Erg! Reposted on the "show board"


Well, I have to say, I very much enjoyed this episode. It was very emotionally resonant, and really reminded me of "Tuvix" (VGR). Great acting by Bakula, Billingsly, and Trineer especially. Blalock wasn't bad, and even though I thought I'd be cringing, her moment with Sim actually kinda worked. I know that everyone else on the board will scream how bad it was, and how Vulcans can't show emotions or fall in love, but look at Sarek. He had a human wife, so it happens. And besides, Trineer and Blalock together just plain works. Sorry, but that's my opinion.

I was also somewhat reminded of alt-Odo in "Children of Time" (DS9) when Sim tells T'Pol of his feelings for her.

Anyway, I enjoyed the show, and I hope that everyone here at least gives it a chance. Take care!

Hmmm... Well, I liked it. It was certainly loads better than the what the promo purported. Loads! But I didn't think it quite achieved the level that it potentially could have. There seemed to be a little too much going on, and as a result, individual scenes were truncated- they made their point and then moved on, without giving the audience the proper time to reflect. Acting all around was strong, though, and it's definitely a thought-provoking episode.

Three things I liked:
3) Phlox's rapport with babies. Hee!
2) The best reaction to the events, out of the entire cast, in my mind was Archer. From the moment he saw the newborn, he looked seriously uncomfortable. Great job.
1) Recalling Lizzie! The death of Trip's sister really hasn't been the impetus for much character development anywhere, but using it as Sim's motivation to not escape was a well-executed touch.

Three things I didn't like:
3) So, how'd the ship get stuck again? From what I saw, it looked like they were performing the test on the warp engines, then they blundered into the field, which flooded the intake manifolds or some such, which caused the accident. However, between running into the field and dropping out of warp, the ship was at warp for some time, meaning that the cloud (or what have you) is pretty big. You mean to tell me that they couldn't see it coming?
2) Someone should explain to me how an accent is passed down genetically.
1) The T'Pol/Trip ship appears to be ready to sail. Which means that I will be throwing up much more than the usual rate for a Star Trek episode. And yes, that includes Voyager's run. Ugh.

Other notes-

Yay! Porthos! In multiple scenes! Yay!

Also, yay for Sim's "being stuck in there with Malcom" line, a nod to the events of "Shuttlepod One."

Speaking of which, where was Reed this week? One would imagine he'd have some strong reactions to all this happening to his friend, but we hardly saw him.

Oh, and why was Sim "buried" in a Starfleet uniform? He never wore one when he was alive, yet they conveniently stuck one on him for the funeral, which, of course, helped sell the idea in the teaser that Trip was actually dead. Hmmmmm...

Comedic timing showed its importance in the scene where T'Pol brought the chunk of metal into Archer's ready room. Hee!

Speaking of the weird metal, why did it fly off as soon as the ship cleared the cloud?

Well, it was still a winner, even if it was a little cluttered. Grade: A- Next week: Enterprise invades Detroit! I'm so there.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"You were a d*mn good father."
"And you were a d*mn good son."
-- Sim and Phlox.

FLAWED LOGIC OF THE WEEK:
Archer decides to go along with the plan to clone Trip because they need Trip in order to succeed in their Xindi mission. I find this unlikely but I will grant them that. Then Sim begins to develop Trip's memories. Later, Sim tells Archer that he wants to be saved instead of Trip. Archer says Trip must be saved because he is vital to Enterprise as an engineer. Now, hold the phone. The episode repeatedly shows that Sim is a very capable engineer. He seemingly has all of Trip's abilities. There are other reasons for Archer to save trip; however, Trip's engineering abilities should not factor into it.

EVIL ARCHER OF THE WEEK:
Jesus was Archer sinister toward Sim or what? Archer wouldn't kill the Onarian back in "Anomaly" but he'd kill Trip's clone? As Larry the Cable Guy says, "It's like wiping before ya poop, it don't make no sense!"

CONTINUITY OF THE WEEK:
1. Young Sim plays with the hover-model that young Archer played with in "Broken Bow".
2. Sim says he'd like to be a starship captain one day. "Twilight" showed Trip as captain of the Enterprise.
3. Sim mentions that the only thing worse than being stuck on a shuttlepod would be being stuck on a shuttlepod with Malcolm! (That was quote of the week runner up)
4. Trip's sister is mentioned once again.

NEEDED SHAVE OF THE WEEK:
Is there some new rule for Archer that he can't keep himself properly groomed while searching for the Xindi. Throughout the episode he has uncombed hair, his shirt unbuttoned (this is actually commonplace as of late), and he is in dire need of a shave. Perhaps he enjoyed playing cowboy so much last week that he decided he was going to groom himself like one.

OUT OF CHARARCTER CLONE OF THE WEEK:
Sim at 17 goes to Engineering and asks T'Pol to dinner. He basically has a crush on her. This is consistent with the current trip; however, at the beginning of the series, Trip had serious problems with Vulcans. These problems stemmed from childhood encounters described in "Strange New World." I suppose it's possible that Sim never developed Trip's memories of hating Vulcans but it seems inconsistent with the rest of his development (i.e. He ususally gets the memories of whatever age he happens to be). On the other hand, he is a horny teenager at this stage.

FORGOTTEN TECHNOLOGY OF THE WEEK:
They use two shuttlepods to drag Enterprise out of the field. Why not add the Suliban pod to increase the pull. (I suppose they may have left it on Earth, but I would think they'd take it with them into the dangerous Expanse where it could be useful)

OVERALL OPINION OF THE WEEK:
I liked it. It had obvious parallel's to current concerns over cloning humans. What would happen to the person's soul? This episode raised intriguing questions.

TUE

Good episode. It even had a forty-seven. When Travis is calling out the speed he says "Warp 4.7".

