Cease Fire

DVD, Enterprise S2 (Cease Fire)

The Andorians made their long-awaited comeback in this episode after appearing in two good stories in the first season. This is the lesser of the three, but it succeeds on merit by bringing Jeffrey Combs as Shran, back to the series. Though his Andorian character doesn't have the subtlety of his Vorta or the joyous awfulness of his Ferengi roles on 'DS9' the forceful and occasionally exaggerated behaviour marks him out as different, continuing to form this old alien race of which we know so little. It would have been fun if Captain Telev of the Andorian ship had been in a scene with Shran as he was played by Christopher Shea who was another person to play a Vorta (though again, Weyoun and Keevan never shared any scenes). Suzie Plakson was also a well-known face in a new role, though she was much better known as Klingon Ambassador K'Ehlyr in 'TNG' and a female Q in 'Voyager.' Her formidable blue-skinned soldier gives even Archer a bit of trouble, though he does gain the upper hand in the punch-up.

The flaws of 'Enterprise' unfortunately come through again in what could otherwise have been an intense war story. Though there is some action: Archer and the Vulcans pinned down by weapons fire, and that fight, I never had the feeling of any tension or a sense of danger. The weapons were set to kill, since we learn that Andorian weapons don't have a stun setting, so maybe some judicious use of sound effects might have made the threat seem more real - the glancing blast Soval received must have just caught him rather than being a full-on beam. I think this lack of strong feeling was exemplified by the fact that after what was supposed to be a tense stand-off with Trip keeping Enterprise between the Andorian and Vulcan ships and the planet (though if they'd all split up and gone in at different approach vectors he couldn't have done much about it, I imagine), the good news comes through and he tells Reed to turn off the Tactical Alert. I didn't even realise the alert was on! It's a far cry from the blaring red-alert sirens and ominous low-lighting of the other series' and seems tame in comparison.

In some ways, that's the point, the mission of the series was to portray the early days of Starfleet, not replicate what had gone before, but oddly there's less of a seat-of-your-pants feeling in this than in the more high-tech future ships, and it shouldn't be that way. To crush the episode in a pit of weak atmosphere would do it an injustice, for the series is also able to justify its existence with things that couldn't be done before: early in the episode Archer ponders whether his mission should be more than charting comets and meeting new races, and that becoming part of a wider community is also important. This becomes his first solely diplomatic mission, and despite bumps along the way (with shades of Kirk and General Chang in 'Star TrekVI' - warriors that don't trust peace between their peoples), a momentous moment is seen in which humans, Vulcans and Andorians sit round the same table and drink a toast together. If that's not the first inklings of the Federation, I don't know what is and it brings a warm glow of recognition of what this small moment means!

Soval continues to give me mixed feelings. It's always good to have a familiar face, and a character which can change and grow over time. This episode is the first that allows the Vulcan Ambassador to do that as he's along for the ride, but he always seems so expressive to me, that's the trouble, and while berating T'Pol for supposed crimes of emotion he exhibits disgust and frustration, emotions both! At least we learn a little more about him, how he was an intelligence operative a hundred years ago (in our century!), how he believes T'Pol could have been so much more if she'd remained part of his diplomatic staff rather than joining Enterprise, and he upholds the traditional Vulcan values of nonviolence when he admits he hasn't handled a weapon in fifty years. So it makes a difference to have him along, even sowing the tiny seeds of respect between him and Archer that would grow into the future.

The other Vulcans don't seem to share his peaceful ways. So much for the stereotype of Vulcans as peace-loving beings that don't like to kill or act aggressively. As shown in this episode they have soldiers and plans of war as much as the Andorians, and it seems so hard to accept from all we know about them previously. I could go on about the Vulcans for a long time, but I will at least say I felt the Vulcan assistant to Soval was much more the portrayal I wish all examples of the race would present. I do wish the race had been shown to be cool, as we know they are, but although there were times when they could have shown their superior strength or other physical abilities, T'Pol and Soval are left to provide covering fire and Archer gets all the good stuff. See 'Marauders' for a superior war-based episode.

The dark night CGI of the exteriors worked really well disguising any lack of depth with shadows, and while the shuttlepod crash was functional rather than exceptional, we did get to see it. V'Lar, the Vulcan they helped in 'Fallen Hero' is mentioned, and best of all, though it was unspoken in the episode, Shran now owes Archer which would guarantee another appearance at least. As usual, the antennae, moving in time with their overblown feelings, were fascinating to observe, providing such a stark contrast with the composed and unrevealing Vulcans. We also see more gorgeous Vulcan ships and some Andorian vessels, and while the lack of the other characters (though there are some nice character-building moments between Archer and Phlox, and Archer and T'Pol), and sense of peril almost turns it into an average episode, I can't complain about those things when they go to the trouble of an away mission among the Andorians.

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