Precious Cargo (Star Trek: Enterprise)
"Precious Cargo" | |
---|---|
Star Trek: Enterprise episode | |
Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 11 |
Directed by | David Livingston[1] |
Story by | |
Teleplay by | David A. Goodman |
Featured music | Paul Baillargeon |
Cinematography by | Marvin V. Rush |
Production code | 211 |
Original air date | December 11, 2002 |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"Precious Cargo" is the thirty-seventh episode (production #211) of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Enterprise airing on the UPN. It is the eleventh episode of the series' second season.
Set in the 22nd century, the series follows the adventures of the first Starfleet starship Enterprise, registration NX-01. In this episode, the Enterprise answers an alien distress call and Commander Tucker (Connor Trinneer) is kidnapped and then escapes with a spoiled and beautiful alien princess Kaitaama (Padma Lakshmi).
The episode is noted by technologists for its depiction of the universal translator, one of the technologies real-world experts are interested in realizing.[2]
Plot
Firek Goff, the captain of a Retellian cargo vessel, docks and asks Captain Archer for help; a passenger-carrying stasis pod is malfunctioning. Archer then offers Trip's services, while also extending an offer of Enterprise hospitality to both the captain and his brother, Plinn. When Tucker enters the cargo hold inside Goff's ship, he notices a beautiful female alien beneath the stasis canopy. Goff tells him that she is a passenger traveling home from a planet where she was studying medicine. He explains that because his ship can't travel over warp 2.2, she has to be kept in stasis because there is not enough food to support them all.
As Tucker starts working on the stasis pod, it begins to fail, and fearing that the occupant will suffocate, he releases her. Tucker is then knocked unconscious by Goff, who then flees from the faster Enterprise by disabling her engines and ionizing its warp trail, but Plinn is left behind. The female passenger, Kaitaama, is initially hostile. Tucker uses the
Meanwhile, Archer and Sub-Commander
Production
Writer David Goodman wrote the script based on the story idea presented by Rick Berman and Brannon Braga. Goodman, new to the series, notes that there had been a lot turnover after the first season with writers, and that writer Chris Black, who had helped him on his draft was sad about this.[3] Goodman later joked that he was "proud of the fact that I've written one of the most hated episodes of Star Trek ever", he conceded that he was new and that many of the problems with the episode were his fault, but that the bad script he wrote was not the bad episode that aired.[4] Braga did a rewrite, treating it like a screwball comedy, but he struggled and felt that he did not do a good job.[5][6]
The episode guest stars the Indian-American actress and model Padma Lakshmi, who went on to host Top Chef.[7] Her character Kaitaama is from Krios Prime, the same planet as Kamala from the Star Trek: The Next Generation ("The Perfect Mate").[8][4] Guest star Leland Crooke previously appeared in two episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine as the Vorta Gelnon. Scott Klace was in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Juggernaut".[1]
The Retellian's cargo spacecraft was designed by John Eaves.[9]
Reception
"Precious Cargo" first aired on UPN December 11, 2002. The episode was watched by an audience of 4.67 million viewers, putting it among the lowest rated episodes of the season.[10][11][12]
The
In 2011,
In 2016, fans at the 50th anniversary Star Trek convention voted "Precious Cargo" the tenth-worst episode of any Star Trek series.[19] In 2018, CBR included it on a ranking of Star Trek episodes they considered "So Bad They Must Be Seen".[20] WhatCulture ranked it the seventhth-worst episode of the Star Trek franchise;[21] In 2017, Screen Rant ranked it the eleventh-worst.[22]
John Billingsley said it was his least favorite episode of the series: "It just didn't come together."[23] Brannon Braga considered it one of the worst episodes of Star Trek.[5][24]
In 2021, The Digital Fix said this episode was not terrible, just that "these stories have been done before. And better."[25]
Home media release
The first home media release of "Precious Cargo" was as part of the season two DVD box set, released in the United States on July 26, 2005.[26] A release on Blu-ray Disc for season two occurred on August 20, 2013.[27]
See also
- Arena (Star Trek: The Original Series) (Alien universal translator shown)
- Metamorphosis (Star Trek: The Original Series) (Star Trek universal translator introduced, 1967)
References
- ^ a b "Production News: 10.22.02 Connor Gets Cozy with "Cargo"". StarTrek.com. Archived from the original on 2002-10-24.
