Episode Review - Shadows of P'Jem
Reviewed by Andy Taylor

Synopsis

When T’Pol is recalled back to Vulcan in light of her activities recently at P’Jem, Archer takes her on one final mission with her captain – only to be captured and cause even more trouble.

On Earth, the Vulcan High Command is complaining about Starfleet’s recent actions at the sanctuary on P’Jem where a listening post was found to be monitoring Andorian intelligence. They say that humans had no right to be there. However, Admiral Forrest believes that the High Command should be taking some responsibility. The Vulcans claim that the Andorians would never have found the listening post had the Enterprise not intervened – the ship has only been in space for six months now, and has managed to disrupt the entire sector’s politics. Forrest says that the situation was already a volatile one before the Enterprise even got involved. In fact, if the Vulcans had previously been more open about the situation, the incident may have been avoided. The Vulcans say that Captain Archer is far too impulsive, claiming that Captain Gardner would have been a much better choice for the ship’s original mission. This instantly angers Forrest – the Vulcans have no right to give commands at Starfleet. The Vulcans say that there was once a time where humans sought Vulcan guidance. It seems those days are now gone. In fact, they have been recalled to Vulcan, and their joint fleet operations have been suspended.

On Enterprise, Trip and Archer are having dinner when Trip says he’s noticed the ship has changed course. Archer has found a new planet in the Vulcan database a few light years away, inhabited by over three billion humanoids. The Vulcans have a mining agreement with them. Sato has already communicated with the planet’s government, and the Chancellor has invited them to the capital city. However, he says that he’s just going to take Sato this time (clearly upsetting Trip) so that the aliens can get used to them. He says it’s too bad – Coridan ships apparently have warp 7-capable engines. However, it’s not until Trip is really bothered by this that Archer reveals he was just joking. They are interrupted when Admiral Forrest contacts Archer – he discovers that the sanctuary at P’Jem was destroyed after the Enterprise left – luckily no one was killed. Forrest tells him that the Vulcan High Command have not taken it well, though Archer doesn’t blame the Andorians for their reactions. Forrest argues that the Vulcans may have had good reason to have a listening post monitoring the Andorians, as their commandos are incredibly tough. He says that the Enterprise has already done some good work, but they need to be careful – they cannot get involved in inter-species conflicts. However, he also tells Archer that there is more bad news…

Later, T’Pol arrives at the captain’s ready room – she finds out that P’Jem was destroyed. Archer tells her the Vulcan High Command believes the Enterprise was to blame. They are sending a ship that will rendezvous with them in two days – it will be picking up T’Pol. She seems unfazed – she simply tells Archer her scans of the sector will not be completed on time. He restates that it won’t be a temporary assignment – she has been recalled. She does understand, but says that she is sure that the High Command will send a suitable replacement. She also says that her assignment to Enterprise was only temporary anyway – to think that it would have continued indefinitely would have been foolish. Archer says that the High Command is just using T’Pol as a scapegoat because they can’t punish him for what happened – she should file a protest. However, she believes that it wouldn’t make a difference – she was appointed on Enterprise not just as an observer, but also to represent the interests of her people. Clearly, in the eyes of her superiors, she hasn’t done that. Archer cannot understand why she would let them do this to her, complaining that she is a part of his crew. She says that that is true for another 48 hours, before leaving.

Archer informs Trip that he has to take T’Pol on the mission with her instead of him, telling him that she has been recalled to Vulcan. Meanwhile in the mess hall, Phlox approaches T’Pol, asking her about her imminent departure. He asks if she agrees with her superiors’ decision that she was to blame for the P’Jem incident – she says that it is a logical conclusion. He suggests that the Vulcan High Command could reconsider if they looked at all of the work that she had done with Enterprise. She’s not the first Vulcan on a human starship, but those before her have only ever lasted a few weeks at most – she’s been onboard for six months, and she’s become a part of the crew rather than just being an observer. She should take pride in her accomplishment – even if, like T’Pol says, it is a human indulgence.

