Episode Report Card Keckler: F | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Tempus fudges-it
By Keckler | Season 1 | Episode 11 | Aired on 11.27.2001
Engineering. Just in case we think this episode's any different from all the others, Trip shows off his warp reactor and explains how it works. Set phasers on multiple yawns. Condescendingly enough, Trip seems to think that his visitors are warp-ignorant, so he explains the reactor in the simplest terms possible. "We channel the energy through those conduits over there and they lead to the two glowing cylinders you might have seen on the outside of the ship," Trip says, gesturing wildly. "The nacelles," Darth Maul states, as other Heaven's Gaters nod in agreement. Trip is thrilled that he managed to teach these simple aliens something of the advanced technology of Earth. "That's right," he says. "Which contain warp coils that create the subspace displacement field, " Darth Maul finishes. Trip deflates, and says, "I see...you already know a thing or two about starship engines." Darth Maul says he's a Warp Field Theorist. Hey, I think that's what Mathra's conference is about this week. "Oh," Trip says, deflating even more. "Well. I guess that covers the basics. Any questions?" "How do you regulate positron flow in your dilithium matrix?" a Heaven's Gater asks. Trip gets excited and says he'll show them the reactor schematics. I don't think Reed would approve of all this disclosure. The group follows Trip, but Darth Maul decides he'd rather open a reactor panel and pull a plug out. He squeedges his arm up into the panel in order to do it. Hmm -- last time we saw a move like that, it was a Suliban squeedging under a silo door. I wonder what on Earth they could be trying to tell us -- the writing is too sly for me to figure it out. Darth Maul sidles back to rejoin the rest of the cult.
Bridge. Fraddock alerts the Enterprise crew of a plasma storm brewing ahead of them. T'Pol tells him they're well aware of the weather report. "You ever been in a plasma storm?" Fraddock asks. "Twice," T'Pol tells him. "Then you know it can get a little bumpy. I suggest we try and go around it," Fraddock suggests. T'Pol agrees and turns to Mayflower. "Ensign," she starts to say. "I'm already on it," Mayflower tells her.
Sick bay. Phlox slides a Heaven's Gater out of the Cat scan tube and shows the resulting scans on the viewer. "There's your heart, lungs, liver, another heart -- every organ. This imaging device also allows us to examine your genetic structure," Phlox explains, punching something up. Interesting that the image shows the alien to have the exact same rib cage architecture as a human. Using the little-known definition of "interesting," which means "unimaginative and stupid." "You'll be happy to know that you are in perfect health. Who wants to go next?" Phlox asks. The ship shudders. Quantum excuses himself and comms T'Pol to find out what's going down. T'Pol tells him it's just a bit of plasma hail and she's got it under control. Quantum returns to his guests.