Star Trek: Enterprise
"The Aenar"
Air date: 2/11/2005
Teleplay by Andre Bormanis
Story by Manny Coto
Directed by Mike Vejar
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
"It's never been all that hard to figure out what I'm thinking." — Shran
In brief: An aimless, unsatisfying wrap-up to this inconclusive three-episode arc.
Earlier this season, we had the Augments trilogy and the Vulcan trilogy. Now comes the conclusion to ... uh, this trilogy, whatever you want to call it. "The Aenar" is a messy epilogue in a three-parter whose most significant story arc was wrapped up in last week's "United." Watching the rather aimless "Aenar," I wasn't sure what this episode was supposed to be about, and by extension, the trilogy itself lacks a concrete through-line.
I think the main problem is that the show focuses fairly heavily on the Romulans and their meddling in the affairs of others, but we never really get the sense that this show is actually about the Romulans. The Romulans are more like arbitrary placeholders to drive the plot. We learn very little about them; they're sketchy people doing bad things for half-baked reasons. And if you stop and think about their genius plot, you're left amazed by the sheer stupidity of it all.
Most disappointing is the fact there's not much to suggest that this episode contributes to the prequel agenda that has been the selling point of this season. Unlike the Vulcan trilogy, which told a mostly coherent prequel story, we're left in a vacuum here wondering if we're going to see the Romulans again. If so, I'd hope for something more substantial. If not, then that's the way it goes and I guess the notion of Romulans sneaking around is all Enterprise intends to give us. Either way, "Aenar" has mostly wasted our time.
Not that "The Aenar" is all bad. It's never unwatchable and it has its moments. There is a scene, for example, where the Romulan admiral, a former senator, explains how he was cashiered from the senate for questioning the Romulan "precept of unlimited expansion." It would seem that reasonable people who question authority are quashed. Too bad this scene is never followed up.
It turns out the pilot of the Romulan drone is actually an Aenar, one of an Andorian subspecies who are blind and have strong telepathic abilities. The Romulans' remote-controlled drone is designed to respond directly to the telepathic signals sent by this Aenar, a man named Gareb (Scott Rinker), whom the Romulans abducted from Andoria about a year ago.
Shran explains that the Aenar were considered mythical for centuries until they were officially discovered "50 years ago." Even so, very few Andorians have ever met an Aenar, who are staunch pacifists, very secretive, and live only among themselves. Oh, and they can also read minds.
Frankly, much of this strikes me as quickly concocted Civilization Lite. These two species have lived on the same planet forever and only a few decades ago realized that the other even exists. But the story gives us little reason to believe these are real cultures that live on a real world. The Enterprise travels to Andoria to recruit their own Aenar to tap into the signal and stop the drone. But once there, we don't even see Andorian society.
Andoria is represented by empty ice-tunnels which, according to Shran, "branch off for thousands of kilometers." (The cities are all underground, with access from these tunnels.) You'd think there'd be a better way than walking to traverse thousands of kilometers of treacherous ice tunnels. I for one hope they brought a map. In any case, it strikes me as great fortune that Archer and Shran happen upon the Aenar as quickly as they do. Even greater fortune that it happens so quickly after Shran has accidentally impaled himself through the leg.
I suppose the notion of expanding this series' canvas of societies with the Aenar is commendable. Still, I wasn't all that riveted by them. The main selling point here is the decent characterization between the always-suspicious Shran and the innocent and well-intended Aenar named Jhamel (Alexandra Lydon), who, as it happens, is the sister of Gareb, the Aenar who was abducted by the Romulans. This gives her and her alone the motivation to break from her people's pacifist ideals to attempt to stop the Romulan drone.
Not that I understood how this was physically supposed to happen. You see, Trip has rigged up a remote-control chair/device on the Enterprise — similar to the one the Romulans have — which I guess has all the right frequencies and encryption codes needed to break in and interfere with the Romulans' remote-control system. One would think a remote-controlled war drone wouldn't be so easy to tap into, but then one would be wrong.
