“Storm Front” Part II
Page 5 of 6REVIEW:
I have mixed feelings about this episode. I enjoyed it for the most part but was disappointed at the same time. I think the Temporal Cold War was a good idea but not for this series. It would have worked very well for a big screen movie or TV mini-series set in the future with more factions involved and with more detailed explanations of what was going on. The problem with having it set in this time period is it interfered with Trek canon up to a point. Still, with everything being reset (and that was the biggest reset-button episode yet of any series), the arc becomes almost pointless.
Unlike the Xindi arc where we saw a great deal of character development, especially of the triumvirate of Archer, T’Pol and Trip, here we see virtually no growth. It’s more of a “Twilight Zone” experience, without any real mystery (other than trying to figure out who the “future guy” was that was controlling the Suliban) and without any social or moral commentary. Honestly however, it’s just as well. I doubt I could have endured a storyline based on what the Nazis were really about. Still, it is an action-packed episode and it’s easy to watch.
We know there are other factions but never get to know them other than Daniels, the Suliban and “future guy” and of course Vosk and his people. I suppose along the way, we did find out, via Daniels, that Archer is important in the formation of the Federation but I can’t really think of anything else that really matters out of all this.
I like the fact that there was attention paid to details like the ship still being damaged and that bruises on Archer’s or others’ faces were still there. The special f/x and visuals were better this time than in part I. I’m also glad that Bakula’s acting is better and that he appears to have settled in his role. The newsreel was well done. Burr Middleton, the newsreel narrator, really sounded like a 1940’s news announcer and the newsreel itself had a genuine look to it. There’s just something about propaganda, especially since it’s election time in the US right now and that I’m very engaged in it, that truly resonates with me. I also liked the montage of historic events at the end. The sight of the World Trade Center towers with smoke billowing from them and Osama bin Laden struck a chord with me as well. Mind you, it all went by so fast that I wonder if the viewer really did see them. It’s only when I did my synopsis of this episode that I really noticed them.
Of course I have questions. Future guy sent Silik back in time, well, had Silik hitch a ride on the Enterprise so he could go back in time, to steal the schematics of the time machine that Vosk was building. As he wasn’t able to do anything but project his image in the past, he wanted to be able to time travel. So is this why he genetically enhanced the Suliban? Was that his plan all along? I guess that explains why he protected the Enterprise at other times. He knew he’d need the ship to send Silik back. Ok, that answers that question…I think.
Daniels’ role I can see as he was there to make sure that Enterprise would stop Vosk and that Archer would survive in order to form the Federation, although for the life of me, I can’t think of or remember why he was there beforehand in previous episodes. We know what Vosk
