Get Lt. Tucker in here! -- The A4T First Flight Review

 

*excellent tension in the teaser and at each break - finally

*excellent acting by Carradine

*a real Trek feel to the whole ep, esp. in the flashbacks

 

Archer-Trip - everything's A-OK? Cogenitor never happened?

There's a big missed opportunity for some good character

development and just a BIT of continuity. I didn't see much to

suggest that they had ever some so close to a fight. Of course,

given the events of this episode, Archer's line about being an

example of restraint for Trip is even more ludicrous.

 

How cute is it...

...that Trip keeps asking to come along? Honestly, that has to be

one of his more endearing traits - a desire to come along on

every mission, and to be consistently eager despite being turned

down again and again.

 

Archer's memory of himself doesn't look that much younger. Nor

does Trip's. Apparently, "looking younger" consists entirely of

combing your hair forward (as opposed to sideways or back).

Why didn't * I * think of that???

 

Young Archer is still stiff, but in casual clothes. I AM glad that

they took the time to point out that he wasn't a cocky daredevil,

but was a bookish, simulator-obsessed geek who *wasn't*

originally going to get the NX captaincy. What they didn't explain

was how he became "more captainlike". Surely it wasn't the

ship-stealing stunt alone that did it. Did I miss something?

Even T'Pol had to pitch in and say "Fortunately, you seem to have

developed the necessary skills." Was that a compliment? Or

was this TPTB trying to explain why Archer isn't working so well

as a character?

 

ENTER TRIP: "There's nothin' wrong with that engine!" Very nice.

He defends his reputation, his engine, Archer's father, and the

whole NX program with one line. Brilliant.

 

A*T moment #1: Trip zings the Vulcans and Archer loves it (/him)

- managing a sly smile, the first of many over what Trip can get

away with saying that Archer can't and won't say.

 

TRIPTRIVIA confirmed: He's called Trip because he's the third

with the name Charles. But we knew that already. ;-)

 

RUBY! Pretty much as I imagined her, if a bit less brazen. Trip is

trying to woo her. Keep trying, boy.

 

Forrest ribs Trip for his outburst, causing Trip to get very

flustered and worried. Nice set up for Shockwave II's outburst.

 

A*T moment #2: "Permission to speak freely." "It's your father's

engine. You can't let them do this!" YAY TRIP!!! Well that seals

the deal. He can give Archer the chance to make his father's

legacy mean something.

 

Robinson shows up (several beers later) to pick a fight, and

Archer obliges, taking a swing at him. Trip backs up to let them

fight it out. After a few good blows, Ruby gets Trip involved and

Trip grabs Archer as other officers grab Robinson and pull the

two apart.

 

Unfortunate plot development #1: Robinson talked Archer into

taking the Beta prototype out for a test run, not Trip. Too bad it

wasn't Trip who did the talking there. Still, it makes more sense

that it was Robinson. Trip was right there doing ground control.

 

How cute is it...

...that even in the flashback, Trip is begging to come along (and

with the same line he used once in this ep already and in a few

other eps - "you'll need an engineer along".

 

A*T moment #3: Archer: "If I had my own ship, I'd sign you up in

a second." !wow!wow!

Trip: "I'm gonna hold you to that." (Or, " I'm gonna hold you." I

can't recall his exact words...)

 

WHO I ask you, WHO??? can make an earpiece mike look that

good?. They make everyone else look like a dork, and they are

ugly things themselves. And yet Trip, with his earpiece mike,

looks amazingly hotter than ever. HOW DOES HE DO IT??

 

More of the origins of Devious!Trip. I like this. He's got no

problem being BadBoy!Trip when it's for the greater good. Of

course in this Star Trek world of no really bad consequences, he

*doesn't* end his career with these actions.

 

Nice scene: Trip, at his station, about to get arrested, flings off

the guards so he can hail Archer and Robinson to see if they're

all right.

 

Forrest likes Archer, and the beginning of that was another nice

touch in this episode. His "chewing out" scenes never quite ring

true, partly because the dour (and increasingly evil-looking)

Vulcans always hover over him. Forrest's rants come across as

performance rather than real anger, especially since they often

have no real consequences. Forrest clearly sees Archer the

way Archer sees Trip - as a voice for what he can't say himself.

Which also explains why Forrest goes easy on Trip. He knows

how much Archer needs him.

 

Best line about Trip: Robinson, defending the mission: "Get Lt.

Tucker in here!" He knows that Trip can defend the engine better

than anyone.

 

Nice scene: Back in the Shuttlepod, Archer's face lights up just

as the nebula does - such a real sense of wonder that you don't

often see on him, or done that well by anyone.

 

Closer: Trip's enthusiastic 'Welcome Back!' T'Pol's highly

unfriendly but nevertheless suggestive "Your charges were

effective."

 

Backstory? Yes, finally. This one is worth rewatching. There are

so many great moments for those of us who enjoy seeing these

two together. Much of this backstory we had already begun to

work out for ourselves, but seeing it fall into place was pleasant

confirmation. Now I want to see the survival training in Australia!

 

It's clear from the ep that Archer is quickly impressed by the

young engineer, not only for his defense of the engine but for his

willingness to take Archer's side. Trip offers support for Henry

Archer's designs, but also for the NX program itself, and that

impressed Archer. It wasn't said, but I imagine that with his

father dead, the engine and the legacy were all he had to hold

onto, and when he found a kindred spirit, it gave him new

strength. Young Lt. Tucker of course, wants the engine to work

for his own reasons - because he wants to get out into space

and explore, but also because he knows the engine *can* work.

It's a good design and he's a good engineer, so he isn't going to

let someone toss the whole idea. When Archer comes along,

here's his chance to join forces with someone who is also

unwilling to drop the project or delay it for decades.

 

So, is Trip as integral to them all being out there as Archer is?

I'd have to say yes.