Organians! Neat!

(Would post more, but gotta run!)

I believe this is the first time the Cardassians have been mentioned on Enterprise(by the Organians, anyway) It appears they were not too much different in this time period(the Organians noted that they killed their landing party faster than the Klingons did)

I guess Duct tape is still around in the 2100's(unless she was speaking metaphorically) The term is still there anyway.

Why is there ANY type of unlocking mechanism INSIDE the decon chamber? Wouldn't this be like locking a criminal in a prison cell with a set of keys in the cell with him/her? This would seem to be a design flaw.

What 'diplomatic channels' have been established with the Klingons? (not a nit, but it would be nice to at least be told what they are)

Why didn't they transport Hoshi and Trip from decon directly to sickbay? Are transporters not sophisticated enough to do a site-to-site transport yet?(It didn't even occur to them to try, however)

Are transporters not sophisticated enough to do a site-to-site transport yet?

As far as I know, site-to-site transport was not possible even with TOS era transporters.

It was possible, but considered very dangerous (See "Day of the Dove")

No, that was intraship beaming (at warp, no less). They still had to go from the transporter room.

TUE RANT #1 -- SAME DREK, DIFFERENT TREK:

I'm getting a bit concerned about the show. It's hardly a problem of apocalyptic proportions now, but I'm concerned nevertheless. I think the show may be relying a bit too much on TOS and other past Treks. With the exception of the "Storm Front" two parter, every single episode that has aired and every episode that is scheduled to air in the future has some sort of connection to TOS. As a prequel, I think Enterprise really needs to involve elements from other Treks, but not so much that it excludes new ideas. It's as though Manny Coto is afraid to add to the continuity. Just because he doesn't want to violate continuity doesn't mean he can't augment it.

And these last two episodes have been pretty derivative. "Daedalus" had very clear parallels to "The Ultimate Computer," "Jetrel," and "Silicon Avatar." This one is a combination of "Errand of Mercy," "Scientific Method," "Distant Origin," "The Empath," and "The Crossing."

The Soong arc and the Vulcan arc did things right. They took elements from other Treks and built upon them to create something new. These last two episodes have felt like rehashes (although they're good rehashes). It's like when my college dining hall serves Chicken Parmesan the day after it served chicken sandwiches. The chicken parmesan is good, but you can tell you've had the same thing before in a different form.

TUE RANT #2 -- ARCHER ON THE LOOSE:

Archer is beginning to suffer from Janeway syndrome, otherwise known as the "This is a controversial decision, but any disagreement in my decision will be seen as treason" syndrome. Janeway did it all the time, and now Archer's picking up the habit. However, while Janeway was able to loosen up from time to time, Archer seems to have a perpetual stick up his a$$. I realize some sort of authority must be maintained on a military vessel, but he just won't listen to anybody.

GAMBLING POLICY CHANGE OF THE WEEK:

Did anyone else find it intriguing that Poker is banned at Starfleet Academy given how often the crew of the Enterprise-D played that game? Of course, once Kirk started teaching "CAPTAINCY 101: CONTRACEPTIVES IN FIRST CONTACT MISSIONS," the poker rules probably seemed a little unnecessary.

IMPOSSIBLE STANDARDIZED TEST OF THE WEEK:

I was a little unclear on the Organians' test. Has anyone ever passed it? The way they were talking, it sounded like no one had ever figured out how to cure the disease. So why is this standard practice for Organian first contact? Can you imagine these energy beings sitting around...
"So, how's our first contact stuff going?"
"Great! So far, 1000 ships have encountered the disease."
"And how many cured it?"
"None of them."
"So we haven't made first contact with anyone?"
"That's right."
"Great! Sounds like this first contact policy is perfect! Let's keep using it. We'll make it illegal to use any other means."

OVERALL OPINION OF THE WEEK:

I thought the episode was pretty good. The Organians were handled well. They weren't portrayed as completely superior or inferior. Learning new things about Hoshi was interesting; however, it contradicts with previous material (most notably from "Exile"). The minor characters who usually take a back seat did well here. Gave the show a different feel. I was especially impressed not only that the actors were able to show that they were possessed, but they all showed convincingly which Organian was possessing each one. This is probably Trek's best body-possession story (DS9's "The Reckoning" might beat it out, I'm not sure).

TUE

"Sign it to 'Melllvar'. Melllvar has three L's."
"I think I've done enough conventions to know how to spell 'Melllvar'."

In the opening scene, before it was revealed who was really playing chess, I thought the episode would have as the plot (or at least as a B plot) the creation of the 3D chess game from TOS.

Personally, I think it was a cop out for Hoshi to be brought back. Trip I could see, as he was just barely dead, but she'd been gone for a while. (Now I'll just wait for all the Hoshi fanatics with the torched and pitforks to come after me...)

