"Dead Stop"

Written by Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong
Directed by Roxann Dawson


In which the Enterprise stops at a mysterious repair station for a miracle, and finds that the price is far greater than they imagined...

Synopsis - Analysis - Memorable Quotes - Observations


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Synopsis

As the episode begins, it’s been four days since the incident in the Romulan mine field. Archer and Trip survey the total damage, and the news isn’t good. Even if the materials were in hand, it would take more than three months to repair the damage themselves. And at maximum speed, home is more than 10 years away. They can only communicate short-range. Archer is forced to ask for outside aid.

In sickbay, Reed is less than pleased with the Dr. Phlox’s methods of helping him heal the wound in his leg. It’s likely to be two weeks before Reed is able to return to full duty. In his quarters, Archer tries relaxing, but he notices that annoying squeak in the flooring again.

T’Pol informs him that a Tellarite freighter has responded to their general distress call. Their transmission is spotty at best, but they receive coordinates for a repair station nearby. Archer orders them to investigate, and they arrive in a few days. The station is apparently deserted, and scans reveal a hostile interior environment. In fact, the docking berths appear to be too small for the saucer section.

Without warning, the ship is scanned, and the station begins to transform itself. One of the docking bays reconfigures to fit the Enterprise design, and the interior environment converts to a human-friendly mixture. Archer orders the Enterprise to dock, not seeing many other options. Together with Trip and T’Pol, he goes over to the station’s central hub to find out what’s going on.

Inside, they find sterile white corridors, and nothing suggesting a regular crew. In the center of the structure is an operations deck. They notice that all of the information within the Enterprise is being downloaded, and every existing system or piece of equipment requiring repair has been identified...including members of the crew. All of the screens, in fact, are in English.

The station computer asks them to select a method of compensation. Archer tries to ask the computer some questions, but the computer does not appear to understand anything other than items related to repair. Archer is happy to exchange 200 liters of warp plasma for all the repairs. The computer gives them a repair schedule, and reminds Archer to make sure all crew members are out of the areas under repair.

As soon as Archer agrees, the station begins interfacing with the Enterprise, taking hold of the ship. The crew is offered the services of the station’s recreation facility, which is at best a gloried cafeteria. The room gives a great view of the repairs being conducted on the ship, and the tables are equipped with replicators. Archer and Trip are suitably awed, and of course, Trip orders some pan-fried catfish to test its capabilities. He also wonders if he might figure out how to take one home. Archer just annoyed that the station pillaged the database without asking.

The repairs proceed at a brisk pace, and very soon, Reed’s leg injury is completely healed by some unknown technology. Phlox is very impressed. Archer notes that even the squeak in the floor plating is gone, and he expresses his worry over the circumstances of the repair. He’s suspicious of how little they had to pay, and how there’s no record or evidence of the people who created the station.

On the station, Reed and Trip grab a bite to eat, and gush over the technology on the station. Trip wonders where the super-computer for the station is located, given the processing capacity and its relatively small size. He can’t seem to get an answer from the station computer, but he has found a vent shaft that leads to the apparent location of the computer. He convinces Reed to help him sneak into the computer chamber. They crawl into the shaft, but as soon as they get too far into the shaft, they are transported back to the Enterprise bridge. T’Pol sees them materialize, and doesn’t look impressed.

Meanwhile, Mayweather receives a request from Archer to meet him in Launch Bay One. Mayweather recalls that the launch bay is listed off limits, but Archer tells him to come anyway. When he arrives, he finds the launch bay deserted, but there is some odd damage to one of the wall panels.

Archer gives Trip and Reed a good dressing-down, and restricts them to quarters. But before they leave, he asks them if they saw anything interesting. T’Pol contacts him before they can answer, and tells him to meet her in Launch Bay One. He finds Phlox scanning Mayweather’s badly damaged body. Mayweather has been killed.

Phlox believes that the fatal injuries are due to isolytic shock, but he needs to conduct an autopsy. Trip thinks, from the damage in the wall panel, that he was tampering with the power systems. It doesn’t make sense, and Archer is damned angry about it. He orders Reed to post security around the areas under repair. Archer visits station operations, but the computer doesn’t recognize his questions about Mayweather’s death. He demands to talk to a person, who might be able to access records of what happened, but the computer continues to deny him any information.

In sickbay, Phlox begins his autopsy. Before he can get too far, Hoshi stops by to say goodbye to Mayweather. Though Phlox isn’t sure it’s a good idea, he lets her see the body. Hoshi tells Phlox a story about one of Mayweather’s practical jokes, but then Phlox notices something odd. In Mayweather’s quarters, they find nothing out of the ordinary. Reed and Archer discuss locating his parents, when Phlox asks Archer to come to sickbay.

Phlox informs Archer that the body is not Mayweather, but rather, a replicated copy of Mayweather. Phlox noticed that the microbes he used to inoculate the crew from Rigellian fever were all dead in the body, when they ought to have thrived on the isolytic energy. Phlox believes that Mayweather was abducted, and then replaced with the dead copy.

Archer speaks with Reed about their foray into the station vent system, and then arranges a surprise to arrive with their payment. He sends Trip to deal with the station computer, which involves mostly complaining about some supposed repair “issues”. Meanwhile, Archer has Reed and T’Pol join him in the vent system. Reed crawls forward until the transporter takes effect.

