Star Trek: Enterprise: Twilight Rewatch
September 16, 2019 11:56 AM - Season 3, Episode 8 - Subscribe
Archer faces early retirement.
Memory Alpha link:
Background information
Story and script
> According to Mike Sussman, this story was originally pitched as an episode for Star Trek: Voyager, with Kathryn Janeway as the afflicted captain, and Chakotay as her caretaker. Sussman commented, "It was my attempt at writing a love story for those two, but I couldn't sell the Voyager producers on the idea. It turned out to work better as an Archer and T'Pol story anyway, with the background of the Xindi war upping the stakes."
> Responding to criticisms of the use of the "reset button" at the end of the episode, Sussman commented, "I wanted Archer and/or T'Pol to take away something from that experience, too – but to me it would have been a cheat to do that. Archer doesn't get 'thrown back in time' when the parasites are destroyed; we as the writers simply decided to cut back to that point of departure where his life had changed. So why would he have remembered future events from an alternate reality that (a) are in an alternate reality and (b) haven't happened yet? That show was set 20 years in the future; say in the real Star Trek universe, Archer is now the first president of the Federation and he's married to T'Pol – we could have just cut back to that and said, 'OK, it's 20 years later, still' we haven't changed the time, but we're back in the proper timeline. Well, that would have been bizarre."
> In selecting Ceti Alpha V as a setting for this episode, Mike Sussman was influenced by the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The choice of this planet as the location of the last Human colony was something of a "cruel joke" on the part of Sussman. Even if the Human survivors managed to escape detection by the Xindi, their planet will be made uninhabitable in a little over a hundred years when Ceti Alpha VI explodes, as explained in The Wrath of Khan. (Information provided by Mike Sussman)
> Enterprise shepherding a "rag-tag fugitive fleet" to a new home after the destruction of Earth was an homage by writer Mike Sussman to Battlestar Galactica. Sussman had read a bootlegged copy of the pilot script for the re-imagined series prior to writing "Twilight". (Information provided by Mike Sussman)
> Captain Archer's condition was probably inspired by the real-life story of Henry Molaison. In 1953, in an attempt to cure him of epilepsy, Mr. Molaison had two thirds of his hippocampi, parahippocampal cortices, entorhinal cortices, piriform cortices, and amygdalae removed. From that point on, Molaison (or "H. M.", as he soon became known in medical texts) became unable to commit new facts to long-term memory. For each subsequent day, until his death in 2008, people had to explain to him, like T'Pol does for Archer in this episode, what date it was and what had happened since 1953, including having to break to him the death of his parents. The long-term study of Molaison's case revolutionized the understanding of the organization of Human memory and formed the basis of what we know today on the subject.
> The final draft script for "Twilight", revisions of which were submitted on 8 September 2003 and 6 November 2003, gave the Yridian spy the name of "Yerdrin Lek". Earlier drafts called him "Yedrin Koss", but this was changed because there were already two Star Trek characters with similar names: Dax host Yedrin Dax and T'Pol's husband Koss. Promotional materials for the episode used the earlier, incorrect name, which became widely disseminated. It is worth noting the character's name is never mentioned in the episode as aired.
> The effect shot of the Intrepid losing its nacelle was not originally scripted. Originally, a line of dialogue was meant to deliver this information; however, the effect was deemed to carry a greater impact to the audience, so it was included in the final edit of this installment.
> Captain Tucker's comment about Enterprise's shields, "I think we’re going to find out how much of a beating these new shields can take," was written as a deliberate homage to a line of dialogue from DS9: "The Way of the Warrior". In that episode, Benjamin Sisko comments about the USS Defiant, "Looks like we're going to find out just how much of a pounding this ship can take." ("Twilight" audio commentary, ENT Season 3 Blu-ray special features)
Production
> Computer monitors aboard the alternate-timeline Enterprise sport a red, yellow and green color scheme (rather than red, yellow and blue), similar to the computer panels used during the 23rd century, as seen in Star Trek: The Original Series.
> A scene with an aged Porthos (twelve years older) was shot for the future sequences, but didn't make it into the final show. In the "present" scenes, a scene was cut at movie night where Archer told T'Pol about Porthos being stressed, and that he might benefit from neuropressure.
> Archer's grey hair is actually a trimmed version of one of the early test wigs for Soval. The actors embraced this, theorizing that, after many years of living together on the planet, T'Pol was now cutting Archer's hair, hence the slightly Vulcan style. (Information provided by Mike Sussman)
Continuity
> In addition to referencing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, this episode references TOS: "Space Seed", in which Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise exiles Khan Noonien Singh on Ceti Alpha V.