---Critique:
---A really enjoyable episode where a time-worn premise was executed with an approach that conveyed a sense of newness, an ending that while pre-ordained, truly felt like a natural outgrowth of plot and character, with some nice continuity nods tied into the whole thing. Clearly the best self-contained episode of the season so far.
---Right off the bat, the teaser was well-done. If the alien possession cliché caused rolled eyes in previews, the spoiler immediately conveyed the fact that this episode would present a new and engrossing angle to it.
---The intrigue continues through the episode as we see that the possession of the crew is apparently limited to only two crewmen at a time, and that their motive in doing so is not to take over the ship, but to observe the crew, a refreshing departure from past alien possession episodes. Instead, the episode follows the formula of the first two acts of Distant Origin(VOY), in which aliens observe life on the ship, making it feel like a cross between that episode and Data’s Day(TNG), and indeed, the episode’s ideas are conveyed not through the main characters, but through the conflict between the two guest characters. In this way, the Trip-Hoshi storyline, which would not carry the episode effectively on its own, is not the main plot, but rather exists as material for the aliens’ study, which is the real salient story thread, one that effectively evokes the “study of humanity” theme that characterized much of TOS and TNG. The disagreement between the conformist alien and the nonconformist alien was entertaining and believable (though one had to wonder just how low Travis can get as a character, as his first bit of significant screen time and dialogue in a long time is really just a guest character possessing him), and the revelation at the end that the aliens are Organians was a really nice touch.
---The most surprising aspect to the episode was Scott Bakula’s performance when he confronts the Organians. His acting was dead-on particularly the hoarsness in his voice.
---Kudos to the creators for remembering that The First Duty(TNG) established that Starfleet Academy was not founded until 2161, the same year as the Federation: When Trip mentions his dorm room to Hoshi in Act 1, he refers to it as his dorm room at Starfleet training.

---Notes:
---We learn in the teaser that conventional chess is still played in the 2150’s.
---This is the first episode to explicitly establish that the Decon room is not a part of sickbay, as seen in Act 1, and the possessed Reed states at the end of Act 2 that it is on D-Deck. The opening scene of Act 3 shows that red emergency lights come on when power is cut to a Deck, which did not occur in prior episode in which the lights went out, like Broken Bow and Silent Enemy, probably an upgrade received in The Expanse or Home.
---The aliens’ decision to use Trip and Hoshi to communicate in private was reasonably clever, as was the fact that Phlox discovered them through such logical means. In a story with plenty of room for contrivances and clichés, this episode managed to avoid them.
---This is the second episode to mention a movie directed by ST TMP director Robert Wise, The Andromeda Strain. The first was The Catwalk, which mentioned The Day the Earth Stood Still.
---We learn in Act 1 pre-Acadmey Starfleet Training was called STC, and that Hoshi, who has a black belt in Aikido, got kicked out during her first month after breaking the arm of her Company Commander after he cleared a floating poker game she organized for the recruits and staff, and that was let in on a probationary basis because of the need for her language skills.

---Continuity Nods:
---The Organians, of course, were first introduced in Errand of Mercy(TOS), where they engineered a peace treaty between the Federation and the Klingons.

---Terms:
The Andromeda Strain 1971 movie directed by Robert Wise, based on the 1968 Michael Crichton novel about a team of scientists who investigate a deadly disease of extraterrestrial origin which causes rapid, fatal clotting of the blood, which Trip asks Hoshi if she has seen in Act 1.
STC Abbreviation for training that Trip uses in Act 1. (What is stands for was not mentioned.)
Company Commander Personnel at Starfleet Training with whom Hoshi tells Trip in Act 1 she had a disagreement during her first month, and whose arm she broke, leading to her being kicked out.
Aikido A modern Japanese martial art derived from jujutsu and Jsword techniques literally meaning “harmony energy way,” or “way of the harmonious spirit,” developed by Morihei Ueshiba between the 1930s and 1960s, in which Hoshi tells Trip in Act 1 she has a black belt.
sonambutril Sedative, three units of which Phlox instructs Trip in Act 3 to set his hypospray in order to sedate Hoshi. Trip indicates that his is a high dosage, remarking that it’s enough to drop a horse.
oligemic shock Alternate word for oligemia, a condition in which the total volume of the blood is reduced, to which Hohshi succums at the end of Act 3.
trinephedrine Substance, 40 units of which Phlox instructs Archer to inject into Hoshi’s heart in the beginning of Act 4.

