Star Trek: Enterprise
"Demons"
Air date: 5/6/2005
Written by Manny Coto
Directed by LeVar Burton
Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan
"You're behind this." — Detective Charles Tucker III
In brief: A good Trekkian allegory, although the storytelling is awfully rigid.
"Demons" tells a pretty good story in an exceptionally average way. The ideas are here, but the juice is lacking. As I look over my notes, I see that they outline a pretty decent — but not great — story. "Demons" at least has the temerity to have a point, unlike "Bound" or "In a Mirror, Darkly."
I guess the real problem is that, as Enterprise winds to a close and Star Trek is about to go away, I don't have many strong feelings about this episode at all. Maybe it's just my typical end-of-season malaise. It happens. If Star Trek is out of gas, then so am I.
Which is maybe sort of unfair to "Demons." After all, here's a story that's about Earth and its internal problems, which is a relevant thing to consider before Earth can become a part of an interplanetary alliance. There's a conference being held on Earth in which the Vulcans, Andorians, and Tellarites have all arrived to work on a historic alliance. The Enterprise crew looks on and applauds, but Trip grumbles over the fact that Minister Groener (Nathan Samuels) has all but taken full credit for the conference and has left Enterprise out of the story. "I'm sure history will reflect our contribution," Archer says. "Not if he's the one who's writing it," Trip responds. Perhaps the exchange is a reference to the fact that Enterprise, as a prequel series, was not known by any of its sequels.
But away from the negotiation table, trouble is brewing. A radical isolationist movement called Terra Prime is plotting ... something. It involves their custody of a six-month-old Vulcan/human child and a hotbed of radical plotting at the Orpheus Mining Facility on the moon, which is owned by John Frederick Paxton (Peter Weller), leader of the Terra Prime movement. The plot thickens when a Terra Prime member abandons the movement, is shot dead by her own people, but not before revealing the existence of the child to Archer — and the fact that it's the offspring of Trip and T'Pol.
Archer immediately opens an investigation. Meanwhile, Trip and T'Pol are baffled: T'Pol has never been pregnant, so how can this be their child? The mystery of the child and Terra Prime prompts Archer to send Reed back to Agent Harris (Eric Pierpoint) to get Section 31's leads. Is this a good idea? After all, it's Archer who forced Reed to choose one side or the other in "Divergence." Now Archer sends him back to Harris, who seems likely to strong-arm Reed back into the agency. This might've been an interesting setup to a thread if the show were coming back for a fifth season.
Archer has his own shrewd methods for getting information; he subtly blackmails Minister Samuels with exposure (Samuels had briefly and misguidedly joined Terra Prime at age 18) if he doesn't open up more investigative avenues. Subsequently, Archer sends Trip and T'Pol to the moon to investigate leads at the mining colony.
The episode's wild card is a reporter named Gannett (Johanna Watts), who is an old girlfriend of Travis. She wants an inside scoop about the Enterprise, and she also wants to get with Travis again. Travis is less enthusiastic; their relationship obviously didn't end on the best note. I've bemoaned for years the lack of characterization for Travis, and this episode seems to at least make an effort to give him something to do.
But let it also be said that the episode is very obvious in following the rule that no guest character can be inconsequential to the main plot. Is Gannett just a reporter looking for a story? Please. Eventually, Travis and Gannett are making out in a shuttlepod. Subsequently, Travis gets laid and pumped for information. These scenes might've worked better if the actors weren't so wooden about them, but the actors seemingly exist only in a plot and not in the moment. I didn't buy any emotional history between these two. What I did buy is that they are a function of a bigger puzzle. It comes as no surprise that by the end of the episode Gannett is in the brig, charged with being a Terra Prime spy.
