compelling solo video game that decends into an unfortunate social exercise that makes it impossible to finish as one began it.


I have, only as I reached middle age, gotten into playing video games. I found I actually enjoy the reinforcement of little goals and playing games that have intriguing stories and good graphics. I never would have guessed that I would have gotten into first-person shooter games, but when the stories are interesting, I find I can get captivated by them. While going through my year of playing Star Wars: Battlefront (reviewed here!), one of my real-life friends recommended that I try Destiny. As Star Wars Battlefront became more of a repetitive exercise for me, I decided to take her advice and my wife picked me up Destiny: The Complete Collection.

I got Destiny: The Complete Collection for the Playstation 4 (reviewed here!) and I have been playing it for the past nine months on that system.

Basics

At its core, Destiny is a first-person shooter game in a science fiction warfare setting. The game is broken into three essential modes: Story, Co-operative missions, and player vs. player combat.

The story mode is a single-player experience that has the player portraying a Guardian, one of the last surviving people in the solar system tasked with protecting the remaining human population. The player makes a journey to Earth, the moon, Mars, Venus, and a massive alien ship embedded in Saturn's rings (the Dreadnaught) to fight little rogue aliens (The Fallen), massive war robots (the Cabal), mindless alien drones (the Vex), a race of killer humanoid insects (the Hive) and a sinister race invading the solar system that absorbs entities from all those races and makes them into shadow warriors (The Taken). In the main story mode, the player explores the remaining habitable portions of Earth and its colonies within the solar system to protect the Visitor and the remaining humans from the invading forces, while collecting artifacts and weapons to level up.

The multiplayer mode allows players to team up to do specific missions that involve bigger bosses than one player could reasonably handle. Players work together to perform complicated story missions that cannot be done by one player and do mini-strikes that allow them to work together in variations of other story adventures. There is also a very basic combat experience where the team of players combats enemies in an arena setting as part of the expanded training.

Unfortunately, this is where Destiny goes horribly wrong. Destiny begins as a single-player game that allows players to move through the world at their own pace, explore aspects of the setting that interest them and accomplish goals in their own desired order. Where I wrote "allows" at the top of the paragraph above, the terminology was imprecise; "compels" is a far more accurate word. Players begin the game and can make the journey as they see fit and take their time. But, at the end of every major map, there comes a point where the player cannot play on their own. Bungie, the makers of Destiny, force players to connect with other players and form a six-person Fireteam to accomplish important story points like killing every major Big Bad. It's like Bungie is the stereotypical doting parent, concerned that their kid is playing too many video games and forces playdates with other children. As a forty year-old, that's pretty shitty to me.

The multiplayer story modes are not labeled and are not intuitive. So, players who come to the game on their own will suddenly get to an important story point (like killing the leader of the Hive or eliminating the Taken King) and find themselves locked out of progressing . . . not through any clear mechanic, but rather taking the next labeled step in the game and finding it impossible to progress. So, for example, after spending hours and hours trying to get to more than three checkpoints on "Crota's End" (called Lanterns) without being blown up, swarmed by so many Hive that no single combination of weapons can thin the herd enough to survive or fall down pits in the darkness, players who have started the game on their own are likely to just give up.

But, alas, to continue playing the game where the single player was the hero in their own story, players must log onto Bungie's message boards on the internet, find a fireteam and join it. I came to Destiny late - the game was released at least two years prior to me even hearing about it - and people who continued to play the multiplayer story modes have, generally, become an intolerant bunch. Whatever process of discovery existed in the early days of Destiny gameplay by which players figured out what the team members had to do in each of the forced team play story adventures - where people had to stand, when they had to move, what order to accomplish things in, etc. - has long since passed. As a result, players who play the multiplayer story modes are (by a vast majority) made up of people who know what they are doing and have very specific goals to accomplish with continuing to play those modes. As a population, as a player community, they are not overly tolerant of newbies or those who have different skill sets. So, for example, I am not a professional player and one of the aspects of gameplay that I tend to have difficulty with jumping. I am not a strong jumper in video games. So, on a multiplayer mission that requires all of the players to cross a massive chasm within the Dreadnaught while avoiding getting knocked into said chasm through well-timed jumps . . . I am a clear liability to the team. One need not possess much imagination to guess how a team of five players who are ready to confront a Big Bad might react to being held up for an hour while the sixth player attempts to jump across a chasm that everyone else has already crossed.

This style of gameplay is incredibly frustrating for new players and players who are not social. The most common result is that the Fireteam leader, fed up with the team's weak link, will simply jettison them from the game. So, a player might begin one of the story missions they require to advance and conclude a level, but will end up entirely at the mercy of other players and their impatience. It's a sucky way to design a game and it is not at all player friendly. Any game that requires solo players to rely upon the kindness of strangers and live up to their standards to conclude the game is poorly designed. It's a system that invites bullying, so it was utterly unsurprising to me as a non-professional player that I would have numerous portions of gameplay where I was unable to complete the story and would be made to feel terrible by other players who accepted my presence on a team for a portion of the story's gameplay, but then threw me off the team because I was not as good as the rest of the team.

Emotionally, the only real recourse a player has is in the player vs. player mode. In the player vs. player mode, players either join a randomly assigned team or assemble a team of like-minded murderers and they go out to fight in various settings against other players. The Player Vs. Player modes range from games where the players must hold control points to "ignite a rift" using a "spark" (it's essentially Capture The Flag with massive casualties when the flag is destroyed) to free-for-all combat between players.

At the end of virtually every mission or round of combat, players are awarded points, artifacts, and/or weapons and armor to level up their character.

Story

To its credit, Destiny has a pretty cool story. Opening in the present day, astronauts reach Mars. There, they uncover and encounter the Traveler, a massive satellite that reinvigorates and inspires humanity. Humans spread out throughout the solar system and enter a new golden age. After eons of expansion, The Traveler's enemy finds it and virtually wipes out humanity.

The solar system is overrun by Taken, Vex, Cabal, Hive and Taken forces. But, one day, the little mechanical device known as a Ghost resurrects The Guardian (the player) and helps them to escape the Fallen-infested Cosmodrome. The Guardian is then reunited with the leaders of Earth, who work with the Traveler to retake the solar system.

Game Progression

The main story of Destiny has pretty reasonable progression. The player starts on a map and, while they might explore almost any part of it, there is a pretty linear sense of movement throughout the story. When a player encounters a story node along their current plotline, they begin a well-contained mission, like having to climb up one of the remaining rockets on Earth to recover computer codes for one of the surviving military leaders or bring the Queen in the Rift the head of one of her enemies in order to prove loyalty and competence to her.

