ENT – Canamar

Plot – I can perhaps see the problem that a lot of people had with the first two seasons of Enterprise when the pre-credits sequence of this episode features a pan across an empty shuttlepod and the shock revelation that Captain Archer has been kidnapped. Again. I figure he must hold the record for most number of kidnappings. Everybody wants a piece of his ass.

I always find it interesting when a writer I recognise as having made a sizable contribution to another show I have enjoyed (and reviewed) shows up in another franchise. John Shiban was the meat and potatoes writer of The X-Files, capable of producing an excellent script when paired up with another writer and a competent (but rarely spectacular) one when he goes solo. It’s clear from Canamar that he’s no better and no worse on Enterprise; this has drive for action and darker elements of his usual scripts with little of the sparkle and colour that might have made it palatable. He’s happy to show you the true grit on the prison ship; prisoners being tortured, fed slop and given permission to beat one another up. But watching this unfold lacks any of the personality that might have made proceedings a little less functional. It plays out exactly as you would imagine. Voyager’s The Chute might not be the best hour of television you will ever see but it does exactly the same thing (putting two male crewmembers in a dangerous prison environment) and pulls off a whopper of a twist and a homo-erotic subtext that generates some interest.

Character – I’ve figured out another problem with Enterprise that might have stalled people’s enjoyment or why they turned off in droves. The creators make a huge assumption that people will feel drawn to this crew just because they are the regulars on a Star Trek show. There’s not a great deal of effort being put in to make these people warm and witty and wonderful. They are utterly stone faced most of the time, completely professional and pretty much deathly dull because of it. I want to hear them bantering, cracking jokes or sparking off one another in conflict. Anything but the vanilla monotony of gravel-faced professionalism. It’s like being on a ship full of middle management. Say what you will about the regulars on TOS, TNG, DS9 or VOY; they were colourful, vivid and enjoyable to spend time with.

The most predictable path a prison episode could go down is for two guys who have been mistaken for criminals winding up on a prison ship and through a series events find themselves free, working together and sharing their stories of being wrongfully imprisoned and realising they are both nice guys. Oh yes, it went there. When did Star Trek become this predictable? Wouldn’t it have been more interesting if Archer was forced to work with a genuine criminal and forced to question whether he likes the guy or not?

Performance – Here is an opportunity for Scott Bakula to play a smuggler and have some fun pretending to be a bad guy. Does he take this opportunity? No, he plays his alter ego with all the cheery demeanour and charm as he does Captain Archer. With absolutely none whatsoever. A baffling missed opportunity.

Production – The alien that sits next to Trip on the prisoner ship is quite simply the most repulsive looking species we have every encountered in Star Trek. His forehead is covered in giant pustules that look as though they are about to explode at any minute. All (and I mean ALL) of the personality is given to this character, who never shuts up and is burdened with so many personality quirks that you cannot help but fear the writer and director are compensating for the lack of character elsewhere. This is the only comedy in the episode, and it’s painful.

A handsome score by Brian Taylor, who only contributed one more (the similarly memorable Regeneration). A shame because there are moments here where he manages to convince me that something much more exciting is going on.

Best moment – The last ten minutes sees this contained episode opening out into spectacular violence and action. Mayweather gets to fire a gun, which is the most useful thing I have seen him do. Kroeker finally feels comfortable bringing this episode to life and cuts between some slick CGI and hand to hand combat.

Worst moment – The episode ducks out of making Archer responsible for any deaths when venting plasma and igniting it would more than likely destroy the ships that are pursuing them. It’s a pretty gutless move on the writers part who should have been taking more risks in this direction. When Koruda decides to murder all the fellow prisoners to mask their escape the script is never invested in whether Archer can go through with that or not, simply in how quickly he can change his mind and find another way. It is always ducking the dramatic opportunities.

I wish they hadn’t done that – I swear that Hoshi and Mayweather are just there to make up the numbers. I wish that somebody had capitalised on how little they are given focus by having them turn out to be Section 31 spies who are designed to blend into the background.

A reason to watch this episode again – Typical John Shiban; it gets all the basic elements right (an intriguing scenario, an opportunity for some directional flourishes) but lacks the essential spark that brings a piece of television to life. In this case it is insightful character work or having anything to say. Both lacking and both much needed. What you have is an episode that looks great (Allan Kroeker is no slouch) but drags from plot point to plot point functionally but never entertainingly. I think below average is the standard for early Enterprise and this doesn’t disappoint.

** out of *****

Clue for tomorrow's episode: