Episode Report Card Keckler: B- | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Starfleet and Coffee, Maple Syrup and Damn
By Keckler | Season 2 | Episode 26 | Aired on 05.20.2003
Armory. Reed proudly surveys his new toys -- photonic torpedoes -- with Trip. For those taking notes, Reed says, "Their range is over fifty times greater than our conventional torpedoes, and they have variable yield." Trip and Reed walk off to integrate the new firepower into the powergrid. In the hallway, Reed tentatively asks Trip if there's going to be a service for his sister. "If you're talking about a funeral, it's kind of pointless when there's nothing left," Trip grits out. Reed, taken aback, says he thought there could have been some sort of memorial. In the background, we can see sparks flying as someone welds something further down the corridor. Mr. byobkenobi notes that that was a nice touch, and I very much agree. We need to see more of that on this series -- so much of their technology (including these new torpedoes) come far too easily to a ship that predates Kirk by a century. Trip says that his sister wasn't big on memorials. Reed tries again: "I read there was a day of remembrance for all the victims a couple of months ago. I'm sorry you missed it." Trip demands to know why Reed is so obsessed with memorials. Reed, like many internet fans, bristles at the term "obsessed." "She's dead. So are seven million others. She was no more important than any of them," Trip vents. Oh, boy -- here we go with the Denial Ain't Just A River In Whatever They Call Egypt In The Future theme. "She was more important to you. There isn't anything wrong with admitting that," Reed says pleadingly. "I'm gettin' reel tired of you tellin' me what I can and can't do. And while we're at it, I don't need you to remind me that Elizabeth was killed. So just let it alone!" Trip's voice shudders. Trip, his eyes small, his nostrils flared! "Okay, Dubya!" byobkenobi comments. Trip starts to walk away and Reed starts to follow, but Trip whirls around and says, "Mebbe yew shuld pay more attention to upgrading yer weapons so we can blow the hell outta these bastards when we find 'em!" Trip stalks off. Poor Reed, he needs lis to comfort him. I find it very interesting that the detached, cold-fishy Brit was the one trying to get the hot-headed Southerner to admit to his grief. And though his nostrils are huge here and anger is easy to call upon, I think Trinneer did an excellent job of teetering between anger and anguish.
Starfleet HQ. The Vulcans and Forrest force Quantum to watch a video from the log of a Vulcan ship that went into the expanse. Its bad camera angles, graininess, and unflattering lighting made me think we were about to watch Love Long and Pop Her. But no. Through the Blair Witch Project camera work, we see a bunch of Vulcans going crazy. Fighting each other, smearing blood on their faces, banging their heads against walls (hey! I do that -- maybe I enter the Delphic Expanse every Wednesday night and I just didn't know it because of the drunkenness), and generally going out of their Vulcan minds. Oh, and just because it's a Vulcan Most Illogical Home Videos doesn't mean it had to be filmed through a green lens. T'Pol has a hard time even looking at the screen. Soval reports that less than an hour after they received the Project Greenlight transmission, the Vulcan ship that sent it was destroyed without any record of malfunction or attack. Soval thinks Quantum should reconsider his mission. Quantum ignores this and asks Forrest if he has anything further for him. Forrest doesn't. Quantum leaves with a look at T'Pol. Soval tells T'Pol he needs to speak with her.