"The Expanse"

Written by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga
Directed by Allan Kroeker


In which Earth is attacked by an alien race as a part of the ongoing Temporal Cold War, leading Archer to make a fateful decision about the mission of the NX-01...

Synopsis - Analysis - Memorable Quotes - Observations


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Synopsis

As the episode begins, a mysterious probe emerges into space above Earth. It immediately begins carving a huge gash into the planet, beginning in Florida and extending all the way into South America. Then, without warning, it breaks apart, the main body of the probe careening towards the surface. Meanwhile, on Qo’nos, Duras is chastised by what appears to be the Klingon High Council for failing to retrieve the “rebels” aided by Enterprise, as well as failing to recapture Archer.

On Enterprise, the senior staff is brought together into a conference room. Archer walks in after a call from Admiral Forrest, and informs the crew about the attack on Earth. He explains that the preliminary estimates are one million dead. Enterprise has been recalled without further explanation, but the meeting ends as Archer is called into yet another call with Admiral Forrest.

Shortly afterward, Trip visits Archer in his quarters. He wants to know what part of Florida was attacked, because his younger sister lived there. Trip is obviously very worried about his sister’s fate, but Archer can only tell him that the death toll is up to three million. T’Pol arrives to inform Archer that the Vulcans tracked the remains of the probe to Asia, where it was retrieved and taken to Starfleet HQ. A pilot was recovered from the wreckage, but nothing more is known.

Without warning, Reed informs Archer that eight Suliban ships have converged on Enterprise. Before Archer can react, Suliban board Enterprise and transport him to one of their vessels. Once there, Archer is greeted by Silik. Archer assumes that Silik was behind the attack, but Silik simply explains that there is someone who wishes to speak with him. Silik is unaware of the details.

Archer is taken into a room, where Silik’s benefactor from the future stands in holographic silhouette. The Future Man explains that a race called the Xindi was behind the attack on Earth, because people from the future informed the Xindi that Earth would destroy their world in 400 years. The Future Man claims that the Xindi are building a far more powerful weapon, thanks to help from a rival faction in the Temporal Cold War. Archer, aware that the Future Man has been behind Silik’s activities since day one, isn’t sure why he should believe what he’s hearing. The Future Man believes that Archer simply has no choice.

Archer is returned to Enterprise, where he speaks with T’Pol about what he was told. T’Pol, of course, has doubts about the honesty of the Future Man. Archer, on the other hand, wants T’Pol’s support, regardless of what the truth might be.

As Enterprise returns home, they learn that the final death toll from the Xindi attack exceeds seven million. But before they can rest after their journey, they are attacked by a Klingon Bird of Prey, with Duras in command. Duras manages to badly damage Enterprise with its disruptors, and Duras sends a message that he wants Archer alive. But before Duras can board the wounded Enterprise, Starfleet fighters arrive from Earth and drive off Duras.

Soon, Enterprise is in orbit over Earth. At Starfleet HQ, Forrest tells Archer that his story about the Future Man is not being well received. Predictably, Vulcan Ambassador Soval finds the concept impossible, and believes that Archer is being manipulated. For his part, Archer wants to find the Xindi and determine whether or not they are really the culprits behind the attack.

Soval explains to Archer that the coordinates given for the Xindi homeworld are located within an area of space called the Delphic Expanse. Vulcan exploration has not gone well there, and apparently that region of space is riddled with unknown species and bizarre space anomalies. Soval cautions that Humanity is not ready for such an experience, but Archer is willing to take the risk.

Soval attributes Archer’s stance to the captain’s impulsive nature, and Forrest agrees that some kind of proof would be needed for Archer’s story to be believed. Archer surprises them both by showing Soval and Forrest that “quantum dating” of the probe wreckage indicates a negative age on some of the components. Soval reminds Archer that the Future Man said that only communication from the future was possible, so Archer’s contention that the components came from the future is not supported.

As Enterprise is repaired, Archer is called to sickbay by a Vulcan doctor who claims to be concerned that Archer was exposed to some kind of rare radiation while inspecting the wreckage of the probe. However, the Vulcan doctor begins asking pointed questions about Archer’s mental well-being, prompting Phlox to look into the Vulcan’s background. Phlox ends the evaluation when he discovers that the Vulcan doctor is really a psychiatric analyst.

