Any love for The Enterprise Incident?

[ZapBrannigan]

I like the episode but it is not one that you want to think about too much. For example, just exactly what was Strafleet's plan if Spock didn't encounter a Romulan who had the hots for him?

The most minimum requirement for the episode to work is to say that the Romulan Commander was secretly a turncoat who conspired with Federation spies to set the whole caper up. And it would help if Tal was with her on it. They were pacifists who wanted to undermine their own military.

There's really no way around the language and cultural barriers Kirk would run into trying to pass as a Romulan. Every syllable would be a shibboleth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth

 

[fireproof78]

The most minimum requirement for the episode to work is to say that the Romulan Commander was secretly a turncoat who conspired with Federation spies to set the whole caper up. And it would help if Tal was with her on it. They were pacifists who wanted to undermine their own military.

There's really no way around the language and cultural barriers Kirk would run into trying to pass as a Romulan. Every syllable would be a shibboleth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth

Since Starfleet Command sent them on the mission and new of the new cloaking device they might have already had that background information.

 

[Timo]

No doubt a Star Trek episode blatantly striving to be a Mission: Impossible episode would work the exact same way as that other show did: both the marks and the audience initially mistake the heroes for bumbling underdogs or indeed victims, until a final reveal makes it clear the heroes held the high cards all along. It's just not always necessary to show all those cards - the heroes' superiority is implicit in the outcome...

As for the scene where the cloaking device goes missing, remember DS9 "Emperor's New Cloak": a cloaking device is itself invisible when working properly! Perhaps our antagonists here are assuming the device is merely doing its job, until the Commander spots a telltale indicator light or somesuch. (Obviously Scotty wasn't able to hook up the device to full specs, so it remains visible in its new housing...)

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Henoch]

SCOTT: It'll have to hook into our deflector shield control.

IMHO, Deflectors normally act a field protection around the ship. The deflector shields do two functions: one, it physically deflects/repels matter attacks; and two, it absorbs energy attacks and either neutralizes it (applied equal and opposite charges or wave forms) or transfers/shunts it to subspace. The cloaking device somehow adjusts the deflector field (standing waves, oscillations, polarity, density, refractive index, etc.) so that photons (and all it's various frequencies of electromagnetic waves) are carried/channeled directly around the surface of the field and spits it out the other side (ship is invisible via its deflection function). Another option is that the original photons are absorbed and exactly measured/characterized, and the field is programmed to emit a copy of those photons exactly out the other side of the ship (again, ship is invisible via its absorption function). What happens with subspace sensors is something similar.

 

[Marsden]

IMHO, Deflectors normally act a field protection around the ship. The deflector shields do two functions: one, it physically deflects/repels matter attacks; and two, it absorbs energy attacks and either neutralizes it (applied equal and opposite charges or wave forms) or transfers/shunts it to subspace. The cloaking device somehow adjusts the deflector field (standing waves, oscillations, polarity, density, refractive index, etc.) so that photons (and all it's various frequencies of electromagnetic waves) are carried/channeled directly around the surface of the field and spits it out the other side (ship is invisible via its deflection function). Another option is that the original photons are absorbed and exactly measured/characterized, and the field is programmed to emit a copy of those photons exactly out the other side of the ship (again, ship is invisible via its absorption function). What happens with subspace sensors is something similar.

Of course. What did you say?

 

[Phaser Two]

Of course. What did you say?

 

[Commishsleer]

The most minimum requirement for the episode to work is to say that the Romulan Commander was secretly a turncoat who conspired with Federation spies to set the whole caper up. And it would help if Tal was with her on it. They were pacifists who wanted to undermine their own military.

There's really no way around the language and cultural barriers Kirk would run into trying to pass as a Romulan. Every syllable would be a shibboleth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shibboleth

I have to agree that at least someone on the Romulan ships had to be a double agent for it to make any sense.
Really this episode makes less sense that Spock's Brain but not as "in your face" I suppose. But then again most "Mission Impossible" or James Bond episodes/movies are more style that substance.

