• Divergence Board 2 February 10 - 5:10 am

Yeah, you should read Men are From Mars, Women are From Denobula Triaxa. And I hear the Denobulan edition of The Rules takes up an entire library.
Great Line: “Your mating practices must be very complex.” –Antaak to Phlox in the second scene of Act 2, noting the number of spouses Denobulans usually take.

---Critique:
---Good conclusion to what is possibly the best of the multi-part arcs this season. Good ongoing developments with Reed, with Trip and T’Pol, good interaction between the sister ships in action, a nice continuation of the “explanation story” of the Klingon cranial ridges, good Section 31 material, and great action!
---I LOVED the sequence in the opening of Act 1 where they transfer Trip to the Enterprise! It was wonderful to see Earth’s second Warp 5 ship in action helping out its older sister, and what’s great is that the scene wasn’t contrived, because it stemmed from the plausible 2150’s inability to use transporters at warp, and because it involved a resolution to a crisis that wasn’t clichéd quick-fix. The tension as Trip looked down at the open Launch Bay hatch, the coolness of the Columbia inverting itself with respect to the Enterprise (making it look all the more like an Akira-class-ship), and the shots of the two ships flying together with their warp fields merged as Trip made his way across the grappler is one of the nicest visuals ever seen in Trek!
---I must say that I’m liking how the creators are addressing the manner in which the virus is affecting not only the Klingons’ appearance, but also their behavior. In reading most of the proposed solutions fans have offered over the years for the Klingon cranial ridge discrepancy, none of them, I observed, accounted for why, for example, Kang’s wife Mara appeared so acquiescent when captured by Kirk or nearly raped by Chekov in Day of the Dove(TOS). As if noticing this point themselves, the creators have Laneth confess that the plague has made her feel fear for the first time since childhood. Well done!

---Notes:
---We learn from Reed in the teaser that the transporter will not operate at warp speed.
---We learn another Kahless saying in the eighth scene of Act 2: “There’s no victory without combat.”
---We learn in the tenth scene of Act 2 where Section 31 got its name from when Harris tells Archer that Article 14, Section 31 of the Charter makes allowances that justify things like Phlox’s kidnapping. We learn in the twelfth scene of Act 2 that Reed was first recruited by Section 31 when he was a young Ensign.

---Continuity Nods:
---K’Vagh offers Phlox bloodwine in the second scene of Act 3, the first mention of the Klingon beverage on this series. We also see the first series mention of gagh, when we see Krell eating it in Act 4, and Archer mentioning it by name later near the end of the same Act 4.

---Terms:
Lt. Laneth The female Klingon who reports to K’Vagh in the third scene of Act 2 on their mission to board the Enterprise in the previous episode. K’Vagh addresses her by rank in the ninth scene of Act 2. (Name from startrek.com only.)
Fleet Admiral Krell Klingon official to whom General K’Vagh reports, who first speaks to K’Vagh in the fourth scene of Act 2.
General Sun Tzu Influential 6th Century B.C. Chinese military strategist who authored The Art of War, and originator of a quote that Reed paraphrases to Marab in the eighth scene of Act 2 as “The greatest victories are those won without fighting.”
Starfleet Charter Article 14, Section 31 Passage in the Starfleet Charter, presumably where Section 31’s name is derived, that Harris asserts to Archer in the tenth scene of Act 2 makes allowances that justify his authorization of Phlox’s kidnapping in the previous episode.
metabolic catalyst Substance with which, along with the virus, Phlox injects Archer in Act 4 to enhance his immune response.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"Wonderously so" -- Phlox responding to Antaak's claim that Denobulan mating practices are interesting.

LOOSE-LIPPED SPY OF THE WEEK:
That Harris sure is a talkative fellow for a secret spy. He certainly has no problem explaining everything to Archer. Although Sloan was awfully talkative to Bashir as well without having his loyalty.

KICK-A$$ SEQUENCE OF THE WEEK:
The whole first act was INCREDIBLE! From that first shot with the zoom past Enterprise through the hull of Columbia that stops at Captain Hernandez to Malcolm saying that he and the captain have had a "slight misunderstanding," I was on the edge of my seat. THAT was awesome stuff.

ODD TECHNOLOGY BEHAVIOR OF THE WEEK:
I can understand why they can't initially use the transporters to get Trip off of the Columbia, but once their warp fields merge, wouldn't that be just like simple transporting? Or do the transporters just not operate while the ship is at warp, period?

ODD VIRUS BEHAVIOR OF THE WEEK:
Klingon ridges are part of their natural evolution. I can't, for the life of me, figure out how the virus caused Archer to develop Klingon ridges and personality traits. The virus was an enhanced flu and the Augments were human.

FORGOTTEN KLINGONS OF THE WEEK:
Why didn't Phlox try to help the two guards? Antaak says that they have begun to show symptoms of the disease, and then Phlox tells Antaak that he is suffering from the virus as well. If the virus could be treated at the absolute earliest moments, why wasn't Phlox keeping them under constant observation?

