First Flight

Season 2, Episode 24, Aired
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Episode Summary

Archer tells T'Pol the story of when he and a rival named A.G. Robinson were in competition for breaking the warp 2 barrier.
8.5
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Fan Episode Reviews (5)

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  • A prequel series looks even further back - again!

    4.3
    "Poor"
    By ProphetTenebrae, Oct 24, 2011 Report Abuse
    I find it strange that a show that was designed to be set at the start of star trek history - or thereabouts - has to look back to find stories. I suppose ideally this would have been something about Archer\'s character development but it does little more than highlight how it\'s pretty much all been covered, arrogant, impuslive and so on.

    This is really just a boring episode, to be honest. I suppose on the bright side we didn\'t have to contend with another alien race that would come and go without much interest.

    Ironic that this show was supposed to be about exploration but keeps going back to Earth... it also shows Archer being by the book before coming the crazy loose cannon he is in Enterprise.

    Not to mention the mandatory - people getting off with a slap on the wrist for what should have been a straigh court-martial offence but it\'s ok because they did it with good intent...

    All in all bland and inoffensive and pretty much totally pointless.moreless

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    2 6

  • Captain Archer and T'Pol explore a possible Dark Matter Nebula while Jonathan recounts the events surrounded the first successful flight of Henry Archer's Warp 2 engine.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Intrepyd-45, Oct 24, 2011 Report Abuse
    The rare opportunity to explore a possible Dark Matter Nebula is rattled when Captain Archer is informed that a close friend has died. Deciding to go ahead with the exploration, but preferably in solitude, Captain Archer decides to take the shuttlepod alone. T'Pol decides to tag along, despite her Captains objection.

    Along the way, Jonathan recounts the events that led him to pilot the first successful human warp 2.5 ship. T'Pol is surprised to learn that it wasn't Archer who performed the first test. There were four candidates. And it was a man named A.G. Robinson who first broke the Warp 2 barrier during the first flight of the NX engine testing. However, Robinson's refusal to abort when the warp field begins to destabilize costs the ship, and nearly his life.

    The Vulcans decided right then and there for Starfleet Command, that there would be no further testing until a brand new engine can be invented. A.G. testifies that the engine doesn't work, and seemingly dooms Earth to standing still, possibly forever. Nobody on the entire planet wanted to accept that. Especially not Starfleet, but the Vulcan's pressured them into taking their advice.

    When A.G. informs Archer of his assistance in helping the Vulcans ground humanity indefinately a fight ensues. It takes four officers to break it up. By this time, T'Pol and Captain Archer are beginning to experience system failures common to Dark Matter Nebulas and continue their search. T'Pol wonders who would have won.

    Archer goes on to explain that he put his pride aside and confronted A.G. about attempting another test flight. Jonathan is convinced if the antimatter intermix can be properly maintained, then the experiment will succeed. He and A.G. then steal the NX-Beta with Trips help. A.G. offers Archer the pilot seat and adjusts the intermix properly. The Vulcans show up just in time for Starfleet Command to be informed that they they've successfully made it to Warp 2.5!

    Despite that successful flight, the Vulcans refused to believe the data collected. It took them nearly a year and a half before they finally conceded that the engine just... MIGHT work. Six months later Warp 3 is broken. Five years after that, the Enterprise began construction. Captain Archer and T'Pol ignite the Dark Matter Nebula and name it after A.G. Robinson.

    I've seen some people call this episode "the bottom of the barrel" and I was deeply offended. These people are ignorant to the significance of the series if they don't understand the meaning of episodes like this one. The whole point of Star Trek: Enterprise is to tell the history of Starfleet. The events described here were the first steps Earth took toward making it into deep space, and layed the foundation for every series to come.

    To all who say this episode was completely pointless. I say shut up, and go watch Friends. Star Trek is not for you.

    A perfect 10.0moreless

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    2 0

  • Much better than expected

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Ydnaj33, Dec 26, 2010 Report Abuse
    First Flight is one of those episodes that of most Trek's I don't look forward too - a purely flashback episode that tells the story of how an element of the series came to be.

    There were some good guest stars in this one (not one of ENT's usual strong points). Keith Carradine was good as A G Robinson, and Brannagh's relatively small role as Ruby was also quite good.

    Story-wise, First Flight is a bit predictable some might say - but it has some nice, touching dramatic moments and fits in nicely to the story arcs established by Enterprise.

