monkee reviews 'The Expanse'
First Impression: An episode with a lot of outstanding elements that never quite come together properly to form a cohesive whole.
Faith of the Heart: I've been watching the theme and space montage a little sadly lately, knowing that it's likely to fall victim to the show's 'bold new direction' next year. Many will applaud its demise, but I always liked it. Grumble, grumble.
Under Attack: The episode wastes no time at all. In the teaser, a spherical probe seems to come out of nowhere, then quickly targets earth and fires, cutting a huge gash into the planet from Florida to Venezuela. It could be a Borg sphere and cutting beam, only it isn't – this is a new enemy. When the firing stops, the sphere's frame falls away and the vessel falls to the surface – a suicide mission. When Archer is first told of the disaster, the death toll is approximately one million, but that's adjusted as the episode progresses to three, then seven million. Enterprise is recalled, and begins the two-month journey home.
From a Distance: The probe FX are cool, no doubt about it, and the cutting beam is dramatic. But because we see the destruction and the aftermath almost entirely from out in space, it's difficult to get a feel for the scale. Personally, I felt detached from it – it lacked emotional resonance for me. I felt more of a connection to the loss of the colony in last season's cliffhanger, 'Shockwave.'
R.I.P. Elizabeth Tucker: There's one exception, and that's the brief scene on the surface, when Reed and Tucker beam down to survey the site where Tucker's younger sister, Lizzie, used to live. Only then do we see that the four thousand-kilometer cut is nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon. Watching Trip's fear and uncertainty for her safety when they first hear of the attack, then his grief and anger when he learns she has been lost does provide a connection for us to the tragedy, but even that is diluted by the amount of time that has passed (the episode boldly spans about four to six months, near as I can figure – fairly unusual in episodic television).
Skulking Suliban: En route back to Earth, the Suliban abduct Archer off the bridge, and Silik brings him before the shadowy future guy (SFG), who informs him that the species that attacked Earth is called the Xindi. They did it because someone from another faction in the temporal cold war informed them that Starfleet will destroy their homeworld four hundred years in the future. The bad news is that the weapon they used was only a prototype. They're busy working on a much bigger one, to make the destruction of Earth complete. For reasons known only to himself, SFG doesn't want any of this to happen, so he tells Archer where to find them. Near as I can tell, there's no earthly reason why Archer should trust this information. SFG clearly has his own agenda, and no great love for humanity. But Starfleet has absolutely nothing else to go on, and Archer, with difficulty, is able to convince them that Enterprise should go find these Xindi, and...
The Xindi:
...and do what, exactly? Attack them mindlessly for the sake of revenge? What makes the humans think they're even capable of destroying them, after that overwhelming show of force? But Trip is out for blood, and Archer has enlisted the help of a military commando squad (none of whom we see, of course, since they haven't been cast yet). I certainly understand the anger, and the desire for retribution, but I hope that once Enterprise finds the Xindi, they make some effort to find out what they were told by the temporal cold war informant. It may well be that the Xindi are being savagely used and misinformed, too. That's no excuse for killing seven million people, but we have no idea what they've been told, or shown. And neither does Starfleet. I would like to have seen just one conversation in which they discussed trying to get to the heart of the matter, in addition to stopping the threat.
Parallels: The parallels to our own time are obvious. The Xindi attack brings back horrific memories of 9/11, and Archer's new 'mission,' to destroy a weapon before it can destroy his home planet is familiar as well. Without getting too political, I'll just say that this made me uncomfortable. I'm holding out for a brighter future.
The Delphic Expanse: The coordinates that Archer is given for the Xindi homeworld are in the dreaded Delphic Expanse, a place where Vulcans and even Klingons fear to tread, and with good reason. Ships that enter the region have a tendency to disappear, or worse. The crew of a Klingon vessel ended up anatomically inverted – still alive, but with their bodies splayed open. Ew! A Vulcan crew was driven mad by something in the Expanse, and ended up destroying their own vessel. When Archer convinces Starfleet to let him go anyway, the Vulcans essentially wash their hands of the situation, and recall T'Pol.
