First post! Yyyyyyyowza!

First reaction - that was good stuff!

They should go back to just calling it Enterprise. Otherwise they are going to give "Star Trek" a bad name.

Okay, but seriously folks...

Well, pretty good for a second pilot season premiere. This had a number of nice, subtle touches that made the ep overall rather effective. Thus, let's get to it.

Three things I liked:

3)So, uh, those MACO's, eh? They can kick some serious ass. Nice job on getting there and literally dropping in unexpectedly. Although I wonder if they were any more effective and stealthy than we're used to, or they just made it look that way by not cutting to them until they showed up. Hmmmmmm...
2) Pace throuought was very tight. The episode had a sense of urgency that I really appreciated, making it seem perhaps even more exciting than a show with an hour's worth of action might be. Partially, this was accomplished by the trick of cutting straight to black for commercials, instead of fading to black. I also thought that maybe the camerawork here was a little different than we're used to, so if that was a conscious change, kudos!
1) Trip's dream was, uh, intense. Like, really intense. No wonder he's having trouble sleeping! That was a good sequence.

Three things I didn't like:

3) Cue Captain Exposition! I mean, seriously, as long as the "Previously on Enterprise" segment was, did they really have to go overboard with all the, "Oh, you're so and so" and "our mission is this" and the like? Take, for example, Hoshi's brief sit-down with the MACOs. The Enterprise has been in the Delphic Expanse for six weeks now. Plus, it took them how long to get out there (I don't remember, but it was a good chunk of time, wasn't it)? Point is, the MACOs have been aboard a while, and I can kinda see that Hoshi wouldn't have been able to talk to them yet, that scene seemed a lot like TPTB wanted what had happened down our throats. This did not have to be done. Similarly, lots of Archer's cranking about "If we don't do this, Earth will be destroyed" struck me as annoying. I think the crew knows the stakes by now, Quantum. Oy.
2) Reed's whole problem with not wanting to take the MACOs with him to the planet just struck me as dumb. That's what they're there for! Use them! Argh.
1) Oh, yeah. They remixed the theme song. And made it worse. That sound you heard when it started? Was a million fans listening and smacking their foreheads in unison. D'oh!

Other notes:

Did the titular Xindi remind anyone else of Tim Robbins?

So, Archer and co. are on this mission, right? And it's really important, right? So important, that it stands to reason they'll have to undergo lots of dangerous tasks to get it completed, right? So... when they get trapped by the miners, why doesn't anyone suggest using the transporter?

Remember how the Delphic Expanse was supposed to be this big creepy region of space, and it was all dark and mysterious in there? I only bring this up because now, the Delphic Expanse looks a whole lot like... normal space.

Why are the Xindi building one giant weapon? The impression I keep getting is that they're constructing one giant Death Star-esque thing that will then blow up Earth. Now, you know this thing's going to have to need defenses, because they can't imagine, if they think the Earth's capable of invading their space with hundreds of ships, that none of those ships will be defending Earth during their next attack. Thus... why not just build a whole bunch of smaller ships, like the probe they've already used? They obviously pack a punch, and if there's going to be a battle, then it stands to reason that the more ships they have, the more are probably going to be able to get through to reach the target. The Death Star approach doesn't really seem feasible.

Why doesn't Archer get suspicious the moment he sees the Xindi's finger? In fact, why does Phlox have to perform all the analysis he needed to perform to come up with the fact that the Xindi from the probe attack was most likely reptilian? Archer got a really good look at the guy after the attack. Frankly, he should at least think that all Xindi are reptilian, and thus, seeing the finger, one that looks remarkably human to me, should at least give him pause.

I hope they explain at some point what the MACOs were using, as they didn't look like your normal phasers, and I thought phasers were the latest and greatest in Earth weaponry? Also, was the one sniper guy using a projectile weapon? That seemed so odd.

But I should mention that scene with the sniper? Was really cool. Shots being fired from the mist! Excellent.

I don't know what they were going for in the subplot with Trip and T'Pol. First of all, if sedatives aren't working, perhaps it might be clear that his insomnia is not a physical problem, but a psychological one. Phlox is traied in psychology (and reverse psychology, evidently), he should be able to help Trip beyond sending him off to T'Pol for something that neither of them are really that keen on.

And then the "neuropressure" scene or whatever that was called. Ye. Gods. T'Pol goes way of of her character the entire time. Oh, and then she has to take her shirt off, for some reason? Okay. Oh, but she's modest, so she must cover the dinners. Awfully emotional response, eh? All in all, this entire scene rated a gigantic "gaaaaaaaaaaaaak."

Overall Grade: A. Next week: Stuff happens! It's shocking! Archer plays no more Mr. Nice Guy! Oooh! We'll see.

BOR-ING!

I was one of the few who defended the theme song back when this show first aired. But I have to agree with Sparrow. The re-mix version sucks balls. If you're going to re-mix it at least get someone GOOD, like Oakenfold, Andrea Parker (Kiss My Arp is one of the best albums ever!), Moby, DJ Rap, that guy from Linkin Park; anybody but whoever this loser is!

As for the plot, it was dull as hell. I'd promised to give this 3 episodes to impress me in order for me to continue watching it. All I can say right now is the next two episodes better be AWESOME or else I quit! It's a good thing there are THREE New Frontier books coming out in October cause I could use a Good Trek fix right about now.

I thought Future Guy had given them the coordinates inside the expanse to go to.

STAR WARS REFERENCE OF THE WEEK, PART 1:
As Sparrow already mentioned, the giant superweapon sounds very much like the Death Star.

STAR WARS REFERENCE OF THE WEEK, PART 2:
Whenever they showed the Xindi Council, was anyone else reminded of Count Dooku's rebellion meeting in AOTC?

INTIMATE SCENE OF THE WEEK:
This moment between Trip and T'Pol was done much better. The sexual aspects were not completely overlooked and it didn't pretend to have some higher purpose. They're clearly setting up T'Pol and Trip to get closer (whether they mean romantically or not remains to be seen) so I'm interested to see where this goes.

CREW CONFLICT OF THE WEEK:
I saw nothing wrong with Malcolm resenting the MACOs' presence. They decided to "beef up" security which sort of implies that it wasn't up to snuff before. I can understand how Malcolm could take that as an insult.

NASAL SPRAY DEMAND OF THE WEEK:
Did that mining guy need some nasal relief or what? And what was his obsession with platinum? He was very entertaining to watch. I hope we see him again.

FORESHADOWING OF THE WEEK:
The anomaly with the cargo containers was pretty interesting. I hope we get to see more weird stuff later on.