> An Earth convoy destroyed in the Mutara system is mentioned by Soval, a reference to the site of a battle between Kirk and Khan, also depicted in The Wrath of Khan.
> The battle scene establishes that Enterprise had received tactical advancements from Shran – who, in the prime universe, later plays an invaluable role in preventing the events of this episode from ever taking place, as portrayed in ENT: "Proving Ground" and "Zero Hour".
> The object Archer uses to fatally stab a Reptilian soldier is a miniature replica of the Zefram Cochrane statue described by Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: First Contact.
> The episode offers no clue as to how the crippled Enterprise, reduced to warp 1.7 speed, was able to reach Earth to witness its destruction by the Xindi weapon. "The Expanse" had previously established that it took Enterprise seven weeks at warp 5 just to reach the border of the Delphic Expanse. Producer Mike Sussman revealed, however, that Enterprise was originally intended to traverse the distance quickly via a Xindi subspace vortex, but this plan was dropped.
Reception
> This episode was chosen as the #1 fan favorite in an online poll conducted by UPN prior to the final six episodes of the series airing. It was re-broadcast on 8 April 2005 in that context.
> The book Star Trek 101, by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block, lists this episode as one of the "Ten Essential Episodes" from Star Trek: Enterprise.
Memorable quotes
"You'll enjoy it. Rosemary's Baby. It'll scare the hell out of you."
- Archer explains to T'Pol what will be playing on movie night
"In the corridor, when the anomaly hit, I urged you to leave me behind – if you had, it's likely I'd be the one suffering from this… condition."
"Fortunately, I don't take orders from you."
"Captain… I never expressed my gratitude for what you did."
"I suppose there's not much point in thanking me… a few hours from now, I won't remember."
- T'Pol and an infected Archer
"We've taken nine prisoners, but the brig was only designed for two. I'm not sure what to do with the others."
"Blow 'em out the airlock!"
"Put them in crew quarters under heavy guard."
- Reed, Tucker, and T'Pol discussing what to do with their Xindi prisoners
"For now, the best I can give you is warp 1.7!"
"We're not going to get very far at that speed."
- Tucker and Reed, as Reed responds to the status of the engines
"This planet is barely Minshara-class. Maybe we should've picked one with a little more blue and green on it."
- Tucker, commenting on the desolate state of the planet below
"Our relationship has evolved over the years."
"Exactly how far has it evolved?"
- T'Pol explains to Archer how close they have become in twelve years
"Did everyone get their own ship while I was gone?"
- Archer, after learning that Tucker and Reed, as well as T'Pol, had been promoted to captain in his absence
"It couldn't have been easy for you, telling me the same story over and over again for twelve years."
"I don't always tell it in detail."
"I hope I've told you this before, but… I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me."
- Archer and T'Pol, discussing her role as his caretaker
"Your engineers won't let us continue the captain's treatment!"
"Those were my orders – look, I'd do anything to help the captain, but we've got bigger problems at the moment."
"This may be the only solution to your problems, captain."
"Destroying these parasites is most likely the key to saving Humanity – and Earth."
- Phlox, Tucker, and T'Pol, after the effects of the treatment has been discovered
"This image was taken a few minutes ago. You can see the region where I eradicated the first cluster of parasites? It's gone in this image as well…This scan was taken over twelve years ago. The cluster has disappeared from all the scans I've taken over the last twelve years – it's as though it never existed at all."
"By destroying the organisms in the present, we appeared to have neutralized them in the past."
"We know they're from another spatial domain. Apparently they also exist outside of time – if we can eliminate all of the parasites, it's possible the captain's infection will never have occurred!"
- Phlox and T'Pol, explaining their fateful discovery to Captain Tucker
"If the Xindi are on the way, there's very little we can do to stop them."
"Well we can't just run up the white flag."
- T'Pol and Tucker, after he denies her request
"Our shields are holding. Nice to know they work in combat."
"Remind me to send a thank you note to General Shran."
- Reed and Tucker, discussing Enterprise's deflector shields, previously untested in battle
(Horrified) "The bridge is gone…"
(Realizing there's no one to stop her from treating Archer) "T'Pol to Phlox… meet us in engineering. We're going to finish the procedure."
"We don't have time to worry about parasites right now."
"That's not necessarily true."
- Archer and T'Pol
"I'm sorry , Captain – the chamber's been damaged."
(Archer initially looks up in horror, before remembering that there was another way) "Didn't you say we could destroy the parasites with a subspace implosion?"
"Yes, but that would…"
"Can we create one?"
"We would have to overload three plasma injectors – that would send a feedback pulse through the reactor."
"You'll destroy the ship!"
"At this point, it won't make much of a difference!"
