Bounty (Star Trek: Enterprise)

Last updated
"Bounty"
Star Trek: Enterprise episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 25
Directed by Roxann Dawson
Story by Rick Berman
Brannon Braga
Teleplay by Hans Tobeason
Mike Sussman
Phyllis Strong
Featured music Jay Chattaway
Production code225
Original air dateMay 14, 2003 (2003-05-14)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"First Flight"		Next →
"The Expanse"
Star Trek: Enterprise season 2
List of episodes

"Bounty" is the 51st episode of Star Trek: Enterprise , the 25th episode of the second season. It presents the Tellarite aliens, seen previously in "Journey to Babel" of the original series. There is a Pon Farr sub-plot with T'Pol.

Contents

This episodes follows on from the story of "Judgment" where Archer was sentenced to life in the Rura Pente gulag but managed to escape. The Klingons have put up a bounty for his capture, so various bounty hunters are pursuing him. The story arc with the Klingons continues into the next episode, "The Expanse", the season finale. In the secondary story, a bacterium infects T'Pol and prematurely induces part of the Vulcan mating cycle known as "Pon Farr", which tests the medical skill and professionalism of Dr. Phlox.

Plot

The crew of the Enterprise encounters Skalaar, a Tellarite who is surprisingly friendly and offers to give them a tour of a nearby planet. Skalaar is actually a bounty hunter and abducts Captain Archer, planning to turn him over to the Klingons for payment. The Klingons have placed a substantial price on Archer's head since his escape from Rura Penthe. Archer soon learns that Skalaar plans on using the reward to buy back Tezra, his previous ship.

On Enterprise, Sub-Commander T'Pol and Doctor Phlox begin an hours-long decontamination after a recent away mission. T'Pol begins acting strangely, and begins making sexual overtures to Phlox. It appears that a microbe has activated pon farr, the Vulcan sex drive. Phlox races to find a treatment, but T'Pol's actions become more and more erratic. Finally, she knocks Phlox out and escapes from decontamination. Lieutenant Reed and a security team manage to subdue her. Later, T'Pol wakes up feeling more or less her usual self, and embarrassed by her actions, Phlox promises not to mention what happened to anyone.

Meanwhile, Skalaar runs into trouble when a rival bounty hunter tracks him down and demands that he turn over Archer. Skalaar refuses, and the rival opens fire. In the battle, Archer convinces Skalaar to temporarily free him, and the two men land on a nearby planet to make repairs. As they work, Archer learns more about Skalaar's circumstances. Skalaar turns Archer over to the Klingons as planned, but ends up receiving only two-thirds of the promised reward. In revenge, he alerts Enterprise to the location of the Klingon ship, and Archer escapes in an escape pod. Enterprise arrives and retrieves Archer, damaging the Klingon ship enough to end the battle. Some time later, Skalaar contacts Archer and warns that the price on Archer's head will probably double. Grateful, Archer bids Skalaar farewell.

Production

Michael Westmore had previously expressed interest in revisiting the design of alien characters from the original series, [lower-alpha 1] saying doing a better Tellarite was a goal, but that the design would depend on the script. [1] [2]

The script was written by Hans Tobeason with Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong. Tobeason previously wrote for shows such as SeaQuest DSV , Now and Again and Birds of Prey . The story concept came from producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. [2] This was director Roxann Dawson's fifth episode of Enterprise, and third episode of season 2. [2] Production started on Wednesday, May 19, 2003 and ran until May 27. [2]

Robert O'Reilly who played the bounty hunter Kago-Darr, previously played the Klingon Chancellor Gowron in Star Trek The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine. He was particularly grateful for the job, having recently become father to triplets at the time. [3] Jordan Lund who plays the bounty hunter Skalaar, previously appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation as a Klingon and in Deep Space Nine as a Bajoran. His Klingon character Kulge was killed by Gowron. The second Tellarite, Skalaar's brother Gaavrin, was played by Ed O'Ross. [2]

