The Expanse 

When a probe from an unknown alien source unleashes a devastating assault upon Earth, Enterprise is recalled, then sent to search for the perpetrators.

Director:

Allan Kroeker

Writers:

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

Stars:

Scott Bakula, John Billingsley, Jolene Blalock

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Scott Bakula	...	Capt. Jonathan Archer
John Billingsley	...	Dr. Phlox
Jolene Blalock	...	Sub-Cmdr. T'Pol
Dominic Keating	...	Lt. Malcolm Reed
Anthony Montgomery	...	Ensign Travis Mayweather
Linda Park	...	Ensign Hoshi Sato
Connor Trinneer	...	Cmdr. Charles 'Trip' Tucker III
John Fleck	...	Silik
Vaughn Armstrong	...	Adm. Maxwell Forrest
Gary Graham	...	Ambassador Soval
Daniel Riordan	...	Duras
James Horan	...	Humanoid Figure
Bruce Wright	...	Dr. Fer'at
Dan Desmond	...	Klingon Chancellor
Josh Cruze	...	Capt. Ramirez

Storyline

An unknown probe fires on Earth from space, cutting a swath from Florida to Venezuela. Everything in the path of the attack was destroyed, resulting in the deaths of seven million humans including Tucker's younger sister Elizabeth. Enterprise is recalled to Earth for upgrades to the ship and to take on military crewmen. Silik gives Archer a message from the future about Earth's latest enemy. The Klingon Empire gives Duras another chance to capture Archer. Enterprise heads for infamous and dangerous Delphic Expanse.

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Plot Keywords:

looking out a viewport | silik character | maxwell forrest character | soval character | actor reprises previous role | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The only major U.S. city to be destroyed in this episode was Orlando since the beam cut thought the middle of the state. All other major cities such as Jacksonville, Melbourne, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami in the East and Ft. Myers, Sarasota, and Tampa in the west are all on the coastline and were untouched.

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Goofs

This might fit into the Geographic Error category, as well. Tripp had stated in an earlier episode, that he was from Tarpon Springs, Florida. When the Xindi weapon cut the swath through Florida, it was from about where Orlando is, going south, toward the keys. The swath wasn't nearly wide enough to destroy Tarpon Springs, well to the west.

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Quotes

Commander Charles 'Trip' Tucker III: I can't wait to get in there, Captain - find the people who did this. And tell me we won't be tiptoeing around. None of that non-interference crap T'Pol's always shoving down our throats. Maybe it's a good thing she's leaving.
Capt. Jonathan Archer: We'll do what we have to, Trip... Whatever it takes.

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Connections

References Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

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Soundtracks

Where My Heart Will Take Me
Written by Diane Warren
Performed by Russell Watson

User Reviews

The Temporal Cold War heats up spectacularly

Earth is attacked and Enterprise returns home at the request of Starfleet.

This episode feels like a prologue to a lot of television time dedicated to a big conflict between Enterprise and a new enemy. It introduces some concepts that do not really fit in to what has been established or referenced already within the Star Trek universe. That being said, it is pretty strong episode containing themes that seem relevant to the series which was written in the immediate post 9-11 years.

What it does well is generate intrigue into what will happen in the next. We see the Enterprise starting out on a seemingly dangerous journey and I for one want to see where they go and what obstacles they must overcome on the way. The sub-plot involving the Klingon Duras creates plenty of excitement before the Enterprise even enters the expanse.

Where it fell down a bit for me was the characters. There is a very big deal made about T'Pol either staying with Enterprise or returning to Vulcan. Let's be honest, she is one of the main characters on the show, so there's obviously only one way that's going. Trip Tucker, bereaved and angry following the death of his sister shows signs of how annoying he may possibly become in future episodes. Hoshi is virtually ignored considering she was only brought on as a Klingon translator.

I guess this is where the writers decided to go full hog and depart with both the continuity and formula of the past franchise. I understand from all the negative reviews of the next seasons that die-hard Trekkies hated it, but I'm happy to see for myself what all the fuss was about.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 May 2003 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Network Television, Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

43 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1