| "The Augments" | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Star Trek: Enterprise episode | |||
| Episodeno. | Season 4 Episode 6 | ||
| Directed by | LeVar Burton | ||
| Written by | Michael Sussman | ||
| Featured music | Velton Ray Bunch | ||
| Production code | 406 | ||
| Original air date | November 12, 2004 (2004-11-12) | ||
| Guest appearances | |||
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| Star Trek: Enterpriseseason 4 | |||
| List of episodes | |||
"The Augments" is the sixth episode of thefourth season of the American science fiction television seriesStar Trek: Enterprise, the eighty-second episode overall. It is the last of a three-story episodearc, preceded by "Borderland", and "Cold Station 12". "The Augments" was directed byLeVar Burton, from a script byMichael Sussman.
The series follows the adventures of the firstStarfleet starshipEnterprise, Starfleet registration number NX-01. In this episode, "Augments",genetically enhanced humans, and DoctorArik Soong, their surrogate father, escape Cold Station 12 after stealing frozen Augment embryos from storage. Soong plans to hide out with the Augments and raise the embryos, but Malik, their leader, is tired of hiding and attempts to instigate a war between Starfleet and theKlingons.
The production of the episode reunites fellowStar Trek: The Next Generation alumni Burton as the director andBrent Spiner as Arik Soong. OnThe Next Generation, Burton previously playedGeordi La Forge, while Spiner playedData. Most of the guest cast from the previous twoEnterprise episodes in the story arc returned for "The Augments";Mark Rolston makes an appearance as Klingon Captain Magh. The sets were also reused, but a new one was built for the Klingon escape pod used by Soong.UPN first aired "The Augments" on November 12, 2004, where it was watched by 2.1 percent of the U.S. population. It received mixed reviews from critics, who spoke negatively of Malik's character, but praised the performance of Spiner as Soong and the relationship betweenT'Pol andTucker.
At the end of "Cold Station 12", DoctorArik Soong and the Augments he secretly raised depart the space station, taking with them 1,800 frozen Augment embryos preserved from the time of theEugenics Wars. Malik also steals pathogen samples from the station and sets the containment fields to fail. In "The Augments", CaptainArcher restores stasis around the central compound, and is beamed from space to safety. He takes theEnterprise in pursuit of Soong, Malik, and the Augments in their stolenBird of Prey.
Soong and the Augments arrive inKlingon space where he shares his plan: Soong intends to hide out in a region (theBriar Patch) where Starfleet would have trouble tracking them down. Malik objects to Soong's plan, noting thatKhan Noonien Singh also ran away on the SSBotany Bay.
In pursuit of the AugmentsEnterprise arrives in Klingon space, having faked a Klingonwarp signature. Soong releases a hostage on a Denobulan shuttle into a gas giant, forcingEnterprise to abandon the pursuit and mount a rescue operation. Escaping, Malik proposes a new plan: trigger a war between Starfleet and the Klingons as a distraction by firing a pathogen-filled torpedo at a Klingon colony. He reasons that Starfleet will be too busy fighting the Klingons to hunt down the Augments. Soong will have nothing to do with Malik's genocidal proposal.
On theEnterprise, CommanderT'Pol asks CommanderTucker about the distance between them after her recent arranged marriage[2]. He tells her he has come to terms with their new relationship.
Back on the Bird of Prey, Soong works on a way to remove aggressive behavior from the unborn Augment embryos. Malik, concerned by Soong's plan to hide from Starfleet and his tampering with the embryos, leads a mutiny which confines Soong to his quarters. With the help of Persis, Soong leaves the ship in an escape pod.Enterprise, once again in pursuit, detects the pod and brings Soong on board. Heading towards the Klingon colony at high warp in an attempt to stop Malik's plan, the Klingons detect their ship.Enterprise is forced to disable a Klingon cruiser when it tries to board. Malik kills Persis for her betrayal, and continues with his plan to attack the Klingons. Scans of theQu'vat colony reveal three main population centers; the torpedo is armed with pathogens and prepared for deployment.
TheEnterprise arrives at theQu'vat colony just after Malik fires the torpedo, butEnterprise destroys it, saving the population. Soong helps disable the Klingon ship, hoping to save some of the Augments. However, Malik scuttles the Klingon ship, killing the remaining Augments and the embryos; and transports himself ontoEnterprise in an attempt to kill Soong in revenge. Archer manages to kill Malik first, blowing a hole clear through him. The Klingons call off their retaliation against Earth, and Soong is returned to the Starfleet Detention Center. In custody, he begins to doubt the feasibility of genetically engineering humans; and wonders if perfectingartificial life holds better possibilities for the future.