    It's a pity Trip, Archer & Forrest look exactly the same in the flashback at in real time - but atleast Bakula does some work to try and appear the slightly fresher captain he appeared in 'Broken Bow'.moreless

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    1 0

  • Archer tells tpol the story of how earth broke the warp two barrier

    9.2
    "Superb"
    By dregj, Dec 26, 2010 Report Abuse
    The best episode of the entire series
    I love the different archer
    stiffer than an HB pencil and about as much fun

    the plot was great
    you could sense the disapointment and frustration in archer
    when robinson gets the first flight,
    then screws the pooch above jupiter
    and when the vulcans cancel the warp 5 program
    this goes along way to explain
    why the archer we met in broken bow
    was so predjudiced against vulcans

    Im a big fan of space exploration endevours
    so i thought Archer empassioned speech to forest at the end was utterly fantastic

    The actor playing robinson is superb
    he has chemistry with archer
    and seems like a real ,fully rounded character
    he is arrogant willful disobiedint and likes a whisky.

    a cyring shame they didnt bring him in as
    the nx o2 captain a bit of rivally and ribbing
    for the sometimes preachy archermoreless

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    1 0

  • To boldy go.... past warp 2.0...

    8.0
    "Great"
    By AvatarBlue, Dec 26, 2010 Report Abuse
    A flashback episode chronicling Starfleet's first manned test of a warp 2 engine. The plot is a combination of sentimental journey as Archer relives the encounters with his dead buddy and competitor to fly the ship, and one of recital, providing a glimpse of the conflicts, politics and issues experienced by the involved key players.

    Together this actually provides is an entertaining portrayal of how humanity overcomes the problems it faces, even if they seem insurmountable. Add our stubborness to rise above even the restrictions it places on itself and the strength provided our relationships, even when in competition to succeed and the theme of 'Human Spirit' is steeped across every portion of this episode.

    By also showing how Archer met and got to know Trip, the plot is taken one notch higher in the relevance stakes. Though the action is limited to internal conflict with the Vulcans and non-lethal combat between the members of the flight team, what really comes across well were the difficulties one could imagine Archer et al faced in order to beat the Vulcans and the technical issues with the actual ship.

    While the stakes never really come across as being significant, (as we know they eventually succeed), there are enough scenes to paint a picture of hardship followed by the sort of feel-good scenes that ST has come to represent, when problems are overcome. Having said that, there is nothing really innovative in this episode, which will expand viewer vocabulary of the franchise.

    I like this episode as you can see from the score, but it doesnt really add anything going forwards. Therefore if you like to know you ST lore, then its definitely one to watch. And if you dont, it stands in its own right, as a low-medium intensity story, providing a good entertainment.moreless

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    0 1
 

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • Trivia: Ruby – a barmaid who both Malcolm and Tucker were in love with ("Shuttlepod One"), appears in this episode, she is portrayed by Brigid Brannagh.

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    • Trivia: This episode reveals how/when Archer and Trip met. Edit
    • Trivia: The episode reveals the meaning of Commander Tucker's nickname "Trip". His father and grandfather are both named Charles Tucker, thus he is Charles Tucker III (the third, or Triple, shortened to "Trip"). Edit

  • Notes

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    • The director of this episode, LeVar Burton, previously played Lieutenant Commander Geordi LaForge on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

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    • The 602 Club seen in this episode was named after a tavern that had been in business from 1951 to 1994. Students at UW-Madison often spent time at the place, including Rick Berman during his college days. Edit

    • Archer's rival, A.G. Robinson, is named after actor Andrew G. Robinson, who played Garak, the Cardassian spy/tailor in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

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  • Quotes

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    • Flight Controller: We just got a call. New Berlin's detected the NX Beta. Forrest: What? Flight Controller: Internal sensors show it's still in the hangar. Forrest: Has anyone bothered to look? Edit
    • T'Pol: The readings could be misleading. Archer: As Doctor Phlox would say, optimism. T'Pol: Optimism doesn't alter the law of physics. Edit
    • Robinson: (to Archer) You're a great pilot. Maybe as good as me. But you're never gonna get out into deep space by playing it safe. When the first warp 5 starship is built, it's captain won't be able to call home every time he needs to make a decision. He won't be able to turn to the Vulcans... unless he decides to take one with him. Edit

  • Allusions

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    • Buzz Aldrin's First Words on the Moon

      Archer asked Ruby what Aldrin's first words were, to imply no one remembers because he was second on the Moon. But Aldrin's words were, "Looks like the secondary strut had a little thermal effects on it right here, Neil."

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