In general, the story mode follows a linear progression from Earth to the moon to the planets Venus and Mars before the solar system is invaded by the Taken out near Saturn.

That said, Destiny, at least in the form of The Complete Collection, is severely weakened in its progression by its open format. Destiny has "social areas," where players go to store excess weapons, decrypt found blueprints into weapons and armor and meet with non-player characters who assign missions and goals. Unfortunately, there is no linear progression to the types of missions or goals that the non-player characters give. So, for example, a player who meets with the Titan Leader Zavala and sees that there are missions he has to help one level up might accept them . . . without any indication that a low player-level character cannot possibly accomplish, much less enter, them. So, for example, Zavala has goals pertaining to Nightfall Strikes that a Level 1 player might take on . . . not knowing that Nightfall Strikes are not accessible to anything but the highest-level players. In a similar vein, players might easily pick up weapons from the weaponsmith that are well above their player level to use or involve targets the player does not yet have access to (like a weapon that is to be used exclusively against the Cabal before player has access to the Mars map). Going through the game a second time as a different type of character, I was instantly miffed that in the first group of goals my character was given, two required high-level characters, requiring me to either hold the quests for considerable time before I could attempt them or forcing me to abandon/decline them.

Similarly, Destiny goals are often neither intuitive nor self-explanatory. So, for example, one is given a speeder to move around on and the mechanic in the Last City can assign the players goals. I have had a goal of "Overcharge 3 Reached." I have no idea what "Overcharge 3" is. I've tried many different things; I could find the answer easily enough by looking it up, but the game should not require players to go to a completely external source just to learn about the goals they are supposed to accomplish!

That said, weapons and armor upgrades are entirely intuitive and well-executed. Players are given a lot of direction at the game's outset for how to acquire and upgrade weapons and armor, so as the game progresses, that becomes intuitive pretty fast. . . as does collecting resources so one has the continual ability to upgrade one's weapons and armor.

Effects

The effects in Destiny are homogeneously amazing. The visuals for the environments look fantastic and the animation is usually clean and flows exceptionally well. Destiny is remarkably glitch-free on the visual effects and it creats an impressive setting that looks great.

As an older player, it is worth noting that while the speed of the graphics are good and the rendering of adversaries is excellent, the scope, scale and lighting are frequently problematic. To see and, usually, to aim, I almost constantly had to engage the scope on whatever weapon I was using. This has the unfortunate consequence of removing the radar, which informs players where the enemies and goals are! That said, Destiny has superior directional information. Enemies in Destiny can shoot players from a decent distance, outside the effective radar range; the on-screen graphics that indicate where a player is being hit from attacks are excellent.

Arguably the most impressive effect in Destiny is the quality of the voice acting. Bungie employed genre favorite actors like Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Lance Reddick, Erick Avari and Bill Nighy to voice non-player characters who pop up during the movie portions of the game (Peter Dinklage was originally in the game, but apparently got edited out when the expansions began). The actors create distinctive characters for the Ghost and the leaders of the surviving factions within the Last City, making for an exciting sense of flow and continuity through the different story elements.

Replayability

Destiny was, at least until today when Destiny 2 was officially released, constantly adding challenges, weapons and events to Destiny, so the game appears to have incredible replayability. As well, there are three different styles of character a player may create - Titan (essentially brute soldiers), Hunters (more mobile and precise operatives, like bounty hunters) and Warlocks (essentially magic-users) - that each have different strengths, capabilities and forms of attack. As a result, players may play through the story portion of the game multiple times and have very different experiences with each run through. Going back through the game, for example, reminded me of one of the irksome aspects of the environment that allows multiple people to be playing in the same spot at the same time; when one is playing their own personal mission, they might have specific goals, like "make ten headshots" and when other players are playing around you, they might have similar goals. In areas where there are very few enemies, the game gets bogged down by several people all trying to kill the same enemies to accomplish their goals!

The player vs. player portion of the game changes with each and every attempt and events like the Iron Banner insure that there is always something for a Destiny player to do in the game environment!

Overall

Destiny is an excellent idea for a video game for those who want a role-play first person shooter game. Unfortunately, the forced community quality of it - the way the game abruptly transitions from a solo-player game to one that absolutely forces player interaction without any way to complete the story or have the full player experience without having to join an online community and interact with other people is a serious detraction to casual players and solo players alike and ruins the overall experience of Destiny.

For other game reviews, please be sure to visit my reviews of:
Injustice: Gods Among Us Ultimate Edition
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Middle Earth: Shadow Of Mordor

7/10

For other video game reviews, please check out my index page on the subject by visiting my Software Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2017 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Worst Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Enterprise!

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The Basics: Corrupted almost from the beginning, Star Trek: Enterprise’s lowest episodes are the worst of the worst!


At the end of my reviews for each of the individual episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise, I find myself contemplating the entire series. That brings me to the usual Bottom Ten List. The series, which almost instantly mortgaged its potential as a prequel to Star Trek had some real low points and the Worst Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Enterprise are almost entirely episodes that are bad on their own (save the #10, which is horrible in the context of the Star Trek franchise).

Without pretense, the bottom ten episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise are:

10. “The Andorian Incident” (reviewed here!) – Not, technically, a bad episode of television, “The Andorian Incident” was the first, big “fuck you!” episode for fans of the Star Trek franchise. The episode is all about how Vulcans are lying to both the humans and the Andorians . . . which comes out over the course of an agonizing hostage situation in a Vulcan monastary. Completely undermining one of the key cultural conceits of the greatest allies to humans in the Star Trek Universe is utterly ridiculous for the prequel and showed fans of the Star Trek franchise that the executive producers and writers of the series could not give a damn about precedent, continuity, or what made Star Trek wonderful. That makes “The Andorian Incident” fine television, but utterly lousy Star Trek,

9. “Singularity” (reviewed here!) – When the Enterprise approaches a Trinary Star System, everyone starts acting utterly obsessed with mundane tasks. This is an episode that seems like a possession episode, but never develops into something so smart. Are there really no other Trinary Star Systems in the Star Trek universe and since when does radiation make people focused on very small details in their lives?! This episode is just ridiculous,

8. “Horizon” (reviewed here!) – It’s always nice when Star Trek shows try to give a decent role to the secondary characters in their series. “Horizon” tries to focus on Ensign Mayweather and the plot – which has Mayweather returning to his family’s ship only to have his brother treat him like a jerk – is canned and boring. The episode also is one of the worst-performed episodes of the entire series,

