Shockwave, Part II

DVD, Enterprise S2 (Shockwave, Part II)

After having an extended break from this series before coming to Season 2, and in the meantime watching many of the earlier Treks, the differences of this most recent slice of the canon seem so much more pronounced. After so many Vulcans who remain restrained and dignified even under pressure it's quite a shakeup to return to Ambassador Soval and his barely contained display of indignation and annoyance. He remains a voice against Archer, and humans' in general calling to space. The brutality seemed more noticeable, as did the swear level, Reed getting a nasty knockabout at Suliban hands. For a race that seem so bendy and rubbery they pack quite a punch!

Not all aspects of the season-opener are negative - it's great to come back to a widescreen, clean, sharp image and fantastic sound quality, with pinpoint effects such as Archer's head hovering in T'Pol's quarters, or the background imagery of the massive library. But though everything looks pristine and impressive I was reminded that this was a disappointment back in the day and hasn't improved since then. It's a shame to begin the season with negative comments, but sadly this was the over-riding mood I remember from Season 2 and as such have always considered it the worst season of Star Trek's long history (yes, I even prefer Season 1 and 2 of 'TNG'!).

The continuity level, as is often the case with the second part beginning a season, is high and, just like in 'Stargate SG-1' I found myself struggling to keep track of all the data points. I'm usually the first to enjoy references to other episodes, but the falling ratings of this season show that casual viewers weren't willing to keep up with the happenings for their own sake, needing to be bought with high-octane adventures and likeable characters. I enjoyed the references to the Federation and the Romulan Star Empire (that bit always stuck in my mind as Archer could so easily have uncovered the secrets about the Romulans which we don't know even after so many episodes about them), the revelation that Future Guy (who doesn't show for this episode, except in the recap), and his people are calling from 300 years in the past when Daniels and Archer are in the 31st Century (so they're from the 28th then, right?), because they can't do time travel. We see Daniel's quarters again, featuring a Tardis-like locker and the Helix of the Suliban. And the main recurring faces are back: Admiral Forrest on hand to hold the fort back at Starfleet HQ and Silik the Suliban and Crewman Daniels naturally return as part of the ongoing Temporal Cold War saga.

Most of the characters are featured reasonably well, although there were a few niggles - T'Pol's quick recovery from her torture for example. After Silik's finished with her she collapses on her bed, but when Archer makes contact she's up and about with no sign of injury or exhaustion. Similarly, Hoshi's big moment as the only person small enough to crawl through the conduits is lessened somewhat by their being a bit too spacious. One other little thing I noticed was the large number of Suliban that took over Enterprise (impressive as it is to see so many) who seemed to have come over on only three little pods. I thought these vessels were known to be one-man craft?

The important thing is T'Pol shows her support for Archer, having learned to trust him and his crew in Season 1 she's no longer aloof and apart which is a nice development. There's no time for character studies however, as mostly it's a question of returning the status to quo - Daniels is who knows where, but presumably fine, Silik was apparently going to be left somewhere as Archer says they'll be long gone by the time he awakes (which seems like a mistake - surely better to take him prisoner?), and Enterprise has been vindicated from the colony's destruction and can continue its mission. Archer's importance to history and specifically the Federation is also confirmed, though sadly the full extent and logical unfolding of such things never fully came to pass thanks to the life of the series being cut short. A happy ending then, but nothing very special, merely a conclusion. I'd love to re-evaluate this season, though I fear the number of plain average episodes won't be changing my mind, but even so I look forward to going on some more vintage adventures in the 22nd Century.

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