- Phlox, Archer and T'Pol
"You two, get to a shuttlepod. They're only after Humans – if this doesn't work out, you'll still have a chance…(the Vulcan and Denobulan exchange a quick glance, and T'Pol walks up to the warp core to render assistance)… That's an order!"
"With all due respect, you were relieved of command."
- Archer, and T'Pol
"You could've been seriously injured – I told you to leave me behind."
"Fortunately, I don't take orders from you."
- T'Pol and an uninfected Archer, in the restored timeline
"You know… you'd make a wonderful nurse."
- Archer to T'Pol, after she got him an extra pillow
This Week In:
* Pointless STO Comparisons: Ramming speed is a classic desperation move in the MMO.
* Vulcans Are Superior: Nothing much on that this week.
* Non-Catastrophic Equipment Failures: They lose a nacelle in T'Pol's ramming maneuver.
* Aliens Outclass Enterprise: Xindi tech is more comparable with TNG-era stuff, (if not better).
Poster’s Log:
Most aspects of this are fine. The whole 'alternate timeline that doesn't ultimately matter' thing is a popular Trek move, invoking similar plots like Yesterday's Enterprise. The romance subplot also does bear striking similarity to VOY's ambiguous bathtub planet.
The only real problem I had with it was the assumption T'Pol and Archer would get together, which is trouble on two axes:
- T'Pol being shoehorned into a relationship here is another reminder that the writers do not appear to believe men and women can be friends, which is pretty icky.
- Archer isn't in a position to really consent to anything in this case.
Apart from that, the bad future stuff is mostly pretty normal Trek fare, I think. I feel like not having it matter at all was a silly move in given their new focus on episode arcs, but it wasn't a dealbreaker for me.
MA already covered the comparison to Henry Molaison, which was the other big thing I was thinking about during this.
Memory Alpha link:
Background information
Story and script
> According to Mike Sussman, this story was originally pitched as an episode for Star Trek: Voyager, with Kathryn Janeway as the afflicted captain, and Chakotay as her caretaker. Sussman commented, "It was my attempt at writing a love story for those two, but I couldn't sell the Voyager producers on the idea. It turned out to work better as an Archer and T'Pol story anyway, with the background of the Xindi war upping the stakes."
> Responding to criticisms of the use of the "reset button" at the end of the episode, Sussman commented, "I wanted Archer and/or T'Pol to take away something from that experience, too – but to me it would have been a cheat to do that. Archer doesn't get 'thrown back in time' when the parasites are destroyed; we as the writers simply decided to cut back to that point of departure where his life had changed. So why would he have remembered future events from an alternate reality that (a) are in an alternate reality and (b) haven't happened yet? That show was set 20 years in the future; say in the real Star Trek universe, Archer is now the first president of the Federation and he's married to T'Pol – we could have just cut back to that and said, 'OK, it's 20 years later, still' we haven't changed the time, but we're back in the proper timeline. Well, that would have been bizarre."
> In selecting Ceti Alpha V as a setting for this episode, Mike Sussman was influenced by the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. The choice of this planet as the location of the last Human colony was something of a "cruel joke" on the part of Sussman. Even if the Human survivors managed to escape detection by the Xindi, their planet will be made uninhabitable in a little over a hundred years when Ceti Alpha VI explodes, as explained in The Wrath of Khan. (Information provided by Mike Sussman)
> Enterprise shepherding a "rag-tag fugitive fleet" to a new home after the destruction of Earth was an homage by writer Mike Sussman to Battlestar Galactica. Sussman had read a bootlegged copy of the pilot script for the re-imagined series prior to writing "Twilight". (Information provided by Mike Sussman)
> Captain Archer's condition was probably inspired by the real-life story of Henry Molaison. In 1953, in an attempt to cure him of epilepsy, Mr. Molaison had two thirds of his hippocampi, parahippocampal cortices, entorhinal cortices, piriform cortices, and amygdalae removed. From that point on, Molaison (or "H. M.", as he soon became known in medical texts) became unable to commit new facts to long-term memory. For each subsequent day, until his death in 2008, people had to explain to him, like T'Pol does for Archer in this episode, what date it was and what had happened since 1953, including having to break to him the death of his parents. The long-term study of Molaison's case revolutionized the understanding of the organization of Human memory and formed the basis of what we know today on the subject.
> The final draft script for "Twilight", revisions of which were submitted on 8 September 2003 and 6 November 2003, gave the Yridian spy the name of "Yerdrin Lek". Earlier drafts called him "Yedrin Koss", but this was changed because there were already two Star Trek characters with similar names: Dax host Yedrin Dax and T'Pol's husband Koss. Promotional materials for the episode used the earlier, incorrect name, which became widely disseminated. It is worth noting the character's name is never mentioned in the episode as aired.
