Enterprise - 2/27 (1 Viewer)

[Stephen Orr]

Interesting episode, to say the least.
Vulcan date-rape, anyone? (my wife's observation)
Who'd have thunk that the old vulcan mind melt could be considered slipping someone the mickey?

Really liked Trip's friendship with the Vulcan engineer. "We've been working on a way to speed up the Vulcan mating cycle."

 

[Mike Broadman]

Good episode. I like the idea of emotional Vulcans. This episode almost makes up for the horrible way they handled it in the 5th movie.

 

[Will_B]

I felt the episode would have been better if they'd made the male Vulcan more physically attractive, as a way of further explaining why T'Pol would be interested in him. As it was, he was just a sullen, dark character who you'd think she'd avoid.

Also, I may be wrong, but I thought Vulcans HAD to mate every 7 years, but there was nothing stopping them from doing so more often - it's just they go ballistic every 7 years.

T'Pol's prospects for dating ANYONE on the Enterprise just fell through the floor if they can only have nookie every seven years.

 

[ikiru]

Yeah, but imagine what a wild ride that 7 year nookie would be, especially if the vulcan looked like Jolene Blaylock.

The episode, for some reason or another, gave me tired-head. I cant explain it, but it just didnt hold my interest. I couldnt concentrate. I recorded it, so Ill watch it some time when I have more patience. Did anyone else get tired-head?

-ikiru

 

[Everlasting Gobstopper]

T'Pol's prospects for dating ANYONE on the Enterprise just fell through the floor if they can only have nookie every seven years.

Pon Farr only happens to male. We don't know anything about a female equivalent or if it even exists.

As for "Fusion," I thought it was a pretty average episode. The mind meld came a bit too late in the episode to be explored in any depth, but I did like the way the Vulcans were shown. I also liked the way Archer was depicted toward the end of the episode, when he invited the Vulcan sex offender into his ready room. One part of the episode that was implicit rather than explicit is that Vulcans are all kinds: without their logic filters, they can be nice personable people (the engineer and captain) or they can be scum. I also like the implication that said scummy Vulcan had to engage in substitute behaviour in order to get his kicks: as a Vulcan, he wouldn't have been able to rape her, so he had to mind meld with her.

Another bit of trivia we get is that mind melds at this point weren't used by the regular Vulcans. That has big implications, because it would seem that in Kirk's time they do them fairly regularly (look at the events of Wrath of Khan and Search for Spock). So what happened between Archer's time and Kirk's?

 

[Mike Broadman]

I don't think that mind-melds were ever regularly practiced. Spock used them, but he was a unique Vulcan in extraordinary circumstances.

 

[Everlasting Gobstopper]

I don't think that mind-melds were ever regularly practiced. Spock used them, but he was a unique Vulcan in extraordinary circumstances.

I dunno, TSFS makes it seem like common custom for Vulcans to meld before death in order for their Katra to live on. Or maybe I'm just misremembering it.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Remember TNG's infamous "mind rape" episode?

Once again, we may be "boldly going" where previous Treks have gone before.

This episode was a little daring, though--a spectacular near-miss. There was much to commend it; the renegade Vulcans were an interesting development.

Speaking of development, the emphasis on each cast member's uniqueness and personality has been a consistent theme of late. And, for me, it's working.

Our local UPN affiliate runs Voyager reruns at 11:30 p.m. After having seen two hours' worth of Enterprise last night, I thought it might be interesting to expose myself to the nightmare that had come before it.

Amazing. Really amazing. I can't even remember, at this writing, which episode of Voyager is was that I caught last night. I went into glazed-eye mode after the thrilling Jerry Goldsmith theme music. And to think: Voyager came damn near to bringing the entire franchise down.

Enterprise is bringin' it all back home, baby. And if Nemesis turns out as good as I think it will. ...

 

[Stephen_Dar]

I hate to be a party pooper, but am I the only one who feels that these new shows are just 90210 in space? Where's the exploration? Where's the wonder that the original show had? For example, in the new series, the cliche is that every day the captain is having a leisurely recline in his cabin when a bored voice comes over the intercom to announce "We are being hailed yet again Captain by some dreary boring and totally alien ship that wants something or other." Captain responds "Ah, ok, do we know who they are? No? I guess I'll come on up to the bridge then." This feels exactly like Voyager. Anyone remember how they handled these sorts of first encounter situations in the original show? So much more drama and excitment ...

 

[Patrick Sun]

I just watched this episode during a lunch break. It was very disturbing, and I felt really bad for T'Pol because the mindmeld pushed too far was the exact equivalent of mental rape, and T'Pol's damn tough to rebound as she did, but I think it'll have some repercussions down the road (her willingness to trust has been dropped a few more notches).
Archer can be so damn stiff and wooden in his speech pattern, that's painful to watch. It's like he's trying to keep his chest puffed out while talking.
I've never seen such a plump Vulcan before in my life.
Does anyone think that Trip's question on Vulcan mating was due to his interest in T'Pol? So no one know if there's a female equivalent to Ponfarr for Vulcans?

