Enterprise Flashback: Dawn

I haven't seen the movie Enemy Mine in decades. I have the impression that while it may be unknown by the broader population, the average sci-fi fan absolutely knows this story about a human and alien marooned on a planet together, learning to set aside their differences as they struggle to survive. Or maybe I'm just a "child of the 80s" who thinks my pop culture is everyone's pop culture. Either way, I know I immediately clock when I see some other sci-fi franchise "doing Enemy Mine." Which exactly what Enterprise did with the episode "Dawn."

An alien craft shoots down Trip's shuttlepod, crash-landing with him on a barren moon. As Enterprise struggles to locate their missing officer amid the dozens of moons in a gas giant system, Trip must convince the alien pilot to work with him so that both can be rescued before the sun rises and the intense heat kills them both.

"Dawn" isn't the first time Star Trek has "done Enemy Mine." Arguably, they did it twice on The Next Generation, and expertly both times; the more pure version paired Geordi with a Romulan in "The Enemy," while the twist on the formula was one of the series' (hell, franchise's) best episodes ever, "Darmok." Unfortunately, I don't think the third time was the charm when Enterprise took a run at it.

Part of the problem is that the "journey to acceptance between rivals" is more compelling if that journey is longer and harder. "The Enemy" was a struggle because Romulans have long been hostile adversaries on Star Trek. "Darmok" was a struggle because of the extremity of the communications barrier between Captain Picard and the alien captain. "Dawn" features new aliens we've never met, who fairly quickly tell Archer that shooting down their shuttle was probably a regrettable overreaction. And while Trip indeed cannot understand the alien's language, pantomime and threats seem to facilitate communications between them easily enough.

I think another reason this episode feels weaker is because it's centered on Trip. I don't have anything against Connor Trinneer, but not only has his character featured in a lot more episodes than the other characters, many of them have been episodes like this -- Trip in life-threatening jeopardy. This episode even has to bend over backwards at the beginning to explain why Trip is piloting a shuttle alone and not Travis; why not just let another character have a turn centering an episode? Choosing Trip as the main character makes this premise, which already feels like a bit of a rerun, feel even more like one.

What does help distinguish the episode, though, is the performance of guest star Gregg Henry as the alien pilot Zho'Kaan. Henry is one of those working actors you've almost certainly seen somewhere else, though he's unrecognizable here under reptilian makeup. He really works well with it. We probably can't know how many of the character's ticks and behaviors were scripted, Henry's idea, or suggestions from director Roxann Dawson, but they effectively convey an alien: an odd twitch of the head taking the place of a nod, strange hissing sounds in place of laughter, and more.

The production values of the episode are quite good, as usual for Enterprise. One thing that's hard to make look top-notch on a TV budget, though, is the mountain climbing sequences near the end. (Both the CG and the set fall a little short of believable.)

The writing is also usual for Enterprise, littered with various plot holes that collectively bring down the whole. After it's established that the alien's water is toxic to the humans, it's quite fortuitous that his ability to spit on a wound to heal it is not similarly incompatible with another species. Later, Zho'Kaan spits in Trip's eyes to stun him; is that a different kind of secretion, or should Trip's eyes "heal over?" If it's hot enough on this moon for Trip's communications device to stop working, surely it's hot enough to also kill him outright. If using the transporter on the weakened alien would be fatal, why not at least beam down supplies to help him and Trip survive? And why does Archer for one moment entertain Trip's request to just stay on the planet to die with the alien? Why does Zho'Kaan end up in Phlox's care, when it's the alien shuttle that picks up him and Trip, and they clearly would be better able to tend to one of their own than Phlox?

Other observations:

• Trip gets awfully lucky with Zho'Kaan's "tripwire." Twice. Once, Trip slips and kicks up dust, revealing the sensor right before he crosses it. Later, the alien is in such a rush to return to his camp that he sets off his own tripwire accidentally.

• Finally, our heroes are "learning how to Star Trek" a bit more effectively. I like T'Pol's acknowledgement that humans did better relating to this alien race in one day than Vulcans did in a century.

"Dawn" isn't a bad episode, but it suffers from some weak spots in the storytelling, and from that storytelling overall being rather derivative to begin with. I give it a B-.