Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ Enterprise's Cold Station 12..., Fans won't like it!

More Khan then Khan: Cold Station 12 delivers little to promote faith in segment 3~


Cold Station 12, the second segment starring the much vaunted fan favorite actor Brent Spiner, returned to lead the mini-arc once again down that beaten path. As I watched the episode, I was frankly in shock at just how much of the plot was lifted from the pages of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan from the torture scenes of Cold Station-12 to the attack on Enterprise itself it was all too familiar. I expected to hear an angry Malik cry out “I mean to deprive you of your very lives!” Everything about this episode was burrowed and rehashed.

The biggest missed opportunity here in this segment of the arc was that of shedding some light on to why Soong believes Augmentation is the key to Human progress. Not to mention why this belief in genetic engineering has led him to steal and incubate 20 or so embryos of Augments on a desolate planet leaves the plot very empty. The motives of Soong are a key issue in this arc yet our writers have neglected to include them. They are in fact the catalyst in the attitudes of the Augments and their actions 10 years later. This would have been a perfect time to spread some light on the formation of first Augments and their purpose and how they came to power and started the Eugenics War.

The allegorical nature of the first two original visits from the Superman has completely been lost in this debacle of a mini-arc. The fact is that Eugenics War was an allegorical tale based on the Eugenics Projects of the Nazis. Historically the first real attempts to create a race of superman through genetic manipulation. They failed because the Nazis’ just didn’t know enough about genetics to generate a master race as envisioned by Hitler, Hess, and Himler. In Wrath of Kahn and Space Seed the allegories were both about Man’s abuse of science coming back to haunt him. Still big unanswered questions were left in the plotline in both visits from Khan as to the society which developed these Supermen and their purpose. Merely being super intelligent and super strong can’t be the issue of why an entire war started? Hitler was neither super strong nor super intelligent and he managed to start a World War! The fact is that Star Trek has painted the idea of genetic engineering as negative based on the whims of the Nazis Party’s actions some 60 plus years ago now. We need a reason. Something plausible and interesting as to why the Eugenics War started!

We also have to think of the timeline that any pre TOS Star Trek lives in as being a purely Cold War phenomenon so that does limit some things but a good writer can work with limitations and turn them into assets. There has to be more to the Eugenics war then just a hand full of Genetically Engineered madman with dreams of being the next Alexander the Great! Reasons must exist as to why they exist and why they attempted to wipe out their non-genetically enhanced counterparts. Perhaps a different vision of the Eugenics War is needed?

At this point Manny Coto should have been thinking, what do I do to make this episode plausible? How do I make the Augments and Soong connect to the rest of the Eugenics storyline and how do I make the audience connect to the concepts I want them to? How do I answer the big questions I’ve just created in the storyline like this then how come they say in Space Seed that 80-90 superman escaped Earth and now there’s 1800 plus embryos? How do I explain why Starfleet has these embryos from 200 years ago? How do I explain the actions of the Augments? In short what will it take in this arc to make more answers then questions.

Manny failed to see these issues and instead went with the more explosions more bangs and more ham acting. However the ham acting is in the true spirit of the Eugenics issue, in The Wrath of Khan it was almost a duel between Shattner and Monteban to out do each other. And in this grand tradition good ol’ Brent Spiner does do his best to keep up with the masters of Star Trek ham acting Bill Shattner and Ricardo Monteban. And the actor who’s playing Malik seems to be the b-grade knock off of Khan to the T. The fact is that the Augments are just wooden figurines stuck on the set with no passion or skill for acting. The absurd names of the Augments aren’t exactly doing much to inspire belief in their super human abilities and the fact they blunder every scenario makes one wonder about that super intellect. The fact is Manny has failed to get to the essence of the issue at hand with the Augments and has failed to create characters of depth and interest. Why do I care what sex scene they push Malik and Persis into? It doesn’t make a difference to me showing one or both in their underwear if the writers don’t have any real plans for character growth? It all means nothing!

