• Welcome! The TrekBBS is the number one place to chat about Star Trek with like-minded fans.
    If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Earth: Final Conflict - 1st time watch thread

Oh, and Da'an can somehow "will" herself to death.

Maybe at the point you're at this hasn't really been covered yet (aside from the brief and vague line in the pilot) but as the series progresses, all the Taelons are referred to as he/him/his, even though are all played by women and as a species they are supposed to be genderless.

Yeah, I mistakenly call Da'an a "her" sometimes, probably because he's played by an actress.
 
The Scarecrow Returns

At resistance headquarters, Boone meets two molecular biologists, Sahjit Jinnah and his fiancee Rayna Armitraj, who are studying the alien probe captured after it wreaked havoc on an Amish community. A power surge causes Rayna to cut off the top of the probe, which responds by dematerializing her. Unaware of the situation, Sahjit and Boone discuss with Doors and Augur the probe's purpose, recalling its ability to replicate butterflies into killers, launching the resistance into battle with the probe that may be studying Earth.

A good episode with a stupid title. It continued some of the threads left over from the episodes Avatar and Float Like A Butterfly.

First of all, Boone wants Da'an to teach him the Taelon language. He thinks it'd be possible for a human to learn since James Pike (in Avatar) somehow learned it with no help. But of course, Boone also has an ulterior motive to learning the language, that of decoding the transmissions being sent by the metal scarecrow.

It's interesting to see the differences in personality between Sandoval and Boone. Sandoval has no desire to learn the Taelon language and has not really asked that many questions of Da'an and the Taelons in general. Later in the episode, Sandoval does ask Da'an about more details on the transmission and the lid she uses to contain it, but she ignores his questioning. Could Boone's curiosity be starting to wear off on Sandoval?

Anyway, Boone translates some of the transmission but it's difficult since it's in a different dialect than he is used to. What he's able to translate basically confirms what was speculated in Float Like A Butterfly, that the probe is testing the limits of human endurance.

Augur decodes where the transmission is being sent to and it's a star system far away from the Taelon home planet. Doors assumes that Augur must be incorrect in his calculations.

Now up to this point, I assumed that this was a Taelon probe. Now I'm starting to think this belongs to another alien race altogether. The fact that it uses a different Taelon dialect may indicate that it's related to the Taelons in some way. Another clue is when Da'an placed the lid on the probe to stop the transmission. She almost looked in pain. Why would Taelon technology do that to another Taelon? Or maybe I'm just reading too much into this whole thing and it's Taelon after all.

The plot involving the scientist and his fiancé didn't do much for me. We just met them this episode and I had a hard time caring that her DNA may still be intact inside the probe.

RATING: 4/5
 
Now up to this point, I assumed that this was a Taelon probe. Now I'm starting to think this belongs to another alien race altogether. The fact that it uses a different Taelon dialect may indicate that it's related to the Taelons in some way. Another clue is when Da'an placed the lid on the probe to stop the transmission. She almost looked in pain. Why would Taelon technology do that to another Taelon? Or maybe I'm just reading too much into this whole thing and it's Taelon after all.

Without giving away too much spoilers, I'll say that you are onto something.
 
Sandoval’s Run

Sandoval's CVI is degenerating. Dr. Belman works to restore his CVI and save his life. Sandoval, free from his CVI, escapes to reunite with his wife, only to put her life in danger. Boone learns that Sandoval's CVI contained information about the Taelon's mission on earth, and tries to save Sandoval's life.

Sandoval is now my favourite character on this show.

Yes, it turns out that Sandoval’s CVI did expire. Sandoval then remembers what he did to his wife and breaks her out of the mental institution where he was imprisoning her.

This was such a well-written and well-acted emotional roller coaster of an episode. There was a moment where I seriously expected Sandoval to become a member of the Resistance. Alas, it was not meant to be as his only cure was to be re-implanted with a fully-functional CVI (unlike Boone’s CVI). Kind of a cop out, but I think there are more story options with Sandoval under the control of the Taelons.

I like that Boone got even with Sandoval in a way. As far as Sandoval knows, Boone killed his wife just like Sandoval killed Boone’s.

I was hoping to get more details about the Taelon mission, but I’m guessing this question will go unanswered for a few more seasons at least. What we do learn from Sandoval is that Taelons and Humans are linked. They need humanity as much as humanity needs them.

RATING: 5/5
 
The Secret of Strand Hill

A construction blast unearths a grave marker belonging to a Taelon scout sent to size up earth for Companion occupation thousands of years ago. Boone must find the grave which contains the research, before Sandoval finds the grave. Da'an looses his position as the United Nations Companion to Zo'or, but keeps the American Companionship.

