The Enterprise aids a damaged ship of religious pilgrims who travel the Expanse because they believe its distortions are the work of a godly power. When their leader D'Jamat orders his people to commandeer Enterprise and imprison its crew, Archer and his people must find a way to drive a wedge between them and retake the ship.
Star Trek has sort of a mixed record on stories about religion; even Deep Space Nine, the series with religious themes baked explicitly into its premise, had hit and miss episodes on the subject. But there isn't much of a message at all here. In the mode of many original series episodes of Star Trek, this episode is content to just paint religion as idiotic, full stop, with a simplified conflict over minor differences ultimately destroying an entire alien civilization. It's probably asking too much for the writers of Enterprise, only a couple of years after 9/11, to have a profound perspective on the themes they're writing about -- yet I do wish for something a little more thoughtful than "aren't these people stupid?"
On the other hand, it's not like the episode shies away from all controversy. The alien Triannons don't just threaten Enterprise, they are specifically suicide bombers (with the sci-fi detail that the bombs are in their bloodstream). There are scenes specifically contrasting their religious beliefs with scientific principles. Some of their dialogue feels quite authentic, from the declaration that they oppose "enemies of truth" to the justification that "in the service of the makers, all actions are blessed." And an important subplot centers on one of the aliens being pregnant and seeking an abortion from Phlox. With the regressive direction the United States has moved on this subject since this episode was made, it's kind of wild to see this story tucked away in the B-plot and not the sole focus.
There are a few nice moments for characters sprinkled throughout. Phlox makes a determined stand to help his patients. (I can't tell if the writers actually do like his character, or if John Billingsley just makes an effective moment out of every scrap he's thrown.) Archer carries out a Kirk-like ruse in faking his death. (Though if the aliens have access to the Enterprise database, they should know what a transporter is.) Reed actually wins a fistfight. (He's gotta do something right eventually.)
The guest cast is full of actors that few would know by name, but who seem instantly recognizable from long careers. Conor O'Farrell, who plays the alien captain D'Jamat, would be familiar to sci-fi fans from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dark Skies, or From the Earth to the Moon, but he's also worked outside the genre on Desperate Housewives, 24, Boston Legal, and so many more. You've absolutely seen this guy somewhere. Same goes for Vince Grant as Yarrick, whose IMDb page shows he's basically never played a recurring character on anything, but has probably done one episode of just about any television show of the 2000s that you could name. Meanwhile, Taylor Sheridan -- who plays Jareb -- would move into writing more than acting, creating shows like Yellowstone and Lioness.
Other observations:
- T'Pol keeps getting new outfits this season -- all with similar cuts, but in a wide range of colors.
- The leader D'Jamat's name kind of sounds like "Digimon" when people say it. Which was a property that existed in 2004, so... was it intentional?
I'm glad Enterprise didn't avoid telling a story about violent religious extremists amid their "9/11 allegory." But still, this episode feels like it's reaching at something it isn't effectively grasping. I give "Chosen Realm" a B-.
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