Day 309: Enterprise, Cease Fire

Show: Star Trek; Enterprise

Episode Particulars: S2EP15, “Cease Fire”

 Summary: There’s a planet in Vulcan space that’s being heavily contested between the Vulcans and the Andorians. Fighting has broken out on the surface, and our old friend Shran (who officially gets his name) decides that he’d like to negotiate a peace treaty. Still incredibly suspicious of the Vulcans, he decides he wants Archer as a mediator, to the surprise and disapproval of Ambassador Soval (Gary Graham), who has been against the Enterprise’s mission from the start. Archer, of course, is more than happy to help out, even though there’s a good chance he’s putting himself, and eventually Soval, in danger to do it. He has faith in both Shran and the diplomatic process, though whether or not others are in agreement with him is very much up for debate.

Standalone Thoughts: I would say that this is one of the strongest episodes so far this season. I like “Dead Stop” a little more because of the classic sci-fi feel, but this episode has pretty much everything. It’s connected to wider events, is structured and paced well, offers up grey morality, has great acting by the supporting cast, includes both action and conversational drama, and even throws in just enough humor to keep things from getting too dark. All this episode needed was more of a role for Malcolm and I’d have basically nothing to complain about.

In all seriousness, this episode is very well-executed, and I think a lot of it has to do with the actors. Bakula shows us a side of Archer we haven’t seen often, the more serious “I will do what it takes to complete the mission” aspect that’s normally missing from episodes. Blalock gives us a T’Pol who knows where her loyalties lie, but maintains her usual tone of detachment. Graham perfectly captures Soval’s sense of superiority over the Andorians, but also the hints that he’s reluctantly open to change. And of course, Combs knocks it out of the park as Shran. Up till now, it was just my previous experiences with him that made me like him, but now he’s finally getting a chance to play a character instead of a plot device, and Combs takes full advantage of the opportunity. If you didn’t like Shran before, you’ll probably at least have a certain amount of respect for him after this.

I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say this is an essential episode of Enterprise, but it’s definitely got more staying power and substance than a lot of the preceding episodes, and if you liked “The Andorian Incident”, you’ll probably enjoy this one as well. It’s a good reminder that, even if this season has had more misses than hits so far, the show is capable of pulling things together just right. All they need is a good direction to follow.

How it Relates to the Whole: In addition to really getting to know Shran’s character, we get more of a glimpse of the Vulcan-Andorian conflict (and the Vulcan-Human conflict), with the suggestion that there could be more to come. While I’m pretty sure there will indeed be more to come, I’m not sure if we’ll see it until Season Four. Well, there are five episodes left in this season that I don’t really remember, so maybe there’ll be something in there.

Other: *Nothing particularly out of the ordinary happened in this episode, so we’ll have to just wait and see what the next episode brings.

Badass Malcolm Moment: In another case of having to make do with what little is available to me, I have to give the moment to Malcolm’s line delivery when he gears the Enterprise’s weapons up for attack. The confidence and underlying excitement of an impending fight gives the impression that he’s ready for anything. And based on how hard he works at his job, he probably is.