Whatever; that's one of the overall problems with this episode — too much meaningless tech and mechanical plot and not nearly enough emotion or relevance. I should care about Jhamel's plight to help her brother, but I don't. It's a perfunctory "human" tack-on to a remote-controlled plot filled with technobabble and explosions. The climax, where Jhamel is able to contact Gareb by telepathy and get him to turn the drones against each other, is overly simplistic — underwhelming at best, hokey at worst. Gareb expresses guilt over the people the Romulans forced him to kill, which made me wonder why he didn't just make the drones return to Romulus and start strafing the city. Oh, never mind; he's a pacifist. (Truthfully, he's just a weak pawn of the plot.)
Meanwhile, I'm asking myself: Why would the Romulans even design remote-controlled war drones that require a telepathic pilot, of all things? Couldn't they just design remote ships that, you know, used keys or a mouse or a joystick or something, anything, but telepathy? Even more silly: (1) These drones require an Aenar to pilot; (2) The Romulans were apparently so shortsighted as to kidnap only one Aenar to fly them; (3) the Romulan admiral forces the Romulan scientist to push the pilot to the limits of brain damage, saying his health is "of no consequence"; so (4) I guess when he dies, their brilliant plan is to mothball the drones.
Really, this whole thing is more often than not a Swiss-cheese plot. Just what are the Romulans actually trying to do, anyway? Cause general chaos as a prelude to an invasion? The story never says. It's just a vague pseudo-threat — the Romulans out here stirring up trouble for trouble's sake. Not exactly enlightening, particularly in prequel terms, and it's to the detriment of the first two episodes in this trilogy, which were sold mostly on their setup and mystery, which now has not been lived up to.
The show's best scene comes at the end, when Trip asks to be transferred to the Columbia, and Archer reluctantly grants that transfer. It's a payoff that was set up in several scenes earlier in the episode, centering on the simple fact that Trip realizes he's in (unrequited) love with T'Pol, and finds that it's affecting his work. This Archer/Trip scene is a quiet one that explores actual characters and the relationships and personnel realities of a starship. I like that Trip can't confess the reason for his request to Archer, and that Archer doesn't force him to.
As for much of the rest of this episode, I'll quote Archer: "Looks like we went all the way to Andoria for nothing."
Next week: Klingons, medical mysteries, and shadowy intelligence agencies.
Previous episode: United
Next episode: Affliction
Like this site? Support it by buying Jammer a coffee.
64 comments on this post
Wed, Dec 9, 2009, 10:03pm (UTC -6)
Wed, Dec 23, 2009, 12:01am (UTC -6)
Mon, Aug 23, 2010, 10:57pm (UTC -6)
Sat, Oct 30, 2010, 1:52pm (UTC -6)
I've really been enjoying reading you. Your analyzes are very often compelling, done with humor, and above all, very clever.
I've seen many times each epidode of all Star Trek series, and I have enjoyed all of them, each series having its own strenghts and weaknesses. Which series is the best is clearly a personal matter. Although I personally prefer Next Generation for its originality, Enterprise is second on my list, primarily for the quality of acting (Bakula, Billingsley, Blalock , Trinneer...) which cleary beats all other series by a mile... and despite the fact that the plots are too war oriented and with too many hostile species (clearly not the same Zeitgess than TNG)...
I write because I feel that you have been somehow unfair with Enterprise, being far more demanding in comparison to DS9, which appears to be your favorite. Fine, I too like the soap-like DS9 (except most, if not all, the Ferengi's epidoses), but this very refreshing (icing) episode deserves more than two stars, especially when we look at the DS9 episodes that were given two stars!
Thank you for this website and continue the good work.
Sincerely,
Paul
Wed, Nov 10, 2010, 3:51pm (UTC -6)
The biggest difficulty I had with this episode is that there are only supposed to be a few thousand Aenar, they have no contact with the rest of the Andorians, and yet they have very advanced technology - good enough to fix Shran's leg, for instance.
Perhaps their telepathic ability allows them to access Andorian technology without physical contact. I can't see how else they could have developed it.
Mon, Dec 13, 2010, 2:52pm (UTC -6)
This whole trilogy was an insult to intelligence, most notably the ridiculously out of place in the 22nd century Romulan technology.
