I disagree with O deus, I thought this was a near-great episode. O deus says it was full of Western cliches: which Western had a group of abducted slaves overcoming and repressing their enslavers? There may be one, but I'm not aware of it. I agree with Trekker 21 that the Skags (perhaps influenced by Alien Nation's "slags") represent blacks in America, not Native Americans. We never enslaved the Indians in America.
The only thing that kept the episode from greatness was that the moral issue was too clear-cut. In other words, it would have been more interesting, I think, if the human ex-slaves had had real reason to fear the Skagaarans, that they might take over again. Perhaps if the aliens had limited telepathic powers (or something) that made the humans afraid.
I also disagree that it was "too funny to be serious" - I didn't notice that much comic relief, unlike the cutesy-poo "Fistful of Datas."
I was thinking about this episode again and would bet that the original script called for the alien race to be Xindi; maybe Xindi Reptilian. It would have continued the theme of the season but likely would have been a complicated episode. Imagine Archer's reaction in the 1st bar scene, or his response to the teacher after learning that she's part Xindi. Or the final scene with the Xindi children learning about the Wright brothers.
I may be mistaken, but I believe this is the first Star Trek episode to be given this rating, in this case for violence. I want to say 'Rejoined' might (absurdly) carry this rating in reruns, but I just thought this was a notable event. Certainly the pretty realistic (sans the ceesy slo-mo) action (along with the outstanding production values and cinematography) was the highlight of this episode.
I believe the title *North Star* was a reference to the Abolitionist period of U.S. History before the Civil War, when escaped slaves would navigate their way to the freedom (of the Northern States) by looking up into the night skies for the North Star. The underground railroad it was called.
Would a small community of humans, if severed off from the main civilization, and then brutally enslaved for hundreds of years, be so traumatized by the experience as to be unable to progress scientifically as a culture, isolated from everyone else? I think this again is a reference to the plight of African Americans of today, and how they might need an outside influence in order to be freed out of their own environment and past. And how, if the past is allowed to slip too far away, it becomes like a dream that many decendants may not believe in, or may not know how to achieve anymore on their own.
It's like that old saying about that baby elephant that grew up shackled to a post, and now with those shackles taken off, still won't move away from the post, cuz it doesn't understand it's free. And worse yet, doesn't understand what to do with its freedom, or is even terrified of it.
The imagery with the Wright Brothers was a nice touch. It's a metaphor for a civilization coming into contact, accepting its own heritage, and believing that it can fly. . . This fits right in to the Enterprise Theme Song too.
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http://www.farscapefantasy.com/video/music_videos8/farscapeweb.mov
I thought it was a fine episode, fie on the naysayers. It was fun, different, and definately visually entertaining. Archer was as fine an infiltrator as Riker ever was.
What made me giggle though, and there may be no connection at all, but when I was a kid growing up in the southwest, my grandmother wouldn't let me go out dirty or messy because "you don't want to look like some skag, do you?" Or perhaps the trashy neighbor was "just some skaggy old thing."
Never heard the term used anywhere else...
I must admit I was ready to dismiss this episode as soon as I remembered it from the promo, but I thought the acting was really good--bakula seems to be really good at archer when archer is playing another character, actually. What was nice was the follow through--the attention to detail was great and admirable. Sure, it was kind of a throwaway episode in terms of greater plot, but it was a nice situation and it was fun to see kind of a loophole in the prime directive...for some reason I really wanted to see the sheriff on the enterprise bridge.
It was also interesting to think about why this culture really didn't advance socially. I wonder if it was because there were no other human cultures to learn from--as time passes and cultures interact, ideas change, people adapt, develop customs, etc. It was interesting to imagine a society that had no other cultural input whatsoever.
anyway, I was surprised at it and really enjoyed the feeling.
(next episode looks hectically weak)
I hope the Xindi test their weapon on this planet; that would be a great touch ...
I think the fact that they had to fight for their freedom held them back. Also, there's a lot to be said about all the hate and hateful laws they created. It may sound corny, but that can really hold a civilization back.
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"In every revolution, there's one man with a vision"
-- James T. Kirk
I have some problems to believe these humans live in the Expanse. Why did everybody leave them alone for 200 years?
Maybe it would've been good to hear what Archer and his crew thinks about finding this colony. I imagine they ask themselves the same questions as I do... I think, even stand-alone episodes has some relevance to Enterprise's current mission when we are so close to where Xindi lives.
