On 'Broken Bow' Review Comments

On Friday, Trek Nation columnist Fred Shedian published a new edition of his 'A Take On Trek' column, looking at how internet sites deal with rumours concerning Enterprise. One of the sites mentioned in the column was Dark Horizons, which recently published a review of the Enterprise pilot script. Dark Horizons editor Garth Franklin has sent the Trek Nation an article responding to the comments in the 'Take On Trek' column, as well as providing more details on the 'Broken Bow' script.

Fred,

I must disagree with your posting today at 'A Take On Trek'.

On the one hand, yes, the Net has been too rife with rumours and stuff such as the need to grab pics, very good point there.

What I disagree with is your attack on my site's credibility. I cover Trek on occasion but Dark Horizons is primarily a film site. A 'big breaking story' on Enterprise won't affect my numbers whatsoever so I've no need pursue one. [...]

[From the original 'A Take On Trek' column:] What I find interesting about this review is the almost complete lack of new information.

Funny but I thought elements such as the phosphorous atmosphere fight scene and the Matrix-style end fight had not been mentioned before, at least not that I'd seen. The whole review was meant to point out one or two new things but NOT spoil it for readers - that upsets those on the production, Paramount and readers who don't want to know too much.

The basic plot information provided goes with the rumors many have been hearing for months, with the pilot dealing with the Enterprise traveling to the Klingon Homeworld.

Hardly. It points out that that's the mission but the arrival at Qo'nos only happens in the last five pages and for just one scene and if you like to be spoiled then here you go - the Klingon that they're returning is carrying maps, charts and detailled info about Suliban encoded biologically in his blood. After its scanned in, the Klingon Chancellor goes up to Archer:

Chancellor: "ChugDah hegh ...volcha vay."

Archer: (sotto, to Hoshi) "I'll take that as a thank you."

Hoshi: "I don't think they have a word for thank you."

Archer: "What'd he say?"

Hoshi: "You don't want to know."

Beyond a question about whether or not it's called Kling or Qo'nos in this time, the entire "review" really does nothing but compile months worth of rumors.

I work on the site full time and have to respond to nearly 500 e-mails per day, I wish I had the time to do that sort of 'compiling'. In any case why would I bother making up news? I run about 15-20 items a day and that takes all day to compile, why should I waste hours of my time compiling some bullshit review just so I can include one more item? I was sent the script purely for my own enjoyment by a source I know, I had no obligation to review it at all - I did so more to lay out my thoughts and express what I had read, I wrote the review for me more than anyone else.

The idea there is a time travel aspect to this show has been mentioned about as long the idea of a "Birth of the Federation" style series came into existence on the web.

The time travel aspect rumours on the web hinted at a 29th century villain going back in time to stop and sabotage the Birth of the Federation. The pilot script contains NO references to either the 'Federation' or which century the mysterious figure comes from. In fact the 'time travel' aspect is extremely limited - about to just one scene which resembles the Emperor/Vader chat in 'The Empire Strikes Back.' The scene is set in the Suliban Helix Temporal Chamber - a room dissected by an energy barrier. Silik stands on one side, a humanoid figure who can barely be made out stands on the other, both on high tech podiums bathed in green light. Its written in a way that unless you read the descriptive text in the script, you probably wouldn't have any idea it involved time travel. In fact it doesn't say the person from the future, rather that the room is where "people from two different time frames can briefly coexist". The only real give away is the 'pre echo' effect (sound moves faster than action). The humanoid figure is only described as "a male of indeterminate age; we can barely make out his appearance or his words."

So I ask, is this review dealing with a November 2000 edition of the script or just a new site's attempt to "get the big story" via the compilation of months of reporting?

First off, Dark Horizons is hardly a new site, its been around for nearly five years now and has devout audience of over five million readers per month. I follow strictly the journalistic code of ethics used by the press and I NEVER make up stories - I totally resent such an implication.

Stating that "Archer and T'Pol will have a Mulder/Scully relationship" is something most people could have surmised after seeing the casting sheet reports.

Study your reports more closely, I said Mulder/SKINNER relationship.

I simply find it odd that a news site would gain access a copy of a script supposedly only about ten people at Paramount had ever seen, two of which were Berman and Braga.

If you think that you're being very naive. I'm sure the shooting script has been limited to that group but this old draft has been seen by numerous people. [...]

Discuss this articles at Trek BBS!
 Add TrekToday RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a Desperate Housewives fan? Then visit GetDesperate.com!