Cogenitor

DVD, Enterprise S2 (Cogenitor)

It may be that I hadn't seen the series for a while, it may be that I had low expectations of the episode, but for whatever reason it was better than I expected. 'Enterprise' didn't often have consequences or emotional engagement in the story like the other series' did, but this one felt very 'Star Trek' and even had a Captain Janeway-style dressing down from Archer. The other captains would be disappointed in crewmembers and have a stern talk with them, but somehow I always think of Janeway first in that context. The sting in the tail at the end was a real surprise and rammed home the message of the episode. What that message is could be debated. Is it about America interfering in other cultures they don't approve of, ones that don't match their views of freedom and individual rights? Is it about slavery and treating people as though they are in a lower class? Probably so, but at heart it's a Prime Directive story, and one that couldn't have been done so easily on the other series'.

It does bring to mind 'Voyager' story 'Prime Factors' and 'TNG' story 'The Outcast' for similar points, but in this one Trip never shows any doubt that what he's doing is good for 'Charles,' (as she decides to call herself after Trip's real name), until that terrible final moment. I call her a she, but of course she was actually of a third gender which only made up 3% of the Vissian's population, though Captain Archer called her a she for convenience and for want of a better word than 'it' so if it was good enough for him, it's good enough for me. Also she was played by a female due to the shortage of third gender actor's at the time. If there was a third gender actor just waiting for the opportunity to get their first role, or even a Vissian who had travelled to Earth secretly, they would have been very disappointed not to get the role!

The story is the kind of thing that 'Enterprise' didn't deal with nearly enough, preferring simpler, more generic plots (if you go by this season), or ones that had a definite answer. This one isn't clear cut at all - Archer is angry with Trip for not using his common sense and leaving well alone with an alien culture (something he's had problems with before, e.g: 'Unexpected'), but he can't ignore where events have led. His friendship with the Vissian Captain (played by Andreas Katsulas, better known from 'TNG' as the recurring Romulan Tomalak), was quite enjoyable with two similarly-minded people getting along so well, so it had even more meaning when Archer became stiffer towards the end, very formally wishing him well on his journey. He clearly has the burden of what has happened upon him coupled with his knowledge that Trip was right and that the condition of 'Charles' was pretty bad by human standards. He also knows he can't do anything about it, coming a long way from Season 1 when he would leap in with both feet to right wrongs. He can't be open and friendly with the Vissians any more, but at the same time has to respect their ways, and playing that role against Trip must have been painful for him.

The C-story (if you can call it that), of Reed being attracted to a Vissian woman was rather pointless and unnecessary and I wish there had been more exploration of slavery and the issues at hand instead of this lighthearted romantic comedy stuff. There were some funny scenes with Phlox during Trip's initial confusion of tri-gender mating, and that didn't detract from the story, but Reed's moments did feel tacked on as if there hadn't been enough time to fully realise or round the story neatly. I preferred the B-story of Archer's little adventure with the Vissian Captain and the occasional exhilaration of the wonders of space, something not often seen, and compliments the actors as they accomplished it inside that tiny stratopod. The visuals were beautiful, the ships looked smooth, (even though on first seeing it I thought the Vissian ship was of Tholian design!), and the golden lighting of the phenomenon also gave the internal scenes an added sparkle.

F.J. Rio completes the set of post 'TNG' Trek series' as the Vissian engineer, after appearing as a criminal in 'Voyager,' but being best known for his small recurring role of Muniz in 'DS9.' I don't know why they always get him in for minimal makeup roles as he just looks like Muniz with odd appliances on his face! To be fair, he was suitably unlikeable, quite different to Muniz' character. There are some nice little references such as when they talk about one hundred years hence and how T'Pol would still be alive (the campaign to get her in 'Star Trek XII' starts here!), and we get to see the inside of the armoury with its nooks and crannies, including the phaser cannon (I think). I wasn't very impressed with Vissians as alien creations - they fell into the 'beige uniform/ minimal facial adjustment' camp, and while the makeup wasn't bad, as a race they weren't very strongly realised. This is the sort of race that it would have been interesting to explore, flesh out, and face the issues their culture poses to Starfleet, but because the NX-01 is always moving right along they don't have the luxury of such development.

Hoshi and Mayweather barely figure at all, but that's to be expected and at least Phlox had his moments. Trip is certainly the engaging central pillar of the story and we want him to succeed in bringing this person to a realisation of her rights. It would have been fascinating if they had agreed to asylum for her and have Trip become a friend that introduced her to life in Starfleet for a few episodes, maybe she could even have joined the organisation (an alternative way to get rid of her when they wanted to), but there wasn't much of that kind of experimentation with the series and she wouldn't have fitted into the next episode. I think the way she does go out gives Trip a real shake, and while I wouldn't want him to lose his idealism and passion for helping others, perhaps it could lead him towards the path that Archer has already begun walking, one that would eventually result in the Prime Directive.

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