Trip and Reed go to Florida to inspect the damage firsthand after Trip learns that his sister was home when the attack occurred. Trip is positive that his sister and her family were victims of the probe’s attack. Meanwhile, after days of debate, Archer learns that his request to find the Xindi has been approved. Forrest shows Archer the NX-02, which ought to be completed in 14 months...and armed with all of the weapons and defensive upgrades that Enterprise is being refit with.

Additionally, a team of military personnel will be added to the Enterprise crew. Forrest is worried about how Archer will be able to handle military involvement with a Starfleet mission, but Archer is confident that he will be able to handle it. Archer is also confident that he will be able to find the Xindi, even though their exact location in the Expanse was not indicated.

T’Pol visits Phlox, and wonders why he is so comfortable about staying on Enterprise. T’Pol has been told by the Vulcan High Command that she is not to accompany Archer into the Delphic Expanse. Phlox explains that his loyalty is to Archer. At the same time, he figures that T’Pol must decide if her loyalty is with Archer or the High Command.

Reed shows Trip the newly designed photonic torpedoes, which will require some upgrades to the Enterprise torpedo tubes. When Reed asks Trip about whether or not there will be a memorial service for the victims of the attack, Trip angrily snaps at Reed for intruding.

Soval asks Archer to view a communication from a Vulcan ship that entered the Delphic Expanse. The Vulcans were clearly driven mad by their time in the Expanse. Soval practically begs Archer to reconsider, and when Archer refuses, Soval asks T’Pol to speak with him. T’Pol has been reassigned to the Vulcan Ministry of Information until the Enterprise is scheduled to return. Soval explains that T’Pol was determined to be too influenced by Humanity to remain on Earth. When T’Pol argues that she should stay on Enterprise, Soval warns her that defying the High Command would result in her dismissal.

As Archer prepares to depart, he informs Forrest that Enterprise will be taking a short detour to Vulcan to drop off T’Pol to her new assignment. As Enterprise gets underway, Duras watches in anticipation of launching another attack once Enterprise is on its own.

Archer and Trip share a drink, and discuss T’Pol’s impending departure. Archer admits that he initially disapproved of T’Pol, but now even Trip has to admit that she has her moments. Archer muses how he found himself focusing mostly on the safety of the crew, rather than the larger stakes. Trip wants Archer to take a hard line in the Expanse, and Archer promises to do whatever it takes to find those responsible for the attack on Earth.

Their conversation is interrupted when Duras unleashes another assault on Enterprise. Archer orders Reed to try out the new photonic torpedoes. The increased yield of the Enterprise’s weapons surprises Duras, as does the enhanced armor plating. Duras is forced to call off the attack so he can have his warp engines repaired. Archer resolves to get into Vulcan space before Duras can resume his vendetta.

Shortly afterward, T’Pol asks to speak with Archer. T’Pol has decided that she wants to remain on Enterprise, even knowing the consequences. Archer is more than a little shocked, especially when T’Pol explains that she has decided to resign her commission with the High Command. T’Pol insists that Archer needs her when he takes Enterprise into the Expanse. Archer informs the crew that they are no longer going to Vulcan, and orders them to make best speed to the Delphic Expanse.

Seven weeks later, Enterprise arrives on the fringe of the Expanse. They are confronted by a thick layer of concealing clouds on the perimeter of the Expanse. As they head inside, they are forced to slow down to a fraction of impulse power, but they determine that they can remain in contact with Starfleet using communications buoys.

Unfortunately, they are also confronted by Duras again, who has brought a couple more friends along for his latest attempt to run down Archer. Duras demands that Archer surrender, but Archer’s patience has just about run out. Archer realizes that if they make it into the Expanse, the Klingons will not follow. Only Duras is willing to follow Archer.

Duras starts slamming Enterprise with weapons fire, while foolishly diverting all shield power to the front of his Bird of Prey to deflect Enterprise’s photonic torpedoes. Archer realizes that Duras is leaving his flank exposed, and orders Mayweather to loop around behind Duras. Once in position, Enterprise destroys Duras’ Bird of Prey.