And now we have the obligatory “aliens as god” episode. Surprisingly, it’s pretty good.

At least one Taelon has been on Earth before, in this case 2000 years ago, for the purpose of studying humans. What is the Taelons’ purpose here? We once again don’t find out the answer, but more tidbits are coming out.

What is it about Ma’el’s research that is so important? The Taelons were ready to pack up and leave the moment they found Ma’el’s research.
Zo’or makes his return in this episode as he’s been appointed companion to the United Nations. I’m guessing he’s going to be appearing in a few more episodes now that he’s assigned to Earth. His opposing viewpoint and personality to Da’an is an interesting dynamic.

* - I noticed the opening has been changed starting with this episode. It’s shorter with a longer voiceover than the first opening. Suffice to say, I liked the first opening better.

RATING: 4/5
 
I noticed the opening has been changed starting with this episode. It’s shorter with a longer voiceover than the first opening. Suffice to say, I liked the first opening better.
I think it actually goes back to the original in the next episode...
 
I noticed the opening has been changed starting with this episode. It’s shorter with a longer voiceover than the first opening. Suffice to say, I liked the first opening better.
I think it actually goes back to the original in the next episode...

Nope, still the new intro.

The Scarecrow Returns

With a title like that, you'd expect Bruce Boxleitner to guest star.

Hahaha :lol:


Pandora’s Box

When a Taelon experiment to create a new hybrid warrior goes wrong, an ancient alien evil is unleashed upon the Earth.

This episode picks up from the events that occurred in “Live Free And Die”.

The episode starts with Boone hallucinating Johnson (the human soldier who was turning into a Taelon in “Live Free And Die”). It turns out that Johnson is still alive and is still being used in experiments by the Taelons. The latest experiment is the opposite of what was happening in “Live Free And Die.” Now they are trying to create a Taelon/Human hybrid by injecting a Taelon with human DNA.

Of course, this doesn’t work out too well as Rho’ha, the Taelon they chose, kind of goes crazy and starts wreaking havoc. Rho’ha also has some kind of new weapon called the “Shaqarava” (coincidentally something with the same name was on Pike’s cell wall in the episode “Avatar”). It’s basically an energy discharge through a Taelon’s hands. Strangely, Taelons don’t have this ability, but after Rho’ha was injected with Johnson’s genetic material, he developed it.

I found this to be a good episode as it continued to slowly reveal the Taelons’ purpose and mission on Earth, while also asking new questions. I find it interesting that there’s no warrior caste of Taelons (before Rho’ha of course). Anyway, what is the reason they need warrior Taelons? Could it be “The Sleeper” which was mentioned once again in this episode?

RATING: 3.5/5
 
If You Could Read My Mind

At a Conference of Psychic Sciences, "The Commonality", the Taelon psychic link has been invaded and the secret plans for Earth are known. Katya Petrenko possesses incredible psychic gifts and an interest in Boone. She confronts Zo'or, telling him that the Taelons must change their approach to humans, or they will destroy both races. Katya reveals that a Taelon named Ma'el gave some humans the gift to break into "The Commonality". As Katya dies, Dr. Belman performs a brain transfer of all of Katya's knowledge to Boone.

Some things I found interesting about this episode:

- Zo’or’s encounter with Katya, where she says that the Taelons will have to change their ways or else both humans and Taelons will be destroyed.

- Ma’el (who was on Earth 2000 years ago) was the one who gave some humans psychic powers.

- The assassin who killed Boone’s wife was in this episode. I thought he had died in the episode “Truth”, but I guess I remembered wrong.

Overall, it was an average episode.

RATING: 2.5/5
 
Wrath Of Achilles

Lili loads Augur's computer virus into the Taelon system and it takes affect immediately. System after system crashes and Lili and Da'an are in grave danger as the virus infiltrates the shuttle's computer and lurches them out of control. Augur thinks he can stop the virus, but he must send Boone deep into the building to access the central computer.

Up to this episode, Lili has been firmly on the side of the Resistance. But now, because of the events of this episode, she has come to see Da’an in a new light and has become more like Boone in that sense.

I think Augur had just finished watching Independence Day when he came up with his idea for the Taelon virus. Unfortunately, it grows beyond his bounds and starts affecting Taelon sites around the world.