THE ULTIMATE CHANGE OF THE WEEK:
Those clever creators have sure crafted a fine explanation for the appearance of the TOS Klingons. Apparently they were't ALL human-looking, but those that are are apparently more human in their feelings as well. Notice that the female Klingon mentioned that they all felt fear for the first time. This seems consistent with the Klingons' less warrior-like behavior in TOS. (Possible problem: The Klingon female was a Klingon augment, so other Klingons might be different)

VARIED KLINGONS OF THE WEEK:
I also liked the various Klingons that we got to see in this two parter. They weren't all two-dimensional as Klingons have tended to be on this series (witness Duras in Season 2). Antaak was the most sympathetic, of course, but I also thought the Uncle Phil Klingon deserved some sympathy too. He clearly didn't really know what to do with the situation, and his son was also suffering as well. I also thought the Admiral Klingon was kind of a hoot. He was so over-the-top that he was fun to watch.

OVERALL OPINION OF THE WEEK:
This two-parter was very intense. It felt rushed in some places, but not enough to pi$$ me off. It really felt like some grand important stuff was happening. The directing in the episode was also different in a good way. A quality arc overall.

TUE

"I am Klingon! If you doubt it, a demonstration CAN be arranged."

I could be wrong, but in stopping my tape it looked like Trip's spacesuit in Act 1 had the Enterprise logo on it(and not Columbia like it should have)

Let me add what to the other comments: the whole tranfer scene and warp coverage of the Enterprise by Columbia was INCREDIBLY COOL! If they had done this in the beginning of the series.... I don't even Scotty could shut down and start up the warp engines in 2 minutes.

Always good to have John Schuck in anything.

I have to say when I heard about this episode, I really groaned a lot. However, these two were done very well. I really enjoyed these episodes. And the tie in to Section 31 was just icing on the cake.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I will miss this show when it is done. I wish the whole series had been like this season.

"47" this week. "47 minutes" until the ship blows up. Do they have a countdown clock installed (considering how often this will be a threat)?

I'm surprised the Maco's treated Malcolm so roughly. I mean, he was their commander at one time. Now that he's reinstated it may be time for a little payback.

I thought Krell (homage to Forbidden Planet, perhaps?) sounded an awful lot like Megatron from Transformers - Beast Wars. I loved that show. (He was the evil group leader, right?)

by LUIGI NOVI
----I must say that I’m liking how the creators are addressing the manner in which the virus is affecting not only the Klingons’ appearance, but also their behavior. In reading most of the proposed solutions fans have offered over the years for the Klingon cranial ridge discrepancy, none of them, I observed, accounted for why, for example, Kang’s wife Mara appeared so acquiescent when captured by Kirk or nearly raped by Chekov in Day of the Dove(TOS). As if noticing this point themselves, the creators have Laneth confess that the plague has made her feel fear for the first time since childhood. Well done!

--I remember the Voyager episode, when B'Lanna was split to a human and a Klingon, and the human B'Lanna admitted to Paris, how she felt fear for the first time to. I wonder, if the writers of tonight's episode, used the Voyager one, as a basis. I think it would be good to tie in the difference in the human as opposed to Klingon characteristics.

The Undesirable Element
-- but I also thought the Uncle Phil Klingon deserved some sympathy too. He clearly didn't really know what to do with the situation, and his son was also suffering as well.
--It's a good thing, his son didn't break down and started dancing goofy like to Tom Jones!!
Oh God, I'm sorry, that little flashback just slipped out! .

By the way, didn't that little remark about reconstructive surgery Phlox was making, meant that was to explain away our friends Kor, Kang, and Koloth going from Augment Klingon, to natural Klingon. They just went under reconstructive surgery?

Peter David also drew attention to the fact that TOS Klingons acted differently ('dastardly' rather than 'honourable') and I'm glad TPTB managed to explain that away.

You my think that Trips transfer while at warp
was cool,
but the the heck did Trip have to climp up instead of using come sort of motored device attached to the cable? The whole thing could have be done in 5 seconds.

When Trip says he'll be back on Columbia
(BTW he still wears the old uniform)
how exactly will he do that now?
Both ships are still at warp.
Another stunt or did they stop for beaming him over?

The ending was just too rushed. This could have been extended to a three parter. In any case, the concept of Klingons having to live their lives resembling humans is so interesting, it should be taken up in further Trek stories (if, hopefully, there will be some). But that raises another issue; corrective or cosmentic surgery wouldn't be that difficult (Kirk was easily cosmetically changed to a Romulan in "The Enterprise Incident). Now, we'll have to view all the original Trek Klingons in a new light.