'Ferric' particles? It's a cloud of mostly iron?
The buildup is obviously, and statedly, forming in aligned magnetic domains. This magnetism is permanent. It is also called 'ferromagnetism'. A diamagnetic field is induced by an external field, and then returns to its original non-magnetic state. Even if the magnetic properties of the buildup are a result of being magnetized by an external field (perhaps produced by Enterprise itself) this magnetism is a permanent ferromagnetic effect. Of course, this build up was hard, and coherent (T'Pol was able to hold and even toss a chunk of it without it crumbling) yet it fell apart outside of the cloud thing. So my physics textbook may not be compatible with the Delphic Laws of Physics.

Also, the two shuttlepods were producing 2500 kilodynes of thrust when Enterprise finally started moving. 2500k dynes is 2.5M dynes is 25 Newtons. With two shuttlepods, that's 50 N. 50 N is about 11.25 Lbs. This got Enterprise moving at over 6 kps in about 10 seconds?!?

Force = mass x acceleration. So mass = force / acceleration.

6 kps in 10 seconds is an average acceleration of 600 m/s/s.

50 N / 600 m/s/s = 83 and one third grams.
The crew must be on the Atkins diet.

Just for comparison, the Boeing 747 produces 63,300 pounds of thrust. That's 28 million kilodynes. Source: http://www.boeing.com/commercial/747family/pf/pf_facts.html

Aside from the amount of food Sim must have consumed to grow this quickly, I find genetic memory hard to swallow. Especially when apparently linked to the biological age of a clone: as Sim aged he gained access to Trip's memories of things that happened to him at that age, but they must all have been present from the beginning.

At least this explains why future Trek clones are expected to be able to function as educated adults with personalities the second they are pulled from the vat. It also makes the fact that Pulaski and Riker destroyed their own fully adult clones in Up the Long Ladder much scarier.

Phlox's ethics were... questionable, but this is actually somewhat consistent with other episodes that focused heavily on atypical or theoretical medical practices. Makes me wonder how the antiproton chamber from Twilight was tested to make sure it was safe to use on Archer.

Archer's reaction to Sim was I think OOC, but I could almost empathize with the fringes of the 'he is my friend, but he isn't my friend' struggle.

I wonder how Trip will react, both to the thought that he would be willing to commit suicide to save his life, and to the thought that his best friend Jon would be willing to dissect him to save his life. Or the mission.

Ah, math nitpicking. Awesome!

So, part of the big problem for the ship was that the metal was emitting somekinda dampening field, casuing the ship to lose power. Now, this was only a problem (as much as I could ascertain) when the metal was attatched to the ship. And the phase cannons were able to remove the material. So... why not just send the shuttles out there every once in a while to give the hull a good cleaning?

Also, why was T'Pol in charge of the repairs once Trip was hurt? Sure, she's a senior officer, but she's not an engineer. Shouldn't there be someone else on board who's like a second-in-command of engineering?

Sparrow47: "Someone should explain to me how an accent is passed down genetically."

Sparrow, I believe that this is possible given that Sim was tapping into Trip's memories. If he was able to remember things such as the fact that Trip's mother used to read War of the Worlds to him, then it stands to reason that he remembered learning to speak from Trip's parents, thereby picking up the remembered accent.

All-in-all this was a decent episode. Not too exciting, but not too boring either. And while the gratuitous massage scene in the beginning made me cringe, I thought the the kiss at the end was nice. T'Pol knowing that the real Trip might be having Sim's feelings should make future neuro-pressure sessions a lot more interesting.

Wow. Talk about unexpected. From the teaser, I thought we were headed for another reset-button ending. I never expected such a thought-provoking dilemma, a character so tragic or a story so sad. This was a departure for Enterpriseand represented the type of chances it needs to take more often in its storytelling. I admit, the dilemma was a little too forced for the needs of the story, the drama too obvious, the situation too perfect. And I seriously cannot imagine that either A) someone literally would face the choice that Archer did in this story, to create a clone or let a man die, or B) that someone would make the decision that Archer did. To create a condemned man is not proper. But in Trip's clone, we met a unique character. I almost wished the producers would have let him live and allowed Trip to die. Imagine the possibilities that would have had.

Nits and notes:

-- "Tuvix," anyone? That was the Voyager story that most closely paralleled this one. In it, Tuvok and Neelix are merged into one being because of a transporter accident. The crew attempted to separate the two, at the same time wondering if it were proper to end Tuvix's existence. "Similitude," though, wasn't as annoying as "Tuvix."

-- Using the teaser to set up the main plot was much more effective here than in "Impulse." It actually created suspense (who died, Trip or the clone?) instead of eliminating it (T'Pol may go mad, but at least she will escape the Vulcan ship).

-- Phlox said the clone was a "perfect genetic duplicate, right down to the birthmark on his right side." Birthmarks are created in the womb and are not possible to be duplicated with a clone. That would be like expecting the clone's belly-button to look the same as Trip's. But, such as the clone having Trip's memories, it wasn't the only aspect that was unrealistic.

-- Phlox (again) said, "This morning, he took apart my medical tricorder." To my knowledge, this was the first use of the term tricorder on Enterprise. Previously, such devices had been referred to as scanners.

-- The Zephram Cochran statue in Archer's quarters appeared to be a model of the one mentioned in the "First Contact" movie.

-- This was the second straight story to not advance the Xindi plotline. I know the producers now expect the plotline to fill the season, but I don't know if I agree with that decision. I think stories such as this one could have waited until after the Xindi story was concluded.

-- When the clone was attempting to steal a shuttlepod, I thought his objective was to stay away long enough for his enzymes to become incompatible with Trip's. Seemed obvious to me.

WHO DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING? (PT.1)

I liked when Archer goes into Trip's quarters and talks to Sim you can see the window behind Sim at first be completely covered with the particles and then (as I was expecting) everytime the camera angle went from Archer to Sim you'll see the particles slowly start to break off and float away until the window is finally uncovered.

WHO DIDN'T SEE THIS COMING? (PT.2)

T'Pol once again showing an emotional reaction, this time by kissing Sim to show her personal feelings for Trip. Who expects that somehow she'll find it much harder to admit her feelings to Trip himself (though she probably will at some point if the series lasts long enough)?

