| "Fallen Hero" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Trek: Enterprise episode | |||
| Episodeno. | Season 1 Episode 23 | ||
| Directed by | Patrick Norris | ||
| Story by | |||
| Teleplay by | Alan Cross | ||
| Featured music | David Bell | ||
| Production code | 123 | ||
| Original air date | May 8, 2002 (2002-05-08) | ||
| Guest appearances | |||
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| Star Trek: Enterpriseseason 1 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"Fallen Hero" is the twenty-third aired episode (production #123) of the television seriesStar Trek: Enterprise. The episode first aired May 8, 2002, onUPN as a double-bill followed by "Desert Crossing".
CaptainArcher is ordered to transportVulcan AmbassadorV'Lar from a planet where her integrity has been called into question.
After ten months without a break, Sub-CommanderT'Pol notes efficiency on boardEnterprise is down, and suggestsshore leave onRisa. CaptainArcher agrees. En route, Archer receives a transmission from AdmiralForrest, informing him of aVulcan Ambassador in need of extradition. With the closest Vulcanstarship over a week awayEnterprise is ordered to retrieve and deliver her to the Vulcan cruiserSh'Raan.
Arriving at Mazar, Archer and T'Pol are surprised to hear the Ambassador has been expelled for abuse of her position. Archer is called to the bridge and speaks to a Mazarite captain who requests that V'Lar be returned for further questioning. Archer stalls for time to contactStarfleet, but the Mazarite ship opens fire. TheEnterprise'sphase cannons disable the enemy ship's engines, allowingEnterprise to escape. Confronting V'Lar, Archer finds her unwilling to reveal more, stating that it is a matter forVulcan High Command only. Petulant about the history of Vulcans withholding information, Archer orders EnsignMayweather to set a course to return to V'Lar to the terrorists on Mazar.
Later, after speaking with V'Lar in private, T'Pol persuades Archer to turn around – again – to rendezvous with theSh'Raan. However, having backtracked towards Mazar, Archer has placedEnterprise close enough for the Mazarites to attack with three ships. Archer opts to flee, but even atWarp 5, the Mazarite ships still gain steadily. V'Lar suddenly confesses that her reputation was intentionally sullied to make the Mazarites believe she would no longer be a credible witness against corrupt officials. V'Lar offers to surrender herself for the safety of the crew, but Archer refuses. Again stalling for time, Archer informs the Mazarites that V'Lar suffered injuries and is in critical condition, allowing them to boardEnterprise. TheSh'Raan arrives and threatens to destroy the Mazarite ships unless they surrender immediately. At this point, Archer's ruse is revealed, and V'Lar appears unharmed. A grateful V'Lar tells Archer and T'Pol that their bond of trust and friendship bodes well for future human-Vulcan relations.
The story began with the idea of a disgraced Vulcan ambassador to be ferried home. Writer Chris Black suggested "what if we make it a woman and someone who had been an idol of T'Pol's?'" The show had been criticized for the inconsistent characterization of the Vulcans, the lies and deception in '"The Andorian Incident" seemed out of line with what was previously known about the Vulcans, but Black felt there was a logic to their acting in their own self interest when they needed to. Black felt that "Fallen Hero" provides balance by showing a Vulcan "who's noble, who is self-sacrificing, who—when confronted by Archer—tells him the truth because he deserves to know". Black said the episode was one of his favorites; he particularly liked the detail that the ship was pushed to Warp 5 for the first time and that Trip was stressed about the engine ("I don't know how much more I can give you") as fun homage toScotty in the original series. He also said that V'Lar's comments about there being "a great bond" between Archer and T'Pol was a nod to the relationship between Kirk and Spock in the original series.[1]
Guest starFionnula Flanagan played Ambassador V'Lar. Flanagan was offered the part without having to audition. She previously made guest appearances onStar Trek: The Next Generation in the episode "Inheritance" (as Juliana Soong, Data's "mother"), and onStar Trek: Deep Space Nine in the episode "Dax".[2] Bakula compared her character Ambassador V'Lar toIndira Gandhi and praised her performance: "She is incredible. She has this whole thing with T'Pol and me. It's a really good episode."[3] She found it challenging to play such an emotionally reserved character, a change from the roles she usually plays that have a lot of emotion attached to them. She found the role interesting as the character was both tough and also affectionate.[2]John Rubinstein, who plays the Mazarite Captain previously appeared in theVoyager episode "The 37's" as John Evansville.[4] J. Michael Flynn previously appeared inStar Trek:The Next Generation "The Hunted"[5] and would return in a recurring role in season 4 as the Romulan scientist Nijil.
The episode featured a Vulcan spaceship, a Suurok-class combat cruiser called the Sh'Raan. The ship was based on a design byDoug Drexler, revised and updated by Pierre Drolet.[6]It was ranked as the 22nd most powerful spacecraft of theStar Trek franchise by CNET in 2016,[7] and the 14th best spacecraft ofStar Trek bySpace.com in 2017.[8] The Sh'Raan class starship made an appearance in theStar Trek bookThe Romulan War: Beneath the Raptor's Wing by Michael A. Martin.[9]
"Fallen Hero" first aired May 8, 2002, onUPN as a double-bill followed by "Desert Crossing".[10][11] According toNielsen Media Research, it received a 3.2/5 rating share among adults. It had an average of 5.34 million viewers.[12][13][14]
Michelle Erica Green ofTrekNation wrote: "despite lots of space battles and some verbal fireworks, it plods." Green praised guest star Fionnula Flanagan for her memorable performance as V'Lar, and said John Rubinstein was delightfully menacing as the Mazarite captain, and that they gave the episode some entertaining moments, but was critical of how the regular cast were used.[15]Keith DeCandido ofTor.com gave it 7 out of 10, in his 2022 rewatch.[16]
In 2021,The Digital Fix said this was a "strong episode" that explores the Vulcans interactions with humans, centering on a Vulcan Ambassador played by guest actressFionnula Flanagan.[17]
This episode was released as part ofEnterprise season one, which was released in high definition onBlu-ray disc on March 26, 2013;[18] the set has 1080p video and aDTS-HD Master Audio sound track.[19]
Flynn — Park's co-star at the Rep — also has a Trek legacy, having done guest shots on both "The Next Generation" and "Enterprise."
