Broken Bow (Star Trek: Enterprise)

"Broken Bow" is the two-part pilot episode of the science fiction television series Enterprise (later renamed Star Trek: Enterprise). It originally aired as a double-length episode and released as such, but was split into two segments for syndication. It is the first Star Trek episode in the Prequel-Era. A novelization of the episode, written by Diane Carey, was published in 2001. The episode won the 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series, and was also nominated for sound editing and make-up.

"Broken Bow"
Star Trek: Enterprise episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 1 & 2
Directed byJames Conway
Written byRick Berman
Brannon Braga
Produced byDawn Velazquez
Featured musicDennis McCarthy
Production code40358-721 (101-102)
Original air dateSeptember 26, 2001 (2001-09-26)
Guest appearance(s)

It is nine decades since Zefram Cochrane produced humans' first warp flight (as seen in the film Star Trek: First Contact), and Earth finally launches its first starship of exploration, Enterprise NX-01. Commanded by Captain Jonathan Archer, and against the objections of the Vulcans, it departs on an urgent mission to return an injured Klingon to Qo'noS, the Klingon homeworld.

Plot

Episode 1

On Earth in 2121, a young Jonathan Archer is painting a model spaceship with his father, Henry, principal designer of Earth's first Warp 5 engine. Without fully understanding the reasons behind the Vulcans' constraint, he believes that there must be an explanation for holding the human space program back.

30 years later, in 2151, a Klingon named Klaang crashes in Broken Bow, Oklahoma.[1] He kills his two Suliban pursuers, but is then critically wounded by a farmer. Archer, now Captain of the soon-to-be-launched prototype starship Enterprise NX-01, is called to Starfleet Headquarters, where he discusses the incident with Admiral Forrest and Vulcan ambassador Soval. The Vulcans wish to delay the launch of Enterprise. Archer, after consulting with the Denobulan Doctor Phlox, convinces Forrest to allow the new ship to take Klaang to Qo'noS.

Prior to departure, Archer seeks additional crewmembers, including Phlox and linguist Hoshi Sato, while Sub-Commander T'Pol is assigned as their "Vulcan liaison". Meanwhile, on a Suliban vessel somewhere, Silik, leader of the Suliban Cabal, speaks with a mysterious, nameless humanoid figure from their future.[2] The figure orders Silik to recover Klaang. On Enterprise Klaang regains consciousness, but the universal translator does not allow Archer and Sato to communicate with him effectively. Suddenly, Suliban attack the ship and main power is disrupted. During the chaos, one intruder is killed and Klaang is kidnapped.

Later, in Sickbay, Phlox shows Archer the autopsied Suliban corpse, and points out several genetic enhancements. Sato completes a translation of Klaang's speech, and keywords reveal that T'Pol has been withholding information about the Vulcan investigation, including the fact that Klaang had been on Rigel X. Meanwhile, an alien officer aboard the Suliban complex interrogates Klaang in the Klingon language. Arriving at the Rigel X Trade Complex, Archer, Sato, Tucker, and T'Pol are seized by Suliban agents.

Episode 2

Sarin, once a member of the Suliban Cabal, tells Archer that she gave Klaang a message regarding proof of Suliban involvement in recent attacks on Klingon factions, to be delivered to the High Council. The enhanced Suliban are following orders in a Temporal Cold War, and Suliban from the Cabal show up and attack. Silik kills Sarin and Archer is shot, but the away team escape back to Enterprise. T'Pol modifies Enterprise's sensors to track the Suliban vessel that attacked them, and they follow it to a gas giant. Meanwhile, aboard the alien complex, Silik talks with the mysterious figure again.

Within the gas giant is the Helix, a Suliban aggregate structure composed of hundreds of Suliban ships, which the Enterprise crew scan to find Klaang. Using the grappler, Enterprise grabs an attacking Suliban ship, the pilot ejecting. After studying the captured ship and its controls, Archer and Tucker pilot it to the Helix. Becoming separated, Tucker returns with Klaang to Enterprise. After a brief physical confrontation between Archer and Silik in a temporally altered audience room, Tucker uses Enterprise's new transporter to beam Archer out of the Helix.

They deliver Klaang and his message (via the DNA in his blood) to Qo'noS and the Klingon Chancellor and Council. Archer tells Tucker and T'Pol that Starfleet has ordered them to continue their mission. After reconsidering his preconceptions of Vulcans, he also invites T'Pol to stay on board and she agrees to ask permission.

Reception

The premiere of "Broken Bow" was at the Paramount Theatre on September 20, 2001. It was attended by the cast and crew of Enterprise as well as several from Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: The Next Generation.[3] It was first aired on UPN on September 26. The broadcast saw the episode come in first place during the timeslot, with 16 million viewers watching, with an average of 12 million. This represented the best ratings that the channel had received since Voyager, while also an increase of 42% over the finale of that series, "Endgame".[4]

In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter rated "Broken Bow" the 80th best episode of all Star Trek episodes.[5] In a 2015 Binge-watching guide for Enterprise by W.I.R.E.D., they said that when the NX-01 leaves space dry dock for the first time is the best moment in the whole series.[6] In 2017, Gamespot ranked this as the 4th best pilot episode of a Star Trek series.[7]

In 2016, IGN ranked "Broken Bow" the 21st best episode of all Star Trek up to that time.[8]

In 2016, Empire ranked this the 37th best out of the top 50 episodes of the 700 plus Star Trek television episodes.[9] In 2016, SyFy ranked "Broken Bow" as the 3rd best out of 6 Star Trek TV show pilots.[10]

Novel

A 240 page novelization of this episode was published in 2001 by Pocket Books.[11] (see also Broken Bow novel)

gollark: base64 is pretty much everywhere, it predates 2048/65536 by loads.
gollark: What?
gollark: They also have base2048, which is optimized for Twitter.
gollark: Oh, yes, qntm, it's pretty neat.
gollark: There are over 70000 characters (well, codepoints) by now, it's quite something.

References
  1. This episode only says that the crash was in "Broken Bow"; however, in Detained, there is a reference to this incident having taken place in Oklahoma.
  2. "Broken Bow". StarTrek.com. He is referred to as such only in credits, as seen at startrek.com
  3. "Paramount Premieres "Broken Bow"". Star Trek.com. September 21, 2001. Archived from the original on September 24, 2001. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  4. "Dispatch: Enterprise Scores Solid Ratings with Debut". Star Trek.com. September 28, 2001. Archived from the original on October 7, 2001. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  5. Hollywood Reporter 'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes
  6. McMillan, Graeme (July 29, 2015). "WIRED Binge-Watching Guide: Star Trek: Enterprise". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  7. Complex, Valerie (October 20, 2017). "Every Star Trek Pilot Episode, Ranked From Worst To Best". GameSpot. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  8. Star Trek: The Top 25 Episodes - IGN, retrieved August 2, 2019
  9. "The 50 best Star Trek episodes ever". Empire. July 27, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
  10. Roth, Dany (January 15, 2016). "First Contact: Every Star Trek pilot, ranked". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  11. "Broken Bow (Star Trek: Enterprise #1)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  • Berman, R. (Writer), & Braga, B. (Writer), & Conway, J. L. (Director). (2001). Broken Bow [Television series episode]. In Berman, R. (Producer), & Braga, B. (Producer), Star Trek: Enterprise. Hollywood: Paramount Pictures.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.