> The effect shot of the Intrepid losing its nacelle was not originally scripted. Originally, a line of dialogue was meant to deliver this information; however, the effect was deemed to carry a greater impact to the audience, so it was included in the final edit of this installment.
> Captain Tucker's comment about Enterprise's shields, "I think we’re going to find out how much of a beating these new shields can take," was written as a deliberate homage to a line of dialogue from DS9: "The Way of the Warrior". In that episode, Benjamin Sisko comments about the USS Defiant, "Looks like we're going to find out just how much of a pounding this ship can take." ("Twilight" audio commentary, ENT Season 3 Blu-ray special features)
Production
> Computer monitors aboard the alternate-timeline Enterprise sport a red, yellow and green color scheme (rather than red, yellow and blue), similar to the computer panels used during the 23rd century, as seen in Star Trek: The Original Series.
> A scene with an aged Porthos (twelve years older) was shot for the future sequences, but didn't make it into the final show. In the "present" scenes, a scene was cut at movie night where Archer told T'Pol about Porthos being stressed, and that he might benefit from neuropressure.
> Archer's grey hair is actually a trimmed version of one of the early test wigs for Soval. The actors embraced this, theorizing that, after many years of living together on the planet, T'Pol was now cutting Archer's hair, hence the slightly Vulcan style. (Information provided by Mike Sussman)
Continuity
> In addition to referencing Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, this episode references TOS: "Space Seed", in which Captain James T. Kirk of the USS Enterprise exiles Khan Noonien Singh on Ceti Alpha V.
> An Earth convoy destroyed in the Mutara system is mentioned by Soval, a reference to the site of a battle between Kirk and Khan, also depicted in The Wrath of Khan.
> The battle scene establishes that Enterprise had received tactical advancements from Shran – who, in the prime universe, later plays an invaluable role in preventing the events of this episode from ever taking place, as portrayed in ENT: "Proving Ground" and "Zero Hour".
> The object Archer uses to fatally stab a Reptilian soldier is a miniature replica of the Zefram Cochrane statue described by Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: First Contact.
> The episode offers no clue as to how the crippled Enterprise, reduced to warp 1.7 speed, was able to reach Earth to witness its destruction by the Xindi weapon. "The Expanse" had previously established that it took Enterprise seven weeks at warp 5 just to reach the border of the Delphic Expanse. Producer Mike Sussman revealed, however, that Enterprise was originally intended to traverse the distance quickly via a Xindi subspace vortex, but this plan was dropped.
Reception
> This episode was chosen as the #1 fan favorite in an online poll conducted by UPN prior to the final six episodes of the series airing. It was re-broadcast on 8 April 2005 in that context.
> The book Star Trek 101, by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block, lists this episode as one of the "Ten Essential Episodes" from Star Trek: Enterprise.
Memorable quotes
"You'll enjoy it. Rosemary's Baby. It'll scare the hell out of you."
- Archer explains to T'Pol what will be playing on movie night
"In the corridor, when the anomaly hit, I urged you to leave me behind – if you had, it's likely I'd be the one suffering from this… condition."
"Fortunately, I don't take orders from you."
"Captain… I never expressed my gratitude for what you did."
"I suppose there's not much point in thanking me… a few hours from now, I won't remember."
- T'Pol and an infected Archer
"We've taken nine prisoners, but the brig was only designed for two. I'm not sure what to do with the others."
"Blow 'em out the airlock!"
"Put them in crew quarters under heavy guard."
- Reed, Tucker, and T'Pol discussing what to do with their Xindi prisoners
"For now, the best I can give you is warp 1.7!"
"We're not going to get very far at that speed."
- Tucker and Reed, as Reed responds to the status of the engines
"This planet is barely Minshara-class. Maybe we should've picked one with a little more blue and green on it."
- Tucker, commenting on the desolate state of the planet below
"Our relationship has evolved over the years."
"Exactly how far has it evolved?"
- T'Pol explains to Archer how close they have become in twelve years
"Did everyone get their own ship while I was gone?"
- Archer, after learning that Tucker and Reed, as well as T'Pol, had been promoted to captain in his absence
"It couldn't have been easy for you, telling me the same story over and over again for twelve years."
"I don't always tell it in detail."
"I hope I've told you this before, but… I'm very grateful for everything you've done for me."
- Archer and T'Pol, discussing her role as his caretaker
"Your engineers won't let us continue the captain's treatment!"
"Those were my orders – look, I'd do anything to help the captain, but we've got bigger problems at the moment."
"This may be the only solution to your problems, captain."
"Destroying these parasites is most likely the key to saving Humanity – and Earth."