The best aspect of the show is the idea of isolationists and the allegorical themes. The enemy in the story is Earth's own xenophobia (particularly since the Xindi attack). Even before the attack, Terra Prime believed Earth to be humanity's domain, and humanity's alone. Like many radical groups, Terra Prime simply believes what they are doing is right. Paxton has a moment where he reflects upon the "misunderstood" Colonel Green, made famous in the aftermath of World War III because Green "euthanized" millions who suffered from radiation poisoning. Paxton views it as an act of mercy that spared generations from genetic defects. Green is generally remembered as a butcher, and Paxton wonders if he will have a similar legacy.
Paxton sees interbreeding between humans and aliens as an unhealthy corruption of DNA. He and Terra Prime are essentially the 22nd-century equivalent of white supremacists or racial purists. (There are black actors portraying prominent lieutenants in Terra Prime, and I wonder if that irony was a deliberate casting choice.) Terra Prime also uses the sort of anti-government rhetoric that's similar to that of current-day extremists.
Paxton's lunar mining facility doubles as a spaceship, which he pilots to Mars and uses to take control of its verteron array, normally used to deflect asteroids and comets throughout the solar system. From this station he can fire on any ship or facility in the system. He makes an ultimatum: Either all non-humans in the system leave, or Paxton will use the verteron array as a weapon. (Shouldn't this thing have been under much heavier guard?)
What I like about "Demons" is that the villain is ourselves — at least, a subset of ourselves via a particular way of thinking. What I find lacking is the somewhat mechanical advancement of the plot. It's too routine to be exciting, and too pat to be believable. Paxton is a villain of ideology, yes, but not a particularly interesting one. He doesn't rise above adequacy. Peter Weller's voice suggests plentiful arrogance, but more as a stylized presence than as a real demagogue. This is an episode that always feels scripted, even though the script itself is pretty good.
Next week: Two finales for the price of two.
Previous episode: In a Mirror, Darkly, Part II
Next episode: Terra Prime
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35 comments on this post
Thu, Dec 25, 2008, 8:27am (UTC -5)
Actually it's Minister Nathan Samuels, played by Harry Groener.
Sun, Feb 21, 2010, 10:30am (UTC -5)
Fri, Apr 2, 2010, 3:11pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Jan 8, 2011, 5:05pm (UTC -5)
• getting cloned, and subsequently killed
• accidentally screwing a spy
I mean, yeah, he flew the ship and stuff too; and he also had those two cargo ship episodes. But, basically, the above two points are all I will remember about Travis when I finish this show out.
Well, those two points, and how great this man looks without a shirt. I feel like we've seen most of the main cast in underwear or less at this point. Travis definitely gets my vote for "crew member who never should have been issued a shirt in the first place". He wins the award for best half naked male crew member, for sure. In fact, if Travis walked around without a shirt in every scene, it might have compensated for his total lack of actual character.
Here are a few things I think might have improved Enterprise as a whole:
• As previously mentioned, Travis without a shirt at all times
• Porthos becomes a bridge officer
• Shran in every episode
• OR Jeffrey Combs just kills Archer in another Ushaan related incident and takes over the role of Captain of the Enterprise altogether. In fact, if that were to happen, I'd be willing to drop the first two requests completely.
But anyway, in all seriousness, I really liked this episode. It had a good sense of Trek history, and Peter Weller is great as the bad guy.
It's almost *ALMOST* a shame this show got canceled when it did. I thought season three got quite entertaining by the end, and season four has honestly been much better than the first two seasons. I wouldn't say this is particularly great trek. But, season four has been very competent and (for the most part) fun trek. I would even venture to say that season four has been far more consistent as a whole than season three. Although, I do think the brightest spots in season three did shine slightly brighter than the brightest spots in season four.
I would have liked to see more of what the writing team tried to do with this season. The prequel concept was finally starting to feel like something that at least had a direction, even if it didn't always make the mark.
Mon, Feb 7, 2011, 4:50pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Feb 17, 2011, 9:50pm (UTC -5)
Sat, Nov 12, 2011, 11:11pm (UTC -5)
And somebody besides Dr. Evil should have known that the asteroid diversion device could also serve as the Ultimate Weapon of Total Universal Destruction. Yes, they probably should have posted a guard or two. Little bit of a security hole there.