Fri, Apr 29, 2011, 12:09am (UTC -6)
However, even if all the ingredients are top quality in general, any given episode may fail to click for the viewer. I don't begrudge Jammer awarding star ratings based on his honest response. It's true that his ENT ratings skew far lower than any season of DS9; he gave 4 stars to only four ENT episodes, fewer for the whole series than in some individual seasons of DS9. That could be the result of DS9 setting a standard that ENT couldn't match, rather than judging ENT on its own merits.
On the merits, "The Aenar" works as well as any 2.5 or 3 star DS9 episode. Following Paul's suggestion, compare this episode to the 2-star outings from DS9's best season (according to Jammer's ratings), season 5. Is this episode better than "Empok Nor"? I'll say it is. Is it at least as good as the 2.5 star "The Ship"? I'd say so, and I liked "The Ship" more than Jammer did. I definitely prefer "The Aenar" to DS9's "The Assignment," which Jammer gave 2.5 stars. This is not to split hairs over star ratings or accuse this site's proprietor of bias. If anything, this shows that the rating scale does not apply across series and is mainly useful for comparing episodes within a series. In that case, "The Aenar" may be a merely average episode of ENT, but that in itself doesn't mean it's awful.
Tue, Jul 26, 2011, 6:10am (UTC -6)
I also liked the interactions between Shran and Jhamel, as it brings humanity (er... Andorianity?) to what Gareb has done (or rather been forced to do). Prior to meeting Jhamel, Shran is appalled by the deaths the drone ship caused (including obviously his mate Talas). After the revelation Jhamel is Gareb's sister, the poor kidnapped Aenar is given a background and isn't merely the pawn-of-the-Romulans any longer... he becomes someone's loved one. Despite what Jammer says, I did empathize with him somewhat even though the final scenes (him turning the drones on each other, his "sacrifice", his goodbye to his sister) were a bit too melodramatic.
I will agree on your 4th-to-last paragraph though: the whole design of the drones requiring a telepathic Aenar, as well as the elimination of a seemingly vital piece of the whole puzzle being dismissed as "of no consequence"... well it doesn't really make sense.
As for the Trip/T'Pol sublot at the end, I really felt it was unnecessary. This is almost turning into Ross & Rachel, something which really has no place in a Star Trek context.
Wed, Apr 4, 2012, 1:26pm (UTC -6)
Thu, Jul 5, 2012, 6:16am (UTC -6)
Can you imagine that some 80 men and women spend 3 or 4 years living together 24/7 on board a starship that cant be that big in size and never get involved romantically? Even with short excursions and short leaves, this is not feasible because humans are humans – they need emotional involvement if not sexual. This could have been a rich topic to explore, having in mind that there are a lot of internal conflicts going on and tensions piling up. Even if they never bend the starfleet rules – there are a lot of people with the same ranking on board and restrictions only apply in case superiors and subordinates get involved. I even think that star fleet should have devised elaborate rules about this, which would have to be feasible, and that it should have given it no less importance than the prime directive. You just cant expect humans to act like robots for a number of years.
You also criticised the way T’Pol and Trip got together in Harbinger. Well, that’s how it usually goes in real life – no deserted islands(planets), no extreme conditions and life-threatening situations, just some ordinary situations.
Tue, Sep 25, 2012, 8:54pm (UTC -6)
Sat, Dec 22, 2012, 11:28am (UTC -6)
I thought it was wonderful to learn a little more about Andoria and these previously unheard of.. 'ice Andorians'?, and I felt for the girl in her strong willed determination to save her brother. Little touches like the "glow worm" things melting holes in the ice also go a long way towards illustrating a "strange new world" that the show's supposed to be about exploring.
As long as it isn't ridiculous, it doesn't all have to be "The Best of Both Worlds" or "The Inner Light". Peaks and troughs are fine, and this was an enjoyable and quite possibly memorable average-to-good episode. IMO.
Sun, Jan 6, 2013, 5:35pm (UTC -6)
Thu, Jan 10, 2013, 2:35pm (UTC -6)
But, he's not supposed to read their minds without permission, right? Well, he's evidently willing to give up pacifism at the demand of his captors, flying their ship and blowing up countless others … yet he still refuses to read their minds to see what their true motives are. Which is the greater transgression, hmm?
