monkee reviews Azati Prime
First Impression: Some of it was amazing, some of it was perplexing, but all in all, it was a wild ride! And what a cliffhanger!
Finally! Don't get me wrong - you know how I love story arcs. But after hearing about Azati Prime for a month, I was getting a bit impatient to see what would happen when they got there. What they discover is that the sensor grid Degra mentioned in 'Strategem' is formidable - they can't find a weakness. Fortunately, they still have the combat shuttle they recovered from the Xindi ship that crashed in 'The Hatchery.' Trip and Mayweather figure out how to fly the thing (well, mostly), and are able to take it in. They follow Trellium signatures to a planet that is mostly water. Then they follow the signatures underwater, and sure enough - there it is. The weapon.
Wow. This is quite a dramatic moment. Connor Trinneer and Anthony Montgomery do a good job of conveying the solemnity and horror that one would feel when confronted by a weapon meant to destroy one's planet and people. Nice work!
Xindi Lunar Monitoring Station: A small monitoring station on the surface of the moon that Enterprise is hiding behind detects them. It is clear that the three Xindi manning the station can't report their discovery until the moon rotates back into communications range with the other Xindi. Archer has no choice - he must order the destruction of the small facility. For the first time, Enterprise has killed Xindi without being fired upon. It affects the entire bridge crew. This is another very good scene.
Trip and Mayweather follow other Xindi ships inside the monstrous weapon, take plenty of scans, and return to Enterprise. Once the data has been analyzed, it is obvious that the weapon is in the final stages of construction. But a weakness is discovered - the weapon can be destroyed. It is, however, a suicide mission. Both Mayweather and Trip volunteer, but Archer announces that he will be the one to go.
The Plot Thickens... Archer enters a turbolift, and exits hundreds of years into the future. Daniels has brought him to the Enterprise-J (How cool is that? There's going to be, as Scotty would say, a bloody F, G, H, I and J, at least!), where he witnesses a key battle in which the Federation (which now includes the Xindi) will finally defeat the sphere-builders. He tells Archer a little bit about this Federation, and all but begs him not to go on the suicide mission, or to send someone else. History, he tells Archer, needs him. Archer is unmoved. He's faced with a weapon of mass destruction right here and now, and he's going, whether history likes it or not.
Mayweather respectfully points out that Archer is the least expendable person on the ship, and T'Pol, having accepted the concept of time travel since her adventure in Detroit, reiterates that Daniels may be right about Archer's importance in the future. When that fails, she even makes a personal appeal for him not to go, but to no avail. He says his good-byes, turns Porthos over to Phlox (SOB!) and leaves in the Xindi shuttle. He returns to the underwater coordinates of the weapon, but the dock is empty. The weapon is gone!
Wow! Another chilling moment, made more so by the fact that his approach is the same as Mayweather and Trip's was, but as the shuttle clears an underwater ridge, the view is quite different. Well done.
The weapon isn't there, but plenty of Xindi ships are. Archer's ship is boarded, and he's taken into custody. The head reptilian Xindi roughs him up, wanting to know what he's doing there and how many other ships are coming. Archer asks to speak to Degra, though, and using personal information that he obtained during 'Stratagem' and a Xindi initiation medal that Daniels gave him from the future, is able to plant some doubt in his mind about who the real enemy is.
Meanwhile, Back on Enterprise: The crew has not detected the massive explosion they were expecting when Archer completed his suicide mission. T'Pol, who is behaving very strangely - crying alone in the ready room, and snapping at Trip when he comes to talk to her - decides that she'll take one of Enterprise's shuttles and attempt a diplomatic solution. Trip is flabbergasted and confronts her, but they are interrupted. The Xindi have detected them, and are on their way.
Degra and his primate Xindi colleague meet with the arboreal Xindi to discuss what Archer has told them. They're particularly concerned with Archer's assertion that reptilian Xindi were hiding in 2004 Detroit, building a biological weapon. That would mean that the reptilians are going behind the Xindi council's back. "She may be helping them," Degra says.
