Enterprise: "Awakening" (Spoilers)

[vacantlook]

Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

I definitely enjoyed this episode. It's fun to have a running plot that doesn't disappear after a single episode. And the Vulcans, being perhaps the most major of Star Trek aliens, it's nice to have some stories dealing with them.

I really liked the openning teaser of the Vulcan ambassador before the council; it was very well written.

The Vulcan preemptive strike against Andoria was an interesting plot twist even despite it's obvious present day similarities.

I have to say, I've really enjoyed this episode and the whole Vulcan storyline as a whole this season. If this is how the show will being going under Coto, I'm greatly pleased he's in charge.

The previews for next week's episode look considerably fun. I enjoy clashing battlefleets.

Squee! I'm so happy that I'm excited about Star Trek again.

 

[hypatia]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

I'm watching the last 15 minutes of the episode now. It has been a good one. As you say, it is nice ot be excited about Star Trek once again.

We shall see if it is enough.

 

[vacantlook]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

There was something I wanted to include in my initial post but had forgotten about it when I typed it up last night. It was kinda cool to see that this episode was directed by Roxanne Dawson, aka B'Elanna Torres on Voyager, which was one of the few characters on that show I considerably enjoyed. There's just something about me liking a lot of female characters, not sure what that's about.

 

[Jade Jaguar]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

Yeah, I noticed that. She did a good job. It was a good ep. I liked the topical/political aspects of it, and having Archer with Surok inside is pretty unexpected, to say the least. I hope the final ep of this mini arc is as good, and from the previews, it looks as if it might. The true motive for the terrorist attack on the Earth embassy is still unclear, and I look forward to the resolution of that, as well.

 

[Recoil]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

Actually I kind of think that part has been revealed. It is becoming quite clear that the head of the council did this to frame the Suronytes as an excuse to get rid of them so he can start his campaign against Andoria.

 

[GKarsEye]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

I wonder why he would pick an Earth embassy of all places. Classic case of arrogant bad guy underestimating the humans bit?

I wonder if ghost-Surak will die, which would "explain" why we never hear about anyone carrying around his spirit. It looks like he'll live long enough inside Archer to help save Vulcan one last time and then "die" knowing everything will be OK.

I don't know if how the Vulcan civilization has led from Surak's "path" so significantly. They still follow logic. Not all logic leads to the same conclusions. Is it the imperialism thing? Seems like actually a relatively small matter for their messianic figure to come back from the dead to fix (misactions of a few corrupt politicians, which I suspect happened before this timeline even on Vulcan).

 

[Sindatur]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

I too am becoming more impressed with each episode. As Vl said, it's nice to be excited about ST again.

Recoil is right about the motivation.

I only have one regret, I keep rerording the episode on the same tape, and recording over it the next week. I wish I had saved the first episode of the arc, to watch in full. The Andorian episodes are something Enterprise has done right all aong, so I have every faith that part 3 will indeed be just as good.

 

[Recoil]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

I don't know if how the Vulcan civilization has led from Surak's "path" so significantly.

I too wonder about that. The only part that jumps out at me is how they don't believe in Mind Melding or Katras anymore. The Suranytes (I dont think I have spelled this word the same way twice in this thread) made a comment about how they believe that mind melds and katras are the right of every Vulcan, and its clear the council doesn't believe it is a legitimate practice, or that you are truly SEEING through another mind.

As for why they would attack the human embassy, I would imagine it was to rally the humans to ally with the Vulcan council to wipe out their opposition (the Suranytes) to clear the path for their campaign. Just a guess.

 

[Kraig]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

As for why they would attack the human embassy, I would imagine it was to rally the humans to ally with the Vulcan council to wipe out their opposition (the Suranytes) to clear the path for their campaign. Just a guess.

Also, the Vulcans probably wanted to drive a wedge between humans and Andorians. Vulcan Security did try to blame the Andorians for the bombing first. When that didn't work, they went to plan B, to let their planted DNA evidence blame the Syrrannites.

I wonder how Trip is going to explain the absence of Archer and T'Pol to Star Fleet.

 

[colonyearth]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

I have been very impressed with this arc, although I wish Gar and Judy had written all three eps. The overall writing was better in the first ep IMO.

The only real problem I'm having now is that the Vulcans (especially T'Pau) are still coming across way too emotional. I can understand the head of the Council and some of the others, but T'Pau? The one who will become the greatest among them? Perhaps it's just that I don't really buy the actress playing her (since later she has a strong accent and speaks in "thees" and "thous").

