Enterprise Review: “Demons”

2nd from the last. Next week it all comes to an end!

Demons

Cast & Crew

Director: LeVar Burton
Written By: Manny Coto

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

Guest Cast
Peter Weller as John Frederick Paxton
Harry Groener as Nathan Samuels
Eric Pierpoint as Harris
Peter Mensah as Greaves
Patrick Fischler as Mercer
Adam Clark as Josiah
Steven Rankin as Colonel Green
Johanna Watts as Gannet Brooks
Tom Bergeron as Coridan Ambassador
Christine Romeo as Khouri

Episode Information

Originally Aired: May 6, 2004
Season: Four
Episode: Twenty
Production: 096

What Happened

On Earth for a historic Starfleet conference to ratify the coalition of planets, Archer and the crew uncover a plot by a radical xenophobic group of humans called Terra Prime, led by Paxton, who want to put an end to the increasing number and influence of aliens on Earth. Meanwhile, although T?Pol contends she has never been pregnant, she and Trip learn that Terra Prime has information about their child. Later, a female reporter from Travis’ past pursues him for a story.

Review

3rd from the end and it’s showing. Or maybe it’s just me, knowing that only two more episodes are left and there’s nothing in pipe after that. Anyway, we’re treated to an uber-creepy villain, a decent, if well-trodden, plot, and the beginnings of the Federation. Enjoy it while it lasts.

High Point

  • Peter Weller creeps the hell out of me. Good casting choice.

Low Point

  • “Hey we haven’t seen each other in four years, but let’s swap bodily fluids.” I’m no prude, but doesn’t this type of writing bother anyone else?

The Scores

Originality: Nothing new to Star Trek about tackling racism, but it seems to have lost some of its bite along the way. 3 out of 6.

Effects: A flying building? Someone’s been watching too much anime. 5 out of 6.

Story: I’m sure the writers were trying for a more 9/11 approach to xenophobia, but it really doesn’t come off. Still a decent story, but not as much punch as I’d like. 4 out of 6.

Acting: Weller is creepy as all get out. 5 out of 6.

Emotional Response: There’s a little tension with the baby, but it’s really not enough to get you on the edge of your seat. 4 out of 6.

Production: Lunar sets are nice and dirty. 5 out of 6

Overall: I get the feeling the cast just isn’t into this anymore. They aren’t really trying too hard for their perfomances. I can’t say I blame them. 3 out of 6.

Total: 29 out of 42

Enterprise’s Final Episodes

Friday’s it gang!

Next Time on Enterprise (May 13, 2005)

Terra Prime

In the first steps towards the foundation of the Federation, Captain Archer and the crew must stop Paxton, a well-armed, radical human isolationist leader, who is threatening to destroy Starfleet Command unless all aliens leave Earth immediately.

These are the Voyages…

Six years in the future, an emotional Captain Archer and the crew return to Earth to face the decommission of Enterprise and signing of the Federation charter, ratifying the newly-formed alliance of planets they helped forge.

Additional Notes and Comments

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

TheAngrymob

22 replies on “Enterprise Review: “Demons””

  1. Comically bad
    I alternated between anger and boredom.
    There are just SO MANY stupid poorly written things in this script.

    Hello? Future? 20th Century calling. The baby was made from DNA samples. Nobody was pregnant. Well, Trip was once, but that’s a different story. Why can’t anyone get past the idea that T’Pol wasn’t pregnant?

    Ooooh the reporter getting unauthorized tours of the ship is a SPY! What a shocker. Almost makes up for her bad acting.

    Hey, let’s infiltrate the alien-hating enclave on the Moon’s mining colony. I know, let’s send T’Pol, AN ALIEN. She’s sure to blend in.
    If there’s any trouble, just call OSHA, ’cause none of those laser-wielding miners wear helmets or safety-goggles while the lasers send chunks of rock and moon-dust flying in all directions.

    Hey, this dead woman MUST come from the Moon, because she has some chemical in her blood that is only used WHERE THERE IS ZERO GRAVITY AND ARTIFICIAL GRAVITY IS IMPRACTICLE. Remember that.
    Hey, how come the bad guy, his minions, and all the miners are walking around in normal gravity? There must be artificial gravity on this mining outpost on the Moon. But but but they said…

    *sigh* I could go on and on…

    • Re: Comically bad

      *sigh* I could go on and on…

      Amen. This plot has more holes in it than swiss cheese. Plus, they send two people from the most recently celebrated crew known for saving the planet under cover? Ummm no. Terrible terrible plot holes.

      • Re: Comically bad

        Terrible terrible plot holes.

        I laughed out loud when they went in literally 90 seconds of storyline from “the lunar HQ lifts off” to “it goes into warp inside the solar system” to “it lands on Mars” to “it robotically plugs into the unmanned (!?!) comet-killing death ray” to “obey or die” to “tune in next week”.

        Nope, I sure didn’t see that one coming.

        Good thing the Xindi never realized there was an unguarded world-busting laser parked on the next planet out from Earth.