Archer and T’Pol disable the transporter system, and Trip runs out of the operations center before it can seal behind him. Archer and T'Pol manage to crawl into the computer core, and find dozens of humanoid bodies linked up to the central processing unit of the station’s computer. T’Pol scans the bodies, and finds that most of them are alive, but their brains have been scrambled by integration with the computer core. They find Mayweather, and begin unlinking him, even as the station begins attacking the Enterprise systems.

Archer and T’Pol blast their way out of the station computer core, and drag Mayweather back to the Enterprise. Once they’re on board, they manage to make it to the bridge. As the station begins draining their power, Archer orders Reed to detonate the explosives added to the warp plasma containers Trip delivered. Slowly but surely, the station begins to take extreme damage.

Unfortunately, one of the station’s arms has clamped onto the Enterprise, and they can’t escape. Archer orders Reed to use a couple torpedoes at close range to destroy the offending appendage. They manage to pull away as the station goes to pieces around them.

Sometime later, in sickbay, Phlox explains that the station was attempting to use Mayweather’s brain as some kind of processor. Mayweather will need time to recover, but Archer invites him to breakfast once he does. Meanwhile, back within the remains of the repair station, the pieces have already begun repairing themselves...


Analysis

One of the most common complaints about the Star Trek franchise is the apparent lack of will to take chances. Unfortunately, this episode provides yet another perfect example of that limited thinking. Not only is the key element of the plot, a computer using unwilling living victims as processing units, a rather well-tread concept, but using one of the main cast members as the victim is even more tedious.

It has been said many times that Tasha Yar’s death in the first season of “Next Generation” was due to Denise Crosby’s desire to leave. This is mentioned because the producers wouldn’t want anyone to think that the quick exit was intentional. And notice that such exits on subsequent series only seem to come under the same circumstances. The bottom line is “preserve the main cast under all circumstances”.

Well, why should this be the case? Why should any character be considered safe for any period of time on a series? Sure, there are contracts to be considered, and issues of series longevity, but I’d like to see more writers and producers willing to take the chance of shaking up the “business as usual” attitude. Cast changes, especially when certain members of the cast simply aren’t on par with the rest, ought to be considered for the sake of the writing.

Which is not to say that this is the only way that the flaw could have been repaired. What was the necessity of having a main cast member be the victim in this situation? To finally give him some screen time, and show that he’s best utilized as a corpse? Why not use some other member of the crew, and relieve the need to have the character survive?

If there was ever a situation where “Enterprise” could have resolved the ongoing issue of the crew surviving completely intact, regardless of the dire circumstances, this was one of them. Last episode was a better opportunity, sure, but this could have been slightly more horrific. And maybe that’s the problem.

Maybe the producers are trying too hard to make “Enterprise” viewer friendly, in some attempt to revitalize the franchise. Hence, no one gets killed, and all of the violence and danger comes down to smoke and mirrors. The problem with that philosophy is that we’ve seen this a million times already. Never mind that the idea was too make this series more cutting edge, to show just how dangerous space exploration was back in those early days before Kirk. So where’s the danger? I’m beginning to think that Porthos is more likely to be killed off, before any of the crew!

The sad part of it is, there are some moments in this episode that are very well done. The continuity this season has been just as excellent as last season, and that’s always a nice touch. The anger that Archer shows Reed for his apparent hypocrisy was very welcome, and the thoughtful scene between Reed and Archer over Mayweather’s apparent death was very realistic. But since we knew that the writers would never be able to actually kill one of the main cast, it was also very hollow.

For all of the writing weaknesses, the acting is well done. Beyond the continued improvement in Archer’s command style, we get more of a look at Dr. Phlox, which is always a treat. I’m still amazed at how simple vocal nuances and cadence of speech can give simple dialogue that extra “something”. Even Mayweather is passable in this episode.

But in the end, the writing drags this episode down. When the writers rely on “safe” gimmicks or cookie-cutter plots, it takes a lot to make up for what’s lacking. That’s been true for past installments of the Star Trek franchise, and it continues to be true now.


Memorable Quotes

REED: “It can’t be ethical for a doctor to cause this much pain!”
PHLOX: “It’s unethical for a doctor to cause harm...I can inflict as much pain as I like.”

TRIP: “If this is their idea of a recreation facility, I’d ask for our plasma back...”

REED: “A starship without a tactical officer? I can’t say I see the point...”

ARCHER: “You look pretty good for a dead guy!”


Observations

- Cool shot of Archer and Trip surveying the battle damage!

- Porthos! And just in time for a starring role, I believe, in next week’s episode...

- The voice of the station’s computer ought to be familiar...it’s Roxann Dawson, the director of the episode, and also the actress who portrayed B’Elanna Torres on “Voyager”!

- Figures that the humans would think of food as the first item to replicate...

- OK, Mayweather is pretty buff, but the man still has no personality!

- Oh, and what’s with that oddly phallic sculpture on his shelf?

- Was I the only one that hoped, just for a moment, that they might have actually killed off Mayweather? I mean, it’s bad, I know, but there’s just nothing to the character...

- Nice model of “Nomad” in Mayweather’s quarters!

- See, I told you it would be entertaining if Trip had a conversation with a bulkhead!

Overall, this episode was pleasant, but not very impressive. Some of the special effects were well done, but the plot was hardly original. Placing one of the main cast in apparent fatal circumstances simply doesn’t generate much sympathy anymore, because we know that Star Trek would never take such an unexpected turn. The result is a somewhat disappointing if solid effort.

I give it a 5/10.


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