Meanwhile, Lili and Da’an crash their shuttle and are forced to work together. Da’an saves Lili’s life, making her question her doubts about the Taelons. She even goes so far as evading Doors’ retrieval team, fearing what they will do to Da’an.

The virus plot by Augur and Doors ends up having the opposite outcome of what they intended as the Taelon mothership, last seen in “Horizon Zero”, swoops down and saves the day.

This episode explored the differences in philosophies of the Taelons and the Resistance, further blurring the line between good and bad.

* - My hometown of Ottawa was mentioned a few times in this episode. After the Washington companion site went off the grid, the next closest one was the site in Ottawa.

RATING: 4/5
 
I've been very busy... but I've finally watched:


The Devil You Know

Lili is removed from active duty when her father suddenly dies, forcing Boone to work more closely with Sandoval. But when an experimental Taelon weapon is stolen from Doors International, Lili begins secretly investigating it, uncovering a Taelon plot to capture Jonathon Doors, once and for all.

"No Lili... I am your father".

Yes, this episode had a few Star Wars homages (at least I assume they were homages since they were pretty obvious). The other homage was when Lili was cradling Blanchard in pretty much the same way Luke Skywalker was holding Anakin.

This is kind of a strange episode about brain transplantation that somehow kind of works. A Colonel's brain, that coincidentally belongs to Lili's father, is transferred to a brain-dead body of a petty thief.

Doors International develops a Taelon weapon and it's stolen by the transplanted brain of Lili's father. It's all part of an elaborate plot by Zo'or to trap Jonathan Doors. It has some plot holes, like why bother doing the brain transplant in the first place? Why not just hire someone to steal the weapon for you instead? But it was nice learning more about Lili's family and background.

RATING: 3/5
 
Law and Order

Boone and Sandoval are chosen to represent Ro'ha in a human court where he is on trial for murder. Zo'or orders Sandoval to set Ro'ha up to be given the death penalty, while Boone does everything he can to save him, without exposing the experiment which cause Ro'ha to become a warrior. But the job isn't easy, especially when the prosecutor is none other than Joshua Doors...Jonathon's son.

"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders. These are their stories."

Imagine if this episode was a crossover with the real Law & Order? That would have been awesome. Instead, what we have is a good episode with some unbelievable elements.

First of all, there's the coincidence that Jonathan Doors' estranged son Joshua would be the prosecutor. When your Dad is the leader of the resistance, it seems kind of odd that his son would be allowed to prosecute a murder case against a Taelon, but whatever. (Will we be seeing more of Joshua Doors on the show? I personally think they should bring him into the resistance, but somehow I doubt that will happen.)

How come it was so easy to get Zo'or on the jury? I guess you have to cut corners somewhere to fit an episode into a 42 minute time frame.

The suicide bomber plot was pointless. It just felt like padding, which is ironic considering the issue with Zo'or getting on the jury.

Other than those 3 things, I liked the episode. We get more insight into Jonathan Doors' past, Boone gets to show up Sandoval, and Zo'or is as slimy as ever.

It also appears that the first evidence of the Taelons' human experiments have been revealed to the general public. Will this have greater ramifications?

When Rho'ha "wills" herself to death at the end wouldn't this cause problems when the authorities show up to escort her to prison? "Willing yourself to death" doesn't sound like an alibi that would be convincing.

RATING: 3.5/5
 
Joshua Doors makes one or two more appearances in season 1, has a prominent recurring role in the second season, but after that only appears once in the third and once in the fourth.
 
Through The Looking Glass

The Liberation uncovers a secret Taelon facility on the moon when Boone's sister Sarah announces that she is pregnant. After an examination by a Liberation doctor however, Boone discovers that the child isn't human - Sarah is part of a Taelon experiment using unsuspecting woman to carry Taelon hybrids.

Wow... I truly didn't expect this episode to be as good as it was.

The Taelons have opened a new inter-dimensional mode of transportation to humans, allowing a person to go from New York to LA in a matter of minutes. However, all the smart ones or ones in positions of power are taken somewhere and implanted with pieces for a CVI. Of course, Zo'or is behind this while Da'an seems opposed to it, though in my opinion, Da'an seems to be more worried about the information getting out than the experimentation that's going on.

It was nice to see Sahjit again and that it was him to go through the portal, instead of some new character introduced in this episode. (I also liked how he was on the mothership, explaining why Augur couldn't find him anywhere on Earth). I was also pleasantly surprised to see Sahjit escape. I thought for sure he was a dead man by the end of the episode.

There's also a subplot involving Boone's sister. It turns out she's 3 months pregnant. Considering what happens next, I can forgive the fact that Boone's sister just showed up out of nowhere.

