More on "Dawn"
Jan. 10th, 2003 02:51 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
khaosworksThere was a post-episode dissection of "Dawn" on the Television Without Pity "Enterprise" boards, and several people raised the fact that "Dawn" was a recycled episode along the lines of TNG's "The Enemy" and "Darmok, TOS's "Arena" and even Barry Longyear's "Enemy Mine". I didn't disagree about "Dawn", but I thought that comparing the others was a bit off. Anyway, I wound up doing an analysis of the various stories.
Just watched "Dawn". Plot problems aside, I want to talk about the rip-off aspect.
It's not a matter of recycling or ripping off plots - there are only so many types of stories, after all. It's a matter of whether you have anything original to say with them.
"Darmok", "The Enemy" and "Arena" were all different and good despite superficial similarities because they said different things.
"Darmok" was about the problem of communicating in a language where you know the words but not the cultural context which is vital. This was probably one of the closest episodes to a pure SF story that Trek ever did, which is why it's dear to my heart. It highlights a very obvious flaw in the entire UT concept which had not been addressed before in Trek.
"The Enemy" did show Geordi and the Romulan working together, but this was contrasted with the behavior of Worf towards his own particular "enemy" on the Enterprise. While Geordi argues co-operation, Worf refuses to forgive and lets the Romulan die. Both sides are shown convincingly, and they highlight differing attitudes towards "the enemy". I love this episode because it had the courage to show Worf being true to his character and his culture. It had the taint of disapproval about it, but if Worf had caved and saved his Romulan's life, I would have been disappointed.
"Arena" was adapted from a non-Trek SF short story by Frederic Brown from the 1940s (it was a Nebula winner, I believe). In it, two space fleets are about to engage in a devastating war when two representatives are plucked from their respective fleets to fight to the death on a planet. The human triumphs and the alien fleet is wiped out. In the episode, the ending is altered to make it more optimistic and show the human as more heroic by sparing his opponent. The episode becomes not so much about the fight between Kirk and the Gorn, but about the capacity of man not to kill just because someone tells him to. It is almost the same message, albeit expressed more explicitly and perhaps more eloquently, in "A Taste of Armageddon".
"Enemy Mine" is basically "Arena" without the third party alien egging them on. It could have been told with any two soldiers on opposite sides in any war. The two SF complications were the inability to communicate initially and the alien pregnancy. The communications problem was less complex and different from "Darmok", so I don't think there's any real rip-off there. "Darmok" takes it in a different direction. The alien pregnancy, really, is a plot complication designed to evoke some pathos and putting the human in the position of protecting the enemy. The infant aspect makes it more dramatically effective than if it were merely an injured adult alien, and there's the added layer of carrying out a promise to a dead friend, a human action we can relate to.
Superfically, "Arena" and "Enemy Mine" have their similarities. Yet "Enemy Mine" extends the concepts raised in "Arena" because it not only removes the "to the death" element and the "human triumphs because of greater morality" element, but talks about two equals put in a dire circumstance, initially following their urge to kill the other but then coming to a compact. In this way, it is the more egalitarian version of "Arena", where the ability to transcend programming is not limited to humanity.
What does "Dawn" add to this equation? Sadly, not much. It's basically an extended version of Geordi's story from "The Enemy" with the UT complication added. Not to say that the show is bad. There are plot differences. Connor Trineer does a superb job (the vomit line and the Porthos line are particular favorites). Roxann Dawson's directing is smooth and effective, with some spectacular SFX shots. However, there's really nothing new that is said in "Dawn" that "The Enemy" didn't say, and basically, "The Enemy" was more powerful because of the contrast between Geordi and Worf.
Perhaps it's unfair to compare episodes from what are essentially two different series (TNG and ENT), but then again, since they are part of the same franchise one would really wish that they don't recycle each other, or if they do, at least do it from a different angle like "Darmok". As it was, while the episode was not unenjoyable, some of the enjoyment was taken out of it by the fact that it was dead on predictable and thus, not engaging. As a character piece for Trip, though, it works, especially his speech about not trading his time on Enterprise for anything (although it reminded me, somewhat amusingly, of Rutger Hauer's ad-libbed death speech from Blade Runner).
Oddly enough, there was something they could have done that would have made it more original - they could have done the co-operation angle from the ships' point of view. Say Archer and the Arkonian captain trying to co-ordinate their searches but having plot complications due to their mutual distrust. That would have taken it beyond "me and you soldier" to a higher diplomatic plane and still have the jeopardy of trying to rescue the stranded pilots by cutting to them occasionally. The idea that the Arkonians were like Earth, except that the Vulcans were greeted with suspicion rather than with open arms, was also interesting but it went nowhere. I think that was a missed opportunity here.