7. “Shockwave, Part II” (reviewed here!) – Opening the second season with one of the least satisfying episodes of the entire series, “Shockwave, Part II” finds Archer in the distant future with no usable technology of his own (or support from StarFleet). And yet, he somehow magically manages to contact his adversary and time travel?! And the Suliban prove to be tools who aren’t all that compelling in the way of villains. Yeah, it’s just a sucky action-adventure episode,

6. “Terra Nova” (reviewed here!) – The prequel show sets up a whole ton of episodes of Star Trek that focus on lost human colonies. Arriving at Terra Nova, the Enterprise crew finds humans who have regressed and devolve a bit. This an episode that is supposed to be scary, but flops entirely on the mood front. More than that, the acting is horrible and there is no real character development. “Terra Nova” is just bad television,

5. “Anomaly” (reviewed here!) – Despite being essential to understanding the third season of Star Trek: Enterprise, Anomaly is just ridiculous. This is a space anomaly of the week episode and the sheer number of wonky physics moments in the episode should have torn the ship to pieces. The next time – in context – that Star Trek tried to do something like this episode was in Star Trek: Voyager when the technology was vastly more advanced. This episode is paced and has a soundtrack as if it was an action episode, but it is just boring,

4. “Canamar” (reviewed here!) – How exciting can an episode of television be when one plot is guys waiting for the legal system to set them free and the other plot having the crew trying to convince aliens that Tucker and Archer are not the criminals they are accused of being. This is a prison break style episode where Archer and Tucker are stuck with hardened criminals and T’Pol has to deal with an irate planetary administrator and who the hell cares?! This type episode always sucks because there’s no real menace. Is a Star Trek captain ever going to be killed in a random act of violence? No. This isn’t “Joss Whedon’s Enterprise,” so “Canamar” fails largely because it is impossible to suspend one’s disbelief for it,

3. “Extinction” (reviewed here!) - The only thing worse than Star Trek: Enterprise making episodes that are a mockery of other episodes in the Star Trek franchise is when the show blandly recreates the worst episodes of other Star Trek episodes. “Extinction” is the worst of that type episode: remaking “Genesis” (reviewed here!) and “Threshold” (reviewed here!), Archer and other crewmembers devolve and the result is no better than when Star Trek: The Next Generation or Star Trek: Voyager did mutation episodes,

2. “Regeneration” (reviewed here!) – The only thing worse than time-traveling Borg in Star Trek: First Contact (reviewed here!) is believing that 22nd Century humans could defeat 24th Century Borg . . . and that they didn’t keep adequate notes on the Borg to be able to thwart them when they encountered them later on. Some people like “Regeneration;” I see it for what it is, an action-packed mess that makes no sense on its own or in the larger Star Trek storyline,

And . . .

. . . the worst of the series is . . .

1.“Fusion” (reviewed here!)! When the Enterprise encounters a ship full of emotional Vulcans, the writers take a big, steaming dump on all Star Trek continuity. “Fusion” has rational adults succumbing to the most banal form of peer pressure and a situation that is entirely blasé when it could be revolutionary. “Fusion” is an episode that undermines main characters in Enterprise (T’Pol is weak-willed and Tucker is essentially a hillbilly) and that is no way for any Enterprise crew to be staffed. I suppose the only redeeming aspect of “Fusion” is that it got the worst of Star Trek: Enterprise out of the way fairly early.

For other “Worst Of” lists, please check out my lists of:
The Worst Ten Episodes Of Star Trek
The Worst Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: The Next Generation
The Worst Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
The Worst Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Voyager
What Is So Bad About Star Trek Into Darkness

For other Star Trek reviews, please be sure to check out my Star Trek Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Top Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Enterprise!

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The Basics: Star Trek: Enterprise did not have a single perfect episode, but there were some that were tolerable, even for fans of the larger Star Trek franchise. Here are the best ten episodes of the series!


Having concluded my reviews of each and every episode and movie in the Star Trek franchise with my final reviews of Star Trek: Enterprise episodes, it’s time to put up the Top Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Enterprise! It is worth mentioning up front that the homogenously troubling nature of Star Trek: Enterprise to serious fans of the Star Trek franchise made it extra difficult to “pick the winners.”

It is worth noting that Star Trek: Enterprise, in my objective rating system, never had a perfect episode and that there are remarkably few I would actually recommend watching more than once. These episodes were the highest rated using my objective rating system and it is also worth noting that many fan favorite episodes do not appear on this list for a very simple reason: I am not impressed by special effects. Special effects account for only one point out of ten in my rating system, so the primarily special effects-driven episodes that are very popular with many of the fans may not score as high with me because so many of those episodes lack the distinctive or interesting plots, the genuine character development, or remarkable acting one might hope for. As well, many episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise suffer because of how they fit into the larger context of the Star Trek franchise.

What might be most surprising about this list of the Top Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Enterprise is how few episodes from the final season ended up on the list. The fourth season of Star Trek: Enterprise is the best of the series . . . but so many of those episodes and arcs still had serious issues with how the episodes fit into the larger context of the Star Trek franchise. That said, if one feels they want to cull Star Trek: Enterprise down to the ten worth seeing, the best ten episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise are:

10. “Observer Effect” (reviewed here!) – Arguably the best acting exercise in the series, “Observer Effect” had Reed and Mayweather possessed by Organians, observing a scientific experiment the race from “Errand Of Mercy” (reviewed here!) put into motion. More than a generic, lame possession episode, “Observer Effect” allowed almost all of the main cast members to play a completely different character. While weak on the character development front (all of the character development comes from the Alien Of The Week Organians), “Observer Effect” was a smartly-written, well-acted episode that is strong enough to remind viewers what they were missing from the show’s prior seasons. This is also one of the most clever allusions to the original Star Trek that the series pulled off,


9. “Breaking The Ice” (reviewed here!) – The first truly smart, standalone episode, “Breaking The Ice” had a cool realistic element in the form of a long-distance classroom report that Archer has to deal with while the Enterprise visits a comet. The episode is light on plot, but is packed with character development. As Reed and Mayweather mine a comet, T’Pol learns the value of free will from Tucker when she resists the idea of the arranged marriage awaiting her on Vulcan. “Breaking The Ice” is (mostly) a bottle episode, but it was enough to give viewers some hope that Star Trek: Enterprise would not homogenously suck (the episodes that preceded it were not all that good). Unfortunately, it stood alone for a while in the first season, though it is a strong character episode that fleshes out the personalities on the ship enough to hook viewers until the next truly worthwhile episode,