Finally a shuttlepod launches with Archer and T’Pol onboard, heading for Coridan. However, conversation onboard the shuttlepod is uneasy – T’Pol misunderstands Archer’s requests for information on Coridan, leading her to question why she was even chosen for the mission. Archer says that he thought she’d like one more mission with her captain before departure for Vulcan. However, she says that she has many other duties on Enterprise that could be attended to. When Archer offers to turn the pod around though, she suggests continuing to the planet to ‘save fuel on the shuttle.’ Suddenly Archer receives a hail from the Enterprise – there’s a vessel closing in on them fast. Before long they are attacked and ordered to slow down and change course, so they try to evade the vessel.

They are soon captured, however, and find themselves tied together. When the guards enter, as she is Vulcan they ask T’Pol why the pair are on Coridan – Archer speaks up, saying that he is her superior, also saying that it was the Chancellor of Coridan who invited them to the planet. The main guard isn’t happy – that government is only kept in power by the Vulcans. He then asks about the phase pistols that were found upon Archer and T’Pol’s shuttlepod – he threatens to shoot them if they do not inform him of what they do, which Archer grudgingly does. However, when the guard asks about their starship, Archer states bluntly that their protein resequencers can make chicken sandwiches – his cheek earns him a knock to the ground. T’Pol intervenes, saying that Archer is simply the ship’s steward. She is his superior really, and they have come to Coridan to put on a banquet. The guard notes that Vulcans have a reputation for truthfulness, so will have to think about what she has said. He also states that they have picked a bad time for a visit.

Meanwhile, on the Enterprise, the Chancellor of Coridan is speaking with the rest of the senior staff. She says that the shuttlepod was forced down into one of her planet’s rebel factions’ areas, and as it is out of her sensor range, it will be hard to track. Trip is highly annoyed, as the crew wasn’t told of any ‘rebel factions.’ The Chancellor says that she had no idea that they were capable of attack, commenting that Archer and T’Pol are ‘almost certainly still alive’ (something that Reed scoffs at.) The Chancellor suggests that the rebels will want something in exchange for the prisoners, though when Trip asks to know where his people are, she hangs up. In annoyance, he orders scans for human and Vulcan bio-signs, something Sato describes as too difficult. Reed suggests that they would have better luck trying to find the shuttlepod – Trip agrees; they have to start somewhere.

Meanwhile, Archer and T’Pol are trying to stand up by pushing themselves against each other’s backs. They fall over – T’Pol says that they were centimetres above their last attempt, though Archer senses frustration. She disagrees, and the two begin to try again. Finally they stand and are able to start untying themselves. Archer tells T’Pol that he would have thought that the Vulcan database would have included information on a civil war on Coridan. T’Pol says the database is accurate – the government does not consider the situation a civil war. Archer then says that the Vulcan High Command will probably want their database back when T’Pol is recalled – as far as he’s concerned, they can have it. Without it they wouldn’t have this planet. Reflecting upon the P’Jem situation, he then says that she isn’t to blame for what happened – she didn’t know that her people had installed a listening post, and didn’t know of the Andorian commandos there. She replies that Enterprise had no reason to visit the sanctuary. Archer says that T’Pol has reason to protest – it’s living with humans for so long that has clouded her judgement. He believes that she’s running away as she’s afraid of becoming human. She argues that she isn’t running away. Then why isn’t she fighting her transfer? Archer says that the Vulcans were able to take something away from his father that meant a lot to him – now they’re trying to take something away from him. Just then though, the two fall over. However, the two are able to untie themselves properly – just as guards enter and recapture them.

