Marauders

DVD, Enterprise S2 (Marauders)

"It's only 'The Magnificent Seven' again". You can say that, but the story of people coming in and helping others to fend off bullies is a compelling template to work from and one with which you can't go far wrong. Add to the mix some rebellious Klingons (still not showing the honour their race is supposed to embody) and you have a fun and pretty exciting episode. The enjoyment comes from the knowledge these bullies will be showing up again, and that we know Archer and his crew aren't going to stand by and let these workers be picked on, even if they don't initially want help.

If you put this episode alongside something from the early years of 'The Next Generation' with their polystyrene rocks and basic, set-based planet environments, sometimes not much more realistic than 'The Original Series' attempts back in the late sixties, you see how much a modern budget and production sensibility can achieve. Not to forget that some of the better 'TOS' episodes were the ones that actually went on location, and 'Enterprise' apes this winning formula in all its widescreen glory. It isn't just the landscape that looks good this time; every character has a moment to exude cool, except for perhaps Travis (who can't hit T'Pol with a baseball bat) and Phlox (who only has a brief conversation with one of the colonists visiting sickbay). T'Pol gets the coolest moments, teaching the workers some simple Vulcan martial arts manoeuvres and then getting to show how great Vulcans really are, (but almost never get to demonstrate) by taking on and downing a Klingon warrior with some nifty moves! I like to see the qualities of the race come through after so many examples which have concentrated on negative elements of their personalities - they're stronger, more agile, with better timing and the ability for quick thinking, so show it more, please!

Trip gets to make friends with a young lad, Archer is of course behind the whole operation and Reed is in his element, planning tactics and giving advice. Even Hoshi shows off her weapon skills in a nod back to last season. That isn't the only link, as the crew's previous encounters with the Klingons are brought up, and with the bony-headed ones comes reference to Bat'leths, Mek'leths and even Targ - I thought such terms would never be used again after 'DS9' ended, so it's great to see the continuity kept to in a simple and effective way without knocking the audience over the head with it or making people feel lost in the jargon - if only this had been explained to the makers of 'Star Trek XI'.

The scenes as the colony pulls together under Archer's guidance, moving camp and laying plans, is well done, the encampment looking equally impressive in the bright sunlight as at night with the pumps lit up - they really went to town on creating this place and making it look real. We also get the desert uniforms seen last season, and T'Pol gets a chance to wear a more stylish, white outfit, the kind that would be more familiar in later seasons. The only negative of the episode is that some of the new characters we meet don't get much development. We know the boy lost his Dad, but such details could have been worked in better for a punchier impact. And the female colonist played by Bari Hochwald (who previously played Dr. Bashir's visiting classmate Dr. Elizabeth Lense in Season 3 of 'DS9') is particularly underused. I can't help thinking that if this had been one of the 24th Century series' they would have taken the time to get to know some of the people better, such as in 'DS9' episode 'The Siege of AR-558'. Not that I'm comparing this to the best episodes of Trek, far from it, but it's certainly a visually appealing, simple, yet satisfying tale that works the Klingons in without losing credibility and utilises the expertise of each main character well. The best episode of the season so far and one I always look forward to seeing.

***