NITPICKING A NITPICKER'S POST

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"You were a d*mn good father."
"And you were a d*mn good son."
-- Sim and Phlox.

Actually, Phlox says, "You were a d*mn good son." I watched it a few times to make sure, and there was absolutely no "And" at the start of that quote.

Ha! I was going to talk about the accent thing, but Third-Side beat me to it!

Regarding the particles detaching from the Enterprise after it left the field, it looked like they were heading back towards the field. To me, it was explained by them being more attracted to the larger magnetic field produced by the cloud, once the Enterprise was separated from it... but that might not make any sense, I'm a Social Studies major and an English minor, so... if I'm wrong, sorry, and please correct me!

Oh, and regarding the uniform that Sim was "buried" in, although we all know that it was to make us think it was Trip, my thoughts were that he was given a commission of crewman posthumously by Archer for services to the ship and crew... after all, it IS the LEAST he could do...

Oh, and also, I was hoping to see dress uniforms during the funeral service. My idea would be jackets and ties (like the Admiral uniform), with pants for the men, and skirts for the women, and officers' caps, much like today's navy dress uniforms. Ah, well.

A couple of things:

-- I'll backtrack on my birthmark nit. I got confused.

-- Yet another nit about the shuttlepods pulling Enterprise: The speed they achieved was 16 kph. Think about that. That's a speed at which many people can run. Didn't it look as if the ships were moving a lot faster than what most people can run?

Watching flames shoot out of various consoles made me think of various British SF shows. Star Trek usually goes with 10,000 volts coming out of consoles.

So how many 'flashback' shows have they done now? (By flashback I'm referring to showing a scene then flashing back to tell the story. I'm not sure if there is a term for this kind of storytelling or not.)

Further thought has led me to reconsider my nit about the mass of Enterprise.
It is simply not possible for the entire ship to have a mass of 83g. However, in the Trek universe, it may be possible for the ship to have an apparent mass of 83g. The TNG Tech Manual mentions the use of subspace driver coils in the impulse engines to fool the universe into seeing the ship as having less mass.
My calculations could be seen as cannon supporting evidence.

The towing sequence was still odd, however. When the pods were generating 2000k dynes each, Enterprise did not move. At all. This means something generated a force of 40N on Enterprise to cancle out that thrust.

When the pods increased to 2500k dynes, the ship started moving. They brought the pods back aboard after less than a minute. Enterprise then drifted for at least two minutes of continuous dialog before emerging from the cloud. This is more than enoug time for a 20N force to bring Enterprise back to a stop. Yet it does not.

Whatever was holding Enterprise just... let go. This force is not just non-conservative, it's fickle.

The engines themselves acted oddly too. At 2000k dynes they are running hot. At 2500k dynes they run even hotter, and Bad Things™ are imminent. Then our fickle force lets go, and all is well with the engines. Why? They are still running very hot, still producing 2500k dynes. From the perspective of the engines nothing has changed.

Has any other human clone in Trek (future) history been able to remember his host's past?

Memo to Phlox: “Larvae” is plural. One larva, two larvae (red larva, blue larva). (OK, Latin is not your first language.)

Memo to Archer: Did you notice the welder’s helmet on the crewman? You don’t have T’Pol’s vestigial eyelid. STOP LOOKING AT THE ARC.

Memo to T’Pol: You’re feeling “uncomfortable?” Maybe it’s the pajama wedgie.


Trike: "Tuvix," anyone?
:: Also, “The Child” (TNG), “Whispers” and “Visionary” (DS9), and a touch of “Where No Man Has Gone Before” (TOS). Who says these guys don’t know the canon?

(Same): "Similitude," though, wasn't as annoying as "Tuvix."
:: Probably because Neelix is the most annoying character ever, with Tu-Fake a close third after Wesley.

(Same): And I seriously cannot imagine that [. . . the plot . . .]. To create a condemned man is not proper.
:: Medical ethicists struggle with related questions--e.g., treating a prisoner’s psychosis so he’s eligible to be executed.

Trike--good catch on the tricorder. Now, why are you backing out of the birthmark nit? Sounded good to me.

Summerfield: A diamagnetic field is induced by an external field, and then returns to its original non-magnetic state.
:: I had a bit of trouble with that dialog: is it called a “diamagnetic field” or is it an ordinary magnetic field (albeit opposite in direction) induced in a diamagnetic substance? (Or are they using “field” as in an “asteroid field,” i.e., an environment of diamagnetic material?)

---

Quote:

:: I had a bit of trouble with that dialog: is it called a “diamagnetic field” or is it an ordinary magnetic field (albeit opposite in direction) induced in a diamagnetic substance? (Or are they using “field” as in an “asteroid field,” i.e., an environment of diamagnetic material?)
--TJFleming

---

Of or pertaining to iron, especialy ions of valence 3, or higher valence than ferrous iron.

Of or pertaining to the Fairy, a subatomic particle often found dancing around pins.

How nice (and unusual?) to see a character-driven episode during sweeps month.

I too thought it would be awful at first (with the footsie scene) -- and I never watch the previews. This is what? the third time they've opened the show with a Trip/T'Pol scene like that? (or very near the beginning, anyway).

If Sim had all Trip's memories, I think he would've insisted on being "himself" a bit more, perhaps bringing up some personal incident. "Captain -- I am Trip. Just in a different body."

When Phlox was trying to think of a name for the clone, I said "How about Quad?"

I was kind of suprised to see Trip at the funeral. It seems like something he would want to avoid, and to avoid the uncomfortable looks everyone would give him after it was over.

I love a "sleeper" episode -- one which turns out to be much better than expected from the initial scenes.

TJFleming said: "(W)hy are you backing out of the birthmark nit? Sounded good to me."

I doubted my statement that birthmarks were created in the womb. I ran a Google search on "what causes birthmarks" and my suspicions were confirmed. Many sites said that medical science is uncertain as to the exact cause of birthmarks.