Back on Enterprise, Reed has been able to detect a ditanium signature four kilometres away from the capital city in some sort of shantytown – there are as many bio-signs there as in the city. However, no human or Vulcan bio-signs can be detected – and he cannot be sure that it is their shuttle they’ve found. He does tell Trip that he has a rescue team on standby – however, Trip doesn’t want to risk even more people in case it’s not their shuttle they’re reading. Reed is positive it is, and suggests that they go and look Suddenly, they receive an audio-only hail – it is from the rebels on the planet that have captured Archer and T’Pol. They demand forty more phase pistols in exchange for the hostages they describe as ‘the captain (also described as ‘her’) and steward.’ After the hail, Reed says that they cannot even be sure if they have the right hostages now. However, the main point is that they know they’re safe – they just don’t know for how long. Soon enough, they receive yet another hail, this time though from the Vulcan ship Ne’Var. The captain, Sopek notes that his ship will be arriving upon the hour to transfer T’Pol to Vulcan. Trip tells him that both her and Archer have been captured on Coridan, and that a threat has been made to kill them if their ransom demand isn’t met. Sopek comments that it would be irrational to kill them, as they would lose their negotiation position. He also says that since there is a Vulcan involved in the conflict that they will take over the investigation, and suggests that the Enterprise crew refrain from doing anything foolish, before hanging up. Trip, already irate from two heated discussions notes how annoyed he is at getting cut off.

Later, on Enterprise, Sopek tells the senior staff that Enterprise is ill equipped to handle the situation, and says that his team will infiltrate the camp where Archer and T’Pol are being held. Reed noted that he’s planning an assault, which Trip says would likely get T’Pol and Archer killed. Sopek argues that swift, decisive action is the logical response, though Trip comments that he is awfully trigger-happy for someone with repressed emotions. Sopek again says that a Vulcan officer has been caught up in this, therefore making his actions rational, but Reed comes back saying that Coridan isn’t a Vulcan planet – the government could have something to say about what they plan. Trip says that Sopek probably wouldn’t care if Archer and T’Pol were caught in the crossfire – that he’d probably consider it payback for P’Jem. Still unfazed, Sopek asks for information on Archer and T’Pol’s whereabouts. Trip tells him they have none, causing the departure of Sopek. As soon as he leaves, Trip tells Reed to warm up the shuttlepod.

Back on Coridan, Archer and T’Pol have since been tied back up again. They are fed, but find themselves having to lie on the floor and not use their hands whilst eating. Before long though, Archer discovers a small blinking device in his food…

On the Enterprise, Sato receives a hail from Sopek, asking for Trip whom is no longer onboard – he is currently arriving on Coridan with Reed in a shuttlepod. However, they are soon ambushed, and are tied and hooded like Archer and T’Pol. However, their guard seems to have a familiar voice – the Andorian Shran, encountered during the P’Jem incident, emerges from the shadows. He tells Trip and Reed that the rebels had no intention of keeping their word about the ransom – Archer and T’Pol would have been killed. They left the Enterprise’s pod out in the open for them to find easily so that they could be drawn into the trap. Trip is baffled – how did thee Andorians manage to listen in on what they were planning? The transmission they had from Sopek was secure. Shran explains – Sopek is a leading Vulcan figure in the sector; therefore they are bound to keep tabs on him. In fact, they have been monitoring all Vulcan transmissions and ship deployments since the incident at P’Jem. He claims that the Vulcans are preparing for a war. Trip says that whilst he’s not their biggest fan, the Vulcans would never do something like that. Shran points out that they are already in the middle of a war – Coridan is in dispute. His attention moves towards the current predicament – he says that he has a relationship with the downtrodden – he owes a debt to Archer since he helped the Andorians discover the Vulcan listening post originally. He claims to have had many sleepless nights due to the debt he owes, and he wants to repay it in full.

Apparently the Andorians and the rebels have a common enemy with the Vulcans, therefore someone working for the Andorians has been able to infiltrate the rebels’ base. He shows Trip and Reed a screen showing that Archer and T’Pol have four guards surrounding them; with another two ready to attack if needed. However, Shran has a problem – there is only him and his henchman, Traeg, going in for an assault. Trip offers his and Reed’s services to increase the odds – he doesn’t want Archer and T’Pol dead after all.