Actually Gary Graham has come across more logical and Vulcanesque in this story than the others, even at one point reminding me of Sarek. He's truly taken on a much better and more accurate Vulcan persona, and I'm impressed with him for that.

Even Surak seemed....somewhat emotional on the surface instead of a hint of feeling deep down, masked; something Nimoy was a master at (but then he's a phenomenal actor).

I do wish they would find a way to keep Nimoy on retainer to be on-set as a Vulcan consultant. No one knows or understands Vulcan culture and mannerisms better. Hell, he invented most of it.

He also can teach them the proper way to touch the face for a mindmeld...something he was always a bit anal about. He decided on the pressure points using known physiological pressure points, etc.

So much time and heart and soul has gone into the Vulcan culture from Nimoy and others like him...I want to see that payed its proper respect and due.

One thing I've liked is that we've finally seen Vulcans with other hair styles. I don't know at what point someone decided that all Vulcans had the exact same (wig) hairstyle, but the OC and OC films clearly stated that Vulcans (and Romulans) don't all have the same hair, I think the uniformity of it has been a bad thing not a good one.

Lastly, I'm waiting for a writer to come along and realize that the "my mind to your mind" line is not always needed and can be done differently. Spock never said that line...ever. Again, somewhere someone decided to be lazy and just repeat the same mantra over and over.

I know these are little things, but the devil's in the details...something Gar and Judy both know and put to good use...which, I guess, brings me back to my earlier point: I wish they had written all three eps in this arc.

CE

 

[LondosHair]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

I'm waiting for a writer to come along and realize that the "my mind to your mind" line is not always needed and can be done differently. Spock never said that line...ever.

Actually, he did... it was in the Animated Series, which some folks don't count... but I do, because Nimoy actually voiced his character.

I am loving this arc, but I do think too many Vulcans are being a bit too emotional. Take this Administrator Vloss guy, for example. In the past, the best way to get our feathers ruffled over a Vulcan is to make him stubbornly and unwaveringly stolid. There's nothing more infuriating than a stubborn Vulcan who comes off as high-and-mighty. Vloss seems to be more of a scheming Hitler type, without the outbursts. I hate him, but for a much different reason than I should. He's the quintessential bad-guy; using his position & power to do bad things. It seems to me a Vulcan would use some twisted form of logic to accomplish these things instead. I've heard little logic come from Vloss. I hope to see his fellow high council members exercise some true logic and remove him from his seat.

T'Pol's mother seemed more emotional in this episode than her last, as well. Probably because of all she'd been through, but still...

I was very moved by her death, not necessarily because of her acting (I thought the whole death sequence was a bit rushed), but because of Jolene Blalock's. She did a masterful job of expressing T'Pol's conflict of wanting to cry, but not being allowed to because of her mental discipline and training. Just when it looked like she was going to let go, her face became very blank, despite the tears she had already shed... yet she was still fighting to control it. She did a helluva job.

 

[vacantlook]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

The only real problem I'm having now is that the Vulcans (especially T'Pau) are still coming across way too emotional. I can understand the head of the Council and some of the others, but T'Pau? The one who will become the greatest among them? Perhaps it's just that I don't really buy the actress playing her (since later she has a strong accent and speaks in "thees" and "thous").

T'Pau seems too emotional for me too, but perhaps it works that way. Just because the Syrrannites (spelling according to startrek.com) follow Surak more than more mainstream Vulcans, perhaps they're also not quite as far along in "getting it" than the Vulcans of Spock's day. Perhaps it was partially T'Pau's emotionality that caused Surak to not want to leave Archer.

Lastly, I'm waiting for a writer to come along and realize that the "my mind to your mind" line is not always needed and can be done differently. Spock never said that line...ever. Again, somewhere someone decided to be lazy and just repeat the same mantra over and over.

Yeah, the "my mind to your mind" bit annoys the crap out of me. It sounds way too melodramatic or too explicit for me. I'm not too fond of absolutely everything needing to be spelled out, and I think their announcing their minds melding when pretty much everyone knows what's happening is rather uncreative and weak.

 

[Recoil]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

Remember also these Suranytes are the ones who will introduce the "Kohlinar" belief of total logic and the absense of all emotion (which exists in Spock's day). They made mention of that when they were searching for the artifact.