Wed, Jan 23, 2013, 8:43am (UTC -6)
It was reasonably fun but ultimately left me flat. An ok cross between TOS and VOY.
Sun, Feb 17, 2013, 5:26am (UTC -6)
I believe that most of the people here enjoy these reviews. Jammer is good at writing (as far as I can tell, being a non-english speaker), has insight and owns his opinions. If he didn't wish a feedback, he wouldn't have let comments.
If sometimes we disagree, it doesn't mean we don't respect his points of view. We're all geek or nerd enough to talk about TV shows ! We're individuals, we have different expectations and different points of view and we're sharing them. And while most of the time the reviews are pretty fair, there is a slight bias for or against one series or another (for DS9/TNG, against Voyager/Enterprise). I'm ok with it because reviews also come from emotions and perception. But sometimes, we feel like defending some episodes we believe being underrated. We should get a life, don't we ? ;). (Actually, I'm never really "angry" with the reviews, but with some of the comments :p.)
For instance, this episode is the conclusion of a trilogy. Jammer seems to have had high expectations about a romulan analyse or a view of andoria, instead we have a (mostly) quiet episode that tends to develop more about characters than the plots or politics. I do agree that there are some plot holes but I for one did enjoy the ice caves and the explanation for them. Contrary to him, I cared about Jhamel's and it made us see another face of Shran.
The subplot about Trip/T'Pol was well done too. It seemed very realistic and emotional without falling into pathos. What's surprising is that it gets the same rating as Daedalus which was very inferior in script, dialogue and character developement.
Tue, Mar 5, 2013, 5:14pm (UTC -6)
I still thought the Aenar were an interesting new species though (much more interesting than the Remans ever were.) As for the Andorians never having discovered them until recently--well, didn't Shran mention something about sensors not working that far below the ice? And I suppose if the Aenar didn't want to be found they could have always used their telepathy to screw with various Andorian leaders' heads.
As for the notion expressed above, and in other review threads, that you'rte being too critical of ENT--well, on the one hand I mostly consider the show to be a failure, so I have no problem with your critiques. On the other hand though, I think you gave the previous series--especially Voyager, which I would argue was worse than Enterprise because it was so utterly craven and never did anything interesting with its premise--more of a pass when it comes to weak plotting. But then, 25 seasons (or whatever it is now) of Trek shows probably do all feel "been there done that" after awhile. I still think season four, so far, feels more like a Trek show than the previous seasons ever did, and so far its batting average is higher than previous seasons. The only outright stinker for me was Daedalus, but by this point in previous seasons, the Lousy Episode Percentage was a lot higher.
One more thing about this episode--it has lots of Jeffrey Coombs, and that's at least an extra half star right there.
Sat, May 24, 2014, 5:59pm (UTC -6)
Sun, May 25, 2014, 8:13pm (UTC -6)
Tue, Jun 24, 2014, 1:49am (UTC -6)
Tue, Jun 24, 2014, 2:28am (UTC -6)
Mon, Apr 27, 2015, 12:47am (UTC -6)
This is the first episode that I disagree with you on. I do feel you got a bit too cerebral on this one, a bit too analytical.
I really enjoyed this episode. if I use this kind of analysis when I sat down to eat I probably never would eat. Thinking about where food came from, the processing, the poor animals that gave up their lives for my meal; well it just be too much.
Sometimes, simply put, a good steak is a good steak. Just enjoy.
Tue, May 19, 2015, 10:50pm (UTC -6)
Fri, Aug 21, 2015, 2:05pm (UTC -6)
The best part was the Trip/Archer scene at the end. It rang very true, and something that anyone that has gone through a romantic breakup can relate to. It's not easy to get over unrequited love, and sometimes it's just best to get far away from that person in order to move on.
Sat, Aug 22, 2015, 9:47am (UTC -6)
I though the scenes with Shran and the Aenar were well acted, substantially better than many TNG and DS9 equivalents.