For all its flaws Enterprise Incident is an exciting episode where a woman commands a ship (for the first time?) in Star Trek. Actually 3 ships. Take that Captain Kirk.

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I have to agree that at least someone on the Romulan ships had to be a double agent for it to make any sense.
Really this episode makes less sense that Spock's Brain but not as "in your face" I suppose. But then again most "Mission Impossible" or James Bond episodes/movies are more style that substance.

I feel like the traitor has to be the female Commander, because otherwise she's unbelievably stupid, and her thing for Spock is a feat of PowerBall lottery-level luck.

And of course, we're really working around the fact that the episode makers just let her be that stupid, just let Starfleet send the Enterprise on a mission that would require such immense good luck, and just figured that Kirk could not only pass as a Romulan, but do so in a contained ship where everybody knows everybody, and be able to speak to a Romulan guard and still "pass", even briefly. It makes the Gideons' fake Enterprise look like a very practical plan by comparison. But we go along for the fun of it.

 

[Henoch]

No traitor. Starfleet Intelligence may have targeted the Romulan Commander due to some sort of profiling on her. Maybe they got wind of something (secretly viewing Vulcan porn sites) that suggests she was vulnerable to a Vulcan plant. If the Romulans are like the Romans, then one's rank and position in society or the military is given by political favor. I'm sure she profiled as ambitious, incompetent and emotionally vulnerable. From the onset of the episode, Subcommander Tal seemed to be running the ship and the one truly in charge.

 

[Timo]

Why would the Commander be incompetent? She's playing a game of extremely high stakes: she has to capture an enemy starship intact. The slightest misstep will result in Kirk activating his dreaded Corbomite Device and all is lost.

Trying to woo Spock against all odds really is a sensible way to proceed, then. Spock himself is a nice bonus (and possiby a consolation prize if all else fails), but the starship he now commands is the real prize. And if we learned anything from the previous Romulan episodes, it was that Romulans are a dishonorable race of backstabbers, hell-bent on short term gains and personal glory: the prize would have to be the Commander's personally, won through her own clever actions. Trying to bend Spock at least enough to make him slip something useful for the inevitable boarding and securing action (such as phrases she could record and replay!) isn't the only possible action - but it is an avenue she has no reason not to exploit.

Focusing on that at the expense of other things? Well, a tactical mistake, obviously. But what other designs would she have been working on? Probably ones where her personal attention was needed less, and where it would have counted for less. But again, she has to pussyfoot there, lest the ship blow to high heaven. Better work on what she has, full time.

While Starfleet no doubt specifically targeted something here (be it one of the ship formations verifiably equipped with the new device, or the Commander of known qualities), did the Romulans in turn target Kirk? He was a coveted prize, but unlike in "Deadly Years" or "Practical Joker", no Romulan ambush is required to explain the events. It's perfectly possible that the Commander was surprised and had to react and adapt, while Kirk and Spock were executing a carefully plotted overall plan, no doubt flexible but nevertheless specifically aimed to inconvenience the opponent. Starfleet really has the drop on the Romulans, dangling this bait and thus dictating the enemy moves. It would be pretty difficult for Kirk and Spock to actually fumble this one!

The rest is details. Why is Kirk the one to do the infiltrating? Out-universe: because he's the hero. In-universe? Might be because the Romulan sensors won't read an already duly logged-in (albeit deceased) alien as an intruder! Why are the shields down? Out-universe: so as not to slow down the action. In-universe: because they won't help against the corbomite blast anyway, but may hinder plans involving Romulan boarding action or cloak activation. Etc.

Timo Saloniemi

 

[Steven P Bastien]

Another factor to consider is that planners in Starfleet did not need to assume that the Romulan commander would "fall" for Spock. That is too much to assume, and they just got lucky that it seems that she did fall for him. The better assumption is that Starfleet would expect her to pretend to like Spock and try to recruit him.

