Fallen Hero (2)

DVD, Enterprise S1 (Fallen Hero) (2)

Fallen hero, but ascending episode in my estimation. I didn't used to think as much of this one, but perhaps a diet of 'Discovery' has made me appreciate it more, emphasising its strong points and diminishing its weaknesses. The Mazarites, with their stupid white eyebrows that sweep into their sideburns, were never one of the best designs of the season, but I didn't mind them so much this time. And V'Lar, though I remain unhappy with her far too expressive un-Vulcan-like speech and facial movements, wasn't too much of an irritant - at least she wasn't an existing character repurposed to ruin that character (see: Sarek). I love Fionnula Flanagan, and not only for her terrific name, but because she's one of those great female guest stars that has made an impact on the Trek universe, first through her portrayal of a woman out of the Dax symbiont's past in 'DS9' ('Dax'), and then as Data's Mother in 'TNG' ('Inheritance'), in both cases providing an affecting and defining moment for a main character. She does the same here with T'Pol, although as I always say, I don't like Vulcans that portray emotion as if its just under the surface rather than buried deep below, and V'Lar is yet another stain on the previous portrayal of this most fascinating species. At the same time there is some accounting for her more open and accepting demeanour in that she's an Ambassador to a troubled race, plus, like Spock later in his life, she's an old woman, learned in experience.

Unlike Spock she doesn't have the excuse of being half-human, but she has developed the skill to play roles as part of the mission she's taken on. Still, I don't buy Flanagan as a Vulcan and feel it to be her weakest contribution to Trek, even while I still warm to her as an actress. It's not her fault, either, it appears to have been the misguided people in charge that wanted actors to play the Vulcans in this way, as we've seen in every Vulcan episode starting with the pilot, and the greatest crime of 'Enterprise.' If she hadn't been a Vulcan it would have been better, but I also wish we'd been able to see Flanagan as a traditional example of the race because I'm sure she'd have pulled it off wonderfully. I remember my Aunt liking this episode, and she was someone for whom the series never appealed, despite enjoying all the previous series' - I suspect it was because an older woman was pivotal to the story, and it is good to have age represented, something that frequently isn't the case, but used to be better balanced in the franchise (I put it down to the decision to alter its appeal towards younger, less discerning generations through the 'Summer blockbuster' Kelvin films), though 'Picard' has singlehandedly taken on that area in the modern era. As it is, though the episode is focused on her, V'Lar is not really the point. She's there to hit the nail on the head about the growth of trust in, and faith between, Captain Archer and T'Pol.

Much like Commander Sisko and Kira by the end of 'DS9' Season 1, and Captain Janeway and Chakotay in 'Voyager,' though they began with various degrees of distrust and uncertainty, they have continued the rewarding Trek tradition of finding the good in each other. That is the theme of this episode, set amid the backdrop to a deadly chase that pushes the NX-01 to its absolute limits in classic Trek style. The chase was expertly handled, an excellent example of how making the ship inferior to many other races out there actually created more drama as they can barely hold their own against the Mazarites, these nondescript one-episode wonders. But we care so much more about the fate of the ship because we care about the crew, and V'Lar has some influence on that. T'Pol's conviction that the venerable Ambassador is not guilty of the crimes for which she's been ordered off-world in disgrace, turns into a personal plea to Jonathan Archer that he move from his adamant position of going against the risk and returning her back to Mazar. Archer still doesn't trust Vulcans on the whole, he's been burned too many times, but the person he does trust is T'Pol, and for her he changes his mind. It's a fantastic moment in the development of these characters and is the kind of thing that had the series done more of, it could have become the best. Later failures to achieve such quality of writing don't detract from this episode, and in fact it makes you drawn further towards this one.

The only thing about the central premise, Archer's decision to return V'Lar to Mazar, that doesn't make a lot of sense is that he does it out of outrage that his ship wasn't prepared to go into battle. He deems it safer to return rather than potentially run into more rebel Mazar ships and put the crew in jeopardy when he doesn't know the reason why. But surely going back to Mazarite space would be heading back into the lion's den and actually increase the risk, unless these rebels knew where they were going and had been posted along the route. But that's the only logic problem for me and the rest of it hinges on the tight bond between Archer and T'Pol, so gratifying to see. I loved how V'Lar finally agreed to open up to T'Pol and allowed her to speak with the Captain because she could see the trust Archer had engendered in his First Officer. And Archer won't risk his crew on the word of a stranger, but he will for T'Pol after all they've been through. When V'Lar goes to Archer and tells all I really wanted her to say that she's coming to him now because she's seen the trust T'Pol puts in him, just as Archer puts his trust in T'Pol, but I felt there could be an implication there, and certainly by the end when she takes their leave (wishing T'Pol will "Live long and prosper," though I so wanted her to also perform the hand salute!), it's clear from the way she says she senses a strong bond between the pair.