The sequence with Trip tranfering from the Columbia to the Enterprise was exciting. The zoom from space to Hernandez on the Columbia bridge wasn't that slickly done. It resembled more a series of quick dissolves that might have been done in pre-digital 80's movies. The zooming shot of Trip climbing the line between the shot was impressive though.

There could have been a lengthy argument between Malcom and the Starfleet officer at the end. It was gratifying that he simply turned the monitor off.

This ep also creates some continuity problems with origninal Trek. We get the impression that the Klingons and humans have formed an uneasy alliance at the end of this episode. In the classic "Errand of Mercy", I got the impression that was the first contact between humans and Klingons.

No, in "Errand of Mercy" they already mention previous conflict with the Klingons...the big nit for Enterprise was that Picard said in "First Contact" (the TNG episode not the movie) that first contact with the Klingons was in 2218, more than sixty years after when Enterprise is set.

elwood: but the the heck did Trip have to climp up instead of using come sort of motored device attached to the cable?
Luigi Novi: Because they likely didn't have any such device, and there was no time to make one.

elwood:...or did they stop for beaming him over?
Luigi Novi: Why not?

Thande: Picard said in "First Contact" (the TNG episode not the movie) that first contact with the Klingons was in 2218, more than sixty years after when Enterprise is set.
Luigi Novi: Picard never said that. He merely referred to it as "centuries ago."

LUIGI NOVI: K’Vagh offers Phlox bloodwine in the second scene of Act 3, the first mention of the Klingon beverage on this series.

Not true. Archer's Klingon lawyer offered him blood wine in season two's Judgment, and in fact you yourself pointed it out ("And blood wine makes its first Enterprise appearance in Act 3...").

NANJAO: The Klingon Krell shares his name with the Cardassian holographic doctor from Voyager's "Nothing Human".

Trip should have had some sort of motorized winch to pull him across the gap between the two ships. Don't tell me that the entire cargos of two NX vessels don't include some sort of motorized winch device, even if not proper to use in this situation, couldn't be jury-rigged by some clever Starfleet engineer in a few minutes. Remember the spacewalk scene in 2010 The Odyssey Continues when Chandra leaves the Discovery for the Leonov? That's what should have been used. Otherwise, I agree with the majority, the opening scene was a fantastic Trek visual, and deserves to become an instant classic. I too wish the entire series could have been as well done as this season. Now it feels as though this show only had one season on the air. And a note about Laneth admitting to feeling fear. She says about the fear "I could see it in the eyes of the others." That made me recall the Capellan's words to Kirk about the Klingon operative (named Krell, same as the Admiral in this episode!) in "Friday's Child": "I saw fear in the Klingon's eyes."

Luigi: Sorry, I must have misremembered, but when in that case does that big embarrassing date of 2218 come from?

It comes from the Okuda's Star Trek Chronology.

Then why was there such a fuss about it on the Broken Bow board?!

Because people tend to get fanon and canon confused.

So, Archer needed Reed to... press one button, stand on catwalk and yell "Hurry up, Trip!", and then to unhook him into safety? Wow

Also, what happened to superior firepower of NX class ship? "They outgun us three to one." - not anymore, apparently.

Speaking generally, I was dissapointed with this conclusion - it left behind more questions than anwers. (Like, "what was keeping smooth-headed Klingons from having plastic surgery right now and not 200 years from now on?")

Words of wisdom, Sparrow, words of wisdom. If that wasn't the case, Enterprise would have had a much happier history.

Perhaps it will be explained in a future episode (like we have many of those left...), but what exactly was Section 31's hold on Malcolm? It seemed to go a lot deeper than that they trained him in some cool, exciting stuff when he was an Ensign. I had the impression it was "an offer he couldn't refuse."

I hate to nitpick such a great sequence, but why not just use the "Data technique" and blow the airlock, sending Trip immediately across the span between the two ships? OK, so it hadn't been done yet. And it appeared that there was somekinda residual drag as the debris got blown back somehow. Or he could have been splattered against the far overhead. There are a lot of unanswered questions about how ships' artificial gravity really works. But outside the ship, things should behave a certain way in space. It's not like there's a heavy drag of atmosphere between the two ships.

Which reminds me (a nit I forgot from last episode), when they came across the destroyed Rigellian ship, there was loose debris floating about the area. It should not have stayed in place unless acted upon by an outside force. Or did the anal-retentive Klingons say, "Oh, we can't have this mess expanding forever in all directions -- let's just neaten this up a bit."?

Forget a winch, Trip shoulda used a pair of those nifty rocket boots from Star Trek V. He coulda invented them just for that purpose! :P

And why couldn't Trip just tell them over a comline what they needed to do to fix the engine and let the Enterprise crew do it? Because then there wouldn't be a contrived situation to get Trip on board! (Though it was a nifty scene getting him there, I'll admit.)

Anyone else here notice that there aren’t a lot of nits in this episode? Me, I couldn’t find a single one, and I think it’s the first time that’s happened, even after having seen the episode twice.

