07: The Andorian Incident
This is the best story since the pilot. Andorians had appeared briefly in several episodes of
The Original Series, but had largely been unknowns. They were ripe for deeper exploration on
Star Trek Enterprise, and this episode nicely indulged by giving us many revealing details about
their relations and history with the Vulcans. Apparently their star systems were close neighbours.
What we learn about Vulcans is most notable. Though they carry themselves with a dignity
and intelligence that suggests principled wisdom, they also embody most of the pros and cons
of Trek's traditional Prime Directive philosophy. In short, Vulcans are not as honest as they
claim to be, and secrecy and deception are things they gladly indulge in deeply.
Through this episode, we see clearly how Human knowledge is improving by actually going out
to explore space, rather than simply taking the Vulcans' word for everything. We have a chance
to discover things that they might keep from us. We also have a chance to make our own impact,
and earn the respect of other cultures who would otherwise only think of us as the Vulcans' servants.
Jeffrey Combs makes his debut here as an Andorian. Most likely, this is Shran, but the
character's name isn't actually mentioned in the dialogue. I'll be looking forward to seeing
more of Shran as the series moves forward.
Read the next In-depth Analysis Review:
"Cold Front"
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