- Phlox, Tucker, and T'Pol, after the effects of the treatment has been discovered
"This image was taken a few minutes ago. You can see the region where I eradicated the first cluster of parasites? It's gone in this image as well…This scan was taken over twelve years ago. The cluster has disappeared from all the scans I've taken over the last twelve years – it's as though it never existed at all."
"By destroying the organisms in the present, we appeared to have neutralized them in the past."
"We know they're from another spatial domain. Apparently they also exist outside of time – if we can eliminate all of the parasites, it's possible the captain's infection will never have occurred!"
- Phlox and T'Pol, explaining their fateful discovery to Captain Tucker
"If the Xindi are on the way, there's very little we can do to stop them."
"Well we can't just run up the white flag."
- T'Pol and Tucker, after he denies her request
"Our shields are holding. Nice to know they work in combat."
"Remind me to send a thank you note to General Shran."
- Reed and Tucker, discussing Enterprise's deflector shields, previously untested in battle
(Horrified) "The bridge is gone…"
(Realizing there's no one to stop her from treating Archer) "T'Pol to Phlox… meet us in engineering. We're going to finish the procedure."
"We don't have time to worry about parasites right now."
"That's not necessarily true."
- Archer and T'Pol
"I'm sorry , Captain – the chamber's been damaged."
(Archer initially looks up in horror, before remembering that there was another way) "Didn't you say we could destroy the parasites with a subspace implosion?"
"Yes, but that would…"
"Can we create one?"
"We would have to overload three plasma injectors – that would send a feedback pulse through the reactor."
"You'll destroy the ship!"
"At this point, it won't make much of a difference!"
- Phlox, Archer and T'Pol
"You two, get to a shuttlepod. They're only after Humans – if this doesn't work out, you'll still have a chance…(the Vulcan and Denobulan exchange a quick glance, and T'Pol walks up to the warp core to render assistance)… That's an order!"
"With all due respect, you were relieved of command."
- Archer, and T'Pol
"You could've been seriously injured – I told you to leave me behind."
"Fortunately, I don't take orders from you."
- T'Pol and an uninfected Archer, in the restored timeline
"You know… you'd make a wonderful nurse."
- Archer to T'Pol, after she got him an extra pillow
This Week In:
* Pointless STO Comparisons: Ramming speed is a classic desperation move in the MMO.
* Vulcans Are Superior: Nothing much on that this week.
* Non-Catastrophic Equipment Failures: They lose a nacelle in T'Pol's ramming maneuver.
* Aliens Outclass Enterprise: Xindi tech is more comparable with TNG-era stuff, (if not better).
Poster’s Log:
Most aspects of this are fine. The whole 'alternate timeline that doesn't ultimately matter' thing is a popular Trek move, invoking similar plots like Yesterday's Enterprise. The romance subplot also does bear striking similarity to VOY's ambiguous bathtub planet.
The only real problem I had with it was the assumption T'Pol and Archer would get together, which is trouble on two axes:
- T'Pol being shoehorned into a relationship here is another reminder that the writers do not appear to believe men and women can be friends, which is pretty icky.
- Archer isn't in a position to really consent to anything in this case.
Apart from that, the bad future stuff is mostly pretty normal Trek fare, I think. I feel like not having it matter at all was a silly move in given their new focus on episode arcs, but it wasn't a dealbreaker for me.
MA already covered the comparison to Henry Molaison, which was the other big thing I was thinking about during this.
I mentioned last week that I'd watched about half of this episode after "The Shipment", and I'm glad that the back half also held up well. As noted, this is a use of the reset button, and even if you limit it specifically to instances where someone on the crew (or the entire crew) has to die to reset history, then you'd still be talking about DS9's "Visionary" and "The Visitor", and VOY's "Timeless", "Year of Hell", and "Endgame"; in fact, if you want to extend the sacrificial victim to a non-crewmember, you could throw in "The City on the Edge of Forever." This variation on the theme works because of both the stakes involved and the variation of Archer's condition. We actually get to see Earth get blown up real good, and even though we're probably pretty sure that it won't really happen*, it's still a reminder of what's at risk in this arc. We found out last episode that the Xindi have not only had experience in blowing up a planet--i.e. their own--but also contributed to the genocide of the Xindi-Avians, and therefore might plausibly try to hunt down the last of the humans. TCotEoF had the Nazis get the A-bomb, but not necessarily destroy the world; arguably, Annorax's time-ship may have done worse by retconning entire civilizations out of existence. Still, the image of the last remnants of humanity fighting a losing rear-guard action is a powerful one.
