Since the
season began, UPN has been hyping Brent Spiner’s appearance
on Enterprise. He’s a Star Trek figure
who needs little introduction.
He was Data.
That
should pretty much cover it. However, Spiner has played
numerous characters in the Star Trek universe.
And for the most part, they’re all related to Data.
He’s played Data’s “father” Dr.
Noonien Soong; Data’s “brothers” both
Lore and “B-4;” as well as an entire holographic
wild west town – to name just a few.
So when
Spiner was scheduled for a three episode “epic”
on Enterprise it stands to reason that he would
the great great great… grandfather of Data, Dr. Arik
Soong.
But
the intrigue doesn’t stop there. Remember that Enterprise
is fighting for its prime time life. If adding a Data-Spiner
character doesn’t attract viewers, then how about…
Klingons
Orion Slave Girls
The Eugenics War
Yes,
Enterprise is tapping into its roots and pumping
out episodes that feel like the first two seasons. It’s
a prequel universe. The very nature of this show is the
back story for every other show. Spending a year with the
Xindi mythos had its merits. But getting back to Star
Trek will save this show.
There
is a lot of story crammed into “Borderland,"
which is rather surprising. Typically the first episode
of a three part story is boring build up (look at The
Phantom Menace). But right from the start the stakes
are high.
A handful
of Augments held over from the Eugenics War commandeer a
Klingon Bird of Prey. Captain Archer enlists the aid of
evil genius Dr. Arik Soong to capture his former creations.
What is it with the Soongs and their need to tamper with
sentient life?
Evil
genius aside, Soong works side by side with the Captain.
He’s unscrupulous, but makes a really good team mate.
It’s apparent the creators wish to impress people
with Spiner’s acting ability. They should’ve
just put a ticker at the bottom of the screen that read,
“Remember how Spiner played the lovable Data and now
he’s a mad scientist? Isn’t that great?”
What
is great is how they play the relation ship between Soong
and his “children.” Since he helped develop
their genetic superiority, they view Soong as their father.
And though they’re a family of KILLING MACHINES, they
show more believable love for each other than any single
episode of Full House.
Now
the very nature of this episode raises some fantastic continuity
questions. According to the original Star Trek,
The Eugenics War was hot and heavy in 1996. Granted, we
all know there wasn’t a Eugenics war, and Khan never
ran part of the globe. But it is still a part of the Star
Trek mythos. However, Voyager ran a two part
episode taking place in modern 1996. Khan wasn’t there
either.
So maybe
the Eugenics War happens later – sometime in the 21st
century. A thought quickly dismantled when Dr. Phlox refers
to the Augments' genetic design as 20th century technology.
The
only conclusion we can come to is the Eugenics War happened
and Voyager did not.
OK,
that’s enough timeline nitpicking. Let’s talk
Orion Slave Girls. Enterprise excels at taking
original Star Trek aliens and giving them a modern
TV spin. The make-up techniques used today have a real tonal
quality to them. It doesn’t look like water make-up
powdered dry. It’s as if the actors have all been
tattooed. But it’s doubtful that WWE’s Big Show
was permanently painted to be on Enterprise. He
has the honor of auctioning off T’Pol by wiggling
her like a carnival doll. And he looks great doing it!
Now
the blue skinned Andorians have been upgraded. The green
skinned Orions have been upgraded. But then there is the
question of the Klingons. In this era they look like those
in the movies and all the spin-offs. But Kirk fought Klingons
with simple brown grease paint. Will Enterprise
explain the dramatic difference between the two Klingons
from the same race?
With
this skirmish shaping up to be the beginnings of the war
with the Klingons, that answer may come in time. But first
we have two more episodes with Data’s relative.
