Epsiode 39: Dawn

A common Star Trek trope involves isolating one of our regular characters on a planet with an unknown and potentially dangerous alien and seeing how things play out.


We've seen this trope in TOS (with Kirk and the Gorn getting dumped on some remote planet to battle to the death) and in TNG (most famously, and impressively, in the Darmok episode but also in an episode that forced LaForge and a Romulan officer to work together to survive) -- the other series may have offered similar episodes but, to be honest, I can't call them to mind right now.


"Dawn" is Enterprise's version of the trope and, despite some fairly obvious deficiencies, it works well. John Shiban's script is tight and well-paced with a nice balance between the shipboard drama and the events taking place between Tucker and the Arkonian on the planetoid below.


I like the last twist at the end when Dr. Phlox warns them against using the transporter to save Tucker's life on the basis that the Arkonian might be too susceptible to the shock of the temperature change, forcing Tucker to find an alternate solution. It's a nice touch and shows the level of the Chief Engineer's commitment to the tenuous bond he's created with the alien that he is willing to put his own rescue at risk to save the Arkonian.


My concerns with the episode are fairly minor. First is the fact that I didn't actually get to see the episode on my new collection of Enterprise DVDs because this disc arrived at my house already damaged. I was only able to see the second and third episodes on the disc, not the first and fourth.




Second, the fact that Tucker does not have access to the Universal Translator creates barriers to communication yet Tucker has a "pad" and several other pieces of technology. This raises the objection that should have been raised much earlier in the series: the UT should be simply a software program, capable of being included in any piece of equipment. Why would it not come pre-loaded on the pad? or, if that's not possible, why would it not be standard equipment on the Shuttlepod?


Further, why would the Arknonians, who have technology at least equal to that of Star Fleet, not have one of their own?


Second, as there is a TOS episode called "The Return of the Archons", why couldn't the Enterprise writers come up with a different name for the aliens in this episode to avoid confusion?


Third, why is it necessary, yet again, to have Tucker strip down to his skivvies? I mean, sure, maybe it's nice that there's some unnecessary sexualisation of the male characters from time to time to balance out the sexualisation of the women but... is any sexualisation necessary at all?