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Breaking the Ice (episode)

Real world article

(written from aproduction point of view)

"Breaking the Ice"

ENT, Episode1x08

Production number: 40358-008

First aired:7 November 2001

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7th of 97 produced in ENT

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7th of 97 released in ENT

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635th of 968 released in all

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Unknown (2151)

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With a Vulcan ship on their tail,Enterprise decides to investigate a comet.

Summary[]

Teaser[]

Enterprise NX-01 travels atwarp. In the busymess hall,Trip Tucker has brought indrawings from hisnephew'sfourth grade class and is showingDoctor Phlox, who is amused. He getsT'Pol's attention and shows her as well. She does not share his amusement, even though she finds one of the drawings "surprisingly accurate." Soon, everyone notices thestarship has dropped toimpulse.Captain Archer announces for everyone to get to awindow.Enterprise has discovered a largecomet, and callssenior staff to thebridge.

Act One[]

Archer decides he would like to follow and study the comet for awhile. T'Pol dismisses it as simplyrock andice, but Archer notes it is the biggestcomet everobserved byHumans – orVulcans.

Later, T'Pol is doing somereading. She gets somegreen tea from the mess hall, where Tucker is enjoying somepecan pie. After the usual banter, she bids himgood night when he notices something may have piqued her interest. The nextday, she notes that the comet is rich ineisillium, a raremineral that Vulcanchemists haven't been able to study in detail.

Captain Vanik contacts Enterprise — Captain Vanik contactsEnterprise

She notes the deposits are too deep for thetransporter, soTravis Mayweather suggests a landing. T'Pol knows a good spot. Archer tellsMalcolm Reed and Mayweather to get started whenHoshi Sato gets ahail. The Vulcan shipTi'Mur mysteriously appears out of the blue, asking that they be allowed to observe whileEnterpriseinvestigates the comet. Archer is not happy about the Vulcans looking over hisshoulders, and expresses this to T'Pol in private. In the interest of cooperation, he agrees.

Reed and Mayweather, excited to land on a comet, easily do so and beginscanning. Meanwhile, Tuckerdiscovers that T'Pol has received secretencrypted transmissions from the nearby Vulcan ship and is suspicious. Captain Archer is especially disappointed that T'Pol has apparently been in touch with the Vulcans behind his back, since they had anagreement. He has Satodecrypt thedata.

Act Two[]

On the bridge, a recording to someEarth school children who go toWorley Elementary School inKenmare,County Kerry,Ireland, is dispatched, containing comments about ongoing events onEnterprise and answers to the manyquestions the popularcrew previously received. Tucker is extremely uncomfortable about answering a question aboutship sanitation as he is worried that he will be assumed to be asanitation engineer. Phlox and Sato, however, are excited to talk aboutgerms and theuniversal translator, respectively.

On the comet, Reed and Mayweather set up their equipment. Mayweather has some fun making asnowman, too. Archer calls down to get astatus and remind them they are being watched, asking who thesculptor is. They drop it and place thecharges. The comet is found to contain the raresubstance eisillium under the surface.

Meanwhile, Sato hands Tucker the decrypted Vulcan message, but didn't read it, preferring to stay out of the message's contents. She tells Tucker he can use thetranslation matrix to read theVulcan language. He does so and reports to Archer. It turned out that the transmission was not correspondence concerningEnterprise but apersonalletter for T'Pol regarding herarranged marriage. Archer, embarrassed at having intruded on T'Pol'sprivacy, does not ask Tucker to reveal its contents. Tucker, the only one who actually read the letter, feels guilty, however, and decides to tell T'Pol what he did.

Tucker apologizes to T'Pol for having read her message from the Vulcan ship by mistake, telling her that an encoded letter just looked suspicious. T'Pol is upset and asks Tucker to keep the contents of the letter to himself.

T'Pol is called by Archer to discussinviting the Vulcan captain,Vanik, todinner aboardEnterprise to "break the ice" so to say, hoping to establish some level oftrust between theirspecies. She leaves to consult Phlox on a condition she is experiencing causing her to losesleep. He asks her to talk to him, but she prefers not to. He simply gives her ananalgesic and she leaves.

