Enterprise - "The Andorian Incident"

Inspector Gadget

So, people, what do you think about this ep? Just watched it - it's quite interesting, reinforces a couple of suspicions (I won't spoil things by saying which ones) but the overall run of the episode was somewhat below par, from my perspective.

Having said that, I get the distinct impression that with better editing this episode would have looked much better...

Thought/opinions/slanderous remarks?
Gadget

bkehoe

I thought that it was quite good anyway......Better keep an eye on the Vulcans .

Inspector Gadget

...and there I was trying not to give the game away!:(

Gadget

azezil

Oh go on give it away

Inspector Gadget

:eek: The following post contains spoilers for "Enterprise" Series 1 Episode 7. Don't read the rest of this post unless you actively WANT to know what happens. :eek:

Gadget.

The basic plot is as follows:

Enterprise is trundling along, when someone spots a Vulcan outpost on the map as being near their current position. T'Pol mentions that it's a holy Vulcan retreat - a monastery, as it turns out - and that it would not be a very clever idea to disturb the clerics.

Being the nosy bastards they are (or possibly just to get up T'pol's slightly oversensitive nose), the humans decide they wouldn't mind doing the whole tourist thing (well, they are American :rolleyes: ) so they wander down to the planet in a shuttlepod. T'Pol isn't altogether pleased, but goes down, (ostensibly, at least) to ensure that codes of conduct are adhered to and all that.

Anyway, they get to the monastery, and the door looks like it belonged to a pub that refused to serve after-hours. Archer & Trip look quizzically at this, but T'Pol brushes this commentary aside, with a very matter-of-fact (what else) statement, along the lines of "it's three thousand years old - what do you expect?".

The dynamic trio enter the monastery, to be met by a single monk. Some eyebrow twitching that Roger Moore would be proud of later, Archer and Trip decide there's something weird going on - T'pol spots a relic "perched at an odd angle" which sees something approximating concern crossing her face - not that she's admit to it, or anything, but...

The "boys" decide to wander about the entrance atrium, and Archer spots a bloke hiding behind a spectacularly flimsy screen. They jump the guy, who turns out to be an Andorian (remember TOS, blue skin, two little antennae on their heads?). This act is perpetrated just in time for Bluey's friends to show up, and you can bet they weren't carrying Hawaiian lei for the new visitors.

Predictably enough, the newcomers are invited to stay as "guests", and their gracious hosts won't take no for an answer. Our blue-skinned friends are fascinated about the newcomers - so much so, that they invite Capt. Archer to a cross-cultural exchange, with phaser rifles playing the part of Khofi Annan. The away team's communicators get smashed by the Andorian commander, but not before he helpfully tells Enterprise who he is, where he is, and what he's doing - enough to get those in orbit quite concerned.

In the meantime, the Vulcans have a chat with their new compatriot, whinging about how badly the humans smell, and all that, and Trip is delighted to discover that the monks have "no technology whatsoever" - which mean's he's about as useful as a eunuch in a brothel.

Anyway, the Andorians, it transpires, are a very cheerful bunch of people, who decided that they'd pay the Vulcan monks a visit (their third, apparently) becaus they're convinced that their galactic neighbours, said pointy-eared inviduuals, are spying on them. They come across as the southern rednecks of the piece - comparatively low-tech, very suspicious of outsiders, and heavily armed, with no qualms about using said weapons.

...meanwhile, Malcolm Reed (who "has the bridge", in the big E) is getting a bit nervous, and as every weapons officer should, is formulating a plan for an extraction - naturally, one involving (to quote Keanu Reeves in the Matrix) "guns... lots of guns"...

So far, they're having very little luck finding anything that might be a listening post, but the arrival of the humans along with another Vulcan bolsters their belief that there's more to the place than meets the eye, so unlike the last two visits, they decide to hang around somewhat longer. The ever-magnanimous Vulcans, unsurprisingly, blame this on the humans.

Due to the now prolonged nature of their captivity, the Vulcan monks divulge a little factlet that might be useful - they have an old radio. Trip's face lights up - he's now got a toy he can play with. At this point we're shown that there's a network of tunnels - the catacombs - underneath the monastery - we're also told that the Andorians don't know about them. Suspicion abounds... but that's for later.

Trip and a monk head down into the tunnels using a very Agatha Christie-esque twist-the-statue's-head-to-reveal-hidden-passage thingy - and after passing by a curious steep tunnel leading to three lights he later mentions when back with the Vulcans, he finds the transmitter, fixes it, and calms down Malcolm, telling him to (essentially) hold his horses, while they formulate a plan.