From the blinking device found in his food, Archer receives a transmission from Trip – the person who had originally delivered the food is obviously the person working for the Andorians. He says that he is half a kilometre away, but that until his team arrives, he and T’Pol should act normally. He tells of Shran's want to help him because of the debt, and that the person working for them will soon untie them.

Trip passes by some of the rebels, trying to distract them with an offer of Andorian ale so that the collaborator can get to Archer and T’Pol. He, Reed, Shran and Traeg soon take control of the base, and carry on towards Archer and T’Pol – until suddenly an explosion is triggered. The Vulcans, including Sopek, have also launched a rescue operation. Trip and Shran free Archer and T’Pol quickly, but soon enough a firefight ensues when more rebels try to apprehend the four plus the newly arrived Vulcans. Whilst Shran informs Archer about his fully paid debt, another explosion occurs and is able to take out the remaining rebels. However, the Andorians and Vulcans soon find themselves at a standoff. Unbeknownst to anyone though, one rebel who has survived is about to shoot Sopek. T’Pol notices this and quickly jumps in front of the Vulcan – saving him, but receiving a blast to her side as a result. As Archer organises a quick return to the Enterprise, Shran bluntly informs Sopek that it is he who should be dying instead of her.

On the Enterprise, Phlox tells Sopek that T’Pol’s injuries are extensive, and that he can’t tell whether she’ll live or not. Archer tells Sopek he knows how he feels – she saved his life once too. He then has a frank conversation with him, telling him that she is a pain and there are times that he wants to shove her out of an airlock. However, it took courage for her to do what she did – does he really want to take her home in disgrace? Sopek says that he cannot ignore what she did at P’Jem. Archer tells him that he’s not asking for her to receive any medals – just a second chance. Perhaps a respected Vulcan such as Sopek could change the High Command’s views on T’Pol? Sopek says that he cannot leave without T’Pol, but Phlox informs him that she has suffered severe trauma and shouldn’t be moved. Finally, Sopek says that he meets with the High Command in three days – he’ll see if he can do anything, and then finally leaves. Once gone though, Phlox sneakily revives her – she is not allowed to leave sickbay though, and needs rest. She is annoyed with Archer for not consulting her on her future, though when he offers her the chance to catch up with Sopek to change his mind, she reminds him that to do so would be a violation of her doctor’s orders, and as a result remains in sickbay, and on Enterprise.

Summary
Wow, thank you very much for reading, I can’t believe the episode was that long!! It probably wasn’t but it was full of talking and development from ‘The Andorian Incident,’ hence the length of this! Anyway, whilst your eyes may be weeping and you may feel ready for bed (I am and we’re talking four in the afternoon at this moment…) I still have stuff to say (but then when haven’t I? )

First off, ‘The Andorian Incident’ – remember how the Vulcans turned out to be the bad guys at the end? The episode was tense, action packed though heading towards a regular ending, until that little revelation shook the whole Star Trek universe. Well, maybe not shook (it shook me!! )  but certainly caused a stir. In my review for that episode, I just could not wait for this episode – I was incredibly excited. I was trying to work out how they would follow up on it, and what a great long-term arc this could (or even would) be. Then this aired. Five pages of synopsis later and I still can’t see anything special.

I think the trouble with me particularly was that I set my expectations far too high through all the excitement I felt. I also think I’m expecting too much too soon – this looks like one of those arcs that will just grow and grow, especially considering that in the ‘future,’ both the Vulcans and Andorians are members of the Federation. Of course, the arc will identify just how these two species managed to get along and join the Federation, as well as looking at how humans and Vulcans, and humans and Andorians alike will have to get along. (Personally, I’m thinking that humans will play some sort of mediating role between the two, hence the eventual Federation agreement, but that’s far, far away into the future. )

So what did I like? Well honestly it’s not fair to say I didn’t like this episode – I did, to a point. A lot of this was actually follow-up to what happened in ‘The Andorian Incident,’ such as T’Pol’s transfer back to Vulcan, the repayment of Shran’s debt to Archer, the ongoing spat between the Vulcan High Command and Starfleet. I suppose it was these threads that in general, I liked. They kept me watching. However, it was how they went about it that disappointed me.

