EPISODE: "Future Tense"
   PROD#: ENT043
   TRAN#: 2.17
  RATING: PG-V
 AIRDATE: wed-26-feb-2003-20:00
  EPDATE: [no date given; autumn 2152 ?]
OFFICIAL: startrek.com/library/ent_episodes/episodes_ent_detail_127640.asp

    FROM: Phillip Thorne, thorne@underbase.org
 POST-TO: rec.arts.startrek.tech, rec.arts.sf.tv
 REVIEW#: 34.0
 FORMAT#: 5.0
     URL: underbase.org/dept/trek/ent217_canamar.txt

I. INTRODUCTION
I apologize that this edition is a bit later than nominal; my schedule this week was slightly distorted.  Nonetheless, I'm sure all you fellow Treknologists, who've previously expressed your enjoyment and appreciation of my Overviews, will still be happy to endorse my promptness and attention to detail; should any hiring manager ask.  (This shameless appeal has been brought to you by CFPJ-AGAUHFT, the Campaign To Find Phil A Job, To Avoid Guilt About Using His Free Time.) 

This technical overview is intended to support discussion of the current episode, and to later serve as a reference: it contains PLOT SPOILERS; CONTINUE AT YOUR OWN RISK.  Whenever possible, it indicates who did/claimed/knew what; the official of technobabble and alien nouns is obtained from TV closed-captioning ("CC") -- which is not always correct.  If you have corrections or clarifications, please contact me.  "Star Trek" and all related indicia are copyrights of Paramount Pictures, while this overview is (c)2003 Phillip Thorne.  Feel free to use this document as a reference, but please give credit where due.

Abbreviations commonly used: -(m/f/?) name belongs to mel/fem/unclear, (os) on [viewer] screen, (vo) voiceover, -(?) quote is uncertain, -(sp?) spelling is unclear; VDB Vulcan database, VHC Vulcan High Command; series: TOS TAS TNG DS9 VGR ENT.  Although CC uses "Launch Bay", "Sick Bay", and "shuttle pod", I often condense those terms to single words.

II. TERMINOLOGY
TECHNICAL:
warp 4.2, binary system, subdermal implants, depolarize, triburnium alloys, voice-print, particle cannons.

TECHNICAL/SHUTTLEPOD:
Shuttlepod One, main power, gravity plating, life-support.

BIOLOGICAL:
Melvaran mud fleas (edible), fluvian fungus (infection).

CULTURAL:
Enolians, Enolian Guard, pan zan, latinum, Enolian spice wine, Orion slave girl.

LOCATIONS:
Keto-Enol, Canamar, Tamaal, Duronom, Burala Prime, Nausicaan (CC reads "Nausican").

III. ANALYSIS
1. The Enolians are yet another near-human race.  They have multiple
Bajoran-like horizontal ridges across the nose; and around each eye,
two out-and-down-curving ridges beneath, and one above.  The planet
Keto-Enol is a major trading post.  The Enolian Guard maintains prison
facilities on the planet Canamar and (planet? prison?) Duronom.

2. The Enolian prison transport ship resembles the Arena Ship from
VGR:"Tsunkatse".  It consists of a disc-shaped midbody, with a pair of
vertically-stacked thrusters aft, and a long neck forward.  The
thruster housings are square, with white-glowing horizontally-louvered
throats, shaped like fat serifed "I"s.  Between the housings, and
recessed, is a set of plasma vents.  There are no obvious warp-glowy-
things, but the ship enters/exits with the standard white boom-flash.
From the raised center of the midbody run two large lateral extensions
(the port one contains the docking port), and four diagonal braces.
The neck terminates with a wedge-shaped "head" with a pronounced
"overbite"; where it joins the midbody is a dorsal bulge -- possibly
the command area.  (Given the mid-disc position of the docking port,
and the length of the adjacent command and prisoner areas, the "flight
deck" *can't* be way out there).  In the flight deck, the control
surfaces are flatscreens with multiple rectangular buttons.  Enolian
text appears to scroll vertically.