 

[Steve Enemark]

Another snoozer, albeit one with some semi-interesting Vulcans and the inevitable naked Nip'Pol scene.
Would it kill the writers of a supposed science fiction television series to write some science fiction stories? Almost every episode seems like an anemic retread of a story from TNG or Voyager, and in the case of recycled TNG stories, sans drama/suspense.
Am I the only one who thought that going back to the roots of the Federation would result in more exciting TOS-style storytelling? How about Archer going mano-a-mano against the lizard captain of an alien starship? Or several members of the Enterprise crew trapped on a hostile planet with bloodsucking monsters menacing them? Or a tense space battle with an invisible enemy craft? Are these kinds of stories too exciting for today's audience?
For those of you who celebrate character development, these stories don't prevent it. Exciting, TOS-style stories can feature plenty of character development, if talented writers are allowed to do their thing. However, seeing how Berman and Braga write every other episode (and have "story by" credit in most of the rest) I foresee many more deadly dull stories in our future. :frowning:

 

[Everlasting Gobstopper]

So no one know if there's a female equivalent to Ponfarr for Vulcans?

It doesn't sound particularly logical if there were: If two Vulcans are going to mate with each other, their Pon Farr cycles would have to be exactly the same since they'd have to hit them every 7 years over the same period of days.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Is Jason Seaver even playing with us anymore?

Steve: I agree with most of your sentiments. But I've been pleased with Enterprise so far. You mentioned lizard-like aliens. Thinking of the Gorn?

 

[Steve_AA]

Would it kill the writers of a supposed science fiction television series to write some science fiction stories?

Apparently so. Real SF episodes are too few and far between. But I guess that's Star Trek.....social science in space.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Is Jason Seaver even playing with us anymore?

I am... I just really don't have a whole lot that I need to shout out about the show.
I mean, I liked "Fusion" (even though "Equilibrium" seemed like a better title). I like how Vulcan culture, and their relationship with humanity, is really getting examined for the first time in 35 years of Star Trek. Think about that - Spock was the original trek "alien", but we never, until now, really knew much about the culture that produced him. One of the great things about Trek from TNG forward is that they are making some attempts to give the major non-human races (Vulcan, Klingon, Ferengi, Bajoran, Cardassian) real cultures, even if I do hate the phrase "Vulcan High Command" with a passion otherwise reserved for the phrase "Temporal Cold War"; I'm hoping T'Pol or Hoshi eventually says that it's been mistranslated, and should actually be something less militaristic-sounding.
As to the more general thoughts on the series... I, too, would like it if they did something more science-fictional, though as a Trek fan I like what "Enterprise" is doing almost from a historical perspective, the way LOTR fans gleefully slog through The Silmarillion or the appendices to The Return Of The King. But, unfortunately, the Star Trek universe puts some nasty boundaries on the SF stories they can tell, especially in this timeframe - no genetic engineering/cloning by the good guys, no nanotech, very little with AI. So, right now I'm basically cool with them getting the nuts & bolts stuff right.

 

[Jon_W]

I thought this is was one of the best or the best episode thus far. I liked the relationship between T'Pol and the vulcan male. The relationship was a little rushed but I guess that is what you get when you only have an hour.

I felt the episode would have been better if they'd made the male Vulcan more physically attractive, as a way of further explaining why T'Pol would be interested in him. As it was, he was just a sullen, dark character who you'd think she'd avoid.

Just my opinion but thought the character was attractive. I mean he wasn't drop dead gorgeous, but I thought the purpose was surved. I think the dark and sullen part was in away what made the character attractive. Hey, but I'm no expert on Vulcans.

 

[Michael Reuben]

I can't even remember, at this writing, which episode of Voyager is was that I caught last night. I went into glazed-eye mode after the thrilling Jerry Goldsmith theme music. And to think: Voyager came damn near to bringing the entire franchise down.

Funny, I'm just the opposite. I never had trouble staying awake during an episode of Voyager, even one I didn't like. But Enterprise has been putting me to sleep on a routine basis. It usually takes me two tries to finish an episode, and this latest was no exception. Riffing on familiar themes (mind meld, pon far) is no substitute for telling a genuine narrative.

M.

 

[Jack Briggs]

"I like how Vulcan culture, and their relationship with humanity, is really getting examined for the first time in 35 years of Star Trek."

You know, I never really thought of it from that angle. Good point.

Something I've been meaning to get off my chest: Remember how, through all of TNG's tenure, Data would ponder his "uniqueness" and wonder whether he is "alone" in the Universe--i.e., if there are other artificial lifeforms with whom he could relate? It all came to a head in the Exocomps episode in the sixth season.

Well, hello. "I, Mudd" anyone?

Then there is the level of technology exhibted in TNG's universe. You mean to tell me that biological and/or electromechanical androids are that scarce in such a technologically advanced Federation?

Sorry. This rant must be a result of watching all the TOS DVDs in chronological order. I will be okay when the TNG DVDs arrive and help me restore some perspective.

 

[ChristopherS]

Funny, I'm just the opposite. I never had trouble staying awake during an episode of Voyager, even one I didn't like. But Enterprise has been putting me to sleep on a routine basis. It usually takes me two tries to finish an episode, and this latest was no exception. Riffing on familiar themes (mind meld, pon far) is no substitute for telling a genuine narrative.

This is exactly how I feel about the Enterprise. My wife and I are huge Star Trek fans but every Wednesday as we sit down to watch this show my wife makes a crack about "what is not going to happen". Would it be possible to slow down this show even more? I wonder if the Vulcans have a version of chess that the writers can work into the plot (hey it worked on West Wing!)? I am all for character development but lets get some action. The sad thing is I will turn it on next week and watch the entire episode, just like I do every week. Sigh.

Chris

 

[TheLongshot]

I like how Vulcan culture, and their relationship with humanity, is really getting examined for the first time in 35 years of Star Trek.

Well, in a TV series, at least. It has been examined in the past in books.

Personally, I haven't kept up with the series. It basically bores me to death. It just sounds like every episode is mostly plot setup to be wrapped up in the last 10-15 minutes. Not enough meat in the stories.

Jason