[ST:Ent][Tech] Overview of 1.14:"Shadows of P'Jem" SERIES: "Enterprise" EPISODE: "Shadows of P'Jem" PROD#: ENT014 EP#: 1.14 RATING: PG AIRDATE: wed-06-feb-2002-20:00 EPDATE: 6 months since launch OFFICIAL: startrek.com/library/ent_episodes/episodes_ent_detail_122669.asp FROM: Phillip Thorne, thorne@underbase.org POST-TO: rec.arts.startrek.tech, rec.arts.sf.tv REVIEW#: 8.0 FORMAT#: 3.2 This technical overview format is intended to be easy-to-scan, unambiguous, and precise, and a foundation for (in later revisions, a summary of) further freeform discussion. The NOTES are listed in seen-on-screen order, and ANALYSIS summarizes topics. It distinguishes between what is said/claimed by characters, from what is actually shown. Whenever possible, it uses spellings from the closed captioning (which may not be entirely consistent, or match those on the official website). Corrections to typos, phrasing, etc. are welcome, but please, only if you include a specific citation -- the idea is to avoid *half-remembered* lines and *unrealized inferences*. Abbreviations used: (m/f/?) name belongs to male/female/unclear, (os) onscreen, (sp?) spelling is unclear, (vo) voiceover, Adm admiral, Amb ambassador, Cpt captain, Cwn crewman, Vdb Vulcan database, VHC Vulcan High Command. This overview is (c)2002 Phillip Thorne, thorne@underbase.org. If you wish to reuse large hunks of text, or use this as a major source, please notify me and include a citation. PLOT SPOILERS BELOW! I. TERMS TRICKY [none] TECHNOLOGY Vulcan database, starship construction yards, shuttlepod plasma weapons; phase-pistols, dicobalt explosives, ditanium signature, triaxilating signal; launch bay, particle weapons; plasma bullet. CULTURE P'Jem Sanctuary, Coridan, Plomeek broth, Andorian ale. CHARACTERS Amb.Soval, Vulcan aide #1, Vulcan aide #2, Cpt.Sopek, Vulcan aide #3, Coridan Chancellor(f), Coridan rebel leader(m), Coridan Andorian agent(m), misc. rebels, Shran, Andorian #2, misc. Ent crew. MENTIONS Cpt.Gardner. III. NOTES TEASER 001. FX. People strolling around Starfleet HQ overlooking the Golden Gate bridge. 002. Adm.Forrest's office. Amb.Soval and 2 aides (of the VULCAN CONSULATE) confront the Adm. and an aide, conveying the HIGH COMMAND'S displeasure about the incident at the P'JEM SANCTUARY. Soval complains that, in "six months", Archer has "destabilized an entire sector". The Vulcans would've preferred CPT.GARDNER. Soval has been summoned to Vulcan for consultation, and in the meantime, JOINT FLEET OPERATIONS will be suspended. ACT I 003. FX Ent at impulse. 004. Officer's mess: Archer, Tucker, valet, (vo)Sato. In the VULCAN DATABASE, Archer found the planet CORIDAN, which has a mining agreement with Vulcan. Its population measures about 3 billion "humanoids". The CANCELLOR(f) has invited them to visit. They have the largest STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION YARDS in the sector; the products are rumored to "run rings around" Vulcan ships, and maybe even reach warp 7. [Archer might be teasing Tucker.] 005. Ready room: Archer, (os)Forrest. Realtime conversation. The Andorians gave the Vulcans 3 hours warning before "bombarding" P'Jem. 006. FX Ent low warp, track/zoom to Archer standing at ready room window. 007. Ready room: Archer, T'pol. They destroyed the SANCTUARY AT P'JEM, but gave warning to the monks and "intelligence operatives". The VHC blames "us" [presumably Archer and T'pol, not Ent]. Are sending a ship to take T'pol. She points out her assignment was supposed to last only 8 days; she was there as both observer and to "represent the interests of the Vulcan people". Archer believes she's being recalled as a scapegoat. 