3. The Enolian patrol ships consist of a central pod slung between two
narrow "pontoons".  The pod has a pronounced vertical hump.  The
horizontal slab on which it sits extends beyond the pontoons as a pair
of down-canted stubby wings.

4. Kuroda's pickup shuttle consists of a narrow ellipsoid, embedded in
a spade-shaped hull; the flat edge is forward.  The curved aft edge
contains a white-glowing feature (impulse throat?) on each side.
There's a telescoping docking tube on the port side, and possibly
another (at least a port) on the starboard side.  In length, it's
shorter than the Transport's midbody, and perhaps one-quarter the
length of ENT's saucer.

5. What we don't see or learn: A date or location reference.  The
surface of any planet.  Civilian, non-criminal Enolians.  Enolian
language.  The names of the various species of prisoner.  Any part of
ENT besides the bridge and docking foyer.

IV. NITS
1. As usual, the script fails miserably to establish names for guest
characters.  Kuroda and Zoumas are named late in the episode; the
Enolian Officer, transport crew, and Nausicaan henchman (henchbeing?)
are never named at all.

2. Why is the Canamar prison colony so far (in a different star system)
from Keto-Enol?  Do the Enolians (and possibly allies) operate across a
wide region?

3. There are no communicators with UTs visible, yet Archer and Tucker
have no trouble conversing with the prisoners.

4. Why doesn't the prisoner transport have lockouts on the controls, or
a panic button/deadman's switch in case of revolt?

5. Archer displays the instinctive Starfleet talent for near-instantly
comprehending alien control panels.

6. Why is the transport's subspace transceinver located in the
dashboard?  (When Kuroda smashed it, Archer should've said, "Fine,
you've disabled the controls, but the transceiver is still perfectly
safe behind that bulkhead.")

7. During the ENT assault on the transport, why didn't they phaser-stun
Kuroda (in addition to slugging him), just to be safe?

8. Tucker didn't triumphantly say "I told you so" to Zoumas, after
Kuroda's despicable plan was demonstrated.

V. THIRD-PARTY COMMENTS
[...]

VI. EPISODE SYNOPSIS
TEASER:
ENT approaches "Shuttlepod One" (Sato), which is tumbling in space,
vacant, unresponsive to Sato's hails.  On the bridge are Sato, T'Pol,
Mayweather, Reed.  Reed's scans indicate it "took some weapons fire":
"main power" is "off-line", as are "gravity plating" and "life-
support".  There are no "bio-signs".

ACT 1:
The four command staff (plus Phlox) listen to Archer's log entries: he
and Tucker had made first contact with the "Enolians" of "Keto-Enol",
and had attended a "pan zan" match (a game reportedly similar to water
polo).  Phlox's "forensic analysis" had found traces of both officers'
blood aboard.

Meanwhile, the two of them are aboard an ENOLIAN PRISON TRANSPORT,
seated with a dozen other prisoners of various species (Nausicaan,
Enolian, at least three others), their wrists shackled in remote-
controlled shock-manacles tied to the deck.  One guard watches them; a
second enters from the forward command area, where the third crewmember
(pilot) remains.  (The cramped control area has a single small port; it
resembles a redress of the shuttlepod set.)  They're being taken to the
"processing station" in orbit of the "Canamar penal colony".  Later,
the prisoners are served gruel.  Tucker's seated next to ZOUMA, an
excessively-chatty alien who asks what they were smuggling: "latinum?
Enolian spice wine?"

In Keto-Enol orbit, T'Pol communicates with an unnamed ENOLIAN OFFICER,
who doesn't specifically recall the duo because it's "the busiest
trading outpost in the system".  Later, the Officer comes aboard, hands
over an Enolian PADD, and explains that the duo were intercepted by a
"patrol ship" which believed they were carrying contraband.  (The ships
are told to err on the side of caution.)  He's contacted the transport.

