Terra Prime

 

Plot – When Trip and T’Pol’s baby turns up on the viewscreen as the most dangerous enemy that humanity has ever faced, I wondered if that was in fact the most dangerous enemy that Braga and Berman have ever faced – character development. It’s a fantastic symbol of what I feel has been Enterprise’s biggest weakness, it’s failure to capitalise on the awesome talent of its cast and stretch them in different ways. It’s always a brilliant way to begin what is essentially the last episode of this show (officially that is These Are the Voyages… but we don’t like to talk about that). The worst monster that the crew of Enterprise has come up against is the prejudice of humanity. I’m not sure if that was what Gene Roddenberry was going for when he created this Utopia in the future but it is a compelling approach to take and forces us to hold up a mirror to ourselves (it is more relevant today given who is in political power in the States than ever).

I really like the fact that at this stage of the game, Enterprise feels like a living, breathing universe with its own unique take on Trek. It took four long, bloody seasons to get there but with politicians on Earth, representatives from Vulcan, Section 31 in the mix, the entire season in the Delphic Expanse, the Andorians being given some exposure and even the Tellurians propping up some episodes it truly feels like Enterprise has set up all the pieces for a riveting final three years…oh bugger.

The line that felt really brave is the one that exposed that somebody on Enterprise helped Paxton gain the genetic material on the ship to create a half human, half Vulcan child. The implication being that a racist supporter of Paxton was working on the ship. It’s tricky because I hate the idea of this kind of sick xenophobia prevailing but at the same time I like the idea of deeply flawed characters with questionable beliefs potentially being regulars on this show.

Character – To see T’Pol rocking a child in a maternal way is a far cry from her opening episode on this show. She’s the character that has come on the furthest journey and whilst I would say that that has been an exploitative voyage (often she is developed through the means of sex and drugs), it still shows remarkable growth. I wouldn’t have imagined that she would have a maternal bone in her body in Broken Bow and certainly would never have suspected she had the capacity to fall in love. Bring those two things together here and you have a heart-breaking conclusion to her time on the show, as she and Trip have to experience the loss of a child together. I truly wish they had gone down another route with this (just because I want them to be happy) but it really helps to sell how much they care about each other and it climaxes this tale on a genuinely poignant note. The means by which Paxton wants to bring down the aliens on Earth has a direct, emotional impact on two of the Enterprise crew. Why did it take so long to get these characters so emotionally involved?

I think the last time that Mayweather had any serious development was in series one and so it feels like the biggest joke of the series that in its last gasp he is given a corrupt ex-girlfriend to muddy the plot.

It’s interesting that Trip can convince a member of Terra Prime that he is a steaming bigot because the lines that he says in this episode echo precisely where he was in the first series. He didn’t like the Vulcans and he did object to them making them jump through hoops for technological advancements. One of my least favourite elements of the first series was that there was an underlying xenophobia amongst our heroes that came out in some very ugly ways. So look at them all now. Their mission has allowed them to grow and understand each other more, to develop relationships and to have a much better appreciation for other species. Trip has come a long way as well. He’s still handsome as hell, mind.

Performance – Paul Weller is certainly commanding as Paxton but I’m not sure that he is an especially compelling character under the surface. His xenophobia is not given much explanation (remember when O’Brien’s hatred of Cardassians was explored in a single episode of TNG?) and so he comes across as a man who picked a cause and just went for it, rather than having a solid motive. A shame because the performance is icy and memorable. The best moment for this character is when T’Pol bursts his bubble and tells him that he is no significant and he responds that history will determine that. He wants his moment, and if he has to murder everybody in Starfleet Command to do it then so be it.

Great Dialogue – ‘I promise you this; our future will be secure because humanity will prevail’ – Astonishing how that line, which on paper is celebratory, can become twisted with hatred and xenophobia. I can imagine a Starfleet Captain saying that line to bolster their crew. Spoken by a racist politician, this is a damning criticism of any non-humanoid living on Earth.‘Earthmen talk about uniting worlds. But your own planet is deeply divided.’

Production – Was it my imagination or did the CGI seem especially ropey in this episode? It feels like we have reached the end of the season with an exhausted crew and budget. There’s one particularly troubling sequence where we set foot on Reed’s 32^nd planet where it is very obvious that they are all standing in front of a green screen.

I wish they hadn’t done that – Back on DS9, Section 31 used to operate in plain sight under guises and manipulate the political landscape to the Federation’s gain. Now they are adhering the most hilarious of cliches; only meeting in dark smoky alleys and wearing buttoned up black suits to conduct their dastardly deals. It would appear that they learnt the art of subtlety come the 24^th Century.

A reason to watch this episode again – A strong script with a fair production, this is a fairly muted but reasonable end to the Enterprise journey. There is certainly no point where this episode drops the ball and throughout each of the crew get something of significance to do. The threat of the destruction of Starfleet Command gives the narrative some balls and the Paxton makes for a strong, if not especially deep villain. If I sound fairly ambivalent it is only because I would expect so much more than good for a final two parter. I would hope to see a show juggling empires, crossing time zones or making deals with the Borg. Instead this is a subtle ending to what has proven to be the most forgettable of the Trek shows. However, to go out questioning the Roddenberry ideal, probing the inherent racism that was in the fabric of the show in the first season and giving each of these characters a fair crack at the whip…well, I’ve seen series depart with far less dignity and intelligence. Enterprise was a victim of being the fourth Berman era Trek and being produced when the franchise was suffering from fatigue. It was also bizarrely conceived to be mired in continuity but it only really embraced that at the last minute. Season four of Enterprise is a strong year of Trek and certainly the best year of Enterprise and so perhaps it was a good thing for the series to go out at its height. However, it feels that everything was finally falling into place when the axe came down on this show and that is unfortunate because I am practically certain that the following few years might have really seen this show flourish into something to rival the three previous shows. Terra Prime is very watchable, and it even stabs at your emotions at the end. If I wanted more from this story it is because I wanted more from the series. Had this been the end of series four with series five to come I would be far more favourable.

**** out of *****