Shadows of P'Jem

Last updated
"Shadows of P'Jem"
Star Trek: Enterprise episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 15
Directed by Mike Vejar
Story by Rick Berman
Brannon Braga
Teleplay by Mike Sussman
Phyllis Strong
Featured music Paul Baillargeon
Production code115
Original air dateFebruary 6, 2002 (2002-02-06)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Sleeping Dogs"		Next →
"Shuttlepod One"
Star Trek: Enterprise season 1
List of episodes

"Shadows of P'Jem" is the fifteenth episode (production #115) of television series Star Trek: Enterprise , and was written by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. Mike Vejar served as director for the episode.

Contents

Captain Archer and Sub-Commander T'Pol are kidnapped while en route to a planet in the Coridan system, which results in a confrontation between Vulcan and Andorian forces. [1]

The events of this episode (coupled with that of "The Andorian Incident") proved to be the basis for many future occurrences and plot devices in the following three seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise. These included many reprisal attempts against both Archer and T'Pol by the Vulcan High Command, and the developing trust and respect between Archer and the Andorian Commander Shran. There would also be long-ranging implications for T'Pol and for her family, as revealed in the fourth season episode, "Home".

Plot

A Vulcan delegation, headed by Ambassador Soval, complains to Admiral Forrest about the recent diplomatic incident at P'Jem. Soval blames Captain Archer: in response, joint fleet operations are suspended, and Sub-Commander T'Pol is to be recalled from her post. Enterprise is already on its way to Coridan, a planet which has a mining agreement and the largest starship construction yards in the sector. As Archer and T'Pol head to the capital city, their shuttlepod is captured. Later, they try to escape, but are soon recaptured by Traeg, an anti-government leader, who then sends a ransom request of weapons to Enterprise.

After refusing to co-operate with the Vulcans (sent by Soval to return T'Pol to Vulcan) and their rescue mission, Commander Tucker and Lieutenant Reed mount their own, leaving Sato to somehow distract them. The pair are soon 'captured' by Commander Shran and Tholos of the Andorian Imperial Guard, who want to repay Archer for his interventions at P'Jem. The humans and Andorians covertly break into the rebel compound where Archer and T'Pol are being held, while the Vulcans, led by Captain Sopek, attempt a more direct rescue mission.

The rival groups then confront one another amid the wreckage of the compound. As they argue about treaty violations, T'Pol notices Traeg targeting the group. She pushes Sopek out of the way and takes the phaser blast meant for him. Archer gathers her up and leaves with his away-team. In Sickbay, Doctor Phlox treats her, and Sopek arrives to ask about her condition. Archer asks that T'Pol be given a second chance, and he agrees to lobby the Vulcan High Command on her behalf. As they leave, Phlox revives T'Pol with a hypospray, and Archer says that she will be on Enterprise for a while longer.

Production

The events of "The Andorian Incident" are referenced in this episode, and Jeffrey Combs returns as the Andorian Commander Shran. [2]

The episode included a sight gag in which T'Pol and Archer, tied back-to-back, try awkwardly to get themselves free, their efforts ultimately resulting in Archer momentarily being smothered by T'Pol's breasts. [1] [3] Blalock commented that one time during rehearsals the crew played "Love Shack" by The B-52s and gathered around them singing and clapping, while she and Bakula were stuck unable to move. [2] [4] When asked if he enjoyed the scene Bakula responded: "Oh, sure. If you've got to be tied up with somebody, it might as well be her". [5]

Reception

Shadows of P'Jem was first aired in the United States on UPN on February 6, 2002. [6] According to Nielsen Media Research, it received a 3.8/6 rating share among adults. It had an average of 6.1 million viewers. [7] [8]

Aint It Cool News gave the episode 2.5 out of 5. The review was critical of the episode for repeating what had already been made clear, that T'Pol had become part of the crew. He said the scene where T'Pol and Archer were tied up does "at times skirt the realm of crude and jarringly inappropriate slapstick". [9] Television Without Pity gave the episode a grade C+. [10] Keith DeCandido of Tor.com gave it seven out of ten in his 2022 rewatch. [11]

In a 2004 interview with Cinefantastique , Blalock criticized this episode as an example of the inconsistency and discontinuity that undermined the series: "In 'Shadows of P'Jem,' they made this huge story about how Vulcans were undermining Starfleet and had some kind of agenda, but they never went to readdress it." [12]

Home media

This episode was released as part of Enterprise season one, which was released in high definition on Blu-ray disc on March 26, 2013; [13] the release has 1080p video and a DTS-HD Master Audio sound track. [14]

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T'Pol</span> Character in Star Trek

T'Pol is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. Portrayed by Jolene Blalock in the series Star Trek: Enterprise, she is a Vulcan who serves as the science officer aboard the starship Enterprise (NX-01).

"Broken Bow" is the two-part series premiere of the science fiction television series Enterprise. It originally aired as a double-length episode, but was split into two parts for syndication, though releases on home media and streaming maintain its original one-episode format. A novelization of the episode, written by Diane Carey, was published in 2001. The episode won the 2002 Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series, and was also nominated for sound editing and make-up.

