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Connor Trinneer and Bill Cobbs on Enterprise.
Enterprise finally returns with new episodes after the holiday break, and its return is a quiet, simple tale that separates from the galactic episodes that have marked the first half of this season.
“Daedalus” is basically what is commonly known as a “bottle episode”, because it utilizes only standing sets and a minimum of guest stars. It’s the kind of episode the writers develop so they don’t spend a lot of money. This is the first one of the season, and I honestly found it a nice break from the sweeping arcs that have made up the first nine episodes so far this year.
The inventor of the transporter, Emory Erickson, comes to the Enterprise in order to test a new transporter that may mean the end of starships. But all this proves to be a sham, as Erickson makes one last desperate attempt to save his son, who was tragically lost during a transporter test.
Although I thought “Daedalus” was a fine piece of drama, what makes it work so well is the casting of Bill Cobbs. He is one of the finest character actors around, and he plays Erickson with natural talent. I enjoyed the character both because of the actor, and the subtle manner in which he was treated. For example, his injury and why he is in a wheelchair is never really explained, with only a quick aside to provide any kind of reason for his handicap (he apparently was disfigured as a result of an experiment gone wrong).
Subtlety is what made the character of Erickson work. Even his attitude towards Trip is low key. And there is no attempt here to make Erickson particularly likable. Through the episode, Erickson treats Trip with disrespect, kind of like an adult may treat a child. And while in some cases, the writers may be tempted to have Erickson and Trip make nice towards the end, that doesn’t happen here. Trip is left disappointed to find that he doesn’t personally like the very man who inspired him to become an engineer.
For those Trek fans, this episode is easily recognizable as perhaps an homage to the Original Series’ “The Ultimate Computer”, which had the brilliant inventor Dr. Richard Daystrom come aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise to test a new super computer. There was a similarity in the two characters of Erickson and Daystrom, but the stories diverge from one another as Erickson’s motivations are drastically different.
The episode also leaves the relationship between Trip and T’Pol a little up in the air. As it appears, the two have agreed that the romantic nature of their relationship seems to be over as T’Pol re-examines her faith. Personally, I’m happy to see the relationship end. Although the Original Series does feature a human/Vulcan relationship in the form of Spock, I think this was territory that Enterprise really didn’t need to explore too fully.
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