Sure, let’s take away the first significant thing she’s had to do in an episode in a year
In the opening scene of Act 1, after Trip collapses and Hoshi takes over and radios the Enterprise, Archer asks her if she can dock the shuttle by herself, and she said yes, but then adds the qualifier “At least in simulations.” Can’t the shuttlepod and that magnetic docking arm in the Launch Bay be made to hook up by autopilot?
Hey, they showed us more of her when we got to see her half naked at the end of episode, didn’t we? And between you and me, she sure looked “well-rounded” to me!
So Hoshi got kicked out of Starfleet Training for breaking an instructor’s arm???? And after running an illegal poker game??? And she has a black belt in Aikido? Wow! How come we haven’t seen more of this rock’em, sock’em Hoshi until now? Are we to understand from this episode and Two Days and Two Nights that there’s a wild side to Hoshi that we almost never see? If so, why won’t the creators show us more of it? Wouldn’t it make her an interesting, well-rounded character?
Yeah, but what do you call the Long-range Outpost Auxiliary Department for Orbital Fleet Crew Roster Astrophysics Personnel?
Also, he refers to it as STC. What does this stand for? Since Hoshi refers to a “Company Commander,” perhaps it stands for Starfleet Training Company?
But you don’t want to see what comes inside a Hungry Man frozen dinner in the 2150’s
Phlox tells Archer in the closing line of Act 1 that Trip and Hoshi have five hours left to live. If that’s true, why not put them in stasis? Given that Home established that the technology exists in the 2150’s, why doesn’t the Enterprise keep some chambers onboard? Or is it only used at this point for food, and has not yet been developed to work on living organisms?
I think this is just Hoshispeak for “I lost count”
Hoshi told Ravis in Act 2 of Two Days and Two Nights that she knew 38 languages when she first left Earth on the Enterprise, but when Trip asks her how many she knows in Act 2 of this episode, she says, “That’s not how it works. There are a lot of common patterns, I’m just good at hearing them, that’s all.” How does this answer this question? Why can’t she tell him how many of these “patterns” she “hears”? Or does she consider this information too intimate, something to reserved for aliens that she sleeps with soon after meeting?
No, he was just kidding, he didn’t get sent to his room at 24. But his father denied him any Thanksgiving turkey, preferring him to be breast-fed instead. It made things easier when they had to change his diapers.
Trip tells Hoshi in Act 2 that when was 24 or 25, he removed all the screws in the dining room table, causing it to collapse when his father placed the turkey on it, and that he spent the next month in his room. Was this is a joke? Or did Trip still receive punishments from his parents at age 24?
Merda di toro
Hoshi manages to crack the code to unlock the door to Decon at the end of Act 2, stating that “math is just another language.” Well, that may be so, Hoshi, but if you don’t know what the missing word is, what difference will it make if you know the language? I can ask you, “Di quale parola sto pensando?” which means “What word am I thinking of?” in Italian, but even if you know Italian, you still don’t know the word I’m thinking of. Knowing the computer’s language would not yield the lockout combination. Archer later tells Trip in the beginning of Act 3 that she can override every security safeguard on Enterprise, as if language alone can do this.
He had little choice. The next candidate in line for the job was Mike Tyson.
And speaking of which, does Archer really feel comfortable about having an Ensign on board who could do this, especially one with a history of rule-breaking and violence?
The Credulity Strain
Afer Trip returns Hoshi to Decon in the beginning of Act 3, no mention is made about whether their jaunt outside of Decon caused the virus to spread to the rest of the ship.
In space, no one can hear your lousy medical jargon
After Trip sedates Hoshi, Phlox tells him that he has to sedate himself, arguing that the silicon-based virus is “incompatible with carbon-based life,” and that it’s attacking their bodies in an unpredictable manner. First of all, I don’t see what any of this has to do with sleep. The argument for sedating Trip is that he might run amok like Hoshi, but I don’t see what the virus’ virulence has to do with it. Second, the virus isn’t incompatible with carbon-based life; it’s entirely compatible! The fact that the virus can use the cells of Trip and Hoshi’s bodies to reproduce means that, just like a carbon-based virus from Earth, their bodies do provide compatible hosts. If they were incompatible, as say, the Feline immunodeficiency virus is to humans, then the virus wouldn’t affect them at all.
What tease Archer is. First he rips open her jumpsuit to reveal her bra and belly button, and then he covers it all up.
After Hoshi dies, why does Archer waste time putting her on another sickbay bed and covering her with a sheet if they still have to work on Trip?

And the Gasoline-On-Fire Award for Dumbest solution to a problem goes to…
One other thing I forgot: When Hoshi escapes Decon, Trip, rather than immediately shutting the door and advising the bridge to beam her back to Decon (Chosen Realm established that intraship beaming is possible in the 2150's), goes after her himself, thereby exposing two infected bodies to the rest of the ship instead of two.

Some points, Luigi: First, Chosen Realm did not establish that intraship beaming is possible in the 2150s. We never see Archer rematerialise, so he could have been in a (short) transporter suspension, rematerialising in the transporter room after everyone had left. And the transporter is still supposed to be fairly dangerous (though I think the creators have been stretching this belief for quite a while now).

I've heard of people who are good linguists (and often also codebreakers) because of the way their minds work as opposed to just learning a lot of languages or maths. The way you describe it sounds eminently plausible to me, although the creators could have conveyed it better. And Hoshi might well have just referred to the number of languages she knows numerically to Ravis as a boast. By 'patterns' she might mean things like common grammar and verb formation (which would be more useful tools when learning alien languages as there would be no shared vocabulary, but there are only so many kinds of grammar possible).

Hoshi has been shown to be able to break codes, thats why the xindi reptilians kidnaped her.

this episode was well done, it had the feel of a TOS episode and it was nice to see some charter devlopment espicaly for travis and hoshi

the more charters in play the better the show; (usualy),thats why DS9 was so well devoloped and the way things where going guinen, ro laren and even kai winn had more screen time then either travis or hoshi which i might add are the most interesting charters of the crew

its refreshing to have good quality trek on the air again

It's been 10,000 years and 800 species have been here, yet Archer is the first to think of leaving a warning beacon? That seems a bit unlikely.

Trip says, "Feel like I've been gut punched by a Tellarite." How would he know what this is like?

It's mentioned that 3 other Away Teams have been to the planet which seems interesting since they usually only have 2 shuttlepods. (& one got blowed up earlier this season. ;-) Yeah, yeah, that one was probably replaced.)