On the comet, the "snowvulcan" received a few more nice touches and Reed informs Archer they're ready. Sato informs the Vulcans and Archer orders to proceed. They set off a largeexplosion.

Act Three[]

Reed and Mayweather exploring the crater

While Reed and Mayweather explore the newcrater, Archer hosts captain Vanik. He starts by commenting on his ship, its capabilities, an encounter Archer had with the VulcanTok, and Vulcanenvironmental suits. Vanik hardly responds, and is disrespectful, does not share Archer's enthusiasm and viewpoints, and otherwise is very dismissive and patronizing. Archer lets them go, but finally mentions that Vulcans sure do get around for a species not interested inexploration. It appears to Archer that all he can really prove to the Vulcan is whatever stereotypes he already has of Humans. Upset at Vanik's attitude, Archer concludes the dinner by accusing the Vulcan ofspying onEnterprise and then asks him to leave. He does so, saying something to T'Pol as he leaves. She doesn't explain it right away.

"We have this peculiar habit of actually talking during meals.""I've noticed — "*We have this peculiar habit of actually talking during meals.*"
"*I've noticed.*"

Archer turns his attention to the comet and notes to them that an explosion triggered on the surface of the comet by theaway team has altered the comet'srotational axis, resulting in theshuttlepod facing thestar in twohours, causingtemperatures to shoot up a couple of hundreddegrees. The away team promises to be out of there as soon as possible.

Later, T'Pol invites Tucker to herquarters to discuss her arrangedmarriage. Doctor Phlox had advised her earlier that it might be helpful if she discussed her problems with someone instead of keeping it inside. In the interest of sharing her predicament with as few people as possible, T'Pol decides to talk to Tucker, since he already knows about the contents of the letter. Apparently, the impending marriage is causing some concern for her, since she would have to leaveEnterprise immediately and remain away for at least one Vulcanyear.

She wants advice from Tucker, who does not share her views on Vulcanculture andtradition, stating that arranged marriages have been discarded at the same time asslavery was abolished – a comparison T'Pol does not appreciate. Whatever advice Tucker gives T'Pol is met with resistance, as she believes that he simply does not understand her culture and commitment to tradition. At the end of the conversation, Tucker is frustrated at T'Pol's insistence on devotion toheritage above all while T'Pol feels that it was a mistake altogether to consult Tucker's help.

Meanwhile, the away team runs into complications. Mayweather hurts hisleg, forcing Reed to help him walk. With only thecore sample in hand, they slowly head to the shuttlepod. However, they realize thestar is almost in view, raising the temperature and making the ground unsteady. They need to hurry.

Act Four[]

The Ti'Mur tractors the shuttlepod — TheTi'Mur tractors the shuttlepod

Reed and Mayweather make it to the shuttlepod, but are stuck on the comet due to a malfunction, and fall severalmeters under the surface. The Vulcan ship offers to help, but Archer takes thehelm to try to get in position for Tucker to shoot thegrappler, but it's unsuccessful. Archer wants to continue trying, but T'Pol encourages him to take Vanik's help. Archer is reluctant, but T'Pol tells him that Vanik expects Archer to refuse his offer as he sees Humans as arrogant andprideful, and that accepting his offer would be the perfect opportunity for Archer to prove the Vulcans wrong. Archer swallows his pride and lets the Vulcans help pull the shuttlepod out with theirtractor beam – atechnology Starfleet does not possess. When the away team returns, attempts by Archer at friendliness are blocked by Vanik, who has no interest in receiving the dataEnterprise collected on the comet.

T'Pol chooses to reconsider her marriage and obligations to her culture – and eats some pecan pie in the privacy of her quarters.

Memorable quotes[]

"For those of you who aren't near a window, you might want to find one. There's something pretty amazing off starboard."

-Archer, to the crew ofEnterprise

"Once he realizes we're not going to blow up the galaxy maybe he'll leave us alone."

-Archer

"Wow! That's one big snowball!"

