ENT: “The Andorian Incident”

Date: September 9, 2021

Season 1, Episode 7

Music Video of the Day:

Interstellar News: Today the mobile vet came just as I was beginning my online office hours (that no one eventually came to). I wasn’t expecting them until tomorrow, they put us in the schedule wrong. Instead of teeth cleaning, all four cats got a clean bill of health and all of their shots. Everyone’s teeth were given a pass until next year. I did some work, attended some meetings, and then had to take Zoom to the groomers. After picking him up I had a great chat with a dear friend and then made some sweet potato biscuits to go with our deconstructed chicken pot pie. I’m a bit ahead on Enterprise episodes, and I’m trying to watch as many as possible before they get yanked off Netflix.

TL;DR: Vulcans are praying when they are interrupted by Andorians. Archer is interested in visiting a Vulcan monastery, so they swing by and find the Vulcans are prisoners of the Andorians, who believe the Vulcans are spying on them. The Vulcans swear they are but holy men while Archer gets beat up by Weyoun, wait… wrong series. They eventually make contact with Enterprise who comes to the rescue, only for everyone to find out the Vulcans really were spying on the Andorians against their agreement. Archer lets the Andorians take their data and leave.

Favorite Quote:

Reed: Have the launch bay put shuttlepod two on standby.

Mayweather: You heard what he said. If we try to send more people.

Reed: I don’t take orders from a comm. voice, Ensign. Not unless that voice belongs to the Captain. Take a look at the Vulcan database. See if it has anything on these Andorians.

Reed showing why he was put in charge

“For people without emotion, you sure have a flair for the dramatic.”: I really enjoyed this episode, and not just because Jeffrey Combs was in it. Getting this out of the way, he’s fantastic in this. I mean he’s been wonderful in every guest spot, though he was the most fabulous in Deep Space Nine. The entire episode you’re feeling for the Vulcans who are peaceful and just want to pray and then you realize that the Andorians weren’t just paranoid and the Vulcans aren’t as innocent as they led us to believe. I am also removing a point for the creepy Andorian who was being a complete douche-canoe to T’Pol. I just got major creeper vibes off of that guy, rather than Combs’s character who I believed to be paranoid until the end.

There are two other great pieces here. One is when Reed is going on about standard procedure, because he’s not wrong. Most of the things we have seen so far in Enterprise become hard rules later on because of lessons they learned here. You have to start somewhere and rules are often made on the road after experience has happened. The second thing is another nail in the Prime Directive rule, which is “don’t get involved”. Okay, so Archer and them didn’t know what they were walking in on… but they took sides with the Vulcans at first. I totally get it, and probably would have made the same decision, but it’s a very good sign that Archer is committed to trying to stay neutral when he lets the Andorians leave with their proof. 6 puppachinos for Porthos on this one.

TA Out!