As to the technology (using the telepath, etc.) I can think of logical reasons the Romulans would have to use that technology. For instance, presumably the distance from Romulus to the ship is far, so only a telepathic signal could travel that far. There's some willing suspension of disbelief required, as always. As to why they would only kidnap one Aenar, I mean, this was a pilot and presumably they could always kidnap another.
And it is shortsighted to assume that the Aenar had to be a pacifist because he was raised that way. Maybe he was afraid for his life or just didn't care about a bunch of random strangers. Maybe he was angry, drugged, brainwashed, or confused, and went along. And maybe when he saw his sister he had a change of heart or couldn't kill her. It isn't a "plot hole" if humanoids act emotionally, humanoids are erratic and emotional. Shran certainly is.
Anyway, Jammer, I've really enjoyed your reviews as I watch through Enterprise. Thanks again and keep up the good work!
Tue, Sep 1, 2015, 9:44pm (UTC -6)
Tue, Sep 1, 2015, 9:51pm (UTC -6)
Trip was especially great at the end, once again reminding us that Connor Trinneer was overqualified for the role.
Mon, Sep 14, 2015, 4:29pm (UTC -6)
Sun, May 15, 2016, 8:11am (UTC -6)
I also very much liked the low key coda, in which Trip's resignation was the most noticeable factor. It felt real and grounded. 2.5 stars.
Wed, Jun 1, 2016, 4:20pm (UTC -6)
This episode's purpose was to get the characters and audience more aquainted with the Andorians, and streangthen relations, building to the alliance and later the Federation.
The Romulans, meanwhile are here to lay the ground work for the Earth-Romulan War. It's shown that by being a force for cooperation, the Romulans see Earth as a threat to their desire for conquest, no doubt why they singled us out. I'm confidant that, had the series continued the War would've become central to the series (indeed T'Pol was to be revealed as half-Romulan) and likely would've progressed to match up with Spock's statements in TOS.
As for the plot holes in this episode regarding the Aenar, they ARE telepathic, it's been shown that they can fool the minds of others, interfere with how they read sensors (the party being lost in the caves despite standing five feet from the entrance) the real question is, what made them come out of seclusion? More answers we were to get but never did?
This episode is another reason for my disappointment at Enterprise's cancellation. It was finally going to interesting places, but never got there. My one hope is that, if this new Bryan Fuller led series is indeed an anthology series, with different characters set in different eras, they'll revisit Enterprise again, and take to those places it was heading. Maybe even spin it off out of that show for a few more years if it's popular.
Sun, May 21, 2017, 10:02pm (UTC -6)
Mon, May 22, 2017, 12:00am (UTC -6)
Mon, Jun 12, 2017, 7:25pm (UTC -6)
Tue, Jun 13, 2017, 6:51am (UTC -6)
Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 2:22am (UTC -6)
Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 2:33am (UTC -6)
Thu, Aug 17, 2017, 2:39am (UTC -6)
Mon, Aug 21, 2017, 3:17pm (UTC -6)
Jammer's review is much too harsh here. I think it's sufficient to believe the Romulans are trying to disrupt things and have bigger goals -- no need to specify what they are for this episode. Sometimes Jammer's reviews are fuelled by a personal agenda against an episode it seems...
However, it is ridiculous that Romulans use Aenar to pilot their drones and run them to the point of exhaustion/death. Yes, they should have better methods for controlling the drones. Also a bit of a stretch for the Enterprise crew to concoct something to control the ship with telepathy so quickly. But my 2 criticisms aren't so bad that they make the suspension of disbelief excessive. The episode still works from a story / action standpoint.
As for Gareb realizing all the people he's killed -- I think it's clever that he makes the 2 drones destroy each other. I would assume the Romulans had drugged him sufficiently to just follow orders and not worry about his pacifist beliefs but when Jhamel makes the connection to him, he realizes what he has done.
I'd give "The Aenar" 2.5 stars. The ending with Trip and Archer I suppose concludes the Trip/T'Pol nonsense romance, which was kind of the B-plot here. The dialogue is well done, Trinneer is, as I've said many times before, the best actor in the series. Should be the last we see of Shran, which is too bad -- last 2 episodes we got to see a different side of him other than the pure warrior commander.
