Mr.Borg rates the episodes from one (very bad) to five (very good) Borg Heads
Shockwave
The way this episode started, I thought it was going to get the second one-borg-head rating in the young life of the series. An explosion that wipes out a colony of people on a planet gets blamed on Enterprise and this sends the Captain into a Janeway funk. If you remember, Janeway lost control when the ship entered "The Void" and became an official space weenie. Well, Archer hits the same brick wall in the beginning of this episode only to be saved by the "Temporal War" staring our friends Silik the Suliban and Daniels the Time Cop. Seems the disaster on the planet is due to Silik's interference so Daniels runs a counter plan to correct the grounding of Enterprise. As with many time travel episodes something goes amuck when Archer follows Daniel's plan to gather evidence to prove Enterprise did not kill the colonist. When the keeper of Silik sends him to retrieve Archer, Daniels counters and grabs the Captain as he begins his surrender to Silik. When the dust has settled, Archer finds himself in the 31st century with Daniels. Just one problem, the new future shows what I can only suppose is a destroyed Earth. Ok, maybe there are two problems, seems Daniel's Time Cops also no longer exist including the time tunnel they use to time travel. As season 1 ends, it appears that Enterprise is going to be destroyed by the Suliban and Archer will retire to the gutted city of Oz in the 31st century.
The Episode PicturesTwo Days and Two Nights
Enterprise finally makes it to Risa for some rest and relaxation, or so they think. This episode centers on the shore leave for
the Captain, Sato, Tucker, and Reed
Desert Crossing
Archers reputation as a supreme military commander has made it around the galaxies for freeing the Sulibans
in the episode "Detained". In this episode, Archer is lured into a civil war with the intention of his new hosts to
use him as a commander for their forces. When the rebel forces find out the story of Archer's escapades are exaggerated,
the rebels find little use for his services (Not that the Captain would help them anyway). Of course the other side is not happy to see him on their planet and attempt to bomb
the Captain into the desert sand. Archer and Tucker escape into the desert of the spice planet for some hot weather action before being
rescued. And, oh yes, they still don't make it to Risa as scheduled.
The Episode PicturesFallen Hero
The crew plans on a trip to the pleasure planet Risa only to be sidetracked by Earth command. T'Pol meets a respected Vulcan ambassador from her past that has an alien gang in hot pursuit to terminate her. The ambassador's presence
on the Enterprise puts the crew at risk. Maryweather gets to hit the accelerator and take the ship to warp 5 in a futile attempt to outrun
the aliens. In the end T'Pol calls on a favor of the Captain Archer to help save the ambassador.
The Episode PicturesVox Sola
This episode is similar to Babylon 5's mating of the machine and humans by the Shadows but with a different twist. Seems the Enterprise's monthly pest control
service fails when an alien creature infiltrates the ship and starts assimilating the crew. Roxann Dawson does a good job spinning this episode into an entertaining
hour.
Detained
In this ode to internment camps, Scott Bakula is reunited with Dean Stockwell as Colonel Grat in the Tandaran camp for Sulibans. One of my complaints about this
episode was the setup of the Captain and Mayweather being captured by the Tandarans and held on this camp was short changed. I felt the episode would have started off
better with the actual capture of the two written into the beginning of the episode. But then again, it's not like this technique of starting a Trek a third of the way
into the action has not been done before. If you were a "Quantum Leap" fan it was a treat to see Bakula and Stockwell in the confrontational positions of prisoner and warden.
Oasis
Here is the setup; Enterprise needs stuff to continue their mission and the trader they
meet in the opening of the episode can't provide the goods but he might have a place they
can find the stuff they need. Only problem is, the ship may be haunted. The Captain steams ahead to checkout
this possible cheap source of stuff. When they get to the planet and ship in question, it's full speed ahead in
their quest. T'Pol and Trip flush out one of the ghosts who leads them into a whole room of ghosts holding weapons.
After a little diplomacy, Archer leaves our dynamic duo to fix the ship for the survivors. In another Trip fix the alien ship and fall in love with the alien woman
, we learn there is something fishy about this scene. Seems the story told by the survivors does not
hold up under the scrutiny of Lt. Reed. Reed finds they have been stranded around 20 years not the 3 they originally told the
Captain. About this time T'Pol figures this out and gets captured by the mystery crew. After scooping up a dead crewman in his
escape pod (who also appears alive on the ship). Archer steams down to the surface for a little confrontation with the mystery crew. During the
battle, we find most of the crew are holo projections. For a second episode in a row we see a former DS9 alum. This time it's Rene Auberjonois as Ezral.
Seems there was a terrible accident causing the ship to crash with him and his daughter as the lone survivors. Being the chief
engineer, he constructed the holo crew to keep them company and do the chores. After highlighting Rene's character in the final segment, Enterprise
helps the holo crew repair the ship. Trip strikes out again when Maya stays with dad to navigate the ship home. It seems Trip is
becoming the Geordi La Forge of this series in the unsuccessful dating category.