CRAPPY REMIX OF THE WEEK:
Oh my! The theme music is terrible now. I liked it before. The new one sounds like garbage. Bring back the old one.

BUG PROBLEM OF THE WEEK:
I like the Xindi Insectoid. He seems like the most interesting of the bunch. He (or could it be she) sounds like the most agressive one.

TWIST OF THE WEEK:
I'm fascinated by the conclusion to this episode. The Xindi homeworld is already destroyed. I did not expect that. I'm interested to see where they go with that.

TUE COMMENTARY OF THE WEEK:
This season is out to a great start. I feel like I'm actually watching a series now. The writing still needs a bit of work. There was a little too much rehashing in the beginning and the "bad guy capturing us for slave labor" isn't exactly a new concept. This episode shows that they're definitely trying though.

OVERALL GRADE OF THE WEEK:
8/10.

TUE

The Xindi homeworld is already destroyed. I did not expect that.TUE

I rather expect that that wasn't the Xindi homeworld. But that's just me.

1. What was the new room in the first scene called? It looked like an earlier version of Voyager's Astrometrics Lab.

2. Interesting to see Stephen Culp as a combat soldier after his performances as a cocky spook and a cocky lawyer.

3. Also nice to see Daniel Dae Kim again. Too bad he didn't have a conflict with his work on Crusade Season 4.

4. I too liked the weird goings-on in the cargo hold. But, I wonder, where on the ship could you fit a large hold with large cargo-doors on two opposite walls?

5. T'Pol's new cat-suits look even tighter than the old one, though that may just be the stiffer fabric.

6. The MACO's uniforms looked almost as tight as T'Pol's old uniform.

7. The MACO's uniforms also seemed especially shiny in places, which seemed odd on something that was trying to be camouflage. I think they were meant to be camouflage. It was appropriate for the dilapidated semi-industrial grunge setting of the episode, but I really hope they have other patterns for other environments.

8. The commando’s backpacks are popular where I live, too.

9. It's been mentioned, but what were those blue not-phase rifle, not-EM rifle things the MACO's were using?

10. Phlox is a good physician, and I'm sure he checked before suggesting it, but I'm surprised that Vulcan acupressure would work on a human.

The planetary debris was interesting. Do you think that the Xindi are trying to blow up Earth now, in hopes that in 400 years humans won't be able to blow up the Xindi homeworld 100 years ago because the Xindi are trying to blow up Earth now?
Temporal mechanics: making sure I'm going to have a headache ten minutes ago.

Summerfield, Archer called it a "Command Center".

The F/X with the shuttlepod were better. Previously, the pods looked too big for the ship. Now the scale is better.

T'Pol's Vulcan makeup is more "Vulcan". Especially the eyebrows. In S1&S2, her eyebrows were rounded. Here they're more definitely slanted. Also, her ears seemed more pronounced.

"The Xindi" wasn't as bad as I feared, but it also wasn't as good as I hoped. I was looking for a knockdown, dragout, action-intense season-opener that we've been accustomed to on Star Trek since Voyager's "Basics," or even earlier. Instead, we got something that more resembled the season-opener for a prime-time soap opera: a story that sets up recurring elements and plotlines that will be a part of the show until January. We met the new troops, saw them in action; we met the new aliens, didn't see them in action. We also got to see the new character dynamics: a more determined Archer, an angered and grieving Trip, a "looser" T'Pol. The new and the familiar, mixing together.

Nits and notes:

-- One of my problems with "The Expanse," the season two closer, was it forced too many plot elements into one hour. Notice that in the "Last time on Enterprise" recap, no mention was made of the Klingons.

-- Archer's opening tirade at Malcolm was a poor attempt at covering exposition. The only reason he went off on Malcolm was so we, the viewers, could learn about the new control room (which was pretty self-explanatory) and about what the Enterprise did on summer vacation. Sorry, Malcolm, we didn't mean to get you in trouble.

-- The episode's plot twist, the miner's plan to subdue the Enterprise crew, surprised me. It was well-done.

-- Archer didn't answer the foreman's question about how many crewmen he had. Yet later, the foreman says, "If he gets back to his starship, I'll lose 100 new workers."

-- The foreman orders his lackey to "Take them to the surface. Shoot them." Why not shoot them where they were? As made evident moments later, the room could withstand weapon's fire.

-- Hoshi tells T'Pol the shuttlepods have just left the surface and the alien ships will arrive in seven minutes. In the next scene, the Enterprise is safely away. It took seven minutes to get from the surface to the ship?!? I don't think so.

-- If anybody needs part-time employment, jobs are available as a standby bridge officer. With Malcolm and Travis on the rescue mission, Hoshi was the only one to answer T'Pol's questions about ship positions and to relay orders to the landing bays. At least someone was manning Travis' station in the background.

-- In "Expanse," I thought Trip's sudden mix of grief and anger over the loss of his sister was sloppily handled, but it came across as being much more believable in this episode. The bad dreams, the lack of sleep, the sudden rages (with the Xindi captive) were done pretty well.

TUE said: "The anomaly with the cargo containers was pretty interesting. I hope we get to see more weird stuff later on."

I didn't care for that scene. I thought it was forced so we could see something that "defies the laws of physics," as promised at the end of last season. I thought it was a waste of special-effects money.

Sparrow - That sound you heard when it started? Was a million fans listening and smacking their foreheads in unison.
You honestly think a million people liked the old theme??? 8-o
I thought the guitar, or whatever they added, made the music slightly more listenable, but it was still held down by the horrible lyrics.

I agree, Trike. The cargo scene was a waste. If they really wanted to live up to the premise of it being a weird place they shouldn't make it look like "normal space" as Sparrow mentioned.
If I were in charge of the show, I'd have had the FX people look at the artwork of Escher & Dali & other odd artists to produce a truly weird looking section of space.
(Then, at the end of the storyline, I'd have the Delphic Expanse disappear Brigadoon-like so it wouldn't be a nit for TOS, TNG & DS9. ;-)

IIRC Platinum melts at 1700 °F. Why did the miner guy want liquid platinum when it would most likely fry him? Then again maybe this can be labelled as DEWP (Delphic Expanse Weird Physics)?

More DEWP. Five subspecies of Xindi that take on reptilian, humanoid, sloth, & two other types. Yeesh!
(I say subspecies instead of species because of of Phlox agreeing the relationship between the insectoid & the humanoid was similar to modern man {Homo sapiens sapiens} & neanderthal {Homo sapiens neanderthalensis}.)

On Earth creatures in the same species can interbreed. Gotta wonder if the makeup people are working on Xindi hybrids?

The T'Pol/Trip scene seemed like filler.

I liked seeing T'Pol's boobies.