Why did the Organians need to possess host bodies? Couldn't they just float invisibly? Why did they need to possess Trip & Hoshi to talk privately? Couldn't they just revert to their non-coporeal forms and communicate that way?

Also didn't the Organians in Errand Of Mercy say there was something disruptive about corporeal beings being around?

I think it was a mistake to make these aliens Organians. I don't think what we learn about them here matches what we learn about them in Errand Of Mercy.

All through the ep I was thinking: Shouldn't the crew have noticed their mates' odd behavior almost immediately? I mean, a game of chess played at warp five? I think _somebody_ would've noticed _that_.

"And these last two episodes have been pretty derivative. 'Daedalus' had very clear parallels to 'The Ultimate Computer,' 'Jetrel,' and 'Silicon Avatar.' This one is a combination of 'Errand of Mercy,' 'Scientific Method,' 'Distant Origin,' 'The Empath,' and 'The Crossing.'"
Also TNG's Power Play and Voyager's Cathexis.

"Trip tells Hoshi in Act 2 that when was 24 or 25, he removed all the screws in the dining room table, causing it to collapse when his father placed the turkey on it, and that he spent the next month in his room."
If you think this is the biggest jack@$$ in Trek franchise history, gimme a hell yeah!

Otherwise: Great show.
Ensign Fraidycat has never looked cuter to me.
Captain Quantum-Boy's speech to the aliens was very Kirkian; it also reminded me of Commander Chakotay's to the Voth ruler in Voyager's Distant Origin.

The Saviour is more than earning his nickname, in my books.

And that's the bottom line...if you smell what I'm cooking.

The Organians acted more like Vians. Shouldn't
Sickbay have specialized medical suits the personnel can wear instead of the space suits Archer and Phlox were in?

Regarding why no one has left a warning beacon before Archer, perhaps others have, they were just removed by the Organians(and they also erased the memory of having left one)

Stone Cold: Shouldn't the crew have noticed their mates' odd behavior almost immediately? I mean, a game of chess played at warp five?
:: Or Mayweather actually having some lines?

"Chief! You can talk!" (John Salley to Robert Parrish).

So Hoshi was reinstated because of Starfleet's need for language specialists. Fortunately for them, she's not gay or they'd still be looking.

I thought her dying rant was reminiscent of John Belushi's SNL skit, "Foreign Legionnaires' Disease." And Portugese: the ugly duckling of the Romance languages! (No offense, Costanza. You had your reasons.)

Dotter31: Why is there ANY type of unlocking mechanism INSIDE the decon chamber? Wouldn't this be like locking a criminal in a prison cell with a set of keys in the cell with him/her? This would seem to be a design flaw.
Luigi Novi: It’s an emergency contingency, say, if you’re in Decon, and the Ferengi have released a knockout gas that renders the rest of the crew unconscious?

ScottN: As far as I know, site-to-site transport was not possible even with TOS era transporters.
Luigi Novi: But if the transporter pad had an isolation screen, they would’ve have had to do site-to-site. They could’ve used the pad without risking infection of whatever Deck it’s on. (I think I pointed out that the transporter should have an isolation screen in a prior episode too.)

TUE: This one is a combination of "Errand of Mercy," "Scientific Method," "Distant Origin," "The Empath," and "The Crossing."
Luigi Novi: I wouldn’t even mention The Crossing, since that episode didn’t have anything original in it that wasn’t in prior eps. You could’ve just mentioned Lonely Among Us(TNG) or Power Play(TNG) for the “alien possession” motif.

TUE: Archer is beginning to suffer from Janeway syndrome, otherwise known as the "This is a controversial decision, but any disagreement in my decision will be seen as treason" syndrome. I realize some sort of authority must be maintained on a military vessel, but he just won't listen to anybody.
Luigi Novi: Where did he do this?

TUE Did anyone else find it intriguing that Poker is banned at Starfleet Academy given how often the crew of the Enterprise-D played that game?
Luigi Novi: They didn’t say poker was banned, only that gambling was. Playing without money but abstract chips, as on TNG, probably wasn’t frowned upon.

TUE: handled well. They weren't portrayed as completely superior or inferior. Learning new things about Hoshi was interesting; however, it contradicts with previous material (most notably from "Exile").
Luigi Novi: Like what?

Anonymous: Personally, I think it was a cop out for Hoshi to be brought back. Trip I could see, as he was just barely dead, but she'd been gone for a while. (Now I'll just wait for all the Hoshi fanatics with the torched and pitforks to come after me...)
Luigi Novi: People have been brought back from clinical death after several minutes today. Why not in the 22nd century with non-corporeal aliens who can rearrange matter on a level that allows them to modify memory?

Thande: Some points, Luigi: First, Chosen Realm did not establish that intraship beaming is possible in the 2150s. We never see Archer rematerialise, so he could have been in a (short) transporter suspension, rematerialising in the transporter room after everyone had left.
Luigi Novi: Ooh, good point! I’ve amended the nit for that episode to include your point.

