Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
"Terra Nova"
Topic Started: Jun 27 2005, 04:56 PM (209 Views)
Fesarius
Member Avatar
Admiral
[After seeing this one again, I believe it to be a first-rate episode on all accounts. The storyline was superb, and the execution of that story, very well done.]

****************

Terra Nova - June 27, 2005

The episode opens with Travis digging through some archives to find out exactly what happened to the Terra Novan colonists. Hoshi is curious as well, and is assisting him. Travis remarks that the archives contain several manifests, survey photos., and status reports. One person, Captain Mitchell, is identified from one of the photographs.

Hoshi asks if anyone there is still alive. Captain Archer mentions that he'll let her know when they arrive at Terra Nova, which will be in approximately three hours and seventeen minutes.

Interestingly, T'Pol has no knowledge of the events concerning Terra Nova, nor of humans' attempts at early space exploration. Referred to as "the great experiment" by Captain Archer, he explains to her that humans had colonized New Berlin on the moon, Utopia Planetia, and also a few asteroids. But these examples all resided within our solar system, and Terra Nova was an attempt to go beyond our current solar system. Being relatively close by (twenty light years), the temptation not to attempt to colonize it was too great. Colonizaton occurred, but then nothing was heard from the colonists for at least seventy-five years. When T'Pol asks why another ship was not sent to investigate, Archer informs her that it would have taken nine years there and nine years back. T'Pol submits that humans could have asked Vulcans for a ship that would have taken a considerably shorter length of time.

Once in orbit around Terra Nova, they attempt to make contact. There are no bio signs, but there is a low-level surface radiation detected by T'Pol.

The team beams down, and one of the first objects they see is a bicycle. They also see a 'Welcome' mat. Since the planet is very similar to earth, and since there was an old, rusted bicycle, I immediately thought of Miri.

After scouting around a bit, Reed sees something in the woods. He realizes that they are not alone on this planet.

Detecting several rock formations, the team investigates. Once near the opening, Reed offers to crawl into the chasm first, and Archer allows him to proceed. I thought of this as an effort on the part of Reed to discover first if there was any danger, and realized that Kirk would not have allowed one of his men to go before him into such a possibly dangerous situation. I also thought it may have had to do with the amount of merit badges earned by Eagle Scout Reed relative to Eagle Scout Archer (which we learn about in a future episode); however, I dismissed this.

Once inside the caves, the team happens upon what looks to be a kitchen, as they see a frying pan, knives, and food. Above them and along the ledges of the rocks are beings staring down at them. One of the beings from outside of the cave runs in rather quickly, and Reed fires on it, stunning the being. The beings that are in the rock ledges then disappear.

T'Pol, who is not with the team inside the caves, helps the remainder of the team to navigate out of the caves after Archer says they could use a little help. Using her tricorder, she directs them three meters, and then she corrects to ten meters. The team gets out okay, with the exception of Reed, who has been captured.

We first learn of the Situation Room in this episode. Perhaps this is a forerunner of what will become the Briefing Room during the time of TOS.

The Enterprise is referred to as the 'Skyship' in this episode.

The term 'Go-befores' is used by the Novans to refer to those that went before them. It reminded me of 'the Old Ones' and the 'Grups.'

Once aboard the shuttlepod, Archer shows some of the Novans what the Enterprise looks like, and remarks that it is similar to the ship (Conestoga) that first brought colonists to Terra Nova.

After Archer convinces the Novans to come aboard his ship to be examined, we learn that Nadet has lung cancer. We also learn that lung cancer is easily cured ca. 2151.

The Novans mention that the 'poison' rain' hurt them. We learn that 'poison rain' = radiation.

Shale = either a derogatory term, or a term of unbelief.

T'Pol discovers remnants of an impact crater which is the source of radiation on the planet.

Reed attempts to converse with his guard, to no avail. He discusses weapons, mentioning that the one the guard is holding is similar to one that he has seen before. He also asks to use a lavoratory, but the guard remains silent. Finally, the guard asks if Reed's belly is hollow (he wants to know if Reed is hungry).

Music is heard being performed from what looks to be a shell of sorts. It is rather soothing, and it is in the key of B-flat major.

