Fight or Flight (episode)
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.
| This article is written from the Real World point of view |
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| "Fight or Flight" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ENT, Episode 1x03 Production number: 003 First aired: 3 October 2001 | ||
| ← | 2nd of 97 produced in ENT | → |
| ← | 2nd of 97 released in ENT | → |
| ← | 630th of 726 released in all | → |
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| Written By Rick Berman & Brannon Braga Directed By Allan Kroeker | ||
| May 6, 2151 | ||
Enterprise finds an abandoned ship, filled with corpses which appear to have been used for an experiment.
Contents |
Summary
The crew of Enterprise is finally settling in on the new ship and crewmembers are getting slowly acquainted with one another. While Ensign Sato is having Dr. Phlox take a look at her sick pet slug, Captain Archer is irritated by a squeaking sound in his quarters as well as the fact that they still have not run into anyone. According to T'Pol, scans of the sectors ahead indicate little chance of finding inhabited planets and even Vulcan star charts have little data on the course that Starfleet has assigned to Enterprise.
While itching for a first contact, everyone keeps busy with various tasks. The captain, for instance, offers Malcolm a little "target practice" session to adjust the torpedo targeting system. It seems the day will go by with nothing interesting happening, when they suddenly encounter an alien vessel.
The vessel does not respond to hails. Shortly after a debate ensues regarding how to approach the situation: while the Captain is eager to make contact with a new race, T’Pol suggests going by protocol and just resuming their previous course and ignoring the vessel. Scans of the vessel indicate bio signs which T'Pol interprets as the aliens not wanting to make contact, while Archer interprets them as aliens not being able to make contact. After Discovering multiple hull breaches as a result of possible weapons discharge, an away team is finally dispatched to the vessel, only to discover that the crew of 15 is dead and the bodies are hanging upside down, being washed out with some kind of fluid. T’Pol suggests leaving, indicating that since the crew is dead, assistance from Enterprise is no longer required. A reluctant Archer agrees and resumes course.
However, he feels guilty and decides to return to the abandoned ship. He doesn’t believe in avoiding confrontation at all costs and burying his “head in the sand” as he accuses Vulcans of doing. He decides to follow what he calls the "Human code of behavior" and return to the vessel to fully investigate.
They are finally able to enable the ship's communication system and send a distress call from it. Shortly after, a ship drops out of warp and, not responding to any scans and not being disturbed by the not-yet-aligned targeting system, proceed to disable Enterprise's engines. Following that, another ship emerges from warp. They are of the same species as the bodies. Following a difficult communication, culminating in Hoshi being forced to communicate without her translator, the aliens understand that the people from Enterprise were just trying to help. They attack the hostile vessel, finally destroying it. The episode ends with Starfleet gaining one more friend.
Memorable Quotes
"Maybe we should go have a look."
"If you insist on allowing your curiosity to dictate your actions."
"We insist."
- - Tucker, T'Pol and Archer
Log Entries
- Captain's starlog. May 6, 2151. After helping them recover their dead crewmen, we had a chance to spend some time with the Axanar. Turns out they're androgynous and live over 400 years. I look forward to meeting them again under better circumstances. Before we resume our course, I've agreed to make a brief detour.
Background Information
- This episode is one of the few episodes – if not the only episode – to contain the melody from the series' main title "Faith of the Heart" in the episode score.
- This is the first appearance of the Axanar, a species mentioned twice before on the original series (TOS: "Court Martial", "Whom Gods Destroy"). They would be seen only once more, in the form of a corpse in the second season episode "Dead Stop".
- This is also the first episode to feature EV suits: costumes created only for the series' regulars that would be seen through the run of Enterprise.
Deleted Scenes
There are two deleted scenes on the Season One DVD release of Enterprise. Please note, the numbers on the scenes indicate their place in the episode before being cut.
Scene 05
This scene has Archer and Mayweather heading down a corridor towards the turbolift as they discuss finding an area to test the ships' weapons. Mayweather comments to Archer on how, when he was a child, the ECS Horizon once went on a nine month, two and a half light year journey from Livinius to Bilaren Prime. To keep the children occupied, they were taught to play Geography. Archer and Mayweather proceed to play a quick round. The two soon begin to argue as to what can and cannot be used in the game. This leads Archer to comment that he thought the game was meant to avoid arguments.
- The allusions to planets "Livinius" and "Bilaren Prime" from this scene may have been in reference to Levinius V and the Bilaren system, respectively.
Scene 28
Aboard the predominately dark Axanar cargo ship, Archer, Hoshi, and Reed enter a room (after forcing the doors open) in which they find several consoles, still lit. While Hoshi and Reed wonder whether a specific deactivated console could have been used for communications, Archer studies what appears to be the ships' engineering display. He asks Hoshi if she can understand the schematic and shows the same display to Reed, who, after forming the theory that the diagram is showing an enormous power drain inside the ship, decides to investigate the source of the power drain.
Video and DVD releases
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 1.2, 6 May 2002.
- As part of the UK VHS collection Enterprise 1.1-1.3 Collectors Edition: 19 August 2002
- As part of the ENT Season 1 DVD collection.
Links and References
Main Cast
- Scott Bakula as Jonathan Archer
- John Billingsley as Phlox
- Jolene Blalock as T'Pol
- Dominic Keating as Malcolm Reed
- Anthony Montgomery as Travis Mayweather
- Linda Park as Hoshi Sato
- Connor Trinneer as Charles "Trip" Tucker III
Guest Stars
Uncredited Co-stars
- Jef Ayres as Crewman Haynem
- Brett Baker as Crewman #2
- Solomon Burke, Jr. as Billy
- Hilde Garcia as Crewman Rossi
- Max Williams as Crewman #1
- Unknown actress as Crewman Bennett
- Prada as Porthos
References
Adrenal gland; androgyny; Amazon; amino acid; anaconda; Anchorage; aphrodisiac; Axanar; Axanar language; Axanar (planet); Axanar combat vessel; Axanar cargo ship; Axanar language; black bear; chloraxine; class 3 pulse rifle; Denobula; disilicon; docking arm; EM 33 sidearm; environmental suit; exobiology; Horizon, ECS; hydraulics; hydro-skimmer; infrared scanner; Livinius; lymphatic system; methane; Namod; Nausicaan; nitrogen; particle weapon; phase pistol; pink dolphin; Porter; postmortem; potato; pulsar grid; pulse rifle; Pyrithian bat; protein; Shuttlepod 1; sloth; Sluggo; snake; Socorro; Spanish language; spatial torpedo; stabilizing beam; stellar nursery; sub-molecular bioscan; Suliban; telescope; triglobulin; Triglobulin harvester's starship; universal translator; white rhinoceros; Xanadu; zymuth gland;
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