Anonymous: Hoshi has been shown to be able to break codes, thats why the xindi reptilians kidnaped her.
Luigi Novi: And as Obi-Juan pointed out for Countdown, that’s a nit, since translating a language has nothing to do with cracking a code. Cracking a code means finding a sequence that you don’t have, not finding out the meaning of a phrase or word you do have. As Obi-Juan pointed out, it would’ve made more sense for the Reptilians to have cracked the Aquatics’ codes, and have Hoshi translate them.

Anonymous: this episode was well done, it had the feel of a TOS episode and it was nice to see some charter devlopment espicaly for travis and hoshi
Luigi Novi: As far as Travis is concerned, how did he get any character development, when he wasn’t even in the episode? The only scenes with Anthony Montgomery were of the Organian possessing him.

Keith Alan Morgan: Trip says, "Feel like I've been gut punched by a Tellarite." How would he know what this is like?
Luigi Novi: Someone could say that a bout of nausea felt like being gut punched by Mike Tyson, even though they’ve never the guy.

Keith Alan Morgan: Why did the Organians need to possess host bodies? Couldn't they just float invisibly? Why did they need to possess Trip & Hoshi to talk privately? Couldn't they just revert to their non-coporeal forms and communicate that way?
Luigi Novi: Good point. The Trip Corpse Organian at the end indicated that showing compassion would allow them to understand and experience humanity very well, which may be an indication that experiencing the races they observe vicariously was part of their assignment.

Stone Cold Steven Of None: All through the ep I was thinking: Shouldn't the crew have noticed their mates' odd behavior almost immediately? I mean, a game of chess played at warp five? I think _somebody_ would've noticed _that_.
Luigi Novi: First of all, they weren’t at Warp 5. They weren’t even at Warp. They were orbiting planet on which the virus was contracted.

Second, what does being at warp have to do with chess? With the artificial gravity the ship has, traveling at high speeds wouldn’t impede playing chess, any more than it would any other activity.

Hans Thielman: Shouldn't Sickbay have specialized medical suits the personnel can wear instead of the space suits Archer and Phlox were in?
Luigi Novi: I’d imagine the suits were made to multi-purpose for both uses.

dotter31: Regarding why no one has left a warning beacon before Archer, perhaps others have, they were just removed by the Organians(and they also erased the memory of having left one)
I doubt it, because when Archer said they would leave the buoy, the Reed Organian complained that they would no longer be able to study how aliens react to this virus, indicating that they will not interfere with the humans’ decision to leave the buoy.

TJFleming: So Hoshi was reinstated because of Starfleet's need for language specialists. Fortunately for them, she's not gay or they'd still be looking.
Luigi Novi: Huh?

TUE: Archer is beginning to suffer from Janeway syndrome, otherwise known as the "This is a controversial decision, but any disagreement in my decision will be seen as treason" syndrome. I realize some sort of authority must be maintained on a military vessel, but he just won't listen to anybody.
Luigi Novi: Where did he do this?
Me: When they realised the suits fingers were too bulky, Archer insisted he be the one to take off the gloves and thus contaminating himself. He said that the ships needs a CMO.

I liked the scene where Trip and Hoshi exchange words about the skills and Trip admits he's always been a little jealous of Hoshi's linguistic talents, saying she makes it look so easy. Then she retorts by saying much the same for his engineering skills with bothing responding to the images of it being easy for them as 'it's a bit more complicated then that'.

TJFleming: So Hoshi was reinstated because of Starfleet's need for language specialists. Fortunately for them, she's not gay or they'd still be looking.
Luigi Novi: Huh?
:: A cleverly hidden dig at the Pentagon, which can't find Arabic translators, notwithstanding having discharged the ones they had under "don't ask, don't tell."

And I think Stone Cold was using "warp five" figuratively to describe the pace of the chess match.

Chris Booton: When they realised the suits fingers were too bulky, Archer insisted he be the one to take off the gloves and thus contaminating himself. He said that the ships needs a CMO.
Luigi Novi: What does this have to do with disagreement being seen as treason, or not listening to anyone? He made a command decision, which is his responsibility. And he didn’t say that the ship needs a CMO. He said that the ship needs its CMO right now more than the captain, because of the infection, and he said this when Phlox said the suits were impeding his use of the surgical tools, and was about to take off his own suit. Archer only made the decision to do so himself and be Phlox’s hands when he saw that his CMO couldn’t do his job.

TJFleming: A cleverly hidden dig at the Pentagon, which can't find Arabic translators, notwithstanding having discharged the ones they had under "don't ask, don't tell."
Luigi Novi: Well, I figured it was some type of reference to the modern U.S. military, but I didn’t understand why it was being equated with Starfleet.

Trip says, "Feel like I've been gut punched by a Tellarite." How would he know what this is like?

Who got punched in The Andorian Incident? Was it Trip or Archer?

ScottN, wasn't Archer punched in that episode by an Andorian, not a Tellarite?

And Luigi to the best of my knowledge the Tellarites are not known for being superstrong. Had Trip said "gut punched by a Klingon" it probably would have worked better since they are known to be strong. All the comments about Tellarites I could remember revolved around their appearances, not their strength or fighting ability.

"And these last two episodes have been pretty derivative. 'Daedalus' had very clear parallels to 'The Ultimate Computer,' 'Jetrel,' and 'Silicon Avatar.' This one is a combination of 'Errand of Mercy,' 'Scientific Method,' 'Distant Origin,' 'The Empath,' and 'The Crossing.'"
Also TNG's Power Play and Voyager's Cathexis.

