Enterprise Flashback: The Expanse

With their ratings falling short of those set by Star Trek: Voyager, the writers of Enterprise decided they needed to do something flashy to grab (or re-grab) viewers. Perhaps inspired by shows like 24, they decided that the upcoming third season of the show would feature a season-long story arc. They laid the groundwork for it with their season two finale, "The Expanse."

When an alien ship attacks Earth, killing millions (including Trip's sister), Enterprise is recalled to Earth to take part in the investigation and plan next steps. While en route, the Suliban show up to bring Archer to meet their mysterious benefactor from the future. He reveals that the attack was the work of the Xindi, a race receiving help from rivals in the Temporal Cold War, to preemptively prevent the future destruction of their planet by humans. Enterprise is then dispatched to the home space of the Xindi, a strange "expanse" of weird phenomena. Their mission: to locate the Xindi and prevent a subsequent, even more massive attack. But stalking them to their destination is the Klingon Duras, looking for revenge on Archer.

There is a lot going on in this episode -- so much that reportedly 10 minutes of additional footage was cut entirely. This one episode has to spin down the stories being left behind -- the Temporal Cold War and Klingon skirmishes -- and set up something that hopefully fans would talk about all summer, bringing people to the show when it returned in the fall. Certainly, they've come up with a hell of a teaser: a strange sphere showing up and carving a canyon through Florida with an orbital laser. (It makes for another awkward smash cut to the show's jarring theme song. They really ought to consider getting a new one for the next season. Wink wink.)

The Xindi attack is not subtly inspired by the then-quite-recent 9/11 terrorist attacks -- and as such, the writing and acting is all rather grounded and realistic. We see the unfolding of news, with estimates of the deaths being revised upward again and again. We watch the characters grapple with their own feelings about what's happened. We see that some of these prequel characters aren't taking this in what other Star Treks would show as the "Starfleet way"; they're going to be out for revenge. Still, the emotions feel rushed to me. I think you really feel that 10 minutes of cut footage -- not for the subplots excised entirely (such as one reportedly involving Archer's Earthbound girlfriend), but in how truncated the remaining scenes feel.

But then, the emotions aren't the point as far as the series is concerned. This is a bid to revitalize the show -- and in retrospect, knowing that it would only last two more seasons (and become the first Star Trek in nearly two decades not to run seven years), you can see just how desperate a bid it was. They've got to throw in every possible hook about this "Delphic Expanse" that they can, to bring you back next season. A ghost story about a ship whose crew got turned inside out? Spooky footage of a Vulcan crew going insane? Mention of the more conventional soldiers Enterprise is bringing with them? New weapons the ship will be carrying? Aren't you excited?!

Well... kind of. I mean, I understand why that's the focus. But again, other parts of the story get shorted because of it. It's strange that they even put on the table the idea that some crew members might elect not to go to the Expanse when they ultimately don't explore the matter at all. (Apparently, Hoshi's feelings on that in particular was another one of the subplots cut completely for time.) T'Pol being recalled by the Vulcan High Command, only for her to give up her commission to stay with Enterprise, similarly doesn't amount to much -- not when they've played the "T'Pol might be leaving" card at least twice before.

It's weird to me that the biggest action of the episode isn't about the Expanse or the Xindi. Instead of showing us a taste of what they hope will excite us next season, the big set piece is a battle between Enterprise and the Klingons. It's staged well enough, and the visual effects look great. But it also kind of undermines the notion that the show will be reinvigorated by this new story line; here's the action they so crave to show us, and it has nothing to do with what's being set up for next season.

Other observations:

• This whole "test attack on Earth" is good for setting up a story, but terrible in its internal logic. The Xindi could have tested that weapon anywhere. Why do it on Earth itself, warning humanity that you plan to destroy the whole planet? 

• I cannot believe we're still playing T'Pol as skeptical about time travel after everything she and Enterprise have been through. It's not logical.

• ...though it's fun that other Vulcans are still "non-believers." I like the scene where a Vulcan psychologist covertly tries to test Archer's sanity.

• When Trip and Reed visit the Xindi damage in Florida, the canyon carved by their weapon looks pretty good. The two stiff CG characters we see "walking" up to the edge in the wide shot look terrible -- really undermining the somber tone the scene is going for.

There are good parts of "The Expanse." Some are even tantalizing in the way the writers hope. But the overstuffing of the episode undermines its effectiveness. I give it a B-.

And with that, season two of Enterprise comes to a close. Overall, I think it's a small step down in quality from season one. But it would have been a much bigger step had things not really picked up near the end of the season. Almost all my choices for the top five episodes of season two come from the last handful of episodes: "The Breach," "Regeneration," "Carbon Creek," "Judgment," and "Cogenitor."

Next up, season three: the show gets an official title change, a revised theme song, and embarks on a year-long story arc.