8. “Cold Station 12” (reviewed here!) – Brent Spiner’s second episode as Arik Soong actually puts Archer’s crew in direct conflict with the scientist’s villainous Augments. This fourth season episode is action-packed, legitimately menacing and has an engaging character struggle for Smike, Phlox, and Archer. This episode revealed the potential of the corrective measures the writers and producers were using for the fourth season of Star Trek: Enterprise and it was enough to give viewers hope that the series would be improving,

7. “Shuttlepod One” (reviewed here!) – Two men (Tucker and Reed) are waiting to die from a shuttlepod that is out of the range of the Enterprise. It could have been a half-assed reworking of “Armageddon Game” (reviewed here!), which forged the bond between O’Brien and Bashir. This episode smartly became an “odd couple” episode that fleshed out Tucker and Reed extensively without making either seem like a placeholder for a prior character in the franchise. Good acting and engaging character development saved a slow episode and make it one of the best,

6. “Shadows Of P’Jem” (reviewed here!) – While “The Andorian Incident” (reviewed here!) might be one of the inarguably worst episodes of Star Trek Enterprise for anyone who was a serious fan of the Star Trek franchise, the follow-up episode is actually one of the best. Returning Shran to the mix, “Shadows Of P’Jem” finds Vulcan/human relations falling out as a result of “The Andorian Incident.” The Enterprise becomes embroiled in a Vulcan/Andorian conflict on Coridan that creates a legitimate bond between Archer and T’Pol as well as Archer and Shran. The action-packed episode is smart, well acted and actually has character moments that create an emotional resonance in the viewer! There’s a first time for everything and in many ways “Shadows Of P’Jem” was full of firsts for Star Trek: Enterprise,

5. “Future Tense” (reviewed here!) – The only episode from Star Trek Enterprise’s Temporal Cold War to make the list, “Future Tense” has Suliban, Tholians, and what is essentially a TARDIS! “Future Tense” coolly illustrated that at the technological level the crew of the NX-01 Enterprise was stuck with was woefully inadequate to deal with all that the ship encountered. As a result, this episode (which has almost no real character development) still plays well for Star Trek fans looking for a legitimate prequel. This is one of the first big time anomaly episodes and Star Trek Enterprise somehow managed to pull it off well,

4. “Proving Ground” (reviewed here!) – In a pretty tightly serialized season of Star Trek: Enterprise, the executive producers reminded viewers that outside the pocket universe of The Expanse, there was still a Star Trek universe moving right along. The return of Shran is cool and sets up a sense that the Andorians in the prequel will be more of a valuable ally to the humans than the Vulcans. As the Xindi continue to develop their weapon which will destroy Earth, Shran aids the Enterprise in getting the Xindi prototype. This is a wonderful action episode of Star Trek: Enterprise that speeds by each time one watches it. For all the problems with the Xindi arc, “Proving Ground” is not one of them,

3. “The Council” (reviewed here!) – For all of the problems with the third season and the Xindi Arc, no episode reminds viewers of the third season that they are still watching Star Trek the way “The Council” does. “The Council” is all about alliance-building and the triumph of intellectualism over action is a refreshing change of pace for the series. The episode’s tragic elements make the villains more villainous and the intellectual aspects make the heroes more heroic,

2. “The Communicator” (reviewed here!) – It’s “A Piece Of The Action” (reviewed here!) without humor and focused on cause instead of effect! “The Communicator” is a violent, political espionage episode packed with paranoia and a Star Trek sense of the importance of the Prime Directive (without the Prime Directive existing). While there is a bit of unfortunate torture in the episode, “The Communicator” has good acting and a decent amount of character development for a concept episode,

and finally . . .

. . . perhaps obviously to those who are fans of the Star Trek franchise . . .

1. “United” (reviewed here!) – Remember when the Star Trek prequel was first announced? Most fans had one of two reactions: 1. How can they possibly pull it off given how the technology would be so primitive? or 2. What the hell is the point?! The only obvious point to Star Trek: Enterprise is to reveal how the United Federation Of Planets was actually founded. VERY late in the fourth season, Star Trek: Enterprise came out with an episode that truly accomplished that goal. The episode was “United” and it clearly illustrated how aliens with different motivations and cultures could come together for a common cause. Too bad it was “too little, too late.” Still, “United” is arguably THE essential episode of the series for fans of the Star Trek franchise or just good television!

For other “Best Of” lists, please check out my lists of:
The Top Ten Episodes Of Star Trek
The Best Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: The Next Generation
The Top Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
The Top Ten Episodes Of Star Trek: Voyager
The Top Ten Episodes Of Frasier

For other television reviews, please visit my Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Finale 2.0, “These Are The Voyages . . .” Ends Star Trek: Enterprise And Star Trek: The Next Generation

The Good: Interesting retcon for Riker, Inside jokes, Moments of concept
The Bad: Nothing stellar on the plot or character front
The Basics: In a one-shot finale episode, “These Are The Voyages . . .” has an old Star Trek: The Next Generation episode revisited with Star Trek: Enterprise as a Holodeck program within in!


Cut short (or, for those of us who were not fans, finally going off the air after being dragged out for far too long), Star Trek: Enterprise had a surprisingly controversial finale. Instead of ending Star Trek: Enterprise on its own strength, with the logical end point for the series – the founding of the United Federation Of Planets - “These Are The Voyages . . .” (the series finale to Star Trek: Enterprise) concluded with an episode that devoted a decent chunk of time and more in the way of actual character development to Star Trek: The Next Generation! After years living in the shadow of the prior Star Trek series’s, Star Trek: Enterprise surrendered to the probability that no one would ever accept the show the way they fell in love with Star Trek: The Next Generation, the executive producers and writers hedged their bets and essentially created a “lost episode” of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

On the clever front, “These Are The Voyages . . .” occurs within the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “The Pegasus” (reviewed here!). In that episode, Commander Riker had to make a tough choice. To help him get the emotional strength to make his tough decision, Riker disappears (in this retcon episode) to the Holodeck. Revisiting the final mission of the NX-01 Enterprise, Riker begins to get the inner strength that we are supposed to believe he did not have before that. Go figure.

