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Star Trek: Enterprise

“Rogue Planet”

2 stars.

Air date: 3/20/2002 Teleplay by Chris Black Story by Rick Berman & Brannon Braga & Chris Black Directed by Allan Kroeker

Review by Jamahl Epsicokhan

"With respect, captain, I wonder if you would be so determined to find this apparition if it were a scantily clad man." — T'Pol

Review Text

In brief: Well-intended but underwhelming, labored, redundant, and built on a completely illogical foundation.

"Rogue Planet" goes to great lengths to create and uncover a mystery whose solution is predictable, and whose reason for being is downright illogical. By the time the "mystery" was uncovered I was wondering why it had been allowed to be a secret in the first place, let alone a secret for so long. There's no rationale except for the fact the writers must try to entertain us with it. A few lines of dialog would clear everything up, but the guest characters — for reasons that are artificially imposed by the writers — don't divulge key information until late in the game, at which point I was wondering why they chose now to finally divulge that information. Meanwhile, the central subject of the mystery — a strange woman — intentionally creates confusion where it is not warranted.

Worse yet, this is a story that steps perilously close to being a total yawner, with the first three acts belaboring the same points repeatedly. It ends with your typical Star Trek respect-all-life moral — a reasonable message boringly conveyed. At the very least, the story is inoffensive and respects its emotional undercurrents, misguided as they may be.

The rogue planet (no star system so therefore no daylight, which begs the question — glossed over with useless pseudo-science — of how it can plausibly support so much plant life) is an always-nighttime hunting ground for a species called the Eska. They use this planet for safari purposes. Archer and his team come across three Eska (Conor O'Farrell, Eric Pierpoint, Keith Szarabajka) during their initial survey, and camp out with the hunters in the interest of cultural observation. One little character bit I appreciated was that of Lt. Reed taking an interest in the actual hunt action, for strictly tactical educational purposes, of course.

About here is where the central mystery begins. Archer starts seeing a beautiful, mysterious woman (Stephanie Niznik) who calls to him and says she "needs" him. She tells him he is not like "the others." Vanishes ominously. When Archer tells the others what he has seen, they write it off as hallucinating or dreaming. Meanwhile, Reed and the Eska go hunting and one of them is attacked with alarming swiftness and surprise, leading to eventual speculation that there's more here than meets the eye. But of course we already knew that, because if you're even remotely paying attention you know where this story is going from the moment the mysterious woman shows up.

Unfortunately, that's about all there is to "Rogue Planet." Acts two and three are drawn out and redundant, as Archer, convinced there's a mystery here that must be solved, is drawn into the forest where he again sees the woman, who has cast a strange spell upon him, and who again vanishes at the convenient time when T'Pol and Trip come near, lest they see her themselves and be convinced that Archer isn't imagining things.

The solution is that the woman is one of a race of shapeshifters indigenous to this planet. They can read minds, which is useful in defending themselves from Eska hunters who consider them to be the best hunting trophies. It's also useful in reading Archer's subconscious and predicting that he might take a moral stand against the hunters, which is why she has come to him asking for his help.

The problem is that the events of the story's construction are purely illogical if you step outside its need to create this artificial mystery. If the mysterious woman wants Archer's help, why doesn't she just ask for it and explain what she is? Why go to the trouble of speaking in riddles and ominously disappearing, prompting everyone else to think Archer is crazy? The simple answer is that because if the woman didn't create a mystery, this story would have little else to do and would be over in about 20 minutes instead of 60.

Similarly, we have the Eska writing off Archer's sightings. But they know about the shapeshifters and their abilities. Why don't they explain what they know? The obvious answer would seem to be because they know Archer would disapprove of their hunting of a sentient species — but no, because near the end of the story they lay all the cards on the table voluntarily. What makes them decide to do this, when nothing about the situation has significantly changed? This answer is also simple: because the story had 15 minutes left and it was time to uncover the mystery so we could now deal with its implications, leading Archer & Co. to help the shapeshifters by sabotaging the Eska's technology.

Aside from all the silly mystery plotting, "Rogue Planet" has a few good points. I liked the cinematography in the darkened setting. Allan Kroeker does a good job of managing space and motion on what is undoubtedly a few tiny sets. I also appreciated the sentiment behind the idea of reaching deep into Archer's subconscious and finding the image of this fictional woman, who has been in his memory since childhood and whom he hadn't thought about in years. It's an interesting idea with some nice psychological elements, employed by the plot, alas, in absolutely the wrong way.

The lesson here is in the tradition of enlightened Trek but far too derivative and obvious: Hunting sentient species is bad, and we should help those who are in need.

Perhaps another lesson to be learned here: The next time your life is in danger and you need help, go to the cops, but be sure to send them on a convoluted chase where the clues eventually lead them back to your actual problem. I'm sure they'll find the exercise a whole lot more interesting that way. Or not. Hopefully you won't be dead by the time they figure out the game you're playing.

Next week: Ferengi — just what the doctor didn't order.

Previous episode: Fusion Next episode: Acquisition

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Comment Section

60 comments on this post.

Well, illogical or not, I for one enjoyed this episode. I was especially taken by the great atmosphere being on the dark rogue planet conveyed.

Jakob M. Mokoru

Well, oh well: Enterprises Log must have been lost sometime after the events shown in the series or Kirk and McCoy are not too interested in history or exobiology because they are quite intrigued by the shapeshifter in Star Trek VI - "I thought shapeshifters were a myth!". Well, they are not, they live within months of low warp travel from earth. I know...cheap point!

Carbetarian

@Jakob I totally agree! Why would everyone be so mystified by Odo and his origins later on in DS9 if there was a whole planet of shapeshifters in the Alpha Quadrant that Starfleet had already visited? Even if both the Bajorans and the Cardassians were totally ignorant of the first contact records of other planets, it still doesn't explain why Sisko or Bashir wouldn't have known something about Odo's background. You would really think at some point there would have been an episode like this: Odo: I'm asking Commander Sisko for permission to go into the gamma quadrant. Dr. Morra thinks he may have found a clue to my past in some planetary ruins. Bashir: Wait, I seem to recall reading the entire library of Captains Logs since the first warp flight one night for some light reading. It seems to me that - ah, yes. Computer, bring up the memory alpha page on changlings. You come from a scientifically improbable planet about five minutes away from here. Odo: I've wasted my life feeling alienated for no reason. OR: Odo: I've come all this way, only to learn that my people aren't just a part of the dominion... They ARE the dominion! Sisko: Wikipedia says there are also changlings on some random planet about 3 days east of here. Apparently, people hunt them. Odo: Great, so either I'm from a planet of war mongering douches... Or a planet of pussies who live in the dark and let red neck aliens hunt them for fun. I'll just stay here, thanks. Sorry, that comment brought out the deep space nerd in me! :)

To summarize your review in one sentence: "neither bad nor great, and once again highlighting the lack of talent/imagination of this series' script writers." I agree wholeheartedly.

I had a hard time accepting a sunless planet with a full-on leafy jungle. Picking hairs, maybe. And I am usually good at suspending disbelief. But it was an unnecessary, implausible setting. Why not just a regular planet? The again, TOS had countless shows like this. I just kind of expect more nowadays. But the lady was hot. And interplanetary hunters are cool. I found the anti-hunting morality play mildly offensive. I'm not one, but I'm aware that hunters are largely conservationsists (anyone notice the turkey is not extinct?). It's dumb liberal hollywood morality stuff like this that causes so many real riffs in our country.

I couldn't suspend my disbelief either, and I'm a lot more forgiving than some (I tend to turn a blind eye to Fun With DNA for example). Green leaves, breathable atmosphere, comfortable temperature... eh? Sometimes the setting is so illogical as to be extremely distracting and detract from the story being told. This is definitely one of those cases. What was even the point of it being a rogue planet... surely they can do "creeping around in the dark" some other way. I did like the idea of it basing itself on something it read from Archer's mind (even if I did think we were in for an homage to Red Dwarf's "Camille", and there was definitely a sense of that when she turned back into Blob) but everything else was just so half-arsed. Still patiently waiting for something to be done really well. Oh and it seemed like a parody of itself sometimes. Archer: "Have you ever known me to do something foolish?" - hahahaha what is this... Episode 18? Um.... about 18 times, Jonathan.

Southofreality

So they oppose hunting but in the previous episode they were eating chicken Marsala? Did the chickens commit suicide or did they just wait for them to die of old age?

So, wait: They touch down on a planet in the middle of nowhere, yet the air composition, temperature, soil rigidity and flora are all conducive to human life-support!?! Mmm, O.K. Ah, not even 10 minutes into it and the gloves come off: We're on an anti-hunting crusade this time around. "Hunting went out of style of Earth over a hundred years ago." Sure it did. And we're all 7umus-scoffing vegetarians. You know, I used to sneer at those Tea Party nutjobs who forever ranted on about the "liberal media" and "commie Hollywood," but I'm beginning to think they have a point. I see El Capitan clearing the path later trodden by Good Kirk Humping. THe only difference being that whereas Kirk actually got some bootie, Archer is having to content himself (no pun intended...hehehe) with wet dreams. Altogether, a lackadaisical and deeply uninspiring show, on a par with dime-a-dozen ST: T.O.S. exploits in/with the surreal. In fact, if I closed my eyes, Archer could just as well be Kirk. Bleh. Next.

Oh yeah, another thing. I see "Dr." Phlox had no compunction about interfering in the "survival of the fittest" order of things this time around, the way he did a few episodes back. I guess that's because back then the point of the plot was not to peddle some politically-correct agendum. So, what's on next week: Anti-guns, pro-choice or a reprise of the capital punishment? Funnily enough, I'm actually pretty liberal, but this kind of blatant propaganda really grates on me and actually pushes me in the opposite camp.

"So they oppose hunting but in the previous episode they were eating chicken Marsala? Did the chickens commit suicide or did they just wait for them to die of old age?" Resequenced proteins, I believe. (And maybe they see a difference between hunting and growing on a farm; the former has the possibility of causing extinction.)

So hunting went out over a century ago? So what? Like 2040? So sometime in the next 28 years hunting is banned globally? Uh huh. So it's perfectly ok to breed animals to eat, but no hunt them in their natural habitat.

Still rolling my eyes at plant life without any sun whatsoever. Even assuming that they are highly-evolved alien plants, why do they look so similar to Earth flora??? Bah!!

LOL of the episode: T'Pol tells Archer he probably dreamed the woman, and he says, "It wasn't a dream! She knew my name!" My God does the writing suck. Hated Archer's ever-sanctimonious anti-hunting lesson as well as Reed's ass-kissing. "I promise not to kill anything, sir."

