Episode Report Card Keckler: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Flight Of The Simulator
By Keckler | Season 3 | Episode 14 | Aired on 02.03.2004
Sickbay. Phlox suggests whipping up a truth serum in his exobiological blender, but admits that it might take weeks for the thing to gel properly. Phlox calls up the neural scan of a Xindi, and says that it might be possible to erase Degra's most recent memories, thus making him forget he was ever aboard Enterprise. Quantum wonders how he can do this, considering that his research is based on a Snake Eyes Xindi rather than a Mr. Man Xindi. Well, that's easy enough -- all they would have to do is knock out one of the Mr. Men they've incarcerated and scan his neural net to make the necessary adjustments. Phlox has a more far-fetched hypothesis, and says that the neural pathways of the Mr. Men and Snake Eyes "are virtually identical." He does admit that he has to perform a few more tests, but says he's not worried. "How selective could this memory wipe be?" Quantum asks.
An overhead shot -- they're big into those this episode -- shows the main crew gathered together in the situation room. Trip says he built flight simulators during Starfleet training (and at the Vegas Hilton), so it would be pee-can pah for him to make one now. Reed wins the most intellectual points from me by pointing out, "It's not simply a matter of constructing a shuttle; it has to be designed. What species built it? What language would the control interface use?" "Lookit Reed go all Bauhaus!" crows Dr. Mathra. Quantum directs Hoshi to help with that, and Hoshi adds that she recovered a letter Degra wrote to his wife Naara. They have two children. T'Pol thinks it will be necessary to communicate with Quantum while he's in the simulator. "The Uh-Ohs use sub-dermal transceivers," Reed adds. "They're relatively easy to implant," says Phlox. That's kind of Borgish of the Uh-Ohs, don't you think? As they all break to their various tasks, Quantum wants T'Pol's special help in making up a story that will cover the events of the past three years.
Sickbay. Degra lies on an examination table while Phlox tattoos his arm. Phlox says that "dermal art" was very common on Denobula, and that his parents made him study it. Hee, Phlox owns a tattoo parlour back home called "Phlox's Phancies." Phlox points out that he stimulated Degra's hair follicles as well. "I'm not sure about the grey," Quantum picks. "This is only supposed to be three years from now." "Ah, but you're forgetting about the stress of imprisonment -- hm? And torture! It can very well have an effect on hair pigmentation," Phlox adds a particularly gleeful note when he says "And torture!" How much do you want to bet that Phlox would actually enjoy being tortured? "Ah, now that's an interesting sensation, and one that is not unlike what I felt when the Morovian Nerve Beetle burrowed into my scalp when I had to misfortune to visit that lovely planet without taking the precautions of donning a hat!" The level of detail they went into in this episode is a true credit to how picky we rabid fans, ambivalent watchers, and show-loathers, can be. For instance, I threw a nitpick over the fact that Trip's hair was grey in "Twilight." I felt that Quantum's gray, based on his age, was fine, but I thought Trip was too young to be nursing the silver threads. However, I do agree that stress -- and defending Earth from total annihilation can bring a fair amount of stress, I've been told -- can call for several bottles of Just for Men. At this point, Quantum's already togged out in the charcoal grey and oddly furry prison uniform he's wearing in the simulator. Phlox carries over a canister of Regulan bloodworms, and says that no harm will be done to Degra, aside from having a thoroughly cleansed lymphatic system. Phlox cautions Quantum not to damage the worm, because bloodworms are difficult to replace. Especially when you're in The Expanse and far from a Regulan bloodworm five-and-dime. Phlox hovers over Degra's face with a worm, and lowers it out of sight. Quantum makes a slight face as we can hear the worm squirm wetly in. Somewhere. More shades of WOK.