During the mission to recover the U.S.S. Pegasus, Commander William Riker is troubled. Having encountered Admiral Preston, his former commanding officer, and learned that he plans to continue pursuing illegal military operations with cloaking device technology, Riker finds his loyalties divided. To make the difficult decision as to whether or not to betray his former commander by outing the secret mission the Pegasus was on when it was lost, Riker takes Counselor Troi’s advice and visits the holodeck. There, Riker relives the final mission of the NX-01 Enterprise.

On its way to the signing ceremony for the United Federation Of Planets’s charter, the NX-01 Enterprise is diverted when Shran pops up. Presumed dead for the four years prior, Archer brings Shran aboard and he reveals that his daughter, whom Archer never knew existed, has been kidnapped. Calling in his favor with Archer, Shran and the Enterprise go to the Rigel System to make the trade. Getting his daughter back, Shran returns to the Enterprise. But the raiders who kidnapped Shran’s daughter catch up with the Enterprise and in their zeal to capture Shran, Tucker steps up to protect his captain and his captain’s Andorian ally.

“These Are The Voyages . . .” unfortunately undermines both Star Trek: Enterprise and the character of Commander William T. Riker. Riker has been known to make tough decisions prior to the seventh season of Star Trek: The Next Generation (which is when “The Pegasus” happens). So, the idea that the events of “The Pegasus” are so daunting that he needed to use a mission of the NX-01 Enterprise just to do the right thing is somewhat preposterous. More than that, the two halves of the episode do not really jive. Archer does not make any particularly tough or world-shattering decisions in his half of the plot. And Tucker, who dominates the character front of the Star Trek: Enterprise portion of the episode, makes a fast decision that is no more difficult or different from his other, prior decisions.

As a result, “These Are The Voyages . . .” glosses over most of the Enterprise crew on the character front. T’Pol and Tucker reference their defunct relationship but because the episode happens over five years after the prior episode, “Terra Prime” (reviewed here!), there is a real emotional disconnect in the characters. The idea that Shran has been presumed dead for years and that Archer so quickly accepts his return is an abrupt one. Shran pops back in and given that the Enterprise crew has had some experience with shapeshifters, that Archer just accepts his sudden appearance is as disconnected as the other elements of the story.

“These Are The Voyages . . .” tries to use all of the main cast of Star Trek: Enterprise, but they are glossed over very quickly. Riker taking on the role of Chef is an amusing in-joke (Chef is never actually seen in the series) which gives him access to all of the crewmembers, but with one or two lines each, there is no real depth to the character arc of the episode.

What “These Are The Voyages . . .” ends up being is an episode that brings real closure to the modern Star Trek era; reminding viewers why they loved the Star Trek franchise. It wasn’t Star Trek: Enterprise they loved and, ironically, the finale to the show illustrated that.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the final season here!
Thanks!]

For other Star Trek finales, please visit my reviews of:
“Turnabout Intruder” - Star Trek
“The Counter-Clock Incident” - Star Trek: The Animated Series
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
“All Good Things . . .” - Star Trek: The Next Generation
“What You Leave Behind” - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
“Endgame” - Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Nemesis

4.5/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Finale 1.0, Star Trek: Enterprise Almost Ends On “Terra Prime!”

The Good: Adequate acting, Pacing, Engaging plot progression
The Bad: Lighter on character development, Plot conceit of the Vulcan/Human hybrid
The Basics: The villainous Paxton prepares to destroy StarFleet Headquarters with his xenophobic organization “Terra Prime” in the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Enterprise.


Leading up to a series finale, usually there are a number of threads that need to be cut to give viewers real closure. In the case of Star Trek: Enterprise, the series began a short arc in “Demons” (reviewed here!) that would help lead to the founding of the Federation within the series and present a story that menaced that founding. The concept was simple; Earth has been plagued by a rise of xenophobia in the year the Enterprise was stuck in The Expanse. “Terra Prime” does surprisingly little in the way of plot/character thread cutting, leaving a lot of burden on the final episode to bring any closure for viewers.

In order to truly appreciate “Terra Prime,” the penultimate episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, one should see “Demons.” Aspects like the Array upon which much of the episode’s action takes place are introduced in “Demons.” Most of “Terra Prime” is a rescue operation and a reaction to a terrorist attack in the prior episode. That does not make the episode bad, but it does make it less accessible on its own.

When Paxton’s array destroys the colony on Mars, Nathan Samuel’s plans for the Federation seem to be scrapped. With the Vulcans and Andorians fearful of Paxton’s ultimatum to wipe out all alien life in the Earth system, the pressures to leave the Sol system intensifies. Archer works to find T’Pol and Tucker, who are held hostage by Paxton. Aboard the Array, Paxton extorts Tucker to improve the targeting array on the station. Reed turns to Harris to get information on how to destroy the Array while the Enterprise crew works to use a comet to get close to Mars and the Array.

With Mayweather refusing to believe the imprisoned Brooks, Reed, Mayweather, Archer and Phlox head to a comet that will otherwise destroy a Mars colony. T’Pol diagnoses Paxton with a disease treated through alien medicine and she works to keep her cloned daughter alive, despite a medical condition that she cannot diagnose. With Archer’s team infiltrating the Array, Archer squares off with Paxton in a desperate attempt to save StarFleet Headquarters. With enemies aboard the Enterprise, the chances of peace in the galaxy are menaced.

Writers Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens once again illustrate a keen knowledge of the Star Trek universe in “Terra Prime.” The pair, which penned a number of Star Trek novels that wonderfully tie together the disparate elements of the Star Trek universe, have a keen appreciation for the minutae of the Star Trek Universe. In “Terra Prime,” Nathan Samuels’s presence on the bridge while Sato is in command is a wonderful foreshadowing of every obnoxious ambassador to plague the Bridge in Star Trek!

The concept behind the terrorist organization Terra Prime is not a bad one, especially when Josiah describes his reason for joining the xenophobes – the idea that the Vulcans could have prevented World War III and did not. Unfortunately, the whole concept of the Vulcan/Human cloned child as a threat to the future of Earth is a pretty ridiculous conceit.

That said, the existence of Elizabeth, as the baby comes to be known, is a good opportunity for Tucker and T’Pol to bond. Given how much the relationship between T’Pol and Tucker has played out in the fourth season like a soap opera, it is refreshing to see the two bonding over a legitimate crisis together. The tragic element of the story is a compelling one and offers Connor Trinneer a good opportunity to perform. His final scene in the episode is wonderfully presented and the sadness he conveys is heart-wrenching. In that same scene Jolene Blalock finally lives up to all the potential playing a Vulcan character as she presents dispassion perfectly.