Where Cold Station 12 left me flat was in how utterly lacking it was in development. What are Soong’s plans for the future of the augments? Is there any negative dynamic growing between the plans of Soong and Augments? The fact remains that without explaining what Soong’s plans for the Augments all this action seems like it is being used in place of any substance! Even the big attack on Enterprise by the Bird of Prey made very little sense. The fact is the Enterprise still has the cell ship with the cloak? Where is it? Why aren’t they using it? Isn’t this mission perfect for the Cell Ship? Find the Bird of Prey track it and covertly communicate with the Enterprise about its position then use the Enterprise to beam in the assault team… One must wonder why the stun setting has no effect on the Augments yet some how the boot of Archer is used with out any problem on one.

~How to improve the Arc~

Are the writers of this series so utterly infantile that they wish us fans to believe that all genetic engineering ends in own way. Warrior Supermen and Superwomen bent on destroying Earth. Isn’t that a bit simplistic? The fact is it was stated that the Eugenic Wars were started in 1993-1996. This means that if Khan was going to be a young prince in this era of time, he’d have to be born somewhere between 1963-1973 to be a young prince in the early and mid nineties. This deviation from the real history of the world and Star Trek’s vision is perfect because it creates an allegorical element to the story telling. It allows the writers to talk about current problems or problems we could face in the future in a non-threatening manner. What could of the writers done to this arc to make it less Wrath of Khan like and more interesting for the viewer?

Picture this if you will the year is 1965. The Cold War is heating up after the loss in Korea. The war in Vietnam is looking bad. The French have lost in 1954 and America is leery of entering the fight because of Communist Genetic Engineering programs that have continued the German work since the end of WWII. The Western World is afraid of a Genetic Engineering Gap that could lead to an edge in Russian weapon technology. They fear that the Russians are amassing a giant army of genetically engineered soldiers. Soldiers that aren’t dependent on free thought but in need of a command figure. Soldiers that need fewer resources to live on and can fight longer with less giving them an edge in the perceived nuclear wasteland of the post-atomic battlefields of Europe and Asia. Both sides of the cold war are frantically working towards these super soldiers. They create batches and batches of genetic materials incubate these humans then implant them into willing people for birth. Bam you have an army in a short generation. The first Generation is a tool manipulated by cold war generals in various small global conflicts. By the 70’s the next generation is born an officer corps of genetic superman the next super generals with superman at their command. This is Khan’s generation. This is a generation of generals and officers that are highly intelligent highly ambitious and most importantly highly capable field officers. Man’s need for larger stronger forces in the field leads to a need for a new breed of generals and this in turn leads to the first of the Eugenics wars. The Super Generals turn from leading armies of Super Generals and Superman for nations that are using them as pawns in the Cold War into Revolts against said nations and finally each other. Story Ends with Khan leaving the Earth on the Botany Bay in 1996 and then lost in space for 200 plus years until Kirk awakens him.

What’s the new wrinkle for this arc? Well the Eugenics program is restarted by a radical scientist named Arik Soong. He’s certain that humanities flaws are correctible by using genetic engineering. Using stolen classified documents from the Eugenics era he starts to piece together a new batch of genetically engineered supermen and women into two groups. Due to the ban on genetic engineering research on Earth Soong leaves Earth for a remote location. He develops the genetically engineered soldiers in two groups the leaders who are philosophers and intellectuals and the loyal but dependent soldiers that follow the will of the elite of this two class system. The whole new colony is perhaps a mere 100 to 120 people strong they have a few small shuttles that Soong brought with him some 20 years earlier and their will to succeed. The key factor is that as the years pass Soong’s dream of just reengineering the human race turns into a seething hatred for humanity that he willing passes down to his successors. Soong should be a ruler that leads by the cult of his personality. He becomes a god and vision to these supermen and women that see him as father and leader all at once.

