Rajiin

DVD, Enterprise S3 (Rajiin)

The first clunker of the season, but at least it came a few episodes in, it's just a shame it shows up after a good run so we knew the series could do good stories at that point. This time they try and fob us off with a bit of mystery and action (the NX-01 gets boarded again), but can't disguise this is much less satisfying than the first two episodes in particular. They do some things well on 'Enterprise' and I have to commend the computer effects work that continues the trend of brilliance: the ship orbiting a great blue planet, the detailed x-ray bioscans Rajiin takes of Archer and T'Pol, and, most impressively, the Xindi Insectoids and Aquatics who once again are superbly animated, the Insectoids in particular really part of their scenes in a physical way. The series is also good at throwing the cast into bustling and shady alien markets (like in the pilot), with so much to look out for - was that a Targ hanging up? One of those Dabo girl aliens from 'DS9' trying to sell them something as they pass? Other aliens we've seen before? I know it can be taken as laziness that they were reusing masks or props, but I take it as a fun puzzle for those in the know to spot references or familiar races.

The action is done pretty well, though the Xindi Reptilian boarding party, even though it's the first face to face encounter between Archer's crew and their enemies, doesn't generate the same tension as previous raids have. I don't know if that's the Director's fault, or I'm getting used to the scenario, but it felt a little flat, just like when the Remans boarded the Enterprise-E in 'Nemesis' - ironic, considering both aliens were wearing the same uniforms, even if they do look great. In his defence, the direction showed occasional flair - I'm thinking of the moments of Rajiin operating in slow motion as if she's more aware of time and space than the average person, and can achieve incredible acts of agility. My personal favourite, and something that stuck in my head since I first saw it, was the leap off of the Engineering level, twist in midair to land impossibly on her back. Very memorable, though I don't agree with Archer that she herself was particularly memorable.

Rajiin was the problem with the episode, I felt. It was a bit like 'Precious Cargo,' in that if you don't buy the central guest character, the episode, if not falls apart, becomes a lesser experience. She was set up to appear as if a recurring character that would be back at some point, but as far as I remember, she never reappeared, we can only assume she was killed by her Reptilian masters. Although fun to see someone that looked like Seven of Nine at the end (maybe she could have played a young Seven…), we never found out enough about her and she remains an annoyingly unsolved mystery. Was she even part of that time? I ask because the first clue as to the connection to the Temporal Cold War (aside from Future Guy's warning in 'The Expanse'), comes when Phlox reveals the dead Xindi left behind has been engineered. The first thing you think of is the Suliban and their payment for services rendered in the Cold War.

Apart from that there's not much to like in the story. Archer gets some fighting time, but while he beats up the slave trader, he has to be rescued by one of the MACOs in his one-on-one with the Xindi Reptilian, curiously reminiscent of Kirk versus the Gorn! I guess the MACO hadn't been briefed that you don't interfere when the Captain's fighting as it makes him look less tough. For that matter where was Major Hayes? I have to assume he was in on a firefight somewhere else on the ship because we don't see hide nor hair of him, and he should be at the forefront of the MACOs, leading the way. We did see plenty of weaponry as a result of the first human/Reptilian battle netting some new weapons tech. The exploding foam gun wasn't bad, nor was the shockwave blast from the Insectoid gun, but somehow Trek shouldn't be all about the cool weaponry - that shouldn't be the thing that sticks most in your head after watching.

I was irritated by T'Pol again, with her completely losing her cool. I'm not talking about the silly 'bioscan' performed by Rajiin, but her squawking at Trip when he tries to synthesize Trellium D, the substance that should block the anomalies. They should have had some anomaly trouble during the firefight, just to distinguish this episode from future stories when they're protected. There wasn't much to worry us this time, only the repulsive alien merchant and his damp red nasal cavities - an enjoyable moment when Trip tricks him into trading for ordinary condiments which he seemed to think were drugs! Otherwise things were pretty normal, except for a nice bit of continuity that shows Archer is still suffering the effects of his recent transformation in 'Extinction,' - as Phlox notes, you can't get over changing into another life form quickly, a good example of the season dispensing with the reset button. Also very pleasant to hear Cutler's name mentioned, even though she never came back. The dissension in the Xindi council gave their scenes a bit of bite, and taking into account the integrated CG characters they were some of the highlights of the episode. So they now have a bioweapon they're creating as well as the other one. We didn't need a complication like that, and it does smack of trying to artificially draw the story out, but I like the interpersonal wrangling of the council members.

When first writing about this episode 'Star Trek Magazine' called it 'Raijin' and I actually prefer that title. Ra-Jeen sounds like some family connection to Batman villain Ra's Al Ghul, whereas Ry-Jin sounds more alien. I couldn't help but think how 'Star Wars' things were looking, from the alien market full of weirdness to the Xindi storming onto the ship like Darth Vader does in the first film (or Episode IV, whichever you prefer). It was an excellent explosion, though, and they made a right mess of the NX-01 interiors. Shame the story had no more substance than some of the 'Star Wars' prequels. Even the Xindi versus Enterprise ship battle wasn't much cop, and after a couple of pretty energising episodes that began the season, it's worrying they were already starting to buckle.

**