I was hoping beyond hope, that the woman really was some sort of wraith that was trying to lure him off alone and drain him of whatever keeps him ticking. Then she talks to him. Now I hope she's lying, then the hunters confirm this! They read yeh mind, show yeh what yeh wanna see! But no. They went the heavy hannded anti hunting route. Could see it coming a mile away, just wishing it otherwise can't make it so. Although I did find the idea of given the wraiths a defense kind of... neat. Would have been more interesting though if the wraiths had attacked those cornered hunters. Hopefully as something more intriguing than tentacles. Then Archer would have had some consequences to deal with - his new defenses being used to set ambushes! Oh my! @Michael: I also noticed Phlox's eagerness to interfere in "nature's course" this time around. On a 2nd viewing 'Dear Doctor' relies way too much on the faulty science. I still think that Archer made the right decision, hell even my wife who is as left as I am right, for once agrees with me. It just makes defending that decision pretty close to impossible.

I'm a sucker for any Trek episode involving a rogue planet or pulsar - my two personal favorite universal phenomena - so I enjoyed this solely on an aesthetic level. It's doubtful there would be plantlife, and watching now as they explore-- I take it back, rogue planets don't have atmospheres and they are deep cold, so how are they walking around in their uniforms? At least they got the sky of bright and abundant stars somewhat right.

From the look of the creatures you'd think they'd taste less like pork and more like escargot.

I thought this episode was very creative. The aliens were interesting, the conflict was compelling, and the setting was fascinating. It seems like the episode is based on the idea of chemiosynthesis. Of course, the elaborate life on the planet is a fictional creation. Still, a very imaginative episode.

This episode committed the cardinal sin of many Enterprise S1 and S2 episodes: it was boring! I admit, the writers did make Archer look a fool, but at least the aliens laughed at him for it. I do think Archer is a good captain, he is likeable and a keen explorer, you can't blame the character or the actor for the writers just not "getting" his character in some episodes, or for the creative team to lack any consistency or even a sense of who the characters really are. The wraith should have been a shape shifter from the Gamma Quadrant, one of "the 100", that didn't understand who or where she was, she just wanted to live in peace and isolation and made Archer swear to not file any reports about her to Starfleet. Really though, while the anti-hunting messages were heavy handed, it didn't bludgeon us around the head with it like certain episodes of Quincy would have.

"Why don't they explain what they know? The obvious answer would seem to be because they know Archer would disapprove of their hunting of a sentient species — but no, because near the end of the story they lay all the cards on the table voluntarily. What makes them decide to do this, when nothing about the situation has significantly changed?" LOL, I've often thought (and posted at least once) about how the folks on this board don't seem to get out much, and clearly that includes Jammer as well. What has changed to cause the hunters to reveal their knowledge? Well, what are they all doing during that scene? Drinking. Hello??? I guess Jammer's never been out in the woods for several days hunting/fishing/camping/combat training or whatever with a group of guys. After a hard day or two humping around in the woods, it would be sacrilege not to unwind around a campfire with a few adult beverages of your choice. That's when the interesting convos always happen...

eastwest101

Started watching this last night, heres how cliff notes for the viewing experience. Oh look - a show about a planet where I have to completely suspend disbelief and all scientific knowledge, oh look theres some guys hunting alien lifeforms on this planet, I wonder if this is going to turn into a clumsy after-school special about the evils of hunting....... Zero stars.

A sunless planet with a thick jungle? Hunting is unethical but eating animals is fine? I'm willing to suspend disbelief on many fronts for a good narrative, but this is a bit too much. Even in an imaginary milieu, there has to be some logical consistency.

Shapeshifters. 10 minutes from Earth at Warp 9. How can you get past that? How can we meet ANY species in the first season of this show that isn't well known by the time 1701-D is roaming the Alpha Quadrant 215 years later, not to mention Kirk and the boys on 'no bloody A, B, C, or D' in 110 years, for that matter. And, oh yes. I forgot. We're going to meet the Ferengi next week with Neelix making an appearance. Why?) And the Borg are coming.... We meet species Picard will make first contact with and we meet species within months at Warp 4.5 (hours, minutes at Warp 9?) that we'll never hear of again...... Why oh why. We DID NOT need a Ferengi episode (and I like the DS9 Ferengi shows). And now it's all reboot. Profound sadness. I grieve with thee.

Despite the total B.S. of having a rogue planet that somehow has plant life and an atmosphere condusive to human life and the left wing anti-hunting crap I still liked this episode. It was somewhat spooky. I mean who can resist the idea of running around in the woods on an alien planet? Remember how alien an Earth forest looked at night the last time you went camping? And the problem of the shape shifters being so close to Earth might be solved if you assume it was a mental power of the wraith and they simply use their telepathy to fool a person into seeing a different shape instead of having the power to physically shapeshift. I admit that the writing was a bit clumsy but I did like the idea of the wraith taking a forgotten image from Archer's mind in order to make contact with him. And finally Archer realizes why the woman seems familiar even though he knows he never met her. All in all even though it's not the best episode I though it wasn't bad. I mean come on, it's season one after all.

Diamond Dave

Fairly hackneyed concept played out in a laboured and, ultimately, pretty boring manner. And it does raise a number of questions as to why things are as they are that are never really answered. Ironically the best idea was the rogue planet concept and that only meant everything was too dark to see! Not so much actively bad as just very dull. 1.5 stars.

Actually what T' Pol stated is what many real life scientist consider a real possibility. That there are rogue planets capable of supporting life without a Sun because of hot gas venting from areas and that is where the life would concentrate from. As Archer said an oasis. So the scientific theory is sound, I don't know about the rest of it though.

On a side note I found it sad and disturbing that there were people in this thread who considered this pro-liberal anti-conservative blah, blah, blah. It has to be a sad existence if you have to see real life politics in everything you watch or read.

So.... the premise for this episode.... "Hot gas is vented from the planet's interior. Most of the life forms are concentrated in those areas." says T'pol... I can sort of accept that. Until recently no one thought live could exist in the very deep ocean... we know that's false. The part I had a hard time with was when Damrus stated there were "higher primates". Not sure I can accept that one. :-) I know most of what we see in SCI-FI is suspension of disbelief, but this is really stretching it for me, especially when you go to the trouble starting off so scientifically plausible. Redd like new toys, T'Pol thinks Archer's aberration must have been quite the woman... Blah, blah... I'm not sure I can even match Jammer's score here. I always skip this one. (and some more coming up) I'll go 1.5 stars here. Backula was not good in this one BTW.

Another bad ENT season 1 episode. Man... most of this season has shown a lot of promise and very little follow through. The rogue planet setting - Neat idea, although implausible in the way it's portrayed here. The "shapeshifter" - The source of her image was kind of an interesting one, but did the writers have to make her an actual shapeshifter? As people have pointed out, it really downplays the unique appeal of the shapeshifting species we meet later on in the other shows. Shaking my head... Also, there's a horrible cut in this episode... Archer says "I'm not done here yet" *quick cut to* Archer sitting in a tent. Uh... what? It was very jarring and poorly handled... but I guess you could say that about the whole episode. 1.5 from me.

For "The Man" that seemed to have condescending comments concerning my ability to see a liberal agenda that is thinly veiled in Enterprise and his assertion that it must be a sad existence to see real life politics in everything one sees or reads, my only comment is that it must be difficult going through life being so stupid that one doesn't have the ability to see it. Hollywood has had a liberal agenda for years. Anyone out there that thinks this is not true is some one without the ability to think rationally. The anti hunting agenda comes through in this episode loud and clear. Pretending it isn't there is there or criticizing someone for commenting on it only reveals you for the fool you are.

Level the playing field? How is making one side undetectable levelling the playing field? Seems Archer and the doc had no problem administering the '"çure' this time. Guess evolution wasn't doing its job. (*)

"Actually what T' Pol stated is what many real life scientist consider a real possibility. That there are rogue planets capable of supporting life without a Sun because of hot gas venting from areas and that is where the life would concentrate from." Yeah, that would form an atmosphere and could keep areas hot enough for life. But I don't think you would have enough light for photosynthesis-based plants...certainly not large jungle-type vegetation. The creators missed out on an opportunity to imagine truly alien life. I'm no expert, but I'd imagine the "plants" on such a world would have to be chemosynthesis-based, something like we find near undersea volcanic vents...although this would probably imply the atmosphere wouldn't be breathable to humans. Any "leaves" wouldn't be directed towards the sky, as there's no sun there. --- For those who compare the doctor's decision here with his previous decision: I'm sure he would make the distinction that in the previous episode he was letting a planet's ecosystem sort itself out. In this episode, he's reducing the interference of an entity from outside the planet's ecosystem (the hunters). This is generally how the other captains interpret the (yet-to-be-issued) Prime Directive: if the 'problem' is internal, you're supposed to stay out of it (not that they always do that); if the 'problem' is from off-planet, they're definitely getting involved.

I liked the Captain's question, "Have you ever known me to do anything foolish?" as well as T'Pol's wry speculation about whether he would have wondered off alone in pursuit of a scantily-clad man. These laugh lines are good for half a star from me. Otherwise the episode was a disappointment. Sure, a dark rogue planet could have volcanic activity that sustains life. But Earth-style jungle vegetation and breathable atmosphere? If the goal was to do a cool night-time in the jungle episode, they could have made it less implausible using a different explanation. For example, the hunters could have explained their prey is strictly nocturnal. Or, they could have used some fancy orbital alignment explanation to have a planet with an extended period of night from time to time, such as in the movie "Pitch Black." Plenty of others here have noted the anti-hunting message was entirely too obvious and belabored. But I had a deeper issue with it, even as a non-hunter. Does any hunter actually believe in going after highly intelligent, sentient animals? The classic story "The Most Dangerous Game," wherein humans were the prey of other humans, was not an anti-hunting story. What the Eska are doing here is much more like inter-species murder than it is like going on a wilderness trip and bagging a deer. Yet the murder question is not even raised. Were the writers seriously equating hunting shape-shifting telepaths capable of advanced communication with the way people still hunt today? The two things aren't comparable, and this ultimately weakens the point the writers were apparently trying to make.