You see, Boone gets a list of all the people who are being diverted in the inter-dimensional gateway. His sister's name is on the list. Although, she seems to be part of a different group who are not part of the CVI implantation...

In fact, she has been impregnated by the Taelons. It happened 3 weeks ago when she first entered the inter-dimensional portal. In that time, her baby has grown to 3 months old. According to Zo'or, it's not even her baby.

It's easy to understand why the Taelons would be implanting powerful and smart people with CVIs, but why be impregnating people? I'm very interested to see where this goes.

RATING: 5/5
 
Infection

After the Taelon race becomes infected by deadly virus, one by one the begin to die. But when the virus mutates and begins infecting humans, the Liberation is forced to find a way to save the Taelons, before its too late for either species.

This is the worst episode of E:FC so far, but it has some good parts.

First, we have the 4th appearance of the alien probe that first appeared in "Float Like A Butterfly". It has released a disease that attacks humans and Taelons alike. After studying the disease, Dr. Belman determines that although it has a Taelon-like signature it's not Taelon. I guess this kind of confirms my theory that the alien probe is not Taelon.

The second interesting portion of this episode comes near the end. The "Liberation", as the episode blurb I copied calls it, has modified the virus to attack only Taelons. How Jonathan Doors uses this modified virus in the future will be interesting.

The third "good part" of the episode was the very end where Zo'or "shapeshifted" briefly into Boone. I'm guessing this is because the vaccine used to cure the Taelons had human parts (in Zo'or's case: Boone's). Whether this turns out to be something or just a red herring remains to be seen.

Unfortunately, despite those small scenes, this episode just didn't work. Some things happened with little or no explanation, and some plot elements felt thrown in just for fun. An example of the latter would be the white supremacist subplot. Sure their motivation was a bit plausible, but what was the point of them in the episode other than to preach to the audience that it's wrong to be prejudiced?

Some plot twists happened with no explanation. For example, we see Boone in one scene perfectly healthy, then the next time we see him he's sick with the disease. No explanation is given until later in the episode when a character says that the virus is airborne. Another strange part is at the IDC (I think that's what it's called) where one doctor suggests to kill all those in Lincoln Hills so that the disease doesn't spread furthur. A Taelon ship has extended its shield around the Lincoln Hills facility, preventing the disease from spreading elsewhere. A couple of scenes go by, and the infection has somehow spread outside of Lincoln Hills and has infected the rest of the world. Now this is probably because of the original Taelon infection which was outside of Lincoln Hills, but what was the point of the doctor even suggesting to blow up Lincoln Hills only to have the threat never resurface in the episode? It was almost like the writer was trying to create suspense where none existed.

RATING: 1.5/5
 
Destruction
When the Liberation receives a distress call from one of the scientist who was working on the probe recovered from the Amish town, a team sets off for Russia to rescue her before the Taelons can access the probes databanks, uncovering the Liberation HQ and Boone and Lili's identities.

The probe returns again... and gets destroyed. Sadly, my probe counter ends at 5.

We open the episode to see that the probe is now in Russia. Presumably because of the events of the last episode.

The one problem I have with this episode is that Kee'sha clearly sees Boone's and Lili's images in the probe while she's downloading the images. I think it implies that Boone and Lili are working with the resistance. Yet, Kee'sha doesn't mention any of this to Zo'or when he arrives. This is strange since Kee'sha knows who Boone and Lili are because of the events of last episode.

Anyway, I liked seeing Sahjit and Rayna again. Sahjit dies at the end of the episode but he accomplishes his goal of saving his fiance from the probe, albeit a replicated version of his fiance.

I'm happy to learn that Joshua Doors is a recurring character on the show and he makes his second appearance in this episode. He has been appointed as Secretary of Human/Taelon Relations. Because of his combativeness with the Taelons, he clashes with Sandoval almost immediately.

Interesting to see Zo'or starting to make a move against Quo'on for the title of Synod Leader.

The ending is good with Sandoval hiring Sloane to "take care of" Joshua Doors. Overall, it's a good episode.

RATING: 3.5/5
 
I liked seeing Sahjit and Rayna again.

I remember watching the episode in high school (you can do the math on how old that makes me), and thinking that they were a really cute couple.

That said, Siobhan Beckett will always be the girl of my dreams. I guess high school is just a very impressionable age :D

kariefc05.jpg
 
If you are not already a member then please register an account and join in the discussion!

Sign up / Register


Back
Top