"The Augments" is the final episode in a three-part story which began with "Borderland" and continued in "Cold Station 12". The return ofgenetically enhanced humans, as seen in theStar Trek: The Original Series episode "Space Seed" andStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, linksEnterprise toThe Original Series.[3]
The episode reunitesBrent Spiner andLeVar Burton, twoStar Trek: The Next Generation alumni. Spiner played the role of the androidData and Burton played chief engineerGeordi La Forge. Spiner appeared in all instalments of the three-story arc, while Burton only directed "The Augments". Burton directed three episodes ofEnterprise in thethird season. To celebrate their collaboration, as well as acknowledge the crew members who had remained with the franchise since their series, Burton bought lunch on the final day of shooting for everyone on the set. The episode was written byMike Sussman, his second of the season after "Home".[4]
Shooting began on September 2 and lasted for seven days, with the production taking time off forLabor Day. The majority of the sets on the episode were created for "Borderland" or "Cold Station 12". The scene depicting a Klingon escape pod required the construction of a new set. Spiner, as well as several other guest stars, resumed their roles from earlier in the story arc, includingAlec Newman as Malik,Richard Riehle as Doctor Jeremy Lucas,Abby Brammell as Persis and Adam Grimes as Lokesh. Joining them wasMark Rolston as the Klingon Captain Magh; Rolston previously appeared inThe Next Generation as Walter Pierce in the episode "Eye of the Beholder", and also played Kuroda in theEnterprise episode "Canamar".[4]
UPN first broadcast "The Augments" on November 12, 2004. According to overnightNielsen ratings, 2.1 percent of the population of the United States and four percent of those watching television at the time viewed the episode.[5] "The Augments" received the same ratings as the previous episode, "Cold Station 12".[6] However, it moved up to fourth place in the 8 p.m. timeslot, narrowly beatingWhat I Like About You andGrounded for Life onThe WB.[5]
IGN gave the episode 3.5 out of five, and wrote: "The Augments doesn't deliver as strongly as I'd have hoped, it is still an engaging hour of television that clearly showsEnterprise is going in a new direction."[7] Michelle Erica Green ofTrekNation, said that Malik had become a "cardboard villain" by the time of "The Augments", but she did not blame Alec Newman for this. She also criticised the use of Persis' death by Malik, saying that he defined her "even in death as a commodity for his use".[8] Green praised the relationship between T'Pol and Tucker and the characterisation of Soong, noting that Spiner's performance was the best of the three-episode arc.[8]
Writing forJammer's Reviews, Jamahl Epsicokhan gave the episode a rating of two out of four. He criticised Malik, noting that the "crux of the story is reduced to an unremarkable three-character power struggle that is supposed to be a microcosm for the trouble that comes with genetically engineered super-humans, but comes across instead as overly bland and tidy drama."[9] Spiner "delivers a good performance under the circumstances", notes Epsicokhan, as his character has to believe that Malik will not overthrow his leadership of the Augments.[9] Summing up the episode, Epsicokhan writes:[9]
Perhaps this story was simply content to show absolute power corrupting absolutely. Unfortunately, aside from Persis, none of the Augments stop to think about what they're doing or why, and the story of Malik is content to blandly repeat the story of Khan, but without the crucial personal motivator of revenge. I think the writers owed the material more than this.
In a review forBig Shiny Robot, Andy Wilson said that the story represented the "personal journey" of Arik Soong from genetic engineering to cybernetics.[10][n 1]Screen Rant praised casting Brent Spiner as the character Arik Soong.[12]
The Hollywood Reporter interviewed various cast and production crew of theStar Trek franchise to determine the "100 Greatest Episodes" from across the five series, ranking "Borderland"/"Cold Station 12"/"The Augments" as the 96th best episode of all time.[13]Den of Geek writer James Hunt ranked the mini-arc as the sixth best story ofEnterprise.[14]
A home media release of "The Augments" was originally released in the United States on November 1, 2005, as part of the season four DVD box set ofEnterprise.[15] TheBlu-ray edition was released on April 1, 2014.[16]