[color=#000000:post_uid0]Random thoughts from this episode, which I overall enjoyed yet still had trouble paying attention to during the last third....
[*]During the opening credits -- which I must now keep muted, thanks to the mutilation the theme song which I had actually grown attached to -- I noticed they've finally changed the series name to [i:post_uid0]Star Trek: Enterprise[/i:post_uid0]. Â Maybe they got tired of telling people, "No, not [i:post_uid0]Star Trek: Enterprise[/i:post_uid0], Just [i:post_uid0]Enterprise[/i:post_uid0]."
[*]The Xindi Council scenes were purposely vague, but they're definitely leaving open the possibility that the Xindi are merely trying to defend themselves, much as Earth is. Â There were several points in the discussion where I expected someone to point out that the humans would destroy the Xindi if they did nothing, or something to that effect.
[*]Finally, something to like about the T'Pol/Trip subplot -- their conversation about ship (and 'ship) gossip. Â Unlike a lot of things on [i:post_uid0]Enterprise[/i:post_uid0] these days, it felt very natural.
[*]My theory that [i:post_uid0]Enterprise[/i:post_uid0]'s writers spent the summer watching movies and old Trek to get ideas for this season keeps alive for a third straight week. Â This week's feature ripoff that jumped out at me? Â [i:post_uid0]Waterworld[/i:post_uid0], although we really didn't get much past the lookalike floating-type city. Â Also, I'm wondering if the writers had been watching some girl-on-girl porn....
[*]Once again, I'm impressed by the alien makeup. Â I think we've seen more neat aliens in the first four episodes this season that we did in the last two seasons put together. Â Well, except Rajiin. Â Maybe they thought she wouldn't sell as a hot love slave if she looked too alien. Â ("Hot [i:post_uid0]damn[/i:post_uid0]! Â Did you get a look at those gills? Â Sweet!")

Overall, a decent outing. Â I'm intrigued to find out the reason behind the Xindi hatred of humans, I'm no longer rolling my eyes at the Trip/T'Pol scenes, and I went almost the entire episode without yelling at Archer.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0][quote:post_uid0]I noticed they've finally changed the series name to Star Trek: Enterprise.[/quote:post_uid0]
I didn't notice. But I really thought they had called it just [i:post_uid0]Enterprise[/i:post_uid0] on purpose.

The gossip is natural, yes. The 'ship... Not yet maybe, but it will be. :D[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]I didn't think it was bad. And I was impressed by the continuity. Archer still getting over last week? Amazing! I don't remember Geordi having problems the week after "Identity Crisis". I don't remember Kim having problems the week after "Fortunate Son". I appreciate the tip of the hat to last week by ENT. Nice job.

The story was pretty good too, but I'm skeptical of having to see the Xindi council again. I think it would've been better if we hadn't seen them up front since I might not have put together that Rajin was working for them. I might have just guessed she was working for her pimp or something.

I liked that Archer threatened Rajin in the brig (something MEG seemed to have missed in her review at trektoday.com). It's nice to see that he's still homicidally insane.

This episode wasn't my favorite of the season so far (which, by the way, Kira, is 3x04), but it did help to move the arc along pretty well. I'm looking forward to see where this is going.

Off topic, I hate UPN and the WB. The only four shows I want to watch come on the same night at the same times. Oh well, I'll be watching my taped copies of Smallville and Angel tonight. One of these days, I [i:post_uid0]will[/i:post_uid0] get a TiVo.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]To me, the begining was boring and filled with the mindless sex crap that Enterprise writers seem to think is neccessary to keep viewers or something. I happily enjoyed the last 15 minutes though. We got some action and to see some wicked cool weapons. ::drools:: I want. In the star trek Role playing world, weapons like that are never approved by Research and development. ;) Us poor Security officers have to play with flimsy crap. I break mine repeatedly.[/color:post_uid0]

[quote:post_uid0="Derek"][color=#000000:post_uid0]This episode wasn't my favorite of the season so far (which, by the way, Kira, is 3x04)[/color:post_uid0][/quote:post_uid0]
[color=#000000:post_uid0]Oops. Just another symptom of sleep deprivation. Plus I was watching [i:post_uid0]West Wing[/i:post_uid0] when I posted. :D[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]The Promo had me really worried, I expected the entire ep to be about Rajiin running around the ship seducing people. but surprise  8| It actually had a plot!  :D  I liked it. (of course I say that about almost every episode.)

and about Star Trek Enterprise Vs. just Enterprise...

