"Unexpected" | |
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Star Trek: Enterprise episode | |
Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 5 |
Directed by | Mike Vejar |
Written by | Rick Berman Brannon Braga |
Featured music | Jay Chattaway |
Production code | 105 |
Original air date | October 17, 2001 [1] |
Guest appearances | |
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"Unexpected" is the fifth episode (production #105) of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise , and was written by Brannon Braga and Rick Berman. Mike Vejar was the director.
A ship feeding off Enterprise 's warp field is exposed after the crew ignites the plasma exhaust. Commander Tucker visits to help them repair their the ship. After his return to Enterprise, he learns that he is pregnant.
In Engineering, Commander Tucker is trying to solve ship-wide problems with power supply and life support. Sub-Commander T'Pol discovers a distortion in the wake of the Enterprise. Captain Archer ignites the plasma, revealing a cloaked ship. He hails the vessel and a Xyrillian, Captain Trena'l explains that they have been tapping the Enterprise's exhaust to recharge their engines. Archer offers assistance. Tucker is to visit for three days, and he is given injections by Doctor Phlox so his body can adapt to the alien environment.
Once aboard, Tucker meets Ah'len, the Xyrillian engineer. They become ever more friendly while repairing the ship. Ah'len takes him to a holodeck to show him Thera, a city on the Xyrillian homeworld. During the tour, Ah'len engages in a seemingly innocent game that allows them to share their thoughts and desires. When the repairs are completed and Tucker returns, he notices a strange growth on his wrist. He visits Phlox, who tells him that he is pregnant (though Phlox also states no genetic material is taken from the male involved). Tucker mentions the telepathic game and Phlox says that it might be the transfer medium for the alien fetus. Later, as the embryo grows, Archer asks T'Pol to locate the Xyrillian ship.
They discover it hiding in a Klingon warship's plasma wake. Archer hails Captain Vorok, and helps them to detect the Xyrillian ship. Vorok is angry, and wants to destroy the ship, but T'Pol reminds him that Archer was the one who found Klaang and saved Qo'noS from civil war, and that the Chancellor himself called him "brother" in the Klingon High Council. Tucker goes to the Xyrillian ship, and Ah'len notes the embryo is young enough to be safely transplanted. She apologises to him, informing him she was not aware pregnancy was even possible with another species. Vorok ends the encounter after securing the Xyrillian's holodeck technology, but warns Archer against a future meeting. T'Pol later informs Tucker that his was "the first recorded instance of a human male pregnancy".
Staff member André Bormanis later explained that the inclusion of a Klingon battlecruiser design similar to what had been used previously in the franchise (in time periods set later in the timeline) was to indicate the slow evolution of Klingon ship design. He compared this to the speed of changes seen in the rockets used by the Russian Space Agency, and said that the philosophy for the Klingons was that "if the design works, why change it?" [2] Connor Trinneer loved the episode concept: "How often do you get the opportunity as an actor to tackle things like this?" [3]
Michael Westmore created the nipple effect using gelatin, same as you can buy in the supermarket, as it offered greater luminosity than latex or rubber, and better resembled human skin. [4]
"Unexpected" was first aired in the United States on UPN on October 17, 2001. According to Nielsen Media Research, it received a 5.2/8 rating share among adults. It had an average of 8.2 million viewers. [5]
Sunny Lee of Entertainment Weekly said the comedic episode "mixed irreverent wit [...] with a bit of inter-galactic pondering about biological reproduction" but that it was resolved before things got too sentimental or serious. [6] Daryl H Miller of the Los Angeles Times called "Unexpected" "one of the cleverest episodes on any channel". [7] About.com's Julia Houston gave the episode a positive review, and wrote: "Funny without being sentimental, a good adventure with enough outrageousness to compensate for the lack of any real danger. It's too fluffy to watch every week, but a few times a season will keep us smiling." [8] Jason Bates of IGN rated it four out of five. He liked the humor, saying it had "some genuinely funny moments". He also appreciated that "the aliens were alien for a change". Bates would have liked the supporting characters to have had something to do in a subplot and was disappointed by Blalock's muted performance, but found the episode "a fun ride overall." [9] Keith DeCandido of Tor.com gave it three out of ten. [10]
In 2017, Screen Rant ranked the Xyrillians, the aliens featured in this episode, as the 14th most bizarre aliens in Star Trek. [11] This episode was noted for alien Xyrillian impregnating Trip, and for showing a nipple on screen, but not in the way the audience might expect. [12]