The episode repeatedly shows that Sim is a very capable engineer. He seemingly has all of Trip's abilities. There are other reasons for Archer to save trip; however, Trip's engineering abilities should not factor into it. - TUE

Except that Sim-Trip was only expected to survive for a few more days... so his engineering expertise wouldn't have been of much use to Archer.

Presumably, in the alternate timeline (Twilight), the accident to Tucker would not have occurred and the clone would not have been created.

If Sim had survived a little longer, the crew could have recorded Trip's future memories and known what to expect.

Summerfield: Otherwise, every nit could be foiled by a new future-word that was a homophone of a current word.
:: That's what they'd like you to think.

"The sword of Charlemagne the Just
is ferric oxide, known as rust."
Arthur Guiterman

Except that Sim-Trip was only expected to survive for a few more days... so his engineering expertise wouldn't have been of much use to Archer.

There was that experimental enzyme treatment that (maybe) would have given Sim a "normal" lifespan.

If birthmarks are created in the womb, then one should be able to permanently remove it by picking at it or cutting it off. Trust me. It doesn't work like that.

And it hurts like cr@p, man!

For some reason, I thought that when explaining the options to Archer, Phlox had said that he could remove the neural tissue needed, and the clone would live it's normal, shortened lifespan.

Am I wrong?

There was that experimental enzyme treatment that (maybe) would have given Sim a "normal" lifespan. - ScottN

Yes, there was. But Phlox was dubious about its success. He wasn't as dubious about whether he could save Trip using the transplanted tissue.

My response was to TUE's question about whether Trip's skills as an engineer is a valid reason (from Archer's perspective, anyway) for killing Sim. Unless I misunderstood TUE's point, he suggested that this wasn't a good enough reason because Sim was just as competent as Trip. Archer seemed to be making his case as a starship captain, not a friend... so he argues that he needs his Chief Engineer...

He seemed to have two options:

1. Allow the Doctor to transplant the neural tissue from Sim to Trip, which would kill Sim, but save Trip, a procedure Phlox was pretty certain would work.

2. Allow the Doctor to treat Sim with an enzyme developed by underground scientists and for which there was little empirical evidence of success, a procedure Phlox was fairly certain wouldn't work.

Putting aside the ethical and moral issue associated with harvesting organs from clones, Archer made the choice that was best for the ship and its mission.


For some reason, I thought that when explaining the options to Archer, Phlox had said that he could remove the neural tissue needed, and the clone would live it's normal, shortened lifespan.

Am I wrong? - ScottN

No, you're not.

Initially that is what Phlox said, and Archer agreed to go ahead with the procedure on those terms. Later, it turned out Phlox's analysis was based on simbiots developed from Lyssarian DNA... but Sim was developed from human-based DNA, which he learned made the procedure terminal for him.

Ah, thanks Darth. Missed that part about why it was terminal.

When fetus-Sim is floating around in that tank what is the umbilical cord connected to and how did it get connected? Why did it form if there was no mother?

Did anyone happen to notice if they did any kind of dedication to Kellie Waymire? She was the woman who played Ensign Elizabeth Cutler and died recently. I don't remember seeing anything in the beginning of the episode and left the room at the end before the credits rolled, so I might have missed it. If they didn't do any sort of memorial then that's just cold. Unless they didn't want to honor her with an episode that was mostly about death. That I could understand. If that's the case then there should be something next week. But like I said, they might have done something this go round and I simply missed it.

Whatever the case may be, it's really sad news about Kellie. I read an interview with her once and she seemed like a nice woman. Does anyone know how she died?

It's possible this episode was already entirely "in the can" (y'know, sent off to affiliates and stuff) before anything could be appended. That said, I hope there is a tribute next week.

"If Sim had survived a little longer, the crew could have recorded Trip's future memories and known what to expect."

I got the impression that Sim would only have memories from Trip up until the moment he was cloned. If Sim survived, then he would not get any new Trip memories.

He also seemed to stop aging once he looked like Trip. I believe that is also related to when the clone was made. If the host was 18, then the clone would reach 18 & cease aging, but die a few days later.

If they didn't do any sort of memorial then that's just cold. - Third-Side

Not to seem cold myself... but they can't have tributes for everyone that worked or appeared on the show at one time or another. They had a tribute to Jerry Fleck because he was actively working on the show. Kellie Waymire only had a recurring role two years ago.

I'm sure lots of people affiliated with a show die all the time, yet I don't see all that many tributes on television in general.

I agree with you 100% Darth. You are cold.

(Kidding)

Seriously though, I see your point about them doing a tribute every time someone connected to the show passes. Still, it would be nice if they could. I mean really, what does it take? A couple of lines typed out and tacked on to the beginning or end of an episode. Not much work to acknowledge the life of someone who made a contribution—no matter how great or small—to the Star Trek legacy.

But that of course is just my humble opinion.

Was any episode dedicated to DeForrest Kelley? I don't recall one.

Of course that was many moons ago and I may have forgotten.

TUE

I thought Admiral Forrest was a nod to DeForrest Kelley, so in a way it is an on-going tribute everytime he appears or is mentioned by name.

I want to congratulate the people involved in this TV show for making an episode that reminds me why I love science fiction. I really enjoy a story built around the juncture between science and humanity, between knowledge and ethics. Kudos to all of you, folks!

A perfect episode? No. Fun to use in order to debate the ethics and discuss what our science is trying to do right now? Priceless. It's a good thing for Trip that Denobulan medical ethics are not the same as those of human doctors. Then again, Beverly Crusher never paid any heed to them, either.

But this is a Nitpicking site, not a philosophy site. So to Dan Gunther, Re: the above: I've been watching Trek since the first episode ever aired on TV. I wrote an essay on it for English class in school. There have been many changed premises since then, which is why the Changed Premise is one of the main areas of Nitpicking
:-)

One of biggest was done early on, involving Vulcans not having emotions being turned into Vulcans suppressing emotions. Which is has now been changed to T'Pol showing all emotions all the time :-)

Another major change was done by this series, in which Vulcans ceased being pacifists, something declared as fact as recently as TNG's "Gambit" by the 'Fat Ferengi' in the bar. Maybe the Vulcans had the luxury of becoming pacifists after the Federation's combined militaries took over protecting them, I don't know. But it is a changed premise.

