EPISODE: "Cogenitor" PROD#: ENT048 TRAN#: 2.22 RATING: PG AIRDATE: wed-30-apr-2003-20:00 EPDATE: [Unstated; feb-2153 ?] OFFICIAL: startrek.com/library/ent_episodes/episodes_ent_detail_128560.asp FROM: Phillip Thorne, thorne@underbase.org POST-TO: rec.arts.startrek.tech, rec.arts.sf.tv REVIEW#: 39.0 FORMAT#: 5.0 URL: underbase.org/dept/trek/ent222_cogenitor.txt I. INTRODUCTION 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. Spellings of technobabble and alien nouns are obtained from TV closed-captioning ("CC") -- which does not always match the spoken dialogue, and is sometimes egregiously different with regards to previously-established spellings. In the Synopsis, I sometimes condense or reorder scenes, for clarity. If you have corrections or clarifications, please contact me, and I'll eventually make corrections. Discussion on RAST has fixated on negative impressions of "Enterprise", and possibly on the notion that it's fatally flawed in motive and execution. Please remember that TV series *can* change, that gems *can* be buried amid dross, and to appropriately discount the opinions of those who haven't actually *viewed* the episodes on which they opine. Isaac Asimov once wrote that "Star Trek" was an excellent vehicle to promote enthusiasm for science. I'm not sure that he and I were watching the same episodes of TOS, but the sentiment is certainly more true of this episode, with its B-plot hypergiant, than of many others. "Star Trek" and all related indicia are copyrights of Paramount Pictures, while this overview is (c)2003 Phillip Thorne. Some details provided by _The Star Trek Encyclopedia_, 1st ed., 1994. 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 ENTERPRISE TECH: Astrometrics, tactical array, transporter, matter stream, sarium microcell, phase cannon assembly, multiphasic emitter, B-deck quarters VISSIAN TECH: trinesium, stratopod, omicron radiation, warp core, plasma convertor, microgravity lab, quantum inverter OTHER TECH: photonic warhead STELLAR PHYSICS: hypergiant star, supernova, nucleosynthesis, flare, ionized hydrogen, magnetic flux BIOLOGIC AND MEDICAL: cogenitor, neural scan, synaptic density, neural mass LOCATIONS: Vissia, Didiron mountain range, Great Continent, Oahu, Florida, Singapore CULTURAL: Shakespeare, Sophocles, "The Day the Earth Stood Still", body-surfing, Stilton and Alsatian Muenster cheeses NAME-DROPPING: Chef III. ANALYSIS 1. What we get: a new alien species (the Vissians) and the distance (25 Ly) to their homeworld (Vissia), their starship and stratopod, star-diving VFX, consequences of meddling, materials science. 2. What we don't get: a date, a name for the Vissian chief engineer. 3. Although "the Sun is a mass of interstellar gas, a gigantic nuclear furnace" (to quote Doctor Demento), it's not undifferentiated: it has strata, layers. Our own Sol (1.4 million km in diameter) has visible surface is called the "photosphere", above which is the gaseous "chromosphere" (10,000 km), then the rarified corona (millions of km). The photosphere is in constant turbulent motion, featuring "granules" (1000-km features that last for 8 minutes), "sunspots", "flares", and arching "prominences". A flare is an explosive eruption that can take days to build, and releases its energy (the equivalent of millions of hydrogen bombs) in minutes; if pointed at Earth, the energy can distort the magnetosphere, ionize the upper atmosphere, and disrupt radio communications. A prominence is an arching tube of gas following twisted magnetic field lines, which can grow over 100,000 km in height. In the episode, when Archer speaks of "flares", he seems to be pointing at prominences. (Interestingly, the VFX depicting Archer & Drennik's trip through the chromosphere resemble those used to depict Earth's outer core in this spring's movie "The Core", in which an expedition is sent to restart its stalled rotation and recreate Earth's decaying magnetic field. One can imagine a sequel in which an even more unlikely craft must save the Sun from collapse, possibly from miniature black holes. See also Stephen Baxter's novel _Ring_, for a scientific expedition that uses artificial wormholes to protect a subsolar probe, and David Brin's _Sundiver_ for one that uses laser cooling.) 