Reception

"Bounty" was first broadcast on the UPN in the United States, on May 14, 2003. It was aired as part of a double bill directly after "First Flight". [4] According to Nielsen Media Research it had a ratings share of 2.3/2 and was watched by 3.54 million viewers. [5] [6] Both episodes saw a reduction in viewing figures compared to previous weeks, which was attributed to them being broadcast at the same time as the series finale of Dawson's Creek on The WB. [4] [7] "Bounty" received a lower ratings share of the two episode but slightly higher audience numbers. [6]

Jamahl Epsicokhan of Jammer's Reviews gave the episode 1.5 out of 4. He compared the main bounty hunter plot to Midnight Run but found it "pedestrian and obvious" complaining that yet again this season Archer was thrown in a cell. He was highly critical of the contrived and gratuitously sexualized subplot. [8] Michelle Erica Green, writing for TrekNation, said the episode was not as bad as she had expected it to be, the T'Pol subplot having been heavily advertised in advance. She found the main plot too similar to the episode "Canamar" calling it a boring and derivative wrongful-imprisonment storyline. The T'Pol subplot did not disgust her as much as several Star Trek: Voyager episodes. Green recognizes that she was not the target audience for this but was critical that we don't learn anything from it and that it was unlikely to make the show's rating rise because it was not going convince anyone to watch Enterprise regularly. Green did praise the Tellarite makeup and appreciated the continuation of the Klingon storyline, but said that it was wasted on this episode. [9] Baz Greenland of The Digital Fix said the episode was a travesty. He called the main plot "okay" but was critical of the subplot the exploitative sexualization of Jolene Blalock. He rated it the worst episode of the season, and concluded: "Embarrassing and unforgivable at every level..." [10] IGN reviewed season 2 and criticized this episode, saying it came off as an example of "cheap pandering" to fanboys. [11] In his 2022 rewatch, Keith DeCandido of Tor.com gave it 2 out of 10. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jonathan Archer</span> Fictional character from Star Trek: Enterprise

Jonathan Archer is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. He is one of the protagonists of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, where he was portrayed by Scott Bakula.

"Impulse" is the fifty-seventh episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the fifth episode of season three. The episode was written by story editor Jonathan Fernandez from a story by Fernandez and Terry Matalas. It first aired October 8, 2003 on the UPN network in the United States. The episode was described by Paramount Pictures as "as close to a horror show as Star Trek gets".

"Chosen Realm" is the 12th episode from the third season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. The series's 64th episode, it first aired on January 14, 2004. Enterprise is taken over by a group of religious zealots called Triannons and Archer must re-take it before it's too late.

"The Council" is the seventy-fourth episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the twenty-second episode of season three. It first aired on May 12, 2004, on the UPN network in the United States. The episode was the fifth of the series written by Manny Coto, and it was directed by David Livingston, his fourth of the third season.

"The Augments" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the eighty-second episode overall. It is the last of a three-story episode arc, preceded by "Borderland", and "Cold Station 12". "The Augments" was directed by LeVar Burton, from a script by Michael Sussman. The series follows the adventures of the first Starfleet starship Enterprise, registration NX-01. In this episode, "Augments", genetically enhanced humans, and Doctor Arik Soong, their surrogate father, escape Cold Station 12 after stealing frozen Augment embryos from storage. Soong plans to hide out with the Augments and raise the embryos, but Malik, their leader, is tired of hiding and attempts to instigate a war between Starfleet and the Klingons.

"A Night In Sickbay" is the thirty-first episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the fifth episode of season two. It first aired on October 16, 2002 on the UPN within the United States. The episode was written by executive producers Brannon Braga and Rick Berman, and directed by David Straiton.

United (<i>Star Trek: Enterprise</i>) 13th episode of the 4th season of Star Trek: Enterprise

"United" is the 13th episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise and the 89th episode overall. It was first broadcast on the UPN network on February 4, 2005. It is the second of a three-part story which included the previous episode "Babel One", and the following episode, "The Aenar". "United" was written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens from a story idea by show runner Manny Coto. It was directed by David Livingston, his third of the season.

"Marauders" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the 32nd episode overall. It first aired on October 30, 2002, on the UPN within the United States. The story was created by executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga with a teleplay by David Wilcox. A similar premise had been included in the original pitch for Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry.

"Judgment" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of Star Trek: Enterprise, the forty-fifth episode overall. It first aired April 9, 2003, on UPN.

