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Demons (Star Trek: Enterprise)

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"Demons (Star Trek: Enterprise)"

"Demons" is the twentieth episode of the fourth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise, and originally aired on May 6, 2005 on UPN. The episode was written by showrunner Manny Coto and directed by LeVar Burton. Set in the 22nd century, the series follows the adventures of the first Starfleet starship Enterprise, registration NX-01. In this episode, the crew returns to Earth to participate in a conference to set up a coalition of alien races. While there they discover a plot involving a xenophobic human organisation. The plot is resolved in the next episode, "Terra Prime".

Peter Weller guest starred as John Frederick Paxton, who later appeared in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) and other guest stars included Harry Groener, who had previously appeared in episodes of both The Next Generation and Voyager. Filming of the episode overlapped with that of several other episodes, and sets included both the standing sets and an alleyway on the Paramount lot which was previously used in the Deep Space Nine episode "Little Green Men". The critical response to the episode was mostly positive with one reviewer stating that the two-parter posed similar ideological questions to those seen in The Original Series.

Plot

The Enterprise returns to Earth so that the crew can attend a conference on the formation of a "Coalition of Planets". Nathan Samuels (Harry Groener) gives a speech, but the crew are disappointed when he fails to mention the contribution they have made to get the Vulcans, Andorians and Tellarites to work together. Susan Khori (Christine Romeo) collapses in front of T'Pol (Jolene Blalock) and hands over a vial containing a hair follicle before dying from wounds inflicted by phaser fire. Back on board the Enterprise, Doctor Phlox (John Billingsley) examines the hair, discovering it to be a hair from a hybrid child of T'Pol and Commander "Trip" Tucker (Connor Trinneer), but T'Pol assures everyone that she has never been pregnant.

Captain Jonathan Archer (Scott Bakula) meets with Samuels, who is concerned that news of the child will stir anti-alien sentiment. Lt. Malcolm Reed (Dominic Keating) is ordered by Archer to meet with his Section 31 contact, Harris (Eric Pierpoint). He is informed that Khori was a member of Terra Prime, an anti-alien movement. Meanwhile, in the Terra Prime headquarters on the Moon, John Frederick Paxton (Peter Weller) and Mercer (Patrick Fischler) discuss the baby. After Mercer leaves, Paxton sends for Daniel Greaves (Peter Mensah) and tells him to put together a team. On Earth, Archer tells Samuels that he knows that he was a member of Terra Prime and convinces him to get a case file on Khouri. Meanwhile on the ship, Ensign Travis Mayweather (Anthony Montgomery) gives his ex-girlfriend reporter Gannet Brooks (Johanna Watts) a tour of the ship.

On the Moon, Paxton watches a video of Colonel Phillip Green (Steve Rankin) (previously seen in The Original Series episode "The Savage Curtain"). Greaves enters and updates Paxton on the status of the child. After he leaves, Paxton injects himself in the neck with an unknown substance. The crew meet on the Enterprise to discuss Khouri's case file. Phlox reports that the hair sample contains traces of a substance used in a mining facility on the Moon. T'Pol and Tucker volunteer for the away mission and travel to the Moon. They are captured by Paxton, who reveals that the entire complex is a warp capable ship. The ship takes off from the Moon and travels at warp speed to Mars where it lands, taking control of the verteron array which protects the Earth from comets. Paxton uses the array to fire a warning shot at the Moon while issuing an ultimatum—all non-humans must immediately leave Earth. The plot is concluded in the following episode, "Terra Prime".

Production

Writing and casting

Peter Weller made his Star Trek debut in "Demons".

Showrunner and writer Manny Coto explained that the "demons" in the episode refers to the demons of intolerance that humanity must defeat before they can form the United Federation of Planets.[2] Colonel Philip Green (the leading villain of World War III in the Star Trek universe) was originally intended to appear earlier in the season in the episode "Borderland" but the episode was instead re-written to feature Arik Soong after The Next Generation actor Brent Spiner became available;[3] Green's appearance was one of several included in season four which linked Enterprise to The Original Series, which included the Mirror Universe and Gorn in "In a Mirror, Darkly", Organians in "Observer Effect" and the Orions in "Borderland" and "Bound".[2]