That makes the creators of this show worthy of being nitpicked, not evil :-)

So again, I say thanks to everyone involved for an episode I really enjoyed watching. I look forward to the next re-run. (What a time for my VCR to be broken!)

Summerfield, you magnificent SOB. Bless you for catching the force units Maywhether and Reed were technobabbling and using them to calculate the mass of Enterprise! I have been trying to come up with an alternate explanation for the numbers they were rattling off, but it's hard to wiggle out of the units they were using. If they had been quoting Kelvins or Pascals or eV or Gauss you could relate that to engine parameters somehow, but dynes alone are dang hard to fanwank.

I also can't explain why the dia/magnetic barnacles hadn't all accreted in the cloud long before the Enterprise arrived, and why they let go of the ship to fly back to the cloud.

Dr Ruth asserts that having sex is healthy and positive.
So, if Trip is having problems sleeping then why not some sexual relations as a 'logical' form of therapy. No emotional comittments necessary.
Otherwise, these shenanigans Trip and T'pol partake in, especially considering their state of dress, is ludicrous. Similar to the type of petting pre adolecents engage in.

I think this Tpol- Trip relaxing session is becoming unbelievable, looks like just a tease to drag in ratings, and an insult to my intelligence.

BECOMING unbelievable? You mean there was a point where you thought it was believable??? 8-0

---Critique:
---I’m torn.
---This episode, much as Stigma did, probably elicits more mixed feelings that any other Trek episode. It is a study in how a story can succeed in being thoughtful and poignancy in its exploration of its ideas, yet still be bogged down by its own inconsistencies and implausiblities. My observation is that usually, episodes with powerful, well-enough written stories can effect me to the extent that I can look past their plot holes, inconsisitencies and science implausibilities. The Inner Light(TNG), which is my favorite NextGen episode, but which has one of the biggest technologocial implausibilities known to Nitpicker lore, stands out as an example. When I can’t look past those leaps in logic, it’s generally because the episode doesn’t have a good story to justify them.
---Similitude is an episode that I think some will either love or hate, and in some cases both, depending on the repeat viewing. At first viewing, I found it to be a poignant, powerful moral dilemma episode with great acting that ranks with Trek’s best, and that stands out as the best episode of the season, and of the series. In an age when Trek doesn’t do the classic moral dilemma episode that often any more, this was a welcome examination of the issues surrounding cloning and stem cell research, even if not a well-thought out one. But the episode doesn’t stop there. Rather than resting on the laurels of this outrageously quirky sci-fi gimmick, it actually uses this premise to explore the characters feelings in a way they couldn’t normally do, by putting them in situations where can express feelings that the series must normally mandate remain hidden. The gimmick serves to explore the characters, rather than for its own sake.
---So isn’t that enough? Can we give the episode good marks for this alone?
---Well, maybe, depending on how well you compartmentalize those nagging little story problems. First, is this huge can of worms premise where Phlox can just take one of the critters off his shelf and essentially clone a human. Then there’s the idea of a being adding the mass of an adult human to its substance over a period of a few days. Then there’s the silly notion of human memories being encoded in our DNA. But most troubling is how Phlox and Archer just fling aside any consideration of ethics, medical and otherwise, to create a being just to kill him. What happened to the “ethics” Phlox was screaming at Dr. Fer’at about in The Expanse? Or the enlightened philosophy he expressed regarding certain medical treatments in Dear Doctor?
---Possibly the most disturbing moment in the episode is when Archer confronts Sim, who doesn’t want to sacrifice himself for Trip, and threatens to force him to submit to the medical procedure that will result in his death. To be fair, it is powerfully acted, and Scott Bakula gets kudos for it. But are we just supposed to accept that Archer, who couldn’t kill a murderous pirate in Anomaly, and who didn’t want to destroy a mutagenic virus in Extinction because it was the last remnant of a dead race, has no problem in murdering Sim? Mind you, these are not just plot holes or nits. They’re very disturbing problems that go to the heart of the main characters, and I’m not sure I can side with a captain who would behave this way with a sentient person, especially after initially telling that person that he doesn’t see him as someone who needs to be sacrificed to save another. Isn’t Trek supposed to be about enlightened principles, like how we should put the value of life ahead of the personal consideration of losing one friend? Can you imagine Picard acting this way to a new sentient life form? Just look at gravity and importance with which Picard approached encountering new lifeforms in episodes like Transfigurations(TNG), The Offspring(TNG), Galaxy’s Child(TNG), and The Quality of Life(TNG). And hell, none of those were human! Sure, you could that Archer comes from a less enlightened century than Picard, but that doesn’t change the fact that his behavior in this episode is in stark contrast to the Roddenberryesque ideals with which characters have thus far been depicted in Trek.
---Of course, the episode lets Archer off the hook. Whereas Tuvix(VOY) at least forced Janeway to actually commit to ending a crewman’s existence, Archer never has to chase Sim around the ship because Sim volunteers to die. Wouldn’t it have been a stronger ending if they actuallyallowed Trip to die, and Sim to live? Think about it. It would’ve been the morally correct thing to do. Archer wouldn’t have to do without his best engineer, since Sim had Trip’s memories. Archer wouldn’t even have to do without his best friend. It would’ve had the benefit of surprising the viewer with the unexpected (one of the most important rules of writing fiction), since it is doubtful that any viewer thought that Trip would actually die by the end of the episode. But most importantly, it would’ve allowed the rest of the series to progress with a character actually exploring the meaning of his existence, something that has been sorely lacking of late in Trek. Sim could explore the questions of who he is, where he’s from, whether he is truly human or just an overgrown alien larvae, whether his feelings are truly his or someone else’s, how much of what he experiences or feels from here on is truly his own, and how long he may truly live. And it would’ve consistent with the type of attitude Trek has depicted towards encountering new lifeforms in episodes past.
---The series could eat its cake and have it too by actually killing off a main character without only not having to sacrifice him, but with making him a more interesting character, whose progression over the series would’ve ranked with the best intentions of well-written sci-fi characters like Data or Odo. But hey, that’s the kind of thing Peter David would do in New Frontier, and we can’t have that.
---What a shame. Mind you, it was a good episode. But with some tweaks, it could’ve held up better to scrutiny.

