Weakest Season 3 Episode

[Mach5]

There were neat little touches, like Archer's visit with old T'Pol, and old T'Pol's counseling of her younger counterpart to "follow your heart" (which, I think, got kinda waylaid by the show's looming cancellation in Season 4, boo).

I did like the old T'pol / young T'pol confrontation, and I think they could have expanded on that "follow your heart" business later on, had they wanted to, but consistency was never one of the show's strong sides. And I second that "boo."

I wish we had found out what happened to the E2 crew.

Well, I believe that thy either continued to exist in a parallel universe, or got destroyed.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

I wish we had found out what happened to the E2 crew.

Well, I believe that thy either continued to exist in a parallel universe, or got destroyed.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I have my own theories about what happened to the E2 crew. I just wish the show had suppied a canon followup about what happened.

The episode left us with so many intriguing little dangling threads... Lorian saying "Tell my parents I'll see them soon"... Archer theorizing that history might have corrected itself, with the other Enterprise ceasing to exist in the process, and then T'Pol pointing out, "Then why would we remember them?"... Compelling stuff.

I read in an interview somewhere that there was talk among the writing staff of revisiting the "E2" storyline at some point in Season 4, but they weren't able to get there. I figure they had their hands full cramming four seasons' worth of wish-list stuff into their last season before the axe fell.

 

[bluedana]

There isn't any episode in S3 that I flat out don't like. Either the episode has something in it that is ultimately important for the Xindi arc, which saves it for me even though I tend not to re-watch it, or it has little to do with the overall arc, but I love the episode itself.

Hoshi and the Beast, er, Exile: adds a bit of information to the Xindi arc (location), and suggests in an oblique way how far they're willing to go for that information, but outside of the interesting camera work, it doesn't grab me.

Rajin: sets up Carpenter Street and the Degra-Human alliance, but there's no real explanation of why Archer thought he had to rescue this chick in the first place. And where the heck did she get all those skimpy changes of clothes?? They didn't have an extra set of coveralls?

Extinction: okay, the monkey language bothers me, and Hoshi's Carol-Kane-in-Taxi impression is like nails on chalkboard, so I watch it on mute. But I love the basic, heartbreaking story and I like to think that the Loqueque messed up Rajin's biological weapon vibe.

As to North Star and E2, even though they didn't add much if anything to the arc, they are just well-made episodes. North Star especially is a wonderful homage to the Saturday afternoon western and is magnificently shot. And with E2, I love that whole generational ship idea; like Twilight, it's "what could have been," but not so tragic. (E2 does have a faint echo in a later episode.)

 

[Mach5]

"Then why would we remember them?"... Compelling stuff.

Seriously? Hasn't that "grandfather paradox" thing been done to death in Trek already? TNG's "Time's arrow," VOY's "Timeless" and such...

I figure they had their hands full cramming four seasons' worth of wish-list stuff into their last season before the axe fell.

So we come to that one more thing I fail to understand - the total number of S4 episodes (22, although de facto 21) was limited and was simply not enough to let the show go full circle. Why on Earth did they waste episodes on Soong and the augments then (and, of course on Daedalus)?

I mean, I did like the Soong arc, it was a nice nod to TOS, but in the larger scheme of things (bringing the quadrant together in to something that would become the Federation), it was unnecessary, a waste of time. And if they were really dying to do it, why stretch it to three full episodes?

I guess they needed some kind of overture for the Klingon arc, but that could have been achieved in two, or even in one single ep.

 

[commodore64]

Seriously? Hasn't that "grandfather paradox" thing been done to death in Trek already? TNG's "Time's arrow," VOY's "Timeless" and such...

Never! I think the best time paradox I've ever seen was the B5 one where Sinclair was Valen, which is why the Earth/Mimbari war came to an end. Many of the others have been lame. (I haven't seen much of Voyager and don't care to.)

So we come to that one more thing I fail to understand - the total number of S4 episodes (22, although de facto 21) was limited and was simply not enough to let the show go full circle. Why on Earth did they waste episodes on Soong and the augments then (and, of course on Daedalus)?

This is exactly why I think Coto failed. He was so busy giving us re-packaged TOS that he forgot to do the most important thing a writer can do: honor the characters. And I'm a huge TOS fan; it's my favorite of the Star Treks. I think many of the plots could've been sacrificed or find a better fit into the overall schema of the show. For example, one of the reasons I think The Forge is so brilliant is because it resolves once and for all Archer's "I hate the Vulcans" character flaw, introduces T'Pol back to the Vulcan ways and charts a path to complete the myth that is Star Trek where in TOS humans and Vulcans have a better relationship.

Season 4 has eye candy, but fails in that respect. Many of the characters don't have resolution and it does nothing to further the Star Trek myth.

 

[Hopeful Romantic]

Since no one seems to be talking about weak Season 3 episodes...or Season 3 episodes, period...anymore, I think we're done here.

Someone might wish to begin a Season 4 episode Strong & Weak thread.