Episode 23: Fallen Hero

Brannon Braga, Rick Berman and Chris Black wrote the story, Alan Cross wrote the teleplay as Enterprise comes up with its second good, solid episode of Star Trek in a row with "Fallen Hero".


The start is not promising: in typical B&B fashion, the teaser of "Fallen Hero" focuses on sex, with T'Pol in the middle of things. The Vulcan science officer advises Archer and Tucker over dinner that she has noticed an increase in tension among her Human crew mates. Her research suggests that sexual activity might help ease that tension, especially for senior Human officers who are forbidden, by Star Fleet regulation, to release their sexual tensions in relations with lower ranks.


T'Pol recommends that Enterprise redirect to a planet called "Risa" (which came to fame in TNG) and, after some coaxing, Archer agrees.


No sooner does he make that decision but the good Captain gets a call from Star Fleet, ordering Enterprise to head to a planet called Mazar with all good speed to pick up a Vulcan ambassador (V'Lar) and deliver her to the Schran (okay, the name of the Vulcan vessel is the Sh'Raan but it sure sounds like it shares its name with our favourite Andorian).


As usual, the Vulcans aren't explaining why they need Enterprise's help and Archer is given yet another chance to rant. The Vulcans are also not explaining why their ship will take seven days to get to Mazar, while Enterprise apparently can get to Mazar, pick up the ambassador and be back to meet the Sh'Raan in just three days. The Sh'Raan, we learn later, is capable of Warp 7. Enterprise maxes out at just under Warp 5. The math just doesn't add up.


Putting that aside, we then launch into a pretty gripping story of intrigue and mistrust. The Mazar seem only too happy to see the last of V'Lar, delivering her to Enterprise almost as soon as the Star Fleet ship arrives in orbit. We learn that V'Lar is a hero of T'Pol's and had a significant impact on her decision to pursue the career path that led her to Enterprise; we witness T'Pol struggle with the actual woman that V'Lar presents, both because V'Lar is much less rigid as a Vulcan than T'Pol expects and because V'Lar admits that she has been required to leave Mazar in the wake of allegations she has committed a number of crimes and abuses of her position, allegations she does not contest.


In the meantime, Enterprise finds a Mazar warship on its tail, demanding the return of the Vulcan ambassador. When Archer advises the Mazar captain that he will need to get Star Fleet approval before complying, the Mazar ship opens fire. At this point, we learn that Enterprise's torpedoes are not particularly effective and, worse, that Enterprise can't fire her new, improved phase cannons while at warp. Fortunately, the Star Fleet vessel is able to drop out of warp and disable the Mazar ship with her phase cannons, permitting Enterprise to flee.


Archer then challenges V'Lar to explain what is going on. If he is expected to put his ship and crew at risk for her, he wants to know why. When V'Lar refuses to explain, Archer orders Mayweather to turn Enterprise around and head back to Mazar to return the ambassador. It's a bit childish, this brinksmanship, but it is also both understandable and effective.


T'Pol and V'Lar sit down to talk through the significant trust issues that mar relations between Vulcans and Humans, between Archer and Vulcans, between Archer and T'Pol, and, through that discussion, manage to iron out their own interpersonal issues. It turns out that the decision to accuse V'Lar of certain misconduct is merely a strategy to remove her from the danger posed by the negative factors of Mazar society which she was investigating in the interim before she can testify.


T'Pol then approaches Archer and, while refusing to explain the whole story, asks Archer to trust her and turn Enterprise around. In a key moment in their relationship, Archer agrees to implement T'Pol's request without further questions.


Enterprise turns around but is soon set upon by three Mazar ships, crewed by the Mazar bad guys. Outgunned, Enterprise increases her speed to maximum and then beyond. The Mazar ships are pushed to their limits but Enterprise is too and the Sh'Raan is still too far away. With V'Lar's help, Sato tries to get a message to the Vulcan ship through the Mazar interference but there is no way to know if the message was received.


Archer risks all on the assumption that Enterprise can hold out at warp 4.97 longer than the Mazar ships can but, in the end, he loses. Enterprise is forced to drop out of warp and the Mazar ships open fire, crippling her. The Mazar captain then boards Enterprise in order to collect V'Lar and Archer does his best to stall for time, including hiding V'Lar in a medical imaging chamber with the claim that she was badly burned in the battle.


The Mazar finally get tired of waiting and rifle the medical chamber with laser fire. Meanwhile, the Vulcan ship arrives and drives off the Mazar ships to protect Enterprise. Faced with the probable destruction of his ships under the superior weapons of the Sh'Raan, the Mazar captain surrenders to Archer, smug in the assumption that he has accomplished his mission and killed V'Lar.


As the Mazar officers turn to leave Sick Bay, V'Lar greets them at the door and promises that their current crimes will be added to her evidence. The Mazar are permitted to depart with their tails between their legs (no, Mazar don't actually have tails) and V'Lar takes her leave of Archer and T'Pol, telling them she senses a relationship of respect, trust and even friendship between them.


Despite the fact that time and distance are really messed up in this episode (including the fact that Enterprise travels back toward Mazar for a long long time before T'Pol convinces Archer to turn her around again, yet they don't encounter the Mazar taskforce until much later), "Fallen Hero" is a very enjoyable, effective episode.


The presentation of Vulcans is much more balanced than in earlier episodes and the show even attempts to explore the legitimate grounds for the distrust between Vulcans and Humans. Further, the relationship between Archer and T'Pol is nicely developed and advanced and we can see a real friendship starting to develop.