Minefield (Star Trek: Enterprise)

Last updated
"Minefield"
Star Trek: Enterprise episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 3
Directed by James A. Contner
Written by John Shiban
Featured music David Bell
Production code203
Original air dateOctober 2, 2002 (2002-10-02)
Guest appearances
  • Tim Glenn - Med Tech
  • Elizabeth Magness - Injured Crewman
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Carbon Creek"		Next →
"Dead Stop"
Star Trek: Enterprise season 2
List of episodes

"Minefield" is the twenty-ninth episode (production #203) of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise , the third episode of the second season. In this episode, which aired in October 2002, the spaceship the Enterprise is rocked by an explosion, and the crew tries to deal with the situation.

Contents

Plot

Captain Archer is in the captain's private mess, trying, unsuccessfully, to get to know Lieutenant Reed better. Meanwhile, Enterprise nears an uncharted and seemingly uninhabited planet for closer observation. Its proximity triggers a cloaked mine, heavily damaging the ship and flooding Sickbay with injured crew members. Soon, another cloaked mine is detected as it attaches itself to the hull, but it does not immediately detonate for some reason. With the core already damaged, it is feared that a further detonation will totally disable the vessel. Reed then goes EV to try to disarm it. As a backup plan, Archer orders Commander Tucker to prepare to detach and jettison the affected section of hull plating.

Initially Reed's efforts seem to be working, but an alien vessel decloaks, and fires warning shots. Ensign Mayweather steers the ship out of the minefield. During the maneuvers, a jolt accidentally activates another magnetic grappling arm that impales Reed's leg before attaching itself to the spaceship's hull, thus pinning him down. Archer then dons an EVA suit and attempts to disarm the mine under Reed's direction. While disarming the mine, Archer and Reed discuss command style, with Reed advocating a more rigid approach where members of the crew do not socialize with higher-ranking officers.

Enterprise then makes first contact with the Romulan Star Empire when two Warbirds decloak and demand that they jettison the mine with Reed attached. Knowing that any attempt to cut the arm would set off the mine, Reed becomes insistent on sacrificing himself to save Enterprise. Archer returns to the ship and requests two shuttle hatches from a puzzled Commander Tucker, also ordering him to detach the hull plate as planned. As the plates and the attached mine float off, he severs the spike holding Reed. This arms the mine, but Reed and Archer are also able to shield themselves from the resulting explosion. Enterprise then collects the crewmen before warping away from the Romulans.

Production

This is the first episode credited to writer John Shiban. He joined Enterprise having previously worked on The X-Files for seven years. [1] [2] [3] Shiban said it took some adjustment to write for the optimistic future of Star Trek, but that similar to his past work, "space is a scary place, there are creepy aliens and we don't know if we're going to succeed." [4] Shiban was in part inspired by the television series Danger UXB , which was set during World War II and was about team dealing with unexploded bombs. [5] Developing the episode, they decided Malcolm Reed would be the best character to try and pin down both literally and figuratively. Shiban had planned to use an unknown alien species, but the Romulans were suggested and it seemed like a perfect fit for the story, as the aliens needed to be unhelpful and unwilling to communicate. [5] Captain Kirk in the original series was credited as the first human to look a Romulan eye-to-eye, [6] so Rick Berman was careful not to contradict that, and the Romulans remained unseen throughout the episode. [7] Nonetheless, the introduction of Romulan cloaking technology 100 years before James T. Kirk and Federation outposts would encounter it—something Mr. Spock only theorized was even possible—is considered a clear canon violation. [8] They also thought it was important to recognize that the ship had been badly damaged, and not simply have the ship repaired and back to normal the next week. This led to the idea for the next episode "Dead Stop", where they must seek out help to repair the ship. [5]

The episode filmed for a week and a half, from July 19 until July 31, 2002. [3] Visual effects producer Dan Curry came in for two days during the next episode, to direct additional exterior ship shots with Dominic Keating. [9]

Filming was complicated by the bulky environmental suits, and the simulation of zero-gravity. [3] Dominic Keating said: "The space suits are the mother of all costumes. They weigh a ton. They are thick rubber. You sweat. I lost five pounds that week." He also said Bakula seriously put his back out. Despite the difficulties he was pleased with how the episode turned out: "it meshed together really well. It delivered some good character moments and good action too." [10]