I wouldn't give this episode a high rating, simply because it is so predictable. Nothing mysterious here. As soon as Archer spoke about seeing the woman, I could guess 99% of the plot, except for how exactly Enterprise would help. That said, I wondered why the shapeshifters didn't create an evolved society or at least an organized response against the hunt? My guess is that they are NOT sentient, not as we know it anyway. They are higher animals which evolved a telepathic mechanism. This mechanism allows them to 'mirror' the way the prey/predator thinks, but only when it is nearby and for a limited amount of time. So near to a Human/Eska they are sentient in a way. Alone they are just animals. Ironically Captain Archer may have delayed their evolution... This would also explain why it would be obvious to DS9 Humans that Odo is not related (he's sentient, and they aren't). P.S. I suspect The women couldn't just talk to Archer because she was not able to. She needed to have him alone (doesn't trust others, and/or others create too much 'noise'), and figure out just how to explain to him and get him to side with her. The first obviously doesn't occur often. The second may not be as easy as we think. Quite possibly the memory of the women was far more accessible to her than words like "hunt" or "help". How would we know what easier for a telepathic being? Perhaps the very concept of spoken language is difficult for her...

What no one seems to notice is that this is not the only Star Trek showing shape shifters known to the federation. TNG's "The Dauphin" features two shapeshifters. Clearly they are not the same species as The Founders or Odo, but they are still there and have relations with the Federation. I don't fault DS9, however, as the series is clear Odo is looking g for his home, and his species, not merely other shapeshifters. I assume he can tell enough from the Federation database that other known species of shapeshifters are not his. He remains very interested in reports of other shapeshifters because they may be his species, not just because they are shapeshifters or "metamorphs".

Talk about an absolutely basic, predictable, ho-hum plot and a "mystery" unraveled that isn't worth the meaningless build-up. And why make it on a rogue planet, which makes no sense? Why couldn't all this nonsense have taken place on, say, the 1 M-class planet in some solar system? Obviously makes no sense for plant/animal life on a planet without a star -- no underground hot gases etc. should be able to compensate for lack of a star's energy (not to mention light for photosynthesis). Also, these telepathic shapeshifters that need protection -- sounds like they have a leg up on the Founders as they're telepathic and can shape shift. The hunters should be no match for them. Didn't even learn much about the species from the episode. Anyhow, this one is just too basic -- Enterprise gives the shapeshifters a way to mask themselves better when they're scared. So what. Could have wrapped up the episode in 15 mins. And I don't see why, other than the episode is coming to an end, that the hunters have to say what they're really hunting (and thus let Archer help the shapeshifters). 1.5 stars for "Rogue Planet" as it didn't come across as a stupid episode despite a rogue planet being M-class. This is just one of those episodes that the writers (all 3 of them) drew blanks -- there just isn't enough here. If this is supposed to be about banning hunting or some moral play on that, it fell flat.

The premise for this whole thing was silly. Upon hearing that the Eska hunt animals on the planet, the writers make the good decision to have the Enterprise crew accept this (if grudgingly) - any attempt to proclaim that this was immoral and that it would not be tolerated would come across as remarkably arrogant IMHO. However, this all changes when the creature happens to be a giant slug that can shapeshift into a human figure. Now it's a "sentient" species that "can think" and "must be protected". Why is that creature inherently any more valuable that the other creatures? There's even a throwaway line about "hunting wild boar is one thing, but..." but - the moral is that if you're being hunted, and you look like a four-legged thing, you're out of luck. But if you can shapeshift into something that looks human, you'll be given a lot more respect. Retarded.

Peter Swinkels

T’Pol’s line was amusing and the planet had a nice fairy tale like atmosphere.

this review is bad

episode sucked monkey nuts. some slug flirts with moi capitaine and he gets the doctor to do some voodoo so the hunters can't hunt.

Cesar Gonzalez

So a few episodes ago Archer let an ENTIRE species die because it wasn't his place to interfere. Now,.however, he meddles in another people's.hunting ritual that they have been doing for years. Hypocrite.

We lost Stephanie Niznik (only 52) www.imdb.com/name/nm0633318/?ref_=tt_cl_t8 https://variety.com/2019/tv/news/stephanie-niznik-dead-dies-star-trek-everwood-1203266197/

@Yanks She also played the Trill navigator in Star Trek Insurrection. RIP Stephanie Niznik, thank you for your contributions to the Trek universe.

And at the end when Archer took the hand of the Alien/Woman and looked here in the eyes, I heard a voice in my head. It was the Cinema Snob shouting "And then they banged. HARD!"

Jammer, sorry buddy but you got this one wrong. First, people commenting here can't believe that plants can grow without sunlight. I suggest you all Google articles on the amount of life found in extreme environments on Earth for goodness-sakes. It's a lot. Several examples are the bottom of the ocean where there is NO sunlight, in caves where there is NO sunlight, even at the bottom of underground lakes and water-sources where, you guessed it, there's NO light. Now, understand that life on other planets may be very different from life on Earth and life may have found ways to thrive in environments vastly different from our own. Considering these two ideas, then it's not at all hard to think that living things may find ways of growing without a sun nearby. Next, Jammer you call the plot "redundant" but you don't explain which part of the plot you're applying this word to, the mystery? As far as Star Trek episodes, I've never seen an episode like this, with aliens using a planet as their hunting ground, the planet is a rogue planet, and the species they are hunting is sentient. Those are three plot elements I've never seen in ST. This makes the episode fresh, original. I will agree with you Jammer on one of your central points though. Namely that the mystery was contrived. You are absolutely right when you say that there is no reason for the mystery-woman to keep secrets from Archer and likewise there is no reason for the hunters to also keep the mystery to themselves until the very end, except of course that the show was ending and they had to resolve the conflict. This is just lazy writing. I thought the resolution to be original though. Archer doesn't confront the hunters though he does discuss this with his bridge officers and realizes that confrontation is the wrong choice. I like that they at least discussed it, believable. Instead he gives the shapeshifters an advantage against the hunters. I'm glad there was no predictable confrontation scene, but not leaving the shapeshifters to their doom either. Strong episode overall. 3 Stars

Actually the "pseudo-science technobabble" is legit science. Scientist believe that there are plant and animal life on rogue planets for the exact reasons given in the episode.

Skip this one. The episode from nearly the beginning with the horrible laser tag light goggles separates the “good team” (green) and the “bad team” (red). And that’s about how much depth the writing for the characters has as well. Enterprise crew lands on a strange new planet and come in contact with a exotic alien species of camouflage wearing redneck hunters. They don’t hunt for food and sustenance. They hunt because they are evil badly written stereotypes. They enjoy slaughtering slug ghosts. And they even do it while drunk. Enterprise doesn’t like this. Everyone should get along. So Phlox of course cooks up some magic medicine almost instantly that makes the slug ghosts undetectable on the space redneck’s radar. Next episode please.

Spends far too much time getting to the big reveal (especially considering how blindingly obvious it is), seemingly to make up for the half hearted presentation of the issue at hand. The concept of the rogue planet is at least quite neat, and I did enjoy the initial intrigue, though it's a shame it's wasted on such a pedestrian outing.

This was a solid 2.5 stars for a couple reasons. First, I agree completely with @Capitalist, that a fews nights out in the woods, a camp fire, and liquor, will let a man admit things he wouldn't necessarily do under other circumstances. I think @Jammer was just too bored to notice. By the time Keith Szarabajka is able to tell the Enterprise crew that they are there to hunt an especially cunning and intelligent prey, there is a level of apparent trust - especially with Malcom, who went with them on the hunt. That Archer betrays that trust says more about Archer than about Keith Szarabajka. It is clear TPTB were going for a DS9 vibe with this episode. Aside from the shapeshifters, a closer analogy was to an early DS9 episode called "Captive Pursuit". In "Captive Pursuit," Miles O'Brien makes friends with a creature from the Gamma Quadrant called Tosk, who is being hunted by other Gamma Quadrant aliens who came through the worm hole. But of course what sells Captive Pursuit is not the hunt - it is the wonderful friendship O'Brien and Tosk develop ( https://www.jammersreviews.com/st-ds9/s1/captive.php ). Archer and the Lady of Shallot (or whatever her name was) never have that same chemistry. Imagine Rogue Planet, but with O'Brien - instead of Archer - spending a few nights with these hunters. Drinking. Singing songs ( https://youtu.be/ali3c7FaQGU ) around the campfire. That would be awesome. Just goes to show you how much Archer dragged Enterprise down. @Peter Swinkels is spot on. The magical forest atmospherics are fantastic. That makes this a 2.5 star episode for me. Would it still be 2.5 stars if the apparition had been a scantily clad man? Probably not ;)

I watched Star Trek: Insurrection on Amazon Prime--then looking for commentary I saw that Stephanie Niznik had died, and that she was also in this episode of Enterprise. She was good in this episode (and also in Insurrection). I wish she had more to do. Rest in peace.

Yes, the pandemic and boredom have led me to watch these old episodes of ST: Enterprise. Now I know why I skipped this series when it originally aired. The basic concept for this story is sound, "rouge" planets (also known by several other names) have been discovered and are estimated to be profoundly abundant. Finding and exploring one should be an interesting experience without having to concoct a nonsensical (and derivative) story about hunters and shape shifters. It astounds me how often ST writers fall back on tired, regurgitated ideas. And not only that, but why, oh why should every new species they encounter basically just be another human variant with different bumps on their heads? Did anyone else notice how human-like the Eska behaved? Just forget for a moment how completely ridiculous it is for every single new species to be anatomically almost identical to humans. It's inexplicable how similar their behavior is. Same hobbies, same drinking habits, same tendencies toward gender issues, same deceitful nature...and that's not even scratching the surface. Shall we question how, with an entire planet available, the crew sets their shuttle down within walking distance of the Eska's party? Shall we ask how this planet is not as cold as Niflheim? Why is there an oxygen rich atmosphere? Plants? Mammals? Just not possible. And I know this is picky but why do night vision goggles have to glow outwardly? They don't; that would defeat the purpose of keeping you out of sight while seeing your prey. In many ways, the writing on ST: Enterprise regressed back to the days of TOS. The characters are often just cardboard and flavorless and the "plots" are comically elementary. After the TNG and Voyagers series, this should not still be happening. Anyway, this episode rates a D- in my gradebook because of the unimaginative nature of the story and the points many others have made on the comments. I thought Jammer's review was dead on except I just couldn't give it 2 full stars. One maybe. At least episodes like this are good for one thing, curing insomnia.