Peter Weller was cast in the role of John Frederick Paxton. Weller had previously appeared in other science fiction productions, including as the main character in the film RoboCop (1987). He also played Chuck Taggart in the television series Odyssey 5, which had been created by Manny Coto.[4] Weller said of the plot of the episode, "The great thing about the whole Star Trek legacy is that they... metaphorize, they allegorize and they narrate what's going on the planet today".[5] He would later go on to gain a role in the movie Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).[6] This was the third Star Trek appearance of Harry Groener, who played Nathan Samuels. He had previously portrayed Tam Elbrum in The Next Generation episode "Tin Man" and the Magistrate in the Voyager episode "Sacred Ground".[4] Eric Pierpoint returned as Harris, whom he had previously played earlier in the season in the episode "Affliction". Game show host Tom Bergeron made a cameo in the episode as a Coridan Ambassador. He had previously appeared as D'Marr in the first season episode "Oasis".[4]

Filming

The episode was directed by former Star Trek: The Next Generation actor LeVar Burton, his second of the season. Filming began on February 4, 2005 and completed on February 14. The first day of shooting overlapped with the filming for the previous episode, "In a Mirror, Darkly". The first day was spent filming scenes involving Mayweather and Brooks, while the second day overlapped with a re-shoot of the conclusion of the episode "Bound" and inserts for "Affliction" and "Divergence". The following three days were spent on the standing sets such as the bridge and sickbay, before moving onto the standing cave sets on stage 9. These had previously been painted white for use in "The Aenar", and were repainted grey to represent the tunnels on the Moon for "Demons".[4]

The only exterior location used was an alleyway on the Paramount lot near the soundstages. The alley had previously been used as a location in the Deep Space Nine episode "Little Green Men". Production moved to the Paramount Theatre on the final day of filming, which hosted the season premieres. It was used to portray the Assembly Hall of Starfleet Command.[4] The footage of Colonel Green was shot later, with a greenscreen placed on the monitor during the filming with Weller.[4]

Reception and home media release

"Demons" was first aired in the United States on UPN on May 6, 2005.[4] It received a 2/4% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49. This means that it was seen by 2 percent of all households, and 4 percent of all of those watching television at the time of the broadcast.[7] This was an increase of the overall audience share compared to the previous episode aired.[8]

Michelle Erica Green at TrekNation described the episode as a "riveting hour of television".[9] She thought that the episode posed the same types of ideological questions that The Original Series did on occasion and caused her to look forward to the following episode.[9] Jamahl Epsicokhan at his website "Jammer's Reviews" gave the episode a score of three out of four, saying that it was a "pretty good story [told] in an exceptionally average way".[10] Jay Garmon, whilst compiling a list of the best episodes of Enterprise for TechRepublic, listed "Demons" and "Terra Prime" as the third best. He thought that Peter Weller "stole the show", and that it created a "solid conclusion" to the show despite the following episode, "These Are the Voyages..."[11]

"Demons" was first released for home viewing as part of the Star Trek: Enterprise series four box set. It was released on region one DVD in the United States on November 1, 2005.[12] The Blu ray release of the final season of Enterprise is due on April 1, 2014.[13]

References

  1. ^ "Star Trek: Enterprise Series 4 – 20. Demons". Radio Times. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Manny Coto Reflects on Season 4". Star Trek.com. February 9, 2005. Archived from the original on March 5, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  3. ^ Krutzler, Steve (October 22, 2004). "Brent Spiner: 'Arik Soong' Arc Would Please Gene Roddenberry; Actor in TV Guide". TrekWeb.com. Retrieved March 28, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d e f g "Production Report: Peter Weller Stars in "Demons" (Update)". Star Trek.com. February 18, 2005. Archived from the original on March 3, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  5. ^ "Weller Talks Enterprise Finale". Sci Fi Wire. April 15, 2005. Archived from the original on April 17, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  6. ^ McNary, Dave (May 12, 2011). "Peter Weller to co-star in 'Star Trek' sequel". Daily Variety. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  7. ^ "'CSIs' Have It for CBS Friday". Zap2it. May 7, 2005. Archived from the original on May 8, 2005. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  8. ^ Green, Michelle Erica (April 30, 2005). "'Mirror' Ratings Remain Bright". TrekNation. Archived from the original on November 16, 2005. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
  9. ^ a b Green, Michelle Erica (May 7, 2005). "Demons". TrekNation. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  10. ^ Epsicokhan, Jamahl. "Star Trek: Enterprise "Demons"". Jammer's Reviews. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  11. ^ Garmon, Jay (July 12, 2012). "The five best Star Trek: Enterprise episodes of all time!". TechRepublic. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  12. ^ Pappas, Jim (November 8, 2005). "DVD Review: Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete Fourth Season". The Trades. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  13. ^ "Final Season Enterprise Blu-ray Set Available April 1". Star Trek.com. December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 27, 2013.

External links

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