Basically, she was trying to recruit him using all temptations (food, rank, power, and herself). It seems that there was a real attraction too, but Spock summed it up well at the end by noting that she would not respect any other decision/action from him. In other words, no matter what physical attraction the commander had for Spock, in the end, she would have lost respect for him if he had acquiesced so easily. So, she would be using him for her own gain. Ironically, by Spock betraying her, she probably was able to respect and admire him and might be truly heartbroken.

 

[Commishsleer]

Why would the Commander be incompetent? She's playing a game of extremely high stakes: she has to capture an enemy starship intact. The slightest misstep will result in Kirk activating his dreaded Corbomite Device and all is lost.

Trying to woo Spock against all odds really is a sensible way to proceed, then. Spock himself is a nice bonus (and possiby a consolation prize if all else fails), but the starship he now commands is the real prize. And if we learned anything from the previous Romulan episodes, it was that Romulans are a dishonorable race of backstabbers, hell-bent on short term gains and personal glory: the prize would have to be the Commander's personally, won through her own clever actions. Trying to bend Spock at least enough to make him slip something useful for the inevitable boarding and securing action (such as phrases she could record and replay!) isn't the only possible action - but it is an avenue she has no reason not to exploit.

Focusing on that at the expense of other things? Well, a tactical mistake, obviously. But what other designs would she have been working on? Probably ones where her personal attention was needed less, and where it would have counted for less. But again, she has to pussyfoot there, lest the ship blow to high heaven. Better work on what she has, full time.

While Starfleet no doubt specifically targeted something here (be it one of the ship formations verifiably equipped with the new device, or the Commander of known qualities), did the Romulans in turn target Kirk? He was a coveted prize, but unlike in "Deadly Years" or "Practical Joker", no Romulan ambush is required to explain the events. It's perfectly possible that the Commander was surprised and had to react and adapt, while Kirk and Spock were executing a carefully plotted overall plan, no doubt flexible but nevertheless specifically aimed to inconvenience the opponent. Starfleet really has the drop on the Romulans, dangling this bait and thus dictating the enemy moves. It would be pretty difficult for Kirk and Spock to actually fumble this one!

The rest is details. Why is Kirk the one to do the infiltrating? Out-universe: because he's the hero. In-universe? Might be because the Romulan sensors won't read an already duly logged-in (albeit deceased) alien as an intruder! Why are the shields down? Out-universe: so as not to slow down the action. In-universe: because they won't help against the corbomite blast anyway, but may hinder plans involving Romulan boarding action or cloak activation. Etc.

Timo Saloniemi

Another factor to consider is that planners in Starfleet did not need to assume that the Romulan commander would "fall" for Spock. That is too much to assume, and they just got lucky that it seems that she did fall for him. The better assumption is that Starfleet would expect her to pretend to like Spock and try to recruit him.

Basically, she was trying to recruit him using all temptations (food, rank, power, and herself). It seems that there was a real attraction too, but Spock summed it up well at the end by noting that she would not respect any other decision/action from him. In other words, no matter what physical attraction the commander had for Spock, in the end, she would have lost respect for him if he had acquiesced so easily. So, she would be using him for her own gain. Ironically, by Spock betraying her, she probably was able to respect and admire him and might be truly heartbroken.

You have some good explanations here but there's a lot of Romulan mistakes and mad coincidences to account for.
I sort of liked the female Romulan Commander. I would have liked for her to get out of the episode with some dignity intact.

 

[Steven P Bastien]

You have some good explanations here but there's a lot of Romulan mistakes and mad coincidences to account for.
I sort of liked the female Romulan Commander. I would have liked for her to get out of the episode with some dignity intact.

Agreed. I mentioned a couple of things that bothered me the most previously, but there are many other things that could be mentioned. And, the fate of the commander is brutal. What happens to her? Could she ever be repatriated? Would she be killed if she returned? Would she take her own life in Starfleet prison? She was willing to die, so would an honorable death have been better? I think so, but then the ruthlessness of Kirk/Spock/Starfleet would become unforgivable to some viewers. It's not like when the previous Romulan commander self destructed his ship after being the clear aggressor. How does Spock live with himself if she commits suicide later? All I can think is that people in the 1960s are comparing Romulans to the USSR and feeling no empathy.