So is Archer's anterograde amnesia. It seems especially cruel for someone who otherwise retains all his original capabilities, and the episode isn't particularly sparing in showing how reluctantly the rest of the crew has to let go of his participation in the running of the ship. I've had a relative of mine suffer temporary anterograde amnesia after a heart attack, and it was very difficult to deal with them when they were in the hospital bed and not able to remember what they'd said only seconds earlier**, but luckily they recovered the ability to remember things within a day or so. Archer's form of anterograde amnesia seems even crueler; he must know that, after he falls asleep every night, his memories of the day will be lost--it's like a reverse Groundhog Day where time progresses but Archer's knowledge of the world doesn't. Scott Bakula's resting face has a somewhat quizzical aspect to it anyway, so he was made for this script, in a way.
WRT T'Pol: I may need to go back and pay very close attention to the dialogue in a couple of scenes, but I too got the impression that T'Pol's statement that their relationship had "evolved" really referred to her becoming his caretaker, and that her conversation with Phlox about her feelings toward Archer didn't reflect any sort of reciprocation or consummation. I did have some qualms about her being kind of blamed for the failure of their mission (although it sure was nice to see her in a Starfleet uniform, finally), but then again the ship was disabled, and the entire bridge crew killed, when they had two white male captains on it, so there's that. (And we've certainly had Archer confirmed as Best Captain Ever by Daniels et al. well before this.)
*At this point, we don't know for sure that the Earth won't be destroyed, as the Temporal Cold War is still in effect and thus all pre-existing Trek continuity is up for grabs. Remember that ST09 established its alternate continuity in part by having Nero destroy Vulcan.
**Another use of anterograde amnesia was in a recurring character of Tom Hanks' on SNL, "Mr. Short Term Memory", which I've come around to liking from my initial dislike on account of my aunt's experience; Hanks plays it pretty straight, and maybe it's because of his taking on more serious roles in the latter, more Oscary part of his career, but I'm actually getting some pathos out of this sketch, a la his more serious moments in something like Big.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:31 PM on September 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
So is Archer's anterograde amnesia. It seems especially cruel for someone who otherwise retains all his original capabilities, and the episode isn't particularly sparing in showing how reluctantly the rest of the crew has to let go of his participation in the running of the ship. I've had a relative of mine suffer temporary anterograde amnesia after a heart attack, and it was very difficult to deal with them when they were in the hospital bed and not able to remember what they'd said only seconds earlier**, but luckily they recovered the ability to remember things within a day or so. Archer's form of anterograde amnesia seems even crueler; he must know that, after he falls asleep every night, his memories of the day will be lost--it's like a reverse Groundhog Day where time progresses but Archer's knowledge of the world doesn't. Scott Bakula's resting face has a somewhat quizzical aspect to it anyway, so he was made for this script, in a way.
WRT T'Pol: I may need to go back and pay very close attention to the dialogue in a couple of scenes, but I too got the impression that T'Pol's statement that their relationship had "evolved" really referred to her becoming his caretaker, and that her conversation with Phlox about her feelings toward Archer didn't reflect any sort of reciprocation or consummation. I did have some qualms about her being kind of blamed for the failure of their mission (although it sure was nice to see her in a Starfleet uniform, finally), but then again the ship was disabled, and the entire bridge crew killed, when they had two white male captains on it, so there's that. (And we've certainly had Archer confirmed as Best Captain Ever by Daniels et al. well before this.)
*At this point, we don't know for sure that the Earth won't be destroyed, as the Temporal Cold War is still in effect and thus all pre-existing Trek continuity is up for grabs. Remember that ST09 established its alternate continuity in part by having Nero destroy Vulcan.
**Another use of anterograde amnesia was in a recurring character of Tom Hanks' on SNL, "Mr. Short Term Memory", which I've come around to liking from my initial dislike on account of my aunt's experience; Hanks plays it pretty straight, and maybe it's because of his taking on more serious roles in the latter, more Oscary part of his career, but I'm actually getting some pathos out of this sketch, a la his more serious moments in something like Big.
posted by Halloween Jack at 9:31 PM on September 16, 2019 [2 favorites]
T'Pol's statement that their relationship had "evolved" really referred to her becoming his caretaker, and that her conversation with Phlox about her feelings toward Archer didn't reflect any sort of reciprocation or consummation. I did have some qualms about her being kind of blamed for the failure of their mission (although it sure was nice to see her in a Starfleet uniform, finally), but then again the ship was disabled, and the entire bridge crew killed, when they had two white male captains on it, so there's that. (And we've certainly had Archer confirmed as Best Captain Ever by Daniels et al. well before this.)
It's stuff like this that makes me feel like the pathos of this episode wasn't quite as earned as it has been in other, similar Trek installments. Well, that and the fact that (as someone mentioned in one of our VOY threads) we just never get to know these characters as well as we do on other shows—and to be fair, on rewatch, that may be more due to UPN cancelling the show and depriving this crew of screen time than any other factors.