Thu, Aug 24, 2017, 2:24pm (UTC -6)
Thu, Oct 12, 2017, 12:39pm (UTC -6)
I will say I have seen a marked improvement in the treatment of romantic liaisons and relationships in the series. More than half of the series featured gratuitous, meaningless pursuits that seemed flat, without basis and engineered for commercial reasons. But in recent episodes, development has been more thoughtful, with a basis on shared experiences, shared viewpoints, common interests--in other words, how grown people behave, not adolescents. Here I'm referring to Archer and Hernandez, Shran and Talas, and Trip and T'Pol.
I rate this arc a solid 3 and maybe an extra half star for Mr. Combs.
Fri, Jan 12, 2018, 9:47pm (UTC -6)
I agree with most of the commenters here; "The Aenar" was a solid character episode. I also have to highlight the production crew; the ice planet of Andoria felt very different from the normal "planet of the week" settings we're used to in Star Trek.
I'd give the group of episodes 3 stars, though it's worth more than that to long-time Trek viewers. A solid examination of the beginning of the Federation, with further development of 2 of the founding races.
Fri, Mar 30, 2018, 7:12pm (UTC -6)
Tue, Jun 26, 2018, 7:21am (UTC -6)
This was a mature, well-written, well-acted episode and thoroughly enjoyable. Jammer has been wayyy too harsh here.
Mon, Jul 30, 2018, 8:11am (UTC -6)
Mon, Nov 12, 2018, 10:15pm (UTC -6)
But oh the characters. The scene between Trip and Archer was wrenching. Trip’s pain was palpable and you could see his heart was broken. I just wish T’Pol would listen to the advice her older and wiser self gave her in the episode where the Current Enterprise meets the Old Enterprise. Come on, girl, give it up for this deserving guy. (Note: I’m an old lady who was around for the original TOS.)
Wed, Dec 19, 2018, 5:32pm (UTC -6)
Sun, Mar 17, 2019, 11:53am (UTC -6)
Another uneven season four episide with some good stuff like the introduction of the Aenar, the visit and trek to Andoria, the visual depiction of the underground landscapes and cities, shran and Jamel. The the not so good stuff like the telepresence and the Trip T’Pol angst which dragged on the episode
Mon, Apr 8, 2019, 12:13am (UTC -6)
Sat, Sep 7, 2019, 12:49am (UTC -6)
Thu, Jan 30, 2020, 11:59am (UTC -6)
I also loved the idea of a reclusive, pacifist group of Andorians as a foil for their dominant martial philosophy. The relationship between Shran and Jhamel is particularly well done as a microcosm of their two societies. At first, Shran is contemptuous of the Aenar. He thinks they’re weak for not “serving their society.” To him, honor and virtue comes solely from military service; that’s the culture he was raised in. But when Jhamel volunteers to come along to save her brother, he develops a respect for her. He realizes that strength comes in different forms, and that by breaking the traditions of her people and putting her life on the line, she’s showing a strength that’s just as powerful as the martial strength he’s been taught to respect. It’s a powerful, understated arc. This and Shran’s doomed romance with Talas really make him a fully-fleshed out character, with more compelling relationships, perspectives, and screen presence than several Enterprise leads!
That said, we needed more on Gareb for this trilogy to really soar. In hindsight, I think it was a mistake to save his reveal for the end of “United.” We didn’t get enough time with him to grasp his arc and really feel for him as a person. The telepathic conversation between Gareb and Jhamel hints at an emotional, wrenching story: the Romulans convincing Gareb that his people are dead, then manipulating him to betray his deepest beliefs to kill others until a final, redemptive moment when their deception is revealed. But you just can’t convey all that in one scene. The facts come across, but not the feel. I actually assumed that Gareb was drugged until this final conversation, after which he seems to have free will and turns on his Romulan captors way too quickly.
The final scene between Archer and Trip is excellent. A down-to-earth, genuine feel of two friends having a tough conversation. The subtext of Trip’s love for T’Pol hangs over the scene like a cloud.
