Enterprise Review: “Terra Prime”

The end is coming…

Terra Prime

Cast & Crew

Director: Marvin V. Rush
Teleplay By: Judith Reeves-Stevens & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Manny Coto
Story By: Judith Reeves-Stevens & Garfield Reeves-Stevens and Andre Bormanis

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
Gary Graham as Soval
Eric Pierpoint as Harris
Adam Clark as Josiah
Peter Mensah as Greaves
Johanna Watts as Gannet Brooks
Derek Magyar as Kelby
Joel Swetow as Thoris
Josh Holt as Ensign Masaro
Amy Rohren as Tactical Officer

Episode Information

Originally Aired: May 13, 2004
Season: Four
Episode: Twenty-One
Production: 097

What Happened

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.

Review

Much better than last week, but still could have used a little more. Guess it suffered most from the poor set up from last week.

High Point

  • Whoa, when did Hoshi grow a pair?
  • The child’s final fate. OK, so it wasn’t a “high” point, but it was good drama.

Low Point

  • OK, so Hoshi borrowed some, cause she’s in tears moments later.
  • So the slut’s Starfleet intelligence and not a terrorist? Hmm, don’t care.
  • “I didn’t mean to hurt anyone” ZAP! Who was that and why should we care?
  • “Terra Prime Forever” Lame.

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: Some good drama at the end. 5 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: 30 out of 42

6 replies on “Enterprise Review: “Terra Prime””

  1. It Doesn’t Get Any Worse…
    … until you see the series finalé. Then it gets much worse.

    Phlox! Hello! Trip and T’Pol had a kid in E2. The DNA was obviously compatible. You examined dead buddy from the time ship that had Vulcan, human, and other DNA. Duh!

    Plus Trip having a shocked and distant reaction would have been FAR better than crying. I mean, this is a cloned baby he knew nothing about and spent a half day with. And why Trip and T’Pol? They weren’t even an item when they cloned the daughter. Duh!

    Can’t they cloak? I mean, don’t they have a cell ship? That thing would be really handy when sneaking up on people. Duh!

    Archer’s speech didn’t warrant historical mention. It didn’t even warrant applause. An, “I used to have a problem with Vulcans but now I’m okay with them” speech might have been more appropriate.

    Oh, and the Terra Prime movement didn’t make any sense. Hey look! Dozens of hostile races hate earth and want to kill humans. Yeah, we’re better off on our own. Duh!

    Hah, Hah, Captain! I can breathe the Martian atmosphere and you can’t! I can also survive in different atmospheric preasures! It’s a good think I have my batman utility belt. Duh!

    Bad episode.

    • Re: It Doesn’t Get Any Worse…

      So the slut’s Starfleet intelligence and not a terrorist?

      I can’t help but feel you’ve set the “slut” bar rather low.

      • Re: It Doesn’t Get Any Worse…

        I can’t help but feel you’ve set the “slut” bar rather low.

        I have to agree with that: she’d be a slut if she slept with Tripp and Malcolm and Archer and whazziz face in engineering also, but not just with an ex-boyfriend. And even then, being the perjorative it is, whether I’d think the term was appropriate would depend on the circumstances. But I have an admittedly more-liberal-than-most view towards such things.

    • I agree …

      … until you see the series finalé. Then it gets much worse.

      Phlox! Hello! Trip and T’Pol had a kid in E2. The DNA was obviously compatible. You examined dead buddy from the time ship that had Vulcan, human, and other DNA. Duh!

      Plus Trip having a shocked and distant reaction would have been FAR better than crying. I mean, this is a cloned baby he knew nothing about and spent a half day with. And why Trip and T’Pol? They weren’t even an item when they cloned the daughter. Duh!

      Can’t they cloak? I mean, don’t they have a cell ship? That thing would be really handy when sneaking up on people. Duh!

      Archer’s speech didn’t warrant historical mention. It didn’t even warrant applause. An, “I used to have a problem with Vulcans but now I’m okay with them” speech might have been more appropriate.

      Oh, and the Terra Prime movement didn’t make any sense. Hey look! Dozens of hostile races hate earth and want to kill humans. Yeah, we’re better off on our own. Duh!

      Hah, Hah, Captain! I can breathe the Martian atmosphere and you can’t! I can also survive in different atmospheric preasures! It’s a good think I have my batman utility belt. Duh!

      Bad episode.

      Appalling is an understatement. Abysmal, that’s the word.

      -Joe G.

    • Re: It Doesn’t Get Any Worse…

      Archer’s speech didn’t warrant historical mention. It didn’t even warrant applause.

      Indeed, I was wondering why everyone was clapping.

      Kirk’s speech at the end of “The Undiscovered Country” was more inspiring.

      • Re: It Doesn’t Get Any Worse…

        Archer’s speech didn’t warrant historical mention. It didn’t even warrant applause.

        Indeed, I was wondering why everyone was clapping.

        Kirk’s speech at the end of “The Undiscovered Country” was more inspiring.

        That was the sound of the producers stroking their own egos … Ugh.

        -Joe G.

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