Star Trek: Enterprise Episode Review
Season 1, Episode 8
The crew's excitement to study a massive new comet is dampened somewhat when a Vulcan ship arrives to watch them work.
Very little actually happens in "Breaking the Ice", with the first real moment of peril coming in around ten minutes before the end credits. Instead, episode spends its time basking in the wonders of space travel and the magic of scientific discovery. Something as simple as an encounter with a comet, which on other Trek series would be fobbed off in a line of routine dialogue, is at the heart of the episode. While some might decry this slow pace as languid, I really appreciate that the script of "Breaking the Ice" takes the time to engage with Enterprise's setting, make science exciting, and spend time with its characters.
Those like me who are fans of day-in-the-life Star Trek episodes like "Data's Day" or "The Sound of Her Voice" will find a lot to enjoy here. These episodes paint the characters as real people with lives beyond their function on the ship, and the generally harmonious nature of the Starfleet crews makes for very pleasant viewing. When overzealous fans say that they would want to live and work on a starship, these are the best episodes to point to. This is Star Trek at its most cozy.
"Breaking the Ice" establishes a real sense of what Enterprise's journey means on a daily basis, grounding the show in its setting and paying real attention to its characters. The plot is too thin to generate edge-of-the-seat excitement, so it packs in small charming moments instead. This is the perfect time in the series to do a day-in-the-life episode, since these moments go a long way to introduce us to Enterprise's new cast and their chemistry.
My very favorite moment in the episode is an amusing ensemble scene in which the crew calls in to an elementary school classroom and answer the kids' questions, the same way modern-day astronauts do from the International Space Station. This is such a cute bit of world-building, showing us what Enterprise's mission means to the folks back home and presenting a more familiar Earth the other Trek series. In a plot-driven episode, a scene like this would stand out as useless filler, but the character focus in "Breaking the Ice" makes it feel right at home.
This is a major episode for Captain Archer, and it did a lot to change my initial quite negative impression of him. His impulsiveness, quickness to anger, and racist bent have annoyed me in episodes like "Broken Bow" and "Fight or Flight," so it's great that this episode calls him out. These events force him to swallow his pride and act with humility for a change. It is reassuring to see that the writers are well aware of his flaws and will be incorporating moments of growth to dial them back.
While Archer is forced to get over some of his Vulcan prejudice, Trip and T'Pol are the focus of a charming B-plot that allows them to confront their differences is a much quieter way. The spirit of Star Trek is a multi-cultural future where people learn from and respect each other, and that is on full display here. Just as Archer has to look past his human pride and act more Vulcan, T'Pol has to learn from humanity and act more human. The simple image of her with Trip's pie in her quarters, having stopped looking down her nose at human cuisine, is an endearing bit of growth.
