Fortunate Son 

Enterprise is sent to help the freighter Fortunate after an attack. However, its first officer, Ryan, is hiding something.

Director:

LeVar Burton

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (based upon "Star Trek" created by), Rick Berman (created by)

Stars:

Scott Bakula, John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Scott Bakula	...	Captain Jonathan Archer
John Billingsley	...	Dr. Phlox
Jolene Blalock	...	Sub-Commander T'Pol
Dominic Keating	...	Lieutenant Malcolm Reed
Anthony Montgomery	...	Ensign Travis Mayweather
Linda Park	...	Ensign Hoshi Sato
Connor Trinneer	...	Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III
Lawrence Monoson	...	First Officer Matthew Ryan
Kieran Mulroney	...	Shaw
Vaughn Armstrong	...	Admiral Maxwell Forrest
Danny Goldring	...	Nausicaan Captain
Charles Lucia	...	Captain Keene
D. Elliot Woods	...	Nausicaan Prisoner
Daniel Henson	...	Boy (as Daniel Asa Henson)
Elyssa D. Vito	...	Girl

Storyline

Admiral Forrest orders Enterprise to turn back to answer a distress call from the cargo freighter Fortunate. They have been attacked by Nausicaan pirates. Upon entering the vessel, captain Archer learns first officer Matthew Ryan has taken over since the captain was injured in the attack. He seems very reluctant to accept any help however and Archer must insist before Ryan agrees on Phlox examining the captain and engineers making repairs. Ryan seems to hide something and T'Pol will soon find out as she detects an alien life form.

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Plot Keywords:

male alien | female subcommander | the number 8 | earthman | jonathan archer character | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Release Date:

21 November 2001 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Network Television,Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

45 min

Did You Know?

Trivia

This episode features the first on-screen appearance of the Nausicaans in Enterprise. The outing also depicts the first official contact between Starfleet and the Nausicaans.

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Goofs

When Mayweather is eating steak with Ryan, Ryan is talking with an empty fork in his hand. As he's in mid-conversation, the empty fork suddenly has meat on it.

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Quotes

[Reed and Phlox are under fire]
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed: Get down!
Dr. Phlox: Under the circumstances, I defer to your experience.

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Soundtracks

Where My Heart Will Take Me
Written by Diane Warren
Performed by Russell Watson
Episode: {all episodes}

User Reviews

We need some space police!

When the show begins, annoying Nausicaan* pirates are attacking an Earth freighter. Soon, Enterprise is ordered to change course to investigate. However, the reaction of the freighter crew is strange and they seem like they don't want any help--even though their ship has obviously been damaged. It's obvious that they are hiding something--and when their secret is revealed, the ship takes off. What is it they are hiding and how will Archer handle it?

This episode brings up an interesting idea with space travel--who will police space? So, if there are space pirates, who is to stop them and how will they punish them? The Captain Ahab-like approach of the acting commander of the freighter is certainly one way! Overall, a rather interesting but not particularly outstanding episode.

*The Nausicaans was a name that was familiar but I didn't at first realize which episodes involved them. My wife looked it up--these were the nasty brutes who nearly killed Jean-Luc Picard when he was a stupid and headstrong Starfleet cadet--which is revealed in one of the final shows of "Star Trek: The Next Generation".