Sean J Hagins

Again, I don't know what everyone wants. I personally liked this episode. I don't see it as anti-hunting as much as anti-exploitation of people. When it was thought that the hunters were just shooting wild boar, Archer had no problem letting Malcolm join them (even if he wouldn't do the actual killing), but of course killing an intelligent lifeform is wrong. Many hunt in the area I live in, and I've gone myself before. We do not kill for sport, but actually eat what we hunt. I would honestly like to know what the nay sayers here want the episode to be like. I read one response that they wanted the wraiths to be evil and trying to tempt Archer. Ok, that kind of thing has been done in episodes too, but Star Trek has always had episodes where the "alien monster" was not a monster at all (Like the Vorta in Devil in the Dark) Classic Dr Who did this as well (I am thinking of the episode " Doctor Who and the Silurians" in the Jon Pertwee era)

Frake's Nightmare

'have you ever known me to do something foolish?.....I mean really foolish'. On the evidence so far he has never anything else. more piss poor predictable and trite writing.

Illuminate ME

I have to disagree I loved and very much enjoyed that episode. But let me explain a few things though. 1. The rogue planet 🌎 : When they detect a planet without a planetary system and they view it on the view screen they notice it isnt frozen but instead has plant and animal life. T'Pol explains that the reason this rogue planet is not frozen is due to the planets molten core still active and producing heat through geothermal vents through the planets crust creating many oasis around the planet that support life. Impossible? No, it is actually very possible that life can exist in the absence of light. 2. The mystery women/shape shifter 🌸👱🏽‍♀️🐖 : The reason why the mystery women took so long to explain herself was because she was always being spooked by other people which was a natural flight response. And she wasnt 100% trusting of Archer yet, so she was being very cautious and paranoid since they have been hunted for hundreds of years and Archer was the new guy that according to her seemed to be different. When Archer continued to seek her out and never once showed any form of aggression she knew that he can be trusted to help her people. 3. The Alien Hunters 👱🏼👨🏽👨🏾🗡🔪🐖🌴: The reason they didnt confess to Archer, Reed and Tpol in the beginning was because they didnt want them to know they were actually hunting a sentient species (frowned upon in ST universe) but when one of the hunters is injured they send him up to enterprise and he gets patched up and brought back down the hunters were grateful of Archers help that they began celebrating the hunters survival of the shape shifter and with alcohol 🍺 consumption they saw Archer trusting so they confess and brag about it and Archer plays along to see how much info the hunters will divulge now that they trust Archer with their secret. When the hunter said the creature releases a chemical enzyme when the shapeshifters are scared and thats how they are able to detect them Archer quickly devises an idea to help the shape shifters mask this chemical enzyme so they can have a very fair chance at survival. Thoughts: The whole point of this episode was to be mysterious. You have 1. A mysterious rogue planet that has life on it. 2. The Mysterious hunters 3.The mysterious beautiful women. I for one think the story of this non humanoid sentient species was very intriguing. And we were still left with the mystery of who are these shape shifters are they really not sentient like the hunters claim? And just give the illusion of sentience? or are they really sentient and talk and play like humanoids? do they have technology? This was a mystery episode its up to the viewer to extrapolate and dissect their own conclusion of this mystery.

Shrantastic

All fantasy of course, but I was left wondering about the masking agent. How long would it last with the shapeshifters? Long enough for the Eska to lose interest in them? Or would the masking agent be like a vaccine, good for life? Would it transfer to the next generations? That's about as far as I'm willing to think about this episode, but I did watch it again because there was nothing else on TV and I like Enterprise, so I'll give it 2 stars, which might still be generous.

zzybaloobah

The natives: As I think someone pointed out, they don't have to be shape shifters, being telepathic is enough. If I can make you see a rock, I don't need to be a rock. We know they're read-telepaths. Occam's razor says they're read-write telepaths, not read-telepaths and shapeshifters. Odo's backstory is safe... I'm not sure how you could reasonably test a telepath for sentience. Running a Turing test on an AI would be child's play compared to a "cunning but not sentient" telepath. The planet could have life. Primitive, low-energy life. And certainly not an oxygen atmosphere -- it's way too reactive to be released from volcanic vents.

The only thing that could have saved this episode is if at the end the chick is revealed to be the Salt Vampire from the Man Trap. Good point about the redundancy of their powers, zz. This is an episode full of inchoate ideas that might be turneinchoated into something interesting but instead they just threw them all together and called it a day. p.s. Why were Berman and Braga writing so many episodes of this series? Berman only had a handful of writing credits on TNG, DS9, and VOY, but he co-wrote almost 40 (mostly bad) episodes of ENT. What was going on?

So many hostile remarks about a rather enchanting episode inspired by Yeats. I'm an upvote along with @Illuminate me, Mal, Sean J Hagins, Lew Stone, Straha and a small band of thoughtful wanderers across the years. I thank your sweet souls, and I bid you all good morrow.

Didn’t care for the anti-hunting polemics, but I still Enjoyed the episode, cool and mysterious rogue planet! I liked the FX, the bioluminescent millipede was cool, reminded me of Avatar FX, and this was several years before that film! Ok now back to the Enterprise for a Nice juicy steak in the mess hall!

Mellie Agon

It is OK to be anti-hunting. It is not necessary to kill things for entertainment.

Michael Miller

I fail to see how volcanic gas emissions create a breathable atmosphere, or how that keeps the planet at a goldilocks temperature for life to evolve. Usually gas emissions keeping a planet warm implies a greenhouse effect, which you would still need a star. Also did they not go through decon after coming back up to the ship? I'm assuming they didn't show it, but if the life on the planet is that complex than they probably picked up a couple dozen pathogens from brushing against all those plants and rocks. As for the anti-liberal comments, what is wrong with you? Hunting NOT for the purposes of gathering food or controlling a species population but just for fun is disgusting. They were coming to another planet to do it, they obviously weren't doing it for either of those two reasons.

Hunting went out of style but they’ve been eating big steaks and chicken which tpol won’t touch because she’s vegetarian so i guess it is meat and they’re still doing high speed factory farming and that’s better than hunting somehow? Also how is it not freezing? There’s zero sun. Iceland has vents but it’s still pretty cold Surprised phlox is willing to change their dna : isn’t this supposedly evolution. felt like imperfect/temporary solution regardless. Wouldn’t it be better to relocate them. Also ugh archers different to the being, Tpol isn’t? Way over romanticized. Ugh. I was waiting for him to kiss her. What a cliche

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Star Trek: Enterprise

Rogue Planet

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Stephanie Niznik

Conor O'Farrell

Eric Pierpoint

Keith Szarabajka

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Episode Preview: Rogue Planet

Rogue Planet

The Enterprise discovers a Rogue Planet , these are Planet s that do not orbit a star. Jonathan Archer decides that he should investigate the planet. The planet is in permanent darkness and the heat is generated from its centre. Whilst Archer is on the planet, Travis Mayweather is left in control of the craft. When they arrive on the planet, it is full of vegetation. The group encounters a group of humanoid alien s called the Eska who are hunting on the planet. They crew of the Enterprise agree to do some hunting with them. During a hunt, one of the Eska is attacked. Charles Trip Tucker accompanies the injured back to the Enterprise for Phlox to heal. Once the injured have been seen to, the Eska hunter and Trip return. Archer keeps seeing a blonde haired woman, over time the woman gets the confidence to talk to Archer more and more. Archer works out that the woman is not a memory of a person he has seen but rather someone he conjured up when he was young and heard a tale. The woman tells Archer she is a Dakalan Wraith and that the Eska are hunting them. The Wraiths can morph into anything, a tree or animal which is how they can escape the hunters. Archer agrees to help the Wraith hide from the hunters with the use of a masking agent which when applied works and the Eska are unable to track.

Episode Details

Copyright : Paramount

Last Modified : 19th March 2023

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Star Trek: Enterprise – Rogue Planet (Review)

Next year, Star Trek is fifty years old. We have some special stuff planned for that, but – in the meantime – we’re reviewing all of Star Trek: Enterprise this year as something of a prequel to that anniversary. This January, we’re doing the first season . Check back daily for the latest review.

And with Rogue Planet , Star Trek: Enterprise wanders back into “generic Star Trek “ territory.

Rogue Planet is a story that could easily have been told on any other Star Trek spin-off. Indeed, a great deal of its story elements feel inherited like hand-me-down clothes. Hunters chasing sentient game is a stock science-fiction trope, but it is one that the franchise has explored quite frequently. The first season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine gave us Captive Pursuit , another story about our heroes interfering in the hunt of a self-aware life form. The fourth season of Star Trek: Voyager introduced the Hirogen, a bunch of big-game hunters that put the Eska hunters to shame.

In fairness, wearing a glowing green eye patch on a pitch black planet probably isn't the best strategy...

In fairness, wearing a glowing green eye patch on a pitch black planet probably isn’t the best strategy…

Indeed, it hasn’t even been that long since Star Trek did an episode about hunters pursuing sentient prey. The final season of  Voyager had produced Flesh and Blood , a gigantic feature-length television movie around the Hirogen and their pursuit of holograms that had developed self-awareness despite not meeting the more obvious criteria for sentience. This isn’t Enterprise retreading old ground; this is Enterprise retread ground that hosted a big song and dance less than fifteen months earlier. As with Civilisation and Sleeping Dogs before it, Rogue Planet has a definite “been there and done that” feeling to it.

That’s a shame, because there are a host of interesting elements here. They just are pushed into the back seat for a stock science-fiction plot.

Oh, Trip, have some respect!

Oh, Trip, have some respect!

There are a lot of problems with the plotting of Rogue Planet . Given its pulpy roots, science-fiction has long harboured an affection for the concept of “big game hunters” , so they are a very familiar genre element. While this might be Archer’s first encounter with a species like this, any viewer with any experience with any science-fiction will be familiar with concept. The idea of a fantastical nature reserve feels like a stock plot element.

The “twist” in Rogue Planet is incredibly easy to foresee, because it’s really the only way a story can develop. The hunters only show up to generate conflict, and there can only be conflict if Archer takes exception to something they do. Since the idea of hunters pursuing self-aware organisms is a stock science-fiction plot, then it is inevitable that Rogue Planet will reveal that the hunters are stalking self-aware prey and Archer will try to stop them.

The most dangerous game (of laser tag) imaginable...

The most dangerous game (of laser tag) imaginable…

There are obvious questions here. Even after Damrus assures Archer that his party “don’t touch” the “higher primates” , Archer seems disdainful of the hunting practise. “Taking wild animals is part of our tradition,” Damrus offers. Archer responds, “Hunting went out of style on Earth over a hundred years ago.” This seems to ignore an suggestion of cultural relativism on Earth, ignoring the fact that allowing indigenous people to hunt for sustenance and in line with their beliefs is considered part of modern cultural preservation .