I'd never considered this before, and it shows how 'Enterprise' didn't entirely succeed in what it was trying to do, mainly because it wasn't entirely sure what it was trying to do, other than keep a Trek series going, but when V'Lar speaks about T'Pol and Archer's friendship boding well for human and Vulcan relations, it could be seen as the foundation structure for the whole Federation to be: Archer was clearly instrumental in bringing about this coalition that would become the formal Federation we know and love, and T'Pol played a great part in his overcoming of anti-Vulcan prejudices, so together, the pair of them were the basis upon which all of Trek was built. It's a little paining to realise that this should have been the rock-steady core of the series and they should have done more overt stories and development in this direction, because if I'm only seeing it now on the third or fourth viewing of the series, then that flags up a loss of such great opportunity. It shouldn't have been a revelation! While we get hints towards the human/Vulcan future, we also get a little further detail shaded in on another Federation member world: Andoria is said to have been visited by Vulcans a few years before they made first contact with Earth, suggesting the blue-skinned ones were only a little more advanced than humans ninety-odd years ago, though their aggressive tendencies would explain why their ships, weapons and experience with other races seem so much more advanced.

Reading between the lines you can speculate that they were like the Lore to Earth's Data, humans meekly going along with big brother Vulcan's advice and instruction, while the Andorians much more quickly threw off the shackles and preferred to make their own way, causing more destruction and difficult times along the way, and would explain the far frostier relations between them and the Vulcans. I love this kind of nuance that can be read into the actions of the characters we see in the series, really bringing alive the cultures and historical fallout between races. It also shows the Vulcans haven't always got things right. And yet, though they aren't the almost perfect race we came to know by the 24th Century (I really hope 'Picard' doesn't mess them up, but I don't hold out much hope since it's been demonstrated in 'DSC' so often that the nuances of different eras are irrelevant to this modern production group), V'Lar does portray some of their best qualities. Her voice and manners may be a little too expressive for my taste, but she behaves in the way we expect: when Archer demands an explanation for the attack on his ship, rather than lie, she simply says she 'has no answers' for him - ah, the Vulcan way with words! And when T'Pol tries to get her to reveal the truth she says Vulcans have kept many things from humans, all for good reason, which shows she's still of the same mindset as many of her race that humans aren't ready for some things, perhaps a small sign of her own prejudices that Archer helps to dispel.

The most important part of her character is her selfless devotion to the mission she's been tasked with. It's not that she fears her own death at the hands of this insidious faction of Mazarite life, but that she wants the people to be free of them. She's been investigating at the request of the Mazarite government and only the threat to her life before she can be called to bring her evidence, forces them to pretend she's been expelled. T'Pol was right about her good character and motives, and is pleased when she finds this hero of hers who inspired her to join the Vulcan Science Council, ultimately leading to her posting on the NX-01, is all that she seemed, and even remembers her. But V'Lar doesn't know her and so she remains remote at first, even while she's so open with her thoughts and happy to talk with the crew. Only when she understands T'Pol better does she refer to their first meeting many years before. Her hero status continues when she sees no way to protect the human ship from the three pursuing Mazarite craft, other than giving herself up, but little does she know the tenacity of Archer and his crew. That's another fine success of the episode, that everyone is on the Bridge doing their job in the race to escape, coming up with other options when they know their engines will eventually let them down.

Trip's in Engineering pumping those engines for everything they've got, taking them right up to the maximum rated speed of Warp 5 for the first time ever. Travis is at the Helm, keeping the course straight and steady, Hoshi sends out a message to the Vulcan ship they're due to rendezvous with, with the help of V'Lar's code, and Reed comes up with a way to mask the enemy sensors so they don't detect when the Sh'Rann is approaching. Even Phlox plays his part by bluffing the invading Mazarites that V'Lar is in the imaging chamber and can't be removed without killing her. A couple of points with this: I did wonder why Archer didn't have teams of Security to capture the Mazarites, as all they needed were a few minutes, so if they were incapacitated it might have given the Vulcans time to arrive. Also, wouldn't the Mazarites want to see a body rather than firing blindly into the chamber? I also felt that V'Lar's triumphant appearance as they leave Sickbay was too un-Vulcan-like and not a sensible idea - after all, they could have strangled her with their bare hands. One thing I absolutely loved was the way the Vulcan ship comes barrelling in majestically like big brother come to break up a scuffle that's beneath them, Phasers ripping into Mazarite hull and the Captain appearing onscreen in Sickbay to bluntly and dispassionately instruct the Mazarites to turn over their weapons immediately or their ships will be destroyed. He was a Proper Vulcan, just the kind I want, not a trace of emotion!