ClaytonRumley: Not true. Archer's Klingon lawyer offered him blood wine in season two's Judgment, and in fact you yourself pointed it out ("And blood wine makes its first Enterprise appearance in Act 3...").
Luigi Novi: Oh great, use my own words AGAINST ME, why don’cha!

Nice to know people actually read those Notes…

ClaytonRumley: The Klingon Krell shares his name with the Cardassian holographic doctor from Voyager's "Nothing Human".
Luigi Novi: Thought I heard it somewhere. That makes at least the 29th alien word/name used twice in Trek.

Captain Dunsel: Trip should have had some sort of motorized winch to pull him across the gap between the two ships. Don't tell me that the entire cargos of two NX vessels don't include some sort of motorized winch device, even if not proper to use in this situation, couldn't be jury-rigged by some clever Starfleet engineer in a few minutes.
Luigi Novi: I don’t see why they need it for cargo, since cargo is presumably loaded by shuttles, and I don’t think it’s impossible to say that 30 minutes is not enough time to cobble one together, but ultimately, I think it’s a judgment call.

Thande: When in that case does that big embarrassing date of 2218 come from?

Captain Dunsel: It comes from the Okuda's Star Trek Chronology.
Luigi Novi: There is no entry for 2218 at all in the Chronology, nor any mention, I believe, of Klingon First Contact.

Kazeite: Also, what happened to superior firepower of NX class ship? "They outgun us three to one." - not anymore, apparently.
Luigi Novi: If you’re referring to the improved weapons from The Expanse, the Enterprise only went up against one Bird of Prey, which was captained by someone who underestimated the Enterprise because he didn’t know about its improved weapons. Here, it went up against three ships, one of which was a different class of ship, which for all we know, it more powerful than BoP’s.

Kazeite: Speaking generally, I was dissapointed with this conclusion - it left behind more questions than anwers. (Like, "what was keeping smooth-headed Klingons from having plastic surgery right now and not 200 years from now on?")
Luigi Novi: Cultural bias against it (Martok refused to get an artificial eye in [IIRC] Soldiers of the Empire(DS9)), or lagging advancements in the technique, given that Klingon culture doesn’t place a high priority on medical technology. I mean, this is a culture that as of the 24th century, doesn’t even venture in neurology in a way that can save Klingons with nerve damage, preferring instead to let them die, as seen in Ethics(TNG). Logically, they’d probably place even less priority on something like cosmetic surgery, especially 200 years earlier.

Influx: I hate to nitpick such a great sequence, but why not just use the "Data technique" and blow the airlock, sending Trip immediately across the span between the two ships? OK, so it hadn't been done yet.
Luigi Novi: Not an unheard of idea. But if the warp fields collapses, and/or the ships went out of alignment, he could’ve been smashed into the underside of the Enterprise, instead of in its cargo bay.

Anonymous: Forget a winch, Trip shoulda used a pair of those nifty rocket boots from Star Trek V. He coulda invented them just for that purpose!
Luigi Novi: Good point. And any old can of compressed gas would’ve worked too.

I don't even Scotty could shut down and start up the warp engines in 2 minutes.

Spock did a cold start in The Naked Time(TOS). Which leads to...

Anyone else here notice that there aren’t a lot of nits in this episode? Me, I couldn’t find a single one, and I think it’s the first time that’s happened, even after having seen the episode twice.

This episode creates a continuity nit. In The Naked Time(TOS), a cold start of the warp core takes several hours. Spock was able to jump start it with somekinda implosion. Trip just hits a button or two and it goes.

The implosion took several hours, or the procedure to cold start it after the implosion occurred?

Luigi Novi: If you’re referring to the improved weapons from The Expanse, the Enterprise only went up against one Bird of Prey, which was captained by someone who underestimated the Enterprise because he didn’t know about its improved weapons.
So... you are saying that NX-01 actually has even greater firepower advantage??

Here, it went up against three ships.
No, not really. Here, NX-01 went directly only against two BoPs initially - larger cruiser was firing at the colony only. Not to mention NX-02, which happened to be present in the area . That leaves us with two NXs vs two BoPs.

Luigi Novi: Cultural bias against it (Martok refused to get an artificial eye in [IIRC] Soldiers of the Empire(DS9))
... while Kor, Koloth and Kang actually did it.

(and we do know that Kang was ridged by the time of TUC)

or lagging advancements in the technique, given that Klingon culture doesn’t place a high priority on medical technology.
Performing this kind of surgical procedure is not something that requires extensive knowledge of medical technology.

"This episode creates a continuity nit. In The Naked Time(TOS), a cold start of the warp core takes several hours. Spock was able to jump start it with somekinda implosion. Trip just hits a button or two and it goes." --ScottN

But was the NX-01 REALLY doing a cold start?!? The engine was at high warp for quite a long time, and was only shut down for less than two minutes. I'd imagine the engine components are still plenty "warm." What Trip did is more akin to stalling a car doing 70mph down the interstate, slamming the transmission in neutral and restarting the engine while the car is still coasting. Probably not very good for the engine, but still better then the alternative.

