In the seventeenth episode of the third season of Enterprise, this was a bizarre one, and I’M UNCOMFORTABLE. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
Let this count as yet another example of one of those episodes where I spent most of the run time composing a review in my head that was meant to address something very specific, only to have it all ruined in the end. Y’all, I was truly lost during “Hatchery,” and the issues I had pointed out in “Stratagem” seemed even more glaringly bad in comparison. Archer has repeatedly broken the rules in this season, and yet, his refusal to abandon the Xindi insectoid hatchery was held up as the pinnacle of ethics. I couldn’t believe it! How could he possibly think that this was appropriate after all that he’d done?
That doesn’t mean that this episode vindicates what happens in “Stratagem.” I still believe that there’s a major oversight in the construction of that script. However, I now don’t have to write a giant rant about how the writers had no idea what they were doing with Archer here. OH, I WAS SO READY TO, Y’ALL. And it’s not because I disagreed with Archer’s plan! If you take out the part where he got sprayed in the face, and you write him as far less paranoid, there’s actually a point to be made here. Yes, you still have the contrast between his actions and his philosophy, but that’s easier to address. Lots of people hold beliefs that they don’t always support through their behavior. Humans are, unsurprisingly, quite complicated. Yet there was a logic to Archer’s initial theory, wasn’t there? If the Xindi believed that humanity was heartless and savage, wouldn’t it help disprove that if they did something that was undeniably kind? Would it help dispel what the Xindi believed of them?
It’s an idealistic theory, of course, and it relied on a whole lot of things going perfectly right, which made it seem even more impossible to the crew. It’s why Archer’s treatment of Reed in particular was so galling. How was he supposed to open up communications with the Xindi who were actively firing on them? Even if he had, how was he supposed to convey that Archer and the other humans were actually trying to help the hatchery, not harm it? They probably would have assumed the worst, right???
That’s a pivotal scene in this episode, because prior to that moment, it was still possible that Archer, while harsh, was actually on the right path. Sure, he seemed obsessive, but was he truly that far gone? OH GOD, I HAD NO IDEA JUST HOW FAR HE WAS GOING TO GO.
Seriously, though, that’s part of the allure of “Hatchery.” The writers introduce this concept, and then they commit to it. What would happen if Archer’s brain chemistry was quietly changed to make him feel a biological imperative to be the caretaker for these unborn insectoids? WELL, THIS IS WHAT WOULD HAPPEN! It’s such a slow burn, since Archer has been shown to be compassionate and kind, so it’s not like his initial decision is entirely out of the question. Where it goes, however, is wildly out of character for Archer, and each new scene with escalates things further. He relieves T’Pol of duty after she refuses an order in public, but it’s not even the tip of the iceberg. Plus, I understood why she was doing it! Archer seemed to be forgetting the entire mission that had been the basis for going to the Delphic Expanse, and wasting that much antimatter wasn’t going to help them leave the Expanse after they destroyed the Xindi weapon. (If they could even get there in the first place!)
Then Reed was relieved of duty, and then Archer turned into… good lord. That whole scene in the hatchery was too much. HE LET THEM CRAWL ON HIM, I WOULD LIKE TO NEVER SEE THAT AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I would have started a mutiny based on that moment alone. Can we update the Starfleet rules to include that mutiny is allowed if one’s captain morphs into the caretake for a bunch of baby insectoids? THANKS.
So, I’m glad that I got an explanation for Archer’s behavior. It doesn’t assuage my concerns over “Stratagem,” but I got to write a much different review for this episode than I had been planning. Also: NOPE TO THOSE EGGS.
The video for “Hatchery” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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