By Owen Quinn author of the Time warriros and Zombie Blues
Photos and video copyright Paramount Pictures
There is no doubt that the season three cliffhanger to Star Trek: The Next Generation caused a sensation at the time. The Borg have kidnapped and converted Jean Luc Picard into a Borg leader called Locutus who will speak for them in all things. The Enterprise crew have devised a one off weapon that will blow apart the Borg cube. When Locutus tells them their lives as they have been are over and will now service the Borg, Riker has no choice but to give the order to fire killing their beloved captain along with the Borg. Even today the power of this cliffhanger is undeniable. Fans went into meltdown and suddenly Star Trek: The Next Generation became the show to watch for everyone. With rumours Patrick Stewart wanted to leave the show, it went crazy.
However the reaction seemed to scare writers as when it came to every season cliffhanger they were good but seemed muted somewhat, with fans being able to figure how the story would resolve. Sometimes viewers were right and sometimes they were wrong. But none seemed as strong as the Best of Both Worlds. When Voyager tried the same trick with Janeway, Tuvok and Belanna being turned into Borg, the shock of this was dumbed down when it was made clear that it was all a ruse of some sort and that the trio were in no real danger from permanent residency on the Queen’s cube.
However there is one amazing cliffhanger that blew fans away but is barely recognised because the show was locked into a network and not syndicated like the others. It wasn’t until the release of Star Trek: Enterprise on Netflix that the show had a resurgence and a whole new generation of fans.
Season three of Enterprise was an attempt to prevent cancellation as there were behind the scenes goings on with the network and the show became a victim of politics. Manny Coto, of the brilliant one season show Odyssey 5, was brought aboard and helped craft the season and indeed went full throttle on season four making these two seasons better than some of the other shows. And let’s face it, some previous seasons of Trek were just drivel. Let’s not look through rose tinted glasses. If Manny had been allowed to go the full seven seasons and it had been syndicated, Enterprise would have been better thought of sooner. It was a superb show with Quantum Leap’s Scott Bakula as Captain Jonathan Archer. He commanded the Enterprise NX 01 as the first Starfleet vessel to explore deep space against the Vulcan’s wishes. Just as a side note it was great to see the show mentioned in the recent episode of Strange New Worlds crossover episode with Lower Decks, Those Old Scientists. In order to power a time portal they need an alloy called Heronium but they have used all they have. Jack Quaid’s Boimler, being a Starfleet superfan, realizes that Archer’s ship had it on its plated armour. When a new ship is launched a piece of the old is used in some capacity. It’s a wonderful nod to the show, especially when Ortega reveals she is a fan of helmsman Travis (Anthony Montgomery) and Uhura is a fan of Hoshi (LInda Park). It is a moment of acceptance to a show that was almost left out in the cold but is fully embraced now by casual viewers and fans alike.
An alien race consisting of several species collectively known as the Xindi has launched a test weapon on Earth that has killed seven million people. They learn there is a second more powerful weapon close to being launched that will destroy the Earth completely. Archer leads the Enterprise on a potential suicide mission to stop the weapon or make peace with the aliens. It turns out that a dimensional race of aliens called the Guardians or sphere builders have populated the Xindi region of space (the Expanse) with giant spheres that generate anomalies that can destroy, maim and kill. They have convinced the Xindi collective (the reptiles, the aquatics, the primates, the insectoids and the aborelas) that the humans will destroy them in the future so they must strike first to prevent that from happening. The Xindi have survived a great war where they lost another faction, the avians, so the fear of losing what they have left is easily manipulated.
It is a brutal season where we get everything from T’Pol’s drug addition to Archer killing and stalking to save Earth to Trip Tucker’s grief ripping him apart as his sister was one of those killed. The Expanse is in fact being turned into a wasteland for the Guardians to live in with no intention of giving the Xindi a new homeworld. They are to be sacrificed, the survivors of which will become allies, join the Federation and battle the Guardians 400 years in the future. The Guardians can see across multiple timelines and pick which one they want to come true. The reptilian Xindi are the most ruthless in their quest to destroy Earth and their hunt for the Enterprise. Archer manages to convince some of the Xindi he is telling the truth by showing them a Xindi badge from the future. He is able to pick holes in the Guardian’s story swaying the council to at least hear him out.
But in Azati Prime we get the most stunningly brutal cliffhanger since Best of Both Worlds. Archer is prisoner of the Xindi being tortured and pleading his case. T’Pol is suffering badly from the effects of Terellium-D and is determined to save Archer leading to conflict with Trip. The weapon is close to launching and time is running out. But the reptilians take over Archer’s interrogation overruling the rest of the members. The reptilian leader Dolim tells Archer that he has found the Enterprise and ordered an an all out attack to reduce it to dust.
In a sequence that is truly heart thumping; Xindi ships attack the helpless Enterprise in a fashion as ruthless and single minded as the Jem’hadar did in Deep Space 9. This season had its balls out on display like never seen before on Trek and Azati Prime leaves us speechless. If you thought there was no way out of Locutus’ dilemma then you can only sit in horror as our heroes fight losing battle.
There are no holds barred here as the ship is torn apart. Crewmen fall in battle consumed by fire, sections are blown apart blowing members of the crew into space in shocking detail. Engineering collapses, forcing Trip to evacuate what’s left of his team. The bridge is smashed to pieces as fire rages all around them under every shot. Travis is nearly killed at his station when the overhead lighting system crashes down. Archer is lost to his people and being brutalised in a reptilian detention centre. The nacelles are dead, the engines burned and we are left staring in horror as the ship tumbles end over end in space as the Xindi fire again and again. The camera pans over the crew desperately trying to find hope in the flames as the camera then zooms into a close up on T’Pol’s scorched sweaty face.
This is put together so brilliantly just like the entire season and it really feels like the mission will fail completely as there seems no way out. How this cliffhanger is resolved but you will have to watch on Netflix to find out how. But suffice it to say, there is no easy solutions here and the threat of failure is very much in the air. No techno babble will resolve this season and it will take the determination of the Vulcan, Denobulan and human Enterprise crew to save the day.
Go see this and, like Best of Both Worlds, the shock factor of Azati Prime does not diminish over time but instead makes you appreciate Star Trek: Enterprise all over again. Quite frankly, it’s bloody brilliant!
The Time Warriors and Beyond 