The Forgotten (Star Trek: Enterprise)
"The Forgotten" is the seventy-second episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the twentieth episode of season three. It first aired on April 28, 2004, on the UPN network in the United States.
| "The Forgotten" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Enterprise episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 20 |
| Directed by | LeVar Burton |
| Written by | Chris Black David A. Goodman |
| Featured music | Paul Baillargeon |
| Production code | 320 |
| Original air date | April 28, 2004 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
Set in the 22nd century, the series follows the adventures of the first Starfleet starship Enterprise, registration NX-01. Season three of Enterprise features an ongoing story following an attack on Earth by previously unknown aliens called the Xindi - a group of five surviving races who each evolved on the same planet. The Enterprise enters the Delphic Expanse seeking to stop the superweapon with which the Xindi intend to destroy Earth.
Plot
Captain Archer tells the crew that they will carry on, but will remember the 18 crew members who died in the recent battle with the Xindi ("Azati Prime"). He directs Enterprise to rendezvous with Degra. He also orders Commander Tucker to write a letter to the parents of Jane Taylor, a member of his engineering team who died in the battle. Also, Sub-Commander T'Pol discusses with Doctor Phlox the consequences of her Trellium addiction, and is troubled when he tells her the damage to her ability to control emotions may be permanent - a more pessimistic prognosis than before.
Arriving at a sphere, Enterprise is soon approached by Degra and Jannar's ship, who Archer then invite on board in an attempt to gain their trust. He then reveals his evidence: the Reptilian corpses and technology of the failed viral attack against 2004 Earth (as per the episode "Carpenter Street"), images of the dying alien who attempted to destroy the ship (as per "Harbinger"), and scans of the interior of a sphere (as per "Anomaly"). He again reiterates that Humans and Xindi are pre-destined to form an alliance to stop the Sphere Builders' incursion in the future. But he also demands that Degra reveal information about the weapon and its launch schedule. An increasingly persuaded Degra promises to do what he can to delay it.
Meanwhile, a dangerous plasma fire erupts unnoticed on Enterprise's hull. Initially, the blaze is small, but it expands progressively until Tucker and Lieutenant Reed are forced to extinguish it. Throughout the crises, Tucker repeatedly undermines the Captain's authority by reviling Degra for the suffering he caused during the first attack on Earth that killed his sister. To make matters worse, a large Reptilian ship arrives and they are forced to work together to destroy it, despite Degra's reluctance to attack fellow Xindi. With their pact now sealed, Degra suggests a meeting with the rest of the Council, and provides Archer with the coordinates.
While the Degra/Xindi plot unfolds, T'Pol's ongoing emotional rebirth continues to give her attraction to Tucker. In the mess hall, seeking solace from Phlox's diagnosis, she sits at Tucker's table. She learns he has not slept in over 2 days. Later, after an auxiliary supply line bursts coolant, Tucker is enraged and openly berates an engineering staffer in the hallway that he should have prevented it. First Officer T'Pol, walking by, pulls Tucker off the staffer. She again discusses sleep. Tucker says the ship will implode if he doesn't keep working. T'Pol counters that the ship's mission will fail if Tucker implodes from sleep deprivation. News trickles back to Phlox, who commands Tucker to confine himself to his quarters for sleep. They negotiate, but Phlox gets what he wants. Tucker lays in his quarters, and disturbed, awakes from his sleep, walks the halls, and finds himself in Jane Taylor's destroyed quarters. He turns, and she is there, asking him why he can't say anything about her: "Didn't I mean anything to you?". He says he literally can't. Tucker awakes - it is a dream. This leads to a meeting between Tucker and T'Pol, where Tucker confesses and says he can't write to Taylor's parents because he won't let himself think about Taylor, because the young woman, who had her whole life ahead of her, makes him think of his dead sister. T'Pol is clearly moved, and as Tucker breaks down into tears, she (literally) reaches out to touch him to comfort him. Tucker, lost in his grief, says Vulcans are lucky, they don't feel these things. T'Pol responds that she feels these things, far too deeply to control and experience, and it is humans who are lucky. (In a syndicated {H&I} version, there is an abrupt fadeout at this moment, where it's suspected this emotional breakdown of each - together - has a smoother ending on some other version.) After this interaction with T'Pol, Tucker finally completes a simple and touching letter to Ms. Taylor's parents. T'Pol has provided emotional healing.