With the Klingons dealt with, Archer orders the crew to take the ship into the Expanse...


Analysis

If there is anything that can be said about this episode, it is that the pace is definitely much faster than most of the episodes this season. The upside to the pacing is that there is a sense of urgency and peril that underscores every single scene. The downside is that a vast amount of time is covered in about 42 minutes, with some editing problems that leave the audience wondering how much was left out.

This season finale amounts to a pilot episode for a new direction or phase for the series, and as a result, it really should have been covered over two episodes. The attack on Earth is depicted far too quickly, leaving the impact to the resulting dialogue. It’s horrible to hear that seven million people died, but beyond Trip’s reaction to the loss of his sister, there’s a sense of detachment.

The quick pacing also makes it hard to recognize how much time is passing. At least four months pass by from the beginning of the episode to the end, jumping forward to roughly September 2153. That probably works well in terms of the series timeline, but unless that sweep of time is communicated by what is seen on the screen, it’s a bit of a jarring concept.

Thankfully, this new direction does not completely wipe out the conception of the series to this point. The attack of the Xindi probe is cleverly tied into the larger concerns of the Temporal Cold War, which has not seen nearly enough play this season. Instead of rebooting the entire series, the introduction of the Xindi actually raises the existing stakes. That is a nice touch that is rarely seen with Berman and Braga, at least not this season.

Of course, that clever twist is countered by an equally problematic issue of continuity. Something like the probe attack, especially given the body count and effect on the landscape, doesn’t seem like something that would have been dismissed in future generations. More than that, there is very nearly a state of war between Humans and Klingons, which was not supposed to be the case in this time period.

Perhaps Berman and Braga have always intended the Temporal Cold War to be the ultimate reset button, as has been the speculation since the series began. As has been said before, that kind of cheat would be extremely disappointing, unless some kind of ingenious twist were used to make some measure of the series relevant to the rest of the franchise.

Setting franchise continuity aside, it’s good to see some of the series continuity coming together. The scene between Trip and Archer actually ties into the events of “Cogenitor”, which was unexpected. For Trip, this is the perfect time to turn around and chastise Archer for being too indecisive in his recent dealings. It’s interesting that Archer seems willing to consider Trip’s point of view, especially in light of his confrontations with Soval.

Despite how his character is sometimes portrayed, Archer often defers to the Vulcan wisdom. More than that, Archer seems to have fallen into the trap of complacency, as though the myriad dangers of the universe are less bothersome than the immediate problems of the crew. Having proven that Humanity deserves to be in space, and having gained some small measure of respect from Soval and the Vulcans, it’s time that Archer took the next step and started acting like a leader.

That seems to be the direction that Archer is being led, just as Trip’s good-natured demeanor has taken a huge hit. Equally, T’Pol’s decision to stand with Archer rather than bow to the edicts of the Vulcan High Command suggest character development. That’s a nice touch, but it needs to be a bit more well-defined than it has been in the past.

It all comes back to the question of character depth. T’Pol and Phlox have been rather well rounded out over the past two years, with T’Pol’s personal development covered very clearly since the beginning of the series. However, as noted for previous episodes, the human characters have suffered from a lack of distinctiveness.

What the series could use is a more structured plan for character development, so that any lack of pre-planned story arcs could be compensated by the depth of the character interaction. Of course, that would require some measure of ongoing consequences, well beyond a simple allusion to a previous episode here and there. That has always been a weak point for the franchise.

Just as T’Pol’s character has taken a clear journey from allegiance to the Vulcan High Command to allegiance to Archer, the other characters need to move in equally compelling directions. An example of a missed opportunity is the lack of real drama in Mayweather’s supposed conflict between his family’s cargo transport culture and the Starfleet world that is supplanting it. Not only could that have defined Mayweather as a person, but it would have given some insight into the time period.

The writers have lost several chances to take advantage of Hoshi’s unique abilities, preferring instead to rely more and more on the convenience of the universal translator. Not only does that betray the original conception of the translator as a definite work-in-progress, but it robs Hoshi of any real involvement in most situations. The only way to save the character is to have her abilities brought back into the forefront and made part of a larger context, which the Xindi scenario ought to provide.