Firstly, T’Pol’s situation with the High Command – why should T’Pol have to get all the blame for what went on? The opening scene was more on par with the High Command giving Starfleet lots of stick for the Enterprise’s involvement at P’Jem. I agreed with their anger towards the ship’s crew, even if it was the Vulcan’s fault for having a listening post on P’Jem anyway. However, for the rest of the episode though, the focus shifted towards T’Pol being a complete failure, and I agreed with what Archer said about the High Command using her to blame because they can’t involve themselves with the Enterprise or Starfleet’s affairs. This leads to the main problem – the Vulcans seem to have made an illogical, perhaps even emotional decision that just did not seem right. Their conflict with T’Pol was not something I bought very well, also considering that as an audience we always know that nothing bad will ever happen to a regular character (well, nine times out of ten.) Strike one.

Secondly, Shran’s debt to Archer. I like Jeffrey Combs a lot, and I’ve probably said that before, therefore I’m not going to complain about another appearance from him. However, I didn’t like the way Shran was used here much at all – he seemed to pop up for the last fifteen minutes just so that he could get our characters out of trouble. How convenient. The whole ‘capture’ plot was worked up by the writers as a way of 1) getting Jeffrey Combs into a regular guest slot, and 2) getting his ‘debt’ out of his system, therefore destroying any good relations he had with Archer and therefore probably making the Andorians the ‘bad guys’ for a few seasons (how cheap). Also, the way they went about it was quite silly – only having Shran in the episode for a couple of scenes really did make the Andorian’s appearance too much of a convenience, which cheapened the end of the episode, and indeed the Andorians. Strike two.

Finally, the ongoing spat between the Vulcan High Command and Starfleet. Well actually, I like this, and as I said, I liked the opening conflict between the two at the start of the episode, rather than the dumb reason the Vulcans had for frowning upon T’Pol – therefore, we don’t get a strike three – hooray! This spat (and hopefully the Vulcan/Andorian negative relationship – albeit minus the problems I just mentioned ) is something I’d love to see more of as the show goes on, it makes great viewing, and really does make the ‘future’ creation of the Federation look like a masterpiece of peace keeping, given the negativity we keep seeing in Enterprise.

So what else to say of this episode? Yes, it did help to keep an arc flowing (even if it was done so a bit oddly.) Well, there was the way the episode was produced (something a little odd to praise, but nevertheless, give it where it’s deserved. ) As you can tell by the synopsis, a lot of talking went on. However, I noticed that (certainly with the first part of the episode) to keep the action moving, whenever one set of talking had finished, the next scene felt like it had already been underway for a couple of minutes. This helped us to get through the repetitive nature of the P’Jem thing, and made viewing a bit more interesting… (OK really I have to notice these things, I’m a media student! )

Another nice bit was the comedy of Trip forced to confront serious Trip. I’ve liked this character a lot since day one – he has nice comic attributes and a good McCoy-like relationship with Archer that, erm, McCoy had originally with Kirk. So whilst a lot of the time it seems hard to take Trip seriously (when does he ever do any engineering? Huh?), it was good to see him getting agitated with the rebels and then the Vulcans (though it seems anyone can get agitated with a Vulcan! ), whilst also having his humorous moments with Archer earlier.

Well that’s about it really – a disappointment all round, but perhaps only because I made it one. It certainly could have been better though, though at least it did show us development from ‘The Andorian Incident’ – just so we can try and see where this arc is going in the future. Like I said it did keep me entertained - the humour where T'Pol's, you know, fell into Archer's face. Ahem.


Final Opinion
OK, just disappointing for me in places

Rating: 7/10