Of course, all of this becomes moot once it’s clear that the Eska are hunting self-aware lifeforms, but it does betray a very western-centric attitude on the part of Archer. Indeed, Archer’s disdain for the practice of hunting as a cultural tradition – and the fact that Reed feels the need to promise not to kill anything – suggests the sort of attitudes that Roddenberry established in Lonely Among Us . There, Riker sternly lectured the Anticans, “We no longer enslave animals for food purposes.”

Shining some light on the matter...

Shining some light on the matter…

It is unclear whether the chicken and steak that Archer and the crew enjoy is shipped frozen from Earth (or other colony worlds) or simply replicated by the convenient “protein synthesiser.” If it is only replicated, it seems strange that the Vulcans would act so contemptuously towards it – if no animal died to producer the meal, it seems illogical to complain about what it looks like. If it is producing by farming, it seems odd to be so disgusted by hunting in principle – provided it is conducted humanely.

The episode’s climax seems similarly unsatisfying. Archer and Phlox come up with a way of masking the “chemical signature” of the alien life form. Ignoring the fact that this is the sort of technobabble deus ex machina that fans would frequently see on  Voyager , and why the ethics of Dear Doctor don’t apply, there’s also the question of how effective this is as a long-term solution. It’s a problem that could likely be fixed with improved scanning techniques or technological leaps.

She really got into his head...

She really got into his head…

As T’Pol points out, “Even if we stop them, their people will continue to come here and hunt. They’ve done it for hundreds of years.” It’s hard to see this as a happy ending. Instead, it seems like a stopgap measure. If Archer really felt that strongly about the exploitation of the native species, he would work with Starfleet and the Vulcans to figure out a way to protect the planet in the long-term. However, that would require work and planning and foresight, and distract from the adventures of the week

So Rogue Planet feels incredibly rote. It is very disappointing, particularly considering it is the first contribution from writer Chris Black. Hired mid-way through the first season to help stop up a writers’ room that was haemorrhaging talent, Black would go on to become the first “native” writer on  Enterprise . While writers like Mike Sussman, Phyllis Strong and André Bormanis would remain with the show for a long period of time, Black was the first writer recruited specifically for  Enterprise to last longer than a season.

Hunter's (rogue) moon...

Hunter’s (rogue) moon…

Although Black didn’t remain on the show for its fourth season, he did become a pretty important part of the writing staff. In the documentary To Boldly Go , Brannon Braga singles Black out as the most successful of the new writers recruited for the first season of Enterprise . He was nominated for a Hugo Award for his script to Carbon Creek and Mike Sussman affectionately named the character of Grergory Itzin’s Admiral Black for him in In a Mirror Darkly .

However, what is interesting about Chris Black is that he is a writer with very clear genre experience. In putting a writing staff together for Enterprise , Braga had tried to recruit from outside the standard pool of science-fiction writers. He drew in a bunch of talented people with a wide range of experience. Breaking the Ice and Dear Doctor are credited to André and Marie Jacquemetton, who would go on to produce Mad Men . Fortunate Son was written by James Duff, who went on to create The Closer . These are talented writers, and Braga deserves recognition for spotting that talent ahead of time.

Picture perfect...

Picture perfect…

Still, after the departure of Antoinette Stella and Tim Finch half-way through the season, it seems like Berman and Braga decided to replace departing writers with new talent that had experience in genre work. Chris Black’s experience included Poltergeist: The Legacy , Xena: Warrior Princess and Cleopatra 2525 . This conservative approach towards replacing departing writers would continue into the second season. David A. Goodman has joked that his work on Futurama got him a job on Enterprise . It seems quite likely that John Shiban was hired on the basis of his experience on The X-Files .

This represents a pretty seismic shift in the way that Enterprise is being run. In essence, it is Berman and Braga backing away from the bolder moves that they made at the start of the first season. The writing staff on Enterprise becomes a lot less broad as a result of these changes. The first season struggled a great deal, but it had no shortage of ambition for all its spectacular missteps. The second season becomes a lot safer and a lot more stable – but a lot less exciting – as a result of these changes.

All fired up...

All fired up…

From around the midpoint in the first season through to the start of the second, the writers’ room on  Enterprise changes from a bunch of up-and-coming young writers with no idea how to write science-fiction into a bunch of people who know genre television backwards. This change is very much reflected in the show. While the first season of  Enterprise tends to vacillate between brilliant and terrible within the space of a single episode, the second season becomes a lot more stable and consistent; but becomes a bit more generic in the process.

To be fair, this makes a great deal of sense. The writers that were recruited at the start of the show’s run struggled with science-fiction. In the documentary To Boldly Go , Braga confesses that he re-wrote pretty much every episode of the first season. That is simply not sustainable in the long-term. Writers like Mike Sussman, André Bormanis and Chris Black have talked about the difficulty that outside writers had becoming fluent in the language and conventions of Star Trek . There is a point where it is not viable to have a writers’ room where so much energy is expended consistently bringing those contributors up to speed.

Eska tradition demanded that Reed had to wear the safety goggles and sign eight different waivers before joining the expedition.

Eska tradition demanded that Reed had to wear the safety goggles and sign eight different waivers before joining the expedition.

So this was very much a trade-off that had to be made. The producers on Enterprise had to sacrifice some of the ambition and novelty of those outsider writers in favour of a more consistent and reliable approach to the show. It’s unfortunate that the two could not be reconciled. It is interesting to imagine how the Jacquemettons – writers of two of the more ambitious and interesting episodes of the season – would have evolved into the second season. But this is all “shoulda woulda coulda.”

And, to be entirely fair to writer Chris Black, there’s no shortage of interesting elements to Rogue Planet . They just get smothered by an overly conventional plot. The idea of the eponymous planet is fascinating – a ball of dirt floating free in space an sustaining itself through energy released from the core. This is a fascinating scientific concept, and it is plausible that planets could sustain life for quite some time while hurtling between stars .

"Just try to look commanding..."

“Just try to look commanding…”

More that that, there’s something delightfully ethereal about a planet that never sees a sunrise, a world bathed in darkness. In many respects, the world of Rogue Planet seems like something from a fairytale rather than a work of science-fiction – not that there is too much difference. With its perpetual night and ghosts that lure unsuspecting travellers from their beds, Rogue Planet seems like an intersection between Star Trek and the realm of the faerie.

In many respects, Rogue Planet seems to recall the myth of sirens that would lure the captains of sailing ships to their doom. When Archer recalls his first encounter with the shape-changer, it sounds like he could be talking of the sirens from classic mythology. “It was like I was being drawn to her. Like I didn’t have any control over what I was doing. I can’t explain it.” Given how Enterprise is a show about the early years of space exploration, and how Rogue Planet opens with Archer having his photo taken as part of twenty-second century myth-making, it seems like the show is trying mix and match mythology and science-fiction.

"There is a loneliness inherent in that whisper from the darkness..."

“There is a loneliness inherent in that whisper from the darkness…”

Even the poem that Archer cites – The Song of Wandering Aengus by William Butler Yeats – plays into this theme. As Sajjadul Karim notes in  Celtic Tradition: The Guiding Force of William Butler Yeats , the poems was itself an attempt to rework a piece of classic Celtic mythology into something radically different:

One poem that illustrates how Yeats mixes folklore and nationalism is The Song of Wandering Aengus. In this poem, Yeats refers to Aengus, the Irish god of love. He was said to be a young, handsome god that had four birds flying around his head. These birds symbolized kisses and inspired love in all who heard them sing. In the poem, The Song of Wandering Aengus, one can clearly see Yeats’s fascination with the occult as a way of incorporating classic pagan and Celtic myths as a means of creating an alternative reality for his own nationalistic intentions.

It seems like Rogue Planet teases a similar idea, an attempt to recontextualise a classic piece of folklore within the context of Star Trek . If this is the case, it feels just a little disappointing that this myth-making takes a back seat to a story about aggressive alien hunters pursuing the most dangerous game of all.

Archer won't cave to pressure...

Archer won’t cave to pressure…

Still, Rogue Planet looks quite nice. The planetoid is a beautiful visual concept. Even the shots of Enterprise orbiting over the dark surface of the planet makes for a much more striking visual than the generic planet of the week. The production design is typically top-notch here. In particular, the retro-future look of the Eska hunting party is quite endearing. It all feels decided pulpy. There’s an incredible amount of neon of display here, feeling like a conscious throwback to eighties science fiction. Even the Enterprise landing party looks like they are about to play a game of deadly laser tag as they stalk the surface of the planet.

Director Allan Kroeker does a great job giving Rogue Planet a foreboding and impressive atmosphere. Kroeker tries to frame Rogue Planet as something like a fairy tale in space. It doesn’t quite work, because it’s still a story about evil alien space hunters, but Kroeker does a lot to distinguish the feel of the planet from the standard planet of the week. He frames shots to make it seem a bit more ethereal and alien than simply “a planet where it is dark all the time.”

Smile!

Although back in the background following Shuttlepod One , Reed does get a few nice moments here. There’s more of Reed’s over-compensating macho posturing as he boasts about his Eagle Scout badges and begs to spend time on the surface with the hunting party. As with Strange New World , Dominic Keating gives Reed just the right amount of sass and cheek, reinforcing the impression that Reed isn’t overly impressed with Archer’s command style, but would never come right out and say it.

Still, despite these small elements, Rogue Planet still feels like something we’ve seen before. And quite recently (and frequently) at that.

You might be interested in our other reviews of the first season of Star Trek: Enterprise :

  • Fight or Flight
  • Strange New World
  • The Andorian Incident
  • Breaking the Ice
  • Civilisation
  • Fortunate Son
  • Silent Enemy
  • Dear Doctor
  • Sleeping Dogs
  • Shadows of P’Jem
  • Shuttlepod One
  • Rogue Planet
  • Acquisition
  • Fallen Hero
  • Desert Crossing
  • Two Days and Two Nights
  • Shockwave, Part I

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Filed under: Enterprise | Tagged: Archer , big game , chris black , genre television , hunters , hunting , Planet , rogue planet , star trek , star trek: enterprise , the most dangerous game of all |

4 Responses

' src=

I enjoyed this analysis. It should be “hurtling between stars”, not “hurdling”.

' src=

Good catch. Corrected. Thanks Doug.

' src=

I believe that, as a Brit, Lt. Reed, rather than boasting of his Eagle Scout badges, should have crowed about his accomplishments whilst a Queen’s (or King’s – depending upon the current monarch) Scout. I recall that when I was a Boy Scout here in Canada some fifty years ago, the highest rank to which we could normally aspire was Queen’s Scout. I never even got close – ending up as a lowly Second Class. Another level available to the really dedicated and talented was Rover – which I believe is akin to U.S. Boy Scouts Explorer. I realize that this is a bit of “nitpickery”, but the show mentions Lt. Reed’s Royal Navy heritage, so why not his U.K. Boy Scout heritage.

