The Temporal
Cold War of the first three seasons of Enterprise
polluted the continuity of the Trek mythos. If an episode
contradicted information from an earlier series then it could
be easily written off as a side effect of the TCW. However,
this lovely excuse was tossed out the airlock when the TCW
was officially declared over in the second episode of this
season.
So now
the creators are forced to invent a new excuse for the fractured
continuity between Enterprise and the rest of the
Star Treks. Their answer: Blame the other shows.
Even
by Kirk’s standards the lives of the crew of the NX-01
are the stuff of history books. With 150 years separating
the two shows it’s like asking the common Joe to remember
that in 1855 the Kansas territory was voted pro-slavery.
Or that Doc and Marty went Back to the Future…
The average American
could probably guess in 1855 some states were dealing with
slavery issues. And by Kirk’s time the average Federation
Citizen could probably remember in 2155 there was a movement
for the purification of Earth for Earthlings.
What
they all seem to have forgotten are the two key players:
Prime Minster of Earth Nathan Samuels (Harry Groener) and
xenophobic Terra Prime leader John Fredrick Paxton (Peter
Weller). And history also seems to have forgotten the day
the Earth was held hostage by a James Bond level villain.
When
Trip and T’Pol learn they have the first ever Human/Vulcan
child they begin a solar system wide search for the infant.
They soon learn the alien hating Terra Prime has taken up
residence on the moon. And it’s the most likely place
where their laboratory born baby lives.
So when
the parents request to be on the mission to investigate
the lunar mining station Archer denies them. Knowing their
emotional attachment to their child would get in the way
of the mission…
Oh,
no, wait – that’s what he DIDN'T do.
His
choice made about as much sense as the all powerful Verteron
Array. From Mars it uses a series of energy beams to redirect
comets’ fatal flight plans. And it has enough power
to burn holes in any heavenly body. Of course, there is
the line of sight issue. We’ll just assume Mars’
view of Earth isn’t eclipsed by anything in 2155.
History REALLY
failed to mention that one.
But
what really stretches the imagination is the level of evil
plotting Paxton went through to make his plan succeed. Not
only did he employ geneticists to build a Human/Vulcan hybrid,
but he also constructed a mining station capable of warp
flight and orchestrated a world wide riot with followers
as far out as the Enterprise.
This
man may just be the greatest villain Archer will ever encounter.
Most likely this story line was to be a two-part cliffhanger.
There are enough elements crammed into this first half alone
to suggest its was conceived to be a longer story.
Malcom
gets back in touch with Section 31. And Mayweather, bless
his shallow spotlight loving soul, gets a girlfriend and
a backstory! Something more than, “I grew up in space.”
So Mayweather wasn’t a totally wasted character…
but pretty much.
Next
week we’ll find out more about Mayweather’s
spy-for-a-girlfriend. And in a two hour extravaganza…
Enterprise will be taken out of the sky and off
the air…
In the
end, however, Paxton must be right. History does forget
him. And the Next Generation will remember Archer and crew
as a footnote and our history will only remember him as,
“That guy from Quantum Leap who did the last
Star Trek show.”