With a dash of Allegiance (TNG) too.

Oops. Misread the quote. For some reason, I though it said "punched by an Andorian"!

TUE: handled well. They weren't portrayed as completely superior or inferior. Learning new things about Hoshi was interesting; however, it contradicts with previous material (most notably from "Exile").
Luigi Novi: Like what?

I believe (and my memory isn't always the greatest) that "Exile" describes Hoshi as introverted and goody-goody almost to a fault. These are not traits common to someone who runs a gambling ring and breaks the arm of a senior officer. I don't really even consider this a nit since what people do does not always match their personalities. I just thought I'd point it out.

TUE: Archer is beginning to suffer from Janeway syndrome, otherwise known as the "This is a controversial decision, but any disagreement in my decision will be seen as treason" syndrome. I realize some sort of authority must be maintained on a military vessel, but he just won't listen to anybody.
Luigi Novi: Where did he do this?

As mentioned above, Archer's insistence that Phlox allow him to remove his gloves. It's not so much what he said but how he said it. He seemed downright angry that Phlox would question his decision. But this was certainly a mild case of this syndrome. Episodes like "The Breach" or "Daedalus" demonstrate the syndrome more clearly.

TUE

"I'd like to get my hands on that fellow Earl Grey and tell him a thing or two about tea leaves."

Good episode - two things though:

Since when can the Organians inhabit other bodies? Granted, just because it wasn't mentioned in TOS doesn't mean it couldn't happen.

I thought the first indication of silicon based life was the Horta in Devil in the Dark? McCoy would have known about this virus.

I thought that it was okay. They even made me believe for a second that Hoshi would stay dead. But, it's not even February yet and TV shows have done a lot of that recently, so it didn't last long.

It's nice to see Travis and Hoshi get some dialogue. It's just too bad it wasn't Travis speaking.

I did like their use of the mind manipulation for the preservation of continuity. Sometimes the creators don't do so well with this (ie Acquisition), but I think that it worked this time.

Still debatable whether viruses are really life.

Maybe the Enterprise really will make contact with the Cardies. You know, if there's a fifth or sixth season.

Luigi Novi: And speaking of which, does Archer really feel comfortable about having an Ensign on board who could do this, especially one with a history of rule-breaking and violence?
We know of one incident. For all we know, that was her only brush with trouble.

Luigi Novi: Afer Trip returns Hoshi to Decon in the beginning of Act 3, no mention is made about whether their jaunt outside of Decon caused the virus to spread to the rest of the ship.
I think that it's safe to say that it didn't.

KAM: It's mentioned that 3 other Away Teams have been to the planet which seems interesting since they usually only have 2 shuttlepods.
Why couldn't they? It's not like they all had to go at the same time.

Hans Thielman: Shouldn't Sickbay have specialized medical suits the personnel can wear instead of the space suits Archer and Phlox were in?
Luigi Novi: I’d imagine the suits were made to multi-purpose for both uses.
I'd get some new ones then, since Phlox couldn't operate with the gloves on.

I figured when Phlox saw Hoshi and Trip talking in decon when they were supposed to be sedated, his first thought would be, "Trip used the wrong drug" rather than "They're not supposed to be awake" (implying a seeming impossibility). In other words, he should have considered a more rational explanation first.

TUE: I believe (and my memory isn't always the greatest) that "Exile" describes Hoshi as introverted and goody-goody almost to a fault.
Luigi Novi: Good point.

TUE: As mentioned above, Archer's insistence that Phlox allow him to remove his gloves. It's not so much what he said but how he said it. He seemed downright angry that Phlox would question his decision.
Luigi Novi: No, he did not seem angry. Their voices and facial expressions were intensified by the emergency nature of the situation, and when Phlox refused, Archer insisted, giving the reason that right now the crew needed its doctor more than its captain, but that was it. There was no anger, let alone any indication that he resented Phlox for merely questioning him.

Josh M: I did like their use of the mind manipulation for the preservation of continuity. Sometimes the creators don't do so well with this (ie Acquisition), but I think that it worked this time.
Luigi Novi: In what way did they do this? By allowing them to leave the buoy in orbit, it would appear that they left Archer’s memory intact.

Josh M: We know of one incident. For all we know, that was her only brush with trouble.
Luigi Novi: Yeah, and OJ only committed murder on one night in his life.

Joking aside, I think the seriousness of that incident is what calls this into question.

Josh M: I think that it's safe to say that it didn't.
Luigi Novi: I know, but at the time, I would’ve liked mention of it. Reviewing the scene where Archer and Phlox go to Decon after Trip and Hoshi lose consciousness, I noticed that one of them said they were now entering the “quarantine” area, which indicates to me that all modes of travel for a virus to and from that D-Deck were closed off.

Nove Rockhoomer: I figured when Phlox saw Hoshi and Trip talking in decon when they were supposed to be sedated, his first thought would be, "Trip used the wrong drug" rather than "They're not supposed to be awake" (implying a seeming impossibility). In other words, he should have considered a more rational explanation first.
Luigi Novi: Ooh, good one! Or that Trip feigned taking it, perhaps by not loading the hypo, since he seemed resistant to sedating himself.