And, I'm sorry, but this episode proves there is no way to make the Travis character interesting. I don't know why, and I guess we'll never know why, but Travis sucks the life out of every scene he's in. One of the few things that rang true in this episode was that the reporter was only using him. There's no way she could possibly have found him interesting.
Sat, Mar 31, 2012, 2:40am (UTC -5)
Sun, Dec 23, 2012, 11:33am (UTC -5)
A chilling look at how history repeats itself with one Hitler after another. Here's hoping the future doesn't really pan out that way, and reaches the Star Trek ideals more peacefully.
Loving the excuses to hop around the moon and Mars. Really makes the show seem like a prequel (finally, just before it ends!)
Wed, Jan 9, 2013, 7:47pm (UTC -5)
LOVED Peter Weller as the baddie bad guy.
Sun, Nov 3, 2013, 1:39pm (UTC -5)
Tue, May 27, 2014, 7:01pm (UTC -5)
Tue, Sep 30, 2014, 3:02pm (UTC -5)
Wed, Feb 18, 2015, 12:31pm (UTC -5)
I like Peter Weller, but I didn't like him here...it seemed to me he was talking in a monotone the whole time...
And, unfortunately, Travis gets a 'love interest'. I was really hoping he'd be revealed to be gay. With a body like his, he should be.:)
Well, at least we get to see him shirtless in bed. I totally echo Carbetarian's comments from above!
Mon, Oct 26, 2015, 3:56pm (UTC -5)
Babylon 5 developed the concept of an isolationist movement -Homeguard and Night Watch over two seasons and succeeded in presenting an uncomfortably xenophobic movement without descending into grand guignol.
This is inferior fare.
Sun, Feb 21, 2016, 11:57pm (UTC -5)
Tue, May 17, 2016, 1:54pm (UTC -5)
In truth, I liked the idea of this episode a lot more than the actual delivery. 2 stars.
Mon, Aug 28, 2017, 5:32pm (UTC -5)
The whole Trip/T'Pol baby is confusing. So how did it come about? I guess "Terra Prime" will give us the answers, hopefully.
As for the Travis character getting some love here, I think it falls pretty flat. It's clear he's being used and only at the end does it prove to have some link to the A-plot (i.e. it's not just a complete B-plot). I just don't think the actor for Travis is a very good one -- very stiff.
2.5 stars is my rating here -- some interesting moving parts to a decent underlying story but it doesn't get particularly captivating. The Travis/Gannett part was forgettable and the part with Paxton on the moon base was borderline laughable for me (too Bond-villain like). What is redeeming about this episode is its link to what the UFP would become, trying to get a few interplanetary alliances forged and overcoming some of the resistance.
Thu, Oct 5, 2017, 4:37pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Jan 25, 2018, 12:16pm (UTC -5)
Thu, Jan 24, 2019, 3:44pm (UTC -5)
Mayweather: ...
Reporter: I never could get you to smile for the camera.
And that, folks, is what we call "leaning on the 4th wall". A direct explanation to the audience why the very wooden Anthony Montgomery was never given much to do in this series.
Thu, Jan 24, 2019, 4:34pm (UTC -5)
Sadly that's true. Evidenced by the amount of work he's had since the end of 'Enterprise'. I'm assuming he's improved as an actor because he's been on General Hospital for quite a nice run.
I met Anthony and was very impressed by the young man. Glad to see him get some success.
Mon, May 20, 2019, 8:00pm (UTC -5)
Thank you..
Fri, Sep 6, 2019, 7:32pm (UTC -5)
Meanwhile the instant they said the baby was Trip and T'Pol's I instantly thought of E2 and the fact that Trip and T'Pol already *know* they had a baby together. Soooooo.... is that not even worth mentioning? Even in passing?
