Episode Report Card Keckler: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT It Takes A Lot to Laugh, It Takes A Trip to Die
By Keckler | Season 4 | Episode 11 | Aired on 01.20.2005
In Decon, Orga-Hoshi and Orga-Trip sit up. Orga-Trip notes the pain he's feeling in his host and wonders why any species should endure that sort of physical weakness. "Because the desire to overcome it will spur them to move beyond the limitations of the physical world," Orga-Hoshi says, standing up. Orga-Trip says, "Maybe that isn't true for every species," and also stands up. Now, wouldn't it have been smarter for them to hold their secret conversations while still maintaining the prone positions of their hosts? You know, so as not to arouse suspicions about how two drugged and dying people could stand up and have an animated and philosophical discussion? Higher beings, my ass. Phlox sees Orga-Hoshi and Orga-Trip standing and talking and gets suspicious. See! See! "They can't be awake -- not with that much Nyquil!" Phlox says, looking at their vitals. Phlox turns up the volume on their conversation and realizes that they are talking about humans in the third person. "What disturbs me the most about humans is their capacity for violence," Orga-Hoshi says. "Klingons embrace violence -- the humans try to avoid it," Orga-Trip says. "Humans say they avoid it but their words don't ma --" Orga-Hoshi breaks off and looks over at the comm screen. "We're being observed."
Orga-Quantum and Orga-T'Pol walk in. Phlox rushes to tell them what's going on and that Hoshi and Trip's readings aren't human. "Did you know they had this capability?" Orga-T'Pol asks Orga-Quantum. "They must've used Denobulan technology," Orga-Quantum says as Phlox looks frantically from one to the other. "I see," he says, finally. Orga-T'Pol explains that they hover around the planet in order to study visiting aliens and that they had nothing to do with what happened to Trip and Hoshi. Other than allowing them to get sick, that is. Orga-T'Pol continues, "You can help us by telling us how you detected our presence." Uh, he saw you talking and heard what you were saying? Phlox pretty much says the same thing, but adds what I said earlier about being drugged. "It's been so long since we've had physical form, we weren't able to distinguish sleep from sedation," Orga-Quantum explains. I have to say, after four years, I don't know the difference either. Orga-T'Pol promises they'll know better next time. Phlox wants to know if they can help his patients. Orga-T'Pol points out that they are only there to observe, not interfere. "You're interfering with me!" Phlox exclaims. "Our subjects are human, you're Denobulan. You were inhabited a few hours ago -- an intriguing experience," Orga-T'Pol says. Phlox doesn't remember being inhabited because his memory was easily and conveniently "adjusted." Phlox realizes they are going to adjust his memory again and begs that if they can do that, they must be able to help his patients. "We could," Orga-Quantum says. "But we won't," Orga-T'Pol interrupts, and hands him back his scans, "Thank you for your help, Doctor." "No wonder you erase memories," Phlox snaps, snatching his scans back, "your behavior is appalling!" Hee -- I love Phlox. He makes it sounds like he's chastising the Organian for drinking out of her Sevres saucer at a tea party. Yet, we also know how very angry he is at what the Organians have done. Now that's acting.
In the corridor, Orga-Quantum tells Orga-T'Pol that Phlox has learned to stop the infection. He watches for Orga-T'Pol's reaction, who shrugs that she's seen seven other species find the cure, only for it to be too late. They didn't make first contact with any of them. Does it appear to all of you that the Organian rules for first contact all comes down to the observed species' medical prowess? That the Organians are a bunch of OCD-ers who won't make first contact until it's been proven that the observed species use sufficiently aseptic medical techniques and have swept under their beds? Orga-T'Pol says, "Expending resources to attempt an impossible task is not a sign of intelligence." Someone better tell that to my production editor.