The focus of the first episode in this arc should be on Soong’s death and the augments lashing out at Earth raiding shipping lanes to gain materials for future offensives against the Earth and her colonies. The episode should develop the miss use of technology not the technology itself as the fault. The fault should lay on Soong himself and not the Augments. As the story progresses and Archer is sent into the unknown region of space called the frontier and not the Borderlands. Archer realizes that he’s not just fighting the Augments but fighting the ghost of Soong and the Eugenics war… Ie research time for Archer and Crew. And as they go further and further into the frontier to find the augments the crew of the Enterprise to have to question their own sensibilities of right and wrong too. Even the Orions could be put in this arc but not as slavers but as mercenaries employed by the Augments to increase their forces. The raided ships’ crews could be sold into slavery but that would be more of a side bar issue.

The point is that this approach to the storytelling does three things: 1, it makes the story more psychological in nature requires more fully developed characters and more clearly defined premises of actions; 2, it links to the past Eugenic Wars it even expands on their origins and fills out the wholes there but it doesn’t contradict the premise of Space Speed and Khan being the last of the Eugenic War Era soldiers. He would be for the new augments would only be based on the research of the 20th century and improved on. 3, it gives a far more complex scenario for Archer and crew to deal with now they’re not just dealing with a mad man and his evil augments Archer and crew are dealing with the nature of man as well. The issue reverts back to the men that attempt to play god and why the creation usually corrupted by their goals.

This is the way I would have written it. I would have done away with the pathetic klingon issue which is no issue really. I would have done away with all this posturing and caveman bravado of who’s the strongest. I would have gone right to the interesting issues of how Soong turns for idealist into madman bent on the creation of a super race. How he corrupts his creations and how the creations of his dream attempt fulfill his teachings about Earth. I would do away with these pitiful Khan antics and really truly create a super character more then in strength.

~Finale Score~

Manny Coto along with the Boys and Girls in the Writing Staff: 2 Losses
Special F/X: 2 wins
Viewers: Probably most diehard Star Trek fans with fall all over this arc praising it. Yet anyone with intellect will be amused that this is drivel that passes for saving Enterprise! Possibly even more amused that some how changing the name of the head producer seems to be all it takes to get most disgruntled fans to stop complaining. Showing once again that name recognition is really the issue at hand here when viewers watch Enterprise considering that the story telling style and basic elements of this arc are no better then the dragged out and poorly conceived Berman and Braga debacle of season 3!

My score: -10, Nice Try Coto, next time do it without the cliff notes to Wrath of Khan!

Next Episode The Augments: Thrilling Conclusion or More Run of the Mill Melodrama? I guess we’ll find on out on Friday at 8pm… I can’t wait to see the conclusion, I know it will be just as trite and contrived as the rest of this story arc has been.

I liked the episode.

There's also already a Cold Station 12 thread in the Enterprise section of the board.

http://www.scifispace.com/members/forums/i...topic=2275&st=0

Didn't you read the title?

Didn't you read the title?

Yes, yes I did. Did you read the other thread? Most people here who watch ENT have already posted there.

Well I didn't know a specific board existed so I posted in the most general place i could.

No worries. But your post would probably get more attention in the Enterprise section.

Like I said, I dug CS12. I felt it was entertaining and worth me taking an hour out of my day to watch. Was it perfect? Nope. Was it subjective like all fiction? Yup. Some people will like it, others won't.
My nit picks about ENT, and Star Trek in general, are usually more about the technical aspects, like "Why don't the phasers have trigger guards?? Somebody's going to blow their foot off!"

And I don't know how "absurd" the Augment's names are, I went to high school with a dude named Malik.

I wonder about technical issues like how can one shoot accurately with a weapon that lacks sights. Or how can phasers and photon torpedoes vary so much in strength. Why Enterprise is tactically stupid all the time...

As for the names Malik wasn't that bad. But the rest were laughable. Why aren't these people named normal names? Why doesn't Soong call them Erica, William, Richard, Alexander. Otto whatever but Uda and so on Persis not to many people called ancient greek names of mythical heroes. I know Uma Thuman is named after a Hindu goddess but her pops is strange and he named her. And Unless Arik Soong is taking a naming class from Mr. Thuman or Frank Zappa I'm sure the names would be more normal.

Where was that first post quoted from?