O.Deus, please try to think a little less when watching TV. If North Star were 120 minutes at millions per minute, then perhaps the art you seek would be there. But alas, this is the small screen.
I watch Enterprise with my twelve year old. From scene one, he forgot he was hungry. He's never seen Gunsmoke or The Big Valley but has taken US History and knows enough about the American West to follow the story line.
Explaining Reed shooting (stun) T'Pol took a little longer to explain. Trying to explain Keanu Reeves actions in Speed took a full commercial set, but he gets it. Perhaps, somewhere on the cutting room floor, is a scene where T'Pol reacts to Reed the next time she sees him. Maybe payback will come much later.
All in all, it was fun. VCR will be ready again next week.
I liked this episode. I thought it was going to be crap and I was very pleasantly surprised.
I even enjoyed Archer's fight scene.
It was also good to see Reid's shooting has improved in the last 2 weeks - 2 shots on target! Then again, perhaps he wasn't trying to shoot T'Pol after all!
This is the sort of stuff they should have been doing in Season 1. Next week looks promising too.
First, was anyone else stricken with just how wrong it felt for Reed to shoot T'Pol? Sure, it was stun, but it just wasn't right.
Second, they really missed the opportunity for a pre-Prime Directive episode. I sat in my seat a little higher when Archer beamed up in front of the town, but it later became obvious that the story wouldn't allow them to develop that angle.
This is an interesting episode. It's really two episodes. The first half to me was just a normal blah blah "let's indulge in the western fantasy" half hour. It really gets interesting in the middle, when Archer has to "beam me up" in front of the townsfolk. The most interesting part of this story isn't the gimmick of the western town. It's the idea of a small group of humans forgotten by history. Unfortunately they don't really touch on that until the last two acts. When the shuttlepod lands on main street it's a watershed event for these people and I really would've liked to have seen the story get to this earlier and have more to do with the people coming to grips with the fact that they can, essentially, be super-zoomed into the 22nd century with the flip of a switch.
Deus criticizes the fact that the humans hadn't developed technologically, but I don't know if that would happen. After 300 years they were up to 6,000 people. So you figure the numbers were less to start with. In 1857 on Earth, there were millions of people and thus our civilization exponentially developed. The numbers of these people were probably akin to the number of proto-humans that existed thousands of years ago, and it took millenia for humans to even begin to form the first civilizations as we know them (Egypt, Greece, Rome, and on). So I think 6,000 people marooned on a planet certainly don't have any hope of developing in a mere 300 years other than to learn how to survive on an alien planet.
I think what's really interesting is the prospects this episode leaves for the future. I'd really like to revisit this colony and see what happens if some of these people are transported back to Earth. The interesting thing isn't indulging in the western movie cliches we're all familiar with, but in doing something only STAR TREK can do, and that's present the idea of this small group of people cut off from the rest of humanity and trying assimilate the knew knowledge that Archer has given them. Wouldn't it be cool if Archer gets ahold of some time travel tech and in a follow-up episode, these people realize they just can't cope with being rapidly "futurized" (except a few like Bethany), and so they end up going back to 1857, with knowledge of the great future to come, but the ability to live out their lives in their proper time...? Yeah, I think that would be a great follow-up story. Have Bethany say goodbye to the Sheriff, and then after he goes back, have some photo or something in the 22nd century materialize his likeness because he became some notable figure after returning. Maybe an abolitionist.
But even though the episode lacks a really strong narrative thrust--it really just amounts to the stock "bad guy" starting a shootout blah blah--the execution really makes this more than an afterthought. Straiton uses a LOT of great camera angles that conjure the old westerns and it's one reason "North Star" looks probably the most like a movie of any ENTERPRISE episode I've ever seen. There's a lot of accelerated photography as well, especially in the fight scene. You have to appreciate the cool slow-mo Sam Peckinpah references (THE WILD BUNCH), like when the guy falls off the roof in slow-mo. Of course just about everything is a cliche, right down to the "shoot the victim" scene with Reed and T'Pol. But it looks so good and you can tell that it's been shot with an affinity for the old westerns that it doesn't matter so much that the episode itself is lacking in the writing department. The wide angle shot of Archer and T'Pol and Trip walking down main street at the beginning of act one was really nice.