A small nit:
I thought the oversized flashing light columns on the bridge of the Columbia looked ridiculous. I know it was done to differentiate the bridges of Columbia and Enterprise (a redress of the Enterprise bridge set). I was reminded of all those Lost in Space episodes in which spaceship interiors had huge and oversized flashing lights which served no purpose.

After watching this, I had assumed that Kor and Co. had been cured of the virus and that their ridges had grown back, not that they had cosmetic surgery. As Luigi said, there is a cultural bias against such surgical procedures. The Klingons in these episodes still possess the virus, but its effects are no longer lethal. Perhaps in the future it is able to be completely prevented or cured(as Phlox had alluded that this could happen someday in the future)

Great conclusion. A little too much techno and medibabble, but the action and terrific performances, particularly in Billingsley's case, more than made up for it.

I thought that that opening sequence was terrific. As nice as Columbia's manuever looked, however, was it really necessary? Why didn't they just approach at that orientation? (BILC)

And why oh why did Archer go down to the planet alone? Is he really that dumb?

Kazeite: Also, what happened to superior firepower of NX class ship? "They outgun us three to one." - not anymore, apparently.
Were they the same kind of ships? They were called Battlecruisers in this episodes. And if they were BOPs, it's possible that they're a larger, more powerful class. Or that the Klingons upgraded their ships if and when they learned of Duras' failure.

Nitpicking a nitpick. Captain Dunsel, the Klingon in Friday's Child is named Kras.

A Klingon named Krell appears in A Private Little War.



Sir Rhosis

When General K'Vagh was talking to the Klingons who had sabotaged the Enterprise, wasn't he taking a risk of contracting the disease?

That made me recall the Capellan's words to Kirk about the Klingon operative (named Krell, same as the Admiral in this episode!) in "Friday's Child": "I saw fear in the Klingon's eyes." - Captain Dunsel

The Klingon in "Friday's Child" (played by Tige Andrews) was named Kras. However, there was a Klingon named Krell (played by Ned Romero) in "A Private Little War." Neither name was used on screen that I recall.

Oops. I took so long to post, Sir Rhosis beat me to it.

Nove Rockhoomer: When General K'Vagh was talking to the Klingons who had sabotaged the Enterprise, wasn't he taking a risk of contracting the disease?
Luigi Novi: Or when they brought in that Klingon to be euthanized?

Influx: Which reminds me (a nit I forgot from last episode), when they came across the destroyed Rigellian ship, there was loose debris floating about the area. It should not have stayed in place unless acted upon by an outside force.
Luigi Novi: Might it not depend on the direction from which the blast force came? Like what if it were a disruptor blast severed a nacelle from its strut, or something? The nacelle might then float toward the fuselage, or something, right?

Yes, but unless the nacelle actually lodged in there, it would bounce off at an angle equal to its impact, in addition to imparting some of its motion to the fuselage. Nevertheless, there wouldn't be a lot of large debris just hovering in the area without moving (unless there was some residual effect of those mysterious artificial gravity generators.) Think of the video game Asteroids (which for all I know, is before a lot of our current posters' times...) which pretty much got it right.

So you're saying the Enterprise could just teleport out of there if the debris gets too close? And that if it thrusts out of there, it won't be able to stop and will smash into something?

Josh M: Were they the same kind of ships?
Well, they looked distinctly BoPish to me

I think that someone even said that they were smaller than previous BoPs.

But, I suppose it's possible that there were supposed to be three battlecruisers in there, as per dialogue, and its a VFX mistake.

Or that the Klingons upgraded their ships if and when they learned of Duras' failure.
Which still wasn't enough, according to 'The Augments'
As per this episode, NX-01 outguns Augments BoP "three to one".

Sorry I forgot to post this earlier.

Kazeite: So... you are saying that NX-01 actually has even greater firepower advantage??
Luigi Novi: I’m not sure what you mean by this. I thought I was pretty clear in what I described above. Duras underestimated the Enterprise because he didn’t know about its upgrades, was possibly blindsided by being so hell-bent on revenge, and only had one ship to go up against it.

Kazeite: No, not really. Here, NX-01 went directly only against two BoPs initially - larger cruiser was firing at the colony only. Not to mention NX-02, which happened to be present in the area. That leaves us with two NXs vs two BoPs.
Luigi Novi: The fact that it had to stop the one attacking the planet meant that it had to divide its attention among three ships, even if the planet attacker wasn’t firing back at it. And the Columbia only showed up after some time, by which time the planet attacker started firing on the NX’s too, so by then, it was three against two.