Bandapart,

Finally, some intelligent discussion of Enterprise episodes that is both thought provoking and dead on target with its criticisms and suggested improvements. As others have pointed out there is an Enterprise specific board where you can post and you'll probably get more traction there. If you look through the Cold Station 12 thread in that section you'll see me screaming Khan because this arc is so much of a rip-off of Wrath of Khan without any real substance to it.

At least I can watch Ghost Hunters on TiVo.... that is if I want some mindless entertainment....

Keep up the good work and welcome aboard!

Coulda Shoulda Woulda.

If the internet as it exists today were around in the 60's, I hate to think what would have been written about TOS.

I like BandAPart's history of the Eugenics Wars. It makes sense in the Star Trek universe. But I don't think it's neccessary to go into that history in much detail on screen. The main characters are all comissioned officers so they all have at a minimum a bachelors degree. I'm sure they're well aware of world history. Phlox used to work at CS12 and has a proffesional interest in genetic engineering. I'm sure he knows about the Eugenics Wars. And I would assume that T'Pol would have spent a day or two familiarizing herself with Earth history when the Vulcan High Command posted her to San Francisco. There would be no reason for the characters to explain the Eugenics Wars in any great detail. So that just leaves the audience. Personally, I don't need a "time out" from the action to be given a history lesson. I already know enough to follow the story.

Soong is, in my opinion, one of the best characters to come along in a very long time. He's not just some generic raving madman. He's eccentric. He sees the good that can come from genetic engineering, and he loves these Augments like a father. And plus, Spiner is just doing a great job with him.

This ep was meant to be an allegory for the current political/religious climate regarding stem cell research. It didn't beat us over the head with it and that's fine with me.
We learn that the Denobulans have used genetic engineering with success for a few centuries.

Oh and, Enterprise still has the Cell ship with a cloak? Where have they said this? I would assume it's being gone over centimeter by centimeter by Starfleet back on Earth or at some other research location.


But like I said earlier, it all boils down to personal taste. And for me, Cold Station 12 worked.

Duff Beer,

What about the build up of th Aguments themselves? Why could we have the interesting history lesson in that segment. That way we know what is going with Aguments what drives them. It can just be this "oh gee they're genetically engineered so they must be megalomaniacs." The allegory to stemcell research is what? That humanity what will turn into monsters? I mean that's the same allegory they made to genetic engineering in the 60's with the first Eugenic concepts. They need to either widen and give it a reason for existing or just drop it if they dont' intend to really be creative about it. Because I could say this is an allegory to about 10 different issues in genetic engineering ranging from stem cell research to cloning. The point is the writers have left it so open and so weak that all that comes through are the burrowed elements of Wrath of Khan.

As for the rest I'd like to see deeper more thought out issues in the stories at this point.

thanks most of views on Star Trek Enterprise get negative reviews...

I think the character that bothers me the most is Malik. He's so much a clone of Khan that I think it's amusing at best and worst just plain ripped off. Thne you have Soong. He's so disposable and snivelling that it makes me sick. But he does ham it up so I guess that's inline for the arc considering how much hamming Shattner did in the original two visions of the Eugenics war. I actually liked the more restrained and more stately Khan of Space Seed then the Melvile quoting raving madman of Wrath of Khan.

All from me.

Earth not wanting to(or at least, for political reasons, not being able to) destroy the embryos.

I like more open themes and writing sometimes. I like being allowed to decide what the story is about and what to think about it on my own.

I'm not denying that this story arc borrows heavily from STII. But IMO opinion, if they're going to be influenced by a previous Trek(or just flat out rip it off), that's a good place to start.

I'm not saying that keeping it metaphorical is bad what I'm saying is that pretty much the Star Trek stand point is that all genetic engineering ends one way with the formation of killers! I don't think this is true. It needs to be said that humanity influenced the creations and is in part the reason why genetic engineering failed nto to do so I think is a big mistake.

Wow! And I thought this was just a TV show.

I'm a filmmaker it's never just a tv show.

Really? Is there anything we might be familiar with or something you can point us to so we can see your work?

still a student. But I am a Filmmaker.

As a filmmaker what do you think of the rereleased THX1138?