        • Re: Comically bad
          You know, now that we’re near the end of ST, I will say that their depiction of space war has ALWAYS been terrible. Laser fire from visible range at slow relative ship-to-ship velocities? Gimme a break. Real space war is fought by blips on a screen separated by VAST distances moving at INCREDIBLE speeds relative to one another. There were so many situations in ST where they were at a loss on what to do that could be solved quite handily with appropriate use of a 20th Century B-83 nuclear weapon, for which they shoulda of course had the technology. Likewise, for all the talk of killer death rays and Xindi superweapons and all the rest – crap. One warp capable unmanned shuttle slamming into a planet at near-light speed – never mind FTL – would vaporize said planet into atoms and there wouldn’t be squat they could do to prevent it. Energy increases with the square of the speed. Just do the high-school level math.

          • Re: Comically bad

            One warp capable unmanned shuttle slamming into a planet at near-light speed – never mind FTL – would vaporize said planet into atoms and there wouldn’t be squat they could do to prevent it. Energy increases with the square of the speed. Just do the high-school level math.

            They probably don’t do that, because most people would find it totally unbelieveable. Math or no math.

            • Re: Comically bad

              One warp capable unmanned shuttle…

              Yeah, they wouldn’t make it unmanned. It would have to be a suicide shuttle piloted by Sunni or Palestinian fanatics running their onboard front screen bridge camera the whole way in.

          • Re: Comically bad

            Real space war is fought by…

            So, how many space wars have you been involved in? Just curious. :-)

      • Re: Comically bad

        *sigh* I could go on and on…

        Amen. This plot has more holes in it than swiss cheese. Plus, they send two people from the most recently celebrated crew known for saving the planet under cover? Ummm no. Terrible terrible plot holes.

        Not only that, they sent the two PARENTS!! I mean if there’s anyone the “kidnappers” would be able to identify on sight it would be the #?%&ing parents!!! I realize that Star Trek has always required a certain suspension of disbelief but this was just a case of flat out stupidity of titanic proportions!

  2. Low point
    I don’t see it being particularly out of character for them to hop in the sack. As I recall, it was she that left Boomer, he still appeared to be interested, albeit miffed. So it wasn’t too hard for her to lure him back into the sack to get what she wanted in the long run… and using sex that way has a rich, long, history…

    • Re: Low point

      \ As I recall, it was she that left Boomer, he still appeared to be interested, albeit miffed.

      I don’t remember a boomer in thit episode,are you thinking of BSG or did I miss something?

      • Re: Low point

        With all of this episode’s idiocies (covered by other posts here), surely casual sex between former partners isn’t an issue, even if “Boomer” (he does identify himself as a “boomer” in the early eps, this being, apparently, future slang for someone who grew up in space) shows a lack of judgment. Given that the Enterprise crew has clearly been targeted for something, one would expect a heightened sense of security.

  3. High Point
    UESPA!!!

    Look carefully on the floor of Starfleet headquarters, it clearly says “United Earth Space Probe Agency”. I’ve always been miffed they didn’t call it that, when TOS mentioned UESPA as their exploration agency.

    • Re: High Point

      UESPA!!!

      Look carefully on the floor of Starfleet headquarters, it clearly says “United Earth Space Probe Agency”. I’ve always been miffed they didn’t call it that, when TOS mentioned UESPA as their exploration agency.

      Is Mike Okuda still working on the show perhaps? :)

  4. I’d Like to Disagree With The Negative Comments…
    … But I can’t. Well, I disagree that the plot was full of holes. That is to say, I disagree that it had a plot. Therefore what doesn’t exist cannot be fully of holes. :-)

    I was fond of Coto Trek but this one seems to miss the mark. I didn’t see who wrote it, though.

    • Re: I’d Like to Disagree With The Negative Comments…

      … But I can’t. Well, I disagree that the plot was full of holes. That is to say, I disagree that it had a plot. Therefore what doesn’t exist cannot be fully of holes. :-)

      I was fond of Coto Trek but this one seems to miss the mark. I didn’t see who wrote it, though.

      According to Startrek.com, Coto is responsible for this drek

  5. Low Point, not so low
    "Hey we haven’t seen each other in four years, but let’s swap bodily fluids." I’m no prude, but doesn’t this type of writing bother anyone else?

    What? No way, this is totally realistic. I’ve had plenty of non-messy breakups. If given the opportunity to meet up with any one of those ex-gf’s, I’d tap that. Especially a smokin’ hot one like Travis’ ex.

    BTW, (from part 2) the Carl Sagan memorial & the mars rover – I loved it. And "Tagart syndrome", how awesome of an homage to Odyssey 5 is THAT!.

    • Re: Low Point, not so low

      BTW, (from part 2) the Carl Sagan memorial & the mars rover – I loved it. And "Tagart syndrome", how awesome of an homage to Odyssey 5 is THAT!

      Those were fantastic! I wonder if Coto will continue to reuse his actors like Whedon did with Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres?

    • Re: what if…..
      Then it would still be on the air. Good premise, many good story ideas, lots of poor execution.

  6. America’s Funniest Alien

    What’s the deal with Tom Bergeron on Star Trek?

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