4. [Talk about: hypergiants and hypernovas] Ent is perhaps 150 Ly from Earth; the hypergiant is expected to go supernova in 100 to 200 years, c.2250-2350; hence, its light will reach Earth c.2400-2500, or sometime after the TNG era. A supernova within 10 Ly of your homeworld is a very bad thing (as illustrated in TNG:"11001001"), due to neutrino and debris flux; but even at 100 Ly the cosmic-ray flux might deplete your ozone layer, as proposed by Benítez, Maíz-Apellániz and Cañelles in 2002. www.aip.org/pt/vol-55/iss-5/p19.html (See also the Charles Sheffield novels _Aftermath_ and _Starfire_ for the consequences of Alpha Centauri going supernova (which it shouldn't, but that's part of the plot)). Supernovae are observed to occur about once per century years per galaxy (there are lots of galaxies to observe); for our own Milky Way, once every 30-50 years (though due to intervening dust, a visible one occurs only once every 200 years). They include the 1054 supernova in the constellation Taurus (observed by the Chinese), 1572 in Cassiopeia (by Tycho Brahe), and 1604 in Serpens (by Kepler and Galileo). SN1572 and SN1054 were visible during the day, the latter for three weeks. SN1054's remnant is now called the Crab Nebula. Pioneering observational work (in distinguishing supernovae from other events) was performed by Zwicky and Baade in the 1930s, while theoretical work was performed by Chandrasekhar at about the same time. [Talk about: nova and supernova types] Protheroe et al, _Exploring the Universe_, 3e, 1984. Abell, _Realm of the Universe_, 3e, 1984. Englebert & Dupuis, _The Handy Space Answer Book_, 1998. Yenne, _The Atlas of the Solar System_, 1987. 5. [Talk about: is hydrogen red?] The particular electron configuration of each element "tunes" its atoms to a specific set of energies (wavelengths, frequencies) of EM radiation, which may be observed with a spectroscope. Viewed with the naked eye, the discrete frequencies blur together, but are still distinctive: in chem-lab "flame tests"; in vapor-discharge lamps, the blue and yellow glows of mercury and sodium, respectively; in fireworks, the crimson and green of strontium and barium. 6. The Vissian engineer shows Trip a polymer composed of "over 200 naturally occuring elements", which astonishes the human because he knows of only 92 -- presumably hydrogen through uranium. That number can be quibbled: #43 technetium was synthesized in 1937 and has never been found on Earth, although it's been detected in the spectra of some stars; the only natural isotope of #87 francium has such a short half-life (22 minutes) that (it's estimated) no more than 30 grams exist in Earth's crust at any one time; and #93 neptunium exists in small quantities in the "natural nuclear reactor" of the Oklo uranium deposit in Gabon, Africa. The science of atomic nuclei indicates that, past #26 iron, heavier is less stable; however, nucleons are believed to accumulate in "shells" akin to electron orbits, for which certain "magic numbers" confer enhanced stability. This model predicts an "island of stability" at Z=104 to 120 ("Z" denotes "atomic number"). www.webelements.com www.qivx.com/ispt/ www.qivx.com/ispt/elements/ispt_043.htm www.curtin.edu.au/curtin/centre/waisrc/OKLO/index.shtml Ent uses duranium (204-"Dead Stop"), which must (per human knowledge) be an alloy; and dilithium must be a compound. _Voyager_ discovers element #247 in "Emanations". 7. T'Pol says "tri-gendered species are not uncommon" and Phlox concurs that they're familiar, if not as common as bisexual species; he even knows of one example with more than three sexes (the Rigellians, though he knows this second-hand and can't recall if it's four or five). In the Trek novels, Diane Duane's tentacled Sulamids "have twelve sexes, all of which insist they're male, especially the ones that bear the children" (_The Wounded Sky_), and Peter David's Brikar ("New Frontier" series) are hermaphrodites. (In Iain M. Banks' "Culture" novel _The Player of Games_, the third sex is called "apex". In Olaf Stapledon's classic _Last and First Men_, a post-human species that colonizes Neptune has 90 sexes -- actually, 45 versions of male and female; these subsexes are related not to reproduction, but to specific roles within the species' telepathic world-mind.) IV. NITS 1. Despite spending several scenes with the Vissian chief engineer, we never get his name. V. THIRD-PARTY COMMENTS [...] VI. EPISODE SYNOPSIS TEASER: Ent is studying a "hypergiant star", which is "losing mass" (T'Pol reports) such that it should supernova in 100-200 years; and that it would be unsafe to move any closer, because the hull temperature is approaching 1100 degrees. Her comment that she might be around to witness the event causes Trip to ask, "and how old would you be then?" (She doesn't deign to answer.) Archer comments that "no Earth ship" has ever been within 10 Ly of a hypergiant, and refers to the "Astrometrics" group. Reed reports another ship, 20,000 km closer in, at "261 mark 4"; T'Pol doesn't recognize it; and because of interference, Sato is able to establish only an audio link. They're greeted by CAPTAIN DRENNIK, from "Vissia", 25 Ly away. He asks if Ent has yet measured the star's rate of "nucleosynthesis"; when Archer answers that Ent lacks the tech to do so, Drennik