ENTERPRISE 1/08/'03: "Dawn" (1 Viewer)

[Dan D.]

I'm a little shocked by tonight's episode. It's one thing to follow a similar plot line and throw in an unique twist (e.g. "Darmok"), but this was simply an unbelievable rip off of "Enemy Mine". I mean, they even made the alien a virtual clone! Sure, you have thousands of episodes of sci-fi shows through the decades, and you are bound to have some similar plots, but this was well beyond that. Did I miss something? Was this actually supposed to be some sort of an homage? I've been looking around to see if there was some connection like the same writer or the species name.

And another thing, did anyone find Trip's speech as he was fading away at the end ("I've seen...") to be a rip off of Roy Batty's death speech in "Blade Runner"?

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Dan D. wrote:

Not me. A character reminiscing about the salient events in his life (his life "flashing before his eyes") at the moment of (presumed) death is trivial and conventional. Blade Runner sure didn't come up with it first.
Well, it was all there:

• Space enemies stranded on a harsh, forlorn planetoid which becomes their own personal and racial-confrontation arena.
• The intelligent horny-headed lizard from a hostile race, the "Arkonians". (Why is this one especially sensitive to high temperatures? Don't they live in deserts?)
• The silly alien laugh as Trip blows (or appears to blow) a circuit.
• The universal body-language comprehension. (Trip turns his hand upside down in front of his mouth to indicate drinking. Of course, everybody knows what that means.)
• The obligatory mutual-survival coöperation theme. ("We hang together, or we hang separately.")
• "Male bonding"?: Trip becomes "attached" to his enemy, even though the alien has tried to gun him down, batter, pummel him, etc. at every opportunity. Won't leave without him, even though staying can't save the creature's life either. [Oh, yeah, Star Trek noblesse oblige: "Let's throw away the guns. We can work it out."]
• Neither of them has a baby in this one, but Trip can't help mentioning his recent "being with child".
• "Brothers under the skin."

It's almost as if the writer had first sat down to review the theatrical version of the story before writing this teleplay.
Too bad. It's a good concept, but the spin needs to be fresh, and it ain't, here.

 

[Mike Broadman]

I'm watching this ep now. It's so excited that I'm on the internet.

 

[BobV]

[no spoilers because it's over here in the west]
Derivative? Yes (what isn't today on TV? besides Alias ). But again, B+ effort. Better than I expected. Mark Turetsky, that "Trip is thanked by an Alien who's only happy he didn't kill him because he was around to save the alien's life" is one of the things that I like about this episode.

 

[Paul E. Fox II]

Well...

It wasn't bad, but it wasn't particularly good either.

I really like Trip but I wish he'd do *SOMETHING* to show off *WHY* he's on the NX-01! To be assigned to that ship certainly had to be a perk, but yet everyone on there seems kinda...."blah".

 

[Daniel Kikin]

I noticed the "Darmok" thing too. It also reminded me of "E.T." a little the way Trip and the alien kept on pointing at each other to learn each other names and what some other things were called (like water).

 

[todd s]

Yes, it was a Enemy Mine ripoff. But, my only question is that at the end they were picked up by the Arkonian shuttle. So why was the Alien abourd the Enterprise at the end. Wouldn't he have gone to his ship. Unless they have no medbay.

 

[Everlasting Gobstopper]

So why was the Alien abourd the Enterprise at the end. Wouldn't he have gone to his ship.

So they can put Phlox in the episode somewhere.

 

[Andrew Beacom]

Mark,

Don't feel alone. I was determined to not watch this and somehow I manage to yawn through it. Yet another completely bland, vanilla ripoff plot. Surely there's a difference between a derivative story and ripping off your own franchise's work. Maybe they think there are no pre-Enterprise fans left so they won't notice the similarity between ep's?

The "Enemy Mine" being referred to is from TOS?

 

[Jason Seaver]

A short story, later expanded to a novel (?), by Barry B. Longyear which was made into a movie. Honestly, though, calling "Dawn" a rip-off of Enemy Mine is pushing it - though they both have the same initial set-up, the stories are almost completely different.

A wholly dispensible episode. I like that they went without the Universal Translator, that the teaser actually did some teasing, and some of the Vulcan backstory, but not much new here. There's also the "Farscape Problem": This entire episode might have gotten us to the 0:15 mark on Farscape.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Jason Seaver wrote:


Quote:



Honestly, though, calling "Dawn" a rip-off of Enemy Mine is pushing it - though they both have the same initial set-up, the stories are almost completely different.





A "rip-off", maybe not, but the (film) stories are---ahem--- completely similar.