Production
The episode was the third of the season to be directed by Star Trek: The Next Generation alumnus LeVar Burton. He had previously directed two episodes in each of the first two seasons of the show. "The Forgotten" marked the first episode jointly written by Chris Black and David A. Goodman. They had each written several episodes of the series previously on a solo basis, and Goodman also wrote the Star Trek themed Futurama episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before".[1]
Both Randy Oglesby and Rick Worthy returned in their recurring guest roles as members of the Xindi council, while Bob Morrisey returned to Enterprise as a Reptilian Captain, having previously appeared in the episode "Stigma" as Doctor Strom. Joining in a brief appearance as an Engineer in "The Forgotten" was Seth MacFarlane, creator of the television series Family Guy.[1] He made one further appearance in the series, in the season four episode "Affliction" where his character was given the name of Ensign Rivers.[2]
Production began on "The Forgotten" on January 23, 2004 and overlapped with three other episodes. This meant that the first day's shoot only involved Connor Trinneer, Jolene Blalock and Kipleigh Brown. When filming resumed after the weekend, the rest of the cast joined in the shooting on "The Forgotten" using a variety of standing sets for the Enterprise which are showing damage as a result of the action in earlier episodes. An additional set which made its first appearance was the morgue on the ship, which was holding three Reptilian-Xindi as a result of the episode "Carpenter Street". Filming concluded on February 2, with an additional special effects shoot for the outside hull effects on the following day with Trinneer and Dominic Keating. The remainder of the cast began filming on the following episode, "E²".[1]
Reception and home media release
"The Forgotten" was first aired in the United States on UPN on April 28, 2004. According to Nielsen Media Research, it received a 2.2/4 percent share among adults. This means that it was seen by 2.2 percent of all households, and 4 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast. The episode broadcast after this episode, "E²", received the same ratings as "The Forgotten". This was an increase from the previous episode, "Damage", which had received a 2.0/3 percent share and was the lowest watched episode of the season.[3] TV Guide noted this for a cameo by Seth McFarlane, famous as a voice actor for several animated shows in the early 2000s; he also appears in the episode "Affliction".[4]
In 2014, The A.V. Club gave this an honorable mention, in their list of recommended Enterprise television episodes.[5]
The first home media release of "The Forgotten" was as part of the season three DVD box set, released in the United States on September 27, 2005.[6] The Blu-ray release of Enterprise was announced in early 2013,[7] and released on January 7, 2014.[8]
References
- "Production Report: Picking up the Pieces in "The Forgotten"". Star Trek.com. February 6, 2004. Archived from the original on February 8, 2004. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- "MacFarlane, Seth". Star Trek.com. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
- "Episode List: Star Trek: Enterprise". TVTango. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- "28 Surprising Star Trek Guest Stars : Seth MacFarlane, Star Trek: Enterprise, "The Forgotten" and "Affliction" | TV Guide". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2019-06-10.
- Wilkins, Alasdair. "Enterprise was forever torn between our future and Star Trek's past". TV Club. Retrieved 2019-07-20.
- Douglass Jr., Todd (September 27, 2005). "Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete 3rd Season". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 3, 2013.
- "Enterprise Trekking To Blu-ray; Fans Helped Pick Covers". Star Trek.com. January 7, 2013. Archived from the original on March 30, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
- Miller III, Randy (January 7, 2014). "Star Trek: Enterprise - Season Three (Blu-ray)". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 24, 2014.