“Exile”
Written by Phyllis Robust
Directed by Roxanne Dawson
Season 3, episode 6
Manufacturing episode 058
Authentic Airdate: October 15, 2003
Date: unknown
Captain’s Star Diary. An alien makes telepathic contact with Sato. At first she thinks she’s hallucinating, the stress of their state of affairs begins to get to her, particularly since neither Phlox nor Reed can discover any medical or scientific motive why she hears somebody whisper her title and sees darkish silhouettes in his quarters.
T’Pol analyzed sensor information on anomalies, each from Enterprise and the Xindi database, and she or he theorizes that the anomalies might be attributable to gravity waves from the sphere intersecting with the gravity waves from one other sphere. She was in a position to triangulate the approximate location of this second theoretical sphere. Archer, excited, units sail.
On T’Pol’s orders, Sato goes to the command heart to additional translate the Xindi database. As soon as once more the telepathic contact is made, and this time it’s extra detailed. She sees photographs of her planet and herself on the screens within the command heart, then she is seemingly transported to what seems to be like a medieval fortress. The alien, who seems human and calls himself Tarquin, affords to assist them with their mission. (At one level he additionally gave himself the looks of Phlox.)
Archer decides to shoot and heads for the coordinates. Archer, Sato, and Reed take a shuttle to satisfy Tarquin, who seems to be extra alien than he lets on. He was solely ready for Sato, however he greets the others with the identical kindness.
Screenshot: CBS
Her telepathy permits her to learn the telepathic imprints folks depart on objects they’ve dealt with. If they’ve something from the Xindi, he can, with a couple of days of meditation and work, present details about them. Archer offers her a chunk of the machine that attacked Earth in “The Expanse”.
Tarquin, nonetheless, asks Sato to remain to maintain him firm for these few days. Archer is reluctant, however Sato is keen to volunteer to stick with him. He’s on their own on the planet. Archer guarantees to return in a couple of days after checking the opposite sphere.
Apparently, Tarquin’s telepathy solely works immediately brain-to-brain, so to talk, on a couple of choose folks, individuals who have the correct of thoughts. Sato is one among them. Telepaths are uncommon in Tarquin’s world, and people with the power are exiled. He is lived right here for hundreds of years, although he is bought sufficient expertise to need for nothing however companionship. He is ready to recreate earth meals utilizing his meals synthesizer, primarily based on what he learn in Sato’s thoughts. They discuss loads about Sato’s life and emotions, and she will’t assist however discover how little he talks about her life. He reveals him a crystal that helps amplify his telepathy to permit him to succeed in mild years, which is how he discovered Sato. She tries it and will get flashes of reminiscences from assorted previous adventures, in addition to a sight of a Xindi-Reptilian. He additionally offers her a ebook from whoever lived on the planet within the distant previous. When Tarquin is working, Sato interprets and reads the ebook.
As Enterprise approaches the sphere, the anomalies take the shit out of the ship. It rapidly turns into clear – particularly when a slice of the saucer shell is ripped off – that Enterprise can not method this sphere. In order that they’re taking the mesh they dug up final week and utilizing it to cowl the hull of one of many shuttles. Archer and Tucker head to the cloaking subject and out the opposite facet, then land on the sphere. There’s EVA injury that Tucker must restore, and he by chance prompts the port thruster, which sends the shuttle flying into house. Archer and Tucker should destroy the thruster in query for the shuttle to crash into the sphere’s hull. He does, skidding in direction of them, however they do not transfer, as a result of they’re TV characters, they usually know he’ll cease skidding two ft earlier than he touches them. After all.
Screenshot: CBS
Tarquin suggested Sato to not exit, as a result of the wind is unhealthy, however the actual motive is that he buried the final individuals who have been his companion on this world. Sato is appalled and clarifies that her go to is momentary. Tarquin tries to enchantment to the sensation of loneliness she feels even on a spaceship, though how he is speculated to persuade her to treatment loneliness by spending all her time with only one different individual on a whole planet is not. clear.
Enterprise returns for Sato, now armed with a ton of knowledge from the sphere. On the planet, Archer approaches Sato and says that Tarquin will solely present the knowledge he bought from the Xindi expertise if it stays with him for some time. Sato reluctantly agrees, however when Archer will not even let her return to the ship to retrieve her belongings and inform the brand new communications officer of the alpha-shift, she realizes that Tarquin is pulling a fast one by psionically impersonating Archer. She confronts him, once more refusing to remain and threatening to destroy the crystal. Tarquin agrees to let her go, however refuses to offer the knowledge he realized from the Xindi expertise.
Enterprise choose up Sato and bugger him. Archer is pissed about Tarquin, however not less than they bought Sato again and have a number of cool sphere information. According to this, T’Pol now has an anomaly map, and his preliminary concept was each proper and improper – there may be multiple sphere, however there are additionally greater than two. In accordance with the map of anomalies she was in a position to compile, there are about fifty.