---Notes:
---We learn from Sim in Act 2 that Trip had a dog named Bedford as a child, and that while his father suggested he become an engineer, his mother wanted him to study architecture.
---Sim mentions in Act 4 that shuttlepods don’t have toilet facilities.

---Terms:
Lyssarian Desert Larvae One of the animals which Phlox keeps in sickbay whose epidermal layer secretes a viral suppressant that Phlox uses as a salve for cuts and bruises. When implanted with the DNA of another species, it exactly replicates that species’ life cycle within the span of 15 days, essentially becoming a clone of the donor organism. Referred to by the Lyssarians as “Mimetic Symbiots,” they are a closely-guarded secret, and very few people know of their existence. Phlox uses the larvae to harvest neural tissue for the comatose Trip. T’Pol mentions to Archer in the next scene that the Lyssarian Prime Conclave have banned the creation of such symbionts. Phlox tells Archer in the next scene that it is sensitive to light in its first two days of development.
Lyssarian Prime Conclave Ruling body of the Lyssarians, which T’Pol mentions to Archer in his ready room in Act 1 have banned the creation of symbionts.
Sim The clone of Trip that Phlox develops from the Lyssarian Desert Larvae, whom Phlox names in the beginning of Act 2.
Orsic fern A plant that Phlox has, for which he mentions in Act 2 Sim’s waste material maybe an effective fertilizer.
“A Night at the Opera” 1935 romantic comedy musical directed by Sam Wood starring the Marx Brothers, which Sim mentions to T’Pol in Act 2 is playing that night for Movie Night.
Ensign Massaro Female crew member that T’Pol mentions to Sim in Act 2 is running a diagnostic on the plasma assembly, in which T’Pol says she would like Sim to assist.
key lime pie Sim’s favorite dessert, which he mentions to Reed in the opening scene of Act 3.
Velandran Circle A group of Lyssarian scientists who conducted illegal experiments on symbionts, who claimed to have developed an experimental enzyme that could stop the rapid aging process in symbionts, as Sim and Phlox mention in the opening scene of Act 4.
A-3 injector port Component in Engineering that T’Pol tells Sim in Act 4 needs replacing.

Nice to know Phlox got his respect for linguistic precision from George W. Bush
When Phlox first describes the Lyssarian Desert Larvae to Archer in Act 1, he says that when implanted with the DNA of another speicies, it exactly replicates that species’ life cycle within the span of 15 days. Archer responds that “it becomes a clone,” and Phlox affirms this. What Phlox should’ve said then, was that the larvae doesn’t just replicate the donor species’ life cycle, but mutates into that donor organism itself.
Producer 1: “Where’s our Science Advisor?”
Producer 2: “In his office rearranging the furniture to fit principles of Feng Shui.”
So human memories are contained in their DNA? Since when?
The food’s not the problem, it’s all that Peptmo-Bismol he needs after it
Just how much food does Sim consume, and how quickly must he consume it and process it in order to gain all the mass of an adult Trip in just seven days?
Perhaps they should’ve called it “Shuttlepod Number Two”
Sim mentions in Act 4 that shuttlepods don’t have toilet facilities. So what do people do on long shuttle journeys? What did Trip and Reed do in Shuttlepod One?

But most troubling is how Phlox and Archer just fling aside any consideration of ethics, medical and otherwise, to create a being just to kill him. - Luigi

They weren't going to kill him. Sim's life span was considerably shorter than a human's, but in no way was the medical procedure supposed to kill him. That revelation (as well as the revelation that Sim would have Trip's memories) came after the fact.

I also wouldn't say that they flung "aside any consideration of ethics." They did consider it. Phlox admitted the procedure was controversial. T'Pol confronted Archer on the ethical considerations. He thought it through. He just chose to put Trip's life (using the argument of him being necessary to complete their mission). You are certainly free to disagree with his decision, but you can't say that he didn't consider the ethical ramifications.


Can you imagine Picard acting this way to a new sentient life form? - Luigi

Picard has acted that way... with Hugh. Granted, he ultimately changed his mind on the matter. But before that he was making some decisions of highly questionable ethics and morality.

Archer had quite a dilemma on his hands. Nothing was black and white here. And I think the show chose to present that there ultimately wasn't a perfect solution... and sometimes leaders need to make harsh decisions for the greater good. One can argue what defines the greater good... but in this case Archer defined the ship's mission (and Trip's necessity to complete it) as greater than Sim's possible (and unlikely) survival.

This is from the Tuesday Morning Quarterback column on NFL.com

This Week's Star Trek Complaint

The dilithium crystals in the scriptwriting department have needed a recharge for years, but the Star Trek serial maintains its 1960s-throwback appeal. In the most recent "Star Trek: Enterprise" episode, lights start flashing, the engines overload and to save the ship, Tucker the engineer must climb a ladder, open a panel as electrical fires burst all around him and press a button. Pressing the button immediately ends the engine overload.

One-hundred fifty years from now, as starcruisers course the galaxy, will people really have to press a button in a hard-to-reach place to prevent something from exploding? Wouldn't the computers detect an imminent explosion and prevent same? And just what did the button say -- RESET?

After Tucker is gravely injured pressing the button, plot twists require "Enterprise" to create a temporary clone of him. The clone begins to have Tucker's memories and personality. But a clone would only be a genetic, physical duplicate: clones would develop their own personalities, unrelated to the personalities of the DNA donor. Bear in mind that identical twins are clones -- genetic duplicates -- but have distinct personalities and memories because memories reside in the mind, not in DNA. (Identical Twin A would have no way of remembering experiences had solely by Twin B.) Yet on the Star Trek episode, the clone of Tucker knows everything Tucker experienced. "That's not possible," Mara Rose, the 13-year-old Official Daughter of TMQ, said as this plot line started. At least the public schools are teaching Mara biology correctly.