 

[Lance]

Great discussion here, peeps.

I resolutely enjoy this episode, and even moreso for the moral ambiguity it brings to Starfleet and the needs that justify the means. I forget who it was, either Dorothy Fontana or David Gerrold, who proposed one more scene could have been added at the end to really hit home that idea: Kirk, returning to his commanding officer with the cloaking device and the intelligence gathered during the mission, having a heated discussion with his superior both about the dubious ethics of breaking the neutral zone treaty and risking outright war, but also of essentially deciding the Enterprise and her crew were an expendable commodity, that had the mission failed, Starfleet would have simply cried plausible deniability, writing the whole thing off as the insanity of a single captain, and Kirk reaffirming his own personal displeasure about those tactics... would have been an interesting note to leave on.

 

[Henoch]

COMMANDER: You see, Captain? Your effort is being wasted.
KIRK: Mister Spock, distance from the Romulan vessel?
SPOCK: One hundred and fifty thousand kilometres, Captain, and closing very rapidly.
KIRK: Stand by, phasers. Commander, you'll forgive me if I put up a fight.
COMMANDER: Of course. It's expected.
SPOCK: One hundred thousand kilometres. They should commence firing at us within the next twelve point seven seconds.
KIRK: Scotty.

Kirk tries to outrun the Romulans. When he sees he can't outrun them, Kirk plans to fight until destruction (or victory in his mind). Without the cloaking device saving the day, the Enterprise and crew would be destroyed. Harsh mission.

 

[JonnyQuest037]

I feel like the traitor has to be the female Commander, because otherwise she's unbelievably stupid, and her thing for Spock is a feat of PowerBall lottery-level luck.

Yeah. The Commander's stupidity and gullibility are what prevent me from really enjoying the episode fully. Whether that's a problem with the performance, the script, or some combination of the two, I can't say.

Why would the Commander be incompetent?

...Because that's how she acts throughout the entire episode?

 

[Ovation]

Great discussion here, peeps.

I resolutely enjoy this episode, and even moreso for the moral ambiguity it brings to Starfleet and the needs that justify the means. I forget who it was, either Dorothy Fontana or David Gerrold, who proposed one more scene could have been added at the end to really hit home that idea: Kirk, returning to his commanding officer with the cloaking device and the intelligence gathered during the mission, having a heated discussion with his superior both about the dubious ethics of breaking the neutral zone treaty and risking outright war, but also of essentially deciding the Enterprise and her crew were an expendable commodity, that had the mission failed, Starfleet would have simply cried plausible deniability, writing the whole thing off as the insanity of a single captain, and Kirk reaffirming his own personal displeasure about those tactics... would have been an interesting note to leave on.

Clearly a Section 31 mission.

 

[Marsden]

Yeah. The Commander's stupidity and gullibility are what prevent me from really enjoying the episode fully. Whether that's a problem with the performance, the script, or some combination of the two, I can't say.

...Because that's how she acts throughout the entire episode?

I like to think of it not as the Commander being gullible but Spock being the sexual tyrannosaurus he is. Spock rules!

 

[ZapBrannigan]

I like to think of it not as the Commander being gullible but Spock being the sexual tyrannosaurus he is. Spock rules!

Well, if a male commander becomes infatuated by a female wearing the uniform of an unfriendly foreign power, then the male is an idiot. And that holds true even if the female looks like a young Raquel Welch. I'm pretty sure "infatuated" comes from root words meaning "made stupid." Fatuous is another word for silly and stupid.

 

[feek61]

Yeah that scene was crying out for a larger, more cluttered set. Could they really not have done an Enterprise Engine Room redress? It passed OK for the computer room in The Menagerie and they were happy enough to use one of those wall consoles in the filmed episode anyway.

Budget problems!!