And yes, the First Minister is Mayor Wilkins III. Could he possibly maybe be a teensy bit *EVIL*? I am waiting with baited breath to find out the answer. Hell now that I think of it Wilkins did become a true demon at the end of Buffy Season 3. And the episode is called *demon*. Co-incidence? Is this going to end with the First Minister turning into a 100 foot snake?
Mon, May 18, 2020, 2:35pm (UTC -5)
I would imagine other members of the cast enjoy working with him as their relative talents are greatly amplified in direct comparison.
Mon, Sep 14, 2020, 2:57am (UTC -5)
Hasn't anyone noticed that she has been halfway across the galaxy in the expanse for quite a while?
Sat, May 29, 2021, 3:37pm (UTC -5)
Oh really, where do you live ?
Well most of us live on the moon.
Oh......
Sun, Jul 11, 2021, 8:50am (UTC -5)
And did Trip and T'Pol really think they could go undercover at this mining facility when they're widely known as the heroes who saved Earth from the Xindi? If there's anyone who would know their faces, it'd be a group of radical humanity-first xenophobes!
I enjoyed the various callbacks (forwards?) to TOS - Colonel Green, the United Earth Space Probe Agency - but overall the episode is very by-the-numbers. To be honest, that's almost my estimation of the whole season. Manny Coto did his best to give the series a new purpose and the two or three episode arcs worked very well for telling more detailed stories, but I kind of wish the new purpose was more than just "hang around Earth and clean up inconsistencies between Enterprise and TOS". If a season 5 had come about, I would have liked to have seen the ship go back to its mission of exploration, perhaps with Shran or Hernandez as more regular companions to Enterprise on its mission.
Tue, Aug 31, 2021, 12:54am (UTC -5)
But that giant frickin space laser....sure let's leave it without any security. No-one will want to use it in anger. Would it have been that much effort to have some takeover action?
Sat, Dec 4, 2021, 8:45am (UTC -5)
But I suppose all of this has shades of Trumpism and the current political landscape. Xenophobes are not going to be moved to change their mind by anything as mundane as *facts* and *logic*. So I suppose it doesn't matter how solidly the Xindi argument refutes their position. In this sense, this two-parter has surprising (depressing?) relevance even now.
Sat, Dec 4, 2021, 3:37pm (UTC -5)
I suppose it does…. as no amount of *facts* or *logic* will ever convince some people that Trumpism has nothing to with xenophobia.
Sat, Dec 4, 2021, 8:40pm (UTC -5)
It is not. Xenophobia is neither more or less prevalent today when compared with (say) 20 years ago. Meanwhile, the world has gone mad in a dozen other ways which could be seen as "the sign of our times". Extreme political polarity, funnily enough, being one of these ways.
Thu, Feb 17, 2022, 5:28am (UTC -5)
He grew up on a cargo ship. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure they outright said that he'd never set foot on Earth before entering Starfleet. And I think he just enlisted, meaning it wouldn't be a long multi-year period going through Starfleet Academy.
So that basically means he met her during his brief initial training, or during leave. Both of which make it difficult (while not impossible) to believe that they share much of a history beyond just a fling. Yet the episode tries to play it like more than that. And that's not the only time the show has done this with Travis. They tend to forget the character's background for the sake of the plot, which sucks because the character doesn't have a lot else to define him.
The Defining Traits of Travis Mayweather:
- he was born on a cargo ship
- I'm pretty sure he'd never been to Earth prior to the start of the series
- at some point he developed an affinity for mountain climbing (when he practiced this on a cargo ship, who knows)
- he's buff
that is all.
Thu, Feb 17, 2022, 3:56pm (UTC -5)
But still, a short list of defining characteristics.
Tue, Apr 26, 2022, 2:32pm (UTC -5)
Also great casting, good acting, a dialogue-centered episode rather than boring action scenes, and a clear anti-racist message.
4½/5
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