Episode Report Card Keckler: C+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT The Worm Turns
By Keckler | Season 1 | Episode 3 | Aired on 10.02.2001
T'Peevish offers that getting a closer look at such a cool object "might alleviate some of the crew's tension." Quantum turns on her. "Whattsa matter -- the tension bothering you?" he snarls. "Not in the least," T'Peevish says through tight, puffy lips. Cpt. Quantum muses that "it must be great. Not to let things -- bother you. No remorse, no guilt. What if they were Vulcans -- do you think you would have reacted the same way?" T'Peevish says they weren't Vulcans. "I said, what IF they were Vulcans?" Cpt. Quantum demands, pursuing a line of illogical thought. "Wouldja have just left them there -- hanging like slaughtered animals?" Trip looks nervous. "Don't you think maybe you would have taken them down? Tried to figure out who they were, made some effort to contact their families?" T'Peevish says they have no clue where they came from and ergo it would be difficult to contact their families. Again, just when I thought Blalock was doing an okay job, she screws it up by allowing disdain, distaste, and disgust into her voice. I've also noticed that when she goes into these concerted efforts of "Vulcan-ness," she doesn't blink. It's like she's been hypnotized by The Medium Of Bad Acting or something. Quantum says they didn't even try to contact the families, and then turns on Charlie "Jack the Tripper" Tucker. "Whaddabout you? What if they were humans? Would you have just tucked your tail between your legs and run? Leave them there to rot?" And we're done with the spicy pasta. Trip really doesn't know what to say to that. "Am I the only one really having a problem with this?" Quantum bellows. Trip points out that Quantum himself said the perps were probably coming back. "So we should avoid confrontation at any cost, is that what you're saying?" Quantum demands. Uh, yeah, you should, when your weapons can hit stuff only moderately well. Quantum turns on T'Peevish and demands, "Is that what you Vulcans do? Just bury your heads in the sand and then just fly on by?" Now he's mixing metaphors -- everyone knows ostriches can't fly! T'Peevish tells him, "Vulcans would have never gone on that ship in the first place." Quantum smiles mirthlessly and tells her she's got an answer for everything, and T'Peevish tells him they have a code of behavior, which they try to live by. The Strings Of Human Conscience play as Quantum stands up, announcing, "You may not believe this but humans have a code of behavior, too. It took a few thousand years but I think we're starting to get it right. I can't believe I almost ignored it." Quantum leaves, and Trip wonders if he's going to finish his pasta.
On the bridge, Mayweather tells Cpt. Quantum that they've reversed their course and will be back at the dead ship in five hours. Quantum paces around his lined-up crew. "You don't have a problem with the environmental suit?" he asks Phlox. "Not at all," Phlox promises. Cpt. Quantum tells Phlox he's needed in order to identify the species and attempt to determine what they're being flushed with and why. Phlox says he will do his best. Quantum turns to Trip and tells him he'll be needed to get the dead ship's com system running so they can contact the rest of the species through it. Trip aye-ayes him. Quantum moves on to Hoshi and tells her she needs to write a message and "hope it makes sense." Hoshi tries to demur, but Quantum overrules her. Reed volunteers to "bring a security detail," but he's shot down by Quantum's "there's no one over there who can hurt us." Yeah, not yet, Captain Machismo. Reed has to stay aboard and work on his targeting scanners. I think he's had more than "the better part of the day" to improve them by now. "Prepare to suit up at fourteen hundred hours," Quantum orders before dismissing them.