Star Trek Enterprise 4.16 - Divergence (Discussion/Spoilers)

[Ravenseye]

I gotta say I like Captain Hernandez. Better than Archer. I wonder what the ratings for Enterprise would have been if she had been the Captain of the NX-01 from the start. Or someone like her. I wonder if they thought they couldn't have another woman captain because the last one was a chick?

Anyway, here we go again with some more attempts to explain low budget 1960's sci-fi. The Klingons look like humans then because they have infected themselves with a virus from human augment DNA to try and make klingon augments. Phlox is kidnapped last episode and this one he cures the virus, without making them augments, but it makes them look human.

Ok so that explains why klingons look like humans in TOS. My question is how do you explain going from their current use of technology to everything being flips and switches, and all information in the computer getting stored on 'microdisks' that are red, yellow, green...

I liked the story, but I think maybe this was Coto's first real misfire for me. I don't think the whole Klingon thing needed to be explained. Yes I know that they went back on DS9 and saw the klingons and asked worf, and he said 'we don't talk about it' or something....blah blah blah...that was a funny funny. I just think this was unnecessary.

[YankeyMCC]

1. I was highly skeptical...

of the plans to explain Klingon foreheads. But I have to say that part of the story worked for me.

If anything ruined this episode for me it was the Sec 31 silliness.

[Ravenseye]

2. Section 31 Need Not Have Been Explained

Of all the things in the Star Trek Universe to put a spin on I think Section 31 was a bit unnecessary. So they existed all they way back then? Prior to the federation? Then existed throughout TOS and TNG and then made an appearance in a few episodes of DS9? That's something that needs backstory?

The whole Klingon forehead thing. Well it's not like the story didn't make sense. It was fairly creative and tied in the Augment storyline.

My problem is that there are half a million things that you could point at with TOS and say 'why?'. So they didn't have browridges then. They do now, so therefore just ignore it. Why did everything look really brightly painted? Why did all the tech seem to go downhill? You go from complex computer screens and displays to absolutely shitty ones. Explain that? You don't because it's unnecessary.

It's just not somethign that ever bothered me I guess, and 'explaining' it gives validation to having to explain all the other weirdness in TOS as far as continuity goes.

[YankeyMCC]

3. I agree

They shouldn't knock themselves out trying to explain this stuff. I just glad they did a decent job with the forehead thing since they took it on anyway.

[Ravenseye]

4. They did a decent job

They could have really screwed things up, instead it made a certain amount of sense.

I still have a few problems with it based on the fact that I've read a few Star Trek books and guides in the past. I recall one saying that the first time that humans ever saw klingons with brow ridges was in the broadcast they intercepted at the begining of the first movie. Now of course this was the first time that anyone had seen the brow ridges on screen, but in the whole of continuity?

It was explained in this book that the klingons used cosmetic surgery prior to that time in order to better conquer and face human explorers, to use subterfuge etc.

The whole explanation from there just sounded bad. Of course that was not canon and in the past 20 years many of the things written in even those official publications has been overwritten and changed.

There are other things from continuity that they've tied in very nicely, even things that need not have been done. One thing I did like, and not from this episode, was when they were on Vulan during that three parter and they had to run from a Scelot. It's mentioned that T'Pol had one as a child, etc..."you dont' forget to feed your pet Scelot". It didn't ring any bells with me. Then this past week they rebroadcast the Babel episode from TOS, with Sarek and Spock's mother, Tellaraites and an Andorian. Kirk asked Spock's mother if he ever exhibited any human characteristics, and she said he had a Scelot. She said it was like a big teddy bear. Kirk raised his eyebrow at Spock. "A Teddy Bear Spock?" and Spock replied something like. "Yes Captain, though on Vulcan the Teddy Bears are alive, and have six inch fangs."

That was a nice piece of continuity tie in.

[coloradodem2005]

5. I thought the Section 31 thing was interesting.

I liked that they tied Enterprise into something during the later seasons of DS9. I feel that it added a little more complexity to Reed as well.

[Orsino]

6. Interesting...

I dug the Section 31 intrigue, while thinking that the whole Klingon augment plague thing felt hurriedly slapped together. I liked john Schuck, while Captain Hernandez seems a bit of a zero.

Reed's closing line came out of nowhere; why did he suddenly drop whatever it was that led him to conceal vital information from his crew? If the needs of the many really did outweigh the needs of the few, why did he dis Harris?

So the Klingon captain who was willing to wipe out an entire planetary population to stop the plague chickened out when it was his own @$$ on the line? If he was that cowardly, his decision deserved some exposition--as did Reed's decision, and as Phlox' decision to create augments, etc.

In general, I think there was a whole lot of telling, and a distinct lack of the showing that Enterprise has usually done so well. This could be a result of their trying to squeeze a three-episode arc into two hours.

[Endangered Specie]

7. I thought the whole warp speed rope 'climb' was interesting.

albeit a little bit far fetched. :)

[coloradodem2005]

8. I just liked two Identical ships upside down from each other.