Where did T'Pol get the new clothes? There are no replicators.

A Vulcan neck pinch should have put Trip to sleep.

I foresee that the Xindi are the creators of the Doomsday Device seen in TOS.

New theme -- no like. I never really listened to the lyrics but I did like the heavy strings in the original version. Now it sounds like a cheap, K-Tel cover version.

One of the aliens' subtitles read "musn't" instead of "mustn't".

Chalk up another one for the Archer Gets Captured tote board.

Finally, Star Trek is showcasing some rather alien aliens, at least something more than funny bumps on the head.

The series now has semi-regulars from two other space series I liked: Daniel Dae Kim from Crusade, and Tucker Smallwood from Space:Above and Beyond.

Why didn't Archer offer the head guy some medical treatment -- seems he was almost close to death and could have used that more than Liquid platinum.

The Xindi homeworld was destroyed "120 years ago". If this is the true homeworld, could it be that due to the anomalies of the Expanse, Enterprise is actually now about 500 years in the future?

I gotta say again -- Give Travis something to do!! He only had about three lines this week, and only along the lines of "Aye, sir."

Why didn't Archer offer the head guy some medical treatment -- seems he was almost close to death and could have used that more than Liquid platinum.

What was funny was that, I honestly thought he did mean to say Latinum as him saying he prefers it in it's liquid state would help to fix some of the problems caused by liquid latinum in 'who Mourns for Morn

Trip's nightmare of the beam approaching his sister was too close for comfort. It was a reminder of what it must have been like at Windows on the World on the morning of 9/11/01.

Why did they wear filter masks and environmental suits on the planet?
The scene with Phlox and T'Pol was oddly acted, it just didn't seem right somehow.
Nobody suggests yoga or other exercises for crewmen.
Is Trip the only crewman traumatized by what happened by the Xindi attack?
How many of those marines are on the ship? Aren't any of them women?
The aliens were the only thing I found really interesting. I would like it if they had many episodes focusing on them, and with only brief appearances by the Enteprise crew.
Hoshi should have had more to do. And shouldn't there be more than one language expert on the ship?
Since aliens have different physiologies, Hoshi should be working with a physiologist in studying alien languages and how to reproduce the alien sounds.
The International Phonetic Alphabet has a symbol for sounds in every human language; it could be expanded to includes sounds from Vulcans, Klingons and Porthos.

Now, you know this thing's going to have to need defenses, because they can't imagine, if they think the Earth's capable of invading their space with hundreds of ships, that none of those ships will be defending Earth during their next attack. - Sparrow47

Except (according to Future Guy), Earth's attack on the Xindi occurs four hundred years in the future. The Xindi may simply feel Earth is not prepared to defend itself from this type of attack in the present.


I thought phasers were the latest and greatest in Earth weaponry? - Sparrow47

The phase-pistols were new two years before in Broken Bow. It stands to reason that Starfleet (or whatever defense branch runs the MACOs) has updated its arsenal in the intervening period.


Where did T'Pol get the new clothes? There are no replicators. - Hans Thielman

But the ship does have a quartermaster, who can supply the crew with clothing for landing parties, according to Civilization.

Plus, maybe she simply got the new clothes during the time Enterprise was being refitted in The Expanse. Or maybe she had them all along, and we just never saw her wear them before because when she was on duty, she typically wore her High Command outfit.


Aren't any of them women? - roger

We saw at least one woman down on the planet... she had that hand-to-hand fight with one of the mine guards.

I do agree with Sparrow47, however... it took Enterprise, what?, eight weeks to reach the Expanse (according to The Expanse) and they were in the Expanse for six weeks at the start of this show, and none of the MACOs have met the senior Bridge crew, yet!?! You'd think that'd be the first thing Major Hays would want to do.

And then there's the last act. Enterprise gets the coordinates to the Xindi homeworld, flies to them... Archer orders Tactical Alert... standby weapons... what exactly was his plan? What did he expect to do with his rinky-dink starship once he got to the planet?

I was not a big fan of the theme song when Enterprise started, but it sort of grew on me. Now the new music they have associated with the theme song is horrible! Enterprise is entering into a very dark and moody story arc (trying to find the Xindi and prevent more attacks on Earth) yet the theme music has been changed to some happy and bouncy theme. I feel like I should be buying groceries while that music is playing in the background.

---

Quote:

Sparrow47 says:
So... when they get trapped by the miners, why doesn't anyone suggest using the transporter?

---

---

Quote:

Sparrow47 says:
I hope they explain at some point what the MACOs were using, as they didn't look like your normal phasers, and I thought phasers were the latest and greatest in Earth weaponry? Also, was the one sniper guy using a projectile weapon? That seemed so odd.

---

>STAR WARS REFERENCE OF THE WEEK, PART 2:
Whenever they showed the Xindi Council, was anyone else reminded of Count Dooku's rebellion meeting in AOTC?<

My boyfriend said the same thing!

I liked seeing Marco Sanchez as one of the MACOs. I've liked him since SeaQuest. Hope he gets more screen time.

I like the fact that the Xindi are not all humanoid. Someone finally figured out how do do more makeup than a little nose-piece! (and how to turn on a computer & draw!)

When an Enterprise landing party is surrounded by hostile natives, are they now going to say, "Uh-oh, better get MACO"?

---

Quote:

If I were in charge of the show, I'd have had the FX people look at the artwork of Escher & Dali & other odd artists to produce a truly weird looking section of space.
— Keith Alan Morgan

---

---

Quote:

Summerfield, Archer called it a "Command Center".
— ScottN

---

When the Enterprise arrives at the co-ordinates for the Xindi homeworld, Trip says says he performed a metaralogical (sic?) scan, which is evidence that the Xindi were technologically advanced (or something along those lines.) Why is Trip, who is the Chief Engineer, conducting these scans in the first place? Shouldn't T'Pol, who is the Science Officer, be doing these scans instead?

I can't believe you guys all fell for the same thing that the Enterprise crew did.

IMHO, The destroyed planet was NOT the Xindi homeworld. The Xindi homeworld was cloaked or something. Remember, the Council commented that Enterprise investigated and left. I suspect that the debris field is a red herring.

Alas, poor Jolene!

I don't think ANY Trek series has treated its women regulars as badly as Enterprise (TOS did parade the flesh of its female guest stars on occasion, but it did not humiliate Nichelle Nichols and certainly not Majel Barrett Roddenberry.) I don't know who to feel sorrier for--Jolene Blalock who is basically required to put on a striptease whenever the creators feel the need for a ratings boost, or Linda Park who is basically required to do nothing.

SSDD: Archer hopes the flying containers don’t contain anything “volatile.” What does it matter if the contents can evaporate?