In addition to episode's pastiche of homage with a hint of something more sophisticated, the biggest drawback for me is, again, in the details. I know everyone wil scream and say "we don't have enough money!" but I have to say that there has been a disturbing lack of make-up imagination in recent months. But the fact of the matter is that this is a sci-fi show, and it really interrupts the illusion they're trying to convey when the aliens are just humans with some paint on their face. Would it kill 'em to put a full latex mask over the actors, or paint their skin red or something exotic? In reality, extraterrestials will not likely look anything like us and I think the ENT team needs to take the responsibility of showing credible aliens a little more seriously. I'm not asking for elaborate, original aliens every since week, but in an episode with so many aliens, the least they could've done is put some masks on them or a third arm or something to sell it. This also goes for the "Skagaaran Whisky" -- again, how hard would it have been to put a drop of green food coloring in those glasses to at least pretend like "ok, this is a drink unlike anything you've ever seen on Earth" ? It looked like regular old alcohol to me! Some may call it a nitpick, but you know, it's all in the details, and something as careless as that just completely takes me out of the story.
That said, the cinematography, direction, and glimpse of something a little more sophisticated at the end allows me to put this episode squarely in the "better than the first two seasons" category.
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"I spot an Eagle, up in the trees / I for-get myself, into, what-I-see...
Caught a glimpse of another dream / I turned, and looked / I turned-and-looked-again / I see no trace!"
Hagar. "Eagle's Fly"
Another well-written review from Deus; however, I must disagree with him ...
Had Star Trek: Enterprise decided to do "North Star" as a situational comedy, a lot of people (including Deus), would probably be crying "Retread of 'Fistful of Datas'!". Had Enterprise decided to do the show as a fantasy, a lot of people would cry, "Retread of 'Spectre of the Gun'!".
Here, they try something different. They actually make a genuine Star Trek western. I have no problem with this. One should not criticize an episode solely on the basis that it wasn't what you expected, or that it touched upon a theme that is consistant throughout the entire franchise.
To reuse a central theme of the franchise is not simply a "retread"; it creates an interconnectivity between the different series that is fundamental to the success of the franchise.
If every Star Trek series ignored the themes already touched upon in previous Star Trek incarnations, then the Trek franchise would be a sorrowfully disjointed affair. We do not relate to each Star Trek series as "Star Trek" because the characters are all the same, or because the stories are all the same; we relate to each Star Trek franchise fundamentally because the core values or themes are something we relate to and support. Tolerance, diversity, duality, comraderie, loyalty ... these are just some of the themes one sees expressed throughout all of the Star Trek franchise.
I applaud North Star for returning to the spirit of the Original Series not because they brought back Kirk or rehashed a Classic Trek story, but because the moral of "North Star" recaptures one of the central themes Gene Roddenberry wanted to convey with this franchise. Archer reminded me of Kirk this episode not only because he showed he knew how to wrestle like Kirk, but primarily because he expressed the same values the original creators of the franchise attempted to convey through Kirk.
This does not mean that Star Trek cannot introduce new themes [Deep Space Nine excelled at this and I loved that series], or contain a few contradictions, that's okay, that's interesting; however, it does mean that we should not blindly criticize writers for trying to re-iterate important themes that fans are already somewhat familiar with.
I applaud Star Trek for its efforts. They gave us a different story than we have seen before, filmed it in a different style, while still sticking to one of the central themes of the franchise. It was Classic Trek in the sense that it was what I think many fans have been starving for. Seeing the characters in a wildly different setting, which many of us can relate to from watching westerns as children, and seeing how these futuristic characters cope with this radical environment. Yet at the same time sticking to the ethics of the series. It was at once both new and familiar.
I am a huge spaghetti western fan so this episode was something I found uniquely entertaining as it combined two of my favourite things. Perhaps that makes "North Star" of unique appeal to me; however, it appears that a great many fans enjoyed it as much as I did.
Anyways, at the very least it was a hell of a lot of fun to watch!
:-)
Couldn't have said it better myself (and considering some of the O/T policital dustups we've had, I hope you don't take the compliment lightly). What a threadbare disappointment, especially after last week (and after reading the interview with the writer published here, in which he seemed genuinely sincere in his desire to pay homage to TOS' "parallel earth" stories). I'll just add that they couldn't even be bothered to explain why the Enterprise crew had the time to play Cowboys & Indians after last week's show had just demonstrated how high the stakes in searching for the Xindi super-weapon really are.