Boy are these people anal retentive. (A dangerous term to use on a nitpicking board) Ship in peril plots have been Star Trek staples since TOS. How many times was Kirk's Enterprise in dire need of dilithium crystals. What kind of poorly run ship doesn't start looking for its primary fuel source until they're in a critical situation?

As for the Trip clone. I notice a discrepancy between what people say they want and what they actually want. I've been hearing for years that Star Trek should do stuff that's really out there. I mean, just strange beyond belief. Then they do something like that (Trip clone getting Trip's memories) and suddenly everyone's making a fuss. I'm certain that if we ever do make it out into space and we start encountering other lifeforms and new situations, certain things that we hold to be true or "scientifically certain" are going to be thrown out the window.

I don't watch Star Trek for the science. Archer could suddenly sprout wings and do the macarena but I won't care if the story's good.

It's fine to point out what science things seem scientifically improbable; however, when these science problems interfere with the enjoyment of the program, you may have a problem.

TUE

Wouldn’t it have been a stronger ending if they actuallyallowed Trip to die, and Sim to live?- luigi

that reminds of the Voyager episode where Harry dies. I don't remember the name off hand, but it was the episode where the ship (matter) is duplicated and has some vidiens. (sp)

Perhaps they should’ve called it “Shuttlepod Number Two”

Man I love your humor, even if it was bathroom humor. no... really... it was...


On to a serious note.
This is a what if question.

How many of these cloning creatures does Phlox have?
Could he create Clone Troopers for a battle or a temp replacement crewmen if the ship starts losing too many people. Just keep cloning and cloning. Up the long ladder (TNG) had a similar dilemma. Desperation can alter the behavior of people. Remember Captain Riker in Parallels (TNG) -the one where the borg one the fight.

Speaking of creatures on Phlox's shelves, is he down one medical animal now?

I liked the look on Phlox's face and his response after telling Archer that Sim had to die. I could tell Phlox was angry at himself.

Thank you, Torque. In answer to your questions:

The Voyager episode in question with the Vidiians was Deadlock.

I believe the episode indicated that Phlox had just one Lyssarian larvae. Since the larvae becomes the donor organism when the donor's DNA is injected into it, one could only make as many clones as you have larvae.

Phlox transplanted the pituitary gland from his Calrissian chameleon into Porthos in A Night in Sickbay, which entailed sacrificing the chameleon.

Why, than can't Phlox clone the larvae (preferably before injecting other DNA)...?
Besides, as it apparently has no immunoresponse to foriegn DNA, (i.e it effectively has no Immune system), why does'nt it have problems with "diseases" such as cancer, for example.
I suspect that this larvae, is a laboratory bred lifeform, rather than a naturally evolved one...!

Because they haven't established that 2150's medicine has yet achieved cloning of every single alien organism, or that Phlox has the technology to do so in sickbay. He could procure more larvae from Lysssaria (assuming they are easily available), but the number of animals he can keep in sickbay is limited by space, available food for them, and the time and work needed to feed and maintain them.

Given that the Human genome is already sequenced, & Canine DNA also has been (Roughly) sequenced by the barbaric/primitive year 2004,(there's a argument currently going on, about which non human species, should be sequenced next), therefore, why can't Phlox use Enterprise's computer system to run a rough sequencing of the larvae's DNA, or see if the Lyssarians have already sequenced the larvae's DNA. I agree with you about the second part of your argument, though.
Mind you, given this, why have'nt the Xindi in "Carpenter Street", checked to see if Humanity has done the above (It would help their Bioweapon Programme Immensely!)

Everyone, I have a question.

In the beginning of Act 2, the young Sim is reading a book with Hoshi and Phlox, and reads, “Those who have never seen a living Martian can scarcely imagine the strange horror of its appearance.” He then asks Hoshi if they can just skip to the part where the Martian machines attack, which he thinks is in Chapter 10. Was this an actual book? Was this War of the Worlds, or a book by Kim Stanley Robinson? Or was this something made up for the episode? Can anyone tell me?

It is, in fact, "War of the Worlds."

The entire section goes

"Those who have never seen a living Martian can scarcely imagine the strange horror of their appearance. The peculiar V-shaped mouth with its pointed upper lip, the absence of brow ridges, the absence of a chin beneath the wedge-like lower lip, the incessant quivering of this mouth, the Gorgon groups of tentacles, the tumultuous breathing of the lungs in a strange atmosphere, the evident heaviness and painfulness of movement, due to the greater gravitational energy of the earth-above all, the extraordinary intensity of the immense eyes-culminated in an effect akin to nausea. There was something fungoid in the oily brown skin . . . Even at this first encounter, this first glimpse, I was overcome with disgust and dread."

It's not as though people acting as though human memories can be passed down through DNA is a new thing. Frank Herbert, one of the greatest sci-fi authors ever, used it in the Dune series.

It would have been better if the alien larva had somehow scanned Trip's memory without Phlox realising it.

Though they did try to fudge it by Phlox being surprised that Sim picked up Trip's memories and saying it could be a major discovery.

The only way it would make sense is if the larva had exactly replicated the pattern of neurones in Trip's brain, which would presumably duplicate his memories (and in the way shown, with him getting memories as he grew to the appropriate age). However, this information is not encoded in DNA.

Thande, IIRC, the gholas in Dune were made from the actual bodies of the dead, rather than clones, so that might not be relevant.

ScottN, the Duncan Idaho ghola in 'Dune Messiah' was certainly made from the original Idaho's corpse, but there were many later ones (GodEmperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune) which were apparently grown by the Tleilaxu from just a few original cells. Sometimes the Bene Gesserit pointed out that these latter gholas should really be just called 'clones', but it seems that 'ghola' was used as a generic term.