Kazeite:... while Kor, Koloth and Kang actually did it. (and we do know that Kang was ridged by the time of TUC)
Luigi Novi: Cultural bias is not suffered by every single member of the culture. (Though I wasn’t sure if the smiley meant that you knew this and were just making a parting shot or not. )

Kazeite:... Performing this kind of surgical procedure is not something that requires extensive knowledge of medical technology.
Luigi Novi: Whether knowledge in a given area is “extensive” may be subjective from culture to culture. There are cultures that practice female circumcision without anesthesia, even though the use of it would not require knowledge or skill that we in the U.S. would consider “extensive” (though again, this is may also be due to cultural factors). Again, Federation neurology was “extensive” in 2369 in Klingon terms. It’s possible that the knowledge to regenerate cranial ridges is too.

So you're saying the Enterprise could just teleport out of there if the debris gets too close? And that if it thrusts out of there, it won't be able to stop and will smash into something? - Luigi Novi

No... he means that debris that goes beyond the ship's firing range will reappear at the opposite side of the ship's range of fire.

Luigi Novi: I’m not sure what you mean by this. I thought I was pretty clear in what I described above. Duras underestimated the Enterprise because he didn’t know about its upgrades, was possibly blindsided by being so hell-bent on revenge, and only had one ship to go up against it.
Oooh, now I get it... I wasn't talking about Duras at all. Have you forgotten about episode named "The Augments"? This is where was stated that NX-01 outguns Klingon BoP three to one.

Luigi Novi: The fact that it had to stop the one attacking the planet meant that it had to divide its attention among three ships, even if the planet attacker wasn’t firing back at it.
Nevertheless, with this kind of firepower advantage, it should have no problem whatsoever with defeating those two BoPs. Especially after Columbia showed up.

Luigi Novi: Cultural bias is not suffered by every single member of the culture.
Precisely my point.

Taking into consideration that smooth Klingons all but dissapeared by the time of TMP, it is rather hard for me to explain why couldn't they have their operation ten years earlier.

Luigi Novi: Whether knowledge in a given area is “extensive” may be subjective from culture to culture.
Yet Klingons by the time of TOS clearly posess required knowledge, if they were able to perform it on Kang before 2280, and one hundred years earlier Klingon doctor was planning to change his speciality to "cranal ridges reconstruction".

and we do know that Kang was ridged by the time of TUC

TUC?

And how do we know when he was ridged? I didn't think we knew he was ridged until he showed up on DS9, so it could have been any time between his TOS appearance and his DS9 appearance. That's quite a spread of time.

TUC = The Undiscovered Country

Kazeite meant that ridged Kang appeared in the VOY episode "Flashback" which was set at the time of TUC (on the Excelsior).

People seem to act like it was just surgery that was required to make the klingons get their ridges back by the time of The Motion Picture.

That's not exactly a solution....since you know...surgery doesn't pass on to your children.

Kazeite: Have you forgotten about episode named "The Augments"? This is where was stated that NX-01 outguns Klingon BoP three to one.
Luigi Novi: I reviewed that ep, and yes, Soong does say that in Act 1, right after Persis says that their BoP has minimal aft weapons. I found this surprising. But was this is an overall weapons assessment, or simply a reference of the Bird of Prey’s aft weapons to the Enterprise’s forward weapons? Even if it's the former, that still leaves the fact that the Enterprise was going up against three ships, one of which was not a Bird of Prey.

Kazeite: Precisely my point. Taking into consideration that smooth Klingons all but dissapeared by the time of TMP, it is rather hard for me to explain why couldn't they have their operation ten years earlier.
Luigi Novi: First, I'm not sure how this is "precisely your point," since the fact not everyone shares the same biases would be my point. Some Klingons would have the procedure, and some might not.

Second, we don't know if the smoothheads "all but disappeared by TMP." For all we know, the number might've remained the same, since we don't know how many there were in TOS and how many there were in TMP. The only one we know had the procedure between the two time periods was Kang. The reason some like him did not have the procedure ten years earlier may have been cultural bias, which he eventually got over. It's like saying "I don't see why the legislatures of various states couldn't have simply legalized gay marriage in 1995," or "If they allowed an interracial kiss in 1967, I don't see why they couldn't have allowed in 1957."

Taking into consideration that smooth Klingons all but dissapeared by the time of TMP... - Kazeite

Except, we have no evidence that they "all but disappeared." We saw, what, three Klingons in TMP? Hardly a large enough sample.

All we really know is that all the Klingons we saw in TOS were smooth-headed. All the Klingons we saw from TMP forward were bumpy-headed. And at least three Klingons altered their appearance from smooth to bumpy in the interim.

Wow, Luigi and Darth actually agree on something!

(Faints)

The only one we know had the procedure between the two time periods was Kang.

And Kor, and Koloth.

Well... we don't know that... we only know that Kor and Koloth changed their appearance between TOS and DS9.