More dialog: Coincidence that Trip was able to pick the correct “fifth vertebra” (i.e., T-5)? It’s a one-in-three shot.

“Ya heard about this great new drug? It’s called PLA--CE--BOS! I took two just before the show, and I am FLYING!” (Steve Martin)

Biggest surprise: Personal weapons that actually CAN hit a d_mn thing.

Sparrow47: Did the titular Xindi remind anyone else of Tim Robbins?
:: Actually, I was watching the titular T’Pol.

Summerfield: Temporal mechanics: making sure I'm going to have a headache ten minutes ago.
:: PPF!

Archer hopes the flying containers don’t contain anything “volatile.” What does it matter if the contents can evaporate? - TJFleming

The containers were not engaging in flight.

Oh! Did you mean the other definition of flying, meaning "moving or be sending through the air with great speed"?

Much like Archer probably meant the other definition of volatile, meaning "unstable or explosive."

I can't believe you guys all fell for the same thing that the Enterprise crew did.ScottN

Hey, I sure didn't...

Except (according to Future Guy), Earth's attack on the Xindi occurs four hundred years in the future. The Xindi may simply feel Earth is not prepared to defend itself from this type of attack in the present.Darth Sarcasm

Except when initially discussing Enterprise's foray into the Expanse, one of them (possibly the insetoid) said "It's an invasion! Hundreds of ships will follow!" No one seems willing to correct him, either. Obviously they have a slightly exaggerated idea of the size of Earth's shipbuilding capacity.

Trip's nightmare of the beam approaching his sister was too close for comfort. It was a reminder of what it must have been like at Windows on the World on the morning of 9/11/01.

I can understand why you feel that way. Although, I honestly felt that it looked more like Independance Day.

I hope to see more of the female MACO. Trek, I mean Enterprise, could use a human woman that is tough. Also hope she wears a pony-tail a lot.

If the miner was planning on capturing crew & ship, then why did he waste time by asking for latinum? Why not capture Archer the first time instead of 'giving him the finger'?

So, if the crew will take all of Season 3 to find the planet, does that mean they will take all of Season 4 to get back home?

"Trip's nightmare of the beam approaching his sister was too close for comfort. It was a reminder of what it must have been like at Windows on the World on the morning of 9/11/01.

I can understand why you feel that way. Although, I honestly felt that it looked more like Independance Day."

I thought it was more like Terminator 2, when Connor's mother has that nightmare about jugement day.

Darth: Archer probably meant the other definition of volatile, meaning "unstable or explosive."

:: Well played. But as far as I know, that definition only applies to personalities or situations. To a chemist (any out there to back me up?), volatile refers exclusively to evaporation. And volatile substances need not be combustible (freon, for example, I think).

Well, Summerfield, I was also thinking in terms of the planets, not just the starscape.

If this is a region where the normal laws don't apply, why not be more creative. Why should space in the expanse look black? It's not as if Berman & Braga have really tried very hard for a hard science approach, so why not be more fantastical inside this region where the laws are different.

Does no one agree with me about the Doomsday Device from TOS? Can't anyone else see how they are going to tie this in together?

Well, first, the planet killer was from outside our galaxy. I'm not sure the Delphic Expanse qualifies as outside our galaxy.

Second, the planet killer was an ancient device.

Third, Kirk and crew had no idea what the planet killer was when they stumbled onto it. In fact, Kirk speculated that it was a "doomsday weapon" constructed to bluff the opposing faction in this ancient war in another galaxy. Why would Kirk speculate if he already should know what it is?

Fourth, I highly doubt that Berman and Braga are even aware of the planet killer from TOS. Judging by the show, it doesn't seem they're very aware of TOS at all. Enterprise seems more a prequel to TNG, not TOS.

I really, _really_ wanted to believe the hype.

I really, _really_ hoped the show would live up to it.

I really did.

Until I saw: "Written by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga".

The End.

"Alas, poor Jolene!"

I knew her, Steven; a woman of infinite breast:-). "Pauses for readers' groans at very bad pun".

"I like the fact that the Xindi are not all humanoid. Someone finally figured out how do do more makeup than a little nose-piece! (and how to turn on a computer & draw!)"

Which is why I wanted a hypothetical Voyager movie to be in CGI. "Do do more makeup"?

"They're clearly setting up T'Pol and Trip to get closer (whether they mean romantically or not remains to be seen) so I'm interested to see where this goes."

Why? I, for one, find it even less believable than the idea of Voyager's Not Nicholas Locarno trying to get next to B'Elanna Torres and not getting the _smack_ laid down on his candy @$$, Old School Trek Style, for his trouble.

And that's all I got to say about this ep here.

Ah, true. How far I have fallen as a Trekker. I should have remembered that.

Oh, well. Thanks for the correction.

But perhaps those Aquatics were responsible for the probe in ST4.

The Delphic Expanse should have been done like the badlands were done for DS9 and VOY.

But at least they didn't try to use the "night" space that was used in VOY's "Night"

also:

Where is Luigi Novi? I miss his head-line jokes and his "I'll post every conceivable nit before the paint has dried style of writing."

Sigh, no one has responded to my post at all. It happens of course, you can't avoid it, but I haven't been chastised by the Roving Mods for my use of the word 'balls.' For awhile I was under the impression they were keeping a Truman Shows tyle close eye on every post I made.

What I liked about the ep.:

1.The theme remix.It was much better than the
first two seasons.The original way it was performed made it drag a bit too much,the remix
had a faster tempo to it and also the addition
of the orchestral background made it much better
sounding.

2.Jolene's new warddrobe and hairstyle.The wig she wore in the first two seasons was way too faky looking.The present style gives her face a
gentler more natural look.(And also,IMHO,highlights her Scottish heritage.)
The new catsuits grant to T'Pol a more feminine and even sensual appearance and less Vulcan.
Fact is she reminds me now a bit of Olga from
7 Days.

3.The addition of the MACOs.Great addition.
That and the fact that one of the NCOs was from
Duluth originally.
Too bad he wasn't from Bemidiji or Pipestone,Minnesota or even Sioux Falls,South Dakota as that would even be better!!!!!!

4.The MACOs uniforms.Were they inspired by
the uniform worn by Navy Seals?I ask this as it seems that the MACOs might have been inspired partly by the Seals.

5.The MACOs rifles.I still don't know if they shoot bullets or some type of pellet,but as far as hand held weapons they are the best Star Trek
as ever come up with.Unlike previous Star Trek
weapons(with the exemption of the pulse rifles)
these rifles don't look like they ought to be used cleaning floors.I also loved the bit in
pop up scope complete with night vision.That
was cool!!!

