Storm Front, Part II

DVD, Enterprise S4 (Storm Front, Part II)

Just as in the first part this isn't much of a character episode, but it does give weighty bang for buck conversion and proves to be one of those rare second parts that improves on the first. Many of the main cast are mostly overlooked as Archer goes on his lone wolf missions (with help from the guest cast), leaving T'Pol to 'man' the ship, Reed to sit on his rear, and Phlox to point out that this man is not who he seems to be. Did Hoshi even have a line? I didn't notice. At least Travis gets to be part of things(captured and beaten up - it's his stock in trade!), though even he is chained back up to the helm before long to pilot the ship in a dogfight over New York against futuristically-weaponised aircraft. And while I'm pointing out problems, the CG doesn't always score big points (though reading about the turnaround schedule in an old 'Star Trek Magazine' recently, I'm not surprised!), especially with the planes. Also, whether it was because I knew they were filming in digital or not, I did feel that whenever there was harsh lighting (such as in the Generalmajor's office), it looked as if it was shot in the 1970s, although it was fine most of the time, and in external shots. With all that said, this felt like a more immersive experience than part one, we get some of the things we wanted or expected, and there are a number of strong moments, including the necessary explosions and gunfights (despite the diversionary attack by Carmine and his gangsters being in a narrow alley it was still well shot and exciting, although again, it's not the best tactic to take on machine-gunners with handguns!).

If you want character scenes, there's none better than the one between Archer and Alicia Travers, the resident of New York who was beamed up last time. She shows the difficulty in acceptance of all these aliens, space vessels and time travel that was previously missing, and despite Archer, God-like, offering her the ability to go anywhere in the world, she chooses to return home - none of this skulking off for a safer life elsewhere for her! It was also of interest and pleasure to hear Archer tell her of the positive future on Earth, wherein humans no longer fight against each other (though, technically, that hadn't ended as we saw in the penultimate two episodes of the series), a touchstone for the Roddenberry ethos that was often lacking in 'Enterprise,' set as it was in a halfway house between the aftermath of World War III, and The Adventures of Captain Kirk. Yes, it is sad that a guest character should get such a scene when the main cast generally don't, but it's better than nothing on a series known more for its action and speed than for deep thought and interactions.

Other good stuff includes Trip shinning up a pipe in order to break a glass lamp to get a shard to cut his bonds, and actually, anything with Trip works well (though as in part one, I wished for a more heartfelt reunion between him and Archer since he thought he was dead, though the humour in the scene played well), such as the tense meeting between Archer and Vosk when his men are released, and especially the scene in sickbay where the Captain realises Trip is not the man he was, resulting in an impromptu rumble between Archer and what turns out to be Silik. Have we seen Suliban impersonate people before? I can't remember. Then again, despite Silik dropping from the ceiling of Trip's cell I never connected the dots and realised the alien was now impersonating the Engineer (how did he know Archer was supposed to be dead in order to show surprise at seeing him - did his benefactor give him the heads-up? He mentions about Daniels choosing him to fight the Xindi, so maybe he had all the details). The effects work on Silik as he squeezed out of Archer's grip and donkey-kicked him into a shelving unit worked really well (I wanted him to escape properly and be a threat on the ship for a bit), and generally the morphing effects looked good. What I enjoyed most was Archer forced to work with his archenemy against their common foe. For one thing, it gave the Temporal Cold War added depth as we realise it's faction on faction, (we know of at least four separate ones: the Time Agents Daniels represented, Silik for Future Guy, Vosk and his Na'kuhl, and the Sphere Builders in the Xindi war).

As much as I was disappointed that the grand storyline of the Temporal Cold War was ripped out of the series at the end of this episode, it was better than the alternative of never being referenced. Silik's involvement should never have been cut short, and the same for Daniels, as they were part of the central core of the series from its inception. Silik was this series' Gul Dukat, or Q, or Seska (who was killed off early, but came back). I know he doesn't really have the same standing as these other august villains, but the series ended before completely hitting its stride, and I'm sure that if it had run for a full seven years or longer, Silik and Daniels would have returned. The Suliban were a bit like the Vidiians of 'Voyager' in that they were underused, but generally, when included they made for a strong enemy. Unfortunately, we never really learned enough about them thanks to the half-hearted manner of the Temporal Cold War's inclusion. Even though it came out of an edict from the studio, in this case they were right to want to provide a conduit to the future (the future of the future, that is!), since that was where Trek's major success had been: the 24th Century. If the TCW had been better utilised as a way to bring in familiar characters and places, it would have greatly improved the chances of 'Enterprise' to be popular, I feel, but it was used so sparingly, and the answers were never forthcoming about Future Guy's identity, what this or that meant, mysteries I was excited about at the time because I expected revelations in a later season. But it was not to be.