Hoshi is able to recover a portion of one of the last transmissions recorded by the Novans. This one is from Captain Mitchell.

Mayweather reports what he has learned from his archival work. Mark Logan was the head of the opposition. The opposition was comprised of those whom were against the second wave of settlers. Logan informed earth that he was planning to fire on any ship that came into orbit, and Mitchell attempted to warn earth by sending a message. Ironically (according to Hoshi), Mitchell's message never reached earth (due to interference of sorts in the atmosphere). We are informed that the children survived, and that they began to live underground. To them, humans were the enemy, and this has been ingrained into them for generations, as these were the last words they heard before their parents were attacked.

Soil and foliage will remain eradiated for at least another decade, so coming to the surface is not an option for the underground dwellers.

Archer demonstrates that humans were here before the colony was destroyed.

The magnification of the image (photograph) is intriguing. They zoom in on Vera Fuller, and her daughter--about seven years old at the time--is Bernadette (i.e., Bernadette = Nadet) Fuller. Nadet seems to be very interested in what she is seeing at this point.

There are fifty-eight humans in the caves. T'Pol suggests that they use stun grenades (Trip suggested this earlier) and shuttlepods to evacuate the colonists; however, Archer notes that Enterprise is not a 'slave ship.' It appears that T'Pol is suggesting that Archer et al. forcibly remove them (in order to save them) but it's difficult to know if she is being serious or facetious (if the latter then perhaps to teach Archer a lesson in non-inteference?) at this point.

Archers asks Trip to come to the Bridge and to bring his map of Terra Nova. The Captain is looking for alternatives--anything that may be done to help save the Novans.

Archer suggests that similar underground topography may be the key. He also asks that 'diggers' be present in these new caverns. Then he and a few others (both team members and Novans) travel down to the planet in a shuttlepod.

Once the shuttlepod has landed, it begins to sink fast into a crater of sorts. They drop approximately eight meters.

When they get through the cut-through, they hear screaming. Akary (a Novan) has broken his leg, and he is situated under a very large log. According to Jaymin, Akary became sealed there when the shuttlepod 'quaked the rocks.' Now he and Archer need to trust one another, so that they can 'track' together and save Akary. To make matters worse, the water is also rising, which means that Akary will be submerged soon. Archer cuts through the log, and together they pull Akary out from under it.

Archer, T'Pol, Trip, and Boomer are shown sharing a meal together. Travis asks if T'Pol has ever heard of Judge Crater or Amelia Earhart. She has not heard of either of them. Travis explains that both disappeared in the early twentieth century, and that both mysteries kept people guessing for decades.

Archer, in a very nice gesture, suggests that Travis compile the report detailing the solving of the Terra Nova mystery. Trip voices some nice words for Travis as well (mentioning that it will most likely receive a lot of press back home), and Boomer beams from ear-to-ear.

Deleted scenes:

There are no deleted scenes for Terra Nova included in the DVD for this episode. However, this is one episode for which I wish there were deleted scenes, as the episode is first-rate.

Notable lines:

"I promised my Dad I'd see this place some day." (Mayweather). Travis is speaking of the Terra Nova colony.
"Looks like a ghost town." (Archer). This is one of the first reactions voiced once the telemetry is received, and images sent back to Enterprise.
"We're not alone, sir. There's someone in the forest." (Reed). The music is very percussive right at this point, and kettle drums are used in several places throughout the episode from this point onward.
"This leads to a network of caverns that extend for several hundred meters." (T'Pol).
"Those weren't aliens. They're human." (T'Pol).
"Have Dr. Phlox join us in the Situation Room." (Archer).
"A stun grenade will solve that problem." (Trip). This is one of the alternatives suggested by Trip in order to attempt to save Reed. However, Archer says that he wants 'no more casualties,' and the idea is dismissed--or put on hold.
"If I can't make first contact with h----- ... [then] I don't have any business being out here." (Archer). Archer almost voices the word 'humans,' but stops short of saying it. He is understandly angry at this point, believing that failing here could have greater ramifications for the future of their exploration. Hearing Trip's options are not helping matters.
"I've lost a bit of blood sir ... but I don't think it's too serious." (Reed).
"What makes you think we're here to hurt you?" (Archer). Archer puts the question to the Novans, as he's curious why they are as defensive as they are.
"Humans hurt Novans." (Jaymin).
"She'd be back before the sun rises on the overside." (Archer). The Captain is informing the other Novans when Nadet will be returned, and he is using the lingo of the planet quite nicely.
"Humans are like damp moss. They rot on the underside." (Guard).
"No matter how angry Novan threats may have seemed, there had to have been a way of dealing with this other than attacking us." (Mitchell).
"Nearly half of the adults are dead, including Dr. Tracy." (Mitchell).
"I don't have any medication to treat this, and it's only going to get worse." (Phlox). The Doctor is referring to the radiation poisoning which has been transmitted via the contaminated water, and which is killing the Novans.
"They've lived in those tunnels for three generations. You can't just pluck them up and bring them to a strange world and hope they'll learn to conform. You'd be destroying their indentity ... destroying the Novan culture." (T'Pol).
"Was that photograph of Vera Fuller and her daughter ... shale?" (Archer). Archer is still trying valiantly to convince Jaymin that his motivations are sincere.
"I think we're done dropping." (Archer). This is Archer commenting on the shuttlepod having sunk about eight meters.
"We have to pass the cut-through to get to your crewman." (Jaymin). Jaymin asks to borrow Archer's pistol. Archer realizes that he must trust Jaymin at this point. Not to do so would give the impression that the words of the Captain were to this point meaningless.
"It's your turn to trust me." (Archer). Archer asks to have his pistol back from Jaymin, so that he can cut through the huge log and reduce the weight that is on Akary's leg.
"I've seen back. Vera Fuller was my mother. That girl in the picture was me. A human girl. Our go-befores shared the same path. We should listen!" (Nadet).
"But neither of those mysteries holds a candle to Terra Nova. And we solved it!" (Mayweather). Travis is making a comparison between the (now solved) mystery of Terra Nova, and the mysteries concerning the disappearances of Judge Crater and Amelia Earhart.
"Those people were a year or two away from extinction. We didn't just find them, we saved their lives." (Trip).
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
Deleted User
Deleted User

Like you, I thought it was a great episode. A little slow in places, but overall one of the best of the season.

I don't understand why many people don't like it. :no:
| Quote | ^
 
Fesarius
Member Avatar
Admiral
^^^
I don't understand either. But you know what? It doesn't matter, right? :)
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
captain_proton_au
Member Avatar
A Robot in Disguise

It starts out with a very good story and teases you with a promise of being a really good ep, thats until we meet the Mad Max style Novans that have somehow de-evolved 5000 yrs in the space of 60 yrs
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
I liked it too. There's a lot of things about TOS that need explaining, and I think this episode does it quite well. For example, ever wonder how there are so many colonies by the 23rd Century?
Proton, they were forced to live underground, and as such couldn't read. Illiteracy will devolve you pretty quick.

Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
Fesarius
Member Avatar
Admiral
Noah,

Hi. I wonder if the beings on the rock ledges were actually stills (dummies) rather than the genuine article. I looked at them a couple of times last night, and I felt like yelling "Shale, I tell ya--Shale!" ;)
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
I'll have to check that out. Great to hear from you Fes!!!! How ya been!?!?!? :)
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
gdog243
Rear Admiral
I thought this episode was boring, and the novans were annoying as heck.
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
Fesarius
Member Avatar
Admiral
Noah,

Fine. No complaints. And you? :)
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
I'm good. Miss you though. :yes:
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
Fesarius
Member Avatar
Admiral
[Noah, please see Tangent thread.]
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
captain_proton_au
Member Avatar
A Robot in Disguise

Dr. Noah
Jun 27 2005, 08:34 PM

Proton, they were forced to live underground, and as such couldn't read. Illiteracy will devolve you pretty quick.

Nah, the girl was like 8 when the storm hit, then she was 70 something when the doc examined her, she would have been able to teach the others, and I'm sure they brought a library and kids books along with them, plus all the other technology.


It made absolutely NO sense
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
Dr. Noah
Sistertrek's Asian Correspondant
But you can't read in the dark.
Offline | Profile | Quote | ^
 
« Previous Topic · Enterprise · Next Topic »
Add Reply

Tweet
comments powered by Disqus