6.What appears to be the reuse of the old astrometrics set from Voyager for the tactical
center on Enterprise.I could be wrong here but it did look like they were reusing the Voyager
astrometric set there.

7.The faster pace of the story compared to the way some of the second season stories tended to
drag.

No

Awww, come on dad. Please?

Welllllllll okay

Richie, I don't know why startrek.com doesn't have him listed, but Daniel Dae Kim played Corporal Chang. (He also played Gotana-Retz in Blink of an Eye(VOY).)

---Critique:
---We waited three and a half months for this?
After a second season finale that seemed more like a setup than anything else, you’d think there’d be some payoff with the third season premiere. Instead, we got yet another story in which Acher gets captured, more ominous setup, some awfully-written exposition, more incompetence by Archer, some potential conflict between Reed and the new commandos that is dropped as soon as it is brought up, some brief but pretty-looking action with the new MACOs, more gratuitious nudity/pseudo-sex masquerading as a story about dealing with grief, and an ending that’s mostly identical to the episode that preceded it.
---Possibly the most offensive aspect of the episode is the way it treats Trip’s grief. After a brief nightmare sequence that’s derivative but powerful, it degenerates into stupidity. When Family(TNG) dealt with Picard’s grief over his actions as Locutus, it pit him against his abusive brother, and his visions of the future against his family’s traditions. When Hero Worship(TNG) depicted a young boy who lost his parents during a traumatic disaster dealing with his pain, it showed him withdrawing from the emotional world of humans by emulating an emotionless android, and in doing so, elicited emotion from the viewer. Here, we get yet another retarded attempt to get T’Pol out of her clothes, have an awkward moment with Trip in which he covers her breasts with her hands, and have them rub each other. What a bunch of cr@p.
---And who the hell decided to change the music of the opening title sequence? UGH! If there were people who didn’t like the music of the opening title sequence before (I was not one of them), there are certainly more now (I am one of them).
---I admit it was really cool seeing the MACOs go into action. Seeing a group of Starfleet tactical officers competently execute a dangerous rescue mission was nice, and it was filmed really well, from the ropes with which they appeared, to the female MACO who took out her assailant with that shock-nightstick, and the sniper taking out the foreman with the rifle with the retractable scope, was a refreshing break from all the incompetant security we’ve seen on Trek to date. Of course, this does raise some questions. Why can’t Reed’s officers do this? Why do the MACOs have special gear, weapons and uniforms, but Reed’s men don’t? And since so much incompetence on the part of security usually exists because the plot requires it, might not the same thing happen with the MACOs when the plot requires it of them?

---Notes:
---We learn from the reptilian Xindi council member in the teaser that the planet on which they are convening (possibly the Xindi homeworld) is 50 light years from Earth. We learn in the teaser (and from pre-publicity), as well as Kessick explicitly stating in Act 3 that the Xindi are composed of five different species: A mostly human-looking one, a sloth-like one, a reptilian one, an insectoid one, and an amphibious one.
---We learn from Archer in the opening scene of Act 1 that they’ve been in the Delphic Expanse for six weeks.
---We see T’Pol wearing a new outfit for the first time now that she is no longer working for the Vulcan High Command, and tells Phlox in sickbay in Act 1 that she has no siblings.
---Archer and Reed mention in Act 1 that the Enterprise’s new Command Center used to be a storage bay used for conduit housings, that the ship’s antimatter relays are coated with a platinum-cobalt alloy, and that stripping 200 of them can yield half a liter of platinum. When walking Archer toward the Cargo Bay experiencing the anomaly in Act 1, he says that Cargo Bays 1 and 3 are unaffected, which would not only indicate that the one they’re in is Cargo Bay 2, but that these three are the total number of Cargo Bays on the ship.

---Terms:
Command Center Room on the Enterprise transformed from a storage bay used for conduit housings by Starfleet for the Enterprise’s new mission, as Archer and Reed mention in the beginning of Act 1.
Military Assault Command Organization to which the military operatives that Hoshi meets in the Mess Hall in Act 1 belong.
MACOs Name given to Military Assault Command Operation Soldiers. (Note: This word comes from prepublicity outlets like The Star Trek Communicator and startrek.com, and not the episode.)
Major Hayes The commander of the MACOs that Hoshi first meets in the Mess Hall in Act 1.
Seargent Kemper One of the MACOs that Hoshi first meets in the Mess Hall in Act 1. Originally from Duluth, he tells Hoshi he hasn’t lived there since junior high school, and is stationed outside of Atlanta.
Corporal Romero One of the MACOs that Hoshi first meets in the Mess Hall in Act 1.
Corporal Chang One of the MACOs that Hoshi first meets in the Mess Hall in Act 1.
Ensign McFarlane Crewman that Trip mentions to Archer in Act 1 who got pretty banged up by the anomaly in Cargo Bay 2.
Vulcan neuro-pressure Technique that Phlox asks T’Pol in Act 1 to try with Trip to help him sleep.
trellium D Substance mined on the planet, used for insultation, mostly aboard interstellar vessels, as the Alien Foreman tells Archer in Act 2.
Kessick Humanoid Xindi prisoner that the foreman introduces Archer and Trip to in Act 2. (Name from startrek.com only.)
Orassin distortion fields Area of space to which the Enterprise is headed at the end of the episode, as the reptilian Xindi council member mentions in the council in the closing scene of the episode.

I don't know why startrek.com doesn't have him listed, but Daniel Dae Kim played Corporal Chang.

Luigi, DDK was in the (post-title) opening credits. I'm surprised he was not listed on startrek.com

I listed Daniel Dae Kim in my Guest Cast list. Thank you though Luigi

Any time.

