Shuttlepod One

"Shuttlepod One" is the sixteenth episode (production #116) of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise.

"Shuttlepod One"
Star Trek: Enterprise episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 16
Directed byDavid Livingston
Written byRick Berman
Brannon Braga
Produced byDawn Valazquez
Featured musicJay Chattaway
Production code116
Original air dateFebruary 13, 2002 (2002-02-13)
Guest appearance(s)

- None -

During a shuttlepod mission, Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed become convinced Enterprise has been destroyed and that their prospects of survival are slim.

This science fiction television show episode aired on February 13, 2002.[1]

Plot

On board Pod 1, Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed are attempting to locate Enterprise in an asteroid field that Captain Archer had intended to map. Just then, Reed spots an impact crater surrounded by a debris field; with only one piece large enough to be identifiable as part of Enterprise, they conclude that the ship has somehow been destroyed. They are now alone, with ten days' worth of air left. Tucker orders Reed to head to Echo Three, a subspace amplifier, using the stars for reference as navigation is down. He intends to send a message to Starfleet, knowing they will not be alive when it reaches there, so that command will at least know what happened. To pass the time, Reed records messages to his family and friends, but Tucker becomes exasperated as Reed's recordings slowly become more pessimistic.

On board Enterprise, it is revealed that the debris that Reed and Tucker saw was from an explosion while a Tesnian ship was trying to dock with the Enterprise. Archer asks about the Tesnians and Ensign Sato says that Doctor Phlox is rotating the 34 survivors in order to give them all six hours of boron a day. Ensign Mayweather reports that their ETA at Tesnia is 20 hours, allowing enough time to return to meet the shuttlepod. Archer and Sub-Commander T'Pol use a mini-shuttle to inspect the damage to the ship, and Archer orders work on a new door for Launch Bay 2. Later, T'Pol presents her analysis to Archer - both ships were hit by a theoretical "micro-singularity", but he remains sceptical.

The shuttlepod's hull is also breached by a micro-singularity, which they quickly seal. Reed reports that one of the oxygen cylinders was damaged, leaving them with less than two days' worth of air. Tucker tells Reed that they can survive for an extra half-day if they lower the temperature to conserve power for the air recyclers. Later, the radio picks up a signal - it is Sato transmitting new rendezvous coordinates and gives an ETA of two days. Unfortunately, they only have one day's worth of air left and no way to communicate with the ship. They jettison and detonate the engine, hoping to attract Enterprise's attention. It works – Reed wakes up in Sickbay, relieved to see Tucker's sleeping form there as well.

Reception

In 2013, The Guardian recommended this episode as one of six Star Trek episodes out of the entire Star Trek franchise of 703 episodes, across 5 different series, which had aired up to that point in time.[1] They note how the episode uses the threat of air running out in a spacecraft to create a backdrop of tension as the characters try to find a solution and discuss the danger.[1]

In 2014, The A.V. Club gave this an honorable mention in their list of recommended Enterprise television episodes.[2]

In 2016, The Hollywood Reporter interviewed various cast and production crew of the Star Trek franchise to determine the "100 Greatest Episodes" from across the five series, ranking "Shuttlepod One" as the 98th best episode of all time.[3]

In 2011, Tor.com noted "Shuttlepod One" was one of the Enterprise episodes that held up as a "good Star Trek episode", despite the overall lukewarm reception of the series during its first run.[4] They note this episode as one that takes on some of the hard science challenges of surviving in space.[4]

Actor Dominic Keating, who plays Reed in this episode, said he thought it was one of the "finest hours" of the show in a 2015 interview with SyFy.[5]

gollark: It's very cheap. osm.org is unfortunately utterly unavailable.
gollark: So what *are* people's objections to the possibility of osmw.org?
gollark: You don't have to think of it as an acronym.
gollark: It's between that, some random jumble of letters, or a longer thig like octaplex.net or osmarks.net.
gollark: What are the objections with osmw.org?

References
  1. O'Neill, Phelim (2013-05-09). "Six to watch: Star Trek episodes". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  2. Wilkins, Alasdair (2014-08-06). "Enterprise was forever torn between our future and Star Trek's past". The A.V. Club. Chicago: G/O Media. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
  3. Couch, Aaron; McMillan, Graeme (2016-09-08). "'Star Trek': 100 Greatest Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles: Valence Media. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  4. Britt, Ryan (2011-07-06). "Six Enterprise Episodes That Are Just as Good as Your Favorite Star Trek Episode". Tor.com. New York City: Macmillan Publishers. Retrieved 2020-05-17.
  5. Granshaw, Lisa (2015-05-13). "Scott Bakula and Dominic Keating look back on Star Trek: Enterprise's best episodes 10 years later". SYFY WIRE. Retrieved 2020-05-17.

See also
  • The Galileo Seven (First Star Trek episode with a shuttlecraft, broadcast January 5, 1967)
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