"Dead Stop" is the thirtieth episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the fourth of the second season. It was directed by Star Trek: Voyager cast member Roxann Dawson.

"Carpenter Street" is the 63rd episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the eleventh episode of season three. It first aired on November 26, 2003, on the UPN network in the United States. It was written by executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga and directed by Mike Vejar.

"Terra Prime" is the 21st episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and originally aired on May 13, 2005. The story was developed by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, along with André Bormanis, and developed into a script by the Reeves-Stevenses and show runner Manny Coto. The episode is the second of a two-part story, which started in "Demons". The episode was directed by Marvin Rush, his second for the series.

"Divergence" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. It originally aired on February 25, 2005 in the United States on UPN. It was the fourth episode of Enterprise to be written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, and was the first episode of a Star Trek series directed by David Barrett. "Divergence" is the second part of a two part story, following on from "Affliction".

"Affliction" is the fifteenth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and originally aired on February 18, 2005. The script was written by Mike Sussman from a story by executive producer Manny Coto. It was the second episode of Enterprise to be directed by Michael Grossman. The episode is the first of a two-part story, which concludes with "Divergence".

"The Aenar" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and originally aired on February 11, 2005. It was written by André Bormanis from a story by Manny Coto, and was directed by Mike Vejar. "The Aenar" was the third installment of a three-part story which concluded the events of episodes "Babel One" and "United".

"Babel One" is the twelfth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and originally aired on January 28, 2005. The episode was written by Mike Sussman and André Bormanis, and directed by David Straiton. "Babel One" was the first of a three-part story which continued in the episodes "United" and "The Aenar". The arc was intended to precede the Romulan War which had been mentioned in previously aired episodes of the franchise, while "Babel One" was a reference to the Star Trek: The Original Series episode "Journey to Babel".

"The Shipment" is the fifty-ninth episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the seventh episode of season three. It first aired on October 29, 2003 on the UPN network in the United States. The episode was written by Chris Black and Brent V. Friedman. It was directed by David Straiton, his sixth episode of the series at that point.

"First Flight" is the fiftieth episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the twenty-fourth episode of the second season. It first aired on May 14, 2003, on UPN. It was written by John Shiban and Chris Black, and was directed by Star Trek: The Next Generation actor LeVar Burton.

"Dear Doctor" is the thirteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and originally aired on January 23, 2002, on UPN. The episode was written by Maria and Andre Jacquemetton, and was directed by James A. Contner.

"Sleeping Dogs" is the fourteenth episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. It was written by Fred Dekker and directed by Les Landau.

References

  1. ↑ "Starlog Magazine 311". June 2003.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Production News: Dawson Brings in "Bounty"". StarTrek.com. 2003-03-28. Archived from the original on 2003-04-10.
  3. ↑ "Catching Up With Robert O'Reilly". Star Trek.com. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "'Idol' in Middle of FOX's Wednesday Route". Zap2it.com. May 15, 2003. Archived from the original on 2003-05-18.
  5. ↑ "Episode List: Star Trek: Enterprise". TV Tango. Archived from the original on February 15, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  6. 1 2 Lowry, Brian (May 21, 2003). "Sweeps has ABC on ropes". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on June 1, 2003. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  7. ↑ Krutzler, Steve (May 21, 2003). "Final Ratings: CREEK Finale Double Trouble for "Flight," "Bounty" Doubleheader". TrekWeb. Archived from the original on December 28, 2004. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  8. ↑ Jamahl Epsicokhan. ""Bounty" | Star Trek: Enterprise". Jammer's Reviews .
  9. ↑ Green, Michelle Erica (September 18, 2003). "Bounty". TrekNation . Retrieved April 1, 2021.
  10. ↑ Baz Greenland (March 22, 2021). "Star Trek: Enterprise Revisited - A Look Back At Season Two". The Digital Fix.
  11. ↑ Peter Schorn (July 27, 2005). "Star Trek Enterprise - The Complete Second Season". IGN .
  12. ↑ DeCandido, Keith R. A. (12 December 2022). "Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: "Bounty"". Tor.com . Archived from the original on 2022-12-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.