Silik did get his dues in this episode, however, and so did John Fleck, the man who played him. It was somehow creepier to see the Suliban in casual attire than in his usual uniform, but I liked that not only did he choose to work with Archer to defeat Vosk, he also got to show a human face for the first time in six roles (stretching across 'TNG,' 'DS9,' 'Voyager,' and of course 'Enterprise'). He was the king of prosthetics, but it must have been a relief to get to be out of makeup for the final appearance in his most important role! Silik's last bow was a little pointless, recklessly taking out some Nazis alone to procure a weapon. You'd think he might have kicked up a fuss back on the NX-01 when he had the chance of getting a phase pistol (which looked fantastic in action, as did all Trek's staple technology, such as the Transporters!), but it showed what a tricky customer he was, and was a cool moment for the character as he takes on two soldiers singlehandedly, shot in the back having succeeded in his objective. Would he have used the gun on Archer after the mission? Possibly, but there wasn't the tension seen in 'To The Death' when a Jem'Hadar tells Sisko he's going to kill him once their job is done, a missed opportunity. Did Silik become too comfortable a character, Archer just taking him along quite happily, and could that be another reason we didn't have more Suliban involvement? Maybe.

A more pertinent question might be why Reed didn't accompany the pair, since he is the Security Officer. Was he really needed that much on the bridge? Something else Reed should have shown consternation over was in his recounting of recent history to T'Pol. What stands out is that he never bats an eyelid when he says Hitler took England quickly, and you'd expect some kind of reaction! An added attraction of this episode is beginning (post recap), with an 'archive' newsreel of Hitler and the Nazis in the US, cleverly blending elements to create a realistic piece that appears to be from the time (if the time had been that timeline). I'll bet they had fun making that, it's even fullscreen and was a great way to open the episode before turning into the widescreen beauty of the credits montage. I wonder if this experience was what gave them the idea of redesigning the entire credits sequence for the Mirror Universe episodes later in the season? You also get more chances to marvel at the makeup of the Na'kuhl - one design that if an actor got bloodshot eyes from the prosthetics would have been an asset, fitting in with the red contact lenses they were made to wear! However, as good as the makeup was, the aliens didn't look distinctive enough from each other (presumably why they wore Nazi uniforms to denote rank, or lab coats).

I still didn't see the strength of Vosk as a villain. He sounds pretty reasonable, yet isn't a Kai Winn or Dukat whose talk is at first honeyed, but when you get used to it you realise how deadly and venomous it is, so he didn't quite work, though he was trying. As the 'great enemy' opposed to the Temporal Accords and potentially the most dangerous person in all history, because he wanted to change it all for his own people's benefit, I just never felt a great threat from him, either personally to individual characters, or with wider implications for the timeline, which was a slight flaw in the story, and stops it from being a classic. They needed to show the results of his meddling (beyond the US being invaded by the Nazis), in other times and places, but because he was almost helpless, his mission a negative one (just needing to return to his time of the 29th Century), he seemed weak. His speech to his men about how it is their right to decide which direction they travel through time and vanquishing those who oppose them would have carried more resonance had they been Remans as I used to think they were - coming out on top of the Romulans, their slave-drivers, it would have been a stronger sentiment to express. Maybe he was in the wrong series entirely - he did after all try to escape through the Stargate…

One thing missing from 'Enterprise' in general, and this episode in particular, was a philosophical discussion, highlighted by Vosk actively saying he refuses to be drawn into one on the ethics of time travel and intervention (sounds like Annorax), for the 'benefit of all species' (maybe not). At least Archer wasn't fooled by his poor offer to send them back to the 22nd Century if they help him, and to set it to rights once he's defeated the Time Agents! When he was saying how familiar Archer's voice was to him, it got me wondering why, until I remembered he'd either been the one to see him at the end of 'Zero Hour,' or his men had told him about the Captain. But how did he hear his voice? I was beginning to wonder if he was going to speak to Future Guy and that this was a clue to Archer somehow being that mysterious person from the future, but Future Guy doesn't appear, sadly, and we'd never find out the identity of the Suliban's benefactor. At least Silik and Daniels (unsurprisingly back from the dead, again), were included, but the end of the TCW seemed rather arbitrary - why should Vosk being defeated in this time, at this point, stop him forever? Surely, (as seen in 'Relativity' on 'Voyager'), the same man could go through time again and again as different 'versions' of himself, and could still be dangerous in another time? (A shame that the end of the TCW didn't set the Abramsverse right!). At least it could be said to be left open so other fronts might open up in future series' or films, and I hope one day they reexamine the TCW in a more detailed and satisfying way (some hope!).

The episode was nothing if not ambitious - the idea of the NX-01 in a dogfight over New York in the 1940s would have been farfetched in Season 1 (I was surprised T'Pol referred to 'shields' in the attack on Vosk's compound as I thought they didn't know about such things then, but I could be wrong). It may have bitten off a little more than it could realistically chew, but at least it tried something bold and different, a sign of the thinking for this season of a last-ditch attempt to make it the best possible. By the end of this episode, everything's right again, the timeline incursions reset (to the bizarre sight of English Prime Ministers and US Presidents in the background - I never thought I'd see the day when Margaret Thatcher appeared in Trek!), Daniels promising to leave Archer and his crew alone (though no doubt Season 5 would have seen a calamity that required someone with Archer's experience and Daniels would be back again - though with all the Trek Captain's of history to choose from why not Kirk, Picard, Sisko or Janeway? Temporal restrictions on recruitment?), they reach Earth in the proper time and all is well. It was a reset button for the series, giving Manny Coto the option to do whatever he wanted (like JJ Abrams and co. did only he didn't mess it up, alter the timeline and bring back characters in a stupid way!), and he took the sehlat by the horns and laid out a fascinating season of treats that delved into the Trek back catalogue, while giving us more 'Enterprise,' and better. At least that's how I remember it, and I look forward to being proved right as I watch it all again.

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