-Tucker, onArcher's Comet

"Perhaps they're simply curious."
"Curious? That doesn't sound very Vulcan to me."

-T'Pol, discussing the sudden arrival of theTi'Mur withArcher

"You're easily impressed."

-Vanik, to Archer

"It might not be good for the body... But it sure is good for the soul."

-Tucker, defending his favorite dessert – pecan pie – to T'Pol

"A POOP question, SIR?!"

-Tucker, answering a question from children on Earth

"I always wanted to chase a comet."

-Archer

"I've only seen snowtwice in my life."

-Mayweather

"I hope I never see snow again!"

-Mayweather

"You are Human. You are free to choose."

-T'Pol, trying to convince Archer to ask the Vulcans for help

"If Vanik's the kind of guy who likes to watch... let him."

-Archer

"I feel like I got caught with my hand in the cookie jar!"

-Tucker

"I have more letters in my quarters. Would you like to read those as well?"

-T'Pol

"What was that all about?"
"It's personal."

-Archer, afterTucker and T'Pol speak about her deciding not to leaveEnterprise for Koss (last lines)

Background information[]

Production history[]

Production number: 011-40358-008
Final draftscript:29 August 2001[1]^(X)
Filming:
- Thursday30 August 2001 –Engineering,bridge,situation room,ready room (Paramount Stage 18)
- Friday31 August 2001 – Bridge, situation room (Paramount Stage 18)
- Tuesday4 September 2001 – Bridge (Paramount Stage 18)
- Wednesday5 September 2001 –Vulcan bridge, ready room (Paramount Stage 18) andcaptain's mess,sickbay (Paramount Stage 8)
- Thursday6 September 2001 –Shuttlepod 1 (Paramount Stage 18) and T'Pol'squarters (Paramount Stage 8)
- Friday7 September 2001 – T'Pol's quarters,mess hall (Paramount Stage 8)
- Monday10 September 2001 – Ext.Archer's Comet surface (Paramount Stage 9)
- Wednesday26 September 2001 – Re-shoot of scene 10 in mess hall (Paramount Stage 8)
Air date:7 November 2001

Story and script[]

A revised version of thescript was submitted two days after the final draft, on31 August 2001. Although an early version of the script referred to the Vulcan ship depicted herein as being of the "Surak class", the revised final draft referred to the type of ship as "Suurok class". The change was made for reasons whichMike Sussman wasn't privy to. (info fromMike Sussman,see discussion here)
This is the first episode ofStar Trek: Enterprise which did not haveRick Berman orBrannon Braga writing the episode or its story, at least according to the credits of this installment and the previous episodes in the series. However, Braga once referred to the idea of depicting people walking on a comet as an ambitious challenge that came about as a result of him continually trying to push the limits of what the series' creative staff could do. ("To Boldly Go: Launching Enterprise", Part III: First Flight",ENT Season 1 Blu-ray special feature)

Production[]

Enterprise staff writerChris Black was amazed, while planning this episode, by the flexibility of the series' production crew. "That was when I realized they really pull out all the stops for this show," he said. "It just feels sometimes like there's virtually nothing that they can't do! 'Guys!, can you turnStage 9 into the surface of a comet?' – 'Yeah, when do you want it by?'" (Star Trek: Communicator issue 143, p. 29)
This is the only episode ofEnterprise to be directed by regularStar Trek: Voyager directorTerry Windell.
On the first day of production – Thursday30 August 2001 –Director Mike Vejar filmed scenes 30 and 31 in the corridor and Archer's quarters sets for thefirst season episode "Strange New World" onParamount Stage 8. ("Call sheet")
On the second day of production – Friday31 August 2001 – pick-up shots ofLinda Park at her console on the bridge for the first season episode "Fight or Flight" were filmed. The scenes include R87, R91, and R93pt. The call sheet also features the reminder to match the dark lighting as per original scene. ("Call sheet")
During the production of this episode, cast and crew went on holiday for the labor day on Monday3 September 2001, as noted on the call sheet.
The call sheet for the fourth day of production, Wednesday5 September 2001, features two notes regarding face casts. It remarkedConnor Trinneer had his face cast at 8:45 am at the upstairs lab andScott Bakula had his face cast withMichael Westmore after wrapping. The same day, a second unit meeting took place at Cooper Building, Room 205, at 10:30 am.Jolene Blalock had her face cast one day later, Thursday6 September 2001, at 10:30 am. ("Call sheets")

