Boomer-Chakalakalaka?
I'm starting to look forward to the titles of the threads as much as the live chats.
Speaking of the live chat: I had to re-watch some of this because the chat room had me distracted by some of the ... uh ... odd coloration that digital video apparently does over broadcast. At least we came up with a great name for a glam rock band.
Speaking of the visuals: I thought this episode had a spectacularly nice one at the beginning, with some starlight lighting up the hull of the Y-class as it was being fired upon. In high definition this is just freakin' gorgeous and it's one of the things that made me love watching ENT so much. Every episode was just so beautiful! Never once did I have a "ew, that's obviously CG" moment from the exterior visuals of ships, planets, and landscapes, either when I first encountered the show or now, when I'm re-watching it. It's still a joy just to
look at Enterprise episodes.
Anyway, I know this was another one of those episodes that never makes the favorite lists, possibly because it's a little predictable, plot-wise. Even so, it's a good foundation for us fanfic writers:
1) We see and hear about the Nausicaans for the first time and I think they come off pretty well for what little we get about them. Actually, I think it helps not to know too much about them, since I pictured them here as the 22nd century equivalent of thugs, pirates or a biker gang. I'm glad they didn't use Klingons for this episode.
2) We learn a little more about Boomer culture and are reminded of the changes that Starfleet is bringing to that way of life. In Kirk's time, Enterprise is sent beyond where Humans have reached. But for our NX-era Enterprise the journey is less clear-cut. Occasionally they are the first Humans to be someplace. Other times - like here - they are stepping on the toes of very independent-minded people who went out there first, folks who are used to being left alone and who like it that way. Keene puts it best, "The ones that grew up out here feel they have some special claim, that this particular stretch of space is theirs. They see another ship within ten light years, they get jumpy. ... Going it alone's all I've ever done, and for some of us it's the reason we're out here. A chance to prove ourselves."
Several of the other characters don't get a lot of screen time or development in this episode, but that's okay. This was really about Travis, about the Boomers, and about change - particularly Starfleet's part in that change. In fact, I'm beginning to realize that Travis gets quite a bit MORE screen time and dialog in this first season than I remember.
I know it's an ENT fandom staple to feel sorry for the poor guy for getting so few lines, but that just doesn't seem to be true in my re-watch of season one. He offers a lot of insight, details and gets a fair amount of character development. I've even noticed a character trait that I hadn't before - that he'll just blurt out something impulsively when he thinks he or others are being judged unfairly. I'm beginning to wonder if my impression of Travis as someone with few lines really comes more from seasons three and four and that we fans have sort of collectively forgotten where Travis was in season one. At any rate, I'm loving this discovery because it's helping me flesh out Travis quite a bit more for one fanfic piece I've been working on.
Favorite moments:
- Loved the football tossing and conversation across the cargo bay, "I doubt you could throw the ball ten metres on Earth." Very natural conversation.
- Incoming call to Archer in what appears to be the middle of the night for him.
- "Do you have any helpful information on this vessel beyond its recreational activities?" and Travis's "pop-gun" metaphor.
- "Trip'll get a kick out of this, it's older than he is."
- The entire transporter discussion. Bones McCoy would be proud.
- The comments on the resequenced meatloaf, knowing that Shuttlepod One episode is coming up eventually.
- T'Pol and the hide-and-seek game!!! That was one of the best moments of the episode.
- Trip has to order tactical to fire on the Fortunate! He does well, under the circumstances and stays cool.
- The Fortunate infirmary - like I mentioned in the chat room, it was just a rather nice set.
The guest stars on here were good, and that's fortunate - please pardon the pun - since they carry a lot of the episode. I bought Ryan's desire for self-reliance and could sympathize with him even if he was in the wrong. He'd obviously been in a bad place because of whatever happened to the ECS Northstar (and I like that they left that to our imagination) and needed revenge here, even if his Captain wasn't dead yet. And Shaw was likeable too, he seemed more like he should be tinkering with something than conspiring to interrogate the Nausicaan and firing weapons.
One last discovery: "Drilaxian whisky". I'd forgotten about that reference.
by entkayjay » Wed Mar 30, 2011 7:39 pm 
(Terra Nova, Cogenitor, First Flight, Extinction, Similitude, The Forgotten, The Augments, Demons)
I love the Boomer culture and it would have been pretty cool to see more of them than we actually did.