Perfect description of this episode
When Reed advises caution in Act 1 in proceeding from the information given to them by the freighter captain because he says he was of questionable character, Archer responds bitterly with dialogue about the Command Center that sounds like clumsily exposition, saying that they’ve been in the Expanse for six weeks, and if all they have to go on is the freighter captain, then “That’s good enough for me.” What he should’ve said is that it’s all they have, not that it’s “good enough.”
If Chang’s an old man by the next episode, and Kessick starts asking for his “fix,” we’ll know for sure
Corporal Chang looks an awful lot like Gotana-Retz from Blink of an Eye(VOY), and Kessick looks and sounds a lot like Romas from Symbiosis(TNG).
The universal language of being a standoffish b*tch
When Hoshi sits down to eat with the MACOs in Act 1, she introduces herself. The MACOs have been on the ship for four and a half months, (The coordinate Future Guy gave Archer in The Expanse were three months away from Earth at Warp 5, and Archer mentions to Reed in Act 1 that they’ve been in the Expanse for six weeks), and the ship’s linguist and communications officer is only now introducing herself?
You’d think from the number of times that Archer’s been captured or kidnapped, that he’d know he’s not going to be there for a “short period”
When Archer and Reed first come down to the planet in Act 1, Reed says they should’ve worn their EV suits, and begins to cough. Archer says, “The doctor said it was safe for short periods. Try not to breathe.” Is this guy serious? How does Archer know that they’re going to be there for short periods? Archer would rather have them not breathe than wear protective suits? The miners cover their faces with respirators in the mines, and Kessick tells Archer when crawling up the plasma duct in the beginning of Act 3 that the atmosphere on the surface is 30 times more toxic than in the mines.
He’s not as ugly as the other guy
Why, if the trellium in the atmosphere makes it toxic, and the mining foreman’s chief lackey keep a respirator on his face all the time, does he keep his on a hinge that he swings in front of his face every so often to take a breath? Why not keep it attached all the time?
No, but watching this episode certainly felt like one
Was anyone else reminded of Sarah Conner’s nightmare from Terminator 2: Judgment Day when watching Trip’s nightmare of his sister’s death in the closing scene of Act 1?
That’s at least two things in this episode getting “stripped”
If producing half a liter of liquid platinum requires the Enterprise to strip 200 of their antimatter relays, as Archer tells the alien foreman in Act 2, then in what condition does that leave the relays for conveying antimatter? If their coating is removed, can they still function just as well?
Shouldn’t he just carry around his own handcuffs at this point?
In Act 2, Archer gets captured. Again. For the twelvth time in just over two seasons.
They’ve been too busy staking about the Decon Chamber waiting for any, er, suspicious “gel activity”
Hayes tells Reed that Reed’s security teams are too valuable to be on the rescue mission because in case of an invading boarding party, the Enterprise will need people who know the ship inside and out to defend against them. Hayes and his men have been on the Enterprise for four and a half months, and they still don’t know the Enterprise inside and out?
General Casey was busy visiting his brother Ben back on Earth
Also, Archer mentioned to Admiral Forrest in the opening scene of Act 3 of The Expanse that a General Casey was the head of the military team that was coming onboard the Enterprise. Where is he? Why is Major Hayes taking charge in making his recommendation to Reed?
Psychologist: “Okay, T’Pol what does this inkblot look like to you?”
T’Pol: “An alien probe, recent in origin, obviously built in the Delphic Expanse.”
Psychologist: “I see. And what about this one?”
T’Pol: “That is two people nude from the waist up who are massaging one another, obviously because one of them has just lost his sister and is dealing with his grief.”
Psychologist: “Interesting. And what about this one?”
T’Pol: “A genocidal madman, possibly from the future, who seeks to destroy entire races of people with his sinister machinations.”
Psychologist: “T’Pol, it’s a photograph of Brannon Braga!”
T’Pol: “You see what you see, I see what I see, Doctor.”
At the end of the episode, after Archer incredulously asks how the Xindi could believe that humans will destroy them in 400 years if their homeworld was destroyed decades ago, T’Pol says that they know that the Xindi probe was built somewhere in the Expanse, that it was built recently, and that it is logical to assume that the new, larger weapon is being developed at the same location. Am I the only one who sees all three of these statements as being suspect or just plain wrong? First, I don’t recall Future Guy telling Archer in the previous episode that probe was built in the Expanse, and even if he did off-camera, I thought T’Pol didn’t put much stock in anything pertaining to the Temporal Cold War. Second, various pieces of the Xindi probe debris that Archer quantum dated in Act 2 of the previous episode scanned as a year old, four years old, and even twelve years old, so it wasn’t manufactured “recently.” Lastly, T’Pol’s statement that the larger version of the weapon is presumably being developed at the same location as the probe is just that: a presumption. One with no basis that I can see, moreover, since it is equally possible that it’s being built at an entirely different location.

Nah, they just keep her in cold storage for the third season finale
In The Expanse, when Trip mentions that his sister lives in Florida, Archer asks "older or younger?"
However in The Xindi, Phlox says that "Commander Tucker had one sister."

Was anyone else reminded of Sarah Conner’s nightmare from Terminator 2: Judgment Day when watching Trip’s nightmare of his sister’s death in the closing scene of Act 1?
I was
AFAIK this is the second Terminator reference in the Trek series.

Kazeite, Archer was simply asking Trip if the sister he was mentioning was an older one or a younger one. Not if it was “the” older one or “the” younger one.

Sparrow47: So, Archer and co. are on this mission, right? And it's really important, right? So important, that it stands to reason they'll have to undergo lots of dangerous tasks to get it completed, right? So... when they get trapped by the miners, why doesn't anyone suggest using the transporter?
Luigi Novi: I assumed that the miners’ ionization that caused Archer to lose communication with the Enterprise in Act 2 when Kessick convinced him to free him prevented locking on for transport.

Sparrow47: Remember how the Delphic Expanse was supposed to be this big creepy region of space, and it was all dark and mysterious in there?
Luigi Novi: I don’t remember any mention of it being “dark,” (unless you meant metaphorically}, but perception of it is largely created by the character’s fear of it. Enter the Bermuda Triangle, and it’ll probably look just like what’s outside of it. Besides, the next episode will supposedly feature those anomalies we’ve heard about.

Sparrow47: Why doesn't Archer get suspicious the moment he sees the Xindi's finger? In fact, why does Phlox have to perform all the analysis he needed to perform to come up with the fact that the Xindi from the probe attack was most likely reptilian? Archer got a really good look at the guy after the attack.
Luigi Novi: Sparrow, the corpse he saw in the previous episode looked scorched beyond recognition, was months old when he saw it, and it’s been months since he’s seen it. Why assume that its reptilian features, such as scales, would still be intact?

Sparrow47: Also, was the one sniper guy using a projectile weapon? That seemed so odd.
Luigi Novi: I don’t recall it being a projectile weapon. From the shot of what he saw through his sniper scope, I assumed it was an energy weapon. (But even if it was a projectile weapon, why is it odd? This episode is set just 150 years from now. They might still be using projectile weapons in some situations.)

Trike: Archer didn't answer the foreman's question about how many crewmen he had. Yet later, the foreman says, "If he gets back to his starship, I'll lose 100 new workers."
Luigi Novi: Good eye, Trike. Is it possible, though, that they scanned the ship?

Trike: Hoshi tells T'Pol the shuttlepods have just left the surface and the alien ships will arrive in seven minutes. In the next scene, the Enterprise is safely away. It took seven minutes to get from the surface to the ship?!?
Luigi Novi: Possibly less, since the Enterprise got away from the the warships. Interesting, given that O’Brien said in Act 1 of The Begotten(DS9) established that it takes three hours to get from Bajor to DS9.