I suspect because the production team didn’t do the research.

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Rogue Planet Star Trek: Enterprise – Season One --> Rogue Planet

The crew discovers a planet where a group of aliens are hunting an elusive prey. Captain Archer encounters a beautiful woman in the forest.

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Rogue Planet Proves That Outer Space Is Terrifying [REVIEW]

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Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Andy MacDonald. Coloured by Nick Filardi. Lettered by Crank!. Published by Oni Press .

Outer space is terrifying.

Think about it. It’s expansive and full of so many things that we don’t know or understand. In the comic Rogue Planet , the crew of a salvage ship learn this the hard way. Hoping to hit paydirt after following a distress signal on a planet that has been lodged out of its orbit, things go terribly wrong as soon as they land.

This five-issue miniseries blends genres – combining science fiction , traditional horror , and body horror . Although, the comic leans more into the horror elements. Here, science fiction is the vehicle for horror, acting as a setup for the scenery and premise.

The first panel of the comic, which features a grotesque monolith, firmly establishes that it’s a horror. It’s all fleshy, with artist Andy MacDonald covering with bulging eyes and protruding teeth. It then introduces other entities into the mix, with similar unsightly features. This form of body horror is used sparingly, which means that they are impactful when they appear.

Good horror uses the genre to explore themes, with fear being a by-product of that exploration. Rogue Planet uses this opportunity to explore the concept of fear. Is it an actual thing? Or is it a combination of external factors and the mind? A lot of this is built into the premise and plays out through the experiences of the characters. It also comes out through their interactions, with the characters discussing what they most fear. It’s a little heavy-handed but does have some pay-off when those fears are worked into the narrative.

The idea of a crew answering a distress signal on a remote planet only to have shit hit the fan is not a new idea. It’s a staple of science fiction horror and the premise of many Star Trek episodes. Where Rogue Planet differs is that it subverts expectations. When you think things are going in a predictable direction, a page turn will throw an unexpected surprise at you. The result is that it diverts you from the usual trappings of the trope into different territory.

Visually, Rogue Planet finds a happy medium between the different genres. There’s the brightness of science fiction, with the glowing green atmosphere and the illumination of various light sources, while finding a darker compromise of horror with solid black shadows and muted colours for the desolate environments. These work well together as they are used to reflect the unknown of the planet and its terrifying threats.

Where it doesn’t quite work is in the character designs. Most characters are either in a spacesuit or some kind of uniform, making them all look alike. (Colourist Nick Filardi colour codes the helmet visors, making it easy to follow each character’s movements.) It’s hard to be attached to anyone in particular because of this. But at the same time, the lack of any standout character makes who will die next unpredictable.

Overall, Rogue Planet is a solid mash that explores the concept of fear. Through the use of unpredictable moments and body horror, the comic proves once again that out space is a terrifying place to be.

Rogue Planet is a five-issue miniseries that can be found in all good comic book shops , online stores , eBay , and digitally on Comixology from 10th March.

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Memory Alpha

Founders' homeworld (2371)

The first Founders' homeworld was an M-class rogue planet located within the Omarion Nebula in the Gamma Quadrant . This was the capital planet of the Dominion , and the homeworld of the Changelings .

  • 2.1 Background information
  • 2.2 External link

History [ ]

Thousands of years ago , the Changelings who later became the Founders of the Dominion withdrew to this planet to escape persecution by the solids .

In 2371 , Odo experienced a mental compulsion that led him and Major Kira Nerys to the planet, after the USS Defiant was captured by the Jem'Hadar . The crew of the Defiant was also brought to the planet and subjected to an experiment by the Vorta to gauge their level of resistance to a Dominion invasion . ( DS9 : " The Search, Part I ", " The Search, Part II ")

Later that year, the Romulan Tal Shiar and the Cardassian Obsidian Order launched a preemptive strike on the planet, hoping to decapitate the Dominion before it could invade the Alpha Quadrant . The Founders, having learned of the plan through a Changeling impersonating Lovok , evacuated the planet and deliberately enabled the attack so as to ambush the two intelligence agencies and render them incapable of resisting the planned conquest of their respective empires . The planet itself was devastated by orbital bombardment , with thirty percent of its crust destroyed, before a fleet of Jem'Hadar fighters ambushed the Romulan and Cardassian ships in what became known as the Battle of the Omarion Nebula . ( DS9 : " Improbable Cause ", " The Die is Cast ")

In 3189 , the location of the first Founders' homeworld was denoted on a holographic star chart of the galaxy at Federation Headquarters . ( DIS : " Die Trying ")

Appendices [ ]

Background information [ ].

During the first two seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , viewers were left to wonder where the Changeling character of Odo had come from. The actor who played him, Rene Auberjonois , wanted this question to remain unanswered and mysterious, though he was happy with how the answer was revealed. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 32, Nos. 4/5, p. 40)

Upon devising the first Founders' homeworld, Ira Steven Behr and his writing staff on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine wanted to create a planet which was extremely strange and mysterious. ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 168)

Concept art for Founders' planet

Concept art for the Founders' homeworld by Jim Martin

Much effort went into depicting the first Founders' homeworld. " The optical shots that were involved in our first view of the Founders' planet were very complicated, " admitted Producer Steve Oster . " There was a lot of interfacing between what the director was planning and what the Art Department was doing. The planet needed to be fairly dark in order for us to see the glowing, gelatinous sea that makes up the Great Link . " ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , p. 168) Illustrator Jim Martin , who did some concept art of the locale, stated, " It was all supposed to be this mysterious surface of a planet at night, without any sort of building or structure at all; just kind of a bizarre, alien landscape. I tried to throw everything I thought looked alien at them. " ("Jim Martin Sketchbook", DS9 Season 4 DVD special features)

A miniature created by Model Maker Gregory Jein included part of the planet, portraying the area surrounding the Great Link. First, his team constructed a perspective landscape, which was ten feet long and twelve feet deep. " Greg had to build the miniature three weeks before the actual set was built, " laughed Special Effects Supervisor Glenn Neufeld . The physical configuration of the landscape model was influenced by a visit to the cave set – which was later to be utilized for representing the planet – and multiple sketches provided by the art department. The illustrations gave Jein an impression of "a lot of weird colors and rocks ." Next, he started carving urethane foam into artificial rocks and painting "funky florist flora with wild colors so it looked like an alien glade." ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , pp. 168-169)

There were subsequent problems with the set used for the first Founders' homeworld, such as with its extremely bright colors. " We went to the set one day, expecting to see it looking one way, and it didn't, " remembered Glenn Neufeld. " So we ran to the phone and told Greg, 'You know those purple and yellow trees ? Well, paint them orange or rip them out. We don't care which!' " The DS9 producers were ultimately disappointed with the planet, Behr thinking "the dark planet with the weird things on it" turned out to be a "set [that] never worked" and actually "sucked!" ( Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion , pp. 169 & 168)

According to Star Trek: Star Charts (pp. 71 & 75), both of the Founders' homeworlds were class R planets .

However, according to StarTrek.com and the Star Trek Encyclopedia , 4th ed., vol. 2, p. 103 (in entry "Omarion Nebula"), the first Founders' homeworld was an M-class planet. [1] (X) The planet supported native flora, which thrived on processes other than photosynthesis .

External link [ ]

  • Founders' homeworld at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
  • 1 USS Voyager (NCC-74656-A)
  • 2 Daniels (Crewman)
  • 3 Star Trek: Prodigy

Memory Beta, non-canon Star Trek Wiki

A friendly reminder regarding spoilers ! At present the expanded Trek universe is in a period of major upheaval with the continuations of Discovery and Prodigy , the advent of new eras in gaming with the Star Trek Adventures RPG , Star Trek: Infinite and Star Trek Online , as well as other post-57th Anniversary publications such as the ongoing IDW Star Trek comic and spin-off Star Trek: Defiant . Therefore, please be courteous to other users who may not be aware of current developments by using the {{ spoiler }}, {{ spoilers }} OR {{ majorspoiler }} tags when adding new information from sources less than six months old (even if it is minor info). Also, please do not include details in the summary bar when editing pages and do not anticipate making additions relating to sources not yet in release. THANK YOU

Rogue Planet

This article has a real-world perspective! Click here for more information.

"Rogue Planet" was the 18th episode of Enterprise in the show's first season , first aired 20 March 2002 . The episode was written by Chris Black MA , Rick Berman MA and Brannon Braga and directed by Allan Kroeker MA .

  • 1.1 Characters
  • 1.2 Starships and vehicles
  • 1.3 Races and cultures
  • 1.4 Locations
  • 1.5 Other references
  • 2.1.1 Notable cast and crew
  • 2.2.1 Timeline
  • 2.3 External link

References [ ]

Characters [ ], starships and vehicles [ ], races and cultures [ ], locations [ ], other references [ ], appendices [ ], background [ ], notable cast and crew [ ].

  • Scott Bakula as Jonathan Archer

Connections [ ]

Timeline [ ], external link [ ].

  • " Rogue Planet " article at Memory Alpha , the wiki for canon Star Trek .
  • 1 Lamarr class
  • 2 Wesley Crusher
  • 3 USS Voyager (NCC-74656-A)

Screen Rant

Every upcoming star wars game (2024 & beyond).

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Star Wars Outlaws Preview: Rogue Fantasy Done Right

Star wars jedi: survivor interview — writers danny homan & pete stewart break down dagan gera's emotional story, 20 best star wars games.

  • Six Star Wars games are in development, with only one confirmed for a 2024 release.
  • Star Wars Outlaws is an upcoming open-world game focused on galactic scoundrel gameplay and blaster-centric combat.
  • Respawn Entertainment has both a third Jedi game and a strategy title in the works.

Just like the films, Star Wars video games are almost always highly anticipated, and luckily, there are already some games lined up to look forward to in 2024 and beyond. George Lucas' creation has blossomed over decades into one of the largest media franchises in existence, with classic games like Knights of the Old Republic and Battlefront standing as important contributions. Following Disney's acquisition of the Star Wars IP, Electronic Arts was the sole publisher allowed to release officially licensed games. That is no longer the case, and other companies have joined the roster of upcoming titles.