They'd like to talk to Archer more, but the reptilian Xindi bursts in. His men are attacking Enterprise, and they're going to go against the wishes of the council and take over Archer's interrogation. They hustle the primates and arboreals out of the chamber. On Enterprise, all hell is breaking loose. The attack is fierce and there are hull breaches all over the ship. The situation is dire, and T'Pol appears stricken. Crewmen are being sucked into space. What happens next? We'll have to wait until LATE APRIL to find out!
Tying the Threads: This episode does a wonderful job tying together the tangled threads of the season (and even the series) thus far. Confusing elements from 'Carpenter Street,' 'Chosen Realm,' 'Harbinger,' and 'Stratagem' are all brought together with Daniels and the temporal arc, and Archer mentions still being disturbed by the events of 'Similitude.'
The Trouble with T'Pol: Wow. At first, I went along with it. I thought her outburst with Archer might be the same sort of thing Spock resorted to in 'The Galileo Seven.' What was it McCoy said? 'You logically deduced that it was time for an emotional outburst?' Something along those lines. I figured she'd tried reasoning with the man, and using logic - maybe she figured a heartfelt plea was called for instead. But after Archer left, she was crying in the ready room. Crying! Vulcans just don't do that. When Sarek cried in TNG, we knew something was terribly wrong. With T'Pol, though, I wasn't as sure. Was something terribly wrong, or was she just being BADLY WRITTEN? By the time she shouted at Trip and forcibly pulled away from him, though, I decided she couldn't possibly be that badly written. Now the trouble with T'Pol is just another part of the cliffhanger.
[Incidentally, although I won't say what it is, I now know what's wrong with her. I usually avoid spoilers, but the day after this episode aired, I was skimming through the latest 'Star Trek Communicator,' and there it was, as big as day! I never expect to see spoilers in written media anymore - they're usually months behind! I'm not sure I approve of the resolution, but I have to admit, I'm glad there IS something wrong with her. It's good to have that confirmed, at least! Otherwise I'd be forced to wonder whether Berman and Braga ever actually SAW Spock in TOS...]
Degra's Dilemma: Degra is becoming one of the most interesting facets of the Xindi arc for me. What is it like to be the mastermind behind the development of a weapon that will kill billions of people? He's operating under the assumption that he's doing the right thing, despite how badly he feels for the 'innocents' who will be killed. But what happens when that primary assumption is challenged? Can he risk being wrong about this? And, in any case, how will history see him when it's all said and done? Will his children understand his role? I'm enjoying this. From what we've seen of Degra, particularly in 'Stratagem' and 'Azati Prime,' it's clear that his intentions are noble. He genuinely believes that humans are that much of a threat, and he's doing what he must to protect his children and his species. What have the Xindi been told, and by whom? And will Archer be able to convince them otherwise in time? I'm relieved that, through Degra and a few of the others, the Xindi are no longer being portrayed as generic villains. There's much more to them, and whenever you can find someone willing to keep an open mind and be reasonable, a peaceful solution is far more likely.
The 'Queen' of the Sphere-Builders??? Here's the ten thousand dollar question. Just who is the mysterious 'she' that Degra refers to? Is it just too much of a coincidence that there's a powerful mysterious 'she' at the heart of a species that builds mysterious, powerful spheres? My 'Borg alert' alarms are starting to make some noise. I hope that's not the case. As much as I like seeing threads tied together, I could live without the sphere-builders being at ALL related to the future Borg!
Blah, blah, blah, blah, good-bye, blah, blah... Archer's going on a suicide mission. He's going to die! He's not coming back! Do we get to see him say a heartfelt good-bye to anyone? No one but Porthos. Now, I'll admit that it made me misty when he grabbed his 'pal's' head for a silent moment, but that's it? That just makes it all the more obvious to the viewer that of COURSE he's coming back! His 'I don't like good-byes' speech on the bridge was...okay, I suppose. But no better than okay. Picard or Janeway would have had me in tears.