Tarquin contacts Sato, a lot to his annoyance. He guarantees that that is the final time he’ll contact her. It offers the coordinates of a settlement the Xindi have constructed the weapon on and the place they’re possible constructing their largest. He modified his thoughts about sharing data with them as their mission is harmful and he would not wish to see Sato harm. Sato relays these coordinates to a instantly very excited Archer…
Screenshot: CBS
Cannot we simply reverse the polarity? When T’Pol theorizes that there are about fifty spheres, all creating a large number of anomalies, Archer realizes that the spheres could have created the Delphic Expanse…
The speech of the gazelle. As a substitute of being a sinister, imply Archer, this week he is nearer to himself, largely as a result of they’re doing science and discovering out stuff. It’s comforting.
I used to be skilled to tolerate offensive conditions. T’Pol burned the midnight oil within the command heart whereas finding out the Xindi database, presumably as a result of she nonetheless has nightmares from her trellium poisoning in “Impulse”.
Talking of which, Archer tells him to keep away from the launch bay whereas Tucker equips one of many shuttles with fatigues, and Jolene Blalock offers a heartfelt “Certainly” worthy of Teal’c…
Florida man. Florida Man Builds First-Ever Anomaly Shuttle!
Optimism, Captain! Tarquin impersonates Phlox at one level, and it is scary as hell….
Higher to take MACO. For some inexplicable motive, Archer leaves Sato alone on a planet with an alien they simply met. The one motive you will have, not simply safety, however the MACOs on the ship, is to guard the crew, so why is the hell did not he depart a MACO or 4 along with her?
I’ve religion…
“Typically I do not know what’s worse: being alone or having to bury the folks I care about.”
–Tarquin, failing his saving throw in opposition to empathy.
Welcome aboard. The one visitor is Maury Sterling as Tarquin.
Screenshot: CBS
Trivial questions: That is Phyllis Robust’s first solo writing effort for mountain climbing—all his earlier writings for each Traveler And Enterprise was in collaboration with Mike Sussman.
When utilizing the crystal, Sato sees photographs from, amongst others, “Sleeping Canine”, “Judgment”, and “The Communicator”.
It was the primary episode of any mountain climbing collection to be broadcast in excessive definition, an more and more widespread observe through the first decade of the millennium.
It has been an extended street… “The subsequent time you invite somebody for a go to, you would possibly wish to allow them to know that you’re on the lookout for a lifelong companion.” It is virtually an incredible episode, so far as it carries its influences – it is just about The wonder and the Beast And The Phantom of the Opera– on, not simply his sleeve, however the entire rattling shirt.
Happily, the story avoids the largest downside with Visitor rooms particularly, is that it is a quite chilling case of Stockholm Syndrome disguised as a romantic comedy, which has at all times unhealthy sitting with me. (Even in 1991, when the Disney animated model got here out, I stored pondering, “However he kidnapped her! It is not actual love, it is a fucking crime! “) However even when Sato luckily by no means offers in to Tarquin’s want to maintain her prisoner, there are such a lot of little issues which have left me out of the story. For starters, Archer simply left her alone on the planet with this telepathic hike with no safety past a part gun. Significantly, why are MACOs even there if they can not guarantee the security of a bridge officer stranded on an unknown planet?
After which Sato is so nervous about being with this bizarre alien that she gads across the place in a tank prime and shorts the entire time. As a result of the producers of Enterprise are by no means happier than after they sexualize their feminine characters.
The largest downside is that Maury Sterling is virtually nowhere as Tarquin. He is not charming sufficient to make Sato’s willingness to spend time with him convincing, and he isn’t threatening sufficient to disclose that he is very a lot a predator. (Additionally: he has a entire planet for himself, why does he place the graves of his earlier hostages so near the fortress the place the following victims can discover him like Sato does?)
THE Enterprise half the plot is each helpful for transferring the seasonal arc and solely often fascinating. Discovering out that there are tons extra spheres is essential for the general plot, however getting there may be not half the enjoyable. For one factor, why is not Mayweather the one piloting the shuttle into the camouflage subject? It is the second episode in a row the place the ace pilot would not do the job that requires ace piloting, and when the ace pilot is the one individual of coloration in the primary forged and is forged apart for the dude white is not look. Then again, triggering the port thruster and having to shoot the shuttle down is such an apparent filler, it is unhappy.
Linda Park is great as at all times, and she or he does nicely within the highlight, and hey, not less than it isn’t as ghastly as “Vanishing Level.” But it surely ought to have been a stronger episode, and it was made by poor visitor casting and a number of other script failures.
Deformation Issue Ranking: 5
Keith RA DeCandido additionally opinions new episodes of Star Trek: Picard as they arrive out on Paramount+, and in anticipation of that, he additionally reviewed the flicks Star Trek: Insurgency And Star Trek: Nemesis on this web site right here, simply earlier than his evaluate of picard“The brand new technology”. His opinion on picard“Disengage” rose final week, and its evaluate of “Seventeen Seconds” might be launched on Thursday.
#Star #Trek #Enterprise #Rewatch #Exile