There are six Star Wars games that appear to be in development , although only one of these games is currently set for release in 2024. The timeline on all the other upcoming titles is currently very nebulous, with a lack of substantial updates on any of them making it look like nothing else will be arriving particularly soon. There could always be some surprise announcements in the coming months, but for now, it looks like Star Wars fans won't be in any danger of having to rush from game to game.

6 Star Wars Outlaws Is The Next Big Star Wars Game

Massive entertainment, star wars outlaws.

Star Wars Outlaws is the first upcoming AAA project on the horizon for the galaxy far, far away, set for a release on August 30, 2024. This title is in development at Ubisoft subsidiary Massive Entertainment, which is responsible for both Tom Clancy's The Division games and the recent Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora . It's currently being billed as the first open-world Star Wars game, and it certainly looks to be the most expansive singleplayer experience in terms of sheer scale, with freely explorable environments spanning a number of confirmed planets.

Star Wars Outlaws is taking a very different tack from a game like Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order , focusing on the galactic scoundrel side of things rather than anyone who's ever held the right to wield a lightsaber. The combat is consequently blaster-centric, while other aspects of gameplay include stealth possibilities, speeder bike chases, and spaceflight. The story takes place during the Original Trilogy , sliding into the gap between the major plot points in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.

Star Wars Outlaws is every bit the rogue fantasy it promises at first glance, with a cheeky protagonist and lots of promise underneath.

Considering the still-unclear release dates for other upcoming Star Wars games, Star Wars Outlaws might have to keep fans entertained for a while. Ubisoft has confirmed that Star Wars Outlaws won't be as long as the studio's most gargantuan titles, but with a length that could run anywhere from 25 to 60 hours depending on playstyle, it could still do some heavy lifting. Diverse level design could end up being the big selling point, as frequently shaking up the nature of objectives could help carry some seemingly standard Ubisoft game elements.

5 Star Wars Eclipse Could Be As Late As 2028

Quantic dream.

Star Wars Eclipse was announced with a captivating reveal trailer at The Game Awards 2021. It will be the first Star Wars game set in the High Republic era, which is a period of prosperity for the Galactic Republic decades prior to the events of The Phantom Menace . Very little is known about the game itself, since it isn't expected to release for a few more years. Star Wars Eclipse is being developed by Quantic Dream , a studio known for its interactive story-driven games and a number of controversies relating to a toxic work environment.

Eclipse came under scrutiny following its announcement because of Quantic Dream's involvement, which resulted in #BlackoutStarWarsEclipse trending on Twitter. Many fans feel the lucrative Star Wars IP shouldn't be licensed to creators prone to repeated, troubling behavior, but the situation hasn't necessarily evolved since the outcry. Rumors have suggested that some of these issues could put the game a long way off, potentially as far as 2028.

4 Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic Is In Flux

Saber interactive.

Longtime Star Wars video game fans were delighted when a remake of Knights of the Old Republic was announced at Sony's PlayStation Showcase in September 2021 . The original, developed by BioWare, came out for the Xbox and PC in 2003 and earned significant acclaim in the years since. An equally lauded sequel was developed by Obsidian in 2005, but a third KOTOR never came. Fans waited a long time for the series to return to the light of day, and although a truly new title would be hard to beat, a remake of the original is still a welcome surprise.

Only a teaser for the remake featuring Darth Revan igniting a red lightsaber has been released, with all other details on the KOTOR remake still a mystery. Reports of a change in developer for the KOTOR remake from Aspyr to Saber Interactive worried fans about the state of the game, and a tweet from 2023 revealed an exchange with the CEO of the company behind Saber, Stephen Totilo , that offers little hope for an imminent release. Despite various other scares, like a delisted KOTOR remake trailer , rumors continue to show vague signs of life in the project .

Considering how long off the release of the KOTOR remake may be, those interested may want to check out the fantastic RPG in the recent KOTOR Nintendo Switch port, which was developed by Aspyr. KOTOR has never exactly been bug-free, which hasn't changed, but dated graphics don't mean the gameplay and story fail to hold up today. It's starting to look like a situation where the bird in the hand might be the better option, but whenever the KOTOR remake does arrive, it might still be an exciting Star Wars experience.

3 A Third Star Wars Jedi Game Is In The Works

Respawn entertainment.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor followed up its predecessor Fallen Order, as a hit, and it looks like that momentum won't be stopping any time soon. The first news of the next game in the series came from a comment that Cal Kestis actor Cameron Monaghan made at Ocala Comic Con referring to work being done on a third game , as reported by VGC . This wasn't a definitive announcement, but it did seemingly confirm that the game was at least in pre-production.

A further update on the next Jedi game came with the announcement of restructuring at EA that resulted in some significant layoffs. Although there's still been no public announcement of the sequel, IGN reported that the series was moving forward despite other cuts. Despite the lack of information, the fact that the franchise has kept a reasonably steady pace so far means that the third game could still end up releasing as soon as other upcoming projects or even earlier than some.

Star Wars: Jedi Survivor Lead Writer Danny Homan & Senior Writer Pete Stewart break down Dagan Gera's emotional story and High Republic canon.

2 Respawn Is Leading A Star Wars Strategy Game

Respawn entertainment/bit reactor.

Respawn's other upcoming Star Wars project will be a strategy game and is a collaborative effort with a newly formed development studio called Bit Reactor. Just like the FPS, this game is probably years away from release, with its early announcement part of a hiring strategy. EA claims Bit Reactor will take the lead in development since Greg Foertsch, a former employee of Firaxis Games, helms the studio. Foertsch has experience working on Firaxis' XCOM series, so it's plausible that this upcoming Star Wars title will be a turn-based or tactical strategy game rather than an RTS.

Respawn was previously working on a project starring a Mandalorian character as well, but the upcoming Star Wars FPS was canceled in the EA restructuring.

1 Amy Hennig Has A Star Wars Project

Skydance new media.

A new Star Wars game by Amy Hennig was announced to be in early development at Skydance New Media . Hennig is best known for her work as creative director and writer of the first three Uncharted games, but was notably attached to a separate Star Wars project at Visceral Games before the studio was shuttered by Electronic Arts. Her upcoming title could draw from that prior Star Wars experience while borrowing elements of Uncharted 's characters and gameplay , both highly regarded in the general sphere of gaming.

Star Wars has a long catalog of video games, but there are a handful of especially great titles that are still must-plays for fans.

This untitled project marks the second marquee game in development at Skydance New Media, alongside another title in development for Marvel. The new studio was only formed in 2019 and has yet to release a game, but Hennig and other AAA development talent have attracted some of the most coveted IP in multimedia entertainment. Dominic Roilliard, director of the notoriously hyped but canceled game Star Wars 1313, also joined the project in 2023, indicating that things are likely moving in a positive direction.

Beyond the staff, however, any details about the game itself remain almost nonexistent. With Hennig's portfolio, however, it is expected to be a narrative-heavy, fairly linear experience and hopefully a successful flagship for the Star Wars games coming in 2024 and beyond.

Source: Stephen Totilo/Twitter , VGC , IGN

Star Wars

rogue planet star trek

Star Treks Newest Starship Crew Wont Repeat DS9's Red Squad Tragedy

Warning: SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2's Finale - "Ouroboros, Part II"

  • The USS Prodigy's crew saved all of Star Trek timelines, earning promotions and a new starship.
  • Unlike Red Squad's tragic history, the USS Prodigy crew embodies Starfleet's ideals and optimism.
  • Prodigy's young heroes, mentored by the best Starfleet Officers and will avoid Red Squad's mistakes and hubris.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2's finale saw the launch of the USS Prodigy, and Starfleet's newest ship and crew won't repeat the tragedy of Red Squad in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Written by Kevin & Dan Hageman and Aaron J. Waltke, and directed by Ruolin Li, Star Trek: Prodigy season 2's ending saw the young heroes of the USS Protostar led by Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and Gwyndala (Ella Purnell) save every Star Trek timeline with the help of Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) and the crew of the USS Voyager-A. Their reward was promotions to Ensigns and their own starship, the brand-new, Protostar Class USS Prodigy (NCC-81084).

The USS Prodigy was assigned to Ensigns Dal R'El, Gwyndala, Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui), Zero (Angus Imrie), Jankom Pog (Jason Mantzoukas), Murf (Dee Bradley Baker), and Majel (Michaela Dietz) by Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew). As a response to Starfleet ceasing exploration as its mandate in the wake of the First Contact Day Mars Attack of 2385 , Janeway sends her young former warrant officers to be the United Federation of Planets' beacon of light aboard the USS Protostar. Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 ends with a hopeful and heartening mission, not at all what Red Squad was up to on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

In the backstory of Star Trek: Picard season 1, the Mars Attack of 2385 saw 92,000 souls lost when the 20,000 starships at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards were destroyed by rogue synthetics.

Star Trek: Prodigy Season 3 - Everything We Know

Netflix has the option to order Star Trek: Prodigy season 3. Here's what we know about the young Starfleet crew of the USS Protostar's return.

USS Prodigy Wont Repeat Star Trek: DS9s Valiant Tragedy

Red squad showed the dark side of starfleet academy.

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2's ending is an uplifting jolt of Starfleet optimism that sets up what's poised to be an epic new adventure. But whatever happens next to the USS Prodigy and its heroic young crew, don't expect Star Trek: Prodigy season 3 to echo what happened in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 7's episode, "Valiant," when Ensign Nog (Aaron Eisenberg) and Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) found themselves aboard the doomed USS Valiant under the command of Red Squad. For one thing, the USS Prodigy's mission is to explore, while the USS Valiant was on an exercise to go behind enemy lines during the Dominion War.

Red Squad was filled with hubris and the mistaken belief they can do no wrong.

Red Squad was symbolic of the dark side of Starfleet Academy . While Red Squad's members were the best and brightest cadets of their Academy class, being separated from other students, given special privileges, and held above as "elite" had a deleterious effect on Red Squad. Unlike the USS Prodigy's crew, who make mistakes but take responsibility and rise above, Red Squad's cadets were exemplified by hubris and the mistaken belief they can do no wrong. The result of their foolhardy actions was the destruction of the USS Valiant and the death of every Red Squad member except one, Dorian Collins (Ashley Brianne McDonogh)

Maj'el is a former member of Nova Squadron, a different elite group of Starfleet Academy cadets.

Why USS Prodigys Crew Will Succeed Where DS9s Red Squad Failed

Prodigy's kids are no red squad.