Props and costumes[]

Several props and costumes from this episode were later sold off on theIt's A Wrap! sale and auction including:
- The final draftscript of the episode[2]^(X)
- Vanik's Vulcanrank badge[3]^(X)
- Alantern[4]^(X)
- T'Pol'stechnical manual[5]^(X)
- Archer'scoffee percolator[6]^(X)
- T'Pol's quartersfurniture[7]^(X)
In addition, Christie's40 Years of Star Trek: The Collection auction soldpillows,blankets, and several personal items from T'Pol's quarters.[8]^(X)[9]^(X)[10]^(X)
Also sold off on eBay weretrays andsalt andpepper shakers seen in this episode in the mess hall. They were previously used in the mess hall aboard theUSSVoyager inStar Trek: Voyager.[11]^(X)[12]^(X)[13]^(X)

Thebulletin board in T'Pol's quarters – seen in this episode for the first time – features a set blueprint of what seems to be the bridge ofEnterprise.
According to the "Props Requirements" section on the call sheet for the seventh day of filming – Monday10 September 2001 – a "snowman with two different heads" was needed. ("Call sheet")

Music[]

Two musical pieces of this episode, composed byDennis McCarthy and titled "Archer's Comet/Comet Chasers" and "The Comet", were included on disc 1 of thesoundtrack "Star Trek: Enterprise Collection, Volume Two", released byLa-La Land Records in2016.

Continuity[]

This episode features theTi'Mur, the first majorVulcan High Command starship seen in all ofStar Trek.
Koss, who later appeared in "Home", "The Forge" and "Kir'Shara", is first mentioned in this episode.
This episode effectively begins the T'Pol/Tucker personal relationship, and its title is thus adouble entendre. It is the first time Tucker enters T'Pol's quarters and the first time she shares personal information with him. Thepecan pie she has in her quarters at the end of the story is also the first time T'Pol is seen to eat unambiguouslyHuman food for her own enjoyment. It is noteworthy that she signals her personal rebellion from Vulcan tradition with one of Tucker's favoritedesserts.

Awards[]

This episode was nominated for anEmmy Award in the category Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series in2002 but it lost out toEnterprise's pilot episode, "Broken Bow". The nominees includeAdam Buckner,John Gross,Steven Rogers,Paul Hill,Adam Howard,Greg Rainoff,Fred Pienkos,Eddie Robison, andDavid Stipes.

Reception[]

Dominic Keating found his work on this outing to be particularly extensive. "I did a whole ten days in that suit, man, on that comet [set]," he stated. Meanwhile dealing with the difficulty of removing the costume he wore to represent an EV suit, Keating experienced some stress due toAnthony Montgomery's energetic and talkative behavior. "There'd just come a point in the day, on that particular episode, when I'd just go, 'Anthony! Shut up, mate!'" Keating laughed, recalling his shouting. "And you could hear, 'Oh, Domi. I'm sorry, man. Sorry, dude.' Hard work, mate, in that EV suit, pretending to be weightless." ("To Boldly Go: Launching Enterprise", Part III: First Flight",ENT Season 1 Blu-ray special feature)
This episode achieved a Nielsen rating of 4.9 and was watched by a total average of 7.36 million viewers.[14]
Star Trek Magazine's "Ultimate Guide" rated this episode 3 out of 5 arrowhead insignia. (Star Trek Magazine issue 164, p. 78)
The unofficialreference bookBeyond the Final Frontier (p. 361) comments about this installment, "An episode that was probably designed as a showcase for Reed and Travis is hijacked by the far more intriguing T'Pol subplot. The twist that T'Pol isn't plotting against the ship ought to be predictable, but it comes out as something of a relief."