The Episode PicturesAcquisition
Meet the Ferengi, no not the Next Gen Ferengi more like Quark's cousins exhibiting all the
characteristics of the Ferengi we have come to love (including the whip of pain). If you want
continuity with the Star Trek universe and the evolution of earths encounters with this race you
have to throw the book out to enjoy this episode. This band seems more apt to have a drink at Quark's
and discuss the "Rules of Acquisition" than the band of Ferengi that Picard first encountered. If you
discount that fact and add in the return of Mr. Neelix and Weyoun, then this episode was enjoyable.
The Episode PicturesRogue Planet
Let's see, we have a planet that has broken orbit from its sun using geothermal energy to sustain life. Even
though there is no source of solar energy the plants have leaves on them. Add the classic bleeding heart script of
the west coast writers and you have this episode of woe. The only interesting plot is the mystery meat Archer chows
on with his alien friends may have been his girl (shape shifter worm) friend's mother.
The Episode PicturesFusion
A group of non-conforming illogical Vulcans visits Enterprise with all the assorted mayhem and kaos you
would expect. The highlight is a young Vulcan male molesting T'Pol including the first use of the
Vulcan mind-meld. Other than that, this episode is just filler for season 1.
The Episode PicturesShuttlepod One
TV Guide picked this episode as one of the best of season 1. Mr. Borg thinks this episode ranks at the
bottom of all Treks produced passing the Next Gen episode "Masks" (remember Data and his homemade mask) as my least favorite Trek episode. Near the
middle of this episode I was searching for a photon torpedo to finish this thing off. The only reason it does not get a one-borg-head is the fact
it was still better than the episode "Terra Nova", but not by much.
The Episode PicturesShadows of P'Jem
Take the humans, mix some Vulcans and a little Andorians and you get this episode. Would it be reaching a little bit for the
writers to create an interesting planet to visit. Most of the planets have been either primitive, dark, or a combination of
primitive and dark. For once I would like to see an advanced planet full of life and not war, death, and destruction. Good
writers should be able to create a close encounter with such a backdrop that is interesting and action packed without the
need for species to species conflict.
The Episode PicturesSleeping Dogs
Theme from the Klingons
Here we come, disruptin'Dear Doctor
It has been another hard day of reviewing an Enterprise episode, hope all is going well in your assimilation of races on the mother ship. Stay away from
the vinculum unless you go with the Queen. For the uninitiated, it can be quite an unnerving experience . These humans can be so predictable in their plot lines. This
episode lays the foundation for the Prime Directive. I would think the Captain would be more inclined to break the directive since it does not exist yet. But,
we see the bleeding heart writers weave a story of two races, one strong and smart and the other challenged to brush their teeth. The smart people are dying of
a genetic nanovirus that will kill that race enabling the other race to take over the planet. Doc persuades the Captain to let nature takes its course even if they have a cure.
If this was the mother ship, we would have infected them all just to be fair.
P.S. Did you catch that T'Pol in the dentists chair? What a set of choppers.
The Episode PicturesSilent Enemy
The Enterprise meets a new species of CGI creatures that hound the ship during the entire episode. The secondary story revolves
around our strange Lt. Reed. Seems it's his birthday and the crew want to surprise him with a meal featuring his favorite food.
After contacting parents, sister, and friend it's the duty of Hoshi and the Captain to find it's pineapple (which they use in his birthday cake). Meanwhile
back on the main story line, Trip and Reed team together to forge an alliance to build the pulse cannons to repel the new alien threat while our
CGI friends board the ship. After deep scans on two crewmen, the CGI aliens plant a listening device on the ship and head back into space.
When the Captain finds the device, he gives the old "we are human and we will kick your ___" speech that brings them flying back to Enterprise. Cruising
at ramming speed, they approach Enterprise but the cleaver Trip and Reed rig the cannons to fire at mountain blasting power and disable
the alien ship (with the help of some old school torpedoes). After the alien retreat, it's happy birthday Reed as they eat birthday cake and drink beers.
The Episode PicturesCold Front
This is the continuation of the "Broken Bow" episode dealing with the temporal war being conducted
by two unknown rival groups. The Enterprise becomes the battleground between an operative from the future aboard the
Enterprise that enlists the crew in an effort to subvert the apparently evil (or is he?) Suliban leader, Silik's mission to
save the Enterprise. Overall it was a good story line with a few obvious twists thrown in to limit the transfer of future
technologies to the present day Enterprise. Looks like we will see several more episodes involving Silik.
The Episode PicturesFortunate Son
Firsts:Civilization
Firsts:Breaking the Ice
A complex episode with several plot lines going at one time including:
Exploration of a cometThe Andorian Incident
Firsts:Terra Nova
Firsts:Unexpected
Trip gets impregnated by an alien engineer while mending their ship.
The Episode PicturesStrange New World
Firsts:Fight or Flight
And I thought only Janeway was a space weenie, now they get Hoshi into the act with this
character development episode.
The Episode PicturesBroken Bow
In the beginning there was a new Enterprise and it was exciting and bold.
The Episode Pictures Part 1