- ISBN 978-3-319-40914-6.
- ISBN 978-1-250-08946-5.
- ^ a b Walker, Adam (23 November 2012). "Star Trek Federation: The First 150 Years - David Goodman Interview Part II • TrekCore.com". TrekCore.com.
Well 'Precious Cargo' – that was their idea. They included those references to TNG 'The Perfect Mate'.
- ^ a b Enterprise Season: Two Blu-ray. “Destination Unknown: Uncharted Territory” at 28 minutes
- ^ Darren (April 15, 2015). "Star Trek: Enterprise – Precious Cargo (Review)". the m0vie blog.
I did a re-write on it. I treated it like a screw ball comedy.
- ^ "'Top Chef' Host Padma Lakshmi Cooks Up New NBC Sitcom". NBC Chicago. 21 July 2009. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
- ^ "Krios". StarTrek.com. Archived from the original on 2003-08-05.
- ^ John Eaves (18 September 2009). "starship mish mash from the series, Enterprise!!!". Eavesdropping with Johnny.
- ^ Caillan (29 December 2002). "Underwhelming Ratings For 'Cargo' & 'Catwalk'". Trek Today. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ Steve Krutzler (12 December 2002). ""Precious Cargo" Overnights Recover After Holiday, But Still Low Overall". TrekWeb.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-13.
- ^ Brian Lowry (December 18, 2002). "Rudolph guides CBS to victory". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 2002-12-20.
- ^ "Enterprise Review – "Precious Cargo"". Bureau 42. December 12, 2002. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
- ^ a b c Michelle Erica Green (December 12, 2002). "Precious Cargo". www.trektoday.com. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
- ^ Darren (April 15, 2015). "Star Trek: Enterprise – Precious Cargo (Review)". the m0vie blog.
Precious Cargo seems to owe as much to Star Wars as it does to Star Trek.
- Jammer's Reviews.
- Tor.com. Archived from the originalon 2022-08-22.
- Star Trek Magazine(2011) Volume #1 Issue #37 (UK #164) "The Ultimate Guide Part II" Page 82. ISSN 1357-3888 TMN 11714
- ^ Amanda Kooser (August 5, 2016). "10 worst Star Trek episodes, according to the fans". CNET. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
- ^ "Star Trek: 20 Episodes So Bad They Must Be Seen". CBR. 2018-12-12. Retrieved 2019-06-08.
- ^ Kmet, Michael (2014-01-26). "Star Trek: 20 Worst Episodes Ever". WhatCulture.com. Retrieved 2019-07-18.
- ^ Matthew Byrd (2017-05-22). "15 Worst Star Trek Episodes Of All Time". ScreenRant. Archived from the original on 2019-06-08. Retrieved 2021-03-18.
- ^ "John Billingsley Answers Fan Questions - Part 1". StarTrek.com. August 17, 2010.
after that episode our numbers just plummeted and we never got the audience back again
- Aint It Cool News.
Braga remembers Goodman's first script
- ^ Baz Greenland (2021-03-22). "Star Trek: Enterprise Revisited - A Look Back At Season Two". The Digital Fix. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
- ^ Ordway, Holly E. (August 7, 2005). "Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete Second Season". DVD Talk. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved 2019-02-07.
- ^ "Enterprise Season: Two Blu-ray Available August 20". StarTrek.com. May 23, 2013. Archived from the original on February 18, 2014. Retrieved 2016-02-15.
External links
- "Precious Cargo" at IMDb
- "Precious Cargo" at Memory Alpha
- "Precious Cargo" at Wayback Machine (archived from the original at StarTrek.com)