Anyway, back in the room serving as their communal prison cell, Trip and the others postulate that the three lights he sees are holes in a giant stone face carved into one wall of the room that the Andorians are (conveniently) using as their base of operations. To test this, Archer, although he's already feeling a little worse for wear after the first UN incident, decides that he's a glutton for punishment, and after telling the Andorians he's got information for them, gets punched and kicked some more, but manages to place a stone in the mouth of the stone face, which Trip retrieves from the other side, proving them to be correct.

Things step up a gear now; Trip orders in a team of security personel, including Malcolm, who's been itching for a firefight for a while (luckily, the Enterprise security men are not literally or figuratively the "my whole uniform is a highly visible target" "redshirts" of TOS). The team is (very unwillingly) beamed directly into the tunnels, behind the stone face.

Showing a delightful disregard for Vulcan history and tradition, the "bhoys" plant explosives behind the face, and just as the Andorians detect their lifesigns, they blow up the face and charge in firing. One "redshirt" (quotes needed for reasons explained in previous paragraph) gets shot, but otherwise they're OK. The Andorians scatter, some into the new (to them) tunnel system.

Malcolm & Co. rescue the Vulcans and their crewmates, and then they all go after the Andorians. One of the monks insists on accompanying them. The trail leads into the "reliquary", which according to the monk is the home of all their most sacred relics, and asks that the humans don't go in. Archer brushes him off and they all charge in.

Cue even larger-scale gunfight than before, with many relics being dutifully shredded. The monk, who's not exactly a marksman, shoots one of the supports of large vertically suspended rug/curtain, which partially reveals something big and metal. Archer spots this, and while deftly avoiding assorted small-arms fire, tears down the curtain to reveal a very big, very clean (compared to the inches of dust everywhere else in the room) round metal door. Some more survival-instinct gymnastics later and he managed to open the door; at this point, everyone just stops and gapes into the open doorway - even the Andorians. The cease fire continues as they all go through the door, to find an absolutely enormous room, full of Vulcans - in case those watching are too stupid to realise where this is going, the ever-helpful Malcolm spells it out, with a line something like "there's enough surveillance equipment in here to find out what any Andorian eats for breakfast!"

Trip adopts an "I knew it, i f**king knew those b**tards couldn't be trusted" expression, Malcolm's eyes dart around like a kid in a sweetshop, the head Andorian looks suitably vindicated, but unsure as to whether he's just signed his own death warrant by having seen this. Archer has the appearance of deep disappointment, having been assured that no such listening post existed, and in what can only be described as a fit of pique aptly orders T'Pol to photograph the environs, and then orders her to hand over the recording to the Andorian, who responds with the stock (but useful save-it-for-later plot device) phrase "we are in your debt". The Vulcan monk tries to stop them but his poker face is even worse than his aim, so that fizzles out fairly quickly.

To round things off, the Enterprise is informed that the Andorians are free to leave, much to the Andorian commander's relief, but Archer continues to look extremely annoyed, and none of us mere viewers trust the Vulcans from here forward with as much as a stick of celery (which seems to be all T'Pol eats) any more.
The End.

azezil

Groovy (i haven't seen any of the series yet so all accounts are welcome)

Inspector Gadget

...but is there anyone else who's seen this that can comment? Cloud, perhaps?

Gadget

Supercell

Watched it last weekend, and honestly thought..at last!!, Enterprise is getting a direction..a reason to watch.

After the first episode i thought there would be a whole new plot with new baddies..but the next few shows just drifed aimlessly imho.

But now!, the Vulcans are caught in a lie, there has to be ramifications, plot development..a reason to follow the show.

Must say that Cap'n Archer was beaten breaty badly by the Andorans, and had the bruises to prove it, outside the trek norm..like the gritty realism (as far as trek goes)

Definatly the best episode since the mediocrity that followed broken bow.

Heres to the rest...

108 Breaking the Ice
109 Civilization
110 Fortunate Son
111 Cold Front
112 Silent Enemy
113 Dear Doctor
114 Shadow of P'Jem
115 Sleeping Dogs

Breaking the Ice shows tomorrow..ohh will have aquired by fri

Boston

whats is this on, SKY D?

bkehoe

UPN in the US.

Inspector Gadget

Originally posted by bkehoe
UPN in the US.

Sadly, the earliest it'll hit TV here is the 26th or 28th of February next year (can't remember which) on Sky One. Channel 4 have bought rights too, but that's not due to start until the following autumn.

Damn
Gadget

Cloud

Haven't watched it yet D.