(But OTOH, this episode makes me like Trip a little less, because he makes a pretty crap captain, even allowing for the Dark Timeline factor; given the choice between serving under him and Panicky Hobo-Beard Riker from the Borg Is Everywhere universe, I might actually choose the latter.)
But yes, even though this is very obviously Enterprise's Yesterday's Enterprise, it's continually compelling, though IMO mostly due to the Molaison stuff, on account of how we Trek vets all know there will be a reset button—we may not have anticipated a LITERAL one, of course ;). Strong performances help here, too. And I liked Phlox's hair.
Computer monitors aboard the alternate-timeline Enterprise sport a red, yellow and green color scheme (rather than red, yellow and blue), similar to the computer panels used during the 23rd century, as seen in Star Trek: The Original Series.
I'm mad at myself for failing to notice this.
This episode was chosen as the #1 fan favorite in an online poll conducted by UPN prior to the final six episodes of the series airing. It was re-broadcast on 8 April 2005 in that context.
…Huh. I wouldn't have guessed.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 2:37 AM on September 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
It's stuff like this that makes me feel like the pathos of this episode wasn't quite as earned as it has been in other, similar Trek installments. Well, that and the fact that (as someone mentioned in one of our VOY threads) we just never get to know these characters as well as we do on other shows—and to be fair, on rewatch, that may be more due to UPN cancelling the show and depriving this crew of screen time than any other factors.
(But OTOH, this episode makes me like Trip a little less, because he makes a pretty crap captain, even allowing for the Dark Timeline factor; given the choice between serving under him and Panicky Hobo-Beard Riker from the Borg Is Everywhere universe, I might actually choose the latter.)
But yes, even though this is very obviously Enterprise's Yesterday's Enterprise, it's continually compelling, though IMO mostly due to the Molaison stuff, on account of how we Trek vets all know there will be a reset button—we may not have anticipated a LITERAL one, of course ;). Strong performances help here, too. And I liked Phlox's hair.
Computer monitors aboard the alternate-timeline Enterprise sport a red, yellow and green color scheme (rather than red, yellow and blue), similar to the computer panels used during the 23rd century, as seen in Star Trek: The Original Series.
I'm mad at myself for failing to notice this.
This episode was chosen as the #1 fan favorite in an online poll conducted by UPN prior to the final six episodes of the series airing. It was re-broadcast on 8 April 2005 in that context.
…Huh. I wouldn't have guessed.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 2:37 AM on September 17, 2019 [2 favorites]
Re: T'Pol -
Sloppy wording on my part. There's no certain indication they've actually done anything, but it's made clear she's attracted to him, which is... vexing at best. I feel it's a misuse of the character. (See the background notes about how the two of them would've been married in the adjusted timeline, and how this was originally pitched as a Chakotay/Janeway romance - the subtext that squicked me out is definitely intended.)
…Huh. I wouldn't have guessed.
I dunno, I can see it even though my own take on the episode was lukewarm. (Personally, I would've gone with last week's, so far.)
posted by mordax at 9:56 AM on September 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
Sloppy wording on my part. There's no certain indication they've actually done anything, but it's made clear she's attracted to him, which is... vexing at best. I feel it's a misuse of the character. (See the background notes about how the two of them would've been married in the adjusted timeline, and how this was originally pitched as a Chakotay/Janeway romance - the subtext that squicked me out is definitely intended.)
…Huh. I wouldn't have guessed.
I dunno, I can see it even though my own take on the episode was lukewarm. (Personally, I would've gone with last week's, so far.)
posted by mordax at 9:56 AM on September 17, 2019 [3 favorites]
A good chianti. No straw on the bottle. Something you can sink your teeth into. I really really love this episode.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 2:40 PM on September 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 2:40 PM on September 18, 2019 [1 favorite]
Sloppy wording on my part. There's no certain indication they've actually done anything, but it's made clear she's attracted to him, which is... vexing at best. I feel it's a misuse of the character. (See the background notes about how the two of them would've been married in the adjusted timeline, and how this was originally pitched as a Chakotay/Janeway romance - the subtext that squicked me out is definitely intended.)
I can't argue that the subtext wasn't in the minds of the writers given that background, but my memory of this episode (from a few months back, granted) was that I was faintly impressed by the writers not forcing a sexual/romantic relationship there while establishing a pretty intense platonic love on T'Pol's part. The awkwardness that might have come from that basis I just took as Vulcan discomfort with emotion or whatever. The issues with Archer being utterly unable to participate in that relationship in any meaningful way, and the matronly caretaker role T'Pol is put in (doesn't the Federation have PCAs? I mean come on, that's a skilled profession, and probably not something they include in Vulcan officer school.) all stand regardless.