"North Star" wasn't quite as bad as the awful "The 37s", and not quite as stupid as "Spectre of the Gun", though that show was arguably more imaginative and fun. Just another unmemorable mediocrity, like most episodes of this series.
I agree somewhat with you Deus. Why should we care about the situation on this planet? The intended plotline has absolutely no relevance to anything past or present. If you stretch a bit, the unintended situation that it resembles (in my mind) is slavery in the 19th century U.S. Europeans take Africans from their homes to use them as slave labor, but in this case it would be as if the African American slaves took over and persecuted the Caucasians.
In the ep, Archer would then imply that the humans should let bygones be bygones because it's been 200 years since their slavery. In that case, Star Trek would be making the statement to African Americans today that they should "get over it" because it's been 140 years since their liberation. However, this probably wasn't the intent of the episode because 1) Star Trek is a liberal-leaning, politically correct show, and 2) I think anyone telling African Americans to "get over it" would be too controversial and emotionally-charged at this point in time.
This plot line definitely smacks of a holier than thou "humanity's risen beyond this kind of prejudice" theme. It had the potential to work in TNG because we get the impression that humanity really has risen beyond such petty concepts. If you're like me, though, these "but for the Grace of God go we" episodes really annoy me. We always have to remember that human nature is not to be civilized. If Archer and company were in the same place as the enslaved humans, you have to wonder if he would have done the same thing.
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"Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion I gain strength. Through strength I gain power. Through power I gain victory. Through victory my chains are broken." - The Code of the Sith
I love you like the brother I never had, Deus, but disagree with you on this one. This episode had me smiling most of the way through and I'd give it high marks. I suspect you're holding it to a different standard than I am, but for me this episode was "Goofy Fun with a Message," which is precisely one of the things I've cherished about Star Trek for more than 35 years. They can't all be "Best of Both Worlds" or "The Visitor." Sometimes you get a "Bread and Circuses," and bless 'em for it.
There were a ton of fun little moments: Archer and the teacher beaming out, Archer and the deputy wrestling between the legs of a horse, Reed shooting T'Pol, Archer phasering through the balcony floor, the shuttlepod coming in for a landing (recalling Dr. McCoy's lament that just once he'd like to beam down and declare himself the angel Gabriel), the teacher getting her first look at her planet from space, the Sheriff raising his hand when the teacher asked who wanted to see a picture of the Wright Flyer. I liked that the humans knew they'd been kidnapped by aliens and came from a half-mythical place called Earth. All good stuff.
I thought the episode's moral question was interestingly ambiguous: the humans' ancestors were kidnapped and enslaved, why shouldn't they oppress their former captors? It may not be compassionate, but isn't it the *smart* thing to do? Except for one sadistic deputy, the humans weren't necessarily the bad guys. Their lack of development in 250 years didn't bother me much; you correctly argued that an American Western society depended on an entire culture to operate, but so too did it depend on that culture to change and grow. A group of 6,000 refugees struggling to survive would be unlikely to produce the Edison, Ford, Wright Brothers, Einstein, etc. necessary for progress. In fact, if some disaster or nuclear war destroyed our modern infrastructure, we'd probably end up living in much the same low-tech, self-reliant, horse-riding, agrarian way. Take away our cars, highways, electricity, and industrial base, and we'd all be cowboys.
But that's overthinking it. I don't really need or expect an explanation for finding an Old West town light years from Earth in a Star Trek episode, so the one provided was good enough for me. "Goofy Fun with a Message": embrace it.
I have to disagree with Deus' review of the episode. Granted, it wasn't sensational, but the writing was good and the acting above average.
I really have to say that this series is beginning to find its stride (TV Guide notwithstanding), much more so than VOY ever did. Bakula looks more comfortable this season, but I wish they would give Travis a little more meat on the bone. His character is so undeveloped. By the third season, all the cast members in the other shows had had their moments. They need to bring him out of the shadows more.
Overall, I find myself being eager to tape and watch the episode each week, instead of it being kind of "Oh-yeah,-I-need-to-tape-that-tonight" drudge type of thing.