(Incidentally, a friend who's only read 'Dune' refused to believe that Duncan Idaho returns in every single sequel, despite dying in the first book and the fact that the Dune sequels are set over a five thousand-year period...he's worse than Harry Kim or Tasha Yar!)

Wow. This was a wonderful episode. Excellent performances by Trineer, Bakula, and Billingsly. The writers did a great job in creating a tragic character with Sim, a character we could know and care about and miss when he passed. And a very interesting way to look at the questions we have with cloning right now. What a great hour of Trek.

Though I did think that Archer got really really dark in this episode. I know he's been going down that path, but I didn't think he's go so far as to kill Sim to get Trip back. It's nice that he didn't have to. I did like his discomfort with the whole situation and decision. Very appropriate.

I loved Sim's line about being stuck in the shuttlepod with Reed. All the memories.

This episode brings up the problem with the Jem'Hadar in The Abandoned (DS9). How does something growing that fast get enough nutrients to keep it fed?

I was surprised that the grapplers could hold onto the Enterprise so tightly, considering they couldn't hold onto a shuttlepod under ice in Breaking the Ice.

This episode seems to indicate that like Fallen Hero showed us, the Enterprise has a tough time sustaining Warp 5. But didn't Archer say in his log in The Expanse that they'd been at Warp 5 for seven weeks?

Sparrow47: 2) Someone should explain to me how an accent is passed down genetically.
Well, apparently we learn in this ep of the "breakthrough" that memories are passed genetically. So, if you believe that, I think that the accent would be believable.

Trike: This was the second straight story to not advance the Xindi plotline. I know the producers now expect the plotline to fill the season, but I don't know if I agree with that decision. I think stories such as this one could have waited until after the Xindi story was concluded.
But a huge part of Archer's rationalization for killing Sim was that he needed Trip to complete their mission and save Earth.

Clint X: When fetus-Sim is floating around in that tank what is the umbilical cord connected to and how did it get connected? Why did it form if there was no mother?
Phlox could have created one and connected it to some kind of nutrient supplying apparatus.

Luigi Novi: Archer wouldn’t even have to do without his best friend.
I would imagine that it would have taken Archer a while to accept Sim had the enzyme worked, Sim had lived and Trip had died. That is, if I had any faith in Trek's writers.

Luigi Novi: So human memories are contained in their DNA? Since when?
Since Phlox mentioned the "breakthrough". BTW, I don't find it plausible either.

Thank God Sim didn’t ask where babies come from
When playing with the remote controlled hovercar in the cargo bay in Act 2, young Sim asks Archer if his parents are back on Earth, and Archer says, “That’s a little difficult to answer.” Since Sim will only live for 15 days, why not just say, “Yes.”? Why did Archer have to give such a complex answer when a simpler one would’ve sufficed?
Sim can recognize Trip from several feet away with Trip under a blanket? Just how big is that birthmark Phlox mentioned?
Phlox and Archer note in the Mess Hall in Act 2 after the montage of Sim’s early growth that Sim gains memories from Trip’s life when he approaches the age at which Trip had the experience in question. But when Archer first shows the physically 8-year old Sim the comatose Trip later in the same Act, Sim immediately says, “He’s Trip,” but if he only gains Trip’s memories the more he ages, then how does he know what his adult self looks like?
Well, Archer sure as acting like a son-of-a-something in this ep
When Archer first shows the physically 8-year old Sim the comatose Trip in Act 2, Sim says that his parents aren’t really his, but Trip’s, and Archer says, “Yes.” Okay, first of all, isn’t this a bit callous on Archer’s part? Granted, Sim is essentially a clone, and cloning is a form of reproduction, so technically, Trip could be said to be Sim’s father rather than sibling, but isn’t it insensitive of Archer to be so close-minded about how an eight-year old like Sim chooses to view familial bonds, especially at a traumatic moment like this? Shouldn’t he just say that it depends on how Sim chooses to look at it? Second, in the Launch Bay in Act 4, Sim says that Lucy was his sister as much as Trip’s, and Archer says, “I believe that.” So Trip’s folks aren’t Sim’s in Archer’s view, but his sister is? Why is this?

JoshM: Since Phlox mentioned the "breakthrough". BTW, I don't find it plausible either.
Luigi Novi: He didn't mention any "breakthrough. He made this inference casually in passing, without any discussion of its implications or revolutionary nature, despite the fact that we primitive 21st century humans know otherwise.

Why did Archer have to give such a complex answer when a simpler one would’ve sufficed? - Luigi Novi

I got the impression that Archer wasn't prepared for Sim's questions. Yes, a simple answer may have sufficed... but probably only for a moment. Eventually, Sim would have pieced it together. And there's no telling how he might have reacted... after all, they needed Sim's help. Making him feel betrayed was not likely to help the matter.


Second, in the Launch Bay in Act 4, Sim says that Lucy was his sister as much as Trip’s, and Archer says, “I believe that.” So Trip’s folks aren’t Sim’s in Archer’s view, but his sister is? Why is this? - Luigi Novi

First off, it's Lizzie, not Lucy.

Secondly, days have passed between one scene and another. Archer may have simply changed his position on the matter. On the other hand, in Act Four, Archer was trying to have Sim decide to undergo the surgical procedure willingly. It could have just been a way for him to convince Sim to do it. I doubt, "No... she's not your sister... you're a clone" would have worked as well.

...if he only gains Trip’s memories the more he ages, then how does he know what his adult self looks like? - Luigi Novi

Maybe Archer prepared him for what he would see before stepping into Sickbay (which would be a logical thing to do before confronting an 8-year-old with such a shocking display).

And how did he prepare him?

"Sim... this might be hard for you to understand. Do you know what a clone is? Good... well Trip is a friend of mine who had an accident. And he needs a new part of his brain to save him. So we used a part of Trip to create a new Trip... you. That's why we call you Sim... because while you think you remember being Trip, you're actually a copy of Trip. And we're going to use you to help our friend. Come on... let me show you..."

Alt. title: Tucker gets "Mr. Leslie's Disease"