Enterprise: Daedalus

In the latest episode of Star Trek Enterprise the inventor of the transporter, Emory Erickson, needs the starship's help with testing a major upgrade to the technology. I'm not going to reveal the plot, but you may recognize Daedalus as the father of Icarus from Greek mythology, in which case you'll have some idea how the story unfolds.

I am moderately disappointed by this episode. I don't expect great acting in Star Trek, but the above shot pretty much shows the entire range of emotions displayed by Bill Cobbs: his performance fluctuates between stilted and wooden.

It's not clear whether Erickson is the original inventor or merely the first human to discover transporter technology; in any event, the writers could have done something more interesting with it. Daedalus is what you get when you do a "bottle show" (meaning only standing sets are used, saving time and resources) without some decent acting, writing, and directing to back it up.

I haven't given up completely on Enterprise. New executive producer Manny Coto has said he intends to bring the focus closer to home and I think the series has improved somewhat in season four, although it still squanders potential of the prequel concept.

Upcoming episodes are supposed to reveal some insight into the Klingon forehead ridge mystery, and begin the process of founding the Federation. Which sounds great. I'm less enthusiastic about other things mentioned by Coto – like a conflict between Archer and Reed, the beginnings of Section 31, and that there's going to be an episode set in the Mirror, Mirror parallel universe.

16 January, 2005