Gwyndala, Dal R'El, and the Ensigns of the USS Prodigy are made of the right stuff and they are completely different from Red Squad. The ragtag young heroes of Star Trek: Prodigy dreamed of being in Starfleet, and they wholeheartedly believe in its ideals. Nothing came easily for Dal, Gwyn, Rok-Tahk, Murf, Zero, and Jankom Pog, and as former child slaves on Tars Lamora, they could not have come from humbler beginnings. But with their combined talents and their boundless optimism, the crew of the USS Prodigy have already saved the galaxy twice, and they're the best representatives Starfleet could ask for in the wake of the Mars Attack of 2385.

Red Squad participated in a coup attempt by Admiral Layton.

The crew of the USS Prodigy also benefited from the best possible mentors: Admiral Janeway/Hologram Janeway, Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran), The Doctor (Robert Picardo), and Wesley Crusher. Red Squad didn't have such Starfleet exemplars as role models. In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 4, Red Squad participated in a coup attempt by Admiral Layton (Robert Foxworth ), and the elite cadets suffered without heroic Captains like Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) or Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) as their mentors. Star Trek: Prodigy 's young heroes are nothing like Red Squad; the USS Prodigy's crew are already far above and beyond Star Trek: Deep Space Nine 's tragic cadets, and won't repeat their grave mistakes.

Star Trek: Prodigy

Cast Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, John Noble, Jason Mantzoukas, Brett Gray, Angus Imrie, Jameela Jamil, Robert Picardo, Jimmi Simpson, Ella Purnell, Dee Bradley Baker

Release Date October 28, 2021

Network Netflix

Streaming Service(s) Netflix

Franchise(s) Star Trek

Writers Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman

Showrunner Kevin Hageman, Dan Hageman

Where To Watch Netflix

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Cast Terry Farrell, Cirroc Lofton, Rene Auberjonois, Nicole de Boer, Michael Dorn, Andrew Robinson, Nana Visitor, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Armin Shimerman, Alexander Siddig

Release Date January 3, 1993

Network CBS

Streaming Service(s) Paramount+

Writers Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller, Ronald D. Moore

Showrunner Ira Steven Behr, Michael Piller

Where To Watch Paramount+

Star Treks Newest Starship Crew Wont Repeat DS9's Red Squad Tragedy

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COMMENTS

  1. Rogue Planet (Star Trek: Enterprise)

    Star Trek: Enterprise. ) " Rogue Planet " is the eighteenth episode (production #118) of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise airing on the UPN network. While exploring an uncharted planet, Enterprise crew members encounter a group of aliens who are hunting indigenous creatures for recreation.

  2. Rogue Planet (episode)

    Archer has visions of a mysterious humanoid woman on a rogue planet where it is eternally nighttime. Captain Jonathan Archer is uncomfortable posing for pictures for Starfleet Headquarters, when the Enterprise discovers a rogue planet that has broken out of its orbit. They decide to lay in a course to take a closer look. Scanning the planet, T'Pol discovers that this planet supports a diverse ...

  3. "Star Trek: Enterprise" Rogue Planet (TV Episode 2002)

    Rogue Planet: Directed by Allan Kroeker. With Scott Bakula, John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock, Dominic Keating. Lieutenant Reed discovers a rogue planet, which has broken out of orbit and therefore is devoid of any light. Life is still possible in some places because heat is bubbling up from under the surface, but T'Pol doesn't detect any humanoid life.

  4. "Star Trek: Enterprise" Rogue Planet (TV Episode 2002)

    "Star Trek: Enterprise" Rogue Planet (TV Episode 2002) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Menu. Movies. ... STAR TREK ENTERPRISE SEASON 1 (2001) (8.4/10) a list of 25 titles created 09 Sep 2012 Watched a list of 3165 titles ...

  5. Star Trek: Enterprise S01E18 "Rogue Planet": Is the planet the same one

    In short, there is no way the planets could be the same because the Changeling planet was tens of thousands of light-years away from the parts of the galaxy that the Enterprise had access to. Also, it's not really much of a coincidence. There are a lot of shapeshifters in Star Trek, and rogue planets are thought to be very common in the galaxy.

  6. "Rogue Planet"

    The rogue planet (no star system so therefore no daylight, which begs the question — glossed over with useless pseudo-science — of how it can plausibly support so much plant life) is an always-nighttime hunting ground for a species called the Eska. ... I'm a sucker for any Trek episode involving a rogue planet or pulsar - my two personal ...

  7. "Star Trek: Enterprise" Rogue Planet (TV Episode 2002)

    A human female is wandering in the forest. Somehow he seems to know her. — Arnoud Tiele ([email protected]) The Enterprise finds an errant planet without humanoid life form with a vessel landed in a rain-forest. Archer, T'Pol, Trip, Malcolm and Hoshi take the Shuttlepod to explore and investigate the spot and they meet the Eska hunters Buzaan ...

  8. Rogue Planet

    Star Trek: Enterprise ... Rogue Planet Sci-Fi Mar 20, 2002 42 min Paramount+ Available on Paramount+, Prime Video S1 E18: While exploring an uncharted planet, Enterprise crew members encounter a group of aliens who are hunting down indigenous creatures for recreation. Sci-Fi Mar 20, 2002 42 min ...

  9. Watch Star Trek: Enterprise Season 1 Episode 18: Enterprise

    S1 E18: Rogue Planet. Sign up for Paramount+ to stream. TRY IT FREE. 44M MAR 20, 2002 TV-PG. ... Set in the mid-22nd century, over 100 years before James T. Kirk helmed the famous vessel, this installment of the "Star Trek" franchise is set on the Enterprise NX-01 -- the first Earth starship capable of warp 5 -- and explores the history of the ...

  10. Episode Preview: Rogue Planet

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  11. Rogue Planet

    Rogue Planet. The Enterprise discovers a Rogue Planet, these are Planets that do not orbit a star. Jonathan Archer decides that he should investigate the planet. The planet is in permanent darkness and the heat is generated from its centre. Whilst Archer is on the planet, Travis ...

  12. Rogue planet

    For the episode of Star Trek: Enterprise, see "Rogue Planet". A rogue planet was a planet that had broken out of its orbit around a star. However, such a planet may still be capable of supporting life due to geologic activities on it, such as hot gases venting from its interior, forming oases where lifeforms can thrive. The lack of a sun causes rogue planets to exist in a state of perpetual ...

  13. Star Trek: Enterprise: Rogue Planet

    Rogue Planet, an episode of Star Trek: Enterprise on Philo. The crew explores an uncharted planet. Start free trial Sign in. Season 1 Episode 18. Star Trek: Enterprise. TV-PG Fantasy • Drama • Adventure. Rogue PlanetSeason 1 Episode 18.

  14. The Vulcan Database: Rogue Planet

    The episode hooks the viewer with a genuinely cool astronomical premise -- the concept of a rogue planet, untethered from any star's gravity, orphaned, floating invisibly through space. It's a unique and very evocative concept. ... As a rule, I try not to get caught up in scrutinizing Star Trek's fake science. The series has never striven for ...

  15. Star Trek: Enterprise

    And with Rogue Planet, Star Trek: Enterprise wanders back into "generic Star Trek" territory. Rogue Planet is a story that could easily have been told on any other Star Trek spin-off. Indeed, a great deal of its story elements feel inherited like hand-me-down clothes. Hunters chasing sentient game is a stock science-fiction trope, but it is ...

  16. "Star Trek: Enterprise" Rogue Planet (TV Episode 2002)

    "Rogue Planet" has an original story surprisingly without villains. In one side, the amicable group of hunters that practice the sport for generations in a wild planet, and in the other side, an intelligent life-form. ... The hunters are played by various Star Trek and Science Fiction regulars including Keith Szarabajka who's highly distinctive ...

  17. "Rogue Planet" (Star Trek: Enterprise Season One)

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  18. Rogue Planet Proves That Outer Space Is Terrifying [REVIEW]

    It's a staple of science fiction horror and the premise of many Star Trek episodes. Where Rogue Planet differs is that it subverts expectations. When you think things are going in a predictable direction, a page turn will throw an unexpected surprise at you. ... Rogue Planet is a five-issue miniseries that can be found in all good comic book ...

  19. Founders' homeworld (2371)

    The first Founders' homeworld was an M-class rogue planet located within the Omarion Nebula in the Gamma Quadrant. This was the capital planet of the Dominion, and the homeworld of the Changelings. Thousands of years ago, the Changelings who later became the Founders of the Dominion withdrew to this planet to escape persecution by the solids. In 2371, Odo experienced a mental compulsion that ...

  20. Star Trek Enterprise S01E18 Rogue Planet

    Star Trek Enterprise S01E18 Rogue Planet. Show less. 11:29. I. Up next. Star Trek Enterprise Season 01 Extra - Creating Enterprise. Catalaya. 30:46. Star Trek Enterprise Season 01 Extra - To Boldly Go - Launching Enterprise (Part 1) Catalaya. 23:38. 47 - The Worst Of Trek III - Star Trek: Enterprise - A Night In Sickbay.

  21. Rogue Planet

    Sci-fi. Star Trek. "Rogue Planet" was the 18th episode of Enterprise in the show's first season, first aired 20 March 2002. The episode was written by Chris BlackMA, Rick BermanMA and Brannon Braga and directed by Allan KroekerMA. Jonathan Archer • Billy • Burzaan • Damrus • Travis Mayweather • Phlox • Malcolm...

  22. Every Upcoming Star Wars Game (2024 & Beyond)

    Star Wars Outlaws is the first upcoming AAA project on the horizon for the galaxy far, far away, set for a release on August 30, 2024. This title is in development at Ubisoft subsidiary Massive Entertainment, which is responsible for both Tom Clancy's The Division games and the recent Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.It's currently being billed as the first open-world Star Wars game, and it ...

  23. Star Treks Newest Starship Crew Wont Repeat DS9's Red Squad Tragedy

    In the backstory of Star Trek: Picard season 1, the Mars Attack of 2385 saw 92,000 souls lost when the 20,000 starships at Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards were destroyed by rogue synthetics. Related

  24. "Star Trek: Enterprise" Rogue Planet (TV Episode 2002)

    Star Trek: Enterprise. This is the only time the crew of the Enterprise use their green-glowing night vision gear. The bottles of liquid the Eska possess appear to be re-used "bloodwine" bottles from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993). The title refers to an object the size of a planet that is not in the gravitation sphere of a star and travels ...

  25. Rogue Worlds Throw Planetary Ideas Out of Orbit

    The new observations have forced them to rethink their theories of star and planet formation. ... Rogue worlds are much lighter and are commonly defined as weighing less than 13 Jupiters. (Anything between 13 and 80 Jupiters can fuse a heavier variant of hydrogen and is classified as a brown dwarf, or what astronomers sometimes romantically ...