In the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Enterprise, FUCKED UP. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Star Trek.
Trigger Warning: For extended talk of consent.
There are elements here that can be found in countless Trek episodes. I’m not gonna sit here and say “Observer Effect†is the first episode about an alien species that uses people for an experiment; it’s not the first script with non-corporeal beings, with first contact, with mysterious illnesses. And it’s certainly not even close to the first story about the Prime Directive or the ethical conundrums involved with space travel and progress.
And yet, it’s a disturbing and illuminating look at a lot of these things, and I’m still fucked up by this episode. It is the Prime Directive in reverse! What happens to Enterprise when a more “advanced†civilization makes some sort of contact with humanity? Are they morally obligated to remain neutral or is neutral observation even possible? Is there something inherently evil about observing other beings dying, even if you weren’t the cause?
This is a very, very Trek episode, which might be one of the reasons I enjoyed it as much as I did. But I respect that the writers of “Observer Effect†also committed to this premise so fully, first by giving us a scenario that is enraging and frustrating, and then following it to its logical conclusion. Because let’s be real: the “test†that the Organians use is bullshit. But I think it needed to be. It had to be detached from any sense of fairness and justice. It had to be vicious and terrible and the Organians had to view it as a normal thing. For thousands upon thousands of years, they have used a brutal and arbitrary test to determine whether or not another species is worth making first contact with. And the one thing that allows them to so wholly ignore the implications of their observations?
They are not responsible for the silicon virus that has killed so very many people.
It’s with that in mind that the two unnamed beings – who are able to instantly use any body as a host and then erase all memory of having been in said body – traipse around Enterprise, observing how the humans onboard react to this infection. They try to get a sense for how Tucker and Hoshi feel about it. They observe Phlox and Archer, vaguely interested in the responses both men give the situation. They discuss the entire thing as if none of the folks involved are anything other than an experiment or a possible bridge to a new understanding of a species. There is no compassion; understanding; sympathy. In fact, there’s a moment where the beings jump into the bodies of Hoshi and Tucker, and I think it’s the first time they actually experienced what the disease did to a body.
It’s horrifying to watch, and that’s clearly the point. But I adored that through this, the writers still were able to explore these characters. Watching Hoshi and Tucker bond and tell stories about themselves was THE LITERAL BEST PART OF THIS. (And the closest we’ve gotten to a Hoshi-centric story in a long while, which… ugh, come on, Enterprise.) Seeing the emotional toll this took on T’Pol, Archer, and Phlox was also satisfying because it revealed so much about how far they’d be willing to go to save the people they cared about. Then there’s T’Pol’s continued complicated feelings for Tucker, which I know I didn’t really address in the last review. (I WAS YELLING A LOT, SORRY.) I mentioned this on video, but I think the show is trying to show that just because she doesn’t have Pa’Nar syndrome, that doesn’t mean everything is perfect and great for her. If she really is learning how to be Vulcan differently, it’s possible that she has no real need for her emotions anymore. She’s certainly much less emotional lately than we’ve seen from her, so maybe that’s why she wants to keep her distance from Tucker.
EXCEPT THEN WHEN HE’S DYING, EVERYTHING HURTS, WHY HAVE YOU DONE THIS TO ME.
And look, I think this is a fine example of how a trope I normally dislike can work for me if executed well. I was completely shocked when Hoshi died and then the cure on Tucker didn’t work either. That’s what I meant earlier: the writers take this disease to its natural conclusion. People die. And normally, I would be pissed that Hoshi and Tucker were magically healed because it’s a cop out, but this episode is largely from the point of view of the aliens. It’s about their growth. It’s about one of them realizing that this system is corrupt and horrible and actually A REALLY INEFFICIENT WAY OF GETTING TO KNOW A SPECIES. (Bless this episode for having Archer, upon being asked how these aliens were supposed to get to know humans, tell them, “Ask us???†BECAUSE RIGHT.)
The character growth here is for creatures we never really see, and that’s a bold, ambitious thing. It’s a tough episode to watch, and I’m glad those two characters are alive. Poor Tucker, how many times is this show going to kill him off or almost kill him off? GIVE HIM A NAP, PLEASE.
The video for “Observer Effect†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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