T'Pau not having complete control of her emotions isn't that surprising since she isn't a Suranyte. I would expect when they eventually are victorious then all of Vulcan (over the next 100 or so years) will adapt the harder line towards logic than the current generation.

 

[vacantlook]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

T'Pau not having complete control of her emotions isn't that surprising since she isn't a Suranyte.

I must have totally missed something if there was a line in the episode that said T'Pau wasn't a Syrrannite. She seemed to be in the lead of the group of Syrrannites staying there in The Forge, the Vulcan Highcommand listed her as a Syrrannite when they planted her DNA on the bomb so they could blame the Syrrannites. So, what did I miss that said she wasn't one?

 

[LondosHair]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

T'Pau not having complete control of her emotions isn't that surprising since she isn't a Suranyte. I would expect when they eventually are victorious then all of Vulcan (over the next 100 or so years) will adapt the harder line towards logic than the current generation.

You might have meant T'Pol, not T'Pau... T'Pau is definitely a Syrrannite. As far as being the leader, I think the leader was the guy carrying Surak's katra who got killed. T'Pau has kind of taken over in his absence, but vacantlook makes a good point about her tendency toward emotions causing Surak's katra to refuse her and stay in Archer's mind.

Her tendency to speak dramatically as an old woman in the TOS series episode Amok Time could have been merely ceremonial, or the result of a hundred and fifty years of being regaled as Vulcan's highest ranking mind. Kind of an ego thing, if you will... one I think logic might allow...

The defining moment in this episode for me was when Soval said the high council viewed mindmelds as deplorable behavior. I instantly saw where this storyline is going, and I got a big smile on my face. I know, I know... that's illogical.

 

[vacantlook]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

As far as being the leader, I think the leader was the guy carrying Surak's katra who got killed. T'Pau has kind of taken over in his absence....

Yeah, Arev/Syrran was the head leader. Like many groups and organizations, I assumed from the way T'Pau stepped forward without him there that she was one of perhaps several lesser leaders working under the greater leadership of Syrran himself.

 

[Jade Jaguar]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

Actually I kind of think that part has been revealed. It is becoming quite clear that the head of the council did this to frame the Suronytes as an excuse to get rid of them so he can start his campaign against Andoria.

I can't agree with this exactly. He may well have done it as an excuse to get rid of the Syrranites, and get Earth on his side against them, but the Syrranites could hardly affect his plans for a preemptive strike against Andorria, since they are in the desert, have no power, and are considered outcasts. As far as we know, they have no knowledge of his plans to go after Andorria. And, I think risking the ire of an ally like Earth by blowing up their Embassy is a bit extreme for such a small payoff, since Earth probably wouldn't have interfered with the Vulcan High Command's actions against a domestic Vulcan group anyway. Blowing up the Embassy would obviously bring Earth into the situation, when you would think that the VHC would very much like them to not be involved at all. I should think there was a better motive. But, maybe I'm just being more logical than the head Vulcan, or the writers.

 

[GKarsEye]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

The reason for Surak's insistance on remaining in Archer was explicitly explained: he felt that a non-Vulcan wouldn't be tainted by the history and sometimes-false practices and beliefs of Vulcans. He hopes someone with a "clean slate" can properly re-introduce his teachings. Kind of like how Valen affected Minbari culture.

I actually like that Surak is a bit emotional. During his time, most Vulcans were very emotional. The mythology of Surak always struck as it being about a guy who just thought about how to save his world and acted on it, no great spiritual revelations like Buddha, just... logic. But that doesn't mean he would have acted like a robot, just applied logic to making decisions. Then, as the generations went by, those in power acted more and more robotic as a way to impress the logic thing upon everybody.

And no, I don't think the Syrranites are seen as a threat against the Andorian campaign, but as a philosophical threat to the ruling powers, like the Catholic Church's persecution of the Huguenots and Cathars.

 

[Markas]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

General Hague on Vulcan is a bit...much though, don't you think? He seems a bit unbalanced.

Perhaps that is the point.

 

[Recoil]

Re: Enterprise: \"Awakening\" (Spoilers)

I hope thats the point, because he seems VERY emotional for a Vulcan. If its not the point...then yea, it is a bit much.

And yep, I mis-typed T'Pau when it should have been T'Pol. Oops.

Boy folks, how long has it been when people can actually have a thread this long about an episode in Star Trek? I'll bet its been even longer since we have had so many different opinions about things that took place in a Trek episode.