In 2011, Star Trek Magazine rated this episode one out of five, and named it the worst of the season, dismissing it as "too silly". [13] Empire picked "Unexpected" as the worst episode of the series. [14] Star Trek: The Complete Manual published by SciFiNow listed it as the worst episode of the series. [15] WhatCulture ranked this episode the tenth worst episode of the Star Trek franchise. [16] Digital Fox ranked this episode as the third worst episode of all Star Trek up to 2018. [17] SyFy included this episode in a group of Star Trek franchise episodes they felt were commonly disliked but "deserved a second chance". [18] Michael Weyer, writing for CBR included this episode on a list of episodes of Star Trek they stated were "So Bad They Must Be Seen", and said the "man getting pregnant" story trope rarely works well in any medium. [19]
This episode was released as part of Enterprise season one, which was released in high definition on Blu-ray disc on March 26, 2013; [20] it has 1080p video and a DTS-HD Master Audio sound track. [21]
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.
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.
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Charles "Trip" Tucker III, portrayed by Connor Trinneer, is a fictional character in the television series Star Trek: Enterprise.
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"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 UPN 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.
"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 UPN within the United States. The episode was written by executive producers Brannon Braga and Rick Berman, and directed by David Straiton.
"Observer Effect" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise and the eighty-eighth overall. It was first aired on January 21, 2005, on UPN. It was written by Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens, and directed by Mike Vejar. Set in the 22nd century, the series follows the adventures of the first Starfleet starship, Enterprise, registration NX-01. This episode sees alien entities test the Enterprise crew by observing their reactions to a deadly silicon-based infection. Actual first contact with these aliens – the Organians – would occur about a century later, during the events of the original series Star Trek episode "Errand of Mercy".
"Strange New World" is the fourth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise and was written by Mike Sussman and Phyllis Strong based on a story from producers Brannon Braga and Rick Berman. David Livingston served as director for the episode.
"Terra Nova" is the sixth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and was written by Brannon Braga and Rick Berman. LeVar Burton served as director for the episode.
"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.
"These Are the Voyages..." is the series finale of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise. The 22nd episode of the fourth season and the 98th of the series overall, it first aired on UPN in the United States on May 13, 2005. It is a frame story in which the 22nd-century events of Star Trek: Enterprise are recounted in a 24th-century holodeck re-creation that is folded into the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Pegasus", which aired eleven years earlier. It features guest stars Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis and Jeffrey Combs, as well as a voice cameo from Brent Spiner. Series creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, who co-wrote the episode, conceived "These Are the Voyages..." as a valentine to Star Trek fans.
"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".
"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.
"Canamar" is the forty-third episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, the seventeenth of the second season.
"Silent Enemy" is the twelfth episode of the television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and was written by André Bormanis. Winrich Kolbe served as director for the episode, which has music by Velton Ray Bunch. Several guest stars include Jane Carr, Guy Siner, Paula Malcomson, and John Rosenfeld. This episode first aired on UPN on January 16, 2002.
"Acquisition" is the nineteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise that originally aired on March 27, 2002, on UPN. The episode was developed into a teleplay by Maria and Andre Jacquemetton from a story by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, and was directed by James Whitmore, Jr. Set in the 22nd century, the series follows the adventures of the first Starfleet starship, Enterprise, registration NX-01. In this episode, a group of interstellar alien thieves knock out the Enterprise crew and begin looting the ship. Commander Charles "Trip" Tucker III is the only one left to stop them.
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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.
"They're nipples," announces Star Trek makeup artist Michael Westmore, proudly presenting three pink blobby things on a tray."Entertainment Weekly - Sept. 2001 - TrekCore 'Star Trek: ENT' Screencap Image Gallery". Trekcore.com.