Unfortunately, that’s the most character development in “Terra Prime.” While trying to flesh out Sato, who is briefly given command, and Mayweather, who has to confront an ex-lover in prison, the episode falls flat. Mayweather’s adversary has no reasonable cause to trust that Mayweather is not the xenophobe that she is supposedly there to root out, making her a terrible intelligence agent.

Star Trek: Enterprise is not known for being overly quotable, but the final speech that Archer gives in front of the nascent Federation Council is a good one and it makes the episode, until the scene that follows it, feel like a true series finale to Star Trek Enterprise.

The biggest gaffe in “Terra Prime” is that the environmental suits worn in the episode are dramatically more advanced than those from “The Tholian Web” (reviewed here!) or the rest of the series.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the final season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Harry Groener, please visit my reviews of:
About Schmidt
Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 3
"Sacred Ground" - Star Trek: Voyager
“Tin Man” - Star Trek: The Next Generation

6/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Opening The Final Arc: “Demons” Starts The End Of Star Trek: Enterprise.

The Good: Decent acting, Good effects, Plot progression
The Bad: Very light on character!
The Basics: “Demons” finds the Enterprise back at Earth, where a xenophobic organization is planning to undermine the burgeoning Federation.


As Star Trek: Enterprise moved toward its inevitable end, the writers of the series tried to bring the show into focus and make a concrete goal for the show. Just as one of the explicit goals of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was to have the Bajorans join the Federation (though the plot fell by the wayside in everything but the novelization of the final episode!), the prequel series to Star Trek was largely building to the founding of the Federation. Given that the usual seven year arc of a Star Trek series was cut dramatically when Star Trek: Enterprise underperformed, the full development of the Federation in the wake of the Romulan War could not be shown. Thus, the final three-episode arc of the fourth season had to do all it could to lay the framework of the Federation and end the journey of the NX-01 Enterprise.

The final arc started with “Demons” and outside an oblique reference to the original Star Trek in the form of Colonel Green – who was referenced as a historical figure in “The Savage Curtain” (reviewed here!) – the episode works hard to establish its own story and history. This is not an arc that relies at all on knowledge of the Star Trek franchise and that makes it much easier to accept.

In a secret facility on the moon, a man notes that a baby (who appears Vulcan) represents the potential for disaster to the goals of their mysterious organization. On Earth, at a conference where Nathan Samuels announces the ambitious goal of a permanent alliance between the Vulcans, Andorians, Tellarites, and humans, the Enterprise crew feels their place in history is being neglected. When a woman barges into the conference and dies, she brings evidence with her of a Vulcan/human hybrid . . . who is the genetic daughter of T’Pol and Tucker. When Samuels tells Archer that xenophobia on Earth has grown in the wake of the Xindi attack, Archer has Reed contact Harris. Harris lets Reed know that the xenophobic organization Terra Prime is behind killing Susan and that Samuels was once a part of it.

While a reporter friend of Montgomery’s returns to his life and comes aboard the Enterprise to interview him, Tucker and T’Pol head toward the mining base on the moon to find more information on their alleged daughter. But when Gannet Brooks is exposed as a Terra Prime spy and Tucker is trapped by Terra Prime members on the Orpheus base, it appears that the peace between various alien races is going to be undermined.

While “Demons” happens decades before the birth of Spock, it contains a Vulcan/Human hybrid. Ostensibly, the child is just bait, but the story is murky enough to create an entity that should not exist in the Star Trek mythos. That said, “Demons” does a good job of telling its own story that is unique to this franchise without undermining all that came before it (and after). The concept of Terra Prime was alluded to briefly in “Home” (reviewed here!) when Phlox was attacked on Earth, but fleshing it out makes for a pretty compelling story.

What “Demons” is light on is character development. The story hinges on T’Pol and Tucker being instantly attached to their mystery baby (whose origins remain a mystery) and Tucker spends most of the episode believing T’Pol has lied to him when she tells him she was never pregnant with his child. But the disbelief in T’Pol is poorly presented, as is T’Pol’s faith-based assertion that she feels from the first moment she heard about the baby that it truly is her daughter with Tucker. “Demons” is so concerned with weaving the initial plot threads for the final arc that it fails to make any sort of compelling character journey. Indeed, the character who has the best chance to expand upon who they have been is Travis Mayweather. As Brooks interviews Mayweather, an entire retcon character arc is created for a relationship between the two that helped Mayweather reach for the stars. This contradicts Mayweather’s earlier characterization in that he never was in one place long enough to make friends or relationships outside his freighter family, but it gives Anthony Montgomery his final substantive scenes of the series.

“Demons” features a number of notable guest performers. Harry Groener returns to the Star Trek franchise, this time as Nathan Samuels and the role has potential to be more than just a Mayor-esque politician character and Groener plays him entirely humorlessly. Peter Weller opens and closes the episode as the menacing John Frederick Paxton, a disciple of Colonel Green’s philosophies. Weller’s performance is fine, but it makes it impossible for fans of the franchise to believe his character of Admiral Marcus in Star Trek Into Darkness (reviewed here!) is anything but a villain. Weller has the same bearing in both roles.

Ultimately, “Demons” is a fine beginning to the final arc and as Star Trek Enterprise stands on its own two feet at its climax, the foundation is solidly set by this episode.

The biggest gaffe in “Demons” is the reference to a Verteron array. Verteron particles were discovered in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and were referenced as the previously unknown particles that allowed the wormhole to be stable. As a result, “Demons” should not have a device that uses the particle, which would not be discovered for another two hundred years!

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the final season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with Patrick Fischler, please check out my reviews of:
One For The Money
Red State
Lost - Season 5
Something’s Gotta Give
Mulholland Drive

5.5/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Prequel Mirror: “In A Mirror, Darkly” Retcons The Mirror Universe!

The Good: Good acting, Decent effects/costumes, Wonderful continuity/concept
The Bad: Poor make-up for Trip, Predictable character reversals.
The Basics: The history of the Mirror Universe is fleshed out well with “In A Mirror, Darkly,” which not only introduces the Mirror Universe to Star Trek: Enterprise, but ties up a loose end from Star Trek.


As the fourth season of Star Trek: Enterprise wound down, the show had a tendency to try to make the show match the original Star Trek more and more. As a result, fans were thrilled by arcs that included Klingons, genetically-engineered humans, and Vulcan katras; the Mirror Universe was a natural subject of an episode and “In A Mirror, Darkly” leapt right into it. For those unfamiliar with it, the Mirror Universe was an alternate universe in the Star Trek franchise that was introduced in the episode “Mirror, Mirror” (reviewed here!) where the benevolent Federation had developed instead into a merciless Empire. The franchise revisited the Mirror Universe in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and now it retconned the Mirror Universe with “In A Mirror, Darkly.”