Keith Alan Morgan: If I were in charge of the show, I'd have had the FX people look at the artwork of Escher & Dali & other odd artists to produce a truly weird looking section of space.
Luigi Novi: Even looking at Yes album covers from the 1970’s might’ve helped.

Influx: One of the aliens' subtitles read "musn't" instead of "mustn't".
Luigi Novi: Hey, for a guy talking underwater, he ain’t doing too bad, though!

Influx: The Xindi homeworld was destroyed "120 years ago". If this is the true homeworld, could it be that due to the anomalies of the Expanse, Enterprise is actually now about 500 years in the future?
Luigi Novi: I think you mean 400, right? That’s when Future Guy told Archer in the previous ep that humans supposedly destroy the Xindi.

ScottN’s insistence that the real Xindi homeworld was cloaked, and that the debris field was a red herring may have merit, but this is my theory on the Xindi homeworld’s destruction:

The weapon that Earth used to destroy the Xindi was launched 400 years from now (that is, 400 years after the events of this episode), and it traveled back in time 520 years and destroyed the Xindi homeworld. That explains why Future Guy said it would “occur” in 400 years, but the planet appears to have been destroyed 120 years ago. When exactly this attack “occurred” may tend to be subjective, if it involves the time travel premise that I theorize. Did it “occur” in the time period when the attacker launched it? Or did it “occur” in the time period where the weapon appeared and engaged its target? I also wonder if this will turn into one giant causality loop: Humans killed the Xindi because the Xindi attacked Earth, and the Xindi attacked Earth because they knew humans would attack them in 400 years, which was because the Xindi attacked Earth…

roger: Why did they wear filter masks and environmental suits on the planet?
Luigi Novi: The atmosphere was toxic because of the trellium being mined.

roger: Nobody suggests yoga or other exercises for crewmen.
Luigi Novi: For what purpose? And we know they exercise. We’ve seen the Enterprise gym in Singularity and A Night in Sickbay.

roger: Is Trip the only crewman traumatized by what happened by the Xindi attack?
Luigi Novi: He may be the only one who lost a close family member. He may also be the only one who has not dealt with his trauma, and is manifesting itself as lack of sleep.

roger: How many of those marines are on the ship?
Luigi Novi: Since Archer said in the beginning of Act 3 of The Expanse that about eight or nine of his crew might have left the Enterprise to stay on Earth, and Fallen Hero established there are no extra crew quarters beyond those already used by the crew, we can guess that there are up to eight or nine of them, perhaps more if they squeezed more into each set of quarters than occupied them before.

roger: How Aren't any of them women?
Luigi Novi: Who said there weren’t? One of the MACOs on the rescue team was a women: The one who struggled with the miner and knocked him out with that nightstick/stun gun.

ClaytonRumley: Was the shot of T'Pol covering her breasts with her hands an homage to how Hoshi had to do the same in the season opener of season two (Shockwave, part II)?
Luigi Novi: Why would you have a homage to something that happened on your own show just a year ago? You’re paying tribute to yourself?

Clayton Rumley: What bugs me about this expanse is how we don't see the big, cloudy barier at any point behind Enterprise or around it. Sure, they've been travelling for six weeks, but the thing is 2000 light-years across. Shouldn't it be out there somewhere in the scenery?
Luigi Novi: In at least one direction, yeah.

Margie: When an Enterprise landing party is surrounded by hostile natives, are they now going to say, "Uh-oh, better get MACO"?
Luigi Novi: LOL!!!!

Summerfield: Thanks for the information. I wonder what kinds of operations will be commanded from there?
Luigi Novi: Things pertaining to their new mission. That’s what it was built for.

Justin Odonnell: When the Enterprise arrives at the co-ordinates for the Xindi homeworld, Trip says says he performed a metaralogical (sic?) scan, which is evidence that the Xindi were technologically advanced (or something along those lines.)
Luigi Novi: He said that he was pretty sure there was a population there because he was picking up refined metals and traces of alloys, some of which match the hull of the Xindi probe.

Christopher Q: So, if the crew will take all of Season 3 to find the planet, does that mean they will take all of Season 4 to get back home?
Luigi Novi: I don’t think they’re going to take the entire season to find the planet.

Darth Sarcasm: Fourth, I highly doubt that Berman and Braga are even aware of the planet killer from TOS. Judging by the show, it doesn't seem they're very aware of TOS at all. Enterprise seems more a prequel to TNG, not TOS.
Luigi Novi: Braga claimed they watched every episode of TOS prior to creating Enterprise. Some things, like the Tholians and the Tellarites, would seem to support this, even if overall, their attention to continuity is not admirable.

Charlie X: Where is Luigi Novi? I miss his head-line jokes and his "I'll post every conceivable nit before the paint has dried style of writing."
Luigi Novi: Thanks, Charlie. I’ve been busy with work, and to be honest, not as enthusiastic about making time for it, but I’m here. Thanks for the compliment.

Luigi: Kazeite, Archer was simply asking Trip if the sister he was mentioning was an older one or a younger one. Not if it was “the” older one or “the” younger one.
OK, I'll admit here that English is not my first language, and I don't understand the difference...

And besided, don't you think it's kinda weird when someone mentions that his sister may be dead and you ask if she's older or younger than this someone?
If she's his only sister, then her age is completely irrelevant.

(And I'm glad too that you decided to post here )

Actually I thought Archer only talked to the general I dont recall Archer saying he was leading the team in The Expanse

When Hoshi sits down to eat with the MACOs in Act 1, she introduces herself. The MACOs have been on the ship for four and a half months, (The coordinate Future Guy gave Archer in The Expanse were three months away from Earth at Warp 5, and Archer mentions to Reed in Act 1 that they’ve been in the Expanse for six weeks), and the ship’s linguist and communications officer is only now introducing herself?

I have a possible, but very weak, anti-nit to this. Did you notice that the MACOs (I feel so weird calling them that, for the same reason Margie mentioned) got up from the table really fast, with food still on their plates, to go do (well, whatever it was they were going to do)? Hoshi looked rather annoyed (it seemed to me) as if every time she had tried to sit down with these guys, they had been too busy, etc., and it may have seemed to her they were avoiding her. I guess it's possible it could be either reason. However, avoiding her/being too busy for four months is, as you suggest, definitely stretching it.

Just a suggestion. Don't kill me.

If that MACO really was from Duluth, he should have pronounced it "Dulute".

