'Shuttlepod One' A Hit With Critics

See Also: 'Shuttlepod One' Episode Guide

It seems that online reviewers are agreed, 'Shuttlepod One' was a great hour of TV.

Here's a round up of ten opinions about the episode:

• "Very strong - a testament to the strength of the characters," wrote Tim Lynch at Psi Phi. "This is probably the first time I've really liked Connor Trinneer's work, and Keating rose to virtually every challenge."
  For the full review, in which the episode is given a score of 9.5, follow this link.

• Monkee also liked the episode, but had a few issues. "Can anyone say Mary Sue? Even in the last shot of Reed and Trip in sickbay, the 'Produced by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga' was superimposed right over them (Braga is Trip, as if that's any big surprise...) Don't get me wrong – I liked this episode, but..."
  In the full review the episode is awarded a 9 out of 10 rating.

• Scoop Me's C J Carter drew parallels with the episode and 'Apollo 13.' "The story of being marooned is at least as old as western literature," she wrote. "From Homer's The Odyssey, to Robinson Crusoe, to more contemporary fare such as Lifeboat, Marooned, Enemy Mine, and Apollo 13, the story of lost souls is a compelling one."
  For the full review follow this link to ScoopMe.

• "With Tucker off the ship, Archer asks T'Pol what Engineer is in charge while Tucker is away. My God you don't know!?!?! " wrote Richard Whetterstone for First TV Drama. "Yeah, I want to serve on that starship. Get back to me when you have a clue. Archer or the Producers."
  For the full review, follow this link.

• Section 31's TBonz said: "A nice episode. The interaction between Trip and Reed was excellent, and it was good to get more insight into the character of Reed. While one knew that they would be rescued and not die, it still was interesting to see how they dealt with their perilous situation. The touches of continuity and humour were well done, even if the mashed potatoes scene was rather inaccurate."
  She awarded the episode 8 out of 10 in her full review.

• "Beyond the character work, Shuttlepod One is one of the few Enterprise episodes to have broken free of the usual TNG-lite and recycled Voyager material," wrote TrekWeb's O Deus. "It's all the more surprising therefore that it was co-written by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, the people one could hold quite responsible for TNG and Voyager in the first place."
  For the full review, follow this link to TrekWeb.

• The episode was awarded a Warp 4 rating from Matt D at Trek5 "I must confess my family was doing cartwheels over the last 10 minutes of this episode. It seems when Berman and Braga can fall back on some light humour and 'calvary to the rescue' action, things generally fare better. Charles Tucker succeeded in making us all respect (and even like) him for the first time in a while. And Malcolm Reed loosened up into a slightly funkier version of his RAF former self. Not bad all in all for a 'bottle' show."
  For the full analysis, follow this link to Trek5.

• "My only complaint about the episode has nothing to do with Reed and Tucker, but with the special effects guys, who didn't make it clear enough that the wreckage is supposed to look like Enterprise," wrote Julia Houston at scifi.about.com. "I spent some time wondering why the guys were getting so upset. Only when Reed explains it all to the log can we really figure out what's happened. The early confusion gets in the way of sympathizing with Reed and Tucker."
  For her full review, click here to go to about.com.

• C. A. Voigts at the Starfleet Library had some noticed a few nitpicks. "First of all, why wasn't the shuttlepod equipped with some sort of emergency oxygen supply? One would think that, with all the preparation for space, an emergency oxygen supply would have been one of the first things included, as well as a couple of environmental suits."
  For the full analysis, where the episode is awarded 3 stars, follow this link.

• Amy Miller awarded the episode 5 out of 5 at TrekEnterprise "As a nice segue before the 'male bonding scene' to follow, Malcolm dreams that he is back on Enterprise in sickbay being congratulated by Archer and T'Pol for his 'heroics,' and receiving a smile (yes, I saw a smile) and a kiss from the sultry Vulcan officer. Too bad it was only a dream, Malcolm (or should we start calling you 'Stinky'—'STINKY!!??' I would love to know where that came from…or maybe I don't."
  For the full review, follow this link.

• Jacqueline Bundy reviewed the episode for the Trekker Newsletter. "Two different men. Two different reactions to a tense and difficult situation," she wrote. "The simplicity of the script by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga, plus the superb acting of Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating equals an admirable episode."
  In the full review the episode is given an 8 out of 10 rating.

More information about the episode can be found here in the Trek Nation episode guide.

Discuss this news item at Trek BBS!
 Add TrekToday RSS feed to your news reader or My Yahoo!
Also a CSI: Crime Scene Investigation fan? Then visit CSIFiles.com!