[7.5/10] A good theme goes a long way on television, especially for Star Trek. The nature of episodic television, particularly in the pre-streaming, pre-binging age, almost guarantees that a season’s worth of T.V. is going to be hit or miss in execution. But that just makes a good idea, something intriguing enough to sustain your interest even when other elements of an episode flag, that much more important.
“Fortunate Son” has a great theme at its core: namely, the effect that Starfleet’s new presence in deep space will have on the old ways of doing things, and the people who practiced them. It’s a theme that’s sketched to comment on Starfleet’s future and diplomatic relations in general, with Archer in particular worrying about the consequences of how they do things now that the cutting edge NX line of starships is going to patrolling the skies. But it’s also made personal, in Mayweather’s reaction to his “for want of a nail” doppelganger, who chose to stay and circle the wagons among the other “boomers” rather than joining the new wave represented by Starfleet.
There’s that sense of “civilization meeting the frontier” that permeates the episode. That notion’s been with Star Trek since the beginning, but it’s rare that we get to meet humans (not just humanoids) who are so resistance to Starfleet, who resent what it represents, and are ready to challenge its precepts and principles. There’s the sense of a proto-version of The Maquis in this one, with Ryan, the freighter’s acting captain, wanting to go it alone away from the new technology and intergalactic policemen that are threatening to change the way of life that’s been in his family for generations.
In that way, “Fortunate Son” is probably the closest we’ll ever come to seeing Malcolm Reynolds vs. Captain Kirk. Ryan has the former’s sense of wanting to crack his own destiny, without needing to rely on anyone else or having some arm of the military tell him what to do at all, let alone how to run his own ship. And Archer represents Kirk’s ideal that there are certain human rights that transcend culture or government, which create a certain universal right and wrong that are actionable regardless of who’s technically under one’s jurisdiction or not.
But speaking of comparisons to other T.V. shows, there’s also some serendipity to my rewatching Deadwood at the same time I’m watching Enterprise. While the performances and writing are leagues apart, there’s the same sense of conflict and crossroads as the law and civilization catches up with the final frontier. Ryan is used to a particular way of doing things, and believes in the sort of frontier justice that exists far from Starfleet’s ships being able to intervene. The presence of subspace amplifiers and faster, more powerful ships that can tell him what’s what will alter the balance, and the rights of the solo operator out in this interstellar wilderness in a way that Ryan is no more amenable to than Al Swearengen is.
The catch is that, as has so often been the case in Enterprise’s early going, the show lays it on incredibly thick and with really cheesy delivery. Archer’s speech to Mayweather about why it’s not okay to let Ryan and other freighter captains handle things on their own is so painfully didactic, and puts Archer back in the “Father Knows Best” mode that may work if you carry the gravitas of Patrick Stewart, but which otherwise comes off as condescending and patronizing. Mayweather’s subsequent speech to Ryan over the comms about why the whole Nausicaan hostage situation and resistance to Starfleet intervention is wrong is just as blunt and corny. And the final scene, between Archer and the now-recovered usual captain of the freighter is about as a subtle as a blast in the face with a plasma cannon.
Despite that, I’m still just invested in the ideas that “Fortunate Son” has to present. I like the fact that Mayweather, gee-whiz though he may be, gets a little of the spotlight here. He is nicely conflicted here: proud of his ascension to Starfleet but also still loyal to the way of life that his parents and sister embraced, and which he emerged from. At the same time, I can’t help but sympathize with Ryan a little, even if I don’t agree with him. The show motivates him well as a sort of alt-universe Mayweather, one who’s suffered losses as a boomer that Mayweather hasn’t, which makes him hold grudges and take a more brutal view toward what it takes to survive out there than Mayweather, whom he views as something of a traitor to his upbringing, does.
The episode bakes that all into a fairly standard but still exciting enough three way standoff between Ryan’s ship, the Enterprise, and a collection of Nausicaan pirates. Savvy Next Generation fans know that a momentous encounter with the Nausicaans can lead to life-changing consequences. But amid the tense diplomatic situation, I like that Ryan makes a choice he doesn't want to because he’s talked into what’s at stake. I don’t know if Archer and Mayweather sell the “if you hurt this Nausicaan, where does it end?” argument as well as they need to, but the episode does sell the sense of “the world is changing and, like it or not, we have to change with it” that’s the throughline for the episode.
Because the truth is that something is being lost in humanity’s journey to the stars in the Star Trek universe. The boomers and freighter crewman carved out a piece of space for themselves in the century before Starfleet gained the technology to outflank them and slowly but surely turn them into “dunels” to use an Original Series term. The development of faster warp technology means not only that Starfleet ships will soon be around to keep an eye on them, but that they’ll need to upgrade to stay in the game, changing the shape of their missions, and seeing more and more of the best spacemen join Starfleet rather than continue in the family business.
Star Trek shows so rarely examine the effect that Starfleet and the Federation have on civilians. Beyond the only lightly-used Maquis and the silliness of hucksters like Harry Mudd, the departures from the franchise’s utopian view tend to come in the form of inter-cultural, rather than intra-cultural issues. But here, we see the tensions and mistrust that come when Starfleets advances start to overtake a human culture that was forged apart from Earth, and which is now coming to an end. There’s something bittersweet about that, even if it’s for a good cause, and the complexity of that idea helps cover for Enterprise’s big dumb speeches and other characteristic problems.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2019-04-22T07:24:44Z
[7.5/10] A good theme goes a long way on television, especially for Star Trek. The nature of episodic television, particularly in the pre-streaming, pre-binging age, almost guarantees that a season’s worth of T.V. is going to be hit or miss in execution. But that just makes a good idea, something intriguing enough to sustain your interest even when other elements of an episode flag, that much more important.