I have to disagree, i was expecting this to be another flop episode, so maybe that's why it seemed so good to me. It seems as if your whole reason for disliking this episode was because it didn't try to be funny, well, i don't think that's a good reason to give this episode a bad review. Most episodes of the sort would have been "funny" episodes, most have, but, the fact that ENT decides to take a serious look on this sort of episode, i think, makes it better. The performances were great, Bakula managed to play both the "cowboy" Archer while at the same time playing the normal Archer. It seems as if youre slamming this episode simply for being a western & not playing the "comedy" card, had the episode taken place on a world were the humans had developed technologicly it wouldn't have suited it well to be a funny episode, does the fact that this is a western mean it has to be funny?.
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...:::Trek Quote Of The Week:::...
- "That Klingon Bitch Killed Her Own Father!"
- "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country"
I must say that I couldn't disagree with your review more. At first, I admit, I thought this was a "been there done that" sort of episode. But by the end I thought it was one of the best of the "off the Xindi track" episodes. I liked the premise, I like the justificiation of their revelation of future technology to the humans, I LOVED the acting - I thought all the extras did a great job, especially the sheriff. To top it all off, the episode looked great, from the costumes to the bullet going through Archer...I just thought it wasn't the Star Trek cheese norm we usually get with episodes like this. And the best part, Reeds face after he shot T'Pol and realized that he's probably going to hear about that one later. It was classic. Great episode!
... but not spectacular.
It seems that ENT is having trouble with standalone episodes and is great with the continuing arc episodes.
That being said, it wasn't terrible. It was definitely better than EXTINCT, the other standalone ep this year.
Did you guys think Archer looked like a BAD ASS in this film? Great costume and hat. Bakula definitely has charisma. I hope just once he gets to kick the crap out of someone and not get beat down while doing it.
And Deus, I disagree with you about one thing. It's not reasonable to think that a small human colony will progress technologically at a rapid pace. There were only 6000 people there, and please know that in small groups the struggle is simply to survive, not innovate. Innovation usually comes through food surpluses and world wars. That colony had neither. Stop being so critical.
Deus....I agree it wasn't the best episode. I was making dinner while watching it but I wasn't really interested, I will be honest. I need to rewatch it to make sure I didn't miss anything good.
But what I don't understand is your connection to Native Americans? I really don't understand your parallel at all. There is nothing that I saw that makes that connection. Maybe someone can explain that?
As far as I could see, it was an alien group who enslaved Earthlings. Which would Parallel Americans enslaving Africans if anything. Then the Earthlings rebel and overtake the aliens. They don't allow them be educated so they can't take over....which even though the Star Trek story flip flopped still parallels Americans enslaving Africans and curbing any sort of education to maintain control.
That is as much as I could get from it. Would someone like to explain the Native American parellel? I mean, Americans did most certainly tear Native Americans away from their culture and try to re educate them later in European ways, which was only part of the the horrible and cruel story of the treatment of the Native Americans, but I really don't see the parallel in North Star.
(EDIT) Actually, I just rewatched the episode. I think it was a GREAT episode. I thnk trying to create a parallel is totally wrong. I think if any thing it is a commentary on the nature of humanity. Not always good.
Great episode...great feel to it, and great story. I loved it.
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"Yes, madam, I am drunk. But in the morning I will be sober and you will still be ugly.
-- Winston Churchill
(Picture of the City and Country building in Salt Lake City, UT)
O Deus is right on the money. I loved the look and production design of the ep., but couldn't get past the hokey storyline, the self-righteous platitudes, and the awful, awful fight scenes. Archer's knocked out with a single punch?! Egads, what has humanity come to? The hokey chalk marks that are supposed to represent bullet strikes?! Hello?? Bullets would go right through a fence post, and phasers (even low-grade early models) would probably do the same!
Love how everyone keeps getting shot in the shoulder too... yeesh. The writers kept trying to throw in interesting topics (inter-racial breeding, an enslaved society becoming the enslavers) but it all gets flushed down the drain by Archer NOT being able to pull off the whole Clint Eastwood Vibe, but only managing to smirk instead. THEN he starts going off on the whole "mankind has put all these low prejudices behind us" new-age mantras, when what has the whole Vulcan/Human tensions been about?!?
Hated it. Switched over to the end of Smallville and watched the wonderful, wonderful "Angel" (which by the way, really knows how to pull the emotional strings - whew!)
I am sorry to tell you but you are wrong, wrong, wrong, this eposode is another high point not only for Enterprise but for Star Trek in general.
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