"Home" is the third episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. It first aired on October 22, 2004, on the UPN network in the United States. It was the second episode of the season directed by Allan Kroeker and the first in season four to be written by Michael Sussman.

"Kir'Shara" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. It was writer Michael Sussman's third episode of the season, while it was director David Livingston's second. The episode was the third in a three-part story arc, following on from the episodes "The Forge" and "Awakening". The title "Kir'Shara" refers to a Vulcan religious relic, and the three part Vulcan story arc explored themes relating to the Protestant Reformation resulting in comparisons to books such as The Da Vinci Code and The Celestine Prophecy, while the Kir'Shara itself was compared to the Nag Hammadi library.

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.

"Strange New World" is the fourth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise and was written by Mike Sussman Phyllis Strong based on a story from producers Brannon Braga and Rick Berman. David Livingston served as director for the episode.

"The Andorian Incident" is the seventh episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and was written by Brannon Braga, Fred Dekker and Rick Berman. Roxann Dawson served as director for the episode. As one of the most significant of the first-season episodes, the events of "The Andorian Incident" would continue to resonate into the third and fourth seasons. This would, in particular, affect T'Pol and her family.

"Breaking the Ice" is the eighth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and was written by Maria Jacquemetton and Andre Jacquemetton. Terry Windell served as director for the episode. The episode was nominated for the 2002 Emmy Award for visual effects.

"Civilization" is the ninth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and was written by Phyllis Strong and Michael Sussman. Mike Vejar served as director for the episode.

"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".

"Cease Fire" is the 41st episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the 15th episode of the second season. The series, set in the 22nd century of the Star Trek universe, follows the crew of Earth's faster-than-light spaceship, Enterprise, as they explore the galaxy under command of Captain Jonathan Archer.

"Stigma" is the fortieth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the fourteenth of the second season. This science fiction episode has a story about a spacecraft crew in the 22nd century, dealing with an alien disease, and also a morality play about sexually transmitted diseases.

"Fusion" is the seventeenth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise. Set in the 22nd century, the science fiction television episode is about a spaceship exploring a galaxy filled with alien life. It aired on UPN on February 27, 2002.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Seventh</span> 7th episode of the 2nd season of Star Trek: Enterprise

"The Seventh" is the thirty-third episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the seventh of the second season. In the Star Trek universe, a spaceship has set out from Earth in the 2100s to explore the galaxy.

"Fallen Hero" is the twenty-third aired episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise.

<i>Star Trek: Enterprise</i> season 1 Season of television series

The first season of Star Trek: Enterprise, an American television series, began airing on September 26, 2001, on UPN. The season concluded after 26 episodes on May 22, 2002. The series was developed by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, who also served as executive producers. Season one regular cast members include Scott Bakula, Jolene Blalock, Connor Trinneer, Dominic Keating, Linda Park, Anthony Montgomery and John Billingsley.

References

  1. 1 2 Timothy W. Lynch (March 1, 2002). "Shadows of P'Jem". SF Crowsnest. Archived from the original on March 23, 2006.
  2. 1 2 "Andorians Reboard Enterprise". Sci-Fi Wire. Scifi.com. January 15, 2002. Archived from the original on June 7, 2002. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  3. ↑ Matthew F Saunders (2002). "Ready ... Set ... Action :: Stunt coordinator Vince Deadrick Jr". Star Trek Communicator Issue 138.
  4. ↑ "Blalock Speaks With TV Critics". StarTrek.com. 2002-01-16. Archived from the original on 2004-04-08. the gag is we fall down. And obviously we can't move.
  5. ↑ Kate O'Hare (April 12, 2002). "Taking a 'Quantum Leap' Onto 'Enterprise'". Zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 2002-12-21.
  6. ↑ "NBC Runs Away with Wednesday". Zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 2002-04-22.
  7. ↑ "Episode List: Star Trek: Enterprise". TVTango. Archived from the original on February 15, 2016. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  8. ↑ "ENT's Final Ratings for "Shadows of P'Jem" Stay the Course". The Futon Critic . February 16, 2002. Archived from the original on 2004-09-16 – via TrekWeb.com.
  9. ↑ Hercules Strong (February 6, 2002). "HERC's Seen the First ENTERPRISE of Sweeps!!". Aint It Cool News .
  10. ↑ Keckler (2002-02-06). "Season 1 Episode 15". Television Without Pity . Archived from the original on 2002-08-31.
  11. ↑ DeCandido, Keith R. A. (28 February 2022). "Star Trek: Enterprise Rewatch: "Shadows of P'Jem"". Tor.com . Archived from the original on 2022-02-28.
  12. ↑ Paul Davidson (September 17, 2004). "Star Trek XI to Be Set After Enterprise". IGN .
  13. ↑ Scott Collura (March 26, 2013). "Remembering Star Trek: Enterprise with Scott Bakula". IGN . Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Star Trek: Enterprise - Season One Blu-ray Release Date March 26, 2013" . Retrieved 2021-06-11.
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.