While “In A Mirror, Darkly” is not overly dependent upon “Mirror, Mirror” to truly understand the episode, the episode is enriched entirely by viewers having seen Star Trek: First Contact (reviewed here!) and the episode “The Tholian Web” (reviewed here!). One of the lingering continuity mysteries of the Star Trek franchise could have been what happened to the U.S.S. Defiant in “The Tholian Web” . . . if only people believed that Star Trek had been developed with a real sense of continuity instead of being bottle episodes.

Opening with First Contact in the Mirror Universe, Zephram Cochrane kills the Vulcan visitors. Decades later, the I.S.S. Enterprise under the command of Captain Forrest is working to keep rebellion in the Empire down. While the sadistic Dr. Phlox works with Reed to develop the Agony Booth, Archer finds Forrest’s inability to invade Tholian space to get technology that will help them win the war frustrating. Archer stages a coup, deposing Forrest and orders the reluctant T’Pol to get a Suliban cloaking device to Engineering to have Tucker install it so they can invade Tholian territory.

Approaching a specific warp signature, the Enterprise finds and attacks a Tholian ship. After capturing the Tholian pilot and finding the location of a ship lost in Tholian territory, the Enterprise heads to find the ship under Archer’s tenuous command. With the cloaking device sabotaged, the Enterprise is exposed in enemy territory. As Archer’s suspicions of his entire crew rise, he finds himself working to watch his own back. T’Pol and the Vulcans aboard the Enterprise break Forrest out of the brig. Her attempt to take over the Enterprise with Forrest is successful, largely because of a mindmeld she had with Tucker. But Archer is not so easily defeated; his mission was to find a ship from the future and an alternate universe which is being held by the Tholians and explored. When the Enterprise arrives at the Tholian spacedock, Archer works to take the U.S.S. Defiant to bring an end to the war and put himself in a more powerful position within the Empire.

“In A Mirror, Darkly” is a somewhat familiar episode for fans of the Star Trek franchise. While “Mirror, Mirror” was audacious, return trips to the Mirror Universe are largely about how twisted the familiar characters in each series can be. In that way, “In A Mirror, Darkly” completely lives up. All of the characters from Star Trek: Enterprise are altered for their Mirror Universe personas; Archer is more volatile, Reed and Mayweather are M.A.C.O.S., Tucker’s face is scarred, and T’Pol and Sato wear outfits that show off a bit more skin.

While the Mirror Universe episodes usually afford the performers a lot of lot of opportunities to perform in different ways, “In A Mirror, Darkly” is a lot more tame in that regard. Jolene Blalock has never been a very successful emotionless Vulcan, so the passionate and devious version of T’Pol is hardly audacious. Similarly, Tucker and Archer have both been played angry plenty of times by Connor Trinneer and Scott Bakula, respectively. The only real actors who benefit in “In A Mirror, Darkly” are Linda Park, who has a good number more scenes as Sato in the episode and John Billingsley who plays Phlox as utterly psychotic.

“In A Mirror, Darkly” is the first of two parts and while other episodes of Star Trek are not essential for understanding the episode, they do enrich the episode. The payoff with the Defiant and the Tholians is an interesting one that is well-executed in the episode. But because the episode happens entirely in the Mirror Universe without any crossover from our universe, the lack of menace is palpable. It is hard for the viewer to get truly invested in the events of “In A Mirror, Darkly” because no matter what happens in this – and its follow-up – episode, it will have no effect on the characters viewer know and (presumably) love. As a result, this is a fun episode, nothing more.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the final season here!
Thanks!]

6/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, put in order from best to worst, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Prequel To “Mudd’s Women:” “Bound.”

The Good: Decent effects, Acting is okay
The Bad: Dull plot, Silly reversal, Poor character development
The Basics: Playing off similar concepts to other Star Trek franchise episodes, “Bound” is a disappointing episode that finally focuses on the Orions.


One of the common plotlines in the Star Trek franchise is the “love virus” plotline. The original Star Trek started the tradition with “The Naked Time” (reviewed here!) and the other series’s in the franchise continued that. For Star Trek: Enterprise, the “love virus” episode is “Bound.” “Bound” is notable in that, like “Borderland” (reviewed here!), it features the oft-alluded to, but seldom seen Orions. Unfortunately for fans of the Star Trek franchise, “Bound” features reversals that are less exciting than audacious. Indeed, the concept of Trip Tucker being immune to Orion pheromones is essentially what happened with O’Brien in “Fascination” (reviewed here!).

The Enterprise is sailing toward the Berengaria System when it encounters an Orion vessel. After standing down, both ships are wary of the other, though Archer finally accepts an invitation from the Orion privateer, Harrad-Sar. As part of a negotiation attempting to entice Archer into getting StarFleet to build a magnecite mine, Harrad-Sar gives Archer three Orion women. Their presence aboard the Enterprise is instantly disruptive, with the men distracted by the Orion women. When Sato gets a headache, Doctor Phlox collapses and becomes suspicious of the Orions.

The retcon of the Orions is one of the least disruptive retcons of Star Trek: Enterprise; the Orions and the Orion Syndicate were mostly absent from the Star Trek franchise until late in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Enterprise.

Archer tries to tell the Orion woman, Navaar, that the women are not his property. When they arrive at the planet Harrad-Sar wants mined, the ship is attacked by a ship that cannot possibly damage the Enterprise. As Archer becomes more angry and volatile, Phlox diagnoses the crew as suffering from the effects of Orion pheromones. When the Orion endgame becomes evident, T’Pol and Tucker must work together to stop the Orions.

It’s a sweet bit of character that Tucker and T’Pol remain immune to the Orion pheromones due to physiology and emotional connection. The Tucker/T’Pol connection does not advance much in “Bound,” as it is diluted by a subplot involving the new Chief Engineer, Kelby, competing with Tucker. Instead of maturely dealing with their emotions, most of “Bound” has T’Pol fighting her feelings for Tucker in a soap operatic way. The resolution to the character arc is satisfying when it comes in the episode’s final moments.

“Bound” is a pretty average, though somewhat unremarkable, episode. The Alien Of The Week arrives, disrupts life on the Enterprise and before something befalls the entire ship, someone in the crew must stop them. It’s a somewhat droll plot that has been done to death in Star Trek and in “Bound” there’s really nothing new, save the details.

