Enterprise Review: “Home”

The unofficial start to Season four. Temporal Wars and Xindi plots are behind us, now what?

Home

Cast & Crew

Director: Allan Kroeker
Written By: Michael Sussman

Starring
Scott Bakula as Captain
Jonathan Archer
Connor Trinneer as Chief
Engineer Charles "Trip" Tucker III
Jolene Blalock as Sub-commander
T’Pol
Dominic Keating as Lt.
Malcolm Reed
Anthony Montgomery
as Ensign Travis Mayweather
Linda Park as Ensign Hoshi
Sato
John Billingsley
as Dr. Phlox

Guest Cast
Joanna Cassidy as T’Les
Michael Reilly Burke as Koss
Ada Maris as Captain Erika Hernandez
Gary Graham as Soval
Vaughn Armstrong as Admiral Forrest
Joe Chrest as Bar Patron #1
Jim Fitzpatrick as Commander Williams
Jack Donner as Vulcan Priest

Episode Information

Originally Aired: October 22, 2004
Season: Four
Episode: Three
Production: 079

What Happened

As the Enterprise crew revels in a heroes’ welcome on Earth, Trip joins T’Pol on a trip to planet Vulcan, excited to visit her home and be introduced to her mother T’Les. But when T’Pol becomes obliged to reconsider marriage to former fiancé Koss, the future of their relationship is put in question. Meanwhile, Archer must defend some of his morally questionable decisions during the Xindi conflict before a Starfleet Command panel of inquiry. Later, Phlox experiences prejudice against aliens while taking shore leave on Earth with Malcolm and Travis.

Review

To me, this really marks the beginning of Season Four. The Storm Front episodes were merely there to tie up loose ends left over from old management.

I was really hoping for a better, but all-in-all it wasn’t bad. It was good to see the crew getting back to their homes and lives (to an extent) and not just warping off as if the last year had never happened.

I have a gut feeling about this season. Based on the next two arcs, we should be seeing some serious Trek ground work introduced and that’s the track we’ve been asking for all along, isn’t it?

High Point

The first debriefing scene. Why couldn’t this have been the basis for the episode, rather than Archer getting some “shore leave” in the mountains. Serious ethical breaches took place last year, not just the Vulcan ship, but there was torture and the abandoning of an entire crew (both of which are just mentioned).

Low Point

Xenophobia and bar fights. Talk about throw away stuff.

The Scores

Originality: Weddings and tribunals. Eh. 2 out of 6.

Effects: Hardly any for a dialogue heavy episode. 4 out of 6.

Story: It’s a bridge piece, necessary, but not all that exciting. 3 out of 6.

Acting: There’s some meat on this one for the cast to work with. 4 out of 6.

Emotional Response: I did like that T’Pol got married. No, it doesn’t end her and Trip relationship, just makes it more…interesting. 4 out of 6.

Production: Cool, Vulcan (is that an oxymoron?) 4 out of 6

Overall: The stink of old is gone, but what will it be replaced with? 4 out of 6.

Total: 25 out of 42

Next Week on Enterprise (October 29, 2004)

Borderland

After a dangerous group of genetically engineered humans called “Augments” escapes from their secluded planet intent on causing all-out war between Earth and the Klingons, the Enterprise crew is called into action and Archer enlists the help of criminal genius Dr. Arik Soong, the scientist responsible for creating the Augments.

While searching for the Augments in the Borderland — the volatile region between the Klingon Empire and the Orion Syndicate — Enterprise crosses paths with a band of ruthless Orion slave traders, who kidnap T’Pol and eight other crew members off the ship so they can be sold at auction, forcing Archer to enact a risky rescue mission with Dr. Soong’s help. More from StarTrek.com

Additional Notes and Comments

If you’re interested in what’s in TheAngryMob’s review queue, check out my What’s Coming page.

TheAngrymob

11 replies on “Enterprise Review: “Home””

  1. Slightly offtopic : USS Make-Shit-Up
    Ever since I found these little free songs on the net, I’ve grown addicted to them, especially “USS Make-Shit-Up”. Every time I see an Enterprise review, this song plays in my head. Here are the links to the mp3’s from Voltaire you can legally download.

    • Bounce the graviton particle beam off the main deflector dish…

      Ever since I found these little free songs on the net, I’ve grown addicted to them, especially “USS Make-Shit-Up”. Every time I see an Enterprise review, this song plays in my head. Here are the links to the mp3’s from Voltaire you can legally download.

      lol! Those are awsome, many thanks and gratitude!

    • Re: Slightly offtopic : USS Make-Shit-Up

      Ever since I found these little free songs on the net, I’ve grown addicted to them, especially “USS Make-Shit-Up”. Every time I see an Enterprise review, this song plays in my head. Here are the links to the mp3’s from Voltaire you can legally download.

      I like his “Screw the Okampa” as well.

      • Re: Slightly offtopic : USS Make-Shit-Up

        Ever since I found these little free songs on the net, I’ve grown addicted to them, especially “USS Make-Shit-Up”. Every time I see an Enterprise review, this song plays in my head. Here are the links to the mp3’s from Voltaire you can legally download.

        I like his “Screw the Okampa” as well.

        That one deserves a video ;-)

        I can picture the ensigns singing that in the holodeck, humming it when passing Janeway in the corridors…

  2. Vulcans?
    WTF happend to the cold, logical, emotions are for wussie humans Vulcans that I grew up with? Where did they go?

    T’Pol’s fiance offers to let her leave their marriage after a year so that she can be ‘happy’?? As if a Vulcan would factor an emotion into the equation? If he was worried about her ‘happiness’ he wouldn’t be using her mother’s career as a bludgeon to get a little somethin’ somethin’. The only vaguely Vulcan acting Vulcan was T’Pol’s mother T’Les.

    Speaking of nookie, it’s good to know that Archer’s guilt and inner demons could be solved by an away mission into Captain Hernandez’ panties.

    Still waiting for that better writing…. Maybe next week since they’re getting into the start of the Earth/Klingon conflicts.

  3. Opening theme


    It’s been a long road getting from there to here
    It’s been a long time but my time is finally here

    They’re not gonna hold me down no more
    They’re not gonna change my mind

    I was thinking about the change in management when the theme started playing, and suddenly it took on a whole new meaning.

  4. Effects score
    I’m surprised you didn’t mention either the crowd scene at the beginning or Phlox’s instinctual response in the effects score. I thought the Phlox effect was kindov weak but very funny. I thought T’Pol’s marriage at the end should have been mentioned in the emotional effect category.

    • Re: Effects score

      I thought T’Pol’s marriage at the end should have been mentioned in the emotional effect category.

      Sorry, just noticed that this was mentioned.

    • Re: Effects score

      I thought the Phlox effect was kindov weak but very funny.

      Very! I about fell off the chair: “Phlox is a pufferfish!” ;-)

  5. I’m Glad
    I’m very glad, actually, that they didn’t just rehash Amok Time with the wedding. When the challenge was mentioned, I promised myself that if they did fight, I’d turn it off – even if they did use the music.

    Overall, a weak episode though. Hopefully Spiner can inject something next week…

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