And despite the fact that this Delphic Expanse is just two short months away from Earth at warp 5, we'll never hear a word about it in the TOS or TNG years. Why? Who knows. Perhaps we'll be given an explanation later.
Klingons, Too! As if things weren't complicated enough, the Klingons are still on Archer's tail for escaping Rura Penthe, a nice bit of continuity, even if it makes the episode just a shade too cluttered. The High Council offers Duras an opportunity to restore his honor by retrieving the escapee. He almost manages to do just that, right before Archer enters the Sol system, but three Earth ships intercept.
The Fleet: It was kind of nice to see that there ARE other ships in Starfleet. I was beginning to wonder. We also get a look at the NX-02 in dry dock, another nice bit of continuity from First Flight. It won't be ready to launch for over a year, though. While Enterprise is orbiting Earth, they, too, are put in dry dock for upgrades, which include stronger 'hull plating,' and photonic torpedoes with a far greater range, and variable yield.
The weaponry seems far too advanced for a hundred years before Kirk. I'm just saying.
Enterprise leaves on its new mission, but first they plan to drop T'Pol off on Vulcan. En route, they have another encounter with Duras, who is not prepared for Enterprise's new upgrades. His ship is disabled and Archer resumes course for Vulcan. But T'Pol decides to resign her commission and stay with Enterprise, because she knows Archer needs her, and her logic, more than ever. They make the seven-week journey to the Delphic Expanse.
Duras' Demise: Duras, now accompanied by two other warships, follows them, but his back-up flees when Archer gets too close to the expanse. (Pansies! You call yourself warriors?) Duras, driven by revenge for the loss of his honor, doesn't back down, and is destroyed by some nice, almost Kirkian strategy on Archer's part, and some fine flying on Mayweather's part. It was a nice moment, reminiscent of 'The Wrath of Khan,' but it was just too much to cram into one hour. I would rather have not seen the Klingon story at all – it would have given the episode a chance to explore the repercussions of the Xindi attack more.
Moments of Magnificence: There were quite a few wonderful moments, though. The 'Wrath of Khan' tactic was one. I also loved seeing Enterprise pull out of dry dock, with all the little astronauts floating around. It reminded me of 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture.' And at the end of the hour, just before the ship entered the Expanse, Archer looked around the bridge, meeting everyone's eyes, wordlessly offering reassurance, and receiving unanimous support. I think all of the Trek captains have had a moment like that. I love when that happens – it's moving!
Character Interactions: I'm going to move this section up, because it was one of the best aspects of the episode for me. They touched on all of the best relationships on the show in one hour.
The Fearless Space Pup: Porthos gets a mention in Trip and Archer's late night conversation, but I am filled with dread. "If no people have returned from the Delphic Expanse," Trip says, "I doubt any dogs have." Is that foreshadowing? They wouldn't kill off Porthos, would they? WOULD THEY? They'd better not!
Stay Tuned: This episode sets up a lot of interesting things, to be sure. Will the crew go mad? Will they be turned inside out? What will happen when they find the Xindi? Where does all this fit into the temporal cold war? And, most importantly of all, will something in the Delphic Expanse be able to set off another premature pon farr cycle for T'Pol in time for November sweeps? (HA! You heard it here first!)
Seriously, though. As a story, it certainly has potential. Will it work? Will it boost the flagging ratings and bring back the straying fan base? If it's executed well, it could.
If it's executed well.
Lost Innocence: Remember how sweet and gung-ho Trip was in the beginning – clamoring to go on away missions and see new species, even if they were corpses? Well, I liked that Trip! And he's gone forever. Now, he's an angry and bitter man. And it's understandable, of course, but I think he's dangerously obsessed. As Dr. McCoy would say, 'he's not exactly operating on all thrusters.' It's going to be interesting, but I mourn the loss of the old Trip.
And the loss of his innocence is representative of a larger loss. I, for one, liked Enterprise's original theme. I liked the newness and wide-eyed excitement of the adventure. I liked watching the crew learn to 'challenge their preconceptions' about the species they came across. It was all very…Roddenberry. I'll discuss this more in my season review, but I'm wary of the show's new direction. I fear that it could turn into another Andromeda, with increasingly menacing enemies cropping up each year to artificially up the stakes, and the drama.