On the performance front, guest stars Cyia Batten, Crystal Allen, and Menina Fortunato do a decent job with belly dancing and moving seductively. Beyond that, the episode’s heavy lifting on the performance front comes from Scott Bakula playing Archer angry (which he does just fine) and Connor Trinneer and Jolene Blalock working to salvage some on-screen chemistry while the writing demands the pair put it off. Blalock’s performance is incredibly erratic and for a Vulcan character immune to the Orion pheromones, her acting is pretty physical throughout the episode, which is unfortunate. She recovers near the episode’s climax, which makes her emotionless delivery of jokes and romantic actions all the more baffling to watch.

Ultimately, “Bound” is all right, but nothing at all extraordinary; it is exactly what one might expect from a “love spell” episode of television and it is notable only in that it is truly the final bottle episode of the series.

The three biggest gaffes in “Bound:”
3. If the men in Orion society are the slaves, Pike should not have made the mistake that the women were slaves decades later,
2. In “This Side Of Paradise” (reviewed here!), Kirk notes that no StarFleet crew had ever mutinied, but Kelby’s actions in “Bound” are mutinous and the sense of conflict in this episode should have led to better protections aboard StarFleet vessels,
1. Given the experience with Orion pheromones in this episode, StarFleet should have developed a vaccine by the time of “The Cage” (reviewed here!), so Pike should not have even been tempted with the vision of an Orion slave woman.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the final season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with William Lucking, please check out my reviews of:
“Ties Of Blood And Water” - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
“The Darkness And The Light” - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
“Shakaar” - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
“Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space’” - The X-Files

5/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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“Divergence” Is Brought Down By Speed 3 Subplot!

The Good: Decent retcon plot for most of the episode, Special effects, Concept in the larger Star Trek continuity. Decent character development for Phlox.
The Bad: Opening plotline, Jolene Blalock’s performance, Questionable medical science
The Basics: What could have been great is constantly undermined in “Divergence” as Star Trek: Enterprise tries to reconcile the different appearances of Klingons in the franchise.


One of the enduring mysteries in the Star Trek franchise was how the Klingons went from being the Klingons as seen in Star Trek versus how they appeared in the rest of the Star Trek franchise. The jig was up for the writers writing their way out of the problem easily when “Blood Oath” (reviewed here!) aired on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. That episode featured three Klingons from the original Star Trek appearing in modern Klingon make-up. That meant whatever happened to the Klingons, it had to be something that would change. The malleable nature of the Klingons was further suggested with the theorizing by the Defiant officers in “Trials And Tribble-ations” (reviewed here!). That the change in the Klingon appearance would be something the prequel series was forced to deal with came when “Broken Bow” (reviewed here!) started the series out with the modern Klingon make-up. “Divergence” is where the split in the Klingon race is finally made explicit.

“Divergence” is the follow-up to “Affliction” (reviewed here!). It is impossible to discuss “Divergence” without revealing aspects of “Affliction.” “Divergence” is brought down by an opening act that is troublingly dull and forced by a minute subplot introduced in the final moments of “Affliction.” Basically, the opening to “Divergence” is a ridiculous remake of Speed and it guts the momentum of the episode from the outset.

With the Enterprise forced to stay above Warp 5, lest it explode, the Columbia is sent to rescue it. Putting the Enterprise within its warp field, Columbia makes a tether to the Enterprise over which Tucker travels. Aboard the Enterprise, Tucker takes command of Engineering and works with T’Pol to disable the Klingon subroutine infecting their computer. With Reed exposed to Archer as a traitor, Archer works to discover what Reed’s alternative orders are. Reed begrudgingly agrees to put Archer in touch with Harris.

With the Klingon attack fleet headed to Koval Colony to destroy it in order to stop the plague Phlox was kidnapped to cure, Phlox is feeling pressure to perform. He and Antaak come up with a reasonable (if devious) plan. Lying to General K’Vagh, they develop a treatment for the Augment virus sweeping through the Klingon Empire. Having developed four potential treatments, Phlox reluctantly experiments on live Klingons until he finds the treatment that will work. When Archer tries to rescue Phlox as the colony falls under Klingon attack, he becomes the test subject needed for Phlox to create an accelerated treatment for the virus.

The concept of “Divergence” is one that is problematically executed. The Section 31 plotline makes less sense than one might hope. That Klingons were trying to make their own Augments is a good idea; that they would stop because of the setback in “Affliction” and “Divergence” is less believable. The explanation is an interesting one and the relationship between the Klingons and Augments is a cool idea.

On the character front, “Divergence” is most intensely focused on Reed. Over the course of the episode, Lieutenant Reed commits to Archer over Harris and while there is no compelling reason for that, it shows some growth. That Reed has only been contacted by Harris once since Reed joined the Enterprise makes little sense as well, considering the Enterprise has been involved in such things as saving the Earth from the Xindi and one might suspect Section 31 would have had a vested interest in, for example, stopping the Andorians from getting the Xindi prototype in “Proving Ground” (reviewed here!).

T’Pol is glossed over for having an emotional attachment to Tucker in “Divergence,” but that makes no real sense. T’Pol has, by this point, committed absolutely to Surak’s philosophies of unemotionalism and so she should be much more adept at hiding her emotions. Jolene Blalock’s performance is annoyingly conflicted and decidedly un-Vulcan. The other major character moment comes from Dr. Phlox. Phlox basically uses biological weapons on Klingons, with Archer’s aid and that seems like a huge character detraction. That “Divergence” offers no time to reflect upon it is even worse.

Ultimately “Divergence” is one of those episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise where the writers were given a seemingly insurmountable obstacle to overcome and they did the best they could to rectify one of the problems of the franchise.

The two biggest gaffes in “Divergence:”
2. If the Klingons were altered by Augment DNA, it makes no sense that Augments would not still be fresh in the minds of the Enterprise crew in “Space Seed” (reviewed here!) and that people like Dax would not know the truth in “Trials And Tribble-ations,”
1. How the hell does Section 31 ever develop if one of its early, powerful, operatives is an ineffective and untrustworthy operative like Harris, who is outed so easily?!

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Star Trek: Enterprise - The Complete Fourth Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the final season here!
Thanks!]

For other works with John Schuck, please visit my reviews of:
“Muse” - Star Trek: Voyager
“The Maquis, Part 2” - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

5/10

For other Star Trek episode and movie reviews, please visit my Star Trek Review Index Page!

© 2014 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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