Reed seemed to be getting some good character development earlier in the season, but that slacked off as the episodes turned more towards Trip. The result was a lack of interest in the character, since his background was more or less covered, then left to its own devices. Perhaps the best way to make the character interesting again is to develop professional and personal conflict between Reed and the military personnel that have been brought on board.

What would be a massive mistake, and one that was made on “Voyager” with the Borg orphans, is any kind of emphasis on the incoming military personnel. On “Voyager”, the minor characters began to get more character depth than the main characters that had been on the series for several years. It diluted whatever remained of the core identity of the series.

Similarly, two seasons have been wasted in terms of developing the human characters. There are ways to bring those characters back into focus and move them forward through involving conflicts, but that would require a dedication to the characters that already exist. Perhaps it’s simply a matter of putting the characters first, instead of trying to stuff them into whatever box of convenience a given episode requires.

Bringing the Enterprise so abruptly into a dangerous and uncharted area of space strips away some of the more interesting aspects of the first two seasons. Certainly the Klingons shouldn’t be an issue, and the ongoing test of wills between Earth and Vulcan doesn’t seem to apply. However, that isolation gives the series the perfect backdrop for character study, and the writers would be wise to capitalize on that opportunity.

Ultimately, this episode served its purpose. Though it verged on a Cliffs Notes version of events at times, the setup of the next phase of “Enterprise” has been achieved. There is a realistic impetus for the characters to begin changing, moving away from the complacency that has plagued the second season. If the writers actually manage to develop a more formal arc for at least part of the third season, then the series might actually begin to live up to its potential.


Memorable Quotes

TRIP: “Maybe you should pay more attention to upgrading those weapons, so you can blow the hell out of these bastards when we find them!”

TRIP: “I can’t wait to get in there, captain. Finding the people who did this. And tell me we won’t be tiptoeing around. None of that non-interference crap T’Pol’s always shoving down our throats. Maybe it’s a good thing she’s leaving.”
ARCHER: “We’ll do what we have to, Trip. Whatever it takes.”

DURAS: “Surrender, or be destroyed.”
ARCHER: “Go to hell!”


Observations

- Oddly enough, the attack on Earth feels almost sterile, given how quickly and surgically it is conducted...

- It’s good to finally see Trip get some meaningful character material, even if it’s something so tragic!

- Enterprise returns to Earth on April 24, 2153...which means that it took less than a month to return home at top speed. Exactly where has Enterprise been going over the past two years? In a circle?

- Since when are Klingon Birds of Prey contemporary to “Enterprise”? They are Romulan in origin, so does this mean that the Klingons and Romulans were allies in the 22nd century?

- Who else wanted to see what “anatomic inversion” looks like?

- Soval’s dialogue in Forrest’s office is overdubbed...notice how only half the words match up!

- As odd as “quantum dating” sounds, it’s not entirely hard to believe that such a thing could be possible...

- Archer should know how those components might have come from the future, since he managed a similar journey in “Shockwave, Part II”!

- What kind of name is Fe’rat for a Vulcan?

- I love Phlox in this episode, especially his outburst at the Vulcan doctor...

- If Archer was given coordinates for the Xindi homeworld, why is their exact location in the Expanse considered unknown?

- Apparently either Berman or Braga is a fan of “Event Horizon”, considering that video of the Vulcans!

- Then again, who was filming that video, anyway?

- Is it me, or does it feel like a huge chunk of the drinking scene in Archer’s quarters was cut out?

- I’m glad that Archer is making an effort to be more resolute, but can’t he act tough without looking like he’s constipated?

- So it took Duras seven weeks to fix his warp drive and find Enterprise again?

- Cool shot of the Enterprise within the Mutara Nebula...er, I mean, the Delphic Expanse...

- Also a very nice shot of Enterprise taking out Duras and flying through the resulting debris!

- I love how Archer has to pose before ordering the Enterprise into the Expanse...

Overall, this episode was an effective if brutally abrupt shift to a more promising direction for the series. The new mission ought to provide more than enough opportunity for character development and some much-needed series continuity, as well as the chance to continue the concept of the Temporal Cold War. Still, the choppy editing and somewhat unremarkable use of mass destruction leave room for improvement.

I give it a 7/10.


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