I hope I’m wrong. The quality of many of the episodes this year has been so high – I'll have to trust the producers and writers to do right by the show. I know they have it in them. And I do respect them for trying something new, even if it's not necessarily something I'd have recommended.
But back to the regular review features!
Archer Watch: I think he's conducting himself well so far. He is, after all, a man with very few options. He probably knows that he can't really trust SFG, but what choice does he have? They have to prevent the Xindi from completing their weapon and returning. I just hope that he's able to keep an open mind in the months to come. He'll need Kirk's chutzpah, Picard's wisdom, Sisko's ability to see shades of gray, and Janeway's courage and ability to bear the 'weight of the world.'
'shipper Watch: Archer took T'Pol by the shoulders when she expressed her desire to stay behind! He must LUV her! Well, maybe not, but it was awfully sweet. There's some noise on the internet about the two of them next year. I don't know how I feel about that. I think their friendship is plenty nice enough, but I'm willing to entertain the notion of a romance. It just all depends on which Berman and Braga end up developing it. Will it be the B&B responsible for the panting 'Bounty' T'Pol, or the B&B who wrote this nice scene? I think the Trip/T'Pol angle is gone, at least for now. Trip's going to be too busy being obsessive about revenge for a while...
And I'm still ticked off about Janeway and Chakotay!
(Let it go, monkee...)
Best Lines:
"What do we have to lose – a single starship? Seems like a small price to pay if there's a chance in a million that he's right." (Archer, to Forrest)
"A lack of another explanation doesn't make your assumption correct." (Soval, to Archer)
"Are you sure she was here when it happened?" "Someone would've heard from her if she wasn't." (Reed and Trip, regarding Trip's sister)
"It's interesting. You and I are the only aliens on board this vessel. To go or to stay. For me, it was a simple question of loyalty toward the Captain, and the sad realization that he'll need me more than ever on such a crucial mission. But for you, it's a more difficult decision. Does your allegiance lie with the High Command, or with Captain Archer?" (Phlox, to T'Pol)
"While we're at it, I don't need you to remind me that Elizabeth was killed, so just let it alone. Maybe you should pay more attention to upgrading your weapons, so we can blow the hell out of these bastards when we find 'em." (Trip, to Reed)
"You were there to provide logic to a crew of humans who insisted on leaving before they were ready. But logic can't help them in the Delphic Expanse." (Soval, to T'Pol)
"You're gonna miss her. Aren't you." (Trip, to Archer, regarding T'Pol)
"When I got this job, commanding the first warp five starship was about as big a responsibility as I could have imagined. Then, we began running into so many 'bad guys,' and I had to start thinking more about the safety of 83 people." (Archer, to Trip)
"And now the stakes have gotten a lot bigger." "The weight of the world, Trip. Literally." (Trip and Archer)
"Tell me we aren't going to be tip-toeing around. None of that non-interference crap T'Pol's always shoving down our throats. Maybe it's a good thing she's leaving." (Trip, to Archer)
"Well, you never did care for the way we smell. At least you won't have to put up with that anymore." (Archer, to T'Pol)
"You need me, Captain." (T'Pol, to Archer)
"Surrender, or be destroyed." "Go to hell!" (Duras and Archer)
"Straight and steady, Mr. Mayweather. Let's see what's in there." (Archer, to Mayweather – a variation, if I'm not mistaken, on a similar 'Let's see what's out there' line in 'Broken Bow.')
Rating: I'll go with 8.5/10, for some outstanding moments and character interactions. I'd like to rate it higher, but for some reason, it just didn't have that big an impact on me. Maybe the rest of the arc will change my mind. Star Trek has taught me to always challenge my preconceptions!
Next Week: Yikes! There IS no next week until September! I still owe you reviews for 'The Crossing,' and 'The Breach.' And I'll also review the season as a whole. Stay tuned, and enjoy the summer!
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