Enterprise 1x6 "Terra Nova"

rating: **

the story: The crew makes contact with a colony that was cut off from Earth seventy years previous.

what it's all about: "Terra Nova" would've been a great episode if it'd chosen to do a few things differently.  The choice to depict the colonists as thoroughly removed from their origins as they are is the biggest failing.  It makes them seem more episodic than they needed to be, and removes any real trace of world-building that the episode otherwise accomplishes, much like Voyager's similar "Friendship One."  In fact, it's hard to think of the two episodes separately.  They might as well be viewed as so intrinsically linked, Enterprise might have been conceived to set up "Terra Nova."  Well, you know what I mean.  "Friendship One" is about a probe that ended up in the Delta Quadrant, and things went poorly.  "Terra Nova" is about a remote colony, and things went poorly.  And then a Starfleet crew shows up to find out what happened, and discovers a crisis.  It's a setup to many other episodes, too, but "Friendship" is from the last season of Voyager, and this one's from Enterprise's first, obviously.  It's hard to imagine the producers not realizing the connection. 

This very well could've been the plot to a whole season, if Enterprise had been launched just a few years later.  A lost colony feeling resentful about its relationship with Earth...it's really not very different from early colonial America, and only a few steps removed from the American Revolution itself.  Did Babylon 5 do something like that, with Mars?  I think so.  It gives you an idea of how broadening the concept just a little could've changed things.

Heck, even having Mayweather, the boomer who grew up in space, be connected could've changed things.  But Mayweather's value was frequently overlooked, throughout the series, and this is just one of those missed opportunities.

But you can see where it wasn't a total waste. 

criteria analysis:

• franchise - That invisible link to one of Voyager's final episodes.
• series - A suggestion of what might have been.
• character - A missed opportunity with Mayweather.
• essential - Seems like just another episode when it could've been much more.

notable guest-stars:
Erick Avery

Deep Space Nine 3x15 "Destiny"

rating: ***

the story: A Bajoran religious leader tries to convince Sisko that an ancient prophecy is about to be fulfilled.

what it's all about: Unlike "Life Support" a few episodes earlier, "Destiny" strikes a fine balance in its exploration of continued Bajoran/Cardassian relations, mostly because there the Bajoran element centers around Sisko while the Cardassian element features O'Brien or further inter-Cardassian intrigue. 

The intrigue is the lighted material, actually, so let's treat that first: Like a lot of spy-based storytelling in the franchise, and with the considerable ramp-up of Cardassian spy storytelling this season, there's plenty of suspicion cast about, but where "Destiny" earns points is by refusing the harsher tones typical for these scenarios.

So let's move on to juicier stuff.  There are a number of Cardassian scientists running amok in the episode, which in and of itself is a nice change of pace (like Next Generation's "Suspicions," which featured a Ferengi scientist; you just don't tend to think of these aliens in such roles).  The whole third season had a thread woven through it trying to soften the image of the Cardassians, and other than the increased profile of Dukat, "Destiny" best represents that thread.  O'Brien develops an unlikely rapport with one of the scientists, leading to an amusing clash of cultures when he becomes convinced she has the hots for him.  For a character like O'Brien, who in Next Generation's "The Wounded" was given a background of animosity against Cardassians from war-time experience, this is a welcome light treatment of the kind of depth the series was known for.

But the meat and crux of the episode belongs to Sisko, who's given one of his rare opportunities to stare that vexing declaration from the first episode - he's the "Emissary of the Prophets" - in the face.  An overzealous Bajoran badgers him throughout the episode concerning what he should be doing, which is tough enough for a Starfleet officer, I'm sure, but moreso when you're a Starfleet officer who's been deemed a religious figure and you still haven't figured out what that even means.  This was an element of the character that had never really gelled before, but "Destiny" goes a long way in explaining it, and how it continues to affect Sisko, without asking anything more from him, this time, than grappling with its religious overtones.  But the big payoff, which is rare for material like this, is at the very end of the episode, when the Bajoran, having realized he was wrong, proceeds to rattle off more prophecies...Deep Space Nine was surprisingly good for tossed-off punchlines like that, very much in the spirit of how the original series would conclude on some jab between Bones and Spock.

criteria analysis:

• franchise - This one's really for series fans.
• series - An amusing look at ongoing concerns.
• character - Sisko's enigmatic religious significance returns to the spotlight.
• essential - This is an early look at the more lighthearted side of the series.

notable guest-stars:
Erick Avari
Tracy Scoggins

The Next Generation 5x7 "Unification, Part 1"

rating: ****

the story: The crew goes in search of the missing Spock.

similar to: "Blood Oath" (Deep Space Nine)

my thoughts: "Unification" as a whole is about as important a Next Generation story as there ever was.  At once acknowledging the ongoing significance of the recent "Redemption" crisis, it's the next great serialized chapter of the series, further signaling the approach Deep Space Nine would take and what viewers in general would come to demand of their favorite TV shows, even ones formerly most comfortable in and indeed known for their episodic format like Star Trek.

It's the first great Next Generation Romulan story since "The Defector," and, like another third season episode, bridges the gap between the series and its classic predecessor in a meaningful way.  Speaking of which "Unification, Part 1" features the death of Sarek, who previously appeared in the series in the namesake episode, a moment that had original series fans take Next Generation seriously for the first time, and in an even bigger moment, Spock expanding his presence in the franchise.

Ever since McCoy's cameo in "Encounter at Farpoint," crossover characters became a franchise staple.  Scotty would later appear in "Relics," and of course there's Star Trek Generations, which saw Picard meet Kirk, plus a plethora of others from throughout succeeding series (most controversially, Riker and Troi in Enterprise's final episode, "These Are the Voyages...").  Yet Spock is a seismic member of this club, duplicating his "Unification" impact in Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness as he helps launch a new version of the franchise.

Outside of "Unification," however, only Deep Space Nine's "Blood Oath," in which three actors who portrayed Klingons in the original series return to reprise their roles, features a scenario that feels organic, suitably dramatic, and true to character.

As for the episode itself, besides the Klingon references, there's also Riker investigating a Zackdorn shipyard.  The Zackdorn are a Next Generation alien species previously featured in "Peak Performance."  They fall below the Benzites as early attempts to create distinctive new aliens with any kind of staying power, mostly because "Performance" presents a thoroughly unappealing version of the species.  The effort in "Unification" is better, with a better-defined bureaucratic nature that puts them in unique, distinctive footing.  Even if this is still the Zackdorns' last appearance, it leaves plenty of room for further exploration.

The episode features a cornucopia of notable guest-stars, which I point out in advance of the usual feature, just to give you a head's up.  It's a whopper of an episode, but everything's better in the second part...

criteria analysis: franchise - series - character - essential (all criteria met)

notable guest-stars:
Leonard Nimoy (Spock)
Mark Lenard (Sarek)
Stephen Root
Erick Avari
Malachi Throne
Daniel Roebuck