Wouldent it seem more logical that the empire cured this virus while those infected and alterd had a reconstructive sergery

Luigi Novi: I reviewed that ep, and yes, Soong does say that in Act 1, right after Persis says that their BoP has minimal aft weapons.
Um... no. Soong says that after Malik suggests that they should engage NX-01. I don't know, the meaning of this scene is pretty clear to me - first Persis points out that their ship has minimal aft weapons, meaning they can't defend themselves properly (as demonstrated moments later, when NX-01 brings their aft shield to 50% in one salvo), which is why Malik tells Soong that they should engage NX-01, instead of running away. Soong statement is clearly the overall weapons assessment.
This means that with the help of Columbia they should've no problems with disabling BoPs.

Luigi Novi: First, I'm not sure how this is "precisely your point," since the fact not everyone shares the same biases would be my point.
Well... you said that Klingons would not undergo the procedure because of cultural bias, citing Martok refusal as evidence. But, as you said later, cultural bias is not suffered by every single member of the culture, so this hardly counts as evidence, which was my point. The fact that we never see smooth Klingons after TOS rather strongly suggests that majority of infected had the procedure.

The reason some like him did not have the procedure ten years earlier may have been cultural bias, which he eventually got over.
Well, not according to Dr. Antaak. He clearly believed that there's no cultural bias against this kind of procedures. And that female Klingon specifically asked whether "Denobulan" will be able to "restore their appearance" or not.

Rene: People seem to act like it was just surgery that was required to make the Klingons get their ridges back by the time of The Motion Picture.
Basically... yes. If your children are affected as well, they can have surgery as well, right?

(And all of you, forgive me for forcing Darth to agree with Luigi )

That must have accelerated the Apocalypse by at least 15 years...

Come on. It was obviously more than surgery. You people are taking the "ridge reconstruction" line a bit too literally.

Depends how you view the ridges. 'The Way of the Warrior' and other episodes imply that they're some sort of bony outgrowths of the skull, while the fact that Archer spontaneously grows them in this episode and the fact that Worf can have them easily removed in Homeward suggests that they're more superficial.

Don't forget...
The virus didn't only change ridges, it also made the Smooth Heads have fear.
A reconstruction would only help replace the ridges.
The question is: Did the Klingons we saw who were Smooth in TOS but then Ridged in DS9/VOY also have fear but then no fear? If their level of fear changed then the virus was cured.

Reviewing the scene in The Augments again, I agree that Soong must’ve meant their overall weapons, Kazeite, since he said this when disagreeing with Mailk’s suggestion to engage them. If they only outgunned them from fore to aft, then engaging them would’ve made sense.

Kazeite: Well... you said that Klingons would not undergo the procedure because of cultural bias, citing Martok refusal as evidence. But, as you said later, cultural bias is not suffered by every single member of the culture, so this hardly counts as evidence, which was my point. The fact that we never see smooth Klingons after TOS rather strongly suggests that majority of infected had the procedure.
Luigi Novi: I suggested that some Klingons might not have undergone the procedure due to cultural biases against certain medical procedures, using Martok’s opposition to cybernetic eyes as an example. The fact that not every single member of a society suffers from a cultural bias (or from the same cultural biases) might explain why some Klingons chose to have the procedure, and why some may have chosen not to, or chosen to do so only at a later date, when they changed their minds or were persuaded by changing cultural mores.

Kazeite: Well, not according to Dr. Antaak. He clearly believed that there's no cultural bias against this kind of procedures.
Luigi Novi: No, he didn’t suffer from any such biases himself. That makes no statement about whether other Klingons would.

Kazeite: And that female Klingon specifically asked whether "Denobulan" will be able to "restore their appearance" or not.
Luigi Novi: See above. Just because Laneth didn’t have any such preconceptions doesn’t mean that others couldn’t. Moreover, she merely asked whether their appearance could be restored; she had no knowledge of what the procedure would be. Perhaps she wouldn’t mind an antivirus that would cause the ridges to regenerate themselves, but would not be too keen on synthetic implants surgically grafted onto her forehead as a cosmetic procedure, much in the same way that some women would like bigger breasts, but are not keen on silicon/saline implants.

My point is that there are possibilities to explain these things.

Perhaps they could just make latex rubber appliances, like they do on oh, some TV shows...

TUC = The Undiscovered Country

Kazeite meant that ridged Kang appeared in the VOY episode "Flashback" which was set at the time of TUC (on the Excelsior).

Ah, thanks. I thought maybe TUC meant that, but I sure didn't remember Kang in the movie and I've forgotten most of Voyager.

I'm quite surprised to see no one pick up on the mention of a Klingon "warrior caste" in this episode. Evidently the Empire is in the process of becoming an entirely military culture, because every Klingon is a warrior by at least TNG, and probably TOS as well.