The guard comes aft to release the duo, and tells them they'll soon be
taken off.  The shackles of one Enolian prisoner (KURODA LOR-EHN)
suddenly fall off; he overpowers the guard, and releases his unnamed
Nausicaan co-conspirator.

ACT 2:
The Nausicaan tosses the guard's gun to Kuroda, then shackles him.  The
ensuing firefight (yellow beams) results in the pilot being knocked
unconscious; Archer talks himself into the job.  He familiarizes
himself with the Enolian flatscreen controls, and Kuroda orders him to
set course for a "binary system" 4 Ly away.  When Archer asks how he
asked, Kuroda shows scars on his wrists: "subdermal implants" to
"depolarize triburnium alloys".  Archer goes for the "subspace
transceiver" panel and, when Kuroda gets suspicious, explains that he's
shutting it down, because it leaves a "subspace signature" even when
not transmitting.  Later, he detects two "vessels" approaching "from
aft": ENOLIAN PATROL SHIPS.

Zoumas chats at Tucker.  He's thinking of visiting a particular surgeon
on "Burala Prime" to have his face "reconfigured".  He further advises
not to land in the polar regions: the natives are friendly, but it's
deadly cold.

Sato briefly receives an "automated distress signal".  The Officer
recognizes it as Enolian, and that it's near the rendezvous
coordinates.  T'Pol orders an increase to "warp 4.2".

ACT 3:
Archer advises against combat, ostensibly because the tranport is
outgunned; Kuroda orders him to target engines.  They drop from warp,
and receive a command to "pressurize your docking port".  Archer
hatches a plan to vent and ignite plasma (he gets Tucker released to
adjust the "plasma circuits"); it disables the two ships.  He persuades
Kuroda not to destroy them, and the transport returns to warp.  Archer
fabricates that he was captured while "outrunning a customs vessel near
Coridan".  While Archer examines a damaged "thruster assembly" (a
console), Zoumas explains how, as a boy, he was falsely accused of
stealing a "brace of latinum", and was sentenced to 5 years at
"Duronom" by the "Enolian Guard".  Zoumas confides that they're headed
for the system's fourth planet, a trading post called "Tamaal"; when
they arrive, his plan is to meet with another vessel, then put the
transport in a decaying orbit: if the Guard thinks he's dead, he'll be
unpursued.

Tucker is re-shackled.  Subjected to Zoumas' incessant chatter (about
how delicious live "Melvaran mud fleas" are, the time he spent two
hours with an "Orion slave girl", and what doctors can do these days
for "Fluvian fungus"), Tucker eventually snaps.

Aboard ENT, the Officer reports the incident, and that his superiors
have now issued orders to destroy the transport: by "voice-print",
they've identified the rebel as "Kuroda Lor-ehn", a man responsible for
many crimes (including brutal ones).

ACT 4:
Mayweather reports the transport has "dropped out of warp", and T'Pol
orders him to "drop to impulse".  The Officer reports that Tamaal has
over "two million" inhabitants.  Reed suggests using the transporter,
but it won't work (the Officer explains) because the transport is
"heavily shielded".  They detect a small vessel, with 4 Enolian bio-
signs aboard, armed with for and aft "particle cannons" -- no match for
ENT.

Archer sets Tucker to repair the docking hatch.  Tucker cons the
Nausicaan into twisting open a valve, and clobbers him with a pair of
manacles.  Zoumas, not believing Tucker's warning of imminent death,
shouts to warn Kuroda.  

The shuttle docks, the hatch opens -- and it's ENT crew!  (Reed,
Mayweather, and a yellowstripe male).  A firefight ensues as the orbit
starts to decay.  Kuroda is knocked out, and the prisoners are
evacuated; as Archer is dragging him into the shuttle, he awakens.  A
wrestling fistfight ensues, as systems overload and spark; Kuroda grabs
an oversized pair of manacles, but Archer has the remote, and zaps him.
Reed staggers back in, warns that the "docking seals" are giving way;
Archer exits, but Kuroda locks himself in the command area.