Technology

"Minefield" is noted for its presentation of Star Trek's cloaking technology to a space mine. [11]

Reception

"Minefield" was first broadcast October 2, 2002, on UPN. [12] According to Nielsen a rating of 3.5 and a share of six, meaning 3.5 percent of households in America with TV sets saw the episode, and 6% of households watching television at the time were watching the show. This translated into 5.2 million viewers, an increase over the season premiere. [13] UPN was struggling with low ratings compared to the same time the previous year, and UPN executives argued that the drop was because Buffy and Star Trek had enjoyed unusually strong debuts. [14]

In his 2022 rewatch, Keith DeCandido of Tor.com gave it eight out of ten. [15] In 2021, The Digital Fix said this episode was one of the highlights from season two, and called it a "tense episode" and noting references to the Romulan Star Empire. [16]

Home media

The first home media release of "Minefield" was part of the season two DVD box set, released in the United States on July 26, 2005. [17] A release on Blu-ray Disc for season two occurred on August 20, 2013. [18]

Related Research Articles

Star Trek: Enterprise, originally titled simply Enterprise for its first two seasons, is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. It originally aired from September 26, 2001 to May 13, 2005 on United Paramount Network (UPN). The sixth series in the Star Trek franchise, it is a prequel to Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in the 22nd century, a hundred years before the events of The Original Series, it follows the adventures of the Enterprise, Earth's first starship capable of traveling at warp five, as it explores the galaxy and encounters various alien species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Balance of Terror</span> 14th episode of the 1st season of Star Trek: The Original Series

"Balance of Terror" is the fourteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek. Written by Paul Schneider and directed by Vincent McEveety, it first aired on December 15, 1966.

<i>Enterprise</i> (NX-01) Fictional spacecraft from Star Trek: Enterprise

Enterprise (NX-01) is the fictional spaceship that serves as the primary setting of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. The ship predates the other Starfleet ships named Enterprise and was first seen in the pilot episode "Broken Bow". Its missions included an initial period of deep space exploration and a mission into the Delphic Expanse following the Xindi attack on Earth; it was also instrumental in the formation of the United Federation of Planets with the Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites.

"Extinction" is the 55th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the third episode of season three. It first aired on September 24, 2003 on the UPN network in the United States. This was the first episode to include the prefix "Star Trek" in the title of the series. Set in the 22nd century just prior to the formation of the United Federation of Planets, the series follows the adventures of Starfleet's first Warp 5 starship, Enterprise, registration NX-01.

"The Xindi" is the 53rd episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the first episode of the third season. It first aired on September 10, 2003, on the UPN. The episode was written by executive producers Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, and directed by Allan Kroeker.

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.

"Fight or Flight" is the third episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. "Fight or Flight" was written by Brannon Braga and Rick Berman. Allan Kroeker served as director for the episode; he had previously directed "Endgame," the finale of Star Trek: Voyager.

"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.

"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".

"Countdown" is the 23rd episode of the third season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise and is the 76th overall episode. It first aired on May 19, 2004, on the UPN network within the United States. Set in the 22nd century, the series follows the adventures of the first Starfleet starship, Enterprise, registration NX-01. Season three of Enterprise features an ongoing storyline that follows an attack on Earth by aliens called the Xindi, a group of aliens that did not appear in preceding series.

"Rajiin" is the 56th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the fourth episode of season three. It first aired on October 1, 2003, on the UPN network in the United States. It was written by Brent V. Friedman and Chris Black from a story idea from Friedman and Paul Brown, and directed by Mike Vejar.

"Cogenitor" is the 48th episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the 22nd episode of the second season. Set in the 2100s of the Star Trek science fiction universe, the NX-01 Enterprise led by Captain Archer encounters an alien race with a third gender.

"Canamar" is the forty-third episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the seventeenth of the second season. The episode is directed by Allan Kroeker.

"Future Tense" is the 42nd episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the 16th of the second season. Set in the 22nd century of the Star Trek universe, a spaceship and its crew deal with aliens as they explore space.

"Dawn" is the thirty-ninth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the thirteenth of the second season. Set in the 2100s of the Star Trek universe, the Enterprise has set out to explore the galaxy.