Return to Exploration: The only thing I liked about the speech was his charge to the bridge crew to return to Enterprise's original mission - exploration - once the Xindi situation is resolved. Now that's good advice! Besides, these people have a Federation to found!
Coolness: Again, Enterprise's 'look' is superb. The shots of the weapon were impressive, and I loved the submarine shuttle effects. I especially loved it when the shuttle carrying Archer sliced into the water. The sky overhead was gorgeous, with blue and pink and white puffy clouds, yet Archer was on his way to destroy an awful weapon and die in the process. There was one especially elegant segue shot - we see Trip and Mayweather's shuttle entering the weapon, and then we see the schematic diagram of the weapon up on a viewscreen back on Enterprise.
A Captain's Prerogative? I understand Archer's feelings of guilt, and his reluctance to order anyone else to their death, and I respect him for it. But in this case, he was absolutely not the best man for the job! Mayweather was! The success of the mission should be paramount, here, and not Archer's conscience. It was irresponsible of him to go, and it was irresponsible of Trip and T'Pol not to argue with him more about it. Well, let's hope that in the future of Starfleet there will be some kind of RULE in place to prevent the not-very-expendable captain from placing him or herself in danger...
I'm somewhat more sympathetic with Archer's unwillingness to second-guess his decision based on what Daniels tells him. All else being equal, he has to act appropriately for the situation he's faced with right now. He can't worry about the future. A wise man once said, 'Always in motion is the future...'
All else is NOT equal, though. The mission requires precision flying in a testy alien shuttle. He needs to send his best pilot, and that's Mayweather!
A Quibble: I can understand the Xindi allowing a questionable insectoid shuttle past the perimeter grid once, but twice in as many days? Weren't they the least bit suspicious? And while we're on the subject, the Xindi have starships and sensors - how can they NOT know where Enterprise is and has been all along? Why have they let this human ship sail right up to their front door? I know we're supposed to overlook this stuff, but it defies reason that this otherwise formidable enemy would have such a blind spot. It also seemed to me that Archer should have looked a whole lot worse after even a small amount of 'interrogation' by the reptilian Xindi, who are supposed to be the 'muscle' of the Council. Heck, I could have hit him harder, and I'm just a little monkee!
Character Interactions: Several scenes stood out. Some of the reaction shots were terrific, as I've mentioned; the bridge crew's response to the destruction of the lunar station for one, and Trip and Mayweather's expressions when they first see the weapon. I always adore Porthos and any scene that he's in. T'Pol's odd behavior was driving me crazy, but I have to admit that her scenes with Archer and Trip were fun to watch. Archer's bravado with his reptilian interrogators didn't impress me, but I did enjoy his scenes with Degra. I also enjoyed watching Degra interact with his primate and arboreal colleagues. The situation is becoming more complex, and I approve.
I wish we could have had a bit more character work in this episode. I know it's difficult to find a balance, and they were busy tying a lot of plot threads together here, but the story would have resonated more with the viewer if there had been...I don't know...a little more heart in it.
Archer Watch: I learned two important things from this episode, though. 1) Archer is a complex, interesting character. 2) I don't like him very much.
Archer is a desperate, driven man. He feels a tremendous burden of responsibility - he must stop the Xindi before they destroy Earth. This burden forces him to behave in ways he would never previously have imagined. He starts to decompress an airlock while interrogating someone inside it. He creates a clone in order to harvest part of its brain. These are not admirable things. Besides these egregious transgressions, there are also the little things. He's perpetually cranky - aggressively barking out orders without tempering them at all. From a writer's standpoint, though, this is all good! It makes him, as I said, complex and interesting. Human. It also makes him incredibly unlikable! It makes him my least favorite of all the starship captains. I'm sorry to say it, but it's true. I hope the series continues so I can get to like him again. Plus, it would be fascinating to watch him do some soul-searching.
But I digress. In this episode, Archer does a phenomenally bad job! I have no problem with his difficult decision to destroy the lunar outpost, and I can understand his reluctance to consider what Daniels has to say, although he ought to be giving at least some thought to the 'big picture.' But he was the wrong man for the mission, and he should have known better. He let his conscience get in the way of common command sense.