“Fortunate Son” has a great theme at its core: namely, the effect that Starfleet’s new presence in deep space will have on the old ways of doing things, and the people who practiced them. It’s a theme that’s sketched to comment on Starfleet’s future and diplomatic relations in general, with Archer in particular worrying about the consequences of how they do things now that the cutting edge NX line of starships is going to patrolling the skies. But it’s also made personal, in Mayweather’s reaction to his “for want of a nail” doppelganger, who chose to stay and circle the wagons among the other “boomers” rather than joining the new wave represented by Starfleet.
There’s that sense of “civilization meeting the frontier” that permeates the episode. That notion’s been with Star Trek since the beginning, but it’s rare that we get to meet humans (not just humanoids) who are so resistance to Starfleet, who resent what it represents, and are ready to challenge its precepts and principles. There’s the sense of a proto-version of The Maquis in this one, with Ryan, the freighter’s acting captain, wanting to go it alone away from the new technology and intergalactic policemen that are threatening to change the way of life that’s been in his family for generations.
In that way, “Fortunate Son” is probably the closest we’ll ever come to seeing Malcolm Reynolds vs. Captain Kirk. Ryan has the former’s sense of wanting to crack his own destiny, without needing to rely on anyone else or having some arm of the military tell him what to do at all, let alone how to run his own ship. And Archer represents Kirk’s ideal that there are certain human rights that transcend culture or government, which create a certain universal right and wrong that are actionable regardless of who’s technically under one’s jurisdiction or not.
But speaking of comparisons to other T.V. shows, there’s also some serendipity to my rewatching Deadwood at the same time I’m watching Enterprise. While the performances and writing are leagues apart, there’s the same sense of conflict and crossroads as the law and civilization catches up with the final frontier. Ryan is used to a particular way of doing things, and believes in the sort of frontier justice that exists far from Starfleet’s ships being able to intervene. The presence of subspace amplifiers and faster, more powerful ships that can tell him what’s what will alter the balance, and the rights of the solo operator out in this interstellar wilderness in a way that Ryan is no more amenable to than Al Swearengen is.
The catch is that, as has so often been the case in Enterprise’s early going, the show lays it on incredibly thick and with really cheesy delivery. Archer’s speech to Mayweather about why it’s not okay to let Ryan and other freighter captains handle things on their own is so painfully didactic, and puts Archer back in the “Father Knows Best” mode that may work if you carry the gravitas of Patrick Stewart, but which otherwise comes off as condescending and patronizing. Mayweather’s subsequent speech to Ryan over the comms about why the whole Nausicaan hostage situation and resistance to Starfleet intervention is wrong is just as blunt and corny. And the final scene, between Archer and the now-recovered usual captain of the freighter is about as a subtle as a blast in the face with a plasma cannon.
Despite that, I’m still just invested in the ideas that “Fortunate Son” has to present. I like the fact that Mayweather, gee-whiz though he may be, gets a little of the spotlight here. He is nicely conflicted here: proud of his ascension to Starfleet but also still loyal to the way of life that his parents and sister embraced, and which he emerged from. At the same time, I can’t help but sympathize with Ryan a little, even if I don’t agree with him. The show motivates him well as a sort of alt-universe Mayweather, one who’s suffered losses as a boomer that Mayweather hasn’t, which makes him hold grudges and take a more brutal view toward what it takes to survive out there than Mayweather, whom he views as something of a traitor to his upbringing, does.
The episode bakes that all into a fairly standard but still exciting enough three way standoff between Ryan’s ship, the Enterprise, and a collection of Nausicaan pirates. Savvy Next Generation fans know that a momentous encounter with the Nausicaans can lead to life-changing consequences. But amid the tense diplomatic situation, I like that Ryan makes a choice he doesn't want to because he’s talked into what’s at stake. I don’t know if Archer and Mayweather sell the “if you hurt this Nausicaan, where does it end?” argument as well as they need to, but the episode does sell the sense of “the world is changing and, like it or not, we have to change with it” that’s the throughline for the episode.
Because the truth is that something is being lost in humanity’s journey to the stars in the Star Trek universe. The boomers and freighter crewman carved out a piece of space for themselves in the century before Starfleet gained the technology to outflank them and slowly but surely turn them into “dunels” to use an Original Series term. The development of faster warp technology means not only that Starfleet ships will soon be around to keep an eye on them, but that they’ll need to upgrade to stay in the game, changing the shape of their missions, and seeing more and more of the best spacemen join Starfleet rather than continue in the family business.
Star Trek shows so rarely examine the effect that Starfleet and the Federation have on civilians. Beyond the only lightly-used Maquis and the silliness of hucksters like Harry Mudd, the departures from the franchise’s utopian view tend to come in the form of inter-cultural, rather than intra-cultural issues. But here, we see the tensions and mistrust that come when Starfleets advances start to overtake a human culture that was forged apart from Earth, and which is now coming to an end. There’s something bittersweet about that, even if it’s for a good cause, and the complexity of that idea helps cover for Enterprise’s big dumb speeches and other characteristic problems.