(1) Space hero(es) is(/are) basically minding his(/their) own business, when attacked by enemy alien(s).
(2) Space hero(es) pursue(s)/is(/are) pursued by enemy alien(s) until the two (groups/persons) are stranded separately on barren planet.
(3) The two meet in hostile encounter till one, then the other, gains the upper hand.
(4) Neither is able to maintain advantage for long, since both are working under circumstances of malfunctioning technology and deprived conditions (food shortages, etc.)
(5) The two struggle for linguistic understanding; then later for intercultural and philosophic understanding.
(6) The two are forced by harsh environmental conditions, among other things, to draw a truce in order for mutual survival.
(7) The two struggle together through one episode after another where each comes to depend on the other.
(8) During these encounters the two move from deadly antagonism to mutual "understanding".
(9) One or the other---usually the human protagonist, but not always---determines to make the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of the other. (Why wouldn't Trip leave when he finally learned he could?)
(10 ) At least one of the two makes it out of the situation alive and comes at least to appreciate the other's personal and cultural point of view. This individual returns home, usually to act as an "ambassador" for mutual understanding between the hostile groups. [T'Pol (from memory): "Commander, you've accomplished more for first-contact relations in [a day?] than Vulcans have achieved in a century . . . blah, blah, blah . . ."]

These film stories are totally similar in their outlines, and a good deal so in some of their details. (See my previous post.)

Bear in mind, this charge is not a new one. If I recall correctly, Harlan Ellison, in one of his not infrequent public tirades, decades ago denounced TOS episode "Arena" for being a "rip-off" (or a "travesty"???) of the (1940's?) original short story by Frederic Brown (even though the source seems to have been properly credited).

"Arena" had many, though not all, of the elements just named, although its point seems to have been to prove: "Humans good (i.e., enlightened), reptiles bad."

There's nothing new under the sun, folks. This is by now a stock war or science-fiction story plot. (Wasn't this plot the basis of some famous movie of the (late '50s?) starring someone like Toshiro Mifune as a Japanese soldier stranded with an American counterpart on a South Sea island? I'm not a war-movie enthusiast, so I wouldn't really know.) It's still a damned good one, but one that requires careful "tweaking" in order to overcome its undeniable hackneyedness.

 

[Jack Briggs]

I now know what it must have felt like to be Geordi LaForge, stranded on a hostile planet that renders his VISOR useless and needing the help of a similarly stranded Romulan in order for the two to survive ("We're in this together, bro'"). It hit me hard last night. Poor Geordi. And poor Darmok, a couple of years later, his final minutes in this mortal coil being spent hearing Picard recite the epic story of Gilgamesh.

Pregnant men. Lizard aliens. Hostile planets. Enemies mine and their's.

This ep demonstrates the almost hostile cynicism with which Paramount is approaching Star Trek and its fans these days. No one on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood thought viewers hadn't seen this story before in its earlier incarnations?

They think we're that stupid?

 

[Jason Seaver]

No one on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood thought viewers hadn't seen this story before in its earlier incarnations?

Of course they did. They just clearly don't place a premium on originality. To a certain extent, they know their audience, and the folks who want something exciting and/or clever are watching Farscape.

I'm disappointed in Shiban, though - his first episode had me thinking he might enjoy the hard-sf-ish aspects possible with the story. I mean, this is a gas giant moon, why not write it as one - no atmosphere, low gravity, the danger from sunrise is not heat but gamma rays cooking you like a microwave burrito. Take advantage of the setting, show that humanity's initial exploration of space was bloody dangerous.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Jason Seaver:

Quote:

This is obnoxious BS of the first order. First of all, the implication is that people who don't watch Farscape somehow don't want "exciting" and "clever"??? Prove it!
Second of all, I myself watched Farscape for quite a while when it was first broadcast. I didn't see a damned thing that was "original" or "clever", much less scientifically plausible. I saw and heard a lot of people with funny (and quite irritating) accents in colorful costumes and body paint go through stories that were more often than not only slightly above any in the Hercules: The Legendary Journeys series in believability, quality, or entertainment value.
Oh, yes, and the stupid "hip-cool" dialog spoken by the main character, John Crichton, not to mention his endless stream of American-tv references mouthed to "people" from hundreds of light years away who couldn't possibly "get it". Sheeeesh. "Clever", indeed!
So much for your assessment.

 

[Jack Briggs]

For those of you new to HTF, the parties in this thread converse with each other on a nearly daily basis. What might seem out of bounds to those not familiar with the rants of HTF's Star Trek mafia, of whom Jason and Rex are noted members, I assure you this thread is going by the book.

 

[Nelson Au]

I enjoyed this episode! From the previews I instantly thought of Enemy Mine. While the Alien looked like Louis Gossett, Jr's make-up, he didn't have a baby and die.

Plus they weren't out to kill each other or at war as was in Enemy Mine.

It was predictable and I knew the ending was going to be as it ended. But I enjoyed the performances and the hour kept me engaged to the screen. Tripp is a good character. But they could have done it as easily wirh Archer I think.

Interesting to notice that the openning credits list a "Consulting Producer". Must be one of those guys Paramount is using to get the show back up in the ratings.

Nelson

 

[Mike Broadman]

Since I wasn't paying much attention to the ep, can someone please remind me why the Arkonians hated the Vulcans? Thanks.

 

[Everlasting Gobstopper]

Since I wasn't paying much attention to the ep, can someone please remind me why the Arkonians hated the Vulcans?

Because they're paranoid and stuff, I think was the explanation.

 

[Jason Seaver]

can someone please remind me why the Arkonians hated the Vulcans?

Because the Vulcans are arrogant bastards who tried to smother the Arkonians the way many on Earth feel they're smothering humanity.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Nobody caught the sly reference in my previous post. It was so clever.