Klingon General Uncle Phil claims that they're risking three lives to save millions. I would have thought that there'd be billions (as in, thousands of millions) of Klingons in a space-spanning empire. Is he assuming that quarantines and killing the afflicted can, are, and will be 100% effective? The previous episode indicated that that the virus would pretty much affect the whole Empire.

Also, mayhap this will be explained in the few shows left, but what happens between here and TOS to start the Federation-Klingon Cold War (as a D7 model kit instruction sheet calls it)? (AKA decades of "unremitting hostility"?) Are the Klingons that resentful of human assistance? (Or is the problem really Kirk?)

Sander Jonti: Evidently the Empire is in the process of becoming an entirely military culture, because every Klingon is a warrior by at least TNG, and probably TOS as well.
We see Klingon scientists in TNG. Phil even made a note of one in the first NextGen Guide.

Klingon General Uncle Phil claims that they're risking three lives to save millions. I would have thought that there'd be billions (as in, thousands of millions) of Klingons in a space-spanning empire.

He's referring to the sterilzation of the colony, due to happen in 3 hours.

We also know that are those on Klingon ships who man the engineering sections, as seen in Sons and Daughters(DS9). In addition, You Are Cordially Invited...(DS9), Soldiers of the Empire(DS9) and Tacking Into the Wind(DS9) also mentioned the caste system and caste-mentality in Klingon culture.

With the change in the Klingons, now they have to get hair cuts , or was there a long haired Klingon in TOS?

Remember, even Chekov had "long hair" in TOS!

"was there a long haired Klingon in TOS?"

The only one I recall was a woman.

Sorry, I haven't been by to post in a while.
My apologies for confusing Kras from "Friday's Child" with Krell from "A Private Little War". But, I claim partial victory in recalling there was a TOS Klingon by the same name as the Admiral! Thanks to those who caught my gaffe. And, the line about "fear in the Klingon's eyes" from FC also makes a good tie-in to the references to "feeling fear" in the smooth headed Klingons.

Side note about Klingon first contact: Star Trek Chronology, page 37, entry for year 2218:
First Contact with Klingon Empire. As a result of this disasterous initial contact with the Klingons, Starfleet thereafter adopts a policy of of covert surveillance of newly discovered civilizations before first contact is attempted.
The reference given is "Day of the Dove" where McCoy notes that Klingons and humans have been enemies for 50 years. DoD is set in 2268, minus 50 years gives the date of 2218.

Well that's hardly conclusive then...it could just be that relations cooled to hostility in 2218, or that was the first official contact between the human and Klingon governments.

Agreed. Bones didn't say anything about it being First Contact. Moreover, Cap, you omit the second italicized statement after the one about Bones' comment, which is an Editor's Note that points out that Picard stated in First Contact(TNG) that FC with the Klingons occurred "centuries ago," and not just 144 years prior, which is what a date of 2218 would be.

Methinks that this is just Okuda and co.'s own interpretation.

Unless one of the remaining episodes deals with the Klingons, this episode has the distinction as being the very last Klingon episode for Trek.

I'm liking the discussion that this and the previous episode have started regarding smooth vs. chunky, er, bumpy (Klingon peanut butter, anyone?). Great thoughts, all.

My sole nit for the episode has to do with the transfer of Trip to Enterprise. So what if the two warp fields had merged? They're still moving at warp 5.2, which, if we stick to the old-style scale of warp being a multiple of C, meant the two ships were moving at 967,200 miles PER SECOND, or just under 3-1/2 BILLION miles per hour. You can bet that deflectors don't block everything, so at that speed, even a molecule of hydrogen should punch a hole the size of your fist in Trip's suit, and thereby Trip.

Why would the deflectors not block everything? If they didn't, said molecule of hydrogen would just as easily drill through the whole ship - as in fact they said in "Broken Bow".

Regarding 2218: you are probably right in thinking that the choice of that date as Klingon First Contact was Okuda's interpretation, but he was proceeding from the assumption that McCoy's reference was the earliest reference in TOS to KFC. (KFC? Was there a Colenel San'Durz on the High Council?) Since none of Enterprise had been written when Chronology Second Edition came out, there was no way for Okuda or anyone else to know the "real" story of Archer and Klaang. Now, if Chronology is ever updated the entry will have to read something like "First Contact with Klingons in 2151" (thus corroborating Picard's statement of "centuries ago") while mentioning a disasterous break in Federation/Klingon relations in 2218 (backing up McCoy's statement)

ScottN: This episode creates a continuity nit. In The Naked Time(TOS), a cold start of the warp core takes several hours. Spock was able to jump start it with somekinda implosion.
Luigi Novi: Spock was incapacitated by the virus at the time the implosion was discussed. Kirk was the one who proposed it to Scotty, and Scotty said it would take 30 minutes, not "several hours." And as mentioned above, Riley had completely shut down the engines, and they had presumably been off for some time, during which Scotty was trying to cut through the wall panel to get into Engineering. In this ep, they restarted the engines immediately, so they weren't really "cold."