Template:Realworld Archer is charged by a Klingon tribunal for helping rebels try to escape the Empire.
Summary
Captain Jonathan Archer is brought before a Klingon court magistrate on Narendra III and charged with conspiracy against the Klingon Empire.
In his prison cell, the captain is visited by Doctor Phlox who, under the excuse of checking the captain for a contagious illness, quietly informs him that T'Pol and the crew are working on a method of freeing him. After the doctor leaves, Archer meets Kolos, his Klingon advocate who is to defend him during the coming tribunal.
In the tribunal, Prosecutor Orak calls Duras, the former captain of the battle cruiser IKS Bortas. Duras explains to the court that the Enterprise was holding Klingon fugitives, and was fired upon when he requested that Archer surrender them. He then declares that Archer is a conspirator and therefore an enemy of the Empire.
After the trial, Archer is informed by Kolos that the magistrate will be willing to spare the captain's life if he revealed the location of the fugitives. Archer refuses and asks that he be allowed to defend himself. When Kolos displays reluctance at the idea, Archer gets angry.
Kolos tells Archer that there once was a time when everyone was tried fairly, but there was now no honor in a justice system that favored the warrior class.
Archer stands before the magistrate
Later, Kolos convinces the magistrate to allow Archer to recount events from his point of view. Archer explains that they found a small starship adrift in space and, when the aliens were brought aboard, found that the refugees aboard had been 'annexed' by the Klingon Empire only to be abandoned when they were of no further use. When Duras arrived with the Bortas, Archer refused to hand over the refugees. Duras grew angry and fired upon the Enterprise.
In the courtroom, Kolos turns the court's attention to how Archer had assisted the Empire in the past, such as exposing the Suliban and rescuing a Klingon ship caught in a gas giant. The magistrate agrees to spare Archer's life on these grounds, but instead sentences him to life at Rura Penthe. Kolos loudly objects to this sentence, demanding that Archer be treated with honor, and pointing out that being sent to Rura Penthe is a death sentence. Kolos is promptly sentenced to one year at Rura Penthe for speaking out of turn.
At Rura Penthe, Archer and Kolos work at the mine, but are surprised when Malcolm Reed arrives to rescue the captain. Lieutenant Reed explains that T'Pol had found a few Klingon officials to bribe. Archer offers Kolos a chance to come along, but he refuses, explaining that he wanted to restore honor to his people but that he could not do so as a fugitive. While the captain points out the statement made at the trial, that most prisoners at Rura Penthe don't survive a year there, Kolos smiles and responds that those people, for the most part, don't have anything to live for, and that's not the case with him. Archer bids him well, and leaves the mine with Reed.
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Memorable Quotes
"Identify yourself!"
"Captain Archer of the Battle Cruiser Enterprise."
- - Klingon Captain Duras and Archer, according to Duras' recollection of events
Kolos shares blood wine with Archer
"What is it?"
"Blood wine. It should help make the wait more pleasant."
Archer considers the flask, drinks from it, then tries to control his negative reaction.
"What's it the blood of?"
Kolos chuckles.
"Don't feel badly if you can't stomach it."
"I didn't say that!"
- - Archer and his Klingon advocate, Kolos, awaiting the return of the verdict
"You didn't believe all Klingons were soldiers?"
"I guess I did."
"My father was a teacher. My mother, a biologist at the university. They encouraged me to take up the law. Now, all young people want to do is to take up weapons as soon as they can hold them. They're told there is honor in victory — any victory. What honor is there in a victory over a weaker opponent? Had Duras destroyed that ship, he would have been lauded as a hero of the Empire for murdering helpless refugees. We were a great society, not so long ago. When honor was earned through integrity and acts of true courage, not senseless bloodshed."
"For thousands of years, my people had similar problems. We fought three world wars that almost destroyed us. Whole generations were nearly wiped out."
"What changed?"
"A few courageous people began to realize... they could make a difference."
- - Kolos and Archer
"Perhaps I spent too much time in the law library and not enough in the battlefield."
- - Kolos
"Our ships run on dilithium, not talk!"
- - Rura Penthe guard, insisting that Kolos and Archer get back to work
Background Information
Story and production
- This episode features several, obviously intentional, parallels to Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: the captain of the Enterprise being tried in a Klingon court for crimes against the Empire, the appearance of the courtroom, the judge's talon-like glove and sphere-shaped gavel, a ruthless prosecutor (though Orak at least wasn't prosecuting someone else for his own crime), an honorable defense advocate (played by an actor better known for playing another Klingon), and the captain being convicted but having his death sentence commuted to life imprisonment on Rura Penthe.
- Asahf's species were revealed in a Startrek.com production report to be called the Arin'Sen.
Performers
- J.G. Hertzler (Kolos) and John Vickery (Orak) previously appeared in DS9: "The Changing Face of Evil", "When It Rains..." and "Tacking Into the Wind" together. They played Martok and Rusot, respectively. Riordan (Duras) previously played a Bajoran guard in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Progress".
Continuity
- Duras, son of Toral is an ancestor of the 24th century Klingons Ja'rod, Duras, Lursa, B'Etor, and Toral, all of whom were considered traitors to the Empire. The 22nd century Duras' pattern of forehead ridges are identical to those of his 24th century namesakes.
- Ty'Gokor, from DS9: "Apocalypse Rising", is mentioned. J.G. Hertzler also played Martok in that episode, or at least the Martok Changeling that was posing as Martok. James L. Conway directed that episode and this one, as well.
- This is the first time in the Star Trek chronology that we see painstiks.
DVD releases
- As part of the ENT Season 2 DVD
- As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Captain's Log collection, chosen by Scott Bakula as his favorite episode
Links and references
Starring
- Scott Bakula as Jonathan Archer
- John Billingsley as Phlox
- Jolene Blalock as T'Pol
- Dominic Keating as Malcolm Reed
- Anthony Montgomery as Travis Mayweather
- Linda Park as Hoshi Sato
- Connor Trinneer as Charles "Trip" Tucker III
Guest stars
- J.G. Hertzler as Kolos
- John Vickery as Orak
- Granville Van Dusen as the Klingon magistrate
- Daniel Riordan as Duras
- Victor Talmadge as Asahf
- Helen Cates as the Klingon first officer
Co-stars
- D.J. Lockhart as the cell guard
- Danny Kolker as the guard
Uncredited co-stars
- Joe Billington as a Klingon Guard [1]
- Solomon Burke, Jr. as Billy
- Sean Dye as a Klingon Guard #14 [2]
- Evan English as Tanner
- Dieter Hornemann as a Klingon prisoner
- Juan Mabson [3] as a Klingon Guard [4]
- Marti Matulis as unknown [5]
- Michael Papajohn as a Klingon Guard #2
- John Reyes as a Klingon Guard #11 [6]
- Lidia Sabljic as a command division crewman
- Unknown performers as:
References
advocate; Arin'Sen; bloodwine; Bortas, IKS; Template:ShipClass; diamagnetic dust; dilithium; dilithium barge; distress call; gavel; isolytic plasma; Judicial Charter of Koloth; Kahless the Unforgettable; Klingons; Klingon Empire; Klingon transport; life support; magistrate; methane; Narendra III; penal colony; phase cannon; Template:ShipClass; Raatooras; Rura Penthe; Som'raw, IKS; Ty'Gokor; targ; Toral; Vulcan High Command; Vulcan Ministry of Security; Zenopaldis athemia
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