offers to "modify" it. The two ships have in common the goal of meeting new species. ACT 1: In the Captain's Mess, Archer and Drennik chat. The Vissian explains that his ship's "trinesium" hull can withstand 18,000 degrees (it's been used for over a century) ("That would take you into the photosphere of most G-type stars," Archer comments) and that its "stratopod", with "twice as much shielding", can descend ever more deeply. In the Mess, the two crews mingle. Tucker introduces two women (exobiologist TRAISTANA and tactical officer VEYLO) to ice cream sundaes; he swaps with Reed to meet a married couple, the ship's chief engineer [unnamed], his wife CALLA, and their nameless third-gender "cogenitor" (they're working to conceive a child). The engineer recommends Tucker be innoculated against the "omicron radiation" emitted by the Vissian "warp core". Factoid: Vissian food is highly aromatic. In Sickbay, Phlox innoculates Trip, who asks about three sexes. Phlox isn't surprised, and mentions that Rigellians have four (or maybe five; he's unsure). He guesses that in the Vissians, the cogenitor provides an "enzyme to facilitate conception". Factoid: the innoculation will last 12 years. Aboard the cramped two-seat stratopod, descending towards the "chromosphere", Archer is impressed and enthralled by the stellar atmosphere around them. Drennik provides an apropos quote ("there are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio...") and explains that, at his request, Sato had provided the plays of Shakespeare and Sophocles; Vissians "read quickly, and retain most of what we read." Archer identifies a red "flare" as "ionized hydrogen". Trip and the engineer are in the Vissian engineering control office, a window opening behind them onto the domed main chamber with its swirly _Voyager_-style warp coil. The engineer explains that the "antimatter stream is compressed before deuterium is injected" -- obviating the need for magnetic confinement, Trip realizes. "Plasma convertors". A polymer composed of "over 200 naturally occuring elements" (Earth science knows of only 92). Trip changes the subject to Cogenitors, and learns that they comprise about 3% of the population, and are assigned as needed. They are not sent to school. ACT 2: Archer tells T'Pol he'll be taking a three-day, billion-km trip with Drennik in the stratopod, and that the Vissians have asked for a sampling of Earth films. LATER, as the pod descends towards the "edge of the photosphere", Drennik explains that the Vissians developed warp drive nearly 1000 years earlier, but don't travel great distances because there's so much nearby. LATER, Drennik permits Archer to take the controls (which operate on "five spatial axes"). They pass a blue "flare" (its "magnetic flux" could cause control problems), and loop around a prominence. T'Pol enters Engineering, where Trip and another engineer are working atop the core. He tells her how the Vissians regard their cogenitors, and compares it unfavorably to Porthos's treatment. "Tri-gender reproduction is not unknown," she says. In Sickbay, he continues his campaign of persuasion with Phlox. Phlox had, as usual, scanned the Vissians as they came aboard; but not "neural scans", and Tucker plots how to conduct one. In Vissian Engineering, he learns that: when their engine reaches "critical mass", "a mixture of electrons and neutrinos" is injected, boosting efficiency by 30%. LATER, at a home-cooked dinner in their quarters, he learns that Calla is in charge of the "microgravity lab", and that for Vissians, aroma is more significant than taste. LATER, in Sickbay, Phlox examines Trip's clandestine scans and determines that the cogenitor has comparable "synaptic density and neural mass" to the others. LATER (after learning about "rotating the quantum inverters to triple the antimatter flux"), Trip sneaks out (on the pretext of lunch in the Vissian mess) to meet the Cogenitor; he's brought a PADD to teach her to read. In the Mess, Reed has assembled a collection of eight cheeses for Veylo to sample, as they have the strongest food scents aboard. It includes "Stilton" and "Alsatian Muenster". She wishes to see the "tactical array". ACT 3: In the quarters, Trip tries to convince the cogenitor to use the pad. "Why are you doing this?" it asks, agitated. "It's not right for me to read." He eventually convinces her, and LATER... she's reading a Vissian book. ("The Didiron mountain range runs through the upper plains of the Great Continent... the flora and fauna differ on each side of the central plateau...") He's amazed at the progress she's made in a single day. He excuses himself to make his scheduled apperance in the "astrometrics lab", and it tells him it's chosen a name for itself: Trip, after him. "Actually, my name