"Shuttlepod One" is the sixteenth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. In this science fiction television show, a faster-than-light spacecraft sets out from Earth to Explore the Galaxy. It is set in the 2100s of the Star Trek franchise science fiction universe, following the events a century after Star Trek: First Contact.

"Two Days and Two Nights" is the twenty-fifth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. The episode won the 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Hairstyling For A Series. The television show episode first aired on UPN on Wednesday May 15, 2002. This episode was directed by Michael Dorn, with the story by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, and the teleplay by Chris Black.

"Shockwave" is a two-part episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. Part one is the first-season finale, the twenty-sixth episode, and part two is the second season opener, the twenty-seventh episode. Because of this, common to the Star Trek franchise in this period, part one aired on UPN on May 22, 2002, with a cliffhanger ending, but it was nearly four months before the second part aired on September 18, 2002.

Face of the Enemy (<i>Star Trek: The Next Generation</i>) 14th episode of the 6th season of Star Trek: The Next Generation

"Face of the Enemy" is the 140th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and the 14th episode of the sixth season.

<i>Star Trek: Enterprise</i> season 2 Season of television series

The second season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise commenced airing on UPN in the United States on September 18, 2002 and concluded on May 21, 2003 after 26 episodes. Set in the 22nd century, the series follows the adventures of the first Starfleet starship Enterprise, registration NX-01. The second season saw the series continue a concentration on stand-alone episodes as seen in the debut season, but the decision was made to start an ongoing story-arc to run into the third season with the second season finale episode "The Expanse". The second season also saw the return of executive producer Rick Berman to writing duties after he had been working on the film Star Trek: Nemesis.

References

  1. ↑ "03.27.02 X-Files Writer to Board Enterprise". StarTrek.com. Archived from the original on 2003-04-19.
  2. ↑ CHRISTOPHER ALLAN SMITH (March 27, 2002). "ENTERPRISE gains X-FILES scribe". Cinescape . Archived from the original on 2003-05-22.
  3. 1 2 3 ""Minefield" Completes Disarming Schedule". StarTrek.com. 2002-08-01. Archived from the original on 2003-04-23.
  4. ↑ Ian M.Cullen (23 July 2002). "John Shiban: The Trek is Out There". Sci Fi Pulse. Archived from the original on 2003-01-05.
  5. 1 2 3 Ian M. Cullen (19 June 2003). "John Shiban Talks About His First Year On Enterprise". Sci Fi Pulse. Archived from the original on 2003-08-26.
  6. ↑ Star Trek Balance of Terror (December 15, 1966)
  7. ↑ Dan Madsen (December 2002). "Star Trek Update". Star Trek Communicator. No. 141. p. 12 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ Cameron McEwan (24 October 2018). "Huge Star Trek plot points written out of canon". Digital Spy .
  9. ↑ "Dawson Does "Dead"". StarTrek.com. 2002-08-21. Archived from the original on 2003-04-13.
  10. ↑ "Dominic Keating - Lt Malcom Reed". Sci-Fi Talk. Archived from the original on 2003-10-03.
  11. ↑ The Realization of Star Trek Technologies: The Science, Not Fiction, Behind ... By Mark E. Lasbury Page 44
  12. ↑ "NBC Dominates Wednesday". Zap2it.com. 3 October 2002. Archived from the original on 2002-10-19. UPN's "Enterprise," 5.1/8, beat the season premiere of "Dawson's Creek" on The WB for fifth
  13. ↑ "'Minefield' Ratings Show Welcome Upturn". TrekToday.com. October 10, 2002.
  14. ↑ Phyllis Furman (2002). "UPN network ratings plummet". NY Daily News . Archived from the original on 2002-10-10.
  15. ↑ DeCandido, Keith (June 21, 2022). "Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: "Minefield"". Tor.com .
  16. ↑ Baz Greenland (2021-03-22). "Star Trek: Enterprise Revisited - A Look Back At Season Two". The Digital Fix. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  17. ↑ Ordway, Holly E. (August 7, 2005). "Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete Second Season". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Enterprise Season: Two Blu-ray Available August 20". StarTrek.com. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on February 18, 2014. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
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.