008. Corridor: Archer, Tucker, 2 crew. 009. Mess: T'pol, Phlox, many crew. "P'Jem Sanctuary". Phlox tells her this isn't the first time a Vulcan's been posted aboard a human ship, but none of her predecessors last more than a few weeks; she's lasted "over six months". 010. FX shuttlepod launches. 011. Shuttlepod: Archer, T'pol. When Archer asks, she explains the population is concentrated in several cities in the equatorial region; claims the Vdb has no data on what the people are like. 012. FX shuttlepod exits clouds above a city, day. 013. Shuttlepod: (vo)Tucker, (vo)Coridan(m). Pod is attacked. Coridan(m) orders "heading 317 mark 5". Archer orders the pod's "plasma weapons" readied. 014. FX aerial combat between pod and Coridan plane. 015. Shuttlepod. Hit again. ACT 2 016. Shed, night: Archer, T'pol; 3 Coridans. Archer and T'pol are hooded, bound hand and foot, tied back-to-back, seated on the dirt floor of a corrugated metal shed, in the rain of a thunderstorm. Archer explains Harry Houdini. T'pol claims Vulcans are not double-jointed. Three of their Coridan captors enter, ask about Archer (having never seen a human), their guns, and their ship. Archer says "the protein sequencer can make chicken sandwiches". T'pol lies by claiming she's the captain and he's a steward; the leader notes the Vulcan reputation for truthfulness. 017. FX Ent orbit. 018a. Situation room: Tucker, Reed, Mayweather, Sato, (os)Chancellor(f). She explains that they were kidnapped outside the city's SENSOR GRID, and that the rebels always demand a ransom in return for hostages: "side arms", DICOBALT EXPLOSIVES. 018b. Bridge: 4 above, 3 crew. Sato claims it'll take "days" to scan the billions of population for the hostages, and that with the pod powered down, it's almost impossible to detect its "signature". 019. Shed: Archer, T'pol; 2 Coridan. They talk about the Vdb, about P'Jem, T'pol's choices. They almost free themselves, then almost subdue one guard who enters, but are stopped by a second. 020. FX Ent orbit. 021a. Situation room: Tucker, Reed (Mayweather and Sato in bg). They've found a DITANIUM SIGNATURE that's probably the pod, 4-km outside the city, in a shantytown. 021b. Bridge. Sato receives an audio-only signal from the rebels; it's a TRIAXILATING SIGNAL, so she can't trace it. They demand 40 phase-pistols; afterward, Reed points out they only have 15. The Vulcan ship _Ni'Var_ arrives. 021c. FX bridge viewer: Sopek. ACT 3 022. FX _Ni'Var_ leads Ent in orbit. 023. Situation room: Tucker, Reed, Sopek, aide, guard (Sato in bg). Sopek claims it's not Vulcan policy to negotiate with terrorists. They leave; Tucker orders Reed to ready a shuttlepod. 024. Shed: Archer, T'pol; 1 Coridan. They're now tied separately and more tightly. A guard enters with two bowls of gruel. Archer refers to "Plomeek broth". He finds a red blinky in his gruel. 025a. Bridge: Sato, Mayweather, crewman at tactical. Sopek wants to know where the shuttlepod that left 9-min ago went. Sato refers to "Union Station". She fakes com difficulty. 025b. FX bridge viewer: Sopek. 025c. FX bridge viewer: _Ni'Var_. 026. Shantytown alley: Tucker, Reed, 2 cloaks. Tucker refers to "Emerald City". They're waylaid by two figures in cloaks. 027. Hideout: Tucker, Reed, Shran, Andorian #2. They're tied and hooded. The hoods are removed to reveal -- the Andorians from P'Jem! Shran says Sopek is the "senior Vulcan officer in this sector", so they keep close watch on him. The Andorians "know" they're "preparing for a war against us". The Andorians are here because there are several rebel factions, all against the corrupt government which is tied to the Vulcans. Shran is helping because he hasn't slept well since P'Jem; he dislikes being indebted. Map device. Explains they have an agent in the rebel base. The rebels have PARTICLE WEAPONS. 