Bottom line: nice technical work, but dramatically mediocre. I give it a B minus overall - D for plot, but the acting chops on the cast all around were thankfully not OTT and were quite compelling.
Just watched "Dawn". Plot problems aside, I want to talk about the rip-off aspect.
It's not a matter of recycling or ripping off plots - there are only so many types of stories, after all. It's a matter of whether you have anything original to say with them.
"Darmok", "The Enemy" and "Arena" were all different and good despite superficial similarities because they said different things.
"Darmok" was about the problem of communicating in a language where you know the words but not the cultural context which is vital. This was probably one of the closest episodes to a pure SF story that Trek ever did, which is why it's dear to my heart. It highlights a very obvious flaw in the entire UT concept which had not been addressed before in Trek.
"The Enemy" did show Geordi and the Romulan working together, but this was contrasted with the behavior of Worf towards his own particular "enemy" on the Enterprise. While Geordi argues co-operation, Worf refuses to forgive and lets the Romulan die. Both sides are shown convincingly, and they highlight differing attitudes towards "the enemy". I love this episode because it had the courage to show Worf being true to his character and his culture. It had the taint of disapproval about it, but if Worf had caved and saved his Romulan's life, I would have been disappointed.
"Arena" was adapted from a non-Trek SF short story by Frederic Brown from the 1940s (it was a Nebula winner, I believe). In it, two space fleets are about to engage in a devastating war when two representatives are plucked from their respective fleets to fight to the death on a planet. The human triumphs and the alien fleet is wiped out. In the episode, the ending is altered to make it more optimistic and show the human as more heroic by sparing his opponent. The episode becomes not so much about the fight between Kirk and the Gorn, but about the capacity of man not to kill just because someone tells him to. It is almost the same message, albeit expressed more explicitly and perhaps more eloquently, in "A Taste of Armageddon".
"Enemy Mine" is basically "Arena" without the third party alien egging them on. It could have been told with any two soldiers on opposite sides in any war. The two SF complications were the inability to communicate initially and the alien pregnancy. The communications problem was less complex and different from "Darmok", so I don't think there's any real rip-off there. "Darmok" takes it in a different direction. The alien pregnancy, really, is a plot complication designed to evoke some pathos and putting the human in the position of protecting the enemy. The infant aspect makes it more dramatically effective than if it were merely an injured adult alien, and there's the added layer of carrying out a promise to a dead friend, a human action we can relate to.
Superfically, "Arena" and "Enemy Mine" have their similarities. Yet "Enemy Mine" extends the concepts raised in "Arena" because it not only removes the "to the death" element and the "human triumphs because of greater morality" element, but talks about two equals put in a dire circumstance, initially following their urge to kill the other but then coming to a compact. In this way, it is the more egalitarian version of "Arena", where the ability to transcend programming is not limited to humanity.
What does "Dawn" add to this equation? Sadly, not much. It's basically an extended version of Geordi's story from "The Enemy" with the UT complication added. Not to say that the show is bad. There are plot differences. Connor Trineer does a superb job (the vomit line and the Porthos line are particular favorites). Roxann Dawson's directing is smooth and effective, with some spectacular SFX shots. However, there's really nothing new that is said in "Dawn" that "The Enemy" didn't say, and basically, "The Enemy" was more powerful because of the contrast between Geordi and Worf.
Perhaps it's unfair to compare episodes from what are essentially two different series (TNG and ENT), but then again, since they are part of the same franchise one would really wish that they don't recycle each other, or if they do, at least do it from a different angle like "Darmok". As it was, while the episode was not unenjoyable, some of the enjoyment was taken out of it by the fact that it was dead on predictable and thus, not engaging. As a character piece for Trip, though, it works, especially his speech about not trading his time on Enterprise for anything (although it reminded me, somewhat amusingly, of Rutger Hauer's ad-libbed death speech from Blade Runner).
Oddly enough, there was something they could have done that would have made it more original - they could have done the co-operation angle from the ships' point of view. Say Archer and the Arkonian captain trying to co-ordinate their searches but having plot complications due to their mutual distrust. That would have taken it beyond "me and you soldier" to a higher diplomatic plane and still have the jeopardy of trying to rescue the stranded pilots by cutting to them occasionally. The idea that the Arkonians were like Earth, except that the Vulcans were greeted with suspicion rather than with open arms, was also interesting but it went nowhere. I think that was a missed opportunity here.
Bottom line: nice technical work, but dramatically mediocre. I give it a B minus overall - D for plot, but the acting chops on the cast all around were thankfully not OTT and were quite compelling.