One reason I was never so keen on this episode on previous viewings was the way it began. It's a little too free with intimate details in the opening scene where T'Pol suggests the crew may need a 'relaxing of tension,' and Risa fits the bill. I know they were setting up 'Two Days and Two Nights,' but though they were trying to make a cute, funny scene, the frankness didn't seem all that appropriate, even behind closed doors for the Captain, First Officer and Chief Engineer. It doesn't seem all that likely a Vulcan would be the one to recommend Risa, either, although I'll admit I did like the confirmation that Vulcans do indeed mate only once every seven years. I'm surprised how little suggestion there is that anyone was miffed that after heading off to the pleasure planet they don't make it and are instead called away on a mission, as that might have made for a good scene between some of the lesser-used characters, like Mayweather. I know they're Starfleet so we expect the best from them, but it would be human nature, especially in the 22nd Century, for them to show some disappointment at shore leave being postponed. I did like Archer's approach to the idea being so similar to Scotty: it'll give him time to catch up on some work! Admiral Forrest shows support for Archer - he always seems to be so sympathetic, as if his hand is forced, this is the only thing they can do, even when Archer gets a bit explosive with him, venting more anger at the Vulcans. He's such a conciliatory commanding officer, so far from many of the high-handed Admirals we've seen over the years that require obedience and nothing more, that he'd have made a good Ambassador himself.

Another reason the episode didn't sit so well in the past was the setting up of expectations for V'Lar as this very stolid, serious Vulcan and she turns out to be yet another 'alternative' type as we'd seen so many times this season. Yes, it throws T'Pol for a loop and puts the crew on V'Lar's side - a wise precaution to get in with them when her life was at risk, though it was as much about her innate interest in other species as a canny move. But the way T'Pol goes to all this trouble it would have been good if she had had a traditional Vulcan to deal with. A moment I love is when Hoshi's accommodatingly given up her accommodations for the sake of the visiting dignitary and T'Pol sniffs the air in the Quarters dissatisfiedly. They later make a direct comment about it when T'Pol apologises for the human smell, which wasn't necessary - I got the reference that Vulcans find humans rather pungent and they didn't need further highlighting of it, even while I applaud the attention to detail. Saying that, if T'Pol was apologising for the smell in Hoshi's Quarters, assuming V'Lar was about to refer to it, why does she later take her to those Quarters as if it's the first time she's been there? I suppose they do all look alike to a visitor, so it's possible she was letting her know they'd arrived in case the Ambassador didn't recognise they were back at the Quarters she'd been shown to earlier.

The series remembers even the little details, as shown by the reminder of Vulcan nasal sensitivity, and something else that is laid down in the lore is an inability for the ship to fire Phasers while at warp. The dinky Phaser Cannon looked great and you get a good sense of temporary victory when they use it to knock the first Mazarite ship out of the pursuit, much to Reed's pleasure. He reports that he's been working on improving the weapon so it won't blow out the nacelles when used at warp, but I like these wrinkles in the technology because it gives them something to overcome and shows the limitations of the time. Archer comes across well, all righteous indignation that he's been used by the Vulcans yet again, then overcoming his distaste and distrust through the mediation and judgement of T'Pol. I also enjoy his quick wit as rather than simply accede to the demands of the Mazarites to hand over his charge, he stalls for time, using the alien Captain's own words about basically not being in the loop and knowing nothing about it, needing to contact his superiors. It shows he has a strong diplomatic bent and doesn't either give in so easily, nor immediately become officious or belligerent, gaining the character more respect. I thought the blue of his off-duty clothes were reminiscent of the old 'TOS' uniforms from 'The Cage' and 'Where No Man Has Gone Before' (you know, the ones that 'DSC' totally ignored and continue to do so, but were established as the uniform of that period!), so I wonder if that was a deliberate touch or just me?

I thought I recognised the Mazarite Captain's face, and I see he went on to play, ironically, Vulcan Minister Kuvak late in the series (the Vulcan three-parter of Season 4), though I probably recognised him better as one of the human descendants whose forebears were captured by aliens in 'The 37s' on 'Voyager,' in both cases the good guy of the piece. The other Mazarite speaking role, the official contacting them from Mazar, was also played by someone who'd previously been on another Trek series and would return in an 'Enterprise' Season 4 three-parter: J. Michael Flynn was in 'The Hunted' on 'TNG' and went on to be a Romulan (Nijil, or 'Nigel' as I like to call him!), in the Andorian three-parter. But of course the main guest was Fionnula, sadly in her last role in Trek. I doubt she's still acting as this was almost twenty years ago and she was no spring chicken so I very much doubt she'll follow Clint Howard as one of the few to make the leap into the third age of Trek, more's the pity because it is much thanks to actors of her calibre for adding so much to Trek over the years, and even if I don't relish her role here, it's for ideological differences rather than any fault in her ability. I was wrong to judge it so harshly before and so it was a pleasant surprise to discover that, as well as the link to one of my favourite early 'TNG' episodes: T'Shanik from 'Coming of Age' has the same home city as the place T'Pol met V'Lar, Vulcana Regar.

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