028. Shed: Archer, (vo)Tucker. The blinky is a com device. Archer is advised about the agent and upcoming rescue. ACT 4 029. Night [at this point the shots get too complicated to count: cutting between the gate of the rebel compound, its yard, several buildings]. Hooded, Tucker distracts the two gate guards with ANDORIAN ALE. The agent folds back part of the wall to admit the Andorians. They climb a guard tower, open the gate, Reed sneaks in; the tower explodes. Coridans fire. Vulcans show up and fire. The agent goes to free the hostages, but is shot by an errant beam through the wall. Reed(?) and Andorian #2 free them. 030. After the shooting, the Andorians and Vulcans confront each other. Sopek claims the Andorians are "in violation of the Tau Ceti Accords" by being here. T'pol sees a rebel get up, shoves Sopek aside, and is wounded in the hip. The wound is green. 031. Sickbay: T'pol, Phlox, Archer, guard, Sopek, Vulcan aide. Phlox claims "her injuries were quite extensive". Archer refers to "that plasma bullet". Sopek will meet with the VHC in 3-days. After he leaves, Phlox awakens T'pol with a hypospray, and advises she stay at least another 24-hours. V. CONNECTIONS The Vulcan consulate: see 101-"Broken Arrow". Starfleet admirals: see 101-"Broken Arrow". The P'Jem Sanctuary: see 107-"The Andorian Incident". Coridan: see TOS-"Journey to Babel". Andorians: see 107-"The Andorian Incident". Vulcan ship: see 108-"Breaking the Ice". Archer's father: see 101-"Broken Arrow". VI. ANALYSIS 1. Weapons: The shuttlepod fires orange bursts ("plasma weapons") from two emitters, the rectangular features on each side of the nose. The Coridan rebel plane fires similar orange bursts. The Coridan "particle weapons" fire orange bursts. The squarish Andorian handguns fire narrow green beams. The Vulcan rifles (squarish, stock, forward vertical grip, cylindrical muzzle) fire narrow aqua beams strung with pulses. Ent carries only 15 phase-pistols. 2. Coridan plane: A tapered cylindrical fuselage, slightly wider at the back. Two small pods or fins at the nose. Two narrow wings, about the length of the fuselage, mounted at the very back. Each has a slightly swept-back leading edge, and a small rectangular flap at the trailing edge's tip. 3. Vulcan ship _Ni'Var_: We get two views: front and rear 3/4 ventral. Predominant color: rust-red. The fuselage is at the center of a ring, connected by a tetrahedral ventral hull (looks like a triangular fin from the front, but is wide and flat at the back). The hull forward of the fin/ring is a long cone; the aft hull is flattened to a horizontal slab, which tapers to a very long, narrow point. There might be a rectangular docking bay on the starboard side of the forward hull, just forward of the fin; or it might be a shadow. Lit ports are spread irregularly around the forward hull. There are at least seven decks in the fin: 4 rows of lit ports, a gap, and 3 more. Spanning the fin's aft root (in the undercut) is a horizontal black row with a least 6 glowing blue vertical lines [impulse drive?]. The ring is flat, like a rolled strip of paper; not a torus. It's rooted just above the ventral tip of the fin; at the intersection is a white beacon. It has a blue glowing line all around its leading edge, but no glows inside, outside, or aft. There's a small round bulge at its dorsal edge ("up", "12:00", opposite the fin). At 9:00 (starboard), there's a flat rectangular feature, grey, with a blue rectangular light on its aft edge. 4. Andorians: Sleep. Can suffer psychological insomnia. Antennae twitch. Have blue fingernails. VII. NITS [None] VIII. NEXT WEEK "November 9th, 2151..." Reed and Tucker are stuck in a shuttlepod when the Enterprise is destroyed in an asteroid field.