When they started the show they decided to call it just Enterprise, because of how different it was form the other series. (the real reason was probably that they hoped that it would keep the nitpickers at bay when they messed up continuity) I havenÂ’t seen any defiant reason given for the change but it is defiantly official, (how ever it is Star Trek Enterprise, with out the colon. Don't ask me why.)[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]Looks like I'm in the minority on this one: so far "Rajiin" is my [i:post_uid0]least[/i:post_uid0] favourite of the season. I didn't see much to recommend this one at all. This week and last, the show's been treading water, making too little use of the momentum it built up in the first two. I'm still very optimistic about the season, but "Rajiin" was just there.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]I haven't seen the episode (one of these days it'll get through my head that while what they put in the previews may indicate intention, it doesn't mean they'll follow through on it), but I found it interesting that several people have commented that it had an [i:post_uid0]Original Series[/i:post_uid0] feel to it.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]That would be the "alien babe" factor. Boy meets hot alien girl. Boy likes hot alien girl. Boy takes hot alien girl on his ship. Hot alien girl turns out to be evil/possessed/dying. Boy loses hot alien girl. The end.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]There was also some remarkably [i:post_uid0]Original Series[/i:post_uid0] "alien babe" music to go with the alien babe.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]I really enjoyed watching [b:post_uid0]Rajiin[/b:post_uid0] on Wednesday even though
some of it was kinda boring and Hoshi didn't get to do any-
thing unique except hold hands with another lady. (Maybe
that's from the "girl-on-girl porn" influence [b:post_uid0]Kira[/b:post_uid0] mentioned in
her post.)
:bigsmile:
Let me say this though: you just [b:post_uid0][u:post_uid0]KNEW[/u:post_uid0][/b:post_uid0] right away that the
"sexy female alien" was gonna be trouble the moment she
stepped onto the NX-01. It's a simple rule that most sci-fi
shows have been recycling; as soon as you bring a stranger
on board, watch your back!
:suspicious:
I was watching an old episode of [b:post_uid0]Farscape[/b:post_uid0] the other day &
in the beginning of the story everyone was real happy to
have this helpful "blind" alien join them on board Moya, but
as soon as they were all distracted, he started sneaking
around the ship & causing each of the main characters to
plot against each other. There's a line in "Apocalypse Now"
where a guy goes looking for some mangos & runs back to
his buddies after a tiger almost kills him; "Never get off the
boat!" Well, in a sci-fi TV show, the rule should be, "Never
bring anyone on board the boat!"
:D
I know that the episode wouldn't have been worth watch-
ing if there wasn't any danger in it, but every action scene
had some weird kinda [b:post_uid0][i:post_uid0]slow-motion[/i:post_uid0][/b:post_uid0] thing going on. It was
kinda cool to see [b:post_uid0]Rajiin[/b:post_uid0] jump and turn slowly in the air
while still firing a phase pistol at three different people, but
other parts of the EP used the slo-mo effect at the wrong
time, making my eyes feel very heavy as they threatened
to close for the night.
:zzz:
The last thing I want to say about this EP relates to the
"special powers" [b:post_uid0]Rajiin[/b:post_uid0] used on Archer and T'Pol. It re-
minded me of the artwork I've seen in various paintings by
[b:post_uid0]Alex Grey.[/b:post_uid0] It was very cool to see the muscles and skeletal
system glowing through the skin as her hands were travelling
across each person's body.
;)
Normally I like to watch the big explosions that come from
intricate spaceship battles, along with sparks flying all over
the Bridge as the lights flicker inside the ceiling. They can't
do that in every EP, so I've been forced to watch T'Pol &
Trip give each other massages for entertainment instead.
:O
Maybe next week's EP will be a bit better. [b:post_uid0]*crosses fingers*[/b:post_uid0][/color:post_uid0]