Back on ENT, Archer glares at the Officer.

VII. SFX SHOTS
TEASER:
 1. SHUTTLEPOD ONE tumbles slowly through space.
 2. OS: Shuttlepod tumbles.

ACT 1:
 3. ENTERPRISE at impulse, left to right.
 4. ENOLIAN PRISON TRANSPORT at warp, L to R, 3/4-dorsal view.
 5. ENT in orbit.
 6. Transport at warp, L to R, 3/4-ventral.
 7. ENT in orbit, dorsal.
 8. See (4).

ACT 2:
 9. ENT in orbit.
10. OS: ENOLIAN OFFICER.
11. Transport at warp, L to R, banks to port.
12. ENT at warp, port ventral.
13. See (4).
14. OS: 2 ENOLIAN PATROL SHIPS, forward.

ACT 3:
15. POV follows transport as it slows from warp; stars shrink from 
    lines to points.  Fires aft weapons.  Patrol ship, aft-dorsal.
16. 2 patrol ships hover aft of transport; aft-ventral.
17. OS: (?)
18. Blue gas billows from plasma vent between engines, close-up.
19. Plasma billows from transport to encompass patrol ships, dorsal.
20. Transport fires beam, ignites plasma.
21. Patrol ships knocked aside by burning plasma, aft.
22. Transport accelerates to warp, R to L.
23. ENT at warp.
24. Transport at warp.
25. Fixed POV as transport exits warp, turns toward binary stars, L to R.

ACT 4:
26. ENT at warp, L to R, fwd to aft-dorsal (good view of aft 
    saucer features).
27. Transport in orbit, L to R, stbd-dorsal.
28. OS: PICKUP SHUTTLE, aft.
29. Transport in orbit, R to L, port-dorsal.
30. Transport and shuttle, approach, fwd.
31. Transport and shuttle, recede, aft.
32. Transport and shuttle docked, screaming through atmosphere, ventral.
33. Transport and shuttle docked, atmospheric, port-aft.
34. Shuttle separates from transport, ascends, ventral.
35. Shuttle approaches ENT (green-side), extends docking tube.

VIII. PRODUCTION
REGULAR CAST:
Scott Bakula       as Cpt. Jonathan Archer
Connor Trinneer    as Chief Engineer LtCdr. Charles Tucker III
Jolene Blalock     as Sub-commander T'Pol
Dominic Keating    as Lt. Malcolm Reed
Anthony Montgomery as Ens. Travis Mayweather
Linda Park         as Ens. Hoshi Sato
John Billingsley   as Dr. Phlox (one scene)

GUEST CAST:
Mark Rolston       as Kuroda [Lor-ehn, the Enolian]
Michael McGrady    as Nausicaan [unnamed]
Sean Whalen        as Zoumas [of an unnamed species]
John Hansen        as Prisoner [Archer's benchmate?]
[other people]     as [other prisoners of various species]
Holmes R. Osborne  as Enolian Official [unnamed]
Brian Morri        as Enolian [Transport] Guard [also unnamed]
[somebody]         as [unnamed Transport commander]
[somebody]         as [unnamed Transport pilot]

CREATIVE STAFF:
Director:   Allan Kroeker ("Shockwave pt.2")
Written By: John Shiban ("Minefield", "Dawn")

NEXT WEEK:
Archer and Tucker are smugglers, Archer and Reed are spies...  A repeat of 208/034-"The Communicator", which demonstrates why mittens should always have lanyards.  (See: startrek.com/news/nextonent.asp, startrek.com/library/ent_episodes/episodes_ent_detail_126346.asp, underbase.org/dept/trek/ent208_communicator.txt)