It's not a great plot for a couple reasons, but lacking that background I wouldn't have guessed, and knowing that background I can totally see it. I would guess that they for sure wanted to go that direction at first, and then hewed away from it in later drafts, or even in editing, but some semblences are still there.
One other thing I remember is being somewhat impressed with Blalock's portrayal of 'Vulcan as caretaker for human with memory issues', having some experience with that myself. There's a really complicated mixture of emotions that can build up, specifically with memory issues (no clue about anterograde amnesia, but alzheimer's is a when instead of if question in my family), and I think she does a really good job of portraying them within an alien who can't emote like a human would. It's a challenge and I think she rises to it, and maybe does a better job for it.
posted by neonrev at 6:51 PM on September 19, 2019 [4 favorites]
I can't argue that the subtext wasn't in the minds of the writers given that background, but my memory of this episode (from a few months back, granted) was that I was faintly impressed by the writers not forcing a sexual/romantic relationship there while establishing a pretty intense platonic love on T'Pol's part. The awkwardness that might have come from that basis I just took as Vulcan discomfort with emotion or whatever. The issues with Archer being utterly unable to participate in that relationship in any meaningful way, and the matronly caretaker role T'Pol is put in (doesn't the Federation have PCAs? I mean come on, that's a skilled profession, and probably not something they include in Vulcan officer school.) all stand regardless.
It's not a great plot for a couple reasons, but lacking that background I wouldn't have guessed, and knowing that background I can totally see it. I would guess that they for sure wanted to go that direction at first, and then hewed away from it in later drafts, or even in editing, but some semblences are still there.
One other thing I remember is being somewhat impressed with Blalock's portrayal of 'Vulcan as caretaker for human with memory issues', having some experience with that myself. There's a really complicated mixture of emotions that can build up, specifically with memory issues (no clue about anterograde amnesia, but alzheimer's is a when instead of if question in my family), and I think she does a really good job of portraying them within an alien who can't emote like a human would. It's a challenge and I think she rises to it, and maybe does a better job for it.
posted by neonrev at 6:51 PM on September 19, 2019 [4 favorites]
Mm. Fair take. Not my visceral reaction, but that makes sense.
Also, I will definitely concede that Blalock elevates pretty much any scene she's in.
posted by mordax at 11:48 PM on September 21, 2019
Also, I will definitely concede that Blalock elevates pretty much any scene she's in.
posted by mordax at 11:48 PM on September 21, 2019
I like T'Pol, but I hate so much how this show seems to want to conquer her.
posted by fleacircus at 4:23 AM on November 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by fleacircus at 4:23 AM on November 7, 2019 [1 favorite]
fleacircus, eventually they always try to break down the Vulcans and show they've got emotions after all. They were very brutal with T'Pol, though, compared to Spock or Tuvok. That whole "addicted to trellium" thing was deplorable.
posted by zadcat at 3:13 PM on November 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by zadcat at 3:13 PM on November 10, 2019 [1 favorite]
I think it's worse with T'Pol because of how they've situated her.
TOS had Bones as the designated space racist, but Bones got dunked on a lot. Spock didn't have to obey or respect Bones. He didn't have to develop a deep familial bond with Bones that hinted that maybe if things were different they could have been fully married, including the sex part.
Spock's admission to emotions could be phrased as getting in touch with his human side. T'Pol's admission of emotions falls along the line of her relationship with humanity which is that she hates to admit it but she deeply loves and respects them -- especially the oafish ones, for some reason.
posted by fleacircus at 2:28 AM on November 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
TOS had Bones as the designated space racist, but Bones got dunked on a lot. Spock didn't have to obey or respect Bones. He didn't have to develop a deep familial bond with Bones that hinted that maybe if things were different they could have been fully married, including the sex part.
Spock's admission to emotions could be phrased as getting in touch with his human side. T'Pol's admission of emotions falls along the line of her relationship with humanity which is that she hates to admit it but she deeply loves and respects them -- especially the oafish ones, for some reason.
posted by fleacircus at 2:28 AM on November 11, 2019 [1 favorite]
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I'm not sure that's accurate. We know she lives with him and looks after him but it's never explicit that they're romantically entangled. As I recall, the bedroom where he wakes up looks like his space, not a double bed, no Vulcan touches, but I'd have to watch again to be certain of that.
This is one of my favourite Enterprise episodes, so elegiac and moody, and with a satisfying resolution. Only bit I didn't enjoy was Archer saying at the end that T'Pol would make a good nurse.
posted by zadcat at 1:12 PM on September 16, 2019 [4 favorites]