At the episode's end, he's about to be tortured to death, and Enterprise is about to be destroyed. I appears that his discussion with Degra was too little, too late. He has failed. I don't see how he and Enterprise are going to get out of the fix without outside help.
Mayweather Watch: On the other hand, it's a terrific episode for our favorite neglected helmsman! He got some good scenes with Trip on the insectoid shuttle, with both dramatic moments and amusing banter. And he is the only one to ask Archer point blank why he's doing what he's doing. You go, Travis!
'shipper Watch: Lovely fodder for both the Archer/T'Pol and Trip/T'Pol fans out there. We had T'Pol's profession of undying LUV for Archer (Hey, she told him she didn't want him to die - same difference, right?), and Trip's profession of undying LUV for T'Pol (He told her he wasn't going to sit still and watch her fly off and die - how sweet!). Okay, so maybe undying LUV is a bit of a stretch, but there were a lot of genuine feelings in these scenes, and it's quite an interesting little triangle they're setting up here.
Best Lines:
"I think I found reverse." "Great, but unless we're going to go in ass-first, we'd better find a way to make it go forward." (Mayweather and Trip, trying to figure out the insectoid shuttle)
"Sorry." "No problem. I'll send you the bill." (Trip and Archer, as Trip and Mayweather attempt the Braille method of navigation, and graze Enterprise's hull...)
"I should be the one to go. I'm the only one who can fly that shuttle." "I'll be flying this mission." (Mayweather and Archer)
"My concern is with preventing the deaths of billions of people. If that's a problem for history, then history will have to suffer." (Archer, to Daniels)
"I don't want you to die!" (T'Pol, to Archer)
"What we do is for them. For their future." "I wonder how they'll remember us." (Arboreal Xindi and Degra)
"You're the least expendable man on Enterprise. Why are you doing this?" (The voice of reason, in this case Mayweather, to Archer)
"I won't order anyone else to die." (Archer, to Mayweather)
"Do me a favor. Slip him a piece of cheese every now and then." (Archer, to Phlox, regarding our favorite space beagle!)
"I'm going to ask all of you to think back to the day when this ship was first launched. We were explorers then. When this is over, when Earth is safe, I want you to get back to THAT job." (Archer, to the bridge crew)
"Dismissed. That's Starfleet for 'get out'." (Janeway, to Neelix)
"Dismissed." "Dismissed?" "Get out." (T'Pol, to Trip. Some people just need these things spelled out for them."
"Still, the reptiles might have come out on top if it hadn't been for a slight disadvantage. They had brains the size of a walnut. That's VERY SMALL. Apparently, it's a constant in the universe." (Archer, to the reptilian Xindi, and I know some Voth in the Delta Quadrant who might like to have a word with him later...)
"You better understand something. If you destroy Earth, you won't just be eliminating my species, you'll be eliminating your own." (Archer, to Degra)
"All of this collusion is dangerous. The council is fracturing. We can't forget who the real enemy is!" "We may not KNOW who the real enemy is." (Degra and his colleague)
"What the hell's WRONG with you?" (Trip, to T'Pol - and it's the question on everyone's mind!)
"We're both fighting the wrong enemy!" (Archer, to Degra)
Rating: I'm torn. It was very good; there's no doubt about it. But it was missing something - some kind of spark that would have kicked it into the exceptional range. I'll go with a 9/10, and just say I was tempted to give it a 9.5, but...not quite tempted enough.
Next Week: Next MONTH, rather. The next new episode doesn't air until late April! I'm looking forward to seeing how all of this is going to turn out. And I just hope Enterprise gets a chance to sail again next year. It deserves that, but I'm starting to worry that UPN won't give them that opportunity. This, so they can concentrate on all their other outstanding programming. Ahem. If Enterprise goes down, I'm going to sit back and CHEER while UPN follows it. Hell hath no fury like a Trekker scorned...
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