is Charles." "Charles, then." On Ent, the step out of a turbolift and sneak through the corridors. He shows her the "transporter", which can send a "matter stream" anywhere within "about 2000 kilometers". They enter Engineering through an aft upper-level hatch; he proudly explains that he's had it up to "warp 5.1". "Do you live here?" it asks; no, on "B-deck". In his quarters, he agonizes over a movie for it to watch (on his deskscreen), and chooses "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Later, they discuss the film while playing Go (or a similar board game), and Trip is surprised at her win. "Nobody's beaten me in two years". LATER, T'Pol tells Trip that he's no longer welcome aboard the Vissian ship. He explains his activities and motivations, but she's not impressed. "You know how important this was to Captain Archer... You may have irreparably damaged this first contact." LATER, the cogenitor sneaks into Engineering and requests sanctuary. "They won't help me. But you can. I want to stay here, please." Reed shows Veylo around the armory. She asks if the torpedoes have "photonic warheads", but he's not familiar with the term. He notes that the weapons (racked on the wall) use "sarium microcells"; the Vissians use something similar. He shows her through the hatch to the "phase cannon assembly". In that cramped chamber, he explains that the "multiphasic emitters" have a "maximum yield of 80 gigajoules". To his shock, Veylo wants to have sex, and explains Vissian custom. In the pod, they drop 10 km to get a better "particle count of the photosphere". A "flare" forms ahead, and since Archer (still at the controls) can't climb above it, he goes through -- and explains that he learned the technique on the "north slope of Oahu, bodysurfing". ACT 4: The stratopod returns to the docked starships, and Archer calls Ent; T'Pol answers. In his Ready Room, Archer and T'Pol face Tucker; the captain orders T'Pol out, then angrily confronts his friend, who defends his actions. "You did exactly what I'd do? If that's true, then I've done a pretty lousy job setting an example around here." He speaks of his own quandries with morals and aliens. Archer and Tucker meet with the cogenitor. LATER, In the conference room, Archer meets with Drennik, the engineer and Calla. Drennik remains reasonable, but Calla is distraught: "Do you know how long we waited to get [a cogenitor]?" LATER, Archer and T'Pol go to Tucker's quarters, where he and the cogenitor are listening to a piano concerto. The Vissian ship departs. Drennik is still cordial, and Archer voices his hope that this won't sour future relations. In his quarters, Archer reclines on his bed, Porthos and a water-polo ball in his lap. Sato calls, relaying a message from Drennik. LATER, Tucker enters Archer's ready room -- and the captain tells him the cogenitor is dead: suicide. "Why? It can't be," the engineer asks in shock, then realizes, his voice tightening. "It's my fault. I'm responsible." "You're damn right you are," Archer snaps, and again scolds his impulsive nature. The cogenitor is dead, and a child won't be born. "You thought you were doing the right thing. I might have agreed if this was Florida, or Singapore... Dismissed," he concludes, turning away. "Captain?" asks Trip. Archer stares out the window at the stars. VII. VFX SHOTS 1. Ent in orbit of hypergiant star 2. (OS) Vissian ship against star 3. Ent docked to Vissian ship, starboard dorsal, L2R 4. Stratopod closeup, descends R2L 5. Ent docked to Vissian ship, starboard ventral, L2R 6. Stratopod loops around prominence 7. See (3) 8. Stratopod 9. Stratopod 10. Stratopod 11. Stratopod dives through prominence 12. Stratopod emerges from other side 13. See (5) 14. Stratopod approaches docked ships, port ventral 15. See (3) 16. Vissian ship retracts tube and moves off, aft 17. (OS) Drennik 18. Ent at warp, starboard ventral, L2R VIII. PRODUCTION REGULAR CAST: Scott Bakula as Cpt. Jonathan Archer Connor Trinneer as LtCdr. Charles Tucker III Jolene Blalock as Sub-commander T'Pol Dominic Keating as Lt. Malcolm Reed Anthony Montgomery as Ens. Travis Mayweather [no lines] Linda Park as Ens. Hoshi Sato John Billingsley as Dr. Phlox Porthos GUEST CAST: Andreas Katsulas as Vissian Captain [Drennik] F.J. Rio as Vissian Engineer Larissa Laskin as Vissian Wife - Calla Becky Wahlstrom as Cogenitor Stacie Renna as Traistana Laura Interval as Vissian Woman #2 [Veylo?] [Other Enterprise crew] CREATIVE STAFF: Directed by LeVar Burton ["Geordi LaForge"] Writen by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga NEXT WEEK: In 049/223-"Regeneration", they meet Borg leftovers from "First Contact", once upon set on their assimilating ways. See: http://startrek.com/library/ent_episodes/episodes_ent_detail_128643.asp