Though, he didn't necessarily consider an irrational one. He simply turned on the audio to see what Trip and Hoshi were saying. He didn't know he'd hear aliens talking.

KAM: It's mentioned that 3 other Away Teams have been to the planet which seems interesting since they usually only have 2 shuttlepods.
JoshM: Why couldn't they? It's not like they all had to go at the same time.
I didn't say it was impossible, just interesting. They may have had them go down 2 teams at a time. They may have used the transporter. Maybe they now have 4 shuttlepods?

Josh M: I did like their use of the mind manipulation for the preservation of continuity. Sometimes the creators don't do so well with this (ie
Acquisition), but I think that it worked this time.
Luigi Novi: In what way did they do this? By allowing them to leave the buoy in orbit, it would appear that they left Archer’s memory intact.
Archer would have left the bouy regardless of the Organians erasing his memory of the Organians' presence.

I wonder if Hoshi should be nicknamed "Starbuck."

No, that would be Janeway. ;)

When Hoshi escapes Decon, Trip, rather than immediately shutting the door and advising the bridge to beam her back to Decon (Chosen Realm established that intraship beaming is possible in the 2150's)... - Luigi Novi

Intraship beaming, maybe (as has already been noted, it wasn't established). But not site-to-site. How much more complicated is that? Only Emory Erickson knows.


Trip tells Hoshi in Act 2 that when was 24 or 25, he removed all the screws in the dining room table, causing it to collapse when his father placed the turkey on it, and that he spent the next month in his room. Was this is a joke? Or did Trip still receive punishments from his parents at age 24? - Luigi Novi

He didn't say he was punished (though that is a logical inference). He could also have been trying to avoid his father as much as possible.


By allowing them to leave the buoy in orbit, it would appear that they left Archer’s memory intact. - Luigi Novi

How so? Archer expresses as much surprise at Hoshi and Trip's recovery as T'Pol and Phlox. Granted, it could have been an act, but there's nothing to really indicate that.

What did the possessed crewmembers think was happening while their bodies were being possessed? Did their memories get erased? If they were, they'd notice holes in their memories.
Spock says we're like amebas to the advanced Organians.
One of the Organians says he's never been surprised. Wouldn't that make his work seem tedious and predictable? And wouldn't they be making other situations for other races to encounter? What are the other Organians doing other than watching other races react to other situations?

Thande,

Technically, viruses are not considered alive. One of the characteristics for being alive is the ability to grow and reproduce. Viruses can't do that without a host cell.

I hedged it because that old system of characteristics (as quoted by Crusher in 'Home Soil' [TNG]) is currently being evaluated (as is the Linnaean system of classification) due to the new revelations of the Genome Project and related research.

P.S. I'm studying Biochemistry at Cambridge University - you can take my word for it.

Given how the Organians act in this episode, might the Paxans from "Clues" be an offshoot race?

roger: What did the possessed crewmembers think was happening while their bodies were being possessed? Did their memories get erased? If they were, they'd notice holes in their memories.
The Organians tell Phlox that they had the ability to create new memories for the possessed crewmembers.

Why, exactly, did Archer destroy this particular test? Or I should ask: why did the Organians allow Archer to destroy this test? Why couldn't they move the ship away and obliterate everyone's memories a la the Paxans in "Clues" (TNG). Otherwise, we're to believe that a race that has been doing something for 10,000 years was thwarted *once* by a vastly inferior race and chose to do *nothing* to restore things to normality.

Luigi Novi: Trip tells Hoshi in Act 2 that when was 24 or 25, he removed all the screws in the dining room table, causing it to collapse when his father placed the turkey on it, and that he spent the next month in his room. Was this is a joke? Or did Trip still receive punishments from his parents at age 24?

Dan Gunther: Actually, when I watched that scene, it struck me more that Trip was in a self-imposed exile in his room, rather than being punished.

Oh, just saw that Darth Sarcasm beat me to the punch with that one...

Wouldn't Trip at 24 or 25 nearly already be a graduate of Starfleet Training? I'd think he'd know better at that age what taking all the screws out of a table would do... I just read it as he was joking about the age part.

I agree with Influx. Trip was clearly joking about his age at the time of the table incident.

Why, exactly, did Archer destroy this particular test? Or I should ask: why did the Organians allow Archer to destroy this test... we're to believe that a race that has been doing something for 10,000 years was thwarted *once* by a vastly inferior race and chose to do *nothing* to restore things to normality. - Jesse

I didn't get the impression that the Organians created the virus... they just used the virus's existence as an opportunity to observe aliens they might choose to make First Contact with. So Archer didn't "destroy" their test... he simply found and utilized a new solution to the problem, a solution he was able to arrive at because the Mayweather Alien violated Organian custom and procedures.

Also, while it's true the Organians have been doing pre-First Contact observations for 10,000 years, they had only been observing the effects of the virus for 800 years.

Darth Sarcasm: Also, while it's true the Organians have been doing pre-First Contact observations for 10,000 years, they had only been observing the effects of the virus for 800 years.

I stand corrected.