Luigi: Kazeite, Archer was simply asking Trip if the sister he was mentioning was an older one or a younger one. Not if it was “the” older one or “the” younger one.
Kazeite: OK, I'll admit here that English is not my first language, and I don't understand the difference...

And besided, don't you think it's kinda weird when someone mentions that his sister may be dead and you ask if she's older or younger than this someone?
If she's his only sister, then her age is completely irrelevant.

Heyst: The difference is in how people relate to their older or younger siblings...I tend to think Kazeite is either the oldest or youngest in his or her family because he or she doesn't know this. People tend to admire and respect their older siblings, and nurture and protect their younger ones. I also think the age difference has to be several years before it has a real effect. I have two sisters, one four years older and the other thirteen years younger. Just some pop psychology based on personal experience...

I meant to say that I don't understand difference between "an older one or a younger one" and "the older one or the younger one."

Are you saying that Archer merely wanted to know if Trip sister was older or younger than he is?

(and I'm male, and I'm indeed oldest child in my family - I have one younger brother and even younger sister )

Richie, this board is over 100K!

I assumed that the miners’ ionization that caused Archer to lose communication with the Enterprise in Act 2 when Kessick convinced him to free him prevented locking on for transport.Luigi Novi

That's a reasonable assumption, but I would've preferred for that to have been stated, because this way it looks like no one ever considers it.

I don’t remember any mention of it being “dark,” (unless you meant metaphorically)Luigi Novi

Yes, that's what I meant. I mean, look at the Vulcan reaction- "You can't go in there... it's scary!" It'd be great if the Expanse had some sort of visual distinction that made it a little off, even it was rather subtle. It could be something as simple as having the big cloud thing they had to pass through lurk in the background occasionally. Instead, we get... space.

Sparrow, the corpse he saw in the previous episode looked scorched beyond recognition, was months old when he saw it, and it’s been months since he’s seen it. Why assume that its reptilian features, such as scales, would still be intact?Luigi

Well, I seem to recall having seen the corpse as reptilian when we saw it last. So that's just me. As for it being months since Archer's seen said corpse, well, wouldn't they keep pictures around? Something that might help them identify Xindi when they can't use a DNA scan? I think they'd be passingly familiar with the corpse by now.

I don’t recall it being a projectile weapon. From the shot of what he saw through his sniper scope, I assumed it was an energy weapon. (But even if it was a projectile weapon, why is it odd? This episode is set just 150 years from now. They might still be using projectile weapons in some situations.)Luigi Novi

For the record, I thought projectile weapon in that scene because of the sound the gun made when it went off. Also, there didn't seem to be a big flash of light, but I could've been distracted and missed it. As for why it would be odd, well, I dunno, it goes back to the ol' particle weapons vs. projectile weapons debate as to which would be better. Which is not my field. But I will add that humans have obviously had particle weapons long enough for them to filter into the hands of farmers (see: "Broken Bow"), so a highly-equipped military outfit running around with a sniper rifle seems odd to me.

Kazeite: I meant to say that I don't understand difference between "an older one or a younger one" and "the older one or the younger one."

Are you saying that Archer merely wanted to know if Trip sister was older or younger than he is?

Heyst: Exactly right...If we assume that Archer doesn't know anything about Trip's family, the question makes sense. From what we've seen of their relationship, though, it seems a little strange...

Kazeite: (and I'm male, and I'm indeed oldest child in my family - I have one younger brother and even younger sister )

Heyst: a lucky guess J

In Act 2, Archer gets captured. Again. For the twelvth time in just over two seasons. - Luigi

I've been hearing this criticism a lot in regards to Captain Archer. I think, though, that the good guy having to escape captivity of some sort is simply a frequently-seen element of an action story.

All five Star Wars movies feature one (or more) of the main characters having to escape captivity...

Princess Leia is captured in ANH.
The Millenium Falcon is captured in ANH.
Han, Leia, Chewie, and Threepio are captured by Vader in TESB.
Han, Leia, Luke, Chewie, and the droids have to escape capture by Jabba the Hutt in ROTJ.
Han, Luke, Chewie, and Artoo are taken captive by the Ewoks in ROTJ.
Luke is taken prisoner by Vader and brought to the Emperor in ROTJ.
Han, Leia, Chewie, and the rest of the ground rebels are captured by Imperial troops in ROTJ.
Queen Amidala is captured in TPM.
Anakin, Amidala, and Obi-Wan are taken captive in AOTC.

Going back to Trek, it probably seems difficult to believe, but Kirk got captured a lot more often in TOS's first two seasons. Here's what I recall off-hand:

What Are Little Girls Made Of? - Kirk is taken prisoner and replaced by an android duplicate.

Dagger of the Mind - Kirk is put through the neural neutralizer and essentially taken prisoner by Dr. Adams.

The Squire of Gothos - Kirk and Sulu are taken captive by Trelane.

Arena - Kirk is captured and pit against the Gorn captain.

Tomorrow is Yesterday - Kirk is captured by 20th century Air Police.

Return of the Archons - Kirk and Spock are taken prisoner by the Body.

A Taste of Armageddon - Kirk and Spock are taken prisoner to be executed.

Errand of Mercy - Kirk and Spock are captured by the Klingons.

Catspaw - Kirk and the landing party are captured and put in a dungeon.

The Apple - Kirk and the landing party are taken prisoner.

Metamorphosis - Kirk and the Galileo are captured by the Companion.

Gamesters of Triskelion - Kirk and the landing party are captured and forced to combat.

A Piece of the Action - Kirk and landing party captured.

Patterns of Force - Kirk and Spock are arrested.

Bread and Circuses - Yep! Kirk captured again!

By Any Other Name - Kirk and the landing party are captured... aliens commandeer the Enterprise.

Hey! The original pilot, The Cage dealt with the Captain being taken captive.

I think to complain that Archer gets captured too often is like saying "Enterprise is in jeopardy again?" I mean, it's practically a built-in part of the premise of the show.

At least in The Xindi, Archer doesn't spend the entire episode trying to formulate a plan as he has in the past. He immediately took action to escape. His captivity was short-lived.


Also, Archer mentioned to Admiral Forrest in the opening scene of Act 3 of The Expanse that a General Casey was the head of the military team that was coming onboard the Enterprise. Where is he? Why is Major Hayes taking charge in making his recommendation to Reed? - Luigi

Actually, Archer refers to them as "his [General Casey's] team," which doesn't necessarily mean he is a part of said team. I'm not overly familiar with military structure... but I don't think generals frequently go out on missions. So the general may not even be aboard.

I think, though, that the good guy having to escape captivity of some sort is simply a frequently-seen element of an action story.

Look at Doctor Who! A bazillion escapes and recaptures, sometimes even in the same episode!