In the end, I’d give “The Aenar” 3 stars, scraping the edge of 3.5. But definitely some 4-star moments.
Fri, Apr 10, 2020, 7:08pm (UTC -6)
"The final scene between Archer and Trip is excellent. A down-to-earth, genuine feel of two friends having a tough conversation. The subtext of Trip’s love for T’Pol hangs over the scene like a cloud."
Just re-watched the episode and yes, that final scene between Trip and Archer is excellently acted. Bravo to both Trinneer and Bakula. Well-written as well. Less is more as they say.
The developing relationship between Jhamel and Shran is very natural and the military leader does really change the way he thinks about the Aenar, realizing strength is not just military.
I liked this episode a fair bit as an epilogue to "Babel One"/"United" as it provides a different feel for large parts with the wondrous world in the ice and the character moments (Jhamel/Shran, T'Pol/Trip, and the excellent finale between Trip and Archer).
Sun, May 10, 2020, 4:55pm (UTC -6)
When Shran sees Jhamel for the first time in the cave he looks like he has just been struck by love on first sight. Later in their conversation Jhamel apologises for having sensed some of his thoughts, while Shran says "it's never been that hard to figure out what I am thinking". Yeah, it was that obvious, indeed.
Frankly, I am still not sure what exactly they intend to achieve with the conversation later about Talas ("Talas was a fortunate woman" - "I was the fortunate one") with regards to their developing relationship. Sounds like she thinks of him as a decent partner? It can also be seen in the context of both of them struggling with grieve, both comforting each other. He keeps encouraging her, emphasises her bravery to use a machine he wouldn't dare going near to. Now, "Keep being strong. For me." while holding hands gives empowering speeches a new layer.
And then at the end this embrace...
Boys, when an Alpha-male shows his soft side, how vulnerable he is, my ovaries explode.
Now I wish there had been a 5th season with Shran as a permanent character... One of the roundest characters in all Trek; superbly played by Combs, who shows he can play any emotion and is a much better actor than many of the permanent casts (TNG, looking at you). With his talent he should have been a star beyond the horror/Trek-niche.
Mon, Jul 13, 2020, 5:04pm (UTC -6)
Tue, Aug 4, 2020, 5:46am (UTC -6)
Thu, Nov 19, 2020, 6:44pm (UTC -6)
Thu, Jul 1, 2021, 5:21pm (UTC -6)
The aenar are an interesting cousin of the andorian (sort of the opposite of what the romulans are to the vulcans), and it was touching to see shran getting all cosy with that aenar woman (although there was a bit too much of a Born Sexy Yesterday syndrome for my taste).
Best part, which I think was intentionally meta by the writers:
Aenar lady reading Archer’s mind: "You have an interesting mind, captain – many facets. Some of those facets are in conflict."
Shran: "That explains a lot!"
Wed, Jul 7, 2021, 6:13am (UTC -6)
(P.S.: I don't know if Shran shows up again or not, so by "end of arc" I just mean getting to know where an important character landed up. Like Spock in Reunification.)
Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 10:00am (UTC -6)
Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 10:45am (UTC -6)
Season 4 of Enteprrise for example is considered one of the best seasons but most of his reviews are 2 stars
Mon, Nov 22, 2021, 11:41am (UTC -6)
Tue, Mar 1, 2022, 8:03pm (UTC -6)
Over all score: 4/10
Wed, Jul 20, 2022, 1:49pm (UTC -6)
Mon, Feb 20, 2023, 12:09am (UTC -6)
Once you know it's out there, the holo-emitters and "multi-phasic" weapons are useless.... you simply shoot anything that doesn't respond to a coded "friend or foe" query.
OTOH, the marauder is incredibly small, incredibly fast, incredibly maneuverable, and heavily armed. Where did the Romulans get all that technology? It's a 22nd century Defiant -- who cares if there's a telepathic pilot?
Wed, Oct 4, 2023, 9:55pm (UTC -6)
Very cool subterranean ice city.
Very strong scene between Trip and Archer at the end. Man, Trip has gotta make his move, that boy is love sick something fierce!
Submit a comment
◄ Season Index