Darth Sarcasm: I didn't get the impression that the Organians created the virus... they just used the virus's existence as an opportunity to observe aliens they might choose to make First Contact with.

I agree. It was explicitly stated that the Organians did NOT create the virus. However, it was quite useful to them. Archer leaving the warning beacon in effect destroyed the test, since no one--at least no one who listens--will come near. My question was, why do the Organians allow Archer to leave this beacon and ruin further chances to test species? They could simply knock out the crews' memories and guide the ship away so they can continue to use the testing ground without hinderance.

Perhaps because they're not supposed to interfere with the humans' actions, and if they did this, they'd be interfering with the act of compassion by the humans. It may also alert the humans to their presence if they come back later and see the buoy is gone. The Organians are supposed to observe, not interfere.

Maybe they have a LOT of testing grounds...?

The Organians should have been possessing the bodies of every crewmember, to observe how each one feels and reacts. Maybe they did but we should have seen some indication.

The Organians were taught the value of compassion... that's why they allowed Enterprise to defeat the virus. That was the whole point of the "Mayweather" and "Reed" exchanges... "Mayweather" was urging "Reed" that there were limits to what can be learned through observation alone.

Luigi Novi: The Organians are supposed to observe, not interfere.

That's possible, I suppose. In their eyes, then, Archer's placing the buoy would be the "natural evolution" of the area, I guess. (To use a crude comparison.)

The Organians did interfere, but then wiped evidence & memories: They spoke w/ Phlox, then deleted the info he recorded & wiped his memory. Later, they spoke with Archer. He convinced them to learn about compassion by experiencing it. So, they interfered again when they resurrected Trip & Hoshi and cured them & Archer. With their memory wiped, they could only speculate that the silicon virus was so unpredictable that it just up and left. When Archer left the buoy, perhaps the newfound compassion helped the aliens leave it when they could have destroyed it & altered memories again.

KAM: Also didn't the Organians in Errand Of Mercy say there was something disruptive about corporeal beings being around?
Luigi Novi: Ayelbourne said, "The mere presence of beings like yourselves is intensely painful to us." "Beings like yourselves" is a bit vague. Is he indeed talking about corporeal beings, or violent corporeal beings, like humans and Klingons, or specifically like Kirk and Kor? It could've been one of the latter. In addition, the Organians in this ep have taken it upon themselves to study other beings, and do so at a certain distance. Perhaps they're better prepared or more stoic for the discomfort inherent to doing so.

ClintX: It's been 10,000 years and 800 species have been here...
Luigi Novi: Actually, they never mentioned how many species were through there. The "800" you're remembering is from when the Reed Organian tells the Travis Organian in the turbolift in Act 1 that he's been studying aliens for 800 years.

The Organians are only supposed to observe, and not interfere, but one of them impersonates Phlox in Act 2, and goes to visit Trip and Hoshi with the other Organian, who possesses T'Pol. But by possessing Phlox, the one crew member who is responsible for trying to save Trip and Hoshi, and wasting valuable time by having him visit sickbay when he should be studying avenues for a cure or treatment, aren't they interfering with the very process they're trying to observe?

I suppose I could go all Heisenberg on you and point out that any observer affects the observed.

Even if the observed don't know about it? And even if that's true, wouldn't you agree that possessing Phlox upsets the process to a degree that is much greater than if they didn't?

Nope. As "T'Pol" told Trip and Hoshi, she and "Phlox" were waiting for test results.

Ah. Thanks.

For a linguist, and one that is said to be fluent in most languages, Hoshi speaks really bad German. I had to look at the transcript in order to find out that it was supposed to be German. (Something like "I want to be late for class", which makes no sense to me, but "will" in German means "want", so that could be a mistake of "I'm gonna be late for class"). I wonder what else she's saying, I could make out Spanish, a Eastern European and an Asian language and Klingon.
I think the idea if Organians doesn't really fit here. It's been a long time since I saw the TOS Episode in which they showed up, but they seemed really friendly and helpful, and, above all, used to live as corporal beings (they had this nice swim-action like greeting). If they abandoned that state of appearance, why should they revert to it in order to meet Kirk and the Klingons? (Because it's easier, I know.....)

Um, wasn't she feverish due to an alien virus, Newbie?

I suppose I could go all Heisenberg on you and point out that any observer affects the observed. -ScottN

you could, but I could then point out that according to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, it is only possible to observe the observer or the observed at one time, therefore detecting any differences will be impossible without a comparison for observation.

Also, taking the form of phlox and t'pol still was interferring because they might have come up with new ideas for treatment and such while waiting for the results. (Assuming that they weren't lying about waiting that is) I don't know about you guys, but a lot of things come to me when I'm not actually working on them.

Its also a bit of a joking truism that the observer is also affected by the observed. This certainly happened here.

>>>By LUIGI NOVI on Saturday, January 22, 2005 - 2:08 am:

Hoshi manages to crack the code to unlock the door to Decon at the end of Act 2, stating that “math is just another language.” <<<

Funny how Hoshi is suddenly so good at maths. Back in season one she had to ask T'Pol for help when she was trying to work out how to communicate with a creature that had captured Archer and